Up in the royal ladies’ quarters of the castle, Kiara was still fast asleep in her bed, with Samson nestled safely between her arms. The night before, Kiara did send out a few invitations to the banquet that would be held in her honor. She made sure to send one to Gwen and Heather, especially.
What was unexpected was how warmly her sisters and brothers welcomed her back the evening before. They all gave her hugs, especially the little ones and some gave passionate speeches on how much they missed her and that they realized how important she was to the royal family as a whole. No one member can be lost like she was and expect everyone to go about his or her lives like it was no big tragedy. Just like the body cannot function correctly without an arm or leg or eye, so this kingdom could not seem to function knowing she was gone. They couldn’t exactly describe what was wrong, but they all felt a sort of emptiness and longing without their sister. Kiara never felt so touched in her life. And she suspected that all that time; her siblings didn’t miss her at all.
Kiara slept contently that night with a low fire blazing across from her bed to drive out the cold. She had managed to find Nate’s pack, which had been sitting by her bed the entire time while she recovered, but she was not interested in anything in it except her new dress. As soon as she returned to her room that evening, she had the garment cleaned for the following night. She would have gone to visit with Nate, but by the time she inquired of him from Justin, he was already in bed and asleep, so it would have been rude to wake him. How she longed to see him again, though, and to hold him once more.
The princess slept through most of the morning with pleasant dreams of her love, only awakening when the sun shined through her balcony windows to stream light upon her figure. She stirred and rolled over, the puppy squirming between her arms to avoid being squished. Kiara sighed sleepily and kept her eyes closed, but still awake.
She listened to the sounds of the morning: birds chirping, a light breeze rustling the leaves on the trees in the distance… and something else. She could hear voices coming from outside. She couldn’t tell what they were saying, but she could still hear a conversation.
Kiara sleepily set Samson aside and sat herself up in bed to squint towards the window. Though she was still sleepy and hesitant upon stepping onto her balcony again after what had happened to her the last time she did so, she pulled on her robe and staggered out to it, greeting the bright morning sun as she went.
Outside, the winter chill was completely gone, making way for a warm spring wind coming in from the southern lands. She breathed it in deeply and walked out to the railing, looking for the source of the mysterious voices. Who could have been up at this early hour of the morning?
“You need to try and keep a good balance on the horse. Try to lean forward as the animal picks up speed. And keep your eye on the target. If you don’t, then you’ll keep missing it like you have for the past half hour.”
“I know, but what about when I have to use this in battle?”
“You probably won’t unless you’re mounted with a long spear and even then, you’d only have the chance to do this once unless the spear is indestructible.”
Kiara leaned over the balustrade and turned, looking towards the northern field just next to the courtyard and stables. There, she saw a funny looking contraption. It was a round pole sticking from the ground, with another long pole setting perpendicular on top of it. One end of the top pole had a heavy sand bag hanging from it, while there was a round wooden target on the other end.
Silence fell for a moment, then some coaxing noises coming from out of sight. She watched as a man in armor, riding on a horse, came galloping forward with a lance under his arm, aiming for the target. Unfortunately, the man flew right past the target and contraption, coming just inches from hitting it. He grunted and groaned in agitation and slowed his horse down to circle back around.
“You alright, Nathaniel?” called one voice.
“Yeah, I just wish I could get this stupid thing right,” called out the man on the horse. A metal helmet covered his head, but Kiara recognized him instantly as Nate. She grinned widely and rushed back into her chamber, quickly got dressed, descended the grand staircase and hurried to the courtyard.
Once she arrived, she slowed her walk down to a casual stroll like she wasn’t as excited as she really was to see Nate. She hid herself behind a column along the covered pathway next to the library and watched Nate and Justin.
“You’re looking away at the last minute before you hit the target. Your aim will follow your eyes. If you look away, then you will aim where you don’t want to and the opponent will hit you,” Justin advised as Nate briefly took off his helmet, his face covered in a thick layer of sweat and dust
“Don’t I need to protect my eyes though? I heard something about that a long time ago,” Nate replied, his voice a little breathless from all the work, trying to keep the horse steady.
