The Trinity of Heroes (I Will Protect You Book 1)

by Mason Jr. , Jared

  “Remember when I mentioned that special spot that night at the Silver Shield? If you hadn’t left before I could say something, I was going to take you there. I want you to go there with me after my training.”

  “Yes, Lawrence. I’ll be waiting for you.”

  Lawrence and Elsie both shared a smile before Lawrence headed up the stairs to see his mother and gather his things. Lawrence opened the door to his mother’s room and saw her sitting in a padded royal chair looking happy and comfortable. In the months that she had spent in the castle, Elizabeth had eaten better and felt better with each passing day. She knew she could never make a full recovery and that this condition would eventually follow her to her grave, but for the time being, she lived without the constant stress and hardship that she had endured before. Lawrence could see her spirit somewhat reinvigorated with life and energy, but her body was still weak and she was still fragile. The sum of three years of living in squalor would not be erased so easily and every day was still a new battle for her.

  She looked at her son and immediately noticed the sad look on his face. “Lawrence, my son, what’s wrong?” she asked.

  “I’m leaving to train, Mother. I just thought I should let you know that I will be living and training with Benni. I will visit you everyday.”

  “Oh, Lawrence, come here,” she said, waving him over. She took him in her arms. “I love you very much, son, and I am confident that things will go well for you. Be sure to eat well and wash whenever you can. I have no doubt that you will become a great Knight.”

  “Thank you, Mother; I can always count on you for support. But lately I just don’t know anymore…” Lawrence’s voice trailed off.

  “What do you mean, Lawrence?” she asked. A look of concern morphed over her wrinkled face.

  “Now that you are here and feeling better, I don’t really feel that I have a reason for being in the Knight Guard anymore.”

  “No reason? What about Haile? What about Benni and Razzius? Lawrence, what about the Pyre family? What about Elsie?”

  Her last question hit him like an arrow from the mightiest bow. Elsie! Lawrence could actually feel his heart skip a beat and he didn’t know how to respond. It was as if his mother had just opened the flood gates to his mind and these questions were flowing through him all at once. Lawrence tried to respond, but his mouth and voice would not obey. He didn’t know what to say to his mother; he didn’t know how to respond to any of her questions. Did any of these things matter to him?

  “Lawrence, I love you. I want you to make sure that if you stay in the Knight Guard, that you do it for the right reasons. I married your father for the right reasons. I wanted a family, and just as importantly, I loved him. I loved him more than anything, and I still do. Lawrence, I want you to make sure that if you stay in the guard, that you have a real reason for being there, and that you fight for that reason and hold it dear to you for the rest of your life. Do you understand, Lawrence?”

  Lawrence nodded his head. “I do, Mother.”

  They spent the next several moments locked in an embrace. Eventually, Lawrence separated himself from Elizabeth’s firm hug and said, “Well, Mother, I best be on my way to Benni’s house. Wish me luck!”

  “Good luck, Lawrence,” Elizabeth said with a smile.

  Lawrence turned around and walked out of her room with tears beginning to form in his eyes. Lawrence knew it was time and he began to pack his things. An hour later he had left the castle and was on his way to Benni’s house. He really didn’t know what to expect, but Lawrence knew that Benni had a very caring family and could only hope that he would be welcomed with open arms. As he walked to Benni’s house he couldn’t get Elsie, or the promise that he made to her, out of his mind. He arrived at the Wakewood home and knocked on the door.

  “You don’t have to knock, you live here now!” a joyous, female voice called from inside.

  Lawrence pushed the door open and an inviting, comforting scene flooded his vision. The main room was a quaint kitchen with a round table that seated four, but a fifth chair had been brought in. Just off to the right hand corner, a fireplace had a modest fire burning inside of it. Lawrence looked around for a moment and saw the voice’s owner; it was Benni’s mother, Helen. She was busy tidying up the kitchen and preparing a large feast. The short, rotund woman moved gracefully in the kitchen. Her curly black hair was peppered with flour and her hands moved from one utensil to another. She looked up from her task and smiled at Lawrence. “Benni already told me that you’d be staying with us, Lawrence. Don’t worry about a thing. You are welcome to stay here as long as you like.”

