Narrator wrote:Katarina flinched as Jez brought the axe down. To her credit, she didn't cry out, but, well, it was a big axe.
And it worked! I mean, Katarina still had an ankle bracelet with a dragging chain on it where Jez made the cut, but at least she was no longer a fixture in the room. And the exhausted Jez would quickly find herself nearly tackled by a very gracious golden statue.
"Oh, Jezbelle!," Katarina said, burying her face in her rescuer's shoulder taking some deep breaths to calm herself.
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The slap stunned Prince Alex. The right connected with a satisfying crunch, causing Alex to stagger back, bumping into his own throne as he tried to right himself. His eyes widened as he held his white-gloved hand to his nose, seeing it stained with red. His gaze flickered to Jez's right as he struggled to regain his stance.
It was more luck than anything else that kept Jezabelle from toppling over as Katarina threw her arms around her, the girl was exhausted from her efforts. Time was of the essence, she knew that all too well given that she had front-row seats to two other parties in play. But some things were worth making time for. She gently pet the princess' golden head as she hugged the girl tightly, giving her a chance to recover.
"It's alright Katarina, you're safe now." Well that wasn't entirely true, a fact that she immediately contradicted. "Well, almost. We have to get out of here. Nika is dealing with the bodyguard who attacked you, and Alex is... Alex is being a little shit right now, and I'm honestly flying by the seat of my pants here. I need..." She lifted her hands to cup the woman's cheeks, giving her such a sympathetic look as she felt the sizable dent left by her earlier hardships. "... we need you. We need the princess to lead us. Are you up for it?"
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Jez was a little bit smug about getting two hits in on Prince Alex. She wondered how many people dreamed about having such an opportunity. His glancing away did catch her attention, but there were many reasons for someone to look away during a fight: Looking for an avenue for escape, an ally, a weapon. She'd been so stupid, here she was fighting him all alone in a castle full of servants and guards loyal to him, even with her powers she could easily be overwhelmed. She didn't dare take her eyes off of him but she couldn't afford not to - luckily she could cheat and do both at the same time. Another duplicate came forth from her, though would it appear in time?