Hello again, readers!

It certainly doesn’t feel like it has been that long, but I know for a fact that this final chapter of Outside the Castle is long overdue. I should hope it provides a satisfying conclusion. I will be releasing an epilogue when I can (knowing me these days it may be a month :P), but for those of you who yearn for the ending, here it is at last! Thank you for your patience.

New to me? Here’s my first series

New to OtC? Here’s the first chapter!

Chapter 5: Into the Castle

Dusk was resting beneath a tall oak tree, napping below the walls of Northwood in between her planning, when she heard footsteps approaching. The footsteps were light and careful, taken with deliberate precaution to avoid the forest’s many puddles and tangles of vines. Dusk’s yellow eyes opened fully, glowing with alertness. She quickly flicked out the Trickster Knife and leaned around the tree trunk.

Approaching her slowly was… Aldwin? Had her love escaped on his own? The figure was wearing his commoner clothes: their boots, breeches, and cloak matched exactly. And yet… the figure seemed smaller than Aldwin. Their gait seemed dissimilar as well, not matching the strides of the man she had walked behind for the last two days. With her good arm, Dusk unsheathed her sword, pointing it at the stranger.

She called out, “Reveal yourself, Stranger!”

The hooded figure raised their hands above their head, immediately surrendering.

“I do not wish you harm.” They spoke in a woman’s voice. She began to place her hands on her hood, pulling it back slowly.

“My my.” She slyly began speaking, “Horns and everything. I suppose my brother was right.” As the hood fell back Dusk released who she was speaking to.

It was as though she was looking at a female replica of her lover. The woman’s face was nearly identical to Aldwin’s, matching his nose, head, lips, and ears. The only real differences Dusk could see were her softer chin, lighter eyes, and longer hair.

“You must be Princess Avery?” Dusk asked, slightly lowering her blades.

“Cora Avery, in fact.” The Princess began approaching again. “And you are the Demoness my brother claims to be fucking.”

Dusk was taken aback by the Princess’ language. It was different from Aldwin’s flowery tongue and tone.

Cora continued, “Although if my brother’s stories are correct, you seem to be a demoness in looks alone. Any cold-hearted monster would have left him to rot in his room of riches.”

“Half-Demon, in fact.” Dusk retorted. Cora was nearly upon her now, and Dusk wasn’t willing to let her get closer without knowing why she was here. She kept her sword pointed ahead. “How did you find me?”

Cora abjectly stated, “I have my eyes and ears all over the castle and village, of course. And might I say, with such height and horns as yourself, you were quite easy to see and hear.”

Dusk was unsure of how to respond. She kept up her questioning, “And why did you come?”

Cora closed her eyes and smiled with self-satisfaction. “To solidify my bid for power.” She began to circle Dusk slowly, “I have a brother that I love, and he seems to be fond of you. I also have a throne that I would very much like to ascend to with as little faffing about as possible. Now it seems to me that if there is a way for one of my brothers to be removed from the game of royalty without killing him, I would much prefer to pursue it. That would leave me with only two other brothers to be rid of.”

Dusk liked her initiative, but was unsure of how to respond. Cora narrowed her eyes and decided to spell it out in layman’s terms, “I am helping you save my brother. Is that better?”

The Demoness nodded. Cora stopped her prowling and began to explain her plan, “Now then. The love of my life is the Captain of the Royal Guard. While we shall be married some day, our union is somewhat of a secret for now.” The Princess smirked, her smug attitude betraying a hint of giddiness at thought of him. “To be with each other, we have used Castle Avery’s enormous network of hidden tunnels and pathways to sneak around.”

Cora stared into Dusk’s eyes and smiled at her own ingenuousness, “You shall use these secret entrances and paths to reach my brother.”

Dusk was overjoyed to hear her plan. It was an absolute miracle that she had met Cora. “In fact,” she thought. “Maybe too good of a deal.”

Dusk turned to Cora, her sword lowered a great deal but still gripped tightly in her hand, “How do I know this isn’t some kind of trick? How do I know you’re not luring me into a trap to keep me away from Aldwin forever?”

At this Cora, looked at the ground. She hated being vulnerable, but now was the time for earnestness. “Because,” she began, lifting her head up to meet Dusk’s gaze again. “I care about Aldwin. And I want to see him happy most of all.” Cora quickly looked away.

