A Strategic Retreat (6.3)

A few minutes earlier, something big was starting in the throne room, "It seemed to take you a while to find your way here, so I prepared a welcome committee for you," The King sneered as Xander and Lumina showed up.

"How sweet. Too bad we'll probably have to slaughter them all." Xander smiled sweetly, clutching his gun even tighter.

"And you. You think I don't realize who you are, kidnapper?" The King directed his attention to Lumina. The woman only scoffed. "You kidnapped my daughter!"

"Call her that one more time and I will make sure you can't ever say anything ever again, you waste of a father. You know, I can't even call you a father," Lumina growled. 

The King yelled for his guards to assemble and Lumina and Xander rushed forward. Suddenly, the door slammed open and two more people came running in. "Alright, bitches. We're back in business!" Leon yelled, his sword already tainted red and Risále right behind him.

The young woman grabbed both Lumina and Xander while Leon kept running, "I promise you, I had no idea this was what he was planning," Risále said, dragging the two cousins away.

Lumina looked terrified and Xander just looked completely in despair, "What has he planned?" The older man asked.

"Oh, you know, just—Uh ...Blowing up the….Um ...Castle?" Risále chuckled nervously.

"What the fu—" Before Lumina could finish her screech, the wall exploded and Leon jumped backward, running into Risále.

The girl caught him in basically a half-dip and just stared. "What the hell were you thinking?" She asked, glaring at him.

"Risá, you have no idea how fucking careful I've had to be these last few months. I was going insane, I needed to have some fun," Leon said, completely seriously.

The girl choked, "Fun?! You're telling me your definition of fun is setting off a fucking grenade?! Oh no, you don't. Get back here, Mister," Risále grabbed his collar and pulled him back.

Leon pouted while giving her puppy dog eyes, "You don't think this fun, Risá?"

"...I, uh…" Risále sighed, "Fine, you're right. I'm just pissed you didn't let me in on it beforehand."

"I'm sorry? We just kind of started a war against the Rowlocks and your concern is that he didn't tell you that he was going to set off a grenade?!"

"Haha, I thought we had something to do here other than yelling at me?" Risále laughed nervously, catching Lumina and Xander's glares.

Lumina hit the girl in the back of the head, "We will be talking about this later, young lady. For now, though, we have a war to fight."

With that, the four charged in through the huge hole in the wall.

The King's army was scattered, but not as dead as they had hoped. Or at least Lumina had hoped. Prison life when they were the guards was not enjoyable. At all.

Xander surged forward and started firing his rifle. Three shots, three bodies dropped to the ground.

Suddenly, he felt pain in his side as a bullet barely grazed him. He then only realized the guard sneaking up behind him but by the time he turned around, he would be too late. He sensed the man fly past him with a force so strong that it seemed like he'd been yanked away. Xander grinned. There was only one person that could be… 

Lumina gave him a thumbs up and turned to check on Leon.

As two guards came running at him in opposite directions, Leon slipped out and the two ended up stabbing each other. Suddenly, Leon spun around and leaned back, thrusting his sword upward, stabbing the man who had tried to crush him.

Risále looked for her target and sighed as she couldn't find him. "Where the hell did His Royal Cowardness run off to?" She muttered.

Suddenly, a voice echoed across the entire hall, and the four of their hearts dropped.

"I swear, you must be supernatural. I don't even know how you found me so quickly. I mean, yes, I was injured but still, I didn't think I was doing that badly."

"If you move, she dies," The King had a knife at Kaedan's throat.

Lumina noticed that Kaedan was clutching his shoulder, unnaturally pale. He was losing blood. Fast, "You know, it's been so many years since I transitioned that you have to actively be reminding yourself every time you look at me that I wasn't biologically male. Seriously, why even put in the extra effort when no one cares?" Kaedan scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Lumina was shuffling through her mind, thinking of possible ways to get Kaedan away from the King before trouble arose. But she forgot to consider one thing.

"Get. Away. From. Him," Xander said through gritted teeth. 

The King grinned, as he realized he struck a vital nerve, "And if I don't?"

"Dude. Not a good idea. My lovely but idiotic boyfriend over there will literally slaughter you. That's no bueno," Kaedan said warningly.

Lumina made eye contact with him. She showed him his hand and began counting down. Risále and Leon caught a glimpse of it too before nodding, signaling that they had gotten the memo. Xander looked her hand on one and grinned, hand going to his rifle.

As soon as she made a fist, Kaedan threw his head back, knocking the King in the face. The King groaned and staggered back. 

