"This is all my fault!" Princess Kate wailed as she clasped the thick metal bars. Copious tears cascaded down her cheeks. "If not for my foolish agenda, we wouldn't be here!"

"No, your highness." Manfred said, the dry rasp of dust under his feet growing louder as he drew closer, "We failed...Andre and I. Your bodyguards too. If anyone's to blame—"

"It's me!" Kate snapped, twirling to face him, "If it hadn't been for my impetuosity, everybody would be far better off! The others would still be alive!"

"You couldn't have known this would happen. Please don't be so harsh on yourself, your highness."

Kate swallowed with a great effort. "My not knowing the future hardly excuses me for shedding innocent blood."

"But you didn't. Those Innutukians did. If anyone in this room is guilty for their deaths, it's me. For not doing more." Manfred's head hung lower and lower with each passing second.

"Manfred's right." Andre said from where he stood on the other end of the room and faced the wall with crossed arms, "He and I should have done more, and I should have been far less individualistic in my attack. I should have been more of a team player out there."

Kate huffed. "Why do you both want so badly to blame yourselves, when it's clearly my fault for bringing us here in the first place?"

"Because your goal is noble, your highness!" Andre replied, spinning on his heel and stepping out of the shadows to establish eye contact. Kate balked at first, but with a little effort, she held his gaze. "Do you not remember the things you told me the other day, about your plans for what you could do once peace is established? Truly, your intentions are pure and lovely, and any true Monteraynian should be willing to lay his very life down to bolster the foundation for what you intend on building. But none of it is possible without what you strove to accomplish up there in the throne room."

Kate bit her lip and went silent for a moment as she processed Andre's words. He made perfect sense, but at the same time...he just didn't see the full picture. He didn't know about her true motives, those which were far less pure, far less altruistic. She considered laying it all out for the two swordsmen, for after all, they deserved it after what they'd just endured. But then again...the humiliation and shame that would go along with such a confession gave her some pause. She would only be making herself look silly.

"True as that may be," she began slowly, picking her words cautiously so as to maintain the facade, "I failed to consider the cost. I've spent men like one spends money, and that is unacceptably cruel."

"But money is spent unwillingly, entirely unaware of its own existence, purpose, and aim." Andre retorted, "These men, on the other hand, they gave their lives willingly to protect you. They knew what they were signing up for when they became bodyguards, and they were fully aware what could happen."

"What about you two, though? You did not sign up for any such thing; you were only students in Sir Holt's academy before I dragged you into this. You two never got a chance to have lives before I stole them from you."

"That's not true. We could have denied you, and you are far too kind to have forced us if we had. You didn't steal our lives from us, Princess, we gave them to you."

Manfred nodded. "Even if we've failed you, it was worth it. We had to try."

Kate's lip quivered. Why did he have to put it like that? "And what of me, then? If they actually do execute you two, what then?"

Andre laid a hand on her shoulder, and the warmth thereof ironically made her shiver. "I never claimed to be able to predict the future, your highness, but I have faith you will be alright in the end. The longer this vile emperor keeps you here, and the more things he does to you, the more wroth will your father become. Justice's hammer will smash harder in proportion with its necessity."

"But I have come for peace, not war."

"Perhaps Innutuk must be humbled for that to be possible."

Manfred cleared his throat, gaze focused on Andre. "I don't know how much longer you and I have, Andre, but we need to get her out of here."

"I am wholeheartedly inclined to agree, but just how much can we do to accomplish that?"

"I don't know. But we have no choice but to try."

Kate drew in a deep breath, totally unsure whether to be thrilled and honored at the men's utter refusal to give up on her, or crushed still by the guilt of forcing them here in the first place. She opened her mouth to thank them, but only a choked-off croak emerged. They didn't even notice, focused as they were on examining the barred exit for any weakness.

Manfred gripped the thick bars of metal, gritted his teeth, and pulled downward with all his might. But nothing budged. Andre joined him in his straining, but still nothing came of their exertion.

While Andre backed away and sighed, Manfred moved to the edge of the barred opening and reached his hand through. He groped along the wall to the cranking mechanism, but as could be suspected, it was too far out of reach. Manfred sighed and pulled his arm back inside and shrugged at Andre. No words were exchanged between the two, but it appeared they were communicating something nonetheless.

Manfred stepped back into the shadowy back half of the cell and began coughing. Kate's eyes widened in concern at first, but then the frequency, intensity, and volume of the fit struck her as contrived. Then she smirked slightly to herself. If he was doing what she thought he was doing, this would be entertaining to watch.

A minute passed before heavy footsteps sounded down the corridor and an Innutukian guard stepped into view on the other side of the bars. He scowled. "What's going on in here?"