Dusk gave a small smile, and sheathed her sword.

“Alright,” she conceded. “How exactly shall we execute this plan?”

Cora’s smug grin returned, “Stay right there. I need to come back with a rather large cloak.”

…

“Secret tunnels are annoying.” Dusk decided at last. Whatever cruel architect had designed Castle Avery and its many hidden passages had no consideration for those above six feet tall. The claustrophobia Dusk experienced while sneaking between the walls of the castle gave way to annoyance as her horns continued to knock against its tight stone frame. “Just two more turns to the left,” she recalled, passing what seemed to be a wooden exit into the kitchen’s cabinets.

Dusk’s passage through Avery village had been simple enough; all she needed was a large cloak, quick feet, and the cover of darkness. Her entrance to the castle found no impediment, either. Cora was waiting for her at the now-raised drawbridge. Dusk took a moment to look at the black and ever churning water of the moat while Cora prepared their path. The water seemed alive tonight, anticipating its demonic guest’s arrival.

The Princess cleared her throat, grabbing ahold of Dusk’s attention. The area at the edge of the moat consisted of what seemed like the end of the road through town and some grass on either side. The castle’s stone walls loomed overhead menacingly. A few paces back, on the left hand side of the path, was a small abandoned stable. It was there that Cora led Dusk. While the horses had long since been moved out, nobody bothered to demolish the building or gave it a thorough search. It was simply a place for travelers to hide from the rain and for children to play in at times. Dusk was unable to see through which stall exactly she was led, but it was there that Cora unveiled the secret entrance to the castle, hidden under a mountain of hay and three giant false bags of grain.

Almost twenty minutes later Dusk had nearly reached her first destination. Cora had taught her the simple sequence of flips to make the trickster knife emit a flaming blaze, and now she held it in front of her like a torch. At last, Dusk reached what looked like a wooden sliding panel. She gently spread the palm of her free hand across it and pushed to her right.

Crawling out as quietly as her large and muscled form could muster, Dusk found herself on the stone floor of Castle Avery’s armory. Around her, ornate swords, worn axes, and brightly painted shields hung from the stone walls. Thankfully for her, Dusk only needed one item.

…

Aldwin was in his Tower, journaling his next escape plan by candlelight. The castle was quiet tonight, leaving only the sound of wind and the scratching of Aldwin’s pen present in his room. Around him were the cases and cases of books he had grown up with, and at the moment he was resisting the urge to burn them all down. He was frustrated beyond comparison. His eyes were wet and raw from weeping at the thought of being locked in his room for an indeterminable sentence, far far away from his lover. To combat these feelings of misery Aldwin had begun formulating his next plan of escape, yet the wetness of his eyes made his writing and drawing nearly impossible. At the bottom of his tear-stained parchment, Aldwin had quickly drawn a sketch of a female figure. She had long hair and beautifully curved horns atop her head.

At last, as the glow of his candle began to dry, Aldwin abandoned his plots. He quickly stashed his journal behind his desk, and stumbled to his royal bed. Mercifully, he was swept away into sleep before he could wallow further, and the Prince drifted off peacefully atop his blankets.

Shunk!

Shunk!

Shunk!

Aldwin awoke to the sound of metal plates knocking together, sending his mind into a hyper aware state. Had the King finally sent one of his knights to finish off his disappointing son? The Prince slipped his hand quietly under his head, and gripped the tiny dagger hidden beneath his pillow. As soon as the steps grew close enough to his bedside, he made his move.

Rolling himself over to the side of the bed opposite his attacker, Aldwin fell to the stone floor, landing on his hands and knees. He rose quickly, pointing his knife ahead. His attacker appeared to be in light armor, with iron covering just his chest, shoulders, arms, and shins. Atop his head was a helmet with a visor, hiding his face completely. To fully see his assailant’s head, Aldwin needed to raise his head higher than expected as he backed away. The combination of actions caused him to fall backwards to the floor again, catching himself with one arm and still pointing the knife with the other.

“Have you come to kill me?” Aldwin cried, He glanced at his door and noticed it had been closed. No one in the hall outside would be able to hear him scream.

