Eleanor looked around her environment to see large groups of people drinking and gambling, there was hardly a place to stay without sitting close to a drink person. But they weren’t her problem. The only thing that mattered was information about a certain Kastor. She got from different tortures that the person behind the sudden clearance of her race was him and she needed to find him to get revenge.

Eleanor lived in a world of humans, Deuxmites, people who had a very strange symbol on their foreheads of a snake and a sword in between. They were believed to worship the great snake who was also believed to conquer their very powerful enemies five hundred years ago. Finally, there lived the black belts, who had belt like scales on the spine of their back, and black blood running through their veins. For thousands of years, these three groups of people lived peacefully with the motto “all man for himself” until a set of humans stood against mating between humans and black belts and started a war they could not finish. For the Deuxmites, they believed that their snake god helped them win the war, the humans thought it was their king Azaar the thirteenth that helped them win the war and the black belts thought it was the strength of their soldiers five hundred years ago who died heroes and heroines. After the war, everyone lived back in peace but a certain group of antas remained and slaughtered all black belts while they slept. However, Eleanor managed to escape the slaughter with her mother who later died out of too much bleeding from a very deep stab.

Eleanor finally found a place to sit and carefully watched every man and his moves until she spotted a suspicious movement of a young man who dressed as a soldier. She quickly stood up to follow him when she heard a voice behind her

“You like him, eh?” She turned to see who was stupid enough to talk to her and saw a young grey man with hair down his neck.

“None of your business, mister.”

She said and started to move but once again she heard the stranger say another thing.

“I would advise you not to make your move.”

“Like I said, none of your business mister.”

“He is the Queen’s favorite and the last time she heard a woman tried to woo him she made sure the poor horny lady died for it.”

The man said and chuckled but was immediately pinned down on the table with a sword to neck and staring straight into a pair of beautiful brown eyes.

“One more word from you and I will slit your neck!” She warned strictly and the man surrendered before she let him go. However, when she turned to the direction the soldier had gone, he was nowhere in sight. She turned back to the stranger and held him by the neck again.

“You’re one of them!”

But the poor man had no idea what she was talking about and instead struggled for his life

“Answer me!” Eleanor shouted angrily bringing all attention to herself but without a care in the world.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“That man, you know him and you know why I’m here that is why you purposely wasted my time. Who is he and where is he headed?”

But instead the man laughed half heatedly even while struggling for his breath and she tightened her grip even more until he could bear it no more.

“I don’t know him, please! I only know he is the Queen’s favorite, that’s all.”

“Swear to me that you are telling the truth.”

“I swear to you, okay.”

She waited sometime before finally releasing him while he coughed and ran away from her. She paid no attention to him and walked in the direction of the soldier. It was a lonely dark place except for the few lines of fire hung on the walls which she took one of them and walked her through up to the light. She stopped to look around carefully before taking the right and entered another bar. This bar was different than the previous one because it was well arranged like in order and only soldiers were there drinking and laughing while servant girls attended to them with numerous drinks. She looked at them a while longer before stepping foot inside and brought yet another attention to herself. But she continued looking around until she saw the young man talking to a servant girl though not in a friendly manner. It looked like he was oppressing the servant girl and trying to force her to bed him. She quickly walked inside but was stopped by another soldier.

“Why are you here?”

“I am here for that man.” She said and pointed the man molesting the servant girl. The soldier also turned his head in her direction and turned back to her.

“Who are you? A messenger?”

He asked but she snubbed his question and tried to walk past him but he pushed her backwards.

“Who are you?”

“I am Eleanor.”

“I mean what do you do?”

He asked but she gave him no reply and instead tried to walk past him once again but this time, he stopped her with a sword.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

“I told you I want to see him.”

Soon later the man came to the scene and looked from woman to soldier and back at the lady in front of him.

“you want to see me?”

“Yes.”

“Why so? Do you want some doggy?” He joked and the other soldiers laughed but Eleanor didn’t mind and concentrated on him.

“What is your name?” She asked him but he laughed

“Why should I tell you?”

“I am looking for a Kastor here.”

She said and the man looked at her and around him.

“I am Kastor. What do you want?”

He replied and she stared at him for a few seconds

“I have a gift for you.”

“From whom? I have nobody aside these soldiers.”

“Of course. From the black belts.”

Immediately, she drew out her sword and strode it into his heart with a deep thrust and twisted the sword while watching Kastor bleed to death with eyes that shone in pain and revenge. The others witnessed this and immediately drew out their swords to attack. She quickly removed her sword from Kastor’s heart and slit the throat of the man that was interrogating her before he could make his move. The she ran away from the bar and into the darkness while the drunk soldiers ran after her with a blind description of how she even looked like. Eleanor, however, ran her way through the soldiers but stumbled on the grey stranger who upon seeing an army of soldiers running towards them grabbed her and held a small knife he had stolen just after she attacked him to her neck.

