A cold feeling crept over Edwin that sent a shiver down his spine as he stood on Princess Lilia’s balcony. He stared over the capital city. Lantern lights dotted the landscape before him creating a soft glow against the darkness.

It seemed that every latern in the capital was lit tonight. He frowned. It always seemed that the commoners were celebrating something. He longed to be free of his bonds and celebrate whatever unimportant thing that they celebrated tonight.

Edwin’s surname was Thronebreaker. There was a time when his family had a different surname, but Lady Fate was likely the only one that remembered such a time. Thronebreaker was given to one of Edwin’s ancestors in the end of the War of Dragons. One of his ancestors killed many Dragon Titans earning his family a title of greatness.

The meaning of the name changed drastically when the father of Edwin’s father murdered the king. Once the crime was discovered, the Thronebreaker’s were removed from their status as nobles. After that they began a life of shame and punishment.

Edwin took seriously the assignment that he had been blessed with, the task to protect the princess by Knight-General Vendrek. He had worked for many hard years as a soldier to restore the name of the Thronebreakers.

The job had proven to be very uneventful much to his disappointment. The princess was young and wild, but no one seemed to have ill-will toward the young dragon knight in training.

Edwin sighed heavily. There was always too much on his mind.

The sound of footsteps behind him made Edwin turn. He bowed his head at the princess. “What can I do for you, your highness?” he said softly.

The girl standing before him was uusually easy to tend for. She was a beautiful girl with dark hair and blue eyes with a hint of green. The Princess pretended to be a hard girl, but Edwin knew better.

“Come sit and talk with me Edwin. I need to hear your thoughts,” she replied with a soft smile and a wave.

He came back into the young woman’s room and sat in his usual arm chair in the corner. She sprawled herself over her bed casually.

“What troubles you Princess?” he asked flatly. He enjoyed his talks with the young woman, but he could never give her a smile. In his position, displaying the wrong emotion could cost him his life. Lilia may not mind, but a lapse in discipline would catch the attention of one of the many eyes in the castle. Edwin could not risk that.

“Father tells me that he must soon give me to a man. He desires my opinion on the matter, and I do not know whom to choose,” she replied quietly. She twirled her hair in her fingers mindlessly as she stared off into the air.

Edwin sat quietly. He sympathized with her trouble. She had to choose from the young nobles. Most those that she had to choose from were either lazy or fools. Even fewer of them bore any semblance to attractiveness either.

“That is a hard decision that you have been asked to make. Do you think that Our King will listen to your counsel?” he replied carefully. Princess Lilia and High King Arthfael had a complicated relationship. The King never truly accepted Lilia as a daughter. It was well-known amongst the nobles that he considered her more of a pawn than blood. 

The devastation from unexplained death of Lilia’s older sister Iris had twisted their parents into strange and distant people. She passed away mid-training suddenly one afternoon. No one could explain how or why the young girl died, but the death still haunted the capital. Her name was nearly forbidden to be spoken.

She frowned deeper. “It will not matter what I say. I will be given to the man that Father thinks our next King needs to be. We all know it is going to be Vayne Abigor, so why not just accept my fate now. I think I’ll be cursed to marry that monster one way or another.”

That statement made the duo frown harder. Edwin knew that any woman that was married to Vayne should feel cursed. He was fair-skinned and even handsome by some standard. Despite this, he was cold and cruel like the other Abigors.

Vayne had been caught a few times harassing animals. It was common for boys to torment their pets to an extent, but this young boy was sadistic. Many of his victims never walked away. Those animals that did were often maimed and died soon after. Rumor was that he wasn’t much gentler with the men and women that crossed him.

“Maybe I should run away, Edwin. You could come with me Edwin. Protect me as we find a new life,” she said with a sudden light in her eyes and a daring smile.

“You and I both know that will never happen, Princess. I must honor my ancestors and my the name Thronebreaker. You must honor you duties as the Princess and as a Dragon Knight,” Edwin replied sternly. He knew that she expected nothing less from him.