The armored stranger chuckled, their laugh muffled by the helmet. As he focused a bit more on the darkened room, Aldwin realized that the knight before him was not armed, and his gauntlets hung free at his side. They reached upwards, and though Aldwin flinched, it seemed as though the stranger was only reaching for his helmet. With a grunt, they lifted their helmet off and raised it high above their head.

A pair of eyelids opened, and Aldwin was greeted by glowing yellow eyes. His heart skipped several beats, and he could only stare.

At last The Prince stuttered out, “You-you came back for me.”

Dusk gave him a smirk, “How could I resist?”

Aldwin was overjoyed beyond speech. He tossed aside his dagger, and staggered back on to his bed. He rushed over, stepping on his sheets with his bare feet and nearly falling onto Dusk. She caught his light body in her arms and held him tightly. Though she was wearing metal plates, Aldwin felt warm in her embrace. They immediately kissed each other, passionately and with the urgency of lovers kept apart far too long. Neither of them cared to be gentle or to breath, all they wanted was to keep their lips together and their mouths open.

With one arm behind his back and another supporting his head, Dusk dipped Aldwin over onto his bed, pressing him into the soft mattress and sheets. Though she tried to keep most of her weight off of him, Aldwin was still entirely pinned down beneath her. They continued to engulf each other’s lips until Dusk finally had to break it off.

“Were this not an urgent rescue,” She spoke breathlessly, “I would have you right here, in your royal chambers, my Prince.” Dusk pecked Aldwin atop his forehead, then lifted herself up. With just one hand, she pulled him off of the bed. “Grab what you can as quickly as you can, then we must leave this place.”

Aldwin nodded, and swiftly made for his wardrobe. His common garb had been pilfered by his sister while she was tracking down Dusk, and thus finding clothing that wouldn’t stand out was troublesome. He tore open his wooden wardrobe and stuffed as much of his nightwear and plain trousers as he could into a sack. Thankfully, he had just one more cloak that bore no sigil.

Within a little under two minutes, he was set. His clothes were all slightly more expensive and clean than the average peasants’, but Aldwin would surely go unnoticed in a crowd, provided that no one stared at him for too long. Dusk had been observing him the entire time, watching as he slipped free of his original pants, exposing his pale legs and still slightly excited member beneath his underwear. She was eager to leave and be rid of their troubles.

They reunited at Aldwin’s door, joining hands together.

Aldwin asked quickly, “How did you get in without bursting down my door?”

Dusk grinned and flashed a key in the moonlight, and Aldwin nodded in understanding, “Courtesy of your sister.” she smiled. Dusk’s ability to sneak into Castle Avery without alerting half the guards suddenly made sense to Aldwin. She slowly put her helmet (with two rather noticeable holes atop its crest) on and opened the door. Without a word, Dusk led the Prince down the hallway. She removed a large portrait of Aldwin’s great-great-grandfather from the stone wall, and the pair climbed into a passage.

…

Some things just never seemed to change for Aldwin. His adventures with Dusk had seemingly begun with him staring at her rear in the light of the moon, surrounded by a dark and wild forest. Now Dusk was in front of him, crawling on all fours with a fiery knife in her hand, and her arse was once again in front of him wiggling hypnotically. Were he not worried about making noise loud enough for the castle to hear through the walls, Aldwin would have ambushed the Demoness. At the moment he was running two hypotheticals through his mind, one involving his two hands and the other his drooling face.

His fantasies were interrupted by Dusk reaching the exit of the passage. She leaned over to her side and sat up, trying her best to look Aldwin in the eyes as she whispered, “Unfortunately, this path goes on for a while before it turns in the right direction.” She jerked her head towards the exit, and her horns clacked against the wooden walls. Annoyed at hitting them again, she continued, “This exit leads into the throne room. All we need to do is cross it quickly, and we can hop into the final passage. Are you ready?”

Aldwin took a deep breath and nodded. Dusk pushed on the panel, and they emerged into the marble throne room. Aldwin looked around to get his bearings. The pair seemed to have crawled out behind a suit of armor standing at full attention. To the Prince’s right was his father’s high seat, tall and cold in all of its vain glory. Dusk pointed ahead at the armor that stood across the throne room, indicating that their path to freedom was in sight. They rose and began to swiftly cross.