“Yes, but most riders look down and are more likely to hit you in the stomach as a result. If you keep your eyes up, you’ll get him in the head. Try again.”
Nate sighed and fixed his helmet back on, unconvinced that this time will make any difference. He guided his horse to the starting place, and then bolted ahead once more towards the target.
Kiara watched with glee as this time, he kept his eyes up and did hit the target. Unfortunately, the top pole was set on a swivel and when the target was hit, it was pushed out of the way, but the sandbag came flying around from behind and hit Nate squarely in the back, knocking him clean off his horse. She gasped and felt like running out to help him, but stayed in place to avoid being discovered.
Justin ran over laughing to Nate, who lay upon his back with the wind knocked out of him. He pushed himself up and grunted in discomfort as Justin approached. “Are you alright Nathaniel?” Justin asked as he pulled Nate to his feet. The rogue stumbled a bit before answering.
“Yeah, I’m alright… I hit it!” he exclaimed, removing his helmet again to show a tired, but happy face. Kiara grinned and giggled for his accomplishment. Justin even gave him a hearty slap on the back and nodded.
“Yep, you did good. Now do it again,” Justin said, running off to bring the startled horse back closer to the castle. Nate laughed and shook his head tiredly.
“Can’t I take a break for water or something? We’ve been at this for an hour,” he said exhaustedly. As Nate was walking back towards the starting line, he looked up towards the patch of grass in front of the library and stopped, his eyes fixed on something peculiar.
Kiara, thinking she was at risk for being spotted, hid herself even deeper behind the column in the shadows. But, she soon found out, it was not her that Nate was staring at. She followed his line of sight, and low and behold, she saw someone she didn’t expect to be anywhere near Aleph.
Sir Claude came walking tall and valiantly out towards Nate, a look of general displeasure on his face. Nate mimicked the knight’s proud posture and tried to not look as fatigued as he really was.
The two locked eyes as if they knew immediately who each other were and the jealousy already welling up inside of them. Sir Claude stopped just a few feet from Nate, his hands behind his back and scrutinized the rogue. Nate never took his eyes off the man, who looked over dressed for taking a walk in the early morning.
Not a word was spoken between them until Justin entered the scene, guiding the horse back in. The prince, knowing the situation better than either of the other two, took the liberty of stepping between them.
“Good morning, Sir Claude. I did not know you had arrived already,” greeted Justin with a formal bow.
Sir Claude sneered at Nate and bowed in reply to Justin. “Good morning, your grace. I came in late last night with my men. It was the earliest I could get here… Pray, tell me who this dashing young man is?”
“My name is Nathaniel de Hunt, sir. I am Justin’s squire. You may call me Nathan if you like,” Nate responded, bowing before Sir Claude with dignity.
“A
new squire? How did that happen?” Sir Claude question curiously, looking to Justin for the answer.
“Well, it’s actually a very interesting story. Nathan, here, delivered Kiara back to us about four days ago. He found her in the hands of bandits and took the liberty of rescuing her. His journey was a long and arduous one and father felt inclined to repay his many debts to this honorable man by making him my squire. He will be fighting alongside us if there is to be a battle between Malcolm and Deceiver.”
Sir Claude instantly looked threatened and enraged. “You think that just because you do a few good deeds that you can be worthy of the honor of becoming a knight?” he asked Nate, who looked just as angry as him.
“I do not pretend that I am worthy of any graces shown to me by the king or the crown prince, or even you. And I did not even ask for a reward. It was given freely and I am grateful for it.” Nate, though probably very offended by Sir Claude’s pompous arrogance, kept his tone as polite and cordial as possible, even when his eyes conveyed otherwise.
Sir Claude looked Nate up and down and chuckled in cynical amusement. “Well, let’s see if you would survive a real battle. My skill against yours. What do you say?” the knight proposed, walking over to the cart that held the practice weapons and pulling out two swords.
Nate smirked evilly. “I would be glad to. Do you wish to fight with or without armor?”
