Ten minutes earlier...…
Maximilian instantly shut the door of the carriage, padlocking it safely for Genevieve's protection, but what he hadn't expected was that a troll would secretly approach the carriage to harm her.
With a twirl of his sword, he made his way towards the scene of the battle. On arriving there, his eyes narrowed, as bloodlust coursed his entire being. It was an aura Genevieve would never get to encounter, as it was the most terrifying thing she would ever see.
When Maximilian arrived at the scene, he saw that all the coachmen had fled into the bush in fear for their lives. The third carriage which the king of Alexandria had packed with gifts to appease him was severely crushed by these ferocious beings.
His men who accompanied him to Alexandria, were already battling with the giant trolls who had ambushed them. These creatures were larger and scarier in size than them, yet they struggled to combat them.
Maximilian's lips twitched, the silver mask on his face glimmering by the rays of the sun. With a tilt of his sword, he stepped even further.
One dark green, gigantic hideous-looking troll, which seemed to be their leader, as soon as he had caught sight of the king, snapped to look at him. On seeing him, its eyes turned bloodshot and with one mighty leap, the troll landed in front of Maximilian.
Seeing the troll before him, A grim smile crept across Maximilian's face. "What a foul beast." He remarked, with a click of his tongue.
However, the troll didn't seem pleased with the king's words. It snarled violently, its fangs glistening with drool. "King of Darkshire."
"You know me?" Maximilian's left brow curled up. "Well, it seems like I have become more famous around here than I expected. Even hideous things notice me."
"Who wouldn't recognize you?" The troll sneered. "The infamous bloody king. Too bad you will not leave this place alive, Silver King!" it roared, charging toward Maximilian with a swipe of its giant claws.
Before the troll's claw could touch him, Maximilian swiftly met the troll's attack with ease, deflecting its strike with a skillful turn of his sword.
"What a lame move." He deadpanned, without a flick of interest in his gray eyes.
Though these creatures were gigantic and Ferocious, Maximilian had been a swordsman all his life. He could easily take them down. But he wanted to enjoy the moment for being interrupted by nosy trolls.
This only angered the troll that the king was looking down on him. "Don't think highly of yourself, king of Darkshire. I promise to rip you apart with my bare hands."
"So tell me, why did you decide to lousily trail my carriage? Are you bored of home?" He asked, sarcasm evident in his words.
"Of all people, you should know that you are a threat to the entire kingdom. I'm sure the kingdom would be happy if I killed you, as I would be doing them a big favor." Spoke the troll.
Maximilian's eyes narrowed when he realized their reason here was for more than killing him.
"You know," Maximilian mused, his voice sounding casual as if they were sharing a drink together, "I've always wondered why your kind insists on wearing such ridiculous, overgrown tusks. Are they to make up for your insignificant sense of reasoning?"
The troll howled, its massive body shaking with fury. "I will make you regret those words, Silver King. You will scream for mercy, but there will be none."
Maximilian grinned, a savage glint in his eyes.
'Silver King?..' thought Maximilian. What a boring name. He knew the troll coined that name because of his mask.
"Touche. What makes you think I need mercy?" Maximilian asked, his voice smooth and even.
The troll's eyes blazed with rage. "You will bow before me, King of Darkshire. You will beg for my mercy."
Maximilian tilted his head, a smirk stretched on his face "That's quite a dream you have up there. I wonder how you intend on achieving that goal?"
"Tell me," Maximilian said, his voice taunting. "What does it feel like, to be so large, yet dimwitted? Does it hurt, or is it just a constant state of confusion? I suppose it must be hard to wrap thoughts around that lousy head of yours."
The troll roared, its face twisted with rage. "You will pay for your insolence, Silver King! I will crush you beneath my feet!"
Maximilian smirked. "Such a sweet sound of threats and promises. I suppose it's the only language you effectively communicate with."
Further enraged, the troll snarled. "Watch me tear you from limb to limb, King of Darkshire."
With a furious roar, the troll lunged at Maximilian, its massive arm outstretched to grab the king by the neck. But Maximilian was quick, his movements were swift and precise. He ducked to the side, dodging the troll's grasping hand, and with just another movement, Maximilian turned around, bringing his sword down in one sharp move.
The blade sliced through the troll's arm with a sickening thud, severing the limb. Soon, disgusting dark green blood began to drip down from the troll's severed arm. The troll howled in pain, its one remaining hand clutched at the stump of its cut arm.
"Don't cry. It's a useless arm after all." He leisurely brought his hand to his mouth to yawn like nothing had just happened.
"You!!" The troll turned madder, baring its brown teeth at Maximilian, who didn't seem even a bit bothered. "I will kill you."
"Tsk. Tough luck." He remarked, removing his hand from his mouth.
The battle continued. The swords of the king's men clashed against the trolls' tusks, making grunts and growls pierce the air. Maximilian's men were outnumbered, but they fought with bravery and their skills were almost as good as Maximilian's, yet the trolls successfully rained cuts and bruises on their body.
The trolls, giant and ruthless, swiped at the men with their razor-sharp claws, occasionally crushing one with their massive arms or throwing one across the place like a rag doll.
Maximilian's eyes narrowed to slits as he looked at his men who were getting weak. His hands tightened around the hilt of his sword. He needed to help them.
With one last attempt, the troll lunged at Maximilian with a desire to end him. However, Maximilian didn't hesitate to swing his sword one last time. This time, his movements were deadly and swifter. The troll tried to back away, but it was too late.
With a final, savage strike, he brought his sword down on the troll's head, decapitating it from the rest of his body,
The troll didn't get a chance to growl before it collapsed to the ground, its body shuddering once before going still. Maximilian stared at the body of the troll before stepping on it and going to aid his men.
With each slash of his words, the trolls went down. Until all six of them were lying dead on the ground. Maximilian sighed. He cleaned his bloody sword on one of the troll's body, trying to sheath it in, not until he heard the piercing scream of the girl he previously left in the carriage.
All the men turned towards the carriage, and Maximilian's brow furrowed when he saw the carriage's missing door, and a troll now standing before it.
Genevieve!!…he sharply thought.
—---
Meanwhile, Genevieve was now staring at the creature in front of her. It opened its wide mouth, revealing sharp fangs with repulsing a smell.
She instantly felt her blood dry up and her eyes widened in horror.
"I told you I would get you, didn't I?" The troll let out a maniacal laughter, reverberating the entire carriage.
"P-please…." Genevieve sat frozen, looking at the horrendous monster which was no longer a story but now a reality to her.
However, the troll paid no attention to her pleas, but rather stretched out its hand, wanting to enter the carriage to eat her. Genevieve shut her eyes closed, waiting to feel the excruciatingly painful feel of her skin being ripped off.
However, before the troll could even take another step, a sharp sword instantly pierced through its heart. It let a banshee-like screech, falling right to the ground.
Slowly, Genevieve opened her eyes, nevertheless, her vision was beginning to blur. Her head swirled in a way that she almost rolled out of the carriage, until a large arm held her, preventing her from toppling.
"Your Majesty." Said Genevieve, weakly gazing at the person's face who now held her. The last thing she saw was his pair of gray mesmerizing eyes before she slipped into subconsciousness.