Opening Moves (The Lion Knight Book 1)

by Aurelius L. Zero

  The falcon circled the shore twice before landing on a nearby rock, keenly watching Leon.

  Staring at the bird questioningly, Leon’s tired eyes scanned his surroundings, trying to uncover what the bird was leading him to.

  He found the reason in short order.

  Eyes widening significantly as he beheld a girl about his age lying on the river bank face down, clearly unconscious.

  Stumbling over to the girl, Leon called out to her, trying not to alarm the girl in the event she was just asleep, as unlikely as the case may have been.

  “Hey! You okay down there?”

  Silence answered him. It was then broken by an indignant shriek from the nearby falcon. Staring at it, Leon could almost swear that the bird was mocking him.

  As if trying to validate his opinion, the bird screeched again before tilting its head in a manner akin to looking down on someone else.

  That bird’s laughing at me, I just know it is. I wonder how roast falcon will taste like.

  Face twitching in annoyance, Leon shook his head doing his best to banish his anger.

  I’m getting angry too easily now, never mind the oversized chicken, I have more important things to do.

  Stumbling over to the prone girl, Leon dropped to his knees and tried to shake the girl awake.

  Despite his less than gentle demeanour, the girl failed to give any kind of response other than a slight hitch in breath at being disturbed.

  Flipping her face up to get a better understanding of her condition. Leon got his first good look at the girl. And what he saw took his breath away.

  For a brief instant, Leon wasn’t sure if he held a flesh and blood human in his arms or an ephemeral fairy straight out of myth.

  Long silky black hair cascaded down her back framing a perfectly sculpted face. Full lips and a small button nose graced her features.

  Two thin eyebrows sat atop her brow and long eyelashes fluttered in the wind as her eyelids twitched sporadically, as though trapped in a dream.

  Save that her eyes were slightly red and puffy and her clothes were in tatters, the girl radiated nobility and in Leon’s opinion her beauty was something bards would sing tales about for generations to come.

  For a very brief moment, Leon was struck with the desire to uncover exactly what her lips tasted like.

  And just as quickly as the thought arose, he dispelled it with a hard slap to his face.

  Holy shit! What’s wrong with you man, she’s unconscious and a stranger to boot. I am not turning into the old man, not now not ever.

  Forcefully returning himself to reality, Leon did his best to avoid being distracted like that again.

  There was something about the girl that he didn’t quite understand though. He felt some kind of connection to her, as though he knew her from the past.

  But that was impossible, one he never had the opportunity to meet someone like this. And two, if he had met her in the past, there was no way he would have forgotten her.

  Despite that logic, the sense that he should know her persisted, his attraction to her went beyond just the physical, he was sure about that if nothing else.

  Cheek still stinging from the blow, Leon pressed the back of his hand against the unknown girl’s forehead before withdrawing it rapidly.

  The hell? She’s burning up. Furrowing his brows in confusion he stared at the girl, a mixture of suspicion and curiosity splashed across his features.

  This doesn’t make sense, the rest of her body is icy cold but her forehead is easily in excess of sixty degrees Celsius, ignoring the absurd temperature difference, any normal person would be dead at that temperature.

  SCREEEEEE

  An impatient shriek from the Vernium falcon overlooking them drew Leon back to reality.

  “Right, first things first, getting her someplace warm and… well that can be decided later.”

  Hauling the unconscious girl onto his back, Leon stumbled under the weight.

  Damn, she’s a lot heavier than she looks.

  Eventually he stabilised and rose to his feet. Turning to the falcon he shouted at his feathery tormentor.

  “Oi! Bird! You happen to know any nearby shelters for the knight, she isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. I’m too weak to move far like this and my liege won’t be able to escort us out of the forest, not in one piece at any rate.”

  SCREE

  Did it just snort at me?

  Puffing out its chest, the bird let out a small cry before taking to the skies. Circling Leon once it flew off into the treeline.

  Shrugging his shoulders and adjusting his load to a more comfortable position Leon followed after with his puppet close behind.

  Fortunately for the group, they encountered no further threats on their journey barring a few curious predators looking for an easy meal. A few swings from the knight’s blade was enough to encourage them to search for easier meals elsewhere.

  After what seemed like hours to Leon, they reached a small cave.

  Night had already enshrouded the forest and everything was covered in shadows. They barely made it before Leon ran out of flux to feed into his Ceph crystals for illumination.

  Leon was thankful for the respite the cave provided. Setting his comatose passenger against the cave wall, he began piling up dry branches to form a fire.

  Lighting up the pile of wood with a simple spell using the last of his flux reserves, he finally allowed himself a chance to relax as he lay against the wall opposite to the girl, basking in the warmth of the small campfire.

  The events of the day had drained him long before his impromptu journey down the river. First a long trek from the border to Albri, next a death match with some kind of living superweapon and then ‘his’ reappearance.

  Leaning his head back, Leon let out a sigh of exhaustion, his eyelids heavy and sleep threatening to claim him.

  Shaking away his tiredness for just that little bit longer. He rose shakily, vision swimming with every step he took.

  Can’t sleep yet, still need to check on the girl.

  Blurry eyes turning to stare at his other human companion. A small smile slipped across his face as he saw her sleeping peacefully, letting out soft breaths every few seconds.

  Clearly her rest was undisturbed by the journey there.

  Placing the back of his hand against her forehead once more, he was relieved that her inexplicable fever from earlier had disappeared.

  Good, she’s not burning up any more. Not sure what that earlier temperature was all about but I can ask her when she