Suddenly, the doors slammed wide open.

"Alright, Father. You asked for it. No one. Hurts. Kaedan," Mina growled and rushed forward, as the others immediately ran to take on the guards. 

Xander got to her and quickly whispered a plan. "You get to the King, I'll get Kaedan away from him. Are we cool?" He said.

Mina nodded, "Let's destroy that miserable old crow," She grinned.

As Leon and Risále took down the first line of guards, Lumina surged forward and used her whip in a half arc in front of her. The sharp stings of electricity showed no mercy as screams rang out.

As the gap and chance opened for Xander and Mina, they ran forward, lost in the crowd. 

"What now?!" Leon yelled to Lumina. She sighed as she realized her cousin's plan. 

"I hate to say this, but we need to leave them here. Trust me, this is the last thing I want to do. We need to get the rest of these guards out of here," Lumina yelled back.

The two reluctantly nodded. Lumina felt a sinking feeling in her gut, leaving without Mina and Xander, but she trusted them. She waited for the two younger ones to get out before running to the door and getting all the guards to follow her.

Then, she slammed the door shut. 

Inside, Mina and Xander stood ready at the bottom of the stairs to the throne, Mina with her axe and Xander with his gun.

"No one left to back you up, Father," Mina spat out the last word like a curse. The King looked slightly panicked now. 

Xander was worried. He knew that in a state of panic, humans could do anything, and he slowly advanced up the stairs, "Let go of Kaedan, and maybe you'll live. Just lower the knife." 

The King only backed up, still having a tight grip on Kaedan. At the movement, Kaedan stumbled a little.

"Oh, boy. Get ready, you two, here's your opportunity," Kaedan murmured, as his eyes rolled back and his body collapsed.

In his confusion, the King dropped Kaedan and Xander ran forward, catching him. Mina ran forward and pushed the King down the stairs.

Xander carried Kaedan bridal-style and muttered, "You know, when I said I want to carry you like this, I was definitely thinking at an altar." 

Mina stalked down the stairs, dragging her axe which bounced at every step.

"Ahalya, please...I'm your father. You can't do this to me…" The King chuckled nervously, "Right?"

Mina laughed softly. "How can you even call yourself a father without throwing up? It's pathetic."

"I'm your family..." The King said, pleading to her. 

"No. You're just an asshole who I happen to share the same blood as. You killed my first ever real family. I'm done with you."

"Mina, behind you!" Mina heard the sudden yell and quickly ducked out of the way, pushing the person behind her forward. The sword would pierce the man who was never her father.

"I should have guessed, Julian," Mina growled. The boy simply grinned. 

"Well, at least this means the throne is mine now. Dad's out, and so is Mom. And while you have a claim to the throne, Bei, you know that you'd have to kill me to get it. And let's just say I think it's highly unlikely that you can kill me," Julien said.

"It was you?" She had complicated feelings, stumbling onto her mother's dead body. Kaedan had warned her she might have been in danger but the sight of the stab marks was ingrained in her memory, "She didn't even do anything, she didn't want anything to do with this, why did you do that to her? She wasn't a great mom but she didn't deserve to be killed. What kind of bastard are you?"

Julien simply laughed as he wiped the blood off his sword, "Why, the kind that murders his mother and father without a second thought. Perhaps I should add 'older sister' to that list while I'm at it," He took a step closer to Mina.

Xander took the opportunity to grab Mina and run, Kaedan now in a fireman's carry. He spared one glance to see the man that was somehow related to Mina standing over the body of his own father, before legging it out of there, Mina by his side.

"We'll deal with him another day. Let's go home for today. We did well," Mina nodded, as she almost slumped on him.

"Come on, Minarina. Don't collapse on me now, I can only carry one person," Xander groaned softly. 

Mina laughed softly at the new nickname as she limped next to him. It didn't take them too long to get to Lumina's door. Mina pulled out the key and opened the door.

They were greeted by Leon holding a gun aimed at them.

"Woah there, it's just us." Mina held up her hands. Leon jumped onto her, throwing his arms around her. He did the same to Xander after Xander put Kaedan on the couch. 

"We were scared that you guys didn't make it...Oh my God, you have no idea how happy I am to see you," Leon said.

"Where are the others?" Mina asked, conscious that no one else was there.

"Owen, Fenix, and Nia are resting, they got hurt. But they're gonna be okay. Lumina is fixing them up and hopefully resting because I told her to," Leon responded softly, "Did we really just do that?"

"Holy shit, we really just did that."