OldBegginings:[So, before I begin, there’s something I want to know in the comments. Basically, I’ve never heard ‘Dame’ used when addressing a female knight, so used Madam in this chapter. To any of you who know, is it fine to do this, or am I just wrong in using Madam? It honestly feels odd either way since I’m used to using ‘Lady’ in this case, but can’t use it due to using aristocratic roles properly, so I’m kinda stuck on this one.]
“William!” Someone yanks my arm.
Because I was using the art of sleeping with my eyes open, I begrudgingly force myself to look into the carriage instead of the grassy hills calmly rolling by outside. Doing this is accompanied with yawns. Of course, even though I managed to do this, I am still groggy when first responding.
“Er… Huh?”
“It’s your turn when we reach the city, so keep awake will you?”
Waking up, I blink a couple times then actually look at the guy who spoke, I think...
Taking time to think of a proper escape, I view the four others in the carriage with me. There are two males and two females, all of whom are elves. The one who’s talking is a silver-haired male, whose ears jut out of his otherwise orderly hair. His seat is on my side, and find his current position - he probably scooched over to reach me. It seems logical since he’s the only one sharing my side of the seats.
“Can I not? Jim, tell them what happened last time I did that, will you?”
“How could I possibly do that, William? Mere words are in no way capable of aptly describing that trainwreck… I would say, if I wanted to support your frivolous plot.”
“Really? James… Do I have to tell-” James - who was strawberry-blonde, is pale, even for an elf, and is sitting next to his sister opposite me - reaches over the gap to covers my mouth with his hand. The sister gives an extremely curious look my way, which I’ll likely appease once we’re alone.
Meeting his glare, I peel his hand off and dare him of the consequences of repeating that joke…
Instead, he - although trying to hide it - smatters into uncharacteristic laughter. “You never change, do you? In all honesty, he can not lead horses simply due to his lack of training… So even though his motives are self-fulfilling, I would absolutely have to back him up in this regard.”
“Arse…” I mutter, taking in the two shocked faces and the sister’s gloating yet refined smile my way. Sighing deeply, I follow that up, “I don’t mind doing it… but where to? The guild?”
The other girl, who was previously sleeping, is now looking at me with a confused look, joining the conversation, “No. We’re going to the royal palace.”
“Can I…”
“You were with us, so I gather that you will have to come with us,” the bastard James cuts me off.
“You’re going to take my credit anyway, so why all the faff?”
To my question, James shys his eyes away with his sister, the other two stare fixated at me with blank eyes, to which I return by tilting my head with a mirror image of their expressions on my face...
A minute of silence passes by, until the other Madam looks my way and stumbles to ask, “My apologies if I seem rude, but did you do anything to get credit for?”
“Remember how you were about to be torn in half by that one ogre, and then somehow became stronger than it? Also, remember how I’m an enchanter? Do you see the point, or do I have to ask more questions?”
She joins the two siblings in avoiding my gaze, with no response…
“Huh… I thought that was because of James’ sword going through its back. Was that really you?”
Slightly hot-headed, I back down in a monotone, “Right... Forget it. I said nothing.”
Whether it was ignorance or blind honesty, the guy gives an answer to which James and his sister immediately cringe at, “Not to seem rude, but your choice in armour and weaponry is the main reason why I at least call foul… Hahaha! Sorry, that made it seem like you even have ‘armour’, my mistake.”
Sighing, I glare him down. “Want to fight?”
Flailing his arms in front of his face, he panicked when saying, “No… I’m just saying…”
“Stop!” another voice yells… We look towards the cabin hole between me and the guy receiving my harsh gaze. A head pops through the hole and says, “bandits, I’m tired… So who wants to take care of them?”
With silence, the carriage comes to a stop. Only after that can we hear the cause, harsh voices rudely demanding our goods.
I stomp my cane on the ground so everyone inside can hear it, then leave the carriage with my fake limp. Mumbled questions about if I can actually do it reach earshot of the others in the carriage, since they’ve never seen me fighting myself, but I ignore them as I can faintly hear James’ sister explain the obvious.
