Their adventure through the kingdom's streets led to the darkened skies to go unnoticed. Storm clouds began to cover the sun, sending a chilled gust throughout the kingdom. As the merchants packed up their merchandise and ran for shelter, Theron glanced up to the sky and felt a drop of rain land on his cheek.

"Milady, should we call it an evening before the storm worsens?" Theron asked.

Halea sighed and gave in. "I suppose so, Theron. You've probably grown tired of me by now." She smirked.
She walked out ahead of him and spun in place, fidgeting with her dress. "You don't have to be so formal with me, you know. We've done everything together since we were kids. So—" her face flushed red.

Theron's necklace began to hum faintly.

"Th-there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about." Halea stumbled over her own words.

"What's on your mind?" Theron asked, paying only half attention because the necklace started to glow and vibrate. He grabbed it and held it against his chest, which caused it to react more wildly as if it were alive.

The rain went from a trickle to pouring, creating puddles in the cracks of the cobblestone road. Just then, lightning tore across the sky in a brilliant flash, revealing a silhouette in a nearby darkened alley. As Theron focused on it, he saw one. After his eyes saw the first one, he saw two more.

"Well, I've been thinking and I wanted to tell you how I—" She was stopped by the sound of Theron's sword unsheathing.

In one swift movement, Theron had drawn his blade and leaped to her side. The sudden change in atmosphere startled her.

"Theron, what are you—"

"Stay close to me."

As if on cue, three cloaked figures emerged from the shadows. One dropped from a nearby rooftop onto a stack of used merchant crates. It crouched and tilted its head as they studied Theron. Were these the people the King warned him about? Whoever they are, they made him uneasy.

Halea gasped as she finally saw why Theron was on guard. The way they moved and positioned themselves around them made her feel claustrophobic.

The figure perched atop the crates cackled an eerie laugh. "My, my, 'Tis not a good day for the princess to be roaming out of the castle, wouldn't ya say?"

The cloaked figure to their right replied, "I'd think not. Would be shameful if something were to happen to her on her lovely stroll." And the figure to the left just laughed without a word.

"Then you should let us be on our way." Theron tried to reason with them, but he felt like it was to no use. As time passed, the air between them felt thicker and thicker. Their presence alone gave off dark intentions.

The one on the crates crawled down to the ground and threw back their hood and revealed a disfigured, greenish-grey face. A long, jagged scar ripped across from the corner of his mouth to the opposite eye. His nose was half gone, leaving one nostril wide open. One eye was a vibrant golden hue, the other with the scar was milky white. He stood close to four feet tall with a small hunch to his back.

Goblins.

"We have no quarrel with you, elf. Get out of the way and give us the Princess and you'll go back to the King alive and all your body parts still attached." He spat as he made his demands.

From underneath his cloak, he pulled out a dagger and twirled it in the palm of his hand. He gripped the handle and pointed it in Theron's direction. "Don't make me repeat myself!"

At the sound of his voice getting louder, the other two cloaked figures, roughly the same characteristics as the first, brandished their own weapons. "Yeah, don't make him repeat himself!" One said, followed by a grunt from the other.

Theron tightened his grip on his sword as his heart began to race with fear and adrenaline. This wouldn't be like the training fights he and Bjorn had.
No, this is real.
While he was deep in thought, they charged in simultaneously. All three of their blades aimed right for him and Halea. Without hesitation, Theron pushed Halea out of the way, taking up his sword and blocking two of the three daggers. The other one grazed off his armor at an angle.

Theron managed to grab one by the cloak and pull them to him. He tightened his grip on the sword's hilt and punched them as hard as he could. The sound when his fist made contact and broke bone, made him a bit queasy.

The one with the face scar, whom he decided to call Scar, howled in anger and rushed back in, stabbing and slicing erratically. Theron brought his sword up to defend himself, but he wasn't fast enough. Scar was in a frenzy and too quick for him. A quick and precise stab at the small gap in Theron's armor at the right elbow sent pain straight up his arm as the blade sliced into the fleshy part of his bicep. They backed away from each other as Theron looked down at his arm. Blood seemed to flow endlessly from his wound, staining his silver armor a dull crimson color. Instantly, he lost most mobility in his right arm and he felt his grip on the swords hilt lessening.

Scar heaved and gasped for air after exerting all his stamina. "You're trouble, aren't you?" He brought the blade up to his lips and licked it, savoring the blood upon his tongue. "This tastes really sweet. There's something else to you, isn't there? Hm, I wonder what it could be."

"Theron, behind you!" Halea screamed from the distance.

