Ridley

The second Vandel lost consciousness, I found I could move freely once more. I stared at Annette and she stared back at me, her eyes opened wide, still registering what she had just done.

"Did I...did I kill him?" she stammered, stumbling back a step.

I kneeled beside Vandel, pressing my head to his chest. After a moment, I shook my head. "No, he's alive."

Annette rushed at me as I rose to my feet, pulling me into a tight embrace. "I'm so glad you're okay!" 

I stiffened awkwardly at the contact, but still managed to offer her a smile. "I should be saying the same thing to you."

"They moved me to a room with an actual bed since I'd been well behaved," Annette said, her face scrunching up. "The demons said this room would be more suitable for their prince's soon to be fiancée. The second I noticed the curtains, I came up with an idea. The next time the demons brought me my meal, I hid the plate. Vandel usually visits me in the evenings to try and get me to accept his marriage proposal, so I hid in the curtains until he showed up and then—bam!" She thought for a moment. "Well, more like... smash, I suppose. I had no idea you would be with him!"

Our gazes both fell to the unconscious Vandel.

"He won't be out for long," I said. "What should we do?"

Annette perked up. "We should kidnap him and take him back with us. Then we can ransom him. The Demon Queen would do anything to get her son back!"

I stared at her, my face clearly presenting an expression of disbelief. "You can't be serious. How are we supposed to get him out of here without getting caught? I'm not even sure how we're supposed to get out of here."

Annette pulled at my sleeve, excitedly. "I think I might have a plan! From outside my cell, I overheard Vandel talking about secret entrances he uses to get in and out of the castle. No one knows about them except for a few of his most trusted servants. From what I could make out, I think there's one in the room next to us. If we can find the secret entrance, we can escape and take him with us!"

I crossed my arms, considering it. Annette was right, having Prince Vandel in our custody would be an amazing asset in our fight against the demons. Then again, the stakes if this plan failed were high. Tortured and killed by the Demon Queen high. 

Annette glanced at me. "We should tie him up in case he wakes up."

"Agreed." I rummaged through the bag I'd brought with me. It didn't contain much, only my share of the rations, a sharpening stone, a dagger, and of course— rope. I grinned at the sight of it. It always paid to be prepared.

Brows drawing together in concentration, I wrapped the rope around Vandel's torso, then added an extra knot around his wrists. With a quick nod to Annette, I lifted him up, throwing the limp body of the Evil Demon Prince of Darkness over my shoulder. Vandel, to my surprise, was far lighter than I expected. I wondered if demons had different builds than humans. Maybe Vandel didn't have organs or had hollow bones or something. 

Annette and I exchanged a glance before charging into the pitch-black hallway.

The princess felt around the wall a moment, her hand finally coming in contact with something. "It's a doorknob!" she exclaimed. "This must be where the secret entrance is hidden."

The door opened with a click and we rushed inside. When our eyes adjusted to the darkness, we realized where we actually were. Annette's feature's twisted in confusion. We had stepped into a cleaning closet. I glanced around, the only illumination coming from the moonlight seeping in through the window. That's when it hit me.

"Wait, Princess! The window could be the secret entrance. Look! There's no bars or glass."

Annette ran to it, peering out into the darkness below. "Uuuuuh, Ridley..."

I glanced over her shoulder and my shoulders sagged. The drop was at least a hundred feet down.

Sighing, Annette shook her head. "Unless he had literal wings, even a demon couldn't make the drop from that height."

I nodded, a wave of defeat washing over me. But that's when an idea dawned. "Maybe this isn't Vandel's secret entrance, but it could still be ours."

Annette's eyes widened. "Are you crazy? We would never survive the jump!"

"Who said anything about jumping?"

------

About fifteen minutes later, Annette and I returned to the window with a makeshift rope made up of her sheets, blankets, and of course, the infamous curtains. I knotted one end of our creation to an iron knob sticking out from the wall, meant to hold dusters. 

Flinging the rope out the window, Annette turned to me. "Should I go first or do you want to?"

"I'll go. That way, if the rope isn't strong enough and gives out, I'll be the only one hurt."

Annette paled. "Ridley, I don't think..."

I smiled at her. "Don't worry. I'll be fine." And with that, I hoisted myself onto the windowsill, Vandel still slung over my shoulder.

I attempted to ignore my nerves as I lowered myself down the building. It was hard to get good footing on the castle due to its slick, glass exterior, and I had to inch my way slowly. At last, my feet hit the ground. I lowered Vandel onto the grass for a moment to catch my breath before looking back up at Annette. Her head peaked out from the little window, hesitant. Trying my best to be reassuring, I gave her a thumbs up.

Annette took a deep breath, then she grabbed the rope, making her way down the building after me. She went painfully slow. My heart thundered in my ears as I forced myself to stay calm, or at least look it. The princess drew closer and closer, but as she lowered herself another inch, she slipped. My stomach lurched in horror. Floundering, Annette struggled to get her footing once more, but her efforts were fruitless. Her feet just kept slipping against the black glass. A look of panic flared in her gaze as she flailed, clinging onto the rope for dear life.

Desperately, I rushed towards her. "Annette, let go. I'll catch you!"

I didn't know if she would actually do it. Hell, I was terrified that maybe I had overestimated my own princess catching abilities. However, after a beat, Annette's eyes fluttered shut and she let her hands slip from the rope.

Then she was falling.

