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Adalia de Volador backed toward the locked second-floor window, facing down six of the Count-Duke’s menacing guards. Their steel swords and breastplates crowded the hallway, leaving no way for her to slip past. Not the best place she’s been in today, but certainly not the worst either.
“There is nowhere to run Doña Volador!” the Captain shouted from the back of the crowd. “Give over the sceptor, and I might even put you in a nicer cell this time!” She was pushing her way through the pack of guards to close with Adalia. That was exactly the opening Adalia needed.
“Oh no!” Adalia cried out in false hopelessness, “whatever shall I do?”
The Captain charged with confident zeal, and Adalia ducked to the side, extending her leg to trip the Captain.
And sending the armored soldier crashing through the window.
“No! Captain!” the lead guard cried out. The rest of the crowd hesitated at the shocking twist of fate. Adalia wasted no time, stepping onto the windowsill and reaching up to test a cable. She looked back to the crowd of guards.
“You will remember today as the day you almost caught Adalia de Volador! Adios!”
She cut the cable, and leapt from the window. Wind rushed past her face as she flew like an acrobat, letting the tension carry her over to a tall garden wall, which she alighted upon with the grace of a dancer.
“Smell you later, idiotos!” Adalia called back. Already, more guards were pouring from the ground floor, bumbling over their badly bruised captain. They would find a key to the gate soon enough. Better leave.
Adalia hopped down from the wall, taking off toward the gardens of the Count-Duke’s palatial estate. She leapt down one flight of stairs, before sliding swiftly down the polished stone banister of another. She leapt lightly to her feet, refusing to break her stride. The heavy footsteps of guards trampled down the stairs behind her, just barely around the corner. She was almost to the last staircase, and then...
A hedge maze?
That wasn’t part of the plan. Well, there wasn’t much of a plan outside ‘break in, grab the mayoral sceptor, and then improvise,’ but Adalia was annoyed she missed an entire hedge maze.
No matter, the guards weren’t far behind now. Adalia hopped the banister and took off into the maze. Walls of leaves surrounded her. With no sense of direction. Adalia picked one, and took off.
“Into the hedge maze! Spread out and find her!” came a faint order from behind her. Adalia sprinted away from the sound, only to hit an intersection.
Left or right?
Tramping feet were closing in.
Left.
Adalia took off again, then hit a stone wall. Too tall to climb, so she backtracked. She caught a glimpse of guards back from where she came before.
“There she is! Get her!”
Adalia turned around, took a right, and then a left. Trampling boots were now in front of her, so she skidded to a stop and turned around. Sounds of feet came from that way, too.
Well, you played yourself this time, Adalia. She thought. Guess it’s back to prison. Again.
A hand reached out from the leafy wall behind her, grabbing her collar and yanking her through the wall. Directly into the arms of a beautiful lady in a fencing outfit and tricorn hat. She looked like a pirate, and Adalia would have commented if her mouth wasn’t covered my the hand of mysterious woman.
Fantastic, now I’m being kidnapped was Adalia’s first thought. The second was At least my captor is gorgeous.
The pirate woman was silent, keeping a hand over Adalia’s mouth as the two crowds of guards had a muffled argument through the hedge wall, before the sounds of huffy and heavy footsteps departed at last. The woman stepped away from Adalia, removing the silencing hand from her face.
“Ay carambe! You stirred a nest of hornets back there,” the woman whispered in a conspiratorial tone. “I am to guess you are no friend of the Count-Duke, sí?”
“Certainly not!” Adalia replied, brushing twigs and leaves from her clothes for a moment before offering her hand to the woman to shake. “My name is Adalia de Volador, and I suppose I owe you my thanks for pulling me from the proverbial fire.”
“A noble?” the woman replied, eyebrow raised. “You may call me Zaida. Don’t expect me to kiss your hand, princessa.” Adalia withdrew it behind her back. Zaida’s eyes wandered down to Adalia’s belt, widening at the prize she had swiped.
“The mayoral sceptor! You had it!” she cried. “No wonder the guard were after you! I had to hide after all the commotion you caused!” Adalia stepped back, placing a guarding hand on the sceptor.
“Oh, I didn’t realize someone else was after it!” Adalia replied. “I planned to return it to the grand plaza tonight, once I escaped.”