Just then, he was hit from the behind. Another one had jumped on his back; wrapping his bony, green arms around Theron's neck in a chokehold. Scar seized the opportunity and rushed back in, putting all of his weight into a strike that loosened Theron's grip of his sword when he deflected it. His sword finally became too heavy to hold and it fell like the rain to the cobblestone street. In one instance, it was at his feet. The next time he glanced down, it was skidding away just out of reach.

Fear had Halea in its clutches, freezing her in place. The goblin Theron threw earlier had gotten up and snuck his way to her, laughing maniacally and licking his lips.

"Be a good princess and stay right there. I'll make sure not to hurt you too badly." He lowered his body to the ground and sprinted towards her, too fast for her to react. He seemed to vanish with a sidestep and slashed the back of her leg, causing her to cry in pain and drop to her knees. His crinkled grey fingers grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her head back, holding his rusted dagger to her exposed neck.

"I got her boss! I really got her!" The goblin cackled uncontrollably, overjoyed with his accomplishment.

Theron glanced over and saw what he feared. She stared at him with tears in her eyes, too terrified to say a word as the blade rested on her neck, drawing blood from her delicate skin.

He wasn't strong enough to protect her. He had one task and failed in the worst way possible.

Scar gave an ear to ear grin that revealed sharp, jagged yellow teeth. "Excellent! Now, finish her quickly!"
He returned his glare to Theron, and with a flick of his tongue he continued, "Worry not, elf. You won't be far behind."

Everything went in slow motion. The tears running down Halea's cheeks, Scar aiming his next strike at Theron's head, the dagger making a deadly angle upon her neck.
All of it.
The hold around his neck tightened, cutting off his oxygen, making his vision blurry with tears. Theron reached his hand out towards Halea as he read her lips inaudibly say "Help Me".

I promised to protect her...
I have to...
I will!

Something deep within him roared to life. The pendant defied gravity and lifted above his chest, shining an almost blinding green. Instinctively, Theron closed his fist and the ground beneath Halea began to rumble. In seconds, sharpened roots shot out, piercing the flesh and bone of the goblin's arm holding the dagger. A larger root wrapped itself around the goblin's waist and granted him a single yelp before pulling him underground. The only thing left of him was his dagger that remained in a blood mixed rain puddle near the entrance of the hole he was taken into.

The other goblins looked in terror as they tried to figure out what just happened to their friend. Theron looked back at Scar as lightning lit up the sky. With a heavy boot, he kicked him in the face as hard as he could. The loud crunch that followed was surely that of broken bones. The thunder rolled across the sky with a deafening boom as Scar's body propelled backwards. His body splashed in the water that collected on the ground as he tumbled to a stop.

He then grasped at the arms around his neck and began pulling them free with newfound strength. The goblin clawed desperately for a grip, digging its nasty, razor-like nails deep into the side of Theron's face. Once there was enough room to breathe, Theron hurled the goblin over his head and body slammed it into the ground. The goblin's eyes shot open while it gasped for air, but not enough to prepare it for what came next.

Theron forced his boot into its neck, cutting off its air supply. The desperate cries were silent as it flailed about, doing everything it could to break free, but it was to no use. With a bit more pressure, Theron twisted his heel into the goblins throat. Its eyes began bulging out of its head as it clawed at his boot. Theron heard, and even felt, the loud snap under his heel, which caused the goblin to cease moving.

Halea sat there holding her leg to stop the bleeding, dumbfounded by what she just saw.

What were those vines? Did Theron do that? Was that magic?

A sudden guilt ran over her as she realized just how useless she was during this whole thing. Theron put himself in danger for her. She might be the princess and he's her knight, but she wished there was something she could've done to help him. She watched his shoulders rise and drop in quick movements as he gasped for air with his right arm hanging helplessly at his side.

Theron glared Scar down, trying to be as intimidating as he could. If the fight continued, he knew it wouldn't go in his favor. He hadn't the energy to engage again, so Theron put all of his prayers into him backing down.

Sure enough, Scar held a hand over the blood gushing from his face and backed up, throwing the hood back over his head.

"Don't think you've won, elf!" He spat. He glanced where the remains of his comrades were and grunted. As he backed up into the shadows, his final words were etched into Theron's mind.

"This won't go unforgiven. High praise to the Triad!" And with that, Scar disappeared.

Halea flicked her attention back to Theron, who gave an audible sigh and fell to his knees.
"Theron!" She scrambled to her feet and limped her way over to his side.

"I'm glad you're okay, Princess." He gave her a weakened smile.
His vision blurred and the world began to sway, or was it him that was swaying?
He couldn't tell.
All of a sudden, a surge of pain shot through his entire body. He felt the pain sap every last bit of strength he had left. As he collapsed, his vision went black right before he hit the ground.

The last thing he heard in the darkness was Halea's echoed cries.

"Stay with me... Theron? Theron!"