Once outside, I wince due to the sheer brightness of the overbearing azure sky. After recovering, I see two carriages tied to each other, one being packed entirely with shiny trinkets, money and weapons. The odd thing is that there are only six of the scum, when usually they clump into bands that number at least twenty…
Looking at the supposed leader, ie the only one wearing metallic armour as opposed to the leather of the rest, I ask, “How can we help you?”
She glares at me, taking off her helmet to properly display her expression along with her clearly human ears. “Loot. Give us all of it, or else!”
“Kill or maim?”
She smiles at my question. “Good question…”
Stretching the answer for about a second and seeing my blatant apathy by the end of it, she soon flashes a blue-ish grey sword from her waist in a rage and screams, “DIE!”
Meanwhile, I picture my cane in my head, mumbling in an almost inaudible tone, “Enchant: temp: alchemy: adamantium III. Enchant: temp: smithing: quarterstaff.” The entire chant takes less than the two seconds it takes for her to decide and casually walk to my position.
Raising my cane in both hands, which had grown to about a metre long, I block her downwards blow. The result on my side was a ‘ting’ sound, and slight pressure on my arms, back and left leg to remain standing. Of course, nothing that made me even show acknowledgement though.
Failing her attack, she stumbled backwards. Leaking out interrogatives laced with profanities from her gaping maw.
Giving her no time to respond, I step forwards with my ‘bad’ leg, gripping the staff in my right hand. With the added momentum of the step, I swing at her side.
Barely reacting in time, her feeble attempt to block it with her arm results in a satisfying crunch. As for the rest of her body, it flies about a metre in the direction of the blow…
She lands awkwardly, flopping painfully on the ground. Her armour, which has shattered from the hit earlier, cut deeply into her side. Blood profusely leaks out from her wound, gradually painting the dirt of the path around her red.
I stare down the rest of the group who are about twenty metres from me, still standing beside their carriage. They all share the same expression as their leader before the hit, then I beckon them to come at me with my free hand.
“So then, shall I purge all the scum then?” Brushing off the annoyed look of the driver of our carriage was making at me, I bluff, with a grin cracked onto my face, slowly closing the distance one step at a time.
Initially they freeze, seemingly in a mixture of confusion and fake bravery. Once I was within ten metres, this facade cracks. Panicking, they literally dive towards their carriage, stumbling into and onto it.
However, I pick up my pace temporarily. Whilst doing this, I picture my cane-cum-makeshift staff, quickly mouthing the following, “Enchant: stop: all. Enchant: temp: smithing: form spear. Enchant: temp: smithing: sharpness: four. Enchant: permanent: smithing: durability: seven. Enchant: soon: void:…”
At the end of the half-second the quickened chant takes me, I throw the cane/staff-cum-spear, now made of wood, over-head, aiming at the to-be driver.
Half a second after it hits the same bandit’s thigh, I quickly say “Blink.” Saying it louder than expected because it cut through their thigh deeper than expected...
My weapon appears back in my hand, the tip covered in blood. Seeing the blood, my heart rate rises. The act of seeing such miserable pieces of crap still breathing forces me to space myself from the act mentally...
“Guys, come and do your jobs already… I’m returning.”
Seeing the four elves equipped in their royally-encrested armour and the black-cat beast-kin in leather leave our carriage and walk over, the rest of the bandits give up rather than experience my, or the other’s, wrath themselves. Having forgotten how to do arrests properly, I’m not helpful in doing the arrests and so instead rummage through the other carriage.
After looting my fair share and putting it in my cane’s void storage, I head back into our carriage whilst waiting for them to finish, turning my weapon back to its original form and bringing back my limp in the process.
When they are about done with the formalities behind the arrest and I am relaxing in the carriage by myself, when I, followed by the others, hear trotting accompanied by squeaking of an incoming carriage behind ours. Assuming the others are busy with arrests, I come out to meet them.