Zaida scoffed, crossing her arms. “A likely story. More probable it would find its way into your family curio cabinet to entertain guests!”
“No, no,” Adalia replied, hands waving emphatically. “I am here to take it back, and return it to it’s rightful place in the grand plaza, away from the Count-Duke.” The woman’s eyes tightened with suspicion.
“I know you don’t know me, Zaida,” Adalia pleaded “but I intend to return it. I give you my word.”
Zaida looked back to Adalia, searching Adalia’s expression for insincerity. After a moment, the ire faded from Zaida’s face, and her eyes softened. The woman’s sharp face and warm brown eyes mesmerized Adalia for a moment, before she made herself look away.
“Okay, I believe you,” Zaida said “but I have a better plan.”
“Oh really?” Adalia challenged, matching Zaida’s gaze. “Do tell.”
Zaida stalked around Adalia, examining carefully as she explained.
“If the sceptor is placed back where it was, what is to stop the Count-Duke from taking it again? I say, remove it from his grasp. I know someone, someone I trust, who can take the sceptor into hiding. Away from the city and outside the Count-Duke’s reach.” Zaida stopped, the looked to Adalia. “You see? Flawless.”
Adalia paused to consider.
“It’s a good plan, but I have one problem with it.”
Zaida stepped closer, eyes locking with Adalia. “What is that?”
Adalia blushed and looked away. “Well, it is the city’s sceptor, sí? It is important to our history. Taking it from the city is conceding defeat, admitting we cannot protect it from tyrants like the Count-Duke.”
Zaida smirked. “I didn’t know you were an idealist, princessa. Your plan is, appropriately, noble of you. But we must be practical, you see?”
Adalia kept her eyes locked on Zaida. This time, looking away felt like defeat. Zaida let her eyes wander to Adalia’s belt again.
“Do you know how to use that sword, princessa?” Zaida taunted.
“Of course I do!” Adalia scoffed. “I have trained for years, and whetted it many times against the Count-Duke’s lackeys! Also, stop calling me that!”
Zaida stepped in, her face stopping mere inches from Adalia’s. She squeaked in surprise, causing Zaida to smirk again. It’s almost like she knew what she was doing to Adalia with her stupid pretty face.
“Let’s test that. You and me. A duel, and we see who comes out... on top. Sí?”
Images entered Adalia’s mind she wasn’t proud of, but she shook them away, then returned Zaida’s smile. Crossing swords? That was a language she could understand!
“You’re on!”
Zaida offered her hand. “Follow me. I know a spot where we won’t be disturbed.”
Adalia couldn’t take her hand fast enough. The pair pushed through the hedge, and sprinted off.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adalia wasn’t sure what she was expecting. Maybe to be kidnapped again. But probably not the place Zaida led her to when she pushed open an unlocked gate covered in flowering vines. Zaida opened the gate with an exaggerated bow and a teasing “Ladies first.”
Adalia rolled her eyes as she stepped inside. The flowering vines spread across the enclosed garden, climbing the walls and covering wooden trellises to create shaded areas smattered with pink flowers. At the far end of the lush greenery was a waterfall which fed into a shallow reflecting pool. The rush of water was the only sound filling the space. Even knowing the challenge to come, Adalia couldn’t help but imagine going on a wonderful date here. The atmosphere was enchanting.
The creaking metal gate closing behind her snapped Adalia back, and she turned to face Zaida. Zaida silently centered herself, before drawing her sword. Adalia responded, and they closed until the ends of their swords nearly brushed. Their eyes met, and Adalia searched Zaida’s expression. Her eyes dazzled with passion, her smile brimmed with confidence and light from the reflecting pool danced on her face.
“Ready?” Zaida asked. Adalia nodded once.
“Let’s dance, princessa!”
“En garde!” Adalia cried as she lunged forward, taking an aggressive stance, but not committing enough to open herself to a counter. Zaida deflected the momentum with her blade, before swinging in with a series of swift, stochastic slashes. Adalia danced to the side, conceding momentum and letting Zaida advance, parrying only to break Zaida’s rhythm as Adalia backed into the water.
The pair traded blows, feinting and attacking to test the opponent in turn. Each parry sent sparks skittering along the stones, and every dodge was a hair away from drawn blood. Zaida was good, even excellent, and leagues beyond the Count-Duke’s best soldiers. A fair fight would be a coin toss to decide.