“A-ha!” A voice called. A leather boot swung out from behind the throne, and Duke stepped forth into the moonlight. His sneering face seemed to match that of the last fool Dusk had slain, complete with the getup of a lowly mercenary and a beard with a pointed end. In his hand he gripped a fully drawn sword, slowly raising it to his eye-level. To the pair’s left Shepard emerged from behind a large pillar, also ready to fight.

“I thought I heard some foe bumping around in the walls,” He pointed his sword forward. “Now, foul beast! Unholy whore! I expected that we would need to track you down for our vengeance. Yet it seems as though divine justice has brought our comrade’s treasonous murderer before us.”

Dusk quickly unsheathed her blade and Aldwin’s rapier, passing the latter to her lover. “It would seem as though divine justice brings me great joy.” She smiled. “I feared it would take much longer for me to find the unlucky wretches that dared to steal away my beloved.”

Aldwin felt his pounding heart flutter just a bit over her comments. He took a fighting stance and aimed his blade towards Shepard, who was creeping over quickly. The two bounty hunters attacked in tandem, swinging their blades widely towards their opponents. Each of them were skilled fighters in their own right, and were more prepared than Earl had been in his short clash with Dusk. Duke was able to parry Dusk’s brutal strikes away, and Shepard was able to mount pressure onto Aldwin while slipping through his rapier’s strikes.

Shepard was certain he would emerge victorious from this duel. The young Prince was no match for a man with true skill and true experience. Aldwin’s little rapier was a busy needle, making small jabs and slashes at his torso, but soon enough he would gain the upper hand. It seemed as though all he needed to best the Prince was a proper strike, and his foe would topple like torn paper. Then he could focus his attention on the heinous demon woman. He chanced a quick look at Duke.

Duke was in the middle of having his defenses shredded. The Demoness had increased the speed on her already strong strikes, and Duke couldn’t keep fending her off for much longer.

POK!

With a sharp pinch that started in his chest and spread like fire through his body, Shepard was run through by Aldwin’s blade. A surprised look crossed his face as his legs gave out, and he fell to his knees silently. The Prince jerked his weapon free. Dusk was nearly done with Duke, but he couldn’t just stand by and watch.

Duke was too focused on his enemy to notice that Shepard had been killed. It was thus a shock when he felt a quick stab to his right knee, and his leg immediately went out from under him. Duke had no time to react as the red woman used her chance to bring her heavy blade down atop his head with full force.

WHUD!

With a final hack, the battle was finished. Dusk grabbed Aldwin firmly by the arm and led him to the suit of armor, giving them no time to breath. She had no clue how loud their duel had been, but something told her that it wouldn’t be long before somebody walked past the throne room and noticed two fresh corpses. Dusk pulled back the stone panel from the wall and let her lover crawl in first. She wanted to make sure the panel was returned to its place properly.

Her crawl through the walls of Castle Avery were now more difficult than ever. The battle in the throne room had flooded her red body with adrenaline, and she could still feel the blood pumping behind her eyes. On top of this, Aldwin’s rear was right before her, and swayed at a tantalizing pace. The Prince’s trousers tightened around his arse as he crawled, and her urge to wake up half of the castle with the sounds of their love in the wall was growing greater with every turn they took.

Thankfully, the pair made it out celibate. After around twenty minutes of crawling through the darkened tunnel, Aldwin reached a stone wall. Attached to it was an old wooden ladder leading upwards through a shaft. In the light of the knife, he saw Dusk nod to him, and he began ascending. He only needed to climb for a little bit before his head thudded against a trap door. With his right hand clenched tightly to the ladder’s rickety rungs, Aldwin reached up and pushed the door open with his left. He was greeted with the light of the moon, and the delicious scent of pure air. The Prince inhaled deeply, and heaved himself up.

Looking around, Aldwin could tell he was in a forest. To his left was an ancient stable. Before he could fully get his bearings, Dusk took his attention, as she had reached the end of the shaft. The Prince leaned down and offered her a hand. Dusk didn’t need the hand, but she accepted his chivalry, a small blush floating to her cheeks.

As his Demoness stood, her armor shining in the moonlight, Aldwin spoke up, “Do you know where we are?” he asked.

Dusk shook out her long, black hair, loosening the dust that had gathered in it. She turned both ways, her eyes scanning the terrain for anything familiar. After a moment of observing, nothing seemed to stand out. She shrugged.