Unlike the plain outer appearance of ours and the bandits’ carriage, this one was excessively large and decorated in armour which was encrested with golden font reading ‘The Royal Knight’s Order of Bellar’.
Spotting a familiar face jumping out of it, I walk up to them.
My friend, Purr, meets me. “Will… You guys are back already? By the way, what’s going on back there?”
Their carriage is behind ours, so from his view, his green, slitted eyes can’t see the bandits.
So I explain, “Hey Purr, ‘our’ job’s done, so yeah... Anyway, we were just arresting bandits. Mind helping? We don’t really have the space.”
Shrugging, Purr takes off his gold-encrested reinforced-steel helmet to reveal his black-striped orange furry face with fluffy ears. “Who do we give the credit for? Oh, and please call me Percy on duty, you dolt.”
“You know I won’t Purr. And… I did it, so just brush it off as James’ or Ea’s work.”
The other people in the same armour who came out with him, snicker after the first part, so probably do not notice the second since they are all still laughing.
Purr opens both his mouth and eyes as wide as possible. “Really? Oi! You guys knock it off! Anyway, they’re still alive, right? This is you we’re talking about...”
“I’m not that merciful to scum… Didn’t expect to see a mithril sword though.”
Forgetting he was already shocked, his eyes and mouth twitch as he tries to open them further without success.
Swiftly snapping out of it, he makes some gestures whilst speaking, “What?! Was it a blonde girl about yay-high, in steel armour?”
I shrug, since remembering, or even paying attention to people, is one of my many weak-spots. “Maybe? Just go and see...”
“Please say you didn’t kill her… She’s the only reason I’m on patrol.” Suddenly breaking out into a sprint, he speeds past me exclaiming, “She’s a top five bounty!”
His accompanying guards run with him, so I look towards the horse-hand who still seems rather shocked at the conversation.
“Really, someone that weak was on the top ten? Guess those scum must be weak these days…”
Then I return to my carriage, waiting for the other knights to do their jobs. Every now and then I see everyone looking towards me, mumbling to themselves’ still awe-struck. I can even hear the word ‘monster’ slip like a broken record from the scum upon their arrest...
With no more input from me needed, it ends in a few minutes. We then get on our way, reaching the palace in less than an hour. Maybe because they are watching and are informed by Ea, James’ sister, that I am at least four years their junior, the other two still couldn’t speak a word for the majority of the remaining trip, frozen from shock.
-
When our carriage stops, we hear the unified thud of people aligning themselves outside… I glance over to the other side of the carriage and see glints of gold from the windows.
Taking a look around, I recount how the palace itself was extraordinarily pristine and was tall and wide enough to be seen by pretty much everywhere in the city, though the fact it was atop a lonely, large hill helped that. But since we’ve all been here a couple times, it has lost its impact.
After confirming their preparation is over, we all step out one by one. With me exiting the carriage last. The others, including James who ended up riding for me, wait for me.
Then we stroll the hundred or two metres to the front door, past the hundreds of guards uniformly lined up either side. I pay the guards no heed, and they probably do likewise, with all their attention likely going to the four elves in their shining armour. Though... I find it sweet how the other five met my pace since I was still limping.
When we get there, we enter the large, dominating crystal door enshrined by jewelry and crests galore, and follow the linear hallways and spotless red carpet towards another large crystal door. Spacious and tastefully displaying countless works of fine art and pottery, it’s rather easy for me to ignore them since more guards line the edges of the red carpet. Therefore I only face forwards for the majority…
Having entered this door, we see more guards line the way, leading to the two golden thrones on which sat two elven figures who still manage to dominate the lavish room simply with their presence. Standing aside them is one female elf about the same age as the queen, though with elves it’s hard to tell, and three children, whom although have extremely mature and regal appearances, are about 15-18 respectively, made of two female and one male children.
