Heart Over Sword

As the night drew on, the group watched the palace from afar, sitting by the cliffside, their legs dangling off. Each night the palace was lit up in all its glory to show off its grandeur, but tonight, it seemed the celebration made it look even more extravagant. Evanna looked on in delight; it appeared from this distance, they could enjoy a marvellous view until it was time for the heist.

Even with their past adventures, where they had seen quite a lot on the road, the men still sat there in awe. Tonight, there was different lighting displays showing off various colours flashing across the palace, along with some form of magical spell on the water by its side before it fell down the waterfall.

The water lifted in the air, formed into mini tornados that spun in a splendid display on top of the water's surface. It then developed into the shapes of men and women, waltzing across the vast river before they fell down the side in its standard form. This was on a repeated loop. As soon as the water dancers fell to the side, more formed and began the routine again.

CRUNCH

Everyone's head whipped to the side and looked at Cilv, who ate an apple; her look was one of boredom.

"Time?" Ger asked as he turned his head to Evanna.

Evanna pulled her pocket watch out and read out the time, "It's 10."

"We should make our way down," Axel spoke up from the position behind the others. Unlike them, he once again sat comfortably on the solid ground, not near the cliffside. He tutted when they first sat there that evening; it was far too dangerous in the dark and with the wind picking up.

The group stood up and began walking away from their little hiding spot. Evanna was both relieved and anxious at leaving the area, but the further away she got from the cave and the creature that lay within, the clearer her mind became.

Their prediction was correct. As the party snuck through the woods on high alert, they noticed fewer guards were patrolling on the outskirts of the palace. Still, Cilv climbed a tree and scouted ahead, just in case. But their route to the palace was peaceful; it seemed that even the villages they sneaked past were deadly quiet, either by settling down for the night or from being at the celebration.

Each village screamed of a luxurious lifestyle; Evanna had no doubt in her mind that everyone was at the celebration. Before they made it to the bridge that connected to the palace, the group hid behind a white tower, which seemed to be an outpost. Cilv jumped down from the tower's height, landing elegantly next to Evanna.

The princess narrowed her eyes at the shapeshifter, "Are they dead!?" She whisper-shouted.

Cilv shook her head, "I used some of the sleep powder on them." 

She showed a pouch to Evanna that held the silvery powder that shimmered under the moonlight.

"Here," Cilv gave her the pouch, "you'll need this for dismantling the guards at the bridge."

Evanna nodded her head and placed the pouch in her cloak before putting her bag down on the ground. The tower was a spot they agreed on leaving their bags out of sight behind a tree. They didn't want to be carrying a lot on them if they were sneaking around the palace.

"Does everyone remember what the gem looks like?" Evanna asked in a hushed toned. She showed them the scroll with the painting on before they left their campsite. But she felt anxious and wanted to double-check. They nodded their heads in return, and she could see the apprehension on the men's faces also. Taking a deep breath, she turned her back on them and started to make her way towards the bridge.

As she walked away, Cilv caught up to her and whispered, "Take your hair out."

Evanna looked at her, alarmed. Why did she need to take her hair out? Before she could do anything, Cilv started undoing her hair and shaped it around her face, "Much better. It hides your ears, and well, it can't help to use a bit of your beauty to charm them."

The princess looked back at her, baffled. Charm? She was just going to walk up to them and blow the powder in their face. But she took on board what Cilv suggested, not that she knew how to charm anyone. With one last look at the men, she turned back around and strolled towards the bridge; she wasn't going alone. They were following her, staying in the shadows of the trees.

As she approached the bridge, two guards came into view and stiffened at her appearance. They were dressed to impress; their armour shone under the light of the moon, glinting off sparkles to the ground at their feet. 

"* Halt *" 

Evanna stopped walking and held her hands up by her waist. She was busted before even getting close enough to use the sleeping powder on them.

"* What is a ranger doing out so late? *" The second guard asked, his eyes narrowed as he took her appearance in.

A ranger? That was good enough. Evanna didn't expect them to believe she was a noble, not with the clothes she wore or how dirty she probably looked, along with the bruises on her face and cut lip. Relaxing her hands, she took a few steps closer until the first guard held his hand up again to stop her from moving forwards. 

Evanna smiled inwardly; she was nearly in good enough range to use the powder on them. She put her hand in her cloak pocket, but this alerted the pair, and they brought their swords out.

