Arpious of the Planes

"Shall we head off now… princess?"

"Shut up! Don't call me that! My name is Hepha, and you shall call me by that name only, understood?!" I shouted, but she still refused to comply.

"Let us head off now, Princess Hepha,"

"Th-this bitch… I'm going to murder you once we get out of here! OKAY!? GOT IT?!" I shouted before storming off into the distance, taking the training wooden sword with me.

DAMMIT! WHERE IS MY FREEDOM IF I'M CONSTANTLY UNDER SOMEBODY'S WATCH!?

…

TING TING TING TING

"Princess, this is the third day since we've left, and you've already tried to kill me. Just admit I'm stronger than you, and we can have a peaceful journey," The woman said, but I refused to give up in my climb for freedom.

And! AND! Having somebody with me constantly watching over me wasn't the freedom that I desired!

"JUST DIE ALREADY!" I shouted before summoning one hundred royal siren guards with the rest of my mana… only for them to get wiped out by a circular slash from the woman.

"Princess, let us have some dinner. You must be hungry. My job is to keep you alive, and cooking you decent meals is part of the job… The kingdom has done so much for me, and I am willing to sacrifice my life for it, so a little banter like this is nothing to me. Just give up and sit pretty like the princess you are,"

"Sh-Shut up! And stop calling me princess! Never call me that name title again!" I shouted back before charging in with the last remaining bits of my stamina.

But, just as I was about to strike, I felt my consciousness slip out of my grasp, causing me to topple onto the snowy ground and get a mouthful of snow.

…

"Are you now awake?" a sweet voice asked me as I slowly began to wake up, and the silhouette of my mother sat in front of me.

"M-Mom? Is that y- GODDAMMIT! Who said you could take care of me!" I shouted after realizing the silhouette was actually that of the knight meant to protect me.

"Excuse me, but my name is Quincy. Please do not call me that ever again," The woman said before handing me a skewer with some meat on it.

But, I quickly created a sword made of smoke and stabbed straight at her face, nearly plucking one of those eyes out.

"*sigh*... Now listen up. I'm done with your bitching… in fact, I could kill you right here and now since you're no longer in the kingdom. So, how about you act like the princess you are and stay quiet while your parents do everything for you… okay?" The woman demanded as my own blade pressed up against my neck.

"Get off of me!" I shouted, but the knight refused to unlock my arms that were pinned above my head.

"QUIET!" She shouted, and her voice was so loud that I was stunned in place, unable to move or speak as I glared at her.

She then unlocked my hands from atop my head, and as she returned to the campfire, I just sat there, sulking to myself as the woman enjoyed her meal.

"Hey! Do you think I'm the reason my mom left? Was it because I was too annoying and petty?" I asked, hoping for the woman to show a moment of weakness and console me, but…

"Probably. I couldn't care. Both of my parents died after planning a rebellion against the corrupt queen and king,"

My eyebrows unfurrowed, and my eyes shifted away from the woman as a wave of guilt flowed through me.

"Sorry," I muttered.

"Oho? You were trying to get me to feel bad, and now you're the one feeling bad? How does it feel?" The woman smirked, and I quickly flung a dagger of smoke straight at her, which she, of course, ended up catching with just two fingers.

"Shut up!"

Suddenly, the woman stood up and slowly approached me, so I got ready to defend myself with two smokey daggers.

But, her overwhelming pressure and bloodlust were far above mine and leagues above anybody I had ever encountered before. It might've even rivaled my mother's.

I could no longer keep a stern expression as the unbridled amount of fear flowed through me, causing me to begin violently shaking with fear.

My legs had gone numb, and even though I just barely managed to keep the daggers close to me, they would be useless if she made a move.

"S-Stay away," I managed to squeak out, but the woman pressed forward and kicked my daggers to the side.

Her bloodlust mixed with the scent of her perfume lingered in the air, making me choke up as she pushed me back onto the ground.

Slight tears rolled down my face as I truly felt a threatening fear for the first time in my life.

As I was pressed against the soft snow, my arms locked above my head once again, the woman grabbed my chin and tilted my head upwards.

"Now, do you see the true difference between our skills? How easily could I kill you if need be?"

"G-Get off of me," I stuttered, but the woman refused to let go as she pressed her chest up against me, and I couldn't help but let out a soft blush.

"What a naughty pervert… You're about to get killed, and you're still thinking of my boobs," The knight chuckled before suddenly letting go and returning to the campfire once more, leaving me to drown in my own shame.

"Y-You won't kill me, right?"

"Not if you be a good girl and stay obedient~,"

"Don't talk down on me like that. I'm royalty, and you should talk to me with respect," I instantly refuted but her bloodlust quickly made me shut up.

A long awkward silence persisted between us until the woman brought up something strange.

"I heard you like women, huh?"

"Yeah? A-And what about it?"

"Well, I heard you recently broke up with your girlfriend, so I was thinking you might be lonely. If you ever need somebody to sleep with, I'm right here. It's also a duty of my knightly job," The woman smirked yet again, but this time I couldn't help but be angry at her.

"Sorry, but you're not my type,"

"Oh? Am I not pretty? Or do I not meet your royal requirements?"

"No, I just don't like doms… I'd rather have somebody who listens to me rather than somebody who wants to control me,"

"Miss, not everything is about sex. In daily life, there are no roles such as a dom or sub… so, just pick somebody you like-"

FWOOSH… TING

"Princess, please step back," The woman said as a metal knife nearly slit my throat.

"How brave of you two. One is a princess of a country at war while one is a dirty little traitor who swore their loyalty to the enemy," A deep voice announced, and when I looked up, I saw a frost drake man and his henchmen standing on the large branches of the surrounding icy trees.

"I-I can help," I muttered, but my knight's expression was so serious that I couldn't help but listen to her just this once.

All of a sudden, the frost drakes in the trees disappeared, and a flash of ice nearly ripped my body in half.

If it wasn't for the knight protecting me, I would've certainly died.

This time hundreds of flashes of ice crossed my vision, and the knight before me deflected all of them, her arm practically disappearing with her insane speed.

"As expected of the captain. You are as strong as ever," The deep voice cackled once again before a large flash of ice reached my stomach, just barely scratching it.

"Oomf… *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough*..."

But that scratch would've turned into a massive hole in my torso if it wasn't for the knight once again who stepped in front of me… but she also had a massive hole in her stomach that was gaping and tore apart pretty much every organ of hers.

"W-Why…" I muttered as she coughed up so much blood that it dyed the surrounding snow in a dark red.

"Forgive me. I'll have to show you an unsightly appearance," The knight muttered as her head slowly tilted towards me and scales erupted from her neck and spread to the rest of her body.

It was a horrifying sight. A scene straight out of the torturous hell my mother would always tell me in stories.

Blood sprayed everywhere, and as my knight returned to her original form, the surrounding trees, made from ice and snow below us, were painted in a dark red color.

Everything in sight was bloodied and beaten while I was left shivering in fear, as this is what would've happened to me if I genuinely angered her.

"My sweet princess… shall we head off now?"