"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?" Alvin yelled at Alicia in anger. What was she trying to do? Make peace? He would rather die.
"I will never agree to this!" Lance also yelled at Alicia.
"You do not need to agree to it!" She snapped at them.
"She must have gone mad!"
"That is impossible!"
"We cannot do this!"
Most of them voiced their displeasure despite the fact that their lives were at stake.
"You want us to embrace the same people who have hurt us deeply? Are you this wicked?! My husband was killed!" One of the hostages cried in pain.
"WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF US? ISN'T IT MORE IMPORTANT THAT WE ARE ALIVE? DOES IT MATTER IF WE HAVE TO EMBRACE THEM?" A nobleman yelled at the woman.
"You coward! How can you say that?!" Another nobleman yelled at him.
However, Alicia ignored all of them.
The most important thing was to save all their lives. It didn't matter how she did it. All that mattered was that she did it.
"If it's gold you want, you will get more gold than you were promised," Alicia spoke to the rogues in a serious tone that got them interested.
"If it's a knighthood, you will have it." She promised. "But it can only happen if we recognize your effort in repenting and letting the hostages go. Surrender and come to my side."
The rogues looked at each other, murmuring amongst themselves, until one asked, "How can we trust you?"
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!" Tyra asked in a harsh tone, but one of the rogues beside her raised his hand to interrupt her as he said, "Hold on!" Then he faced Alicia and looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze.
"How do we believe you?" He asked her.
Alicia picked up her bloody sword from the ground and wrapped her palm around the blade, drawing a deep cut. She dropped the sword and raised her palm, which was dripping with blood, as she said, "I swear on my life. Your lives will be mine to protect. You can trust me." She promised. "You will get five times as much gold as you have been promised, and you will be pardoned for the crime you have committed today."
"F-Five times? Is that... is that correct?" One stammered with wide eyes.
A blood oath was something serious, so that seemed to convince them that she was serious.
"STOP IT! STOP IT! HOW DARE YOU TRY TO CONFUSE MY ARMY?"
"Should we trust her?" One of the rogues asked his brother beside him, but Alicia answered instead.
"You have no other choice but to trust me. Tyra is a tyrant."
Wow! That rhymed perfectly.
"She doesn't have the King's blood. Do you think the King would keep her alive after this?" She asked them.
"I, on the other hand, am the bride of Prince Harold. Prince Harold will be your future King! By joining me to stop this act of treason, you will all be greatly rewarded!"
"I guess we can trust her. You have seen what she is capable of doing." A rogue whispered to the one beside him.
"Prince Harold indeed favours her, so it shouldn't be a problem."
"DON'T DO IT! I AM YOUR MASTER! I HAVE BEEN YOUR MASTER FOR YEARS!" Tyra yelled at her army before she faced Alicia, and her horse also got hysterical with her as it swayed about.
"YOU STUPID WITCH! YOU DARE TRY TO STEAL MY ARMY!"
"Shut your mouth, crazy wench! You are no master of ours." One of the Rogues spat in annoyance at Tyra.
"How can we trust her? She may be trying to deceive us."
"Does she seem like the one to lie? Isn't it better to take a better deal than lose our lives with this mad cunt?"
"I AM QUEEN TYRA! YOU CANNOT TURN YOUR BACK ON ME. I WILL KILL YOU ALL IF YOU DARE DO SO!"
When the rogues still hesitated to decide, Alicia looked at the royal guards, yelling to them, "DROP ALL YOUR WEAPONS! YOU WILL NOT FIGHT!"
"Princess Amber..." Alvin shook his head in refusal.
"DROP IT!" Alicia ordered.
The guards looked at each other before they did as she had said.
Seeing how they had given up their weapons, the rogues were finally able to believe her, and one by one, they began to let go of the hostages, excitedly talking about how much gold they would be receiving.
"ARE YOU ALL STUPID? DO NOT LET THEM GO!"
Tyra yelled at her army, which was now fully surrendering. Some even dropped their weapons, smiling happily at the jackpot.
Alicia looked down at the blood in her palm before she looked up at a hysterical Tyra with a smirk.
The hostages fell to the ground in relief, crying and embracing their families, even though they hated the deal and hated Alicia too.
"Aren't you going to swear allegiance to me?" Alicia asked the rogues.
One of them, who appeared to have a significant position among them, quickly called all of them to step away from the hostages and come stand in front of Alicia to pay allegiance. They had all turned their backs on Tyra, who was still yelling crazily at them.
"PRINCE HAROLD WOULD NEVER ACCEPT THIS!" Alvin yelled at Alicia in disappointment.
"I AM HIS WIFE!" Alicia yelled back at him, harshly.
The leader of the rogues stepped in front of her, shouting out, "WE WILL FOLLOW YOU!"
And the rest echoed loudly, "WE WILL FOLLOW YOU!"
"YOU WILL FOLLOW ME! YOU BASTARDS WILL FOLLOW ME!" Tyra yelled at them, already crying.
Alicia's evil gaze went to her. "No," Alicia said to Tyra. "But you will follow them shortly." She said in a dark tone before she picked up her sword, and before anyone could realize what was happening, she stabbed it deep into their leader's gut.
While he stared at her with wide eyes, she turned behind her to where the hostages were still gathered and crying and waved her bloody palm in the air. A visible layer of barrier formed around everyone behind her, sealing the hostages away from the rest of them.
"SLAY THEM ALL!" Alicia yelled to the palace guards, who were already quick to action. Horses reared and others picked up weapons, and they all raced to the middle in battle mode. Some already drew their arrows, shooting down at the disorganized rogues, while Harvey stood in front of Alicia, protecting her as she tried to keep the barrier intact while yelling for the people to race back to the palace.
The disparity between trained warriors and bandits was quite clear. Because with only a moment of distraction, they had lost their footing, giving the palace guards the chance to wipe them off.
There was no honour among thieves. Therefore, she didn't have to treat them with one.
She had promised them. Their lives were hers to protect. And also hers to ruin.
Seeing the unbelievable turn of events, Tyra turned her horse, ready to flee.
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