King Henry

Chapter 43 - Making an Escape

When the guard rushed towards Merlin, he flicked his wrist, making a stream of blue sparking light that looked like lightning come out of the end of his wand, striking the guard right in the center of his chest and making him fall backwards. He laid there on the ground shaking for a few seconds before going limp and lifeless.

"Would anyone else like a go?" Merlin asked.

The guards all stood there dumbfounded, looking at each other with wide eyes.

While Merlin had them distracted Eleanor grabbed the large metal lock and slid it off the hinge of Henry's cell before pulling the door open. He stepped out and scooped her up into his arms, hugging her to his chest tightly as she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck.

He held her for a few seconds before whispering into her hair, "I didn't know if I'd ever get to hold you like this again."

"I didn't either," she whispered back as tears burned at her eyes.

"Alright lovebirds. There'll be plenty of time for that later," Richard told them. "We have things to take care of first."

He pulled a sword out from under his robe and tossed it to Henry. "You're going to need this."

Henry smiled as he caught it. "Thank you brother, but there's one very important I have to do first," he said as he looked down into Eleanor's eyes, pulling her body against his with his free arm as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. She closed her eyes, feeling her insides flutter as she melted into his kiss.

He leaned in and whispered in her ear so only she could hear, "We'll save the rest for tonight."

She looked up into his handsome face and felt her cheeks blush.

He smiled down at her with a wink and then stepped around her and swung his sword at one of the guards, crashing his blade against his. She stepped back and watched as Richard and Joan both pulled out swords too and fought the guards coming at them from the other end of the hallway.

Eleanor was the only one not doing anything and she stood against the wall watching everyone else fight, feeling helpless and in the way. She wished she had been taught how to use a sword growing up like Joan was, but there had never been a need to fight in her family. How could she have known that one day she would marry the King and her life would be in danger constantly?

The sword of one of the guards swung very close to Eleanor's head and she gasped, ducking down out of the way just in time. Henry sweeped his leg out from  under him, making him fall back onto the ground and then he stabbed his sword straight down, right through the center of his leather chest plate.

Her eyes widened as she looked at the bloody body lying right next to her. Henry held out his hand and helped her back up to her feet before turning around and countering a strike from another guard that had just stepped up.

Merlin was now shooting a stream of fire out of the tip of his wand, moving it back and forth so he was hitting multiple guards at once, setting them on fire.

Suddenly the stream of fire stopped and Merlin groaned. "The enchanted crystal inside my wand needs to replenish it's magic. That could take some time."

Henry, Richard and Joan pressed forward as Merlin stepped back, letting them take the lead. Seeing the three siblings fighting side by side with their swords was very impressive and it made Eleanor think that their father would have been very proud if he was there to see it. He trained them all so well.

The number of guards gradually dwindled away until Henry finally knocked out the last one with a punch in the face from his sword's handle.