Good thing Adalia wasn’t afraid to fight dirty.
Adalia swung low, her sword grazing the water to spray a line of mist into Zaida’s face. Zaida turned her face, but didn’t turn back in time to see Adalia come in with a kick. Zaida took the kick to her shoulder, and fell back into the pool, losing her hat in the process.
Which only helped how distractingly pretty she was.
Before Adalia could react, Zaida leapt to her feet, using her open hand to wipe the spray from her face. A few stray hairs stuck to her face, but Zaida was grinning from ear to ear.
“I didn’t know you knew how to play rough, princessa!” she taunted. She lunged forward, and Adalia jumped to the side just in time. Zaida had left her side open though, and Adalia charged toward the obvious opening.
The way too obvious opening.
Zaida ducked out of the way before Adalia even got close, and her rapier met nothing but open air. Adalia wheeled around to find where Zaida went, only to get hit by an explosion of smoke. Adalia took off her hat, swiping away the smoke while coughing. Before she could see, something grabbed her ankle and pulled, sending Adalia down on her back with an undignified shriek and a splash.
The smoke finally cleared, and Adalia saw Zaida looking down on her, with a blade pointed to Adalia’s face.
“Smoke bombs! Seriously!?!”
Zaida shrugged. “You wanted to play dirty, princessa. Besides, you got me all wet, so it only seemed fair returning the favor.”
Adalia scowled, which only made Zaida snicker.
“What?”
“You look like a wet cat. Maybe I should call you gatita!”
That was it.
Adalia rolled under Zaida’s sword, wrapping both arms onto her legs and yanking back. She was rewarded with a shriek of surprise and a splash. Adalia lunged forward, straddling Zaida and pinning her arms to the ground.
Adalia was soaked, but it didn’t matter. She was on top.
Wait.
She was looking down at Zaida, currently fully immersed in the shallow pool. Her eyes were wide with surprise, and her characteristic smile was replaced with an open mouth of surprise. Adalia could feel Zaida chest rising with rapid breaths. Adalia’s gaze met Zaida’s for a moment, before forcing herself to look away. Her face felt hot, and she was sure her face was flushed.
“Are you okay, Zaida?” Adalia asked between breaths. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
Adalia got her response just a moment later, when Zaida’s legs wrapped around Adalia’s torso, throwing Adalia to the side with a tumble and onto her back in the cold water. Zaida’s jumped up on top of Adalia, hands pinned down Adalia’s arms, and now Adalia was looking up unto Zaida’s eyes. She was grinning again, and her soaking wet hair was slicked back onto her neck.
Adalia couldn’t speak, and thankfully neither did Zaida. The silence persisted, and Adalia lost herself in Zaida’s eyes.
“Adalia?”
“Yes?”
“Can I kiss you?”
Adalia hesitated, then nodded once. She didn’t trust herself to speak.
Zaida leaned in, moving one hand to pick up Adalia’s head.
Their lips met lightly, with uncertainty, and Adalia’s eyes drifted closed as she leaned in. The sensations filled her, and the water didn’t feel as cold anymore.
Zaida pulled away, and carefully climbed off Adalia as she stood up. Adalia leaned up, but didn’t move to stop Zaida as she grabbed her hat and sword, then climbed a trellis to the top of a garden wall. Adalia’s hand drifted to her belt.
The sceptor was gone.
Adalia leapt to her feet, searching through the pond before looking up. Zaida sat on the wall, holding the sceptor and looking down at Adalia.
Of course. It was just a ploy. Playing dirty.
Adalia suddenly felt a lot colder. She collected her hat and sword from the water, and started to look for an exit.
“Adalia?”
Adalia looked up. Zaida stowed away the sceptor.
“I know what you think this looks like, but I grabbed it before, when I threw the smoke bomb,” Zaida said. She looked away, her hands clenched together nervously.
“I meant it when I kissed you. I give you my word.”
Adalia blushed.
“Oh. That’s… Thanks.”
Zaida smiled, but not the confident grin from before. It was soft, and shy.
“I’ll be back in a few days. See you soon, hermosa.”
Zaida blew her a kiss, gave a wink, then leapt down the other side of the wall.
Adalia didn’t feel cold anymore as she walked back toward the gate.
Fin