A wave of relief crashed over for me as her weight slammed into my arms. The impact sent us both toppling to the ground, but she was unhurt and alive. That's all that mattered.

Annette stared into my eyes from on top of me. Even in the darkness, I could make out the blush spreading across her cheeks. The echo of Vandel's voice sounded in my head, 'the princess is madly in love with you'. Perhaps I was flattering myself too much by even considering the possibility. But no matter the case, there could be no romantic connection between us. I was beneath her. Quite literally, at the moment. I needed to make sure she understood that.

"If you wouldn't mind...could you please..." I didn't need to elaborate further.

Annette stumbled to her feet, brushing down her skirt as her flush darkned. The second her weight was off me, my gaze returned to the unconscious Vandel. I had no idea how much longer he would be out for, but I didn't want to risk him waking up and calling for help before we got off the palace premises. .

I scooped him up, carrying him princess style as we rushed into the forest, slipping into the tightly knitted trees. Stumbling through the darkness, we tried to find our way back to the remnants of the path. That's when I froze, making out the fall of footsteps in the distance. I looked at Annette, warning her to be silent.

We continued to stand there, bodies tensing at the whisper of approaching voices. It must have been a demon patrol making their way back to the palace. My heart slammed against my ribcage, threatening to burst from my chest.

"I could have sworn I heard something over there," a gruff demon's voice said.

"Reggie, ya always think ya be hearin' somethin'," replied a higher, nasally voice.

"I'm serious this time."

"Sure ya are."

"Please, just let me check it out! I'm not wrong this time! I swear!"

A loud groan came from the other demons.

"Fiiiiiine, but make it quick."

Annette and I held our breath as heavy footsteps approached us. I looked to her, panicked. What could I do? I couldn't fight them and carry Prince Vandel at the same time. As if reading my thoughts, Annette grabbed my sword by the hilt, yanking it from its sheath in one swift movement.

I stared at her, agape. "What are you doing?" I whispered.

She didn't respond, simply bringing a finger to her lips.

The bushes rustled as a large demon stepped out from the trees. His mouth twisted into a toothy grin as he loomed over us. "Well, well, well, what do we have—"

Annette lunged forward, sword swinging, and ran him straight through the chest.

The demon gasped, sinking to his knees as dark liquid poured from the wound. Without bothering to see the aftermath, Annette and I broke into a run. We raced through the forest, brambles tearing and catching at our clothes. As we dashed and zig-zagged through the underbrush, I thanked the Gods once more that Vandel was so light. It wasn't until the trees started to thin that we finally slowed, both breathing heavily. We weren't out of the Dark Forest yet, but we'd at least escaped the heart of it.

Annette was panting, and I could see the glisten of sweat on her brow in the pale moonlight.

"Where did you...learn to...fight like that," I stammered through heavy pants.

"My father thought...it was important that...I learn to defend myself..." she replied. "He told me you can't spend your entire life relying on knights."

I smiled at her. "The king is a wise man."

"The king is a murderous piece of shit..." a groggy voice mumbled. "Now, where the hell am I?" Vandel looked up at me, his eyes still half-closed. "Oh...Sir Ridley. Well damn, now isn't this quite the turn of events. Things aren't exactly looking too good for me at the moment, are they?"

"You're awake," I said sternly, lowering him to the ground. 

He smirked. "Really? I had no idea."

"Don't be a brat," I retorted.

He was oddly calm for someone who had just been kidnapped by his worst enemies.

"So, I suppose you're planning on bringing me back to Alteria," he mused, staring lazily at me through those pitch-black eyes of his. I was beginning to wonder if anything unnerved the man.

"Yes, that's the plan." 

Vandel tugged at the ropes around his wrist, as if testing their tightness. I had tied the rope myself. There was no way he would be able to break free. Despite his powers, one could only work magic with the use of their hands. In his state right now, Vandel was completely defenseless. So...why the hell did he seem so at ease?

He gave the ropes another lazy tug, then looked up, meeting my gaze as he arched a dark brow. "Sir Ridley, I had no idea you were into this sort of thing."

I shoved him forward. "Shut up, Vandel."

In return, the corners of the Demon Prince's mouth curled. "Ooooh, so we're on a first name basis now?"

I glared at him. "You're in no position to behave like this."

Vandel chuckled under his breath as we continued to walk. "And what position am I in?" he practically purred. "Or more importantly, Sir Ridley, what position do you want me in? Could it be that beneath your pretty white knight exterior you have darker more....sensual desires?"

My cheeks burned hot with both embarrassment and anger. He was mocking me. How dare he act like this. He was the captive and I was the captor, not the other way around!

I simply continued to push him forward. "Please be silent."

"Oh, you're no fun," Vandel sneered.

That's when I noticed the fog rising up from the underbrush.

I furrowed my brow.

That was odd.

"Princess," I called, turning towards her. With a start, I realized that the forest behind me was almost completely submerged in fog. "Princess?" I tried again, a little louder this time. I continued to yell for her over and over again, my voice only met by silence as the fog grew thicker and heavier around us.

We must have gotten separated while I was distracted by Vandel. She could be anywhere amidst this vast forest of fog. Panic seized my gut. The fog rolling in had become so thick that I couldn't even make out the trees around us. I grabbed Vandel tightly, guaranteeing he couldn't use this as an opportunity to run. His chest rose and fell against me as he let out a low chuckle.

"My, now this is an interesting development," he said with a smile in his voice.