Game of Thrones: I Am The Heir For A Day

Chapter 506: The Frightened Children

Chapter 506: The Frightened Children

“Ah!”

Rhaena was startled and instinctively rolled over to avoid the threat.

“Run!” Maekar shouted, his watery blue eyes wide with fear. His childish voice carried a sense of urgency, but it was too late. He tried to tug on his foster-sister and crawl away as fast as he could.

Rhaena was horrified by the ferocity in the assassin's eyes. She dove into a nearby pile of cargo with the agility of a cat.

“Don’t let her get away!” the assassin commanded, gripping his dagger tightly as he pushed through the crowd in pursuit.

A dozen assassins were on the hunt, chasing the small girl around the ship. Many sailors on board, who knew Rhaena, grabbed hammers and shovels to help.

Pfft! Pfft! But they were no match for the assassins, who slit their throats with swift, merciless efficiency.

For a brief moment, Rhaena found herself out of immediate danger. Panicking, she fled toward the forward half of the deck. Though small and thin, she moved quickly.

“Get her!”

“No mission is allowed to fail!” The lead assassin let go of his butcher’s knife and attacked indiscriminately, leaving a bloody path in his wake.

Within a few steps, Rhaena was cornered. She tripped over a gaping hole in the deck, letting out a yelp of pain.

“Do it!”

The two assassins exchanged a glance, and one lunged forward with his dagger.

“No!” Rhaena cried out, raising her hand in a desperate attempt to block the attack. But her slender arm was no match for the blade.

The dagger gleamed coldly in the sunlight, the tip resembling a bee's stinger. Rhaena’s eyes widened as she watched it descend.

The sea breeze continued to blow, the salty scent filling the air. The harbor seemed to grow louder, yet the moment felt frozen, every sound muted.

“Go to hell,” the assassin snarled, his dry, cracked lips forming the words.

Rhaena closed her eyes in despair, unable to comprehend what was happening.

In the nick of time, a figure fell from the sky.

"Scumbag, get outta here!"

Addam leapt from the cabin, swinging his hammer defiantly.

Poof!

The sneak attack struck the assassin before he could react, hitting him squarely in the temple. His brain burst, and he fell straight to the ground.

Addam landed smoothly and rolled to his feet, quickly observing the fallen body. His eyes momentarily wavered, then regained their resolve. He was killing to save a life, not violating the law.

"Damn, you little bastard."

Seeing his companion's gruesome death, the other assassin charged forward in a rage.

Addam's body tensed as he raised his hammer high and took two hasty steps back, his boot catching the hem of Rhaena's skirt. "My lady, get out of here! I informed the Kingsguard."

The assassin lunged, and their weapons clashed. Addam's mind raced, but his body moved instinctively, fighting back with surprising skill.

In a brief moment of clarity, he realized he was actually quite talented at fighting.

"Thanks, I'm leaving!" Rhaena said, her eyes wide with confusion. She quickly realized she had been saved and scrambled to her feet, running as fast as she could. Her foster mother had always told her she hadn't inherited her parents' natural talents, unlike her sister Baela, who was a natural warrior.

Saying, "If you're in danger, just run."

"Run! Run!" Addam shouted at the top of his lungs, standing alone to block the swarming assassins. Despite his not-so-strong body, he stood tall and imposing.

...

On the other side of the ship, Maekar, with teary eyes, crawled to a corner and curled up into a small ball. Bodies of sailors lay everywhere, and their curses and screams echoed in his ears.

Peeking out, Maekar saw an assassin stab a sailor who was blocking his path. Fearful, he shrank back.

"There's another one," the assassin sneered, spotting Maekar. A cruel smile appeared on his lips as he approached.

When he reached Maekar, the assassin suddenly noticed the boy's platinum-blonde hair. He glanced at the boy's luxurious clothes and his expression changed. "Are you a prince?" he asked.

Maekar's eyes lit up, and he said decisively, "Yes, my father is the king."

"That's a problem," the assassin muttered, hesitating. He was unsure whether to drop his dagger. This was the heir to the throne, and the king was a young Dragonlord known for his cruelty.

Realizing the assassin's fear, Maekar quickly formulated a plan. He knew the target seemed to be Rhaena. An idea flashed in his mind.

He swiftly took off his backpack and pulled out a precious dragon egg, whispering, "You can go. This is worth more than me."

The assassin stood there, greed filling his eyes as he looked down at the oval, dark red dragon egg. A dragon egg was worth a fortune, much more than the price of an assassination.

Without thinking, the assassin reached out, picked up the egg, and kissed it with delight. "Haha, worthy of the royal family. So generous."

Maekar, indignant, pushed the backpack toward him. "You'd better go now, before your friends find you."

"Get lost. I don't need this," the assassin growled, kicking the backpack away. He stuffed the egg into his bosom and threatened, "You be quiet! I don't want to mess with that scary king."

"Mmm-hmm," Maekar nodded like a chicken pecking at grain.

Satisfied, the assassin changed into a set of craftsman's clothes and mingled with the crowd to escape.

Maekar, who had been on edge, let out a long sigh of relief once the assassin had completely disappeared. He picked up the kicked and flattened backpack, patting it down with a sad expression.

"It's all broken," he muttered, pouting.

Holding the backpack over his head with both hands, he felt a strange mix of relief and annoyance, thinking.

'I'm glad Father is so terrifying.'

...

The Cabin's Front Door.

Rhaena stumbled and ran all the way back to the cabin's front door. The shipwrights, alerted by the commotion, were ready with their hammers. As soon as they saw the Lord's granddaughter, they quickly took her under their protection.