“Let me go!” She struggled for her freedom but he held her even more until the soldiers reached them and stopped.

“Give her to us.” The man in front told the Eleanor’s captor and he pushed her towards them.

“You have done well. Your deed shall indeed be rewarded by the king and queen.”

The man said and dragged Eleanor away.

Eleanor struggled to be free in vain until they reached the place she guessed to be where she will be attended to. A soldier informed a guard and after a few seconds, the door was opened to them and they strode in with Eleanor along.

“This woman slay Commander Kastor, your majesty.”

The man holding her captive reported and Eleanor took a good time in examining the Queen’s expression and scoffed when she saw the Queen blink back tears.

“Thank you. You all should go. Leave her.”

“Your majesties, it will be advised that three of us stay here in case she tries anything.” The armied man said and the Queen nodded and looked at her husband.

“Then three should stay.” The king ordered and the soldiers did as they were instructed.

After they had filed out, Eleanor laughed with her eyes on the Queen.

“What is so funny?” The Queen asked and immediately, the laugh vanished.

“Who sent you?” The king asked and Eleanor turned to him.

“I work for no one.”

“Then who are you?”

“I am Eleanor.”

She replied the king with a straight face

“Why did you kill him?” The Queen asked

“He killed everyone I knew and loved. I owe him that much.”

Eleanor replied and the king inhaled deeply, but then one of the soldiers interrupted.

“Your majesties, before she killed Commander Kastor, she claimed she had a gift from the black belts.”

“The black belts have been wiped out by God knows who.” The king replied but then after a thought, he turned to Eleanor and quickly ordered.

“Strip her.”

The soldiers immediately went over to Eleanor and she began to panic and push them away from her but they overpowered her and undid her clothes to see the beautiful belt like scales on her back. The king inhaled deeply while the queen gasped in shock.

“How did you escape?” She asked quickly.

“Magic…your majesty.” Eleanor replied sarcastically and pushed the guards away from her and wore her clothes back

“Murder is punishable by death. You will be hanged tomorrow at sundown. Lock her up and double the guards.”

The king said and the soldiers bowed before taking her away.

Eleanor looked around her cell and the guards ahead of her playing cards. She sat down and sighed deeply, when no thought of how to escape came to her mind. Just when she was beginning to fall asleep, the gate opened and she looked up to see the Queen coming in, then an idea struck her.

“Leave. All of you.”

“But your majesty…”

“I said leave.”

She commanded and they all left after which she looked at Eleanor in the eye and walked up to her.

“What do you want?” Eleanor asked

“You should address me as the queen that I am.”

Eleanor scoffed and looked away

“No.” But the Queen paid no mind to her character and brought a seat near Eleanor.

“Why did you kill Kastor?”

“I already told you. He killed everyone I knew and loved.”

“No, Kastor would never do something like that.”

“Oh, but he did do that.” Eleanor answered irritably.

“He was my commander.”

“You have many soldiers. Use someone else.”

“It’s so easy for you to say…”

“Why do you care so much about him, anyway? Do you love him?”

Immediately, the Queen stood up in anger

“You will accuse me of no such evil as that, murderer!”

“I heard that you made sure to kill the woman who tried to sleep with him. Tell me why a person as royal as you are would be so protective of her commander?”

“I don’t allow any of my soldiers get distracted by women and the likes of them.”

“But you allow them to drink. That, to me, is more of a distraction than a harmless hour of sex.”

“Shut up!” The Queen said angrily and began to walk away

“Tomorrow before I die, I will tell everyone that you had an affair with your so called commander. I’m pretty sure your husband will want to know more then.”

“My husband will believe nothing from the mouth of a murderer.”

“Try me…your majesty.” Eleanor said with a malicious smile on her face but the Queen left without another word.

Queen Lena paced in her room back and forth thinking endlessly of what the lady said when her husband walked in.

“your are not asleep yet?” he asked and she almost choked in shock.

“oh, Arthur I couldn’t sleep. I keep thinking of the strange lady who came from nowhere and accused commander Kastor of murder. So many blood on his hands.”

“she is only trying to save herself.”

“but she looks really dangerous, my king.”

“I know that, and that is why I doubled the guards at her cell. You have nothing to worry. Commander Kastor will be given a proper burial.”

“He was a good man.”

“yes, indeed. Now go and sleep and tomorrow we will make sure justice is served.”

“Arthur…”

“yes.”

“I need to know that you do not even by a chance believe anything of what that murderer said and anything she will say tomorrow to save her skin.”

“I don’t believe her and I won’t believe her.”

“Aww, what a darling you are, my dear husband.”

