Adventures of Jessa: the Adventures Continue

21

As they are walking up to the palace, the streets being too crowded to easily bring their horses, Kelton is the one to see the dagger heading towards his princess.

"Okay, I've about had it with those  bastards. Going after me is one thing, hurting my guard is something else." Jessa says as she watches Dhiren give a healing potion to Kelton. "Mel, which direction did he go?" Jessa demands.

Mel takes off and looks for the assassin that, so far has escaped Jessa's retribution. "He's going in a door on the left after the next alley." Mel tells her and settles back on her shoulders as she takes off running.

"What is she doing, Prince?" Genevra demands of Dhiren.

"Dealing with the assassin that tried to kill her and hurt her guard. She takes things like that personally. I think she's about had enough playtime with the assassins guild at this time. She'll likely be going after the whole damn guild soon." Dhiren says more than a little irritated. They don't really have the time to cleanse the assassins guild out.

Dhiren once more starts their group forward once Kelton is able to walk. "We aren't going to wait for Jessa?" Genevra is shocked,  "Or go after her?"

Dhiren and Frosnak both look at Genevra in shock, "Go after her? I have no desire to have her kill me in place of the assassins thanks. Unless you are invited to play it's best to stay out of her way. As to following her, she is long gone and it would be very difficult to find her at this point. She will rejoin us once she's finished. The king may need to offer her some water to wash up in if he doesn't want to look at her covered in blood."

"There's always the chance that she'll manage to kill him without getting all bloody as well, Prince. You know that Jessa is very good with her knives."

Dhiren thinks about what Kallen was saying and nods his head. "Yes, if she has the chance she'll prefer to use her knives. She won't want to go to lunch covered in blood unless there was no helping it."

Genevra just looks at all the elves as they are nodding in agreement with what Dhiren and their general have said. "How can you be so blasé about Jessa going after a trained killer?" Genevra demands. She is not just the crowned princess of the elves but of the gold dragons as well, yet not one of the gold dragon guards made a move to follow her to give her protection.

"Jessa has been able to out fight any elf for years now. Dhiren has only recently gotten good enough to actually win her in sparring matches. Usually he was lucky to bring her to a draw." Kallen told the astounded bronze dragon.

Dhiren makes a rather rude sound. "I was lucky if I was able to get her to a draw. For three years that she worked as a guard for the caravans she would routinely whoop my ass in front of the human guards that she worked with. She was always careful to only make it look like I just lost to her, but we were both sure that she could have done more. She even saved my life once while we were sparring. Pushed me down and took the arrow in her arm that was heading straight for me.

"That was long before she was widely accepted as my chosen bride. Most of Silva still had issues with her. Then while her arm was still broken and the arrow was sticking out she took her bow and fired several shots, killing one of those responsible. After that she took off and dealt with the others."

Genevra is staring at him, "You're kidding, right?"

Kallen snorts, but it's Sorsha that answers her. "No, she was sporting a broken arm and still managed to fight off three dragon kin that had already killed our sentries. They had managed to kill some as well, but if Jessa hadn't taken them out they would have gotten into the heart of Silva and done some real damage."

Sorsha looks down in shame, "She believed that the families of the sentries would condemn her for not saving the sentries. She felt the same way with the families of the scouts that fought at the battle some time later. She truly believed that she would be treated badly and with scorn by those families. She hadn't realized yet that many of the guard had already seen her fight and spar and had far more respect for her than they normally have for humans. Those that died also had respect for her in how she handled the bullying she had all while growing up."

Genevra looks more than a little confused by Sorsha's words. Kallen looks angry and Dhiren looks embarrassed. "Okay, what's going on?"

"Because of my attitude towards humans some of the elves decided that they had the right to bully Jessa while she was growing up with Kallen here."

"My father was the worse of the human haters, even worse than the prince, probably due to my mother having taken a human as a lover. She died in  a raid that took place long before Jessa was born. My father used that as a reason to hate Jessa and so, I took any opportunity to bully her. She never once told the general here, her father, that it was me bullying her. Sorsha also bullied her, but no one hurt her as much as I. She got back at us, even as she subtly taught us to be better, in the sparring ring. She always out did all of us.

"She scorned me when I was chosen to be Prince Dhiren's body guard. She was right to do so, but I have earned my right to be here and Jessa herself told me so. Just as she has forgiven Sorsha as well." Kristoff tells the dragon queen softly. He like Sorsha is ashamed at how he acted and wishes that he could change the past.

"She forgave you, just like that?" Genevra doesn't believe it. Dragons have long memories and are rather vengeful. There are none more vengeful than gold's unless you look at the chromatics, they are all spiteful and full of vengeance even when they are owed none.

Frosnak snorts and speaks quickly since they are nearing the castle gates, "Jessa is the least like a dragon I've ever met. She's as likely to give away money as keep it. She had no desire for power or authority. She deals with problems as they come even when they should be dealt with by others. She puts herself in danger to protect those she cares about.

"When she found out her friend was killed in the battle, I wasn't sure that we wouldn't lose her too. She was very close to him. When she found out that he died because he took a hit that was meant for her, it just about destroyed her all over again."

Genevra is shaking her head. No one is as good as they are saying Jessa is.

"That's enough, she doesn't even believe the battle happened as it did. No need to give her more reason to not believe me." Jessa says coming up to them silently. Easily slipping through their bodyguards.

Genevra isn't the only one that jumps at her words.

"She's really good at moving silently." Kallen tells her doing his best to keep from allowing his amusement to show. With the look that Genevra is giving him he doesn't think he did a very good job.

"Let's hurry, it took longer than it should have to get up here." Jessa says even as she moves the group even faster.

The guards stop them and ask their business, "Prince Dhiren Silverblade, Princess Jessa Silverblade and guests are here by invitation for lunch with his majesty."

The guards eyes grow a bit wider and they let the group go through with out any further trouble.

"I guess they believe some of the rumors at least." Jessa says with a bit of a smile flitting about her mouth.

Dhiren snorts before taking a good look at his wife. "Or it could be the blood decorating your clothes. You weren't able to do a clean kill?"

Jessa shrugs, "He led me to a waiting group of his friends. They took exception to me killing him and I took exception to their interfering. They are dead and I'm not, so it's a good day."

The elves just chuckle, the dragon guards roll their eyes, but Genevra could see their pride in their princess go up.