Breakfast Ambush

Kaida moved with terrifying speed. She dropped the heavy iron lid and lunged across the kitchen space before the terrified maidservant could even draw a breath to scream. Her gloved hand shot out, clamping brutally over the girl’s mouth, while her other arm drove the servant backward. The impact pinned the girl hard against the cold stone wall. The silver tray slipped from the maid's limp fingers, clattering loudly against her thick woolen skirt before tumbling to the floor.

"Keep this mouth shut or else," Kaida warned. She forced her voice deep into her throat, twisting it into a harsh, guttural rasp that promised sheer brutality. "I'll cut your tongue out and make sure no word will ever come from you again."

The maidservant stared back with wide, horrified eyes. Thick tears welled up and spilled over her pale cheeks, tracking down to Kaida's leather-clad fingers. The girl’s frantic gaze darted over Kaida’s shoulder, locking onto the deadly katana strapped across her back. The sight of the weapon drained the last ounces of strength from her legs. Her knees buckled. Kaida kept her iron grip on the girl, allowing her to slide slowly down the rough stone wall until she crumpled onto the floor.

Kaida took a deliberate step back, keeping her sharp gaze locked on the trembling figure. She reached for the pot of stew simmering on the stove.

"If you are going to cry, cover your mouth before I do it myself," Kaida stated, her tone dead flat.

The frightened maidservant wasted no time. She slapped both hands over her lips, muffling her own whimpers. She curled into a tight ball in the corner, shaking like a leaf in the wind.

Kaida grabbed a wooden ladle and scooped a generous mound of warm stew into an empty bowl. Her stomach clenched with hunger. She had not eaten since before the carriage ride. But a glaring problem presented itself. She needed to consume the food, but she could not pull down her mask with the maidservant stealing terrified glances at her. If the girl saw her bare face, the entire kingdom would soon know the discarded queen had infiltrated the royal villa.

Kaida clicked her tongue in annoyance. She set the warm bowl down on the wooden counter and marched back toward the cowering servant.

She knelt. Her hands moved fast. She yanked the bright pink ribbon from the maidservant's braided hair. Grabbing the girl's arms, Kaida twisted them behind her back and bound her wrists tight with the ribbon. Next, she snatched a thick linen apron hanging from an iron hook above the flour barrels. She wrapped the thick cloth around the maidservant's head, covering her eyes and tying it securely at the back of her skull.

"I need to eat in peace, please," Kaida muttered.

She walked back to the counter, pulled down the lower half of her black mask, and shoved a spoonful of the rich stew into her mouth. She barely swallowed her fifth bite when the distinct, heavy thud of approaching footsteps echoed from the stone corridor outside the door. Guards.

Kaida cursed silently. She forced the remaining food down her throat, grabbed her mask, and snapped it back into place over her nose. She vaulted onto the narrow stone windowsill and slipped out into the freezing night air. She landed on the soft earth below without making a single sound. She hit her own chest in sheer frustration. She had been careless, leaving a tied-up servant in the kitchen as hard evidence of an intruder.

From inside the room, a woman shrieked. "Mara! Who did this to you?!"

Kaida ignored the shouting. She scaled the rough exterior wall of the villa, her fingers finding invisible holds in the stone, and hauled herself up onto the slanted roof. Shouts erupted from the courtyard below. Heavy boots pounded the cobblestones as elite soldiers scattered around the perimeter to secure the area.

Pressing her body flat against the freezing clay tiles, Kaida watched the chaos unfold. "It is just their first day here, and I caused such an uproar," she whispered to herself.

Moments later, King Darius strode into view on the illuminated walkway below, with Royal Concubine Daphne clinging closely to his side. They moved down the grand hallway directly across from the pavilion where Kaida hid. They were heading to the east wing. Kaida crawled silently along the roof ridge to track their movements.

The uproar relegated her to spending the entire, grueling night up there. The icy wind bit through her dark clothes, forcing her to take only quick, shallow naps while keeping a vigilant, freezing guard over the royal chambers below.

When the pale light of dawn finally broke across the horizon, Kaida knew her dark clothes would soon betray her. She scaled down the side of the building, her muscles stiff from the cold. She darted across the courtyard and spotted a fresh servant's uniform pinned to a clothesline. She snatched the dress, slipped into the bustling maidservants' dormitories, and found an empty corner. She stripped off her combat gear, stashed it inside an empty supply barrel near the back door, and pulled the simple linen uniform over her head.

