The Last Dragon And Guardian

Ralph had waited with Kidaya where they hid until the faceless men were gone. They had not bother to search for them. After the Duchess was killed, the soldiers just picked up her body and they all left. After they were all far gone, Ralph ran out and picked up the Duchess's sword. It was the only thing they had left of home and anyone. Running back to where Kidaya still waited, he grabbed her hand and ran with her toward the river.

Just as the Duchess had said, there was a man waiting by the river on a boat. Commander Ben. Ralph had seen him a few times when he went to deliver food to his father during training at the Duke's Manor. As soon as Commander Ben saw him, he looked down to see who was behind and the minute his eyes landed on the little girl he was still holding, he began to run forward. Without asking questions as though he understood everything, he picked up Kidaya who had begin to cry the moment she had seen the commander. Grabbing unto Ralph with his free hand, he ran with them for the boat and once they were aboard it, the commander turned on the boat engine and left with them.

"She is bleeding," Ralph said to the commander when he had finally patted Kidaya to sleep. "I don't know what the Duchess did but when I turned back to look, there was blood and her dress was getting soaked. Do you think she will be alright?" Ralph asked.

"She will have to until we can find a blind healer for her." The commander said.

"Blind hear... Why can't we just do it? Anything at all if it will also help with the pain?"

The commander looks down at the boy sitting beside him. "She is a Lady from an honorable house, are you saying you will undress her yourself?"

Ralph looks down. "No." He may be only ten, but his mother had always taught him the importance of respecting a Lady.

The commander had just closed his eyes for a second when he heard an arrow whoosh towards them. He quickly opens his eyes and immediately uses his unsheathed sword to hit the arrow away from aiming for the girl. Looking at the land, he saw the faceless men.

Ralph gasped. Had they returned? He thought they were gone? Why had they returned when they had all left?

Commander Ben immediately pulls out his sword using both the sword and its sheath to prevent the many arrows that were now flying their way, from harming him or the kids. He knew for now, they could do nothing but fire the arrows at them in the hope that any would kill the Lady, Kidaya. There was nothing else they could do, he had the only boat now present in the big river. He had ensured that no boat or boat man was available even for the next 200 miles. They will be safe the minute their boat gets out of range of their arrows, they will be, at least while they are still on the water. But now the faceless leader has seen that the heir is still alive, he will hunt her down and burn down every village if he has to until he finds her or her corpse. Commander Ben tightens his hold on his sword. He would never allow any harm to come to the Lady.

Turning to the man on his left. "Follow the boat and send words wherever it stops. Bring the girl's head if you can."

Nodding, the masked man by the left rides away on his horse at a high speed, using the land path close to the river.

He turns to the little boy beside him who had his shoulders buried in shame. "You are a disgrace, just like your mother was." He said before turning on his horse and riding away. "Have him walk with the rest of the men." The leader said over his shoulder to the man on his right.

Head still buried down, he climbs down the horse and hands over the reins to the man.

**

After days and days of being on water, they finally stopped close to land when there was no more water to go on. After helping the kids out of the boat and taking out everything they needed, Commander Ben picked up a heavy rock and placed it on the boat sinking it. He couldn't afford to let the faceless men know he had stopped here. He had seen one of the faceless men being sent in pursuit of them on horse, who knew how close he was to them. Picking up the girl, he hands over the bags he had to the boy.

"Can you walk with them?" He asked the boy who nodded hanging one of the bags infront of him and the other behind. "Let's go." He said holding on to the boy as he set off into the forest surrounding the river, only after he was sure they was no trace left of them.

He knew the boy's parent. His father was one of the unit commander under him, and his mother was a cook at the Duke's Manor. He had seen the boy couple of times running errands or bringing food for his father during training. If his father wasn't here, it only meant he was dead too just like everyone else. His Grace must have taken the boy along with him and his family to save the boy's live. At the thought of his master, he wondered if they could somehow be alive or already dead. But knowing the faceless men, he knew they wouldn't spare their life. They would kill everyone and remove every trace of it. Now it was his responsibility to ensure that he keeps their daughter alive and give her a good life. But he knew Vianto Empire will not give the girl any of that. The leader of the faceless men will continue to search for her until the ends of the earth. So he had to get her out of Vianto. And they was only two ways out of Vianto: through the merchant ships at the marine, or through the borders. They was only one problem with both plans, both places were always heavily guarded with faceless men behind the shadows.

Commander Ben sighs. Before thinking on how to get the children out of Vianto, first he had to get the girl treated. She had begun to shiver yesterday due to the cold from the open waters, plus, her bleeding was still untreated and may get infected if not treated quickly. He had to find a blind healer soon, or find any healer at all to treat her, then kill the healer afterwards. No one apart from the late Duchess and Duke saw the girls back and stayed alive to tell what he or she saw. It was the one unspoken and unbroken rule in the Duke's Manor. No one even wondered what was there, no one wanted to die for just thinking aloud either.

Three towns later, he finally found a blind healer. He gave the healer some coins to treat the girl and get them something to eat too. They have had dried food since they set out on that boat. The girl was strong, but he didn't know how long before those dried foods would get her sick.

"You are lucky you got her treated today. One more day and you would have had a dead child in your arms."

"Will it leave scars?" The commander asks.

"The wound had been infected. I won't ask why you had to keep her that long before you got her treated, but apply those ointment on her every day until it heals and it won't leave any scars."

Nodding, the commander takes the ointment and hands it to Ralph.

"The soup is on the table. I will be in the healing room in case you need me."

"Can we get clothes? We don't mind if they are torn. I'll pay extra for them." Commander Ben says.

"I'll bring them to you."