Danger!

Elian, Prince Royal and Heir of Arania, woke in alert. His senses were telling him something was wrong, and he knew better than to ignore them. Immobile, he scanned the darkness of his tent through his eyelashes. The entrance panel was ajar, allowing a narrow slice of moonlight in. A dark shape was standing there, whispering to someone outside.

Elian slid his left hand on the sheet, feeling the warm and empty space beside him. It had to be that girl. He held in a sigh. His brother kept providing him with an endless supply of girls, a new one every night, in the hope that he would eventually fail to honour them. In a depopulated world, any claim of impotence or sterility would make anyone an outcast. Siring as many children as possible was every man and woman sacred duty. And despite having a wife and two concubines, his cursed brother, the King of Arania, did not have any, making Elian the one and only Heir to the throne. Of course the King was blaming it on the women, but Elian was delaying taking a wife of his own, and was careful not to father any child, in fear that Mahmoud would take it as a personal attack. He even kept the pretence of being  every bit the womaniser, not interested in settling down at all. He scowled. His brother had seen right through his game, and started playing it against him.

Last night’s girl was just seventeen, and had begged him to keep her with him, on the count that she was afraid of the soldiers in the camp. He would usually send them away with compliments and a gift as soon as they were done, but he was tired and agreed to let her stay. And here she was, planning something. So much for being nice.

Elian’s right hand moved discreetly under the blankets, reaching below the edge of the mattress, where his dagger was hidden. He slowly pulled the weapon out, readying himself for the worst. The girl had been searched by the Guards and examined by a doctor before being taken to him, it was standard procedure. She brought nothing but her clothes into the tent. But who was she talking to? It could only be one of the two sentinels, in charge of his safety. How ironic!

He waited patiently as the girl retrieved a purse from the man outside, picked a small lantern at her feet and made her way back to the bed. She stopped close to him, pouring the content of the purse into the bock of water on his bedside table. She then blew off the candle, threw the purse under the bed, and climbed into it.

Elian felt her cool naked body snuggle against him, eager for his warmth. The nerve of her!

He turned toward her, catching her wrists with one hand and pinning them above her head. She gasped. He leaned on her with all his weight, bringing the dagger to her throat.

“Shout and you are dead!”, he whispered in her ear. She nodded frantically.

“What did you put in my drink?” His voice was harsh and commanding.

“I-I don’t know, I was just told to do it!”

She sounded terrified. It was good she couldn’t see him, or she would have died on the spot. Elian’s face was a mask of pure white heated rage. But it was not directed against her.

“Who told you?”

“I was approached by a man, in the whorehouse. He said he was recruiting girls for the Prince. He said that if I did as I was told, he would find me a good husband and a house of my own.”

“He was just using you. If this is poison, and I was found dead, you would have been tortured, your feet cut off, and sent back to where you come from. But I think the plan was rather to kill you to silence you…”

She was pleading now.

“I’m sorry, I did not have a choice! You don’t know how it is at the brothel, what they force me to… I would do anything to get out! Why would I want to harm you, you’ve only been kind to me!”

Softening, Elian loosened his grip a little.

“Who gave you the purse? Was it a guard outside?”

“Yes, the one standing on the right. I was to wait until it was the left one’s turn to walk around the tent, and ask him what to do. I merely followed his orders.”

Elian’s heart sunk. The sentinels guarding his quarters belonged to his own personal squadron. It was a prestigious, elite unit. He had handpicked his men himself, made sure they received the best training, paid for the highest quality equipment. They had plenty of advantages, and a very good income. He was trusting them with his life. And yet, his wicked brother had managed to worm his way in. That was really depressing.

Well, he just had to try and fix it. Maybe there was no more than one rotten apple in the basket. He decided against confronting the guard. He would have him followed, probably by his night watch fellow. After all, if they had to wait for him to go away, he had to be faithful. Elian needed to know if there was any more accomplice in the camp. Once he was certain, he would have them all executed in the most horrible way, enough to deter anyone from betraying him again. He snarled in anticipation.

The girl moaned and shifted. He was hurting her.

His thoughts went back to her. She was just a tool, she never had a choice. And now she knew too much for them to let her live.

Letting her go, he sheathed the blade, got up and lit the lantern, before grabbing the bock. He lifted the corner of the rug and spread the content on the floor, watching as the earth instantly absorbed it. He placed the rug back carefully, turning to the girl.

“Get dressed!”, he uttered.

Surprised but submissive, she picked up her clothes and put them on. Elian wrapped a thick black cloak around her, handing her a well-rounded purse.

“I’ll make sure you get out of the camp unharmed. After that it’s up to you. There’s enough money in there for you to start a new life, if you so wish. Just be careful, they will be after you. Hide well!”

The girl stared at him with wide eyes, lifted on her toes and kissed his cheek.

“Thank you Mylord!”

He smiled:

“Just stay alive.”

 Lifting the entrance panel, Elian yawned ostentatiously, motioning the guard on the left inside. He pushed the girl forward to him.

“Call somebody to replace you and see her out of the camp, will you? Her snoring is disturbing my sleep!”

The guard stifled a laugh.

“As you wish my Prince!”

He whistled and within a minute another man arrived, taking over his post.

Elian watched as the girl left with her escort, hopefully for a better life. Sighing, he returned to his bed, and fell asleep instantly.