Saving her

Jess could feel the excitement building up in the pit of her stomach as she saw the gate of the military training center from afar. She left the dusty road and walked on the cobbled floor leading her to the outskirts of the town.

She felt the ground vibrate before she heard the neighing of a horse coming behind her at full speed. Jess was glad she had left the dusty road and climbed onto the cobbled stone.

The horse rode past her and approached the gate of the training center. Jess saw the man on the horse standing before the gate while a guard came to inspect him before opening the gate for him to enter.

After walking a distance, Jess paused a few feet from the guard post to notice four guards standing at the front of the gate. She could not walk past them as they guarded the gate with alertness.

Jess needed a gate pass to enter the military training center.

Jess was worried that the guards would not allow her to enter the training center as she did not have a gate pass. She had not thought far enough to remember she needed a gate pass.

The guards saw her and stood alert as it was suspicious for a lady to be here alone when it was not the visiting hour.

The soldiers were on alert from external attacks before the ceremonial opening of the Royal Hospital in the Idu Kingdom was held on the grounds of the castle and at the Royal Hospital.

The king had instructed that the Royal guards post the recruits to patrol the Royal Hospital Estate. They were to shoot on sight any suspicious person unable to identify themselves, as the king was not willing to risk putting the lives of his guests in danger.

Stop there, came a stern voice from one of the guards.

Jess froze as her excitement subsided and fear began creeping into her thoughts. It took great effort to remain still and not run from there as her thoughts suggested.

She did not back away and stared into the eyes of the men who surrounded her like hawks waiting to pounce on their prey without showing a tinge of fear, but the truth was that her knees would soon buckle if she stayed longer.

What are you doing on military grounds?

The second guard asked; he had a ferocious temper and wasted no time bringing out his sword from its sheath and placing it on her neck.

Jess screamed in fright when she felt a sword at the base of her neck, her bravery dissipating into thin air as tears streamed down her face. She was petrified and never imagined her intention to see James would result in her death.

Sir-sir-sir, I am here to see my fiancé. Jess shuttered.

What is the name of your fiancé?

A guard who Jess could not see asked impatiently.

Jess tried wriggling her head to the sides to see the face of the guards, but a sharp cut made her stay still as she could feel the metallic liquid running down her neck.

James- James Pearls, Jess managed to voice out.

The guards paused for a moment while the sword was still on her neck as one of the guards with a bow drew near to whisper something in the ears of the guard holding her captive by his sharp sword.

She seemed to be an accomplice of the traitor and must have come to spy on the new military recruit; came the outrageous accusation from the guard swinging the sword over her head.

I am no spy, sir, Jess cried out.

Her hands shook as she gripped the edge of her clothes, her eyes darting around, wide with terror, trying to see if James would emerge from inside to clarify the misunderstanding and save her.

She never imagined that her desire to see James would result in her being captured and called a traitor. She would have followed the maids back to the Royal Hospital if she knew it would lead to this.

Tears flowed freely from her cheek, and her words muddled from begging and explaining to the guards. They scoffed at her words, not believing anything she said, and were insistent that she was a spy working for James.

Jess was confused about which James they were talking about. She knew that her fiancé was ambitious and could not betray the nation he wanted to serve with his life. Jess was sure that there was a mistake.     

Beheading her would be giving her a merciful death; a traitor who sells her country for a few morsels of bread and the gold coin does not deserve a merciful death. The man holding the sword to her neck said with gritted teeth.

Cuff her and put her in one of the dungeons. In the morning, we will transfer her to the Chief executioner for her treasonous crimes.

She would serve as a public example to all the villages when she is to be beheaded on the scaffold and send a message that traitors are not welcomed in Zaza and would meet a worse fate than this woman if caught, said a guard who stood behind Jess.

That would not be necessary because she is innocent. A baritone voice said.

Jess remembered the voice that spoke in her favor as she had bumped into him in the market a few hours before embarking on this treacherous journey.

The guards immediately surrounded the man in a circle with their swords pointed at him. The guard that held the sword to her neck made Jess face the man as he pressed the sword harder to her throat.

Who are you?

The man holding her captive asked.

Jess saw the man’s eyes darkened and his brows furrowed, which formed three vertical wrinkles. His jet-like pimples were like those of a crouching beast, one that was staring at the man holding a sword to her neck.

His hand combed through his tangled hair before putting his hand into his breast pocket as if to bring out a weapon while keeping eye contact with the guards.

Jess heard the guards gasp when the man showed them a crest with a red seal.

I will not hold it against you as you were doing your duty, but it is not your responsibility to determine who is a spy. That is the duty of the investigative bureau and not the military training center. His voice bellowed with anger.

Jess felt air enter her lungs as the guard released her. She fell to the ground and greedily took in a chuck of air to calm her heart, which was beating as if being ripped out from its ribcage.

Forgive us, Your Highness, for not recognizing you sooner.

The guards chorused as they fell on their knees with their hands interlocked to pay respect to the crown prince of the realm of Zaza.  

The words made her heart freeze and sent a shiver down her spine as she lifted her head to look at the man who saved her from a gruesome death, a man she had not expected to return to the capital so soon.