  Lawrence didn’t know what to say, he was so lucky to have a good friend like Benni. And now, even his family was helping Lawrence in his time of need.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Wakewood.”

  “Lawrence, you’ll be sharing a room with Benni. Just move your things up there and then head out back. But be careful, Benni and Nicholas are training.”

  “Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.”

  Lawrence rushed up the stairs and dropped his things off. Moments later he was at the back door of the house. He walked outside and noticed Nicholas and Benni preparing for combat. The two were locked in a stare down and the tension was palpable. They stood there for a moment without even so much as a twitch.

  Suddenly, Nicholas charged straight at Benni, and brought his sword in contact with his son’s. Sparks erupted from both blades. The two were now fully engaged in combat, and as Lawrence watched he saw something that he longed for so greatly. Benni had a father to train with. Nicholas was a hefty, stout man. He had a solid build with a slight potbelly. His skin was tanned and his hands were rugged and strong from years of working as a stonemason.

  Nicholas took a step back, freeing his sword from Benni’s. “Come on, son, you have to be faster than that!”

  A moment later, Benni stepped in and slashed at his father. Nicholas parried his attack, causing more sparks to fly. Before Benni could respond, Nicholas pushed forward, ramming his shoulder into Benni’s chest, launching him backwards through the air. Benni hit the ground with a hard thud. Benni quickly positioned his prone body to face his father so that he could do battle on his back if need be.

  Nicholas approached him, raising his sword to strike. “See there, son, you got too carried away with that wild swing. You should go for a shorter attack and clear yourself some more room between us. Big swings are meant to be taken by big swords. You should know better, son! But you didn’t, did you?” He swung and missed, and his sword stuck in the ground.

  Benni moved his legs apart and then kicked off of Nicholas’ blade and rolled backwards. Benni immediately regained his composure and pressed forward, slapping the side of his sword hard against his father’s cheek. “Big swings leave you open, Father, you should have known that. But you didn’t, did you?” Benni got around behind Nicholas and proceeded to put him in a rear choke. Benni could feel his muscles stretch and expand to cover his father’s muscular neck.

  Moments after Benni locked in the hold, a mischievous smile crossed Nicholas’ face. He stood up with Benni now latched onto his back, holding on with his arms and both legs as he struggled to maintain his submission maneuver. Nicholas turned and swung himself around so his back faced their tool shed. Benni soon realized that keeping this hold meant some serious pain. Nicholas backed toward the shed and rammed Benni into it.

  “Arrrggggggh!” Benni shouted. Lawrence could only imagine the kind of pain he must have felt. Again and again Nicholas continued to bash and crush Benni against the sturdy wooden structure. But Benni’s submission hold, however, had had some adverse effects on Nicholas, who was beginning to stumble and gasp for air. With no weapon, Benni knew he would have to resort to hand to hand combat after dismounting his father, which he did as his father attempted to ram him into the shed one more time. He pushed off of the shed and front flipped over his father, who was still winded from the effects of the submission techniqu
e.

  Benni planted his feet and waited for his father to turn around. As he did he let loose one punch that sent Nicholas into the shed. Lawrence couldn’t believe how strong Benni was for seventeen years old. It was as if Benni was made for brawling and survival fighting. His father, while no Knight, was a stonemason, and could hold his own in combat with even the strongest and most elite of warriors. Nicholas was stocky and his muscles were a testament to his overall strength and ability.

  Nicholas recovered quickly, and now that air flowed to his lungs freely once more, he was again ready for more action. Benni approached to strike again, but this time Nicholas caught his punch mid-air and moved in close. He followed up by using the same maneuver that Benni had used on Lawrence earlier; only this time when he tried to put his hand on Benni’s face, Benni avoided it with ease and slipped out of his father’s takedown attempt.

  “I didn’t think you would get free this time Benni. I am impressed!” Nicolas roared with a smile.

  “It’ll take more than that to put me down, Father. What else have you got?”