Three minutes later, the dormitory doors swung open. The head maidservant marched in, rousing the exhausted staff to prepare the morning meal. The older woman strode down the line of girls, but she stopped dead when she reached Kaida. Her eyes narrowed in deep scrutiny.

"Who are you? I do not remember seeing you yesterday," the head maid demanded.

Kaida kept her head bowed, staring at the floorboards. "I am Kira. I am a new hire. A last-minute replacement."

The head maidservant looked her up and down, then waved a dismissive hand. "Go wash up. Move fast."

Kaida let out a slow breath and joined the other girls at the washbasins. To her rising panic, the head maid started barking out specific assignments. Kaida was thrust into the group selected to deliver breakfast directly to the king and his concubine.

Dread coiled in her stomach. If Darius saw her face, the game was over.

"Can you switch with me?" Kaida whispered to the girl standing beside her.

The other maidservants giggled and swatted the idea away, giddy at the thought of serving the handsome monarch first thing in the morning. Kaida ground her teeth. She felt a wave of disgust watching them swoon over the very man who had coldly ignored and rejected his own queen.

"Kira, I do not like maidservants who pick and choose their chores," the head maid snapped. "Go get their breakfast and serve them in the dining hall. And do not forget to put your masks on."

"Masks?" Kaida asked.

A servant beside her shoved a thick piece of white fabric into her hands. "To stop us from breathing on the royal food. Tie it tight."

Kaida breathed a silent sigh of profound relief. She unfolded the thick white sanitary mask and tied the strings behind her head. The cloth covered the lower half of her face, hiding her nose, mouth, and chin. Her true identity was safely concealed.

She hoisted a heavy silver tray loaded with fresh fruit and warm bread, following the line of servants into the grand dining hall.

King Darius sat at the head of the massive oak table, looking composed and regal in his morning robes. Daphne sat close to his right side. Kaida and the other maids set the plates down in dead silence. Kaida avoided making any eye contact with the king. He had seen her wearing a black mask during the fire incident back at the Dusk Palace. She could not risk him recognizing the shape of her eyes.

Once the food was set, Kaida turned to follow the other girls out. The head maid grabbed her arm. "You stay here until they finish eating. Stand in the corner."

Kaida nodded and backed into the shadowy corner of the dining hall, standing rigid with her hands folded in front of her dress.

Daphne reached for a piece of bread. "I heard you did not enter the hot springs even once yesterday. My king, could it be that you are still bothered by the queen's words in the carriage?"

Kaida’s ears twitched. She scoffed internally. He should be bothered. He needed a harsh reminder that the kingdom came before his romantic whims.

Darius offered his concubine a smooth, charming smile. "I just needed to finish looking into some matters. I have a small mountain of paperwork to handle. Besides, if you are enjoying yourself, that is enough for me."

Daphne pressed the issue, her voice soft and insistent. "You must enjoy the hot springs for your recuperation. That was the purpose of this trip."

"I will join you in the water as soon as I finish the documents the eunuchs brought," Darius assured her.

The meal concluded. Kaida stepped forward from her corner, bowing low as she reached the table. She began gathering the empty porcelain plates, stacking them onto her silver tray.

Suddenly, Daphne’s highly scrutinizing gaze locked onto her face. A crease formed on the concubine's smooth forehead.

"Why are you still wearing that mask?" Daphne asked, her voice laced with sudden suspicion.

Kaida froze. She kept her chin tucked to her chest, avoiding the woman's piercing stare. She squeezed her throat, forcing her voice into a significantly higher, submissive squeak.

"I shall be taking it off when my duty is over, Your Highness," Kaida piped.

She took a quick step backward, lifting the heavy silver tray to her chest. She turned and walked toward the heavy wooden doors, praying the concubine would drop the issue. The other maids pulled the doors open for her.

As Kaida crossed the threshold, a sharp, whistling sound sliced through the morning air.

Decades of brutal combat training took over. Before her conscious mind registered the threat, her arms shot upward. She instinctively raised the silver tray and the stack of empty plates right in front of her face.

A razor-sharp arrow exploded through the open dining room window. The iron tip smashed into the porcelain just inches from Kaida's forehead. The plates shattered with a deafening crack. Shards of white ceramic rained down over her shoulders and hair.