Upon getting ten metres from them, we all properly kneel and bow towards the pair in the thrones, where I kneel on my right knee.
“Rise,” the female on the left throne, her highness, declares, which we do. Then she continues, “To you six, Madam Ea and Sir James of House Heisley, Sir Richard of House Creslin, Sir William Lurcher, Madam Silvia Greenclaw and Madam Jessica Jaimacy, on behalf of the crown of Bellar, we wholeheartedly welcome you back as honoured guests and sincerely thank you for fulfilling your duties upon our request.”
As she curtseys our way after saying thanks, the man in the right throne, the king, rises and starts a continuation in more depth, “As my lovely wife just announced, we have officially acknowledged your quest’s completion. Additionally, we have confirmed the dungeon we sent you to has been permanently defeated. In lieu of another of its kind replacing it, we feel it only correct to celebrate your heroics. Your reward, as a reminder, is any repairs or new equipment you need and two-hundred gold each for you to spend at your whim, provided by the royal crown’s vault. We have also prepared rooms and a feast here for you to aptly celebrate.”
After announcing that, the three children walk up to us, escorted by butlers and maids numbering six, and escort us to the royal dining hall.
To describe the dining room as ‘excessive’ would be an understatement…
It is a room so large that the twenty by three metre table in the middle of it seems minute. It’s so big in fact, that with my limp, it takes about two full minutes to get the first seat which isn’t reserved for royalty from the door, which my fellow knights kindly allow me to have.
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With us seated, the royal children take theirs, and I’m shocked to find out that I’m sitting next to one of them without a buffer… Then again, last time I was here there was only the king, queen and their eldest daughter, so some of the higher up maids sat with us.
After their own preparations, the king and queen walk into the room, paying no mind towards my - or any of the other’s - seat and instead taking their own at their respective heads of table. The queen being surrounded by both daughters and then me and Silvia, the king being surrounded by his son and the rest of the knights, with the large gap filled with fellow knights who are celebrating their own successes apparently… I don’t know any of them off-hand.
When it came to eating, a horrendously massive feast appear in front of us, by which the entirety of the massive table is filled with three whole boars and a turkey; which serve as centerpieces. Surrounding these are seas of plates; each filled to the brim of ‘lesser meats’ such as sausages. Accompanying this further is enough vegetables to feed a large village for at least a week.
I only eat a minor meal of some boar and vegetables, since I am sort of sickened by how much there truly is in front of me...
Having been done with my meal within five minutes- which was little compared to pretty much everyone else bar the princess sitting next to me- I end up people watching until a rather stuttery voice interrupts me.
“Um… S-sir William is it? Could I be so rude as to pose you a question?”
I look to my left, finding the cause of the voice to be the princess sitting next to me…
Honestly, whether it was her deep purple eyes looking straight at me, the slight blushing of her cheek, or the mere view of her beauty this close, all I can think of her is to note such petty descriptions to assume all of her glory in mere words. With the distance between us being half a metre now, and compared to her at the range of ten plus metres or the back of her head of long and flawlessly-straight, blue hair... being personally spoken to by a princess I’ve never met before is embarrassing, even for me.
Trying to alleviate the pressure, I make a quip based on what she said, “You asked two already…”
Playing the joke towards a blank audience who just tilted her head, I give in and state, “Go ahead...”
Pleased at this, she bluntly asks, “Thank you! W-well then… W-why are you faking your limp so poorly?”
“I am?”
Ignoring her mother’s dismissive look, she explains, “Y-you see, why would you kneel on a leg that’s injured enough to cause such a limp?”
I counter, “Not to be rude princess, but why would you care to notice?”
“It was odd, and entirely not natural… And I just can not even fathom why anyone would dare to fake such a thing with such sloppy acting.”
“Princess, do you want to fight me or something? That sounds like an insult...”
Completely as a reaction in a probably uncharacteristic and hot-headed moment, she blurts out, “Yes… No, wait, yes…” Taking a breather, she somewhat explains, “I will not stick honour when fighting a knight such as yourself, but I do want to see your strength in person.”