“Whichever you prefer, Nathan,” the knight said, tossing one sword to him, while holding his own in a very aristocratic fashion. Nate was repulsed by this man’s proud attitude.
Nate stuck his sword in the ground and began untying the straps and unfastening the buckles upon his armor, letting it all fall to the ground. Only then, did he draw his sword up and poise himself for combat. Nate knew exactly who this man was and he had no sympathy for him at all. If it were up to him, they would be having a real duel with metal swords instead of wooden ones.
No doubt, Sir Claude would be somewhat of a better fighter than he, but so was Sir Jacob back in Daleth. Nate planned to use his best techniques. Justin, wary of what was going to happen, led the horse to his stall and stood close by, hoping to stop them from killing each other if needed. Kiara, still hiding behind the column, watched with horrified expectation. She considered the men equally matched.
Sir Claude lifted his sword and tapped it teasingly against Nate’s as they circled each other, waiting for the other to throw the first strike. Nate, trying to keep his anger on a tight rein, refused to strike first. Sir Claude, wishing to get this lesson over with, went ahead and tested Nate by swinging his sword to hit Nate in the side.
Nate blocked it easily enough and moved out of the way before twisting his wrist around to send the sword flying into a downward strike toward Sir Claude’s shoulder. But, the knight was too quick and whipped his sword back around to block and parry it down to one side. Then, Sir Claude tried to slice at Nate’s ear, but the rogue ducked and tumbled out of the way agilely.
Sir Claude paused and nodded his approval of the interesting avoidance maneuver. “Very nice. You’ve fought before, I assume.”
“I’ve had to fight off thugs and bandits since I was eight. You have to learn to fight to survive,” Nate replied, his sword at the ready.
The knight chuckled at the squire and approached him cautiously. Nate, knowing better than to give his back to the enemy, led Sir Claude in a circle.
Sir Claude came at him with several overhead strikes, but Nate parried them all to the side. The knight tried to catch him off guard by swiftly swinging the sword up from below, but Nate blocked it once more before Sir Claude tried to thrust forward. Nate only stepped to the side and parried it around, trying to slice into the knight’s side at the same time, but that blow was blocked. All these moves happened so fast that Kiara had to force herself not to flinch from the loud thuds that echoed in the courtyard from the clashing wood.
The knight came out once again with full force in an overhead strike, but Nate blocked it once more. The tension between the two swords was so intense that their wooden blades stayed fixed like that for a few long agonizing seconds. Then, Nate pushed Sir Claude to the side, sending him rolling on the ground.
In hopes to surprise the knight, Nate quickly leapt forward to hit Sir Claude across the chest. But, Sir Claude, even in his aging years, rolled over and intercepted the blow and kicked Nate in the calf, sending the novice squire down onto his knees. This gave Sir Claude enough time to get up and strike again. Nate, with youthful energy, sprang back up and blocked the attack.
Their blades locked again as the two stood, glaring viciously at each other. Kiara and Justin could feel the anger and adrenaline upon the fighting field. Sir Claude slid his blade forward to stab the boy in the chest, but Nate quickly spun around to avoid the tip, swinging his sword at Sir Claude’s back. The knight could not be fooled and countered swiftly by spinning back around himself and blocked it.
Nate swung for Sir Claude’s feet. The knight blocked and swung his sword around, taking Nate’s sword with him so that both tips were lodged into the ground. Kiara had never seen Nate so equally matched. The match would have been over by now if his opponent had been someone else. Sir Claude came up swiftly and swung to hit Nate in the neck, but the boy ducked and stepped around and behind the knight.
Sir Claude sent his sword downward to stab Nate in the leg, but Nate moved too quickly and they were out of range again. They faced each other, both panting and determined to emerge triumphant over the other. The swords twice clashed in two long swings.
When they stepped back again for a breather, Sir Claude did something unexpected and changed his hold on the hilt of the sword like one might hold a knife, ready to stab. Nate didn’t let this deter him as he stepped forward and swung for Sir Claude’s head. The knight blocked it and made a similar strike, but Nate blocked it again. Kiara found herself biting her lip at the excitement.
