"Come on Cadeth! Make him submit! Get him!" Edmon cheered for her, shouting over Guillaume who encouraged Cias in French. The commotion had gained the attention of other knights who strolled past, deciding to stop by and watch the show while it lasted. Some, although considered to be Cadeth's brothers, rooted for Cias hoping someone would put her down. Cadeth grunted, baring her teeth as her sword pressed against Cias's. The two had been going at it for quite some time, each almost getting one another to kneel or submit to the other. Cias was the best she had come across, forcing Cadeth to give it her all if she wanted to win. Small beads of sweat dotted across their foreheads as their swords clashed under the burning sun above them. 

"Tired yet?" Cias challenged, words coming out with pants, swinging his sword to come down against Cadeth's once more. His muscles were screaming at him, beginning for a brief break, but he refused to give up. The only way he was going to quit was when Cadeth put him on his ass. 

Cadeth laughed, panting as she breathed. "Just getting started." She snapped back to him, using all of her effort to push Cias back. The man stumbled a few feet back, panting softly. They each stared at one another with a smirk, showing no sign of weakness to their enemy. Both had removed their top coats, the exercise and direct sunlight heating their bodies. Cadeth spun the hilt of her blade in her hand, grinning towards the tall, slender man. "Come on." She encouraged herself before stepping towards him, swinging her sword high. Their swords clashed, the sound echoing over the fields. They both grunted and hollered as they fought, desperately wanting to bring the other to their knees.  Cadeth's numerous intense trainings from her father and years in the forces came back to her. Her eye's glanced to Cias's footing, looking for a weak point. As he took a step towards her to strike, Cadeth quickly moved, barely avoiding the sharp blade as she leaned around him. The sword sliced through Cadeth's sleeve, barely nicking her arm. The faint burn going unnoticed to her. She swung her leg, catching Cias's foot, causing him to fall onto the grass. 

Grinning in victory, Cadeth pressed the tip of her blade between Cias's shoulder blades. "I win." She panted out, sheathing her sword then offering a hand towards Cias as he rolled over. The crowd erupting in cheer, some chanting Cadeth's name. 

"You know how to wield a sword." Cias complimented as he sheathed his own blade. "But do not think this will be the last we duel." He warned, shaking his finger towards her. Cadeth did not know if it was merely a joke or deeply something more, but she was too winded to care at the moment. 

Edmon ran towards Cadeth, practically jumping on her in excitement. "My god, that was amazing!" He shouted. "I swear, some times I thought you were done for!" Edmon acted out some of the moves as he spoke. "Then you turned and you swung and bam! Down for the count!" He laughed. Cadeth could not help but roll her eyes as she watched him. "I'm not down till I'm dead." she replied confidently. Her young friend reminded her almost of a brother she never had. All knights were considered her 'brothers', but Edmon had definitely developed a special bond with Cadeth.

"Cadeth!" Guillaume called, his thick French accent standing out from the mixture of mumbles of other guardsmen who stood around them. "Here you are." He said handing her a cup of freshly poured wine. "In our country, we always toast the winner." Guillaume raised his glass in praise towards Cadeth's victory. She rose her own before pressing the cup to her lips. As she went to take a sip, a pair of strong hands smacks her shoulders with a rough shake. The motion caused half of the wine to spill from her cup, but Cadeth gave it little attention. "The undefeated champion!" Jeremiah cheered with a laugh from behind her. "Have to keep Scotland's image up! Especially when we have guards like you." She teased with a wink. Edmon gasped at the sharp jab of words, his hands clasping over his mouth. 