As if the voice for the entire room which overheard that, I ‘calmly’ state, “You accepted…? What!? That was a joke because you insulted my acting...”
For a fraction of a second, her eyes shy away and her cheeks dye a further shade of red, but she snaps out of it as fast as it happens. “Huh? Are you scared of me or something?”
She adorably puffs out her chest after saying that.
“Sort of… Though I’m more scared of everyone else here stabbing me to death in my sleep for daring to suggest such a thing.” I sigh deeply then continue, “If you want to that’s fine… Your choice.”
Without faulting this time, she calmly admits, “Initially that was correct, but the longer I spend thinking about it, the more curious as to your power I grow… Ah! I hope you don’t mind my selfish request.”
“Mind if I ask why princess… er...”
“Oh, m-my sincerest apologies… I-I’m the second royal princess, Princess Adeline. F-furthermore, for one, I have never had the opportunity to see a human fight, and secondly your equipment confuses me, h-hence, if I may be so rude… I-I’d like to see you battle!”
“You’re awfully observant, aren’t you?”
She smiles, her cheeks trying but failing to turn blood-red and instead resting on crimson. “H-how embarrassing… Such words from a knight such as yourself… I-I digress! Please... Let me fight you if only to show how weak I am!”
By the end, she becomes so embarrassed that she hides behind her own hands, and cause such a scene that brings further attention to us from people in the room.
“It’s fine, but will their royal highness’ accept such a thing?”
“Are you perhaps underestimating me?” A scowl forms over her face.
Not even bothering answering, I assume the difference between a knight who just helped conquer a double S ranked dungeon, and a princess to nowhere near such acclaim would speak for itself. Instead, I stare directly into her eyes.
She stares back, before realizing the obvious and continues, “As long as you can promise to hold back when dueling, no one here will have a reason to quarrel with it... Again, I simply wish to see you in action.”
With that said, we ends the conversation there. Upon the rest of the guests continuing to eat, I leave the table, following the princess and her two maids.
-
It takes a while, as limping through what might as well be a mile of hallways normally does, to the chagrin of the princess, and the maids, who knew it was fake.
The room itself was extreme, being greater than all of the boss rooms of all the dungeons I visited in the last week combined, it’s also four times as big as the dining hall. The entire left wall is accosted with countless weapons of various makes, materials and types. We also aren’t the only ones in here, as between ten and twenty pairs of knights in golden armour are training with different levels of severity and talent.
“Sir William is it? Please feel free to pick out a weapon from here, as will my mistress.”
I shake my head, picturing my cane. Then quickly chant, “Enchant: temp: alchemy: adamantium III. Enchant: temp: smithing: quarterstaff.”
“Well then, please wait for our mistress to select hers…” She gives off the appearance of being apathetic when saying this, but I can’t ignore the fixed looks between her and the princess. I therefore assume she is slightly insecure regardless of me being a knight and being surrounded by all the others in the room.
The princess, who chooses an adamantium sword and equips armour of the same material, stands before me when she was ready. Then, the maid gives a countdown.
When she gives the indication, the princess steps cautiously towards me, priming her sword for attack. Although her form seems good for a sword user, I can easily see her control over the blade fluctuate when simply walking over here, and this thusly affects her balance and speed.
That said, I will not call her an amateur. I, who was just standing before her, abuse my range to swat at her approaches, but she easily dodges me, reading my range from it.
Most of the duel is spent waiting, as she tries to gauge my speed. Her first mistake being that her bobbing and weaving to dodge gives me a better gauge on hers than she does on mine.
Throughout this, something becomes evident… A sort of rhythm she has when charging in and backing off. Although I also have one in the frequency of my attacks, hers gives her an obvious timing for an attack; which she seemed to be ironing out from a series of feints. These going as far as she can react to me. At that range her one-handed sword can barely reach me, but she either doesn’t notice or doesn’t have the time to attack due to the flurry of mine.