  Another proud smile came across his father’s face. He approached again, and this time he threw a punch of his own. Benni brought up his hands to block, and as their hands met, Benni felt a sharp stinging flow through his wrists and arms. Compared to Benni’s hands and arms, Nicholas’ were gargantuan. They were littered with calluses and cuts from his daily work. The man was well accustomed to pain, and the little bit of damage that Benni could do to him was nothing more than a drop in the bucket of Nicholas’ veritable well of bodily torture.

  The attack clearly threw Benni off balance and Nicholas took advantage. Like a snake he weaved his way toward Benni, and threw another punch at his son. Benni was lucky enough to stagger around this one and was able to throw a few punches into his father’s ribs.

  “Grrah!” Nicholas roared as Benni’s punches sank deep into his sides.

  Lawrence had been unable to move during this entire exchange. He was dumbfounded that anyone could ever train this intensely. In his entire life, Lawrence had never once trained like this, and it made him question whether he was cut out for it.

  Benni and Nicholas took their stances again and Benni glanced over at Lawrence. “Father, I see that Lawrence is here. Shall we call it a draw for now?”

  “I suppose,” Nicolas responded, “but next time you won’t be so lucky!”

  The two approached each other and ended their duel with a handshake, but not before Nicholas pulled Benni in close. “Next time, don’t be so quick to let go of your submission, son. You almost had me there, you know.”

  “I didn’t want to hurt you, Father. It’s not like you were actually going to kill me.”

  “Benni, you must fight every battle as though your life depends on it, because some day, it may.”

  “Yes, Father,” Benni replied humbly.

  The two turned to face Lawrence. “So, Lawrence, my son tells me that you are here to train with him. Is that so?”

  “Yes, Mr. Wakewood. Benni had noticed that my training was becoming lackluster, so he asked me to come live here with him to train. I’m hoping that doing something like the two of you just did will help me recover faster, and build my strength back to where it once was. Otherwise, I don’t know if I will be able to survive in the Knight Guard.”

  “Stick it out with us, Lawrence, and I guarantee you that you will be just fine. I am going to warn you though; I won’t be going easy on you. You are going to do the exact same jobs and exercises that Benni does, and you will complete each task. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, sir, I will do whatever it takes.”

  “Let’s head inside, I smell dinner,” Benni interrupted.

  The three of them walked into the house and entered the dining room where Helen was filling plates with food. A fifth plate was set and Lawrence was officially part of the family. Suddenly, Lawrence heard a high pitched voice coming from upstairs.

  “Who’s that?” Lawrence asked, looking around confused.

  “That’s Fairen, my younger brother. He’s only six, so go easy on him, Lawrence.”

  Just then Fairen burst into the room wearing Benni’s vest. “I’m Benni…Wa…Wake…Wakewood…I’m gonna defeat evil and save the princess!” he stuttered and stammered, just like any little boy imitating his big brother. Lawrence envied that about Benni; he had a little brother, something Lawrence wished dearly for. Fairen was a small boy with bright eyes and short blonde hair. He giggled with almost every step he took and he bubbled with energy.

  As Fairen turned and noticed Lawrence, he quickly turned back to Benni and questioned, “B-b-b-b-Benni, who’s this?”

  “This is Lawrence, a very close friend of mine. He is going to be staying here with us for a while.”

  Fairen’s wide, blue eyes lit up like a freshly ignited candle wick and he smiled. “Yay! I get to have another big brother!”

  Fairen’s words grabbed Lawrence’s attention immediately and he could feel a burst of pride swell up in his chest. He was happy at the thought of being someone’s big brother. He let out a slight smile as he extended a hand to Fairen who playfully obliged Lawrence’s gesture.

  Just then Helen’s voice interrupted the fun. “Alright, Fairen, take off Benni’s vest. It’s time for dinner.”

  “Yes, mama! I’m starving.”

  The small boy pulled off the gigantic vest and laid it across a nearby bench. He climbed up onto his chair that was just a little bit taller than everyone else’s. The entire family began to eat the meal of tasty chicken legs.