Andre glanced back and forth between the shadows and the guard with exaggerated concern in his eyes. "My comrade collapsed to the floor over there from his wounds, and I think he stirred up a lot of dust! Maybe you could bring a cup of water?"

"I have no care for his comfort. He'll die anyway."

"Have it your way, I suppose." Andre remarked with a shrug, "He is incredibly sensitive to such things, however, so I fear you'll have endure that awful sound for quite some time. Possibly the rest of your watch." he added with a grimace.

The Innutukian grunted when Manfred's coughing grew all the more intense. "Fine." he snapped, "I'll get him something."

"Thank you!" Andre called after the guard before turning to Manfred, who seemed to be tiring of the act. "Hang in there, friend."

In a few moments, the Innutukian returned with a clay cup in his hands. He rolled his eyes and handed it through the bars. Kate stepped forward to take it, freeing Andre to do as she'd expected. He snatched the guard by his arm and yanked as hard as he could, slamming his head into the bars and knocking him unconscious.

Manfred stepped up to Kate and took the cup from her hands with a grateful smile. "After all that," he croaked, "I actually need this."

Kate nodded before a loud shuffling sound at the end of the hallway drew her attention back. Several Innutukian voices mingled together as their thudding footsteps hurried them toward their investigation of the commotion Andre had created. Andre hurried to pull anything of value off the guard before letting go of his body for good. He tossed a thin-bladed dagger to the dusty floor, followed by a wooden key and a piece of hard bread.

A quartet of Innutukian guards presented themselves on the other side of the bars, and while shouting at the captives in their guttural language, they shoved spear points through the gaps, forcing Andre and Kate back to get out of range. She glanced between the two swordsmen, at a loss for what they planned to do after this.

Finally, one of the guards calmed down somewhat, and he raised a fist at Manfred and Andre. "You will be executed all the sooner now! Our mercy has been wasted on you."

With that, two of the men walked off, while the other pair stood against the wall across from the cell and watched the Monteraynians' every move. Kate shivered at their cold gazes. Sitting down on one of the cots, she hung her head and buried her face in her hands. Now what?

She snapped to attention again when Manfred and Andre nodded at one another and charged toward the bars, immediately drawing the Innutukians to their feet. They thrusted the spears through again, but this time, the swordsmen ducked and grabbed the shafts before the guards could retract them. One quick yank each, and the two had stolen the Innutukians' spears.

Before either guard could cry out, Manfred and Andre turned the points around and stabbed into their necks, right in the middle of their vocal cords. And to avoid another noisy dropping of a body, they used the spear heads to ease their victims down onto their hindquarters. That accomplished, they set the spears down gently. Andre grabbed the wooden key off the ground.

At first, Kate only thought of the futility of taking up the key to a crank Andre still couldn't reach, but then she raised an eyebrow. The crank to the next cell over was in reach, and as it turned out, the key in Andre's hand corresponded to that door. He unlocked it and cranked the bars open.

A dirty-faced man emerged from the next cell with confused eyes, and he crept over to the door of Kate's cell. He eyed Andre with a quirked eyebrow. "Why me?"

"We need your help." Andre replied, reaching down and handing the man the thin dagger through the bars, "Can you see if you can pick the lock to our door?"

The man gave a vigorous nod and set himself to the task. With how simple the keys had been designed, Kate didn't find herself the least bit surprised at the quickness with which he undid the lock. He cranked the bars down with both speed and quietness.

Andre gave a tight-lipped grin to the man, who acknowledged with another nod. Then he glanced into the cell he'd just opened, and his hand leapt to his mouth at the sight of Princess Kate. "Your highness!" he exclaimed, quietly but not calmly, "I had no idea!"

Kate frowned. "Are you...from Monterayne?"

"Yes! I fought under Monterayne's banner in Aroria some years ago, but I was taken captive after I fell wounded and ended up stranded on Innutuk's side of the battle lines. I have been here ever since."

Andre gave Kate a slight smile. "See? You have not come entirely in vain."

Kate returned the grin before glancing back at the dirty-faced man. "Well, you may join us if you like. After all, I see little else you could do."

"I will gladly assist your escape." he affirmed, his grip on the dagger tightening.

"Great." Manfred said as he picked up one of the spears and handed Andre the other. "Let's get out of here." 

**** 

A/N: I don't know about you, but I feel like each of our trio of MCs was pretty endearing in this chapter. Especially Manfred and Andre's refusal to give up...kinda inspiring, don'tcha say? 

(Now I'd better see some refusal from you to the idea of giving up on voting and commenting. Was that absolutely terrible? Yes. Am I apologizing? NO.) 😂 

Well, without further ado, I do believe I have another chapter to post, so...see ya there, hopefully!