Day two of the Bodyguard Double Bind started deceptively peaceful.
The palace gardens were warm with morning sun, the scent of blooming roses drifting through the air. I was halfway through enjoying a stolen moment on a stone bench when the peace shattered.
Literally.
A silver-tipped arrow buried itself in the rose bush beside me.
"Down!" Caelan's voice rang out as he grabbed my arm and pulled me off the bench. Lysander was already in front of us, sword drawn, eyes scanning the hedges like a hawk.
I didn't even get to scream before another arrow zipped past, close enough to part a strand of my hair.
---
We ducked behind a marble fountain.
"Assassins?" Caelan asked, already pulling a dagger from his belt.
"Not palace guards," Lysander replied curtly. "The angle—northwestern wall."
I peered between them. "Great. Can we debate ballistics after I stop being a pincushion target?"
---
The attackers appeared from the tree line — four hooded figures in dark leather, each armed with a crossbow.
The System pinged in my vision.
[SIDE QUEST UPDATE]:
Bodyguard Double Bind – Crisis Mode Activated
Primary Objective: Survive.
Bonus Objective: Ensure both Caelan and Lysander work together to neutralize the threat.
Penalty: Death.
Great. Just great.
---
Caelan dashed out from behind the fountain in a blur, deflecting an incoming bolt with his sword and closing the distance to the nearest assassin.
Lysander stayed tight at my side, intercepting any shots aimed in our direction with precise flicks of his blade.
They weren't cooperating so much as fighting parallel battles in the same space — which, according to the System's logic, probably didn't count.
---
"You two!" I yelled over the chaos. "Try not to get me killed!"
Caelan grinned mid-swing. "I'm trying to keep you alive, not him."
Lysander parried a blow without looking at him. "Likewise."
And there it was — the problem. They'd rather compete than coordinate.
---
So I did the only thing that came to mind.
I darted out from behind the fountain.
"Seraphine!" they both shouted, voices sharp with alarm.
Exactly as planned.
With me in the open, they had no choice but to sync their movements — Caelan intercepting incoming fire, Lysander driving back attackers in my path. Their frustration at each other melted into grim focus.
For the next thirty seconds, they moved like parts of a single machine — Caelan disarming one archer while Lysander used the opening to knock another unconscious.
---
By the time the last attacker fled, my knees felt like jelly.
Caelan sheathed his sword, still breathing hard. "You are insane."
"You're welcome," I said, brushing dust off my dress.
Lysander's voice was low, controlled. "You endangered yourself needlessly."
"And yet," I said with a tired smile, "you two finally worked together. You're welcome for that too."
The System chimed.
[SIDE QUEST BONUS COMPLETE]:
+10 Sanity, +1 Teamwork Token
A "Teamwork Token"? I had no idea what that was for — but with this cursed System, I was sure I'd find out soon.
---
That night, the palace guards swept the grounds and found nothing except broken crossbows and footprints in the grass. Whoever sent them had planned for a quick escape.
I lay in bed, staring at the moonlit ceiling, wondering how many more "coincidences" like this would happen before the main plot swallowed me whole.
Something told me the answer was: not many.
---
END OF CHAPTER