In some of the faints, she blocks my staff with her blade using only one hand… But I keep reacting to this better, returning another attack which forced her to dodge before she could drag her sword back to abuse the opportunity.
Once realising the pattern, my reaction is swiftly loosening my grip to allow for the staff to drop. Seeing her begin her pattern, I also stepped forwards, flipping the staff what is now between her legs up, focusing on her left thigh since this leg was the only one remaining stable due to her movement. With her high centre of mass, the simple attack topples her, and in a panic, she drops her sword in an attempt to break her fall.
From there, I simply step forwards, stepping on the fallen blade in the process. Then I point my staff at her neck, pinning her down since she can’t do anything with her hands to stop it. I then put some pressure on it for a second to get my win through to her.
Releasing it without a word, I kick the sword handle first towards her and bow, changing my weapon back into its cane form in the process. Her choking afterwards make me think I went too far, but because she shakes her hands and smiles back, this fear goes unconfirmed…
Waiting for her to comment, I stare at her; specifically at her eyes when she lost focus. I imagine she is engrossed in thought.
With a pat from her maid she came back to reality, pessimistically apologizing, “Sorry. I am truly that weak… aren’t I?”
Wanting to comfort her, there was nothing I can really say that I feel good speaking…
Instead of any attempt to lie, I just mumble two cryptic words before turning to leave, “Define weak…”
“W-wait! Please… Allow me to ask you one more thing!”
Only moving my neck to face her, the image of one tear rolling down her doll-like face is burned into my mind…
I freeze where I am waiting, feeling - from somewhere within - that my composure won’t survive speaking a response.
A standstill forms, my gaze wanders to the others in the room training; who were viewing us rather than continuing their fights…
Her mouth starts to move, but from the lack of sound and visual of strain in her facial muscles, it appears to be hard to say.
She collapses after a couple seconds, moving her hands around her throat as if choking.
Finally, her words escape. “I-I… D-did I ever stand a chance?”
“No.”
Banging the floor with a fist, her yell fills the room, “W-what!?”
I tilt my head thinking it was redundant to answer…
Glaring my way, her voice drifts off, “H-how…? I trained so much…”
“Mind if I ask why you care?”
“Huh!? What do you mean!?”
“Sorry for being rude... I just wouldn’t think that you would be into fighting so much. Mind explaining why you are?“
“I-I…” she drops to her knees again, making me look like a bad guy.
After a while, she gets back to her feet and hides her still crying eyes.
“I-I’m sorry…” she stammers, drifting off into a tearing, incoherent mumble.
Waiting for her to calm down slightly, I simply ask, “For what?”
“W-wasting your time with someone as weak as me!”
“You realize I’ve beaten a rank zero in a duel before, right? Heck, Ea still hasn’t won against me yet. To not beat someone that strong doesn’t make you weak… Idiots just think that for some reason.”
“H-huh?” Like all the knights and help, the princess herself is also not immune from plastering her shock on her face.
One of the knights steps forward, taking off his helmet. In doing so, he reveals clearly furrowed brows and a disgusted look in his eyes, “How dare you claim such things!? Dragging our Madam here just to beat her is only just bearable in itself, but claiming such strength with those childish gimmicks is only an insult! Prove it and duel me, bastard!”
I sigh at everyone in the room, facing the princess for a second before walking off, “Forget it. Call yourself weak Princess, I couldn’t care less. Idiots are all the same...”
To that end, I walk back towards the dining room. But as I step away, I hear metallic thuds with increasing frequency behind me, the same knight is probably pursuing me.
I turn to him. “Oh well… Don’t let her blame me for this, will you?”
Taking out his sword when close enough to me, he jumps then slashes down on me, to which I just side-step. Once he’s down, I use my cane - this time unaltered - to slam him with, aiming for the back of his neck which had no protection.