"Oh, sure." Jeremiah laughed, rolling his eyes. "I was sore is all." He said sarcastically, knowing truly that Cadeth had beaten him fairly, but wanted to tease about it. The three Scottish guards laughed as they stood in a small circle of their own, surrounded by others who had came to watch the battle. As Edmon and Jeremiah spoke, Cadeth regained her breath. She glanced down to her drink, that had only been full moments before, now only had a few sips remaining. Her dry throat burned, begging for a sip of anything - even the taste of bitter wine would do. As she brought the cup to her lips once more, something caught her eye. At the bottom of her glass, hidden by the dark wine, was a dark blue sludge. Cadeth froze, not alerting anyone of what she had found. Keeping the cup against her lips, she took in a deep sniff. It was faint, but mixed within the pungent smell of wine was hints of vanilla and honey. It was a grinded down sludge of Hydrangeas. Lethal in large doses, but this size wasn't meant to kill her, only to knock her out. Slowly, Cadeth lowered the cup from her lips keeping a soft grin she had before.

"Cias." Cadeth called out, silencing those around her. 

"Yes, my friend?" He called back, turning from Guillaume to face her.

Cadeth chuckled, shaking her head. In a swift motion she dropped her cup, her hand reached for her sword, pulling it from it's holster. She turned, swinging her sword, stopping just as the blade pressed against the skin of his neck. Guillaume went to grab his sword in response but was stopped as the numerous Scottish guards around him had unhinged their own, ready to stand beside Cadeth.

"Next time you try to poison me, maybe use a flower that doesn't grow in our gardens, my friend." She spat, pressing the tip of her sword harder against his throat. A single drop of blood began to rush down his neck. Cias hissed at the sharp sting of the slice. Neither Frenchmen spoke, standing within a circle of sharp silver pointed towards them. 

Edmon had leaned down, picking up the cup from the grass. He took a sniff himself, letting out a laugh in disbelief. "Hydrangeas." He scoffed, throwing the cup aside. 

"Edmon. Jeremiah." Cadeth spoke, her eyes not leaving the French. "These men are not to leave your sight. Disarm them and do not leave them unattended. I have business to handle." Cadeth removed her blade from Cias's neck. Quickly she ran through the field and gardens towards the castle. She had been right. The second she had put eyes on King Fredrick and his men when they returned to Scotland, she knew their intentions were not pure. Cadeth's gut feelings had never been wrong before and again, at this time, it was proving right. Cadeth gave no care to who she ran into as she ran throughout the castle. At one corner she had bumped into a servant carrying a basket of clean sheets, causing them all to fall across the floor. 

Adrenaline coursed through Cadeth's veins as she ran. She didn't let her mind wander to the possibilities of what could be happening right now. She hoped that all would be well, that she would find Adelaide and Fredrick simply walking down of the corridors. Cadeth wished that when she found them, she would look like a fool who had worried for nothing. She would rather look like an idiot than let her deepest worries be true. She shouted down the halls for Adelaide, unaware of where she was. First she looked down the main passageways, but found nothing. She then ran up and down each of the far staircases. She even had glanced into the kitchen incase they had gone for a snack. As she headed down the main hall, a brief glimpse down a vacant hall caused her to stop. Slowly, she backed up, looking down that same hall; thinking she may have been seeing things, but she wasn't. Standing halfway down the hall was the familiar face of a red head boy. Her blood only began to boil more as she recognized it as the hall of chambers. Hugh stood calmly in the hallway as Cadeth began to walk towards him. 

"I'm sorry Cadeth. But I am under direct orders to not allow anyone to pass." He told her, his hands slowly grasping onto the handle of his sword. He knew if Cadeth was here, she had discovered what was waiting for her. 

"Bullshit." Cadeth spat as she pulled out her sword, the sound echoing down the hall. Hugh clashed his sword against Cadeth's with a grunt. The fire of rage burning in Cadeth made her stronger, overpowering the red head almost with ease. When she had the opening, Cadeth kicked Hugh directly in his chest, knocking him to the ground and sword from his hand. She wiped her lips across her sleeve, stepping towards him. As Hugh scrambled for his sword, Cadeth slammed her boot onto his wrist snapping the bones. He screamed out in agony, yanking his hand back when she stepped off. He kept his hand close, using the other to scoot himself against the wall. He raised his hand towards her, desperation in his eyes. "Please, I was just doing as I was ordered." He begged for forgiveness and mercy. The rage in Cadeth's eyes was one the young knight had never seen before.

