Swords of Justice
Chapter 10: The Treacherous Fighter
The sun rose over the beautiful Kingdom of Dar Hamsan. Fishermen were out in their humble boats, catching fish, when they spotted a large ship appearing on the distant horizon. It was the ship of the King of the Kingdom of Fooza, arriving for his marriage to Princess Hasnaa.
The kingdom was adorned in its finest, with joyful citizens celebrating the upcoming festivities. But inside the royal palace, the mood was very different—there was no news of Princess Hasnaa, nor of Commander Jalal. The king was deeply worried. How could he tell the King of Fooza that his daughter was missing?
Minister Taher: "No need to worry, Your Majesty. I have sent the fiercest warriors to search for her."
King Hussein: "But they still haven't found her. What if something terrible has happened to her?!"
Minister Taher: "I'm certain she'll return before the day is over."
King Hussein: "She had better, and you had better keep searching for her."
The king left the hall, leaving Taher behind with a sly grin. I think she's already dead, he thought to himself.
Meanwhile, Hamza rode at the head of the group, with the princess's carriage following behind, driven by Deputy Salman. Inside sat Hasnaa and Jalal.
Jalal: "Are you sure about this, Your Highness? We don't even know who he is."
Hasnaa: "He saved us last night, and we saw his expert combat skills. He'll be a great help to us."
Jalal lowered his gaze, speaking sadly.
Jalal: "I'm sorry, Your Highness. Last night, I couldn't do anything. I'm supposed to protect you, but I was pathetic. I should be ashamed of myself."
Hasnaa: "Don't say that, Jalal. I had nearly lost hope and was ready to abandon my noble goal, but your words reminded me of who I am. You saved me, Jalal. You are my true rescuer. And besides, it was night and the place was dark—if not for that, you would have defeated them."
They exchanged smiles, but suddenly, the carriage came to a stop.
Hasnaa: "Why did we stop? Have we arrived?"
Jalal: "I don't know… I'll take a look."
He poked his head outside.
Jalal: "What happened…?"
He quickly realized that bandits had placed a large tree across the road.
Jalal (to the princess): "Don't worry, Your Highness. Stay inside."
He shut the door and drew his sword. Salman did the same, guarding the other side of the carriage.
Jalal: "Protect the carriage with your life."
The bandits eyed them with disdain until one stepped forward—their leader—approaching Hamza.
Leader: "Do you know where you're headed, gentlemen?"
Hamza dismounted.
Hamza: "We're going to Coral Village, known for having the worst inhabitants in the kingdom."
The man laughed.
Leader: "Good. You know where you're going. But there's one problem."
Hamza: "And what's that?"
Leader: "That's my village, and I'll protect it from the kingdom's soldiers."
Jalal: "How did you know we're soldiers?"
Leader: "That emblem on your carriage—it's the royal family's crest. Which means the king himself is inside…"
The rest of the bandits burst out laughing, drawing their weapons.
Jalal: "Fine. We'll leave."
Leader: "And you think you can come and go as you please?"
The bandits surrounded the carriage from all sides, ready to strike.
Hamza: "What's your name, boy?"
Leader: "And why would you care? … Never mind. I'm Qasim—the one who's going to kill you all here."
The bandits attacked while Qasim simply watched. Three armed men charged at Hamza, but he didn't even draw his sword. Instead, he dodged their clumsy swings and knocked them out with punches and kicks. Jalal and Salman defended the carriage with their swords, easily cutting down anyone who came near.
It was an easy fight for Jalal and Salman; neither suffered serious injury, and they wiped out most of the bandits, striking fear into the survivors. Hamza, too, felled many with ease. Qasim was impressed.
Qasim: "Heeeh… he's really skilled."
Realizing they would lose if they continued, some bandits began retreating. But suddenly, their heads flew off—Qasim had cut them down himself.
Qasim (coldly, holding a sword): "There's no retreat here. It's victory… or death."
The remaining bandits resumed fighting Jalal and Salman. Qasim approached Hamza, who finally drew his sword.
Qasim: "So, you'll fight me with your blade."
Hamza: "You're different from your men."
Qasim smirked.
Qasim: "That's the idea."
Their swords clashed fiercely. Qasim was skilled, switching his sword from hand to hand, dodging Hamza's strikes with flips and leaps. He was extremely agile, his attacks swift and precise. He managed to wound Hamza in several spots, but Hamza's larger size and strength made his strikes fast and devastating—if not for Qasim's agility, he would have been cut in two.
They broke apart for a moment. The fight between Jalal and the remaining bandits raged on. Qasim charged again, spotting an opening. Pretending to strike Hamza, he instead hurled his sword toward the carriage—having spotted the princess. He meant to kill her. But Hamza anticipated the move, catching the blade at the last second, injuring his hand in the process.
Qasim: "I knew you'd do that…"
Hamza was exposed. Qasim, crouching, drew another sword and lunged for Hamza's stomach. But Hamza kicked up a cloud of dirt into Qasim's eyes, blinding him. Qasim's strike went wide, allowing Hamza to leap back.
Qasim (rubbing his eyes in pain): "You… that's a cheap trick."
Hamza: "I don't care about methods. A warrior doesn't care how he wins."
Qasim: "That means you're like me."
Hamza: "Don't compare yourself to me. A true warrior doesn't attack the weak."
Qasim finished rubbing his eyes.
Qasim: "Anyway… your right hand is injured, and you've been fighting with it the whole time. That means you can't fight with your left hand. This is the end for you." He grinned wickedly.
Hamza: "Whatever the case, I can beat you any way I like."
Qasim: "Let's see about that."
Jalal and Salman had finished off the rest of Qasim's men and now turned to watch Hamza's fight. The advantage was clearly Qasim's—his agility, speed, and precision let him toy with Hamza, whose injured right hand bled heavily.
Qasim: "Your moment has come, gentleman."
Qasim leapt, aiming to behead Hamza. But Hamza threw his sword at him. Forced to block, Qasim left himself open—Hamza seized the chance, leaping forward and punching him hard in the face, sending him crashing into a tree.
The blow was so strong Qasim couldn't stand. Hamza slowly approached.
Qasim (to himself): "I'll surprise him with this hidden dagger…"
As Hamza drew closer, Qasim hurled the dagger at his head—but Hamza dodged and delivered a crushing punch to Qasim's stomach as he sat slumped against the tree.
Time seemed to slow for Qasim. What is this warrior? He's… unbeatable.
The punch shattered the tree behind him.
Jalal: "What strength!"
Qasim spat blood, but miraculously was still alive. Hamza grabbed him by the hair, ready to finish him, when the princess cried out, stepping out of the carriage.
Hasnaa: "Wait!"
Jalal: "Your Highness, it's still dangerous—stay inside the carriage."
Hasnaa: "Don't kill him, please."
Hamza released Qasim and stepped back. Hasnaa approached.
Hasnaa: "Your name is Qasim, isn't it? You're a strong fighter—why not join us and become a great warrior?"
Jalal: "Are you joking? He's a dangerous criminal."
Hasnaa: "But he was defending his village because he thought we were the bad ones."
Jalal: "But—"
Hamza interrupted, cutting through the tree blocking the road.
Hamza: "Let's move before more of them arrive."
Hasnaa: "Alright. Qasim… please think about what I said."
They left, while Qasim muttered to himself:
Why didn't that princess end my life… even though I wanted to end hers?
… To be continued