“You are quite right, Edwin. Well, I must rest. We have much training tomorrow. You are dismissed.. my friend,” she said with a sad smile and tired eyes.

Edwin shook his head as he closed the Princess’s door behind him. She will be a handful for any man that is married to her, he thought with a smile.

He began the walk to his room. No thought went into the walk.

His room was intentionally close to Lilia’s so that he could reach her quickly if needed. Guards were left at her doors each night. Few that weren’t Dragon Knights that could stand toe to toe with Edwin in a fight. He had trained from the time that he could walk to be the man that redeemed the Thronebreaker name. It was his purpose. It was his life.

He noticed a shadow shift next to him in the hall. He turned to see Vayne Abigor coming up behind him.

Edwin stepped to the side and bowed slightly toward the young man.

Vayne was smiling causally. His eyes were nearly as dark as his short, black hair. Edwin could hardly look at the evil boy.

“How is the princess, noble knight?” Vayne asked. His voice was filled with venom.

“She is well. She rests in preparation of her training,” Edwin replied quietly. He knew that it was wise for him to choose his words carefully as he talked with the boy.

“What is your relationship with the princess?” Vayne asked casually. Edwin felt a trap.

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He turned toward Vayne with a set face and replied calmly,”I am her assigned guard. I take my job seriously. I am a Hearthgaurd for the Crown. That is the extent of our relationship. Now if you’ll excuse me Lord Abigor, I must be off. I have other duties to attend.”

Edwin felt Vayne’s hand grasp his arm before Edwin could move away. His hand was cold and his grip was uncomfortably tight. Vayne was glaring at him, but Edwin refused to show pain.

Vayne spoke slowly with a threatening tone. “You should watch the princess more closely. She will be mine, and she will not be soiled by any other. If I doubt your ability for even a moment, I will make sure that you suffer the pain of a dozen deaths.”

Edwin bowed deeply and gently pulled his arm out of the young man’s hand. He then turned and walked away without another word.

Vayne was a bad man, but Edwin knew better than to cross any child of a High Lord. The Abigors were dangerous even as allies, and they would not hesitate to execute an innocent man under suspicion.

Edwin continued slow his walk to his room. He shut the door and locked it behind him. He hadn't realized how exhausted he truly was.

         The morning came faster than Edwin liked as was usual. His body creaked and his joints popped as he rose from his soft mattress. He had grown accustomed to the hard mats that he slept on as a soldier. This mattress to him was worth every part of his assignment.

His room was dark but fingers of light reached from under the door and between its cracks. He knew that it was early, but the princess would soon need be up for her training.

Edwin rather enjoyed training days. He would sit and watch the Dragon Initiates train for hours on end. They were beyond anything that he had ever seen.

Most initiates were slim with tight muscles. Their training had stripped away the excess fat that they had stored as noble children. Their training was more than what most humans could endure, but the initiates were much faster, nimbler, stronger, and had sharper senses than almost any other being. Those that become Dragon Knights were even more frightening in combat. The knights made the initiates look like children stumbling around with wooden swords.

Edwin watched Lilia dive headfirst into her training. The Initiates didn’t need much supervision for most of their training, but a different Dragon Knight each day spent most of training shouting at them. Even highly trained soldiers could not keep up with the Initiates, but Dragon Knights could see mistakes that were nearly invisible to the naked eye.

Today’s supervisor was Orik Intgarsson. He was one of the most well thought of men that roamed the castle. He was a leader among the Dragon Knights that had proven himself worthy of such a position through many fights against the blight. 

Orik and Edwin were good friends, but they rarely had time to spend together betwixt their separate duties.

Edwin waved at Orik before sitting in the grass. There were many Dragon Knights that Edwin would stay to keep an eye on as they trained the Initiates, but Orik was a good man. They would not be pushed or punished without need today. That was a comfort to Edwin.

After a few hours, Edwin got bored and walked to the library. 

A young maid rounded a corner too fast and slammed into him. Immediately, she fell to her knees begging for pardon. She didn’t look to see that he was no noble.

Edwin knelt down next to the girl. Tears streamed down her round cheeks.