 Cadeth kicked aside the French boys blade, letting it slide across the tile floor. She took slow slides as she spoke. "You are welcomed into our home." She spoke softly, her knuckles whitening due to her grip on the sword. "You are blessed with our food." She spat towards him, "You are treated as guests." She laughed with pity towards him as she stood right over him. "And you try to poison me!" She shouted in anger.

"Scotland needs France." Hugh replied, still holding his head high as he laid beneath Cadeth. 

"We need nothing from you." She shook her head. A sudden scream from down the hall caused Cadeth to freeze. It was just loud enough for her to hardly hear. Her eyes locked onto Adelaide's door, hoping that it was nothing more than her imagination. The second scream came louder than before. "Adelaide." Cadeth gasped, her eyes darted down to the French boy who looked up at her, hearing the noise himself. Before he could speak, Cadeth thrusted her blade through his chest. Hugh didn't have time to scream, completely shocked by what had happened. The silver slid through his skin like butter, only stopped by the wall behind him. His widen eyes slowly glanced down the the sword that was buried within him. Thick, dark blood began to run past his lips. His eyes slowly rose back to her. His lips quivered as he struggled to speak, small drops of his blood flying onto Cadeth's face. His eyes slowly closed before his head fell sharply.

Another loud scream echoed down the halls, seeming louder to Cadeth than it actually was. Without a second to spare, she got to her feet and bolted down the hall. Cadeth gripped tightly onto the door, slamming her body against it to force it open. The door swung open, slamming against the wall as it hit. Cadeth hadn't been prepared for the horrors in front of her. 

The room was in shambles as Adelaide had tried to get away from Fredrick. The neatly made bed was a reck, pillows and blankets sprawled out in different directions. Items had been knocked off the dressers and side tables. Fredricks clothing littered the floor as he had struggled to undress himself while holding Adelaide within his control. Once down to only his under blouse and pants he had used all his strength to force Adelaide over the edge of the bed. He used his body weight to pin her against the bed and himself. He held tightly onto her wrists behind her back as he had begun to push pull down his slacks. Adelaide's dress had been hiked up onto her back, exposing her bare beneath. Her face was buried into a crumble of sheets. Her screams and cries were muffled by the comforter. 

Cadeth ran towards him, feeling as if everything was going in slow motion as she watched it all unfold in front of her. She reached for her sword, feeling only the empty holster as she realized she had left it in the hall. She lunged herself forward, slamming her body against Fredricks. Her arms wrapped around him as she pulled him away from Adelaide. They fell to the floor with a loud thud. Fredrick had turned just moments before Cadeth had grabbed him, realizing who it was. Fredrick struggled to get himself up, his slacks around his thighs restricted his movement. Cadeth gripped onto his ankle, pulling herself towards him. Fredrick reared his leg back, striking his foot down onto Cadeth's face. Stunned, she let him go, feeling the taste of blood in her mouth from biting down on her tongue. Huffing she got to her feet, running to Fredrick once more. She had managed to tackle him to the floor right besides the fire place. The burning heat from the flame radiated on her face. 

"Get off of me. I am the King of France!" Fredrick ordered, trying to shove Cadeth off of him. Cadeth gripped onto his collar, lifting him before slamming him back down, causing his head to slam against the floor. 

"Your crown doesn't protect you here." Her fist clenched as he crashed against his cheek repeatedly. She watched as blood flew from his lips with every blow.

Adelaide had sunken herself to the floor, devastated and scared by what she had just gone through. Her dress had been torn as she fought with Fredrick to keep it down. She clung the comforter around her body, wanting to shield herself from showing any more of herself. Her wrists were red and sore from his tight grip on her. Her face still pink from the several times she had hit her. Her normally free flowing hair was in tangles. When Cadeth had forced Fredrick to the ground, it took her a moment to realize that he was no longer holding her there. Slowly she tore her eyes from the sheet they were buried in and looked up towards the commotion. She watched as Cadeth assaulted Fredrick, giving the man no mercy. 

