[b]"I didn't anticipate Father letting you leave so soon. What was it he wanted to discuss with you?"[/b]

Oh right! How could Irina have forgotten already, the wonderful news she had been meaning to pass onto the Princess, that of her attendant soon to be a valiant knight of Alegasia, leading the prestigious kingdom in a tournament of honor? Still the woman's head was beaming with such pride, such happiness towards this most grand aspect, and strangely, she wasn't much to be in a scolding manner towards the Princess for locking those buffoons in a closet and making off with her merry and reckless self to the forest...without any attendant. But then again, it wasn't much the Princess' fault as it was the knight's, leaving her in the care of two incompetent guardsmen, knowing for certain Crystal will have duped them ever easily, whereas the woman always came off as a challenge to be swayed by her lady's cunning ways. "Hmm? Oh, of course. I forgot to tell you-" Her eyes met with the girl's those beautiful shades of violets, glowing amethyst staring into the sparkling sapphires of her attendant, giddy as ever about her newest task appointed by his majesty, but the rest of the words would fail to escape Irina's lips, as suddenly, she heard [i]it[/i] "What the bloody-?! Princess?!!"

Just before she could even send a hand forth to swat the li'l bugger of a hornet from midair, the fiendish insect had already riled her lady into the most frantic and terrifying of paroxysms, the girl swatting mercilessly and ever fruitlessly at the nuisance buzzing about her silken white hair and those flustered, red cheeks, but this was no time to admire the beautiful Princess,as she was darting away fearfully...too far from her Royal Attendant's protective arms, all while crying and screaming to the top of her lungs with such ill shrieks of terror to permeate the knight's ears and rile her to chase after the frightened girl on foot, after hastily dismounting her steed and running towards Crystal, "M'lady! Stop! Stop right now!!" But even her own frantic cries and pleas were falling upon deaf ears. She ran as fast as she could, as far as her feet could carry her, the bottoms of her feet singeing and burning in the fiery heat of her sabatons, metal clanking hastily with each long stride of her legs in this deathly horrible sprint to save her Princess, calling out to her more and more, "PRINCESS!!" But to no avail as the white haired girl kept running, that damned insect still chasing her....odd for a hornet to be so hostile though, as most Irina thought....would cease their pursuit of their aggressors if they were to stray too far from their hives. And not long after she had lost sight of the Princess upon this most harrowing forest trail, her suspicions were met...in one quick and devastating blow to her side.

[b]*CLANG!!!*[/b] "AAAAUUUGGGHHH!!!!!"

It happened so quickly, a plundering mass of steel and rock crashing hard into her lightly armored exterior, throwing her sideways with a painful cry forced from her lips along with quite the most horrendous sound...that had been Irina's misfortune to hear, that being the sickening crack and shatter of damn near every bone in her left arm and not to mention her ribs, both exploding violently in the most severe and agonizing torrent of pain rattling Irina's frantic nerves. With a loud thud, she crashed to the dirt, skidding sideways until bashing into a tree ever so viciously, another crack of bones issued with more of her ribs snapping from her cage. Twas then she realized it....the hornet, twas no hornet at all... "N-no....P-princess....." Staggering against the searing hot fire blazing throughout her entire battered frame, the knight could only make it to one knee...before her attacker had revealed [url=http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100508232438/zelda/images/3/3c/Ball_%26_Chain_Trooper_Artwork_(A_Link_to_the_Past).png]his self[/url] to her. [b]"Geheheh! Sorry knight, your Princess is taking quite the journey now. Won't be long till she's arriving in Narsil and you....into the Abyss!"[/b] What illness, what horror the knight was stricken with at the cackle of this cruel and malevolent beast clad in armor, armor as black as Death's tattered and frayed robes, he might as well have been the reaper of this damaged warrior's soul, but it was that all to familiar shade of darkness and his own gruff and horrible declaration towards the knight....that declared his affiliation with the Lord of Narsil, and all too soon did that very name haunt Irina again, "VARROS!!" Suddenly, that same ball of steel death was hurtling towards Irina again, but this time she evaded it with a swift somersault forward, the mace splintering the trees rather than more of her skeleton. Hastily was the knight to her feet now, using her only able arm to unsheathe her sword, snarling ever feral to the knight in dark armor, those same glares of malice from his blood red orbs gleaming from his helm, ever reflected in the fierce, frozen ice of Irina's own eyes. "To Narsil my lady will not go!! HAVE AT THEE!!" Certain was she not that her words spoken in such malicious but honorable fashion had not signed for her a personal death warrant, but to death Irina would go boldly for her Princess, staring down the metal beast as he gathered up his cumbersome and brutal weapon, flailing that sinister chain about his gargantuan helm before sending it again flying at Irina with a heavy grunt, [b]"DIE WENCH!"[/b]

In the nick of time, Irina ducked under the mace, the loud crack of a downed tree thundering throughout the forest, again and again while she ran from this beast and evaded most of his attacks, not wanting again that steel ball to come smashing into her...delivering a foul blow of death unto her heart, which at this point was threatening to break from her already shattered ribcage, the adrenaline of such a vicious and bloody brawl coursing through her veins with abysmal fire! [b]"GRRR!! HOLD STILL! I'M GONNA CRUSH YOU INTO NOTHING BUT BONE MEAL, YA BLOODY NAVE!"[/b] His bark was seeming worse than his bite, but this knight's bite was still taking quite the toll on Irina, her head filled with wearying rage and unwavering resolve, ignoring the beastly growls and snarling threats of this towering fiend, but for how long could she dodge that massive weapon of his. Her entire body, it felt as if she were alight in flame, every pore of her skin, every nerve in her flesh, seething, burning as she struggled to face down this horrendous assailant and his ghastly flail. [i]Dammit! He's armored all over! How can I even get a single blow on him, especially with him flailing around that damn thing! One more hit and I'm done![/i] But despite her most unfair of circumstances, the knight would not fold to this man, clenching her sword tight, she charged forward, a mighty cry of war erupting from her every blazing fiber of her being as again headlong she sprinted forth to meet her fate at the hands of Varros' grim warrior, but in a swift maneuver, she again dodged that massive maul of spikes, sliding under the beasts legs. Twas then she realized, [i]His backside's unarmored![/i] Quickly she was to her feet again, clutching tight that golden hilt of her shimmering silver blade, and with one mighty thrust through the beast's bare back.....the fight was over. [b]"HURGH!!"[/b] Groaned the monster, falling to his knees with a powerful thud and dying with a deathly shout of anger. It was over....well..[i]this[/i] was over... If Varros' men were amidst the forest....then Irina must hurry. Grabbing her bloody blade from the gargantuan corpse, she called her noble steed to her, struggling to climb his muscular frame and position herself in the saddle before giving a swift kick to his side and sending the horse galloping with haste, "Forward Argo! Forward!!" But with every bound, every gallop of her mighty warhorse....the pain in her body just became all too unbearable...