“It’s all right, girl. You must be careful with who you run into in this castle, but I am no noble. You have done no harm,” he said gently. Edwin patted her shoulder comfortingly.

She brushed the tear from her eyes and allowed him to help her to her feet.

She was a pretty girl. She had long black hair and bright blue eyes. Her face was oval-shaped. She had to have been around Lilia’s age.

“What is your name, young one?” he asked with a soft smile.

She smiled back brightly. She seemed to be feeling more comfortable with Edwin suddenly.

“My name is Amindra Iyre. I’m awfully sorry that I bumped into you,” she replied with the softest and sweetest voice that Edwin had ever heard. Her voice reminded him of morning songbirds.

“It’s alright as I said before. Just mind yourself around nobles. There are some that would have horrible things done to you for such a little offense. Now be off. Tend to your duties lass.” Edwin urged the girl on.

She replied with a bow and a sweet smile before she scurried of back to her duties.

Vore Aidan met Edwin at his small table in the library. Vore was the King's scribe. He looked older than the oldest book in the library. His body bore a permanent hunch. His grey eyes and long, thin nose had an odd relationship with his bald, square head. Most laughed at the man after they met him.

Edwin knew better than to laugh at Vore. Though he looked and acted strange, there wasn’t another person in the castle that knew as much as he. Vore was a library in and of himself.

The two chatted casually for a few minutes before Edwin made his way deeper into the library. He passed many shelves before he reached where he needed to be. He knew the route well.

It was part of Edwin’s routine each day to find time in the library. He often studied his ancestral history, arts and strategies of war used in ancient times, and the philosophers and beliefs of ancient clans that worshipped dragons. The library was extremely extensive. Books were banned in all other parts of the kingdom.

Vore often had further insights into topics. He seemed to have a special interest in the time of Dragons and their interactions with humans. Edwin often pestered the old man in search of new insights.

After a few hours, Vore came to Edwin and asked him to leave. Edwin had been lost in the book. He realized that he was growing tired and hot. Edwin decided that since Vore was closing the library for his afternoon nap, he too would rest.

Edwin's nap was short lived. It wasn’t a problem that he slept. He could have spent more time sleeping. On a training day, Lilia needed no guard.

An uncomforatble feeling crept over him as he laid in his bed. The only light in the small room was coming from beneath the door. He couldn’t see anyone, but he couldn’t escape the feeling that someone was in the room with him.

He sat up slowly to avoid acting suspicious and moved for the door. He thought he saw a shadow shift, but he had made it already. He grabbed the door and threw it open.

 His room was empty as far as he could tell.

He scratched his chin. I guess it was just my imagination then.

It was the first time that he had ever felt uncomfortable in his room. He left quickly.

He jumped at the sight of a moving shadow to his right. He faced the shadow to see a maid women standing a several feet away. She bore blank stare that trailed off somewhere beyond him. She was tall and thin with blonde hair.

“She must die” the woman whispered quietly to the void that she was staring into. Edwin recognized the woman from her work in the kitchens. She was one of the lead serving women that directed food in and out the kitchens as the nobles ate.

The woman’s eyes slowly drifted to Edwin’s. She began whispering again but more softly. 

Edwin stepped toward the woman to better make out what she was saying.

“She must die… the princess… but first… the guards… then he says the knight too must die… I’m sorry…”

A flash of steel caught Edwin’s eye just in time. He sidestepped the madwoman and she swung wildly at him with a dagger. He caught her wrist and felt a sharp crack in it despite his gentle grasp.

He pulled the knife from the woman’s hand but another dagger flew toward his side.

He staggered backward to escape the woman’s thrashing, but she was relentless. He knew that he was going to have to kill her. He pushed her other knife out of her hand. Again another knife appeared from behind her back that she slashed at him with.

He grabbed her arm, pushing it and the knife over her head. He placed the taken dagger into her chest and immediately she collapsed.

He heard a single pair of footsteps behind him. He turned to see Vayne slowly walking toward him and the body. Vayne wore a cruel smile. "It would seem that trouble is afoot, Edwin."