Tangled By Fate

"I just left you for a minute and you caused trouble again. What will you do without me, princess?" Arthur threw away the fourth soldier he knocked out on the floor.

"You!" The bulky soldier growled at Arthur. His eyes were terrifying and burning with rage.

He was going to have some dirty fun with the beautiful maiden he was lusting for but because of this husband of hers, his plan was ruined and it was the second time in a row at that. He was naturally fuming mad.

"I did tell you not to bother my beautiful wife. Didn't you have enough punishment in the morning?" Arthur's voice was cool but not his eyes. They were colder and more threatening than a professional murderer.

The hulky soldier felt chills run down his spine. He couldn't move for a second. But then, he realized that Arthur was a spy and he had to attack him before he met the same fate as his comrades.

He instantly grabbed Veronica's arm and pulled out a knife. He placed the sharp knife close to her neck and threatened his enemy, "If you don't stand down, I will kill her."

"Ahh!" Veronica screamed in shock. It happened so fast that she couldn't predict the enemy's movement. When she sensed something sharp against her neck, everything was too late.

Arthur's voice became even colder if that was even possible. "I also told you not to touch her."

His cold voice echoed in the soldier's ears. He began to sweat. His throat became dry and he gulped. He couldn't understand why he was feeling this nervous. He didn't like to think himself as a coward. He pressed the knife tightly at Veronica's neck. "Don't move!"

Veronica shut her eyes in fear. She stood there frozen. She felt a stung on her neck and then a warm liquid overflew. She couldn't understand why she was feeling that. She didn't have the mind to think about it.

Arthur calmly looked at the thin trail of blood on her neck and it was socking her clothes. His expression was unreadable. He slowly moved and took out something from his pocket.

The soldier of Riverhill's eyes widened in shock after seeing the object in his enemy's hand. "This… where did you get this?" he demanded to know from his enemy.

Arthur smirked. "I found it after searching through the Commander's office. Since one crystal magic ball wasn't used, it should be somewhere hidden. My guess was right."

The soldier's face turned from red to purple. He realized that they had been feeding meals to the enemies for days. The enemy completely fooled them. He was so angry that he couldn't speak.

Arthur enjoyed the reaction of the soldier. Then, he threw the ball up and caught it in the midair. After playing with it for a while, he asked the soldier, "Do you want it?"

"Give it back before I call for my comrades," the Riverhill soldier said in an attempt to intimidate his enemy.

Arthur wasn't easily frightened by a false threat. He mentioned, "Don't forget they are busy fighting the Synetian army. They don't have the time to heed your call."

The Riverhill soldier indeed had a reason to become nervous.

The crystal magic ball was an important object that could help them win this war decisively and the Commander of Riverhill gave him and his team the duty to guard it with their lives.

However, he and his team planned to attack the gorgeous wife of the desert tribe man. Unfortunately, when they secretly attacked the tent of the newlyweds, they found it empty. They began to look for the couple and that's when the Synetian army attacked them.

They became desperate and tried hard to look for the girl, knowing she would try to go to the safe zone. Nonetheless, they saw Veronica and Arthur sneaking into the large tent. Thinking that the couple got scared and tried to take refuge in the huge tent, the soldiers followed them.

Who knew Veronica and Arthur were spies of the enemy?

But, things got easier for them since the woman they wanted to bed was an enemy. As a result, no matter what they did with her no one would say anything.

They were so occupied thinking about the sexual pleasure they were going to have that they forgot all about their duties. Because of their undisciplined attitude, the Synetian spy got his hands on the crystal magic ball.

When Arthur threw the ball up, the soldier's heart shook like a sinking boat. He never faced such a critical situation before.

"Do you want this ball?" Arthur suggested, "How about an exchange? You give me back my wife and you get the ball."

The soldier squinted his eyes. His grey eyes shook ever so slightly.

This simple movement didn't leave Arthur's eyes. 'He hesitated,' he thought. He smirked. "I know this crystal magic ball is way more important to you than a woman's life. Or maybe you are having second thoughts?"

After a pause, he continued, "It looks like Riverhill has lots of money to throw away an expensive item like this. I don't mind taking it. I will sell it at a high price. But, I'm not sure if you can keep your position or your head intact though."

"Fine. I'll take the crystal magic ball. You can take your wife," the soldier declared.

He wasn't good at thinking deeply. He liked to work his muscles, not his brain. Nevertheless, he realized the true worth of the crystal magic ball after Arthur explained the situation and what was at stake for his side and him.

The corner of Arthur's lips lifted. "Wise decision. Hand over my wife then."

The soldier shook his head. "The magic ball first."

Arthur argued casually, "How will I know you won't kill my wife after getting the ball?"

The soldier licked his lips. He couldn't move a muscle. He took a deep breath and said, "Then let's do this together."

"Together." Arthur got ready to throw the ball.