"* Stop what you are doing! *"

Evanna brought her hands up again, "* I apologise. I was grabbing my hander kerchief to wipe my face. As you can see, I am in need of a good bath..*"

The pair eyed her warily, waiting for her to explain further. She needed to get a little closer, so without thinking further about it, she put on an air of haughtiness and scoffed, "* Did you not know that I was coming? *" 

"* Who are you exactly? *" 

"* Who am I!? *" She scoffed again and marched forwards; the pair backed away slightly with their swords pointed forwards. She began pacing in front of them, with her hands behind her back, her head held high, "* As always, the Flori are so unorganised. *"

"* Excuse me, wha-"

Evanna tutted and held her hand up dismissively, "* I have travelled all this way from Lyvaria, and this is how you treat me. A letter was sent before I left, and we received word back that you would be expecting me. But as usual, your standards are that much lower than ours. *"

Both guards scoffed, and the second guard muttered, "* Lyvarians, always so bloody conceited. *" 

"* Where is your horse? *" The first guard asked suspiciously; he too was offended by her words but did not complain and questioned this new elf.

"* It was eaten by one of those creatures in the forest. Now enough! *" Evanna came forwards once again towards the elves, who looked at her in disdain. Before either of them could react, Evanna raised her hands, palm up and blew on the powder into their faces.

The pair began coughing and dropped their swords while clutching at their throats. Evanna rushed forwards to grab one of them while Cilv appeared and grabbed the other, keeping their falls light and silent as they dropped to the ground.

"It IS sleeping powder, right?" Evanna questioned after watching the guards choke.

"Yes, it is! They will be out for about six hours," Cilv responded. The men arrived and grabbed the pair of them, pulling them back into the darkness of the trees.

Evanna and Cilv kept watch, their eyes scanning the horizon while Evanna pulled her mask up, put her hair back into a low bun and draped over her hood. Once the men came back, Axel took charge and kneeled to keep his prodigious form out of sight. The others also kneeled and kept themselves in a tight nit circle. 

"I will only keep this brief. We know the plan, and hopefully, we get in and out without being noticed or harmed," Axel paused and glanced at everyone's faces, who were now masked and hooded, "But IF something does go wrong... We keep going, and we don't look back."

The weight of his words hit them like a ton of bricks, forming apprehensive knots in their stomachs of what was about to come.

"So, it's every man for themselves, is what you're saying?" Cilv asked with an odd gleam in her eyes.

Axel nodded his head and could almost see her smile from the way her eyes slit slightly. His brows drew together, knowing too well how easily the shapeshifter would leave them in an instant the moment the odds were not in their favour. His gaze landed back on the faces of the others, and he saw their determination.

This was it.

Cilv was the first to rise, followed by the men and Evanna. As they began to walk closer to the bridge, Evanna reached out to Axel and held onto his coat to keep him from the others. He looked down at her, with a crease forming between his brows.

"Axe, do you mean what you said?" Evanna whispered and began walking by his side at a safe distance from the others. She did not want the others to hear their conversation. She knew Cilv would listen to it, but what they had to say did not affect her.

Axel's heart became heavy as he looked at the princess's sweet face. He meant what he said, but if she were the one to be in trouble, could he seriously turn his back on her? No, he could not, and that was his choice to make.

"I meant what I said, your highness," His voice was low and glum. 

"Good"

Her answer made him look at her in surprise. That was not what he was expecting to hear. She was a princess; if anything, she should be asking for optimal protection. But of course, he should not be surprised; Evanna was the most courageous woman he had ever met. 

"-please", Evanna finished what she was saying. Axel looked at her; he was in so much shock and awe he didn't hear what she said.

"I'm sorry, can you repeat yourself, lass?" He asked as they reached the bridge. The others were waiting a few meters ahead, crouched by the rail's sides. 

"I want you to promise me that if anything, I mean ANYTHING were to go wrong. If.." She took a deep breath, "If I were the one to fall.. you would make sure the others make it out." Axel tried to argue, but she shook her head, "No, Axe. I mean it. I know for certain, Ger will not follow what you said. Please, make sure to get him away."

Axel nodded his head in silence. 

"Promise me, Axe?" She asked, looking up at him with determination set behind her eyes.

He clenched his teeth together before replying, "I promise." He put his hand on his chest and bowed his head. 

"Good, now let's go."