  “So, Father, tomorrow morning is our first day training with Lawrence. What’s going to be his first test?” Benni asked in between bites.

  Nicholas looked at his son for a moment, smiling. “You will both be coming with me to the stone mill to move boulders and assist with other jobs.”

  “Father, are you serious?” Benni looked shocked that his father would start them with such an arduous task.

  “Yes, son. Eat up boys. You will need all of your strength tomorrow.” He looked over at Lawrence. “Eat all you want, young man, tomorrow you will need all the energy you can get.”

  Lawrence reached for another helping. “Don’t worry about me, sir, I’ll make sure to eat my fill.”

  Lawrence reached across the food covered table and helped himself to another plate of chicken, fruits, vegetables and a fresh glass of milk. Lawrence almost felt like he was back in the castle, the spread was reminiscent of a royal meal. Lawrence wondered if this family ate like this all the time, or if this was just a sort of welcoming party for him. Lawrence chuckled to himself as he continued to eat his inaugural dinner. He felt like the richest man in Veronicia, even if it was only for one night. Lawrence knew that his training ahead would be intense, and he was constantly reminded as he looked at Benni and Nicholas that pain was a serious reality. Tomorrow his training would begin, and he hoped that by the end of it all he would have a newfound reason to be a Knight of Haile.

  Chapter 15:

  The next morning came quickly, and while Lawrence expected to sleep until the sun had at least crested the horizon, the sudden slap of cold steel against the side of his face awoke him from his slumber. Lawrence sat up suddenly and immediately saw the culprit; it was Benni. He stood there with a single candle burning in his hands and a wide smile across his face.

  “Shhh, don’t make a lot of noise, we don’t want to wake my mother. Let’s go, Lawrence; it is time to begin our training.”

  Lawrence was struggling already as he couldn’t find his pants in the dark room. Benni was fully dressed and wide awake, and he harassed Lawrence who searched frantically for his clothes. His mind was still cloudy and he tried to force himself to wake up quickly. Finally, after half of the candle had already burned down, Lawrence was dressed and ready to begin.

  As the two stepped out the front door of the house they were greeted by another familiar face; it was Nicholas. “Are you boys ready to go?” he asked, still sh
owing a little bit of extra patience on Lawrence’s behalf.

  “Yes, Father, we are ready,” Benni replied. He walked past Lawrence, giving him a little push to motivate him to move quicker.

  They walked through the still dark streets of Haile and headed to their destination: the stone mill where Nicholas worked every day. Nicholas turned to the two young men as they neared the entrance. “I don’t care if they ask you to lift the largest stones in the yard; you two better do exactly what they tell you! Lawrence, I realize that this is your first day here with us, but if you ever want to become stronger, this is the only way to do it.” He turned to Benni and said, “Son, I don’t mind if you help him out once in a while, but don’t be too quick to pull young Lawrence out of the fire.”

  Upon their arrival, the owner of the stone mill set all three of them to work moving stones, preparing mixtures and organizing the yard’s orders for the day. Lawrence started moving stones from one area to the next to help prepare for that day’s work, and as he picked up the first stone he could feel it almost immediately. His body began to betray him, aching and paining with every step he took. His body begged him to stop, but Lawrence knew he couldn’t. Within his first five minutes of work Lawrence had considered quitting at least a dozen times, and every time he did, one of two things came to his mind. The first was that of the shame that quitting would bring on him if he gave up so easily, while the second was one that brought with it a great confusion. Lawrence couldn’t figure out why, but every time he thought about quitting, Elsie’s face flashed in his mind. It was as if her very happiness hinged on his success, and if he ever wanted to return to the castle and see her for more than a fleeting moment, he needed to finish his jobs. Deep down Lawrence could feel a burst of adrenaline, and he labored to complete his tasks. He lifted and lugged the heavy stones for hours, their notorious clunk signifying that he was one step closer to surviving this ordeal. With just ten stones left, Lawrence could feel his muscles beginning to tense up, and it became hard for him to lift even the smaller stones.