“You don’t remember, brother?” Cora’s voice called out from within the stable, and Aldwin’s heart skipped a beat. She stepped out into the light, cloaked in common garb. Dusk was still trying to process how alike the siblings looked. Cora continued, “We used to play here when Mother would let us free into the village.”

Aldwin slowly began to recognize the area around him. The wooden stable seemed smaller than when he had been a child. Yet Cora was right, this was indeed the exact place where they would play. Every time they were allowed into the village, Aldwin and Cora would explore the forest around Castle Avery and the ruins hidden within its green depths.

“I should have known you had something to do with this,” He smiled proudly. “I always did wonder how you were able to get around the castle so fast.” The abandoned stable may have been how Cora had discovered the hidden passages of the castle, Aldwin wondered.

Yet at the moment, the stable was not empty at all. Aldwin noticed that in Cora’s hand was a cord, she gave it a small tug and a tall, black steed strode forth. The Prince was startled by the sudden appearance of the horse. Its jet-black color and huge height made it imposing to him. Dusk made no move, but stared in awe at the size of the mare. She noticed that it was fully saddled up, with bags on its sides and reins affixed to its head.

Cora looked directly at Dusk and spoke up, “I have given my father a few drops of Sleeping Flower’s essence. Just a few drops in his supper draught, which is enough to extend his slumber into tomorrow’s morn.” She handed the reins to the Demoness. “You have tonight and tomorrow night until he awakes and is able to order another bounty for my brother’s return.”

Dusk took hold of the leather strap, gripping it tightly. She solemnly nodded at Cora.

“Wait!” Aldwin piped up. The two women looked at him. “We still have to do something important. Now, before I forget!” The Prince unsheathed his rapier, and beckoned Dusk to move closer to him. “It is time for you to become my knight.”

Cora furrowed her brow. “Is this really the best time? It shan't be long before the guard notices your absence!” She waved her brother towards the horse urgently.

Dusk cleared her throat, and the Princess glanced back up at her. “Will this take long, my love?”

Aldwin beamed, “Not at all.” Dusk gestured for Cora to grab a hold of the reins, and she reluctantly complied. The Demoness approached her lover slowly. To Aldwin, every part of her appeared to be glowing in the blue shine of the moon like a spirit. Her armor shone brightly, and lit up her crimson face and onyx hair. Carefully, Dusk knelt down on her left knee, bringing her golden eyes level with Aldwin’s sepia irises.

Aldwin gently lifted his rapier and tapped Dusk’s right shoulder, then cautiously lifted his blade above her head, before landing it on her left. In the light of the moon, with the proud smile on his face, Aldwin had never seemed more lovely to Dusk. His beaming smile and bright eyes had the ethereal beauty of an angel in that moment. She heard regal words escape from his lips, listening to none of it. This man who would stop to knight her, her first friend and lover, who would honor her in such a royal manner, was about to be a part of her future. Dusk knew, in this moment, that Aldwin would be at her side as they walked every day and as they slept every night. At some point he finished knighting her, but the Demoness was far too enraptured by his beauty to truly process it.

Aldwin glanced at his sister, who was rapidly waving the reins in her hands. Noticing that his lover seemed to be in some kind of self-imposed trance, he leaned down and pecked her lightly on the lips, before nestling his head between her cheek and shoulder, “Arise, Dame Dusk.” He whispered.

The kiss seemed to awaken his lover, who slowly rose to her full height, a look of stoic bravery etched into her face. She grabbed both of Aldwin’s hands and spoke softly, “I shall not fail you.” Her Prince smiled once again, a tear forming in his eye.

Cora cleared her throat loudly, “There shall be plenty of time for this…sentimentality, later.” The Princess emphasized her final words as she ushered Dusk and Aldwin onto the horse. When they were finally atop the saddle, and Aldwin’s arms were tightly wrapped around Dusk’s abdomen, Cora bid farewell to the couple.

“Goodbye, Brother. I bid thee swift and safe travels wherever you roam.” she spoke to him, a tear nearly forming in her eye.

“The next time we meet,” Aldwin spoke as Dusk began to shimmy the horse forward. “I should hope to see you atop the throne!”

The horse began to speed up, and all Aldwin and Cora could do was silently wave to each other. The Princess stood still as her brother disappeared at a canter into the darkened thicket, leaving her in the light of the moon with a proud smile.