Sir Claude came at Nate rapidly with downward swipes, but Nate blocked them all, accidentally backing up away from his opponent like he knew he shouldn’t have. Sir Claude spun around to stab Nate in the gut, but he blocked it while twirling himself around to slice Sir Claude in the back. The knight was too quick, turned about and blocked it again. Not one strike had met its mark yet.
Then, the knight who should have had more honor in combat, came around and struck Nate across the jaw with his fist. Kiara gasped and took a step forward like she would run out to the field, but she restrained herself. Nate fell to the ground with a grunt of pain and rage.
Sir Claude chuckled and stood back to give the boy time to get up. Nate staggered to his feet, feeling slightly dizzy and disoriented. He rubbed his jaw and scowled at the knight. The man only smirked evilly at the boy and readied himself to continue.
Nate wasn’t about to turn down the rest of the fight, so he set himself at ready again. He came at Sir Claude with an overhead strike, but the knight blocked it and came around with a side swing. Nate parried it between them and came back again for an overhead strike, but Sir Claude was relentless and his sword followed Nate’s without fail.
Nate tried once more and made to hit Sir Claude in the side, but the knight blocked it and hit the boy in the jaw once more. Nate was halfway down on his knees before Sir Claude slapped him in the other direction and flung him to the ground. The squire’s sword fell from his grasp.
Sir Claude would not stop there and kicked Nate in his stomach, rolling him over onto his back. Nate panted and groaned as Sir Claude pointed his sword tip right at Nate’s throat.
“If you can’t beat me, boy, you’re no match for the Deceiver,” Sir Claude growled menacingly. He chuckled at Nate’s furious expression and looked up to Justin, who was watching the whole affair with a certain benevolent tolerance. He did not agree with Sir Claude’s fighting style, but it was effective. Kiara watched Nate with her hand over her mouth.
“I’m a little disappointed, Justin. I thought you would have had better sense to pick someone with better
potential than this,” the knight said, withdrawing his blade and tossing it to the ground, stepping back to let Nate stand to his feet.
“He has potential, Sir Claude. He’s just tired. He’s still recovering from a long journey,” Justin said, walking over to pick up the two wooden swords.
Sir Claude chuckled and eyed Nate with a judgmental air. “Or a late night at the tavern.”
Nate’s fury was about to get the better of him. How dare this man suggest such a thing? His face wrinkled in rage and his chest heaved with anger for Sir Claude. His hand fell on the hilt of his dagger that was tied at his waist. Kiara saw this look and knew what he was thinking. She forced herself to look calm before stepping onto the field.
“Good morning, my lords!” she called out, hurrying over to the three men to curtsy and smile like a proper lady should.
Nate’s rage melted away as he looked upon Kiara’s lovely face. Justin cocked an eyebrow at all three and nodded his greeting to her, but stepped away to get out of this love triangle. Sir Claude’s face brightened as he stepped forward with a low and humble bow. It was as if the man had two faces. Kiara at least had the benefit of seeing both.
“Good morning, my lady,” he said gently, taking her left hand in his and kissing it. Nate sighed and bowed in a resign manner, knowing that now was not the time or the place to lose his temper.
Sir Claude looked down to her hand and saw something out of place. “The ring I gave you is missing. What happened to it?” he asked, looking up to her with a worried expression thinking that she had lost it.
“It was too small. I have it up in my chamber, but I haven’t had the chance to go and get it fitted yet. I apologize,” she replied with a polite tone.
“Oh, that’s alright. There’s plenty of time for that. I am very glad to see you, my lady. There is much I’ve been meaning to talk to you about,” Sir Claude said, taking Kiara’s arm in his and pulling her away from the others.
Kiara looked over her shoulder to Nate, wishing she could stay and gave him a reassuring smile. Nate stood in the courtyard and gave her a weak grin in return, but rubbed his jaw sorely, knowing there might be a bruise there tomorrow.
The Princess and Her Rogue Page 48