There is enough force from the hit to push him to almost do a forwards flip, making him let go of his sword mid-flight. That said, it didn’t seem to have done much actual damage due to my cane’s material, mainly just paralysis from the shock.
So to make sure it ends, I step on said sword, pick it up with my other hand and walk towards his body was trying to crawl up, but hindered but his heavy armour. When close enough, I point it towards his neck saying, “You got beaten by ‘childish gimmicks’, remember that.”
The peanut gallery goes silent again, this time looking in awe rather than shock.
“Well? Can I finally leave now?”
With no response, I head off undisturbed this time. Whilst doing so I mutter the chant to restore my cane’s durability permanently.
-
Reaching the dining room unguided at walking pace, I change back to my limp and enter alone to which no one seems to notice. To my shock, in the time that has passed, most of the plates on the table are now empty, with the king and a few guards still somehow eating. The majority, unlike the gluttons, talk to one another instead. Creating enough sound for me to remain unnoticed.
Sitting back in my seat after walking, the knight next to me begins a conversation, “You didn’t kill her, did you?”
Glancing their way, I simply state, “No.”
Seemingly either bored or eager to know, he continues, “Why did that happen anyway?”
“Who knows…”
As I trail off and the other person returns to their previous conversation partner, I spy the princess returning with her maid. Although she paints a smile on, the depression in her downwards-facing, still-teary eyes is obvious to anyone looking.
Unlike me, the majority of people look her way. They then quickly avert their eyes as to not offend her.
Upon returning to her seat, the queen- who had been talking with her other daughter- turns to her and softly asks, “Why did you do that Adeline?”
The princess in question remains silent, looking down to her empty plate disheartened instead.
Facing me, the queen throws out another question, “Sir William, would you kindly mind if I were to have a private audience with you after this meal?”
I nod as a response.
“Perfect. Now then…” she then turns back to Princess Adeline, asking more questions the princess couldn’t answer.
-
The meal continues like this until the last food is devoured and the festivities wear thin. After which, maids and butlers swarm the table, escorting everyone out of the room before rigorously purging the plates. Of course, I’m escorted by the Queen, Princess Adeline and some help to the throne-room. The King also joins in the conversation and quickly follows behind us.
Now back in the throne room, I stand in front of their highnesses as the Princess sheepishly stands beside her mother.
“What was that all about?” the king demands, facing the princess with a strained face.
Blushing, she struggles to answer, “I-I... I simply wished to see him fight since he looked so odd.”
Shying her head away from her daughter, the queen replies, “Sir William here is present today for a reason… I just can not fathom why you would challenge him.”
Pointing towards her mother, the princess argues, “You have always said humans are weak! And yet he… He even beat Lord Tiberius in one swing!”
I turn around since behind us the door opens without a knock. Inside steps an elf wearing the same golden-tinted armour as the rest of the guards. Though, unlike the rest, this one also has red emblazoned onto their helmet and breastplate reading ‘Captain’. Furthermore, unlike the swords of their comrades, they have a quiver of arrows on their waist and a black bow with blood-red marks all across it- which are the hallmarks for dragon-bone weaponry- strapped to their back.
Looking at me, Lydia Crossham - the captain of the King’s guards - yells across the room, “Of course you are here William! Are you trying to make all of my knights despise you!? Every time you are here…”
When she realizes that the thrones are occupied, her hot-headed tirade comes to an end. Instead, she kneels herself and prostrates to the royal couple, “Please forgive me for daring to interrupt you, your majesties!”
“You are excused Madam Lydia, though please do stop repeating this everytime Sir William comes. We would deeply appreciate it,” the Queen replies.
“Sorry my queen…”
“As for you Sir William, anything to say?”
“Mine and the Princess’s duel was my fault, she was under pressure from a rash decision. As for whoever that knight was who forced me to duel him, his fault one-hundred percent. I’m impartial if you wish me to leave for this hassle.”