"How dare you defile my queen. You will suffer!" Cadeth screamed. She reached over to grab a wood poker that was knocked over when they fell. The metal rod had fallen into the fire, heating the poker as it bathed in the flames. Cadeth gripped onto the handle, wielding it high in the air. She brought the poker down towards the king, ready to relish in the sight of the shining steel piercing his skin. She wanted to watch his blood boil around the blade for what he did to Adelaide. Fredrick braced himself, holding his hands up to cover his face, preparing for the unmatchable pain he was soon to face.

"Stop!" Adelaide screamed from her corner on the floor, freezing Cadeth's motion. As much as she hated the man for what he had done to her, she knew his death would cause a war. One that neither country needed right now. Her heart ached at her own words, knowing she was saving her attackers life from the one person sworn to protect her like no other. Slowly, Cadeth turned, to look at her queen. Mixed within a sea of blankets, Adelaide's teary eyes met hers. Cadeth's body was filled with rage, it was painted all over her skin. Her eyes were burning with fury and skin flustered red. Her knuckles were snow white as she gripped onto the blade and the king's shirt collar. In the short instant of their gaze, Cadeth's eyes softened. She knew Adelaide's pain. Although she hated it, she knew why the queen had stopped her. Not wanting to force the queen to speak anymore than she was ready for, Cadeth turned back to the blonde French man below her. 

She pulled his collar tightly, pulling his face close to her own. "You take your men and leave Scotland. If you ever dare to step on Scottish soil again, I swear to you I will kill you myself with the point of your own crown." She warned him. Fredrick nodded his head silently, not daring to speak a word to her. "This is so you never forget my warning." Cadeth brought the red blade to the kings face, pressing it firmly against the skin of his cheek. The skin singed under the blade, burning at the touch. Fredrick attempted to hold back his screams as long as he could, his body visibly shaking before he let out a blood curdling cry. Once she was sure it had left a mark, Cadeth threw the weapon aside and rose to her feet. 

She did not speak another word, watching as the king gathered his things. Not once did Fredrick attempt to look at Adelaide, worried that Cadeth would change her mind of letting him walk free. As he stepped out the door, Cadeth went to follow, pulling the door closed as she did. 

"Cadeth." Adelaide called out, just before the door shut. Cadeth slowly pushed the door open, just enough to slide her head in. She kept her eyes to the floor out of respect. 

"Yes, my queen?" Cadeth hadn't been given the verbal approval for her to be allowed to call the queen by her first name again, so she kept it formal. She did not want to add any more grief or hardship to the queen then she was already in. The queen sat in silence for a moment. 

"Please don't leave me." She choked out, struggling to speak the words without crying. 

Cadeth looked up, seeing small tears rush down either side of her face. Slowly, not wanting to startle the queen, Cadeth closed the door behind her. She walked towards the queen, not certain on how close she would be comfortable with. With each step she would wait a moment to give her a chance to say it was close enough. By the time she was next to the queen, Cadeth slowly lowered herself to the ground besides her. 

Adelaide's lip quivered as she watched Cadeth sit beside her. Her hand shakily reached out over Cadeth's chest, weakly gripping onto her blouse. She gentle pulled Cadeth forward bringing her close. She slowly leaned up towards her, gently pressing her lips against Cadeth's. Her lips trembled against Cadeth's as she struggled not to cry. 

"Th-thank you." She whispered against her lips before burying her face in Cadeth's neck. Finally, she let out the cries she had been holding in. Her hands latching around Cadeth's neck, seeking the need to feel protected and safe. Cadeth's arms wrapped around the fragile queen, pulling her and her sheets close. The two sat there on the floor, leaned up against the queens bed, holding one another. Cadeth could not help the tears that fell from her own eyes as she listened to the pain from Adelaide's cries. She swore to herself, she would never leave Adelaide's side ever again.

A/N: Hello lovies! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!! Leave a comment and tell me how you felt about it. Hoping to post the next chapter by this weekend!!!