“My lady, don't be afraid. We've already alerted the patrol soldiers,” the old shipwright said, his face serious as he hammered on a makeshift wooden shield.

Rhaena let out a sigh of relief, tears almost welling up in her eyes. She still didn't understand what was happening and why she was the target of an assassination attempt.

Just as she was about to speak, a flurry of footsteps echoed in the cabin. Cole, dressed in white and carrying a long sword, rushed out, anxiously asking, “Where are the assassins?”

Rhaena swallowed hard and pointed behind her. “Assassins... there are so many.”

Cole's anxiety grew. “Where is Prince Maekar?”

“We got separated,” Rhaena replied, suddenly remembering Maekar's last words to her to run. She burst into tears. “Maekar was behind us, hidden in a boat.”

Her emotions made her words jumbled, and she gestured wildly, only able to give a rough description.

Just then, Baela, Baelon, and Aemon ran out of the cabin.

"Sister!" Baela shouted, worry etched on her face as she hugged a crying Rhaena.

Baelon, looking completely dazed, shouted, "Where's my brother?"

"I'll go get someone," Aemon said, his face stern as he began to run down the ship.

“Come back, don't make things worse,” Baelon commanded, dragging his identical twin brother back. He then looked up at Cole with authority. “Ser, bring my brother back safely.”

Cole looked at the chaos on the ship and then at the princes and princesses around him. He hesitated, torn between saving the young prince and protecting the king's eldest son and his siblings.

“Cole!” Baelon said sharply, imitating his father's majesty. “Maekar is my younger brother. Who are you to judge our worth?”

Cole was struck by Baelon's words, his face quickly becoming solemn. He raised his hand in salute. “Prince, you are right.”

The mission of the Kingsguard is to protect the royal family. He was not qualified to judge their worth. It was his duty to do his best to save lives.

Cole turned to leave but not before instructing the shipwrights, “Protect the Princes as they disembark. Immediately!”

The shipwrights dared not refuse and did as they were told.

...

The Side of the Ship

Addam darted around, dodging the relentless pursuit of the assassins. These were battle-hardened veterans, each with extraordinary skills. To them, Addam was merely a lowly minion, so they sent only two assassins after him.

When Cole reached the side of the ship, he ran straight into a group of no less than ten assassins.

“A Kingsguard. Kill him,” one of the assassins whispered, and they attacked en masse.

Cole's eyelids twitched furiously. Surrounded, he had no choice but to wield his greatsword defensively.

Pop!

A dagger pierced his thigh, soaking his pants in blood. "Get out of the way, you scum!" Cole screamed in pain, decapitating the attacker with a swift slash of his sword.

Plop!

Suddenly, there was a splash. Cole glanced over and saw a figure with silver hair and dark skin jump into the sea, disappearing in an instant. It was the boatman who had delayed the assassins.

Cole froze, his heart sinking. His last ally had also fled.

“Split up and go after the target,” the leader of the assassins shouted, directing two men to bypass Cole.

“Stop!” Cole tried to block their path but was forced back by the others.

“Bastard!” he roared, shock and anger fueling his fury as he swung his sword at his enemies.

...

The Harbor

The boatmen nervously escorted the Prince and Princess off the ship, guiding them through the vendor area.

Baelon, struggling and reluctant, exclaimed, “Why are you running? There are only a dozen of them. Whoever saves my brother, I'll give him more money than he can spend.”

Rhaena, her tears flowing, pleaded, “Please help. I'll ask my grandfather to give you a big raise.”

“Alas,” the old boatman sighed deeply and reluctantly refused. “Sorry, we're not warriors. This is all we can do.”

Even if the reward was high, you had to be alive to collect it. They all had families and couldn't risk their lives.

At that moment, three assassins ran down the ship, chasing after them.

“Ah!” The street vendors screamed in horror, and many people fell over as they saw the flashing knives. The assassins moved swiftly through the crowd like cheetahs, their eyes fixed on their target. To them, the princes and princesses were not people, but shining gold coins.

“Run!” Baelon was the first to react, pushing the boatmen. “Take them and run separately, hide in the houses.”

He gritted his teeth and struggled out of the old boatman's arms, first hiding under the orange vendor's cart. The boatmen scattered, surrounding Aemon and Rhaena as they ran.

The assassins were closing in when Baelon, with a hardened expression, bent down and pushed the cart into the middle of the road. Despite his young age, he was strong and managed to crash the cart into the assassins, slowing them down.

The leader of the assassins saw him and, thinking quickly, decided, “You go after them, I'll take care of this one.” The mission had failed, but kidnapping a prince was still a big payday, and it might save his life.

“Dream on!” Baelon spat and turned to run along the drainage ditch. He remembered it led to an alley, and he knew his uncles were at the brothel. He hoped they could help him kill these bastards.

The assassin leader snarled and chased after him, causing chaos as they ran through the crowded streets. Baelon, agile and determined, slipped through the legs of passersby and into a dirty, smelly alley.

There were soldiers patrolling the harbor, and if he could hold off the assassin long enough, he would be saved. But the assassin leader was relentless, pushing past pedestrians and following the familiar terrain, calmly searching for his target.

Finally, the assassin found Baelon at the end of a maze of alleys. Baelon, realizing he had been caught so quickly, felt his heart pounding as he darted from alley to alley. He ended up in a narrow alley with a strong smell of urine, and found himself at a dead end. Behind him, he heard the assassin's quick footsteps.

Baelon froze, unsure where to run. Suddenly, a small hand covered his mouth and pulled him away with great force.

“Woof!”

Bang!

A door in the wall closed as if it had never been opened.