“My apologies Sir William, but it was my fault… I apologize dearest mother and father, yet I really do wish to become strong! I simply mistook Sir William for someone weak and or foolish. I know I won’t usurp brother or sister for the throne, so I wanted to do my part for the crest by fighting instead… But I’m clearly mistaken.”
“Thanks for the compliment Princess…” I mutter, half expecting her not to hear it.
Hearing it, the Princess immediately faces my way, startled. “Ah! I-I’m so sorry! Please believe me as I say I didn’t mean it that way Sir William!”
“So that was it dear?” the queen asks, returning to the main issue.
Adeline tilts her head towards her mother, “W-what? H-how did you...”
“Sorry, I told them…” Lydia explains. “They already knew you were sneaking out at night, I just explained why.”
“Lydia!!! You promised you wouldn’t tell!”
“In Lady Lydia’s defense, I will not deny being rather angry when questioning her,” the king calmly states. “On a side note, Sir William. You wouldn’t happen to know where Lady Victoria is, would you? We had tried to ask her to train our daughter just after your departure in secret, but we could not locate her...”
Falling to her knees, the princess glances at her father, “W-wait… My dearest mother and father did something that hassling for my sake? I-I… I sincerely apologize!”
I cough, getting attention back to me, “Your highness, Master was with us; although she competed with me for doing the least... In her case, she was acting solely as a spectator. Her carriage separated with ours as we re-entered the country, but she should have returned to the Heisley’s main house by now.”
“That’s great news, thank you Sir William. Now that’s dealt with, onto the issue of you staying the night…”
“I’ll be leaving then, ciao.” I instinctively turned around to leave.
“Wait!”
Turning back, I notice Lydia’s the one to interrupt my departure.
She continues having gained my attention, “I swear… You are so troublesome, I wonder how Lady Victoria even manages with you. Anyway, next time you come here, please tell me so I can inform my idiots… Sorry, knights. I really don’t want this happening again; you seem to be a magnet for their wrath afterall.”
“I’ll try…” I mumble, knowing it’s mostly a lie.
“One more thing, I must request that you stay here for the night. I know it may be a hassle for you, but we and Lydia will make sure that my knights will not do anything during your sleep. So please follow Lydia to your room, feel free to pick any that aren’t preoccupied from floor one,” the king adds.
I turn to leave, but as we leave the Queen says one more thing, “Oh, and we will not punish Lydia for killing you, do you choose to not drop your ‘act’. You have been warned, Sir William.”
I nod, not really having a choice in the matter. Picking up my cane, I walk the obnoxiously large and barren halls following Lydia, who starts a little dialogue with me as we walk, probably out of boredom.
“So, how was my lady?”
“The Princess? Predictable and underestimated her weapon, but not a total novice. Before you ask, I knocked her off balance and pinned her with my staff rather easily.”
“I see… And the hot-shot?”
“Terrible… I dodged his one attack and paralysed him in one hit with this.”
“Would you believe me if I told you that he’s trying to be a rank zero candidate by the end of the year?”
My jaw literally drops and laughter almost spills out. “I’d call you a liar, no way when he acts like that.”
She laughs with me when it eventually comes out. “He wishes… He is genuinely a rank one, but honestly, I don’t know why. Not that you’d care, but it isn’t strange for the Lord and his harem to vote for these people...”
“Wow… At this rate I’m scared I’ll accidently become a rank one, if idiots like him become them so easily.”
“You and me both… What did you do to aggravate him so much anyway?”
By now we had reached the first available room on the first floor, which I started to enter but stopped to answer her question, “I spoke about my winning record with Ea after beating the Princess. I just tried to make her feel better about her loss, yet that guy got offended from both things and charged me.”
Lydia walks off, not even trying to hide her blatant laughter. Seeing which, I set the door’s sign to occupied then walk in, finally resting for the night in the royal room.
It’s far too dark by now to make out details of the room, but I can see the black, blurred image of the bed. So, instead of lighting the room with the installed lights, I instead just fall into the bed and wait for my dreams to take over.