Queen Lena said and gave him kisses before going to bed.

But the king was not so impressed at how worried his wife was over a common commander like Kastor who was not so good at his duty.

“why are you so worried about all of this, Lena?”

“Huh?” Lena paused in her movement and turned to him

“Why are you so worried that she would say something?”

“Oh, nothing. I just wanted to be sure that you will not fall for any tricks people like her may be planning right now. You know criminals and their way of deceiving people to be free.” She defended with a nervous laugh before laying on the bed.

“hm.” Was all king Arthur could say before going for his bath.

Eleanor tried to sleep in the little cell she was locked up in but could not. She suddenly felt uncomfortable and began to scratch her body relentlessly.

“What in the gods is wrong with your skin?”

One of the guards asked and she looked at the guard and at her skin to find it glowing in a bright blue color.

“God’s above.”

Eleanor continued scratching so much that her skin began to peel off and the guard immediately alerted the others.

“She is a black belt and that glowing blue is probably to kill us.” A guard explained which frightened the others and the quickly drew out their swords. Eleanor upon seeing this surrendered before anything happened

“No! It stopped. I don’t want to kill any of you.”

“I…it stopped?” One of them asked to be sure they heard correctly and she nodded and even showed them her skin.

“See? It’s gone. It’s alright. I will just close my eyes and sleep and so should all of you.”

She said and did exactly as she had said while the guards looked at themselves and nodded, saying there was no harm for now.

The next day at sundown, Eleanor was dragged out of her cell and brought to the public square where she would be executed. Ahead of her were two sticks tied like an “x” and dried grasses around them and immediately she knew what her fate would be, but not if she acted fast enough. She was forcibly tied to the sticks by the hands and legs and waited the arrival of the king and the Queen. When they finally arrived, everyone went on the knees, hailing the royals in utter worship while Eleanor scoffed in amusement at how silly the humans were.

“Today marks another sorry day for a criminal caught in the act of murder.” King Arthur began and looked at her, forcibly raising Eleanor’s head for the people to see.

“Can you see? This is the fate of those who commit treason and murder. They are burnt to death! Today, I hereby sentence you with the guilt of murder of our own very commander Kastor. Burn her.”

The king commanded and immediately, Eleanor shouted

“Wait!” but the Queen sensing what she wanted to do went over to her husband to talk to him.

“Don’t listen to her.”

“Burn her!” the king insisted and yet again she shouted.

“I have a confession to make.”

“she just wants to justify her deeds like she did yesterday.” Queen Lena told her husband but he paused in his sentence and turned to Eleanor.

“What do you have to say?”

“you didn’t even give me the chance to say my final words. I have a confession to make.”

“then get on with it!”

“I may be guilty…but so also is your queen.”

King Arthur squeezed his face at the woman’s words.

“I told you, she just wants to say another pile of rubbish. Burn her.” Queen Lena put in before her husband could look at her but he paid no heed to her

“do you realize that what you have just done is treason? Lying against the queen, my wife!”

“I know but I am not lying. Your queen and wife had an affair with your so called commander. Why then was she so emotional about his death?”

Eleanor defended and the king turned to his wife vividly remembering the previous night she was so concerned about commander Kastor.

“Is she telling the truth?” he asked his wife and she shook her head negatively.

“But she seems so sure.”

“I said she is lying!” queen Lena replied angrily and looked at her subjects who looked confused about the whole thing.

“Lena…”

“arrgh!” queen Lena went to one of her soldiers and drew out his sword, aiming for Eleanor’s heart. King Arthur saw this and looked at Eleanor then at his wife.

“Lena! Don’t do it.”

“oh no. Let her do it. Kill me fornicator!” while Eleanor was still talking the Queen rushed towards her but in the process lost her footing and eventually stabbed Eleanor in her stomach.

“Shut up! You liar.”

King Arthur quickly rushed to grab his wife and pulled her from the sword’s grip to hug her while she sobbed. Eleanor on the other hand, gasped for breath but everyone’s focus was on the Queen.

“why did she have to kill him. My dear Kastor…” the Queen sobbed on her husband’s chest but soon realized what she had just said and looked up at her husband’s still face.

“Dear Kastor?”

“oh no.” she said and stepped back.

“grab her.” The king said admist his tears and immediately the Queen tried to escape but was unsuccessful.

Just as all of this was going on, a stranger on a brown feathered cloak pushed through the crowd and quickly tried to cut dying Eleanor free without being seen. His advantage was that it was dark and everyone’s attention was on the Queen and her husband. However, after the stranger had successfully cut Eleanor free, the king noticed a movement behind him and turned to see someone carrying the murderer away.

“Stop him!” he quickly ordered and two guards followed the king’s direction and began to chase the man but he ran away into the darkness.