Daphne let out an ear-piercing scream. The remaining maidservants shrieked in terror, dropping their trays and scrambling for the corners of the room.

Amidst the ensuing chaos, Kaida lowered the dented silver tray. Her sharp eyes scanned the courtyard outside the open window. A man clad in dark combat gear crouched menacingly on the slanted rooftop of the opposite building, a longbow gripped in his hands. A separate, lethal assassin was actively targeting the king. Her fears from the carriage ride were proven correct.

Kaida abandoned her meek servant persona in an instant. She spun around to face the royal couple.

"Your Highness, Your Majesty, please do leave the premises before that assassin returns!" she yelled. Her voice rang out with raw, commanding authority, stripping away the high-pitched squeak she had used moments before.

She dropped the tray. She grabbed handfuls of her cumbersome silk servant's dress, lifting the heavy skirts above her knees, and fled wildly down the hallway. She had to intercept the shooter before he nocked a second arrow.

Behind her, the dining hall erupted into movement. Darius surged to his feet, drawing the sword at his hip. He stared at the shattered plates, then at the retreating back of the maidservant who had just demonstrated the reflexes of a seasoned warrior. He entirely misread the situation. In his mind, a spy had infiltrated his staff, served his food, and possessed unnatural combat skills.

"Seize that maidservant!" Darius roared furiously. He pointed his sword directly at Kaida.

Kaida heard the command echoing down the corridor. She gritted her teeth, deeply shocked and infuriated by his misplaced focus. He deemed her the primary lethal threat instead of the sniper on the roof.

Heavy boots thundered behind her. A squad of elite royal guards gave chase, their armor clanking loudly. Kaida sprinted down the stone hallway, her bare feet slapping the cold floor. She skidded around a sharp corner and threw herself toward the empty kitchen.

She burst through the doorway and slammed the heavy wooden portal shut. She grabbed a massive wooden table and shoved it hard against the door, barricading herself inside just as the guards slammed into the other side. The wood groaned under their weight.

She had mere seconds. Kaida frantically stripped off the restrictive silk dress, leaving it in a heap on the floor. She rushed to the flour barrels where she had stashed her gear at dawn. She pulled on her black combat tunic, strapped her leather belt tight, and secured her deadly daggers to her thighs. She pulled her original black assassin mask over her face.

The wooden door splintered inward.

Kaida launched herself through the narrow kitchen window, diving headfirst into the morning light. She hit the soft earth, rolled to absorb the impact, and vanished into the thick underbrush bordering the villa.

Inside the main hall, the immediate danger loomed heavy over the royal retinue. Darius stood over the shattered porcelain, his jaw tight with rage. He ordered his captains to launch a relentless, immediate search of the entire perimeter to hunt down the elusive culprits.

He walked into the adjoining chamber and found Daphne trembling violently on her knees. The concubine covered her face with her hands, weeping in sheer guilt for demanding this dangerous excursion.

Darius softened. He knelt beside her, gently grabbed her arms, and pulled her to her feet. He wrapped his arms around her shaking frame and kissed her forehead with deep affection.

"Nothing of this is your fault," he consoled her, his voice low and steady. "I know we just came here, however, we need to get back to the palace tomorrow morning."

Daphne buried her face in his chest. "Yes, my king."

Darius held her, but a heavy, lingering doubt troubled his logical mind. He stared out the open window toward the distant treeline. That highly suspicious masked woman had handled their breakfast. She had stood in the corner of the room while they ate. If she truly intended to assassinate them, why in the gods' names had she not simply poisoned their unprotected food when she had the perfect chance? The pieces did not fit.

Meanwhile, deep within the dense, freezing woods surrounding the villa, Kaida sprinted at full speed. The icy morning air burned her lungs, but she pushed her legs harder. She vaulted over massive, protruding tree roots, using the rugged terrain to violently shake off the pursuing royal guards. The sounds of shouting men faded behind her, lost in the thick canopy of ancient pine trees.

She slowed her pace, leaning against a rough tree trunk to catch her breath.

"You stupid king," Kaida heaved under her breath. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. "You should go after that assassin who planned to attack you!"

She pushed off the tree, drawing a long, wicked dagger from her thigh sheath, and plunged deeper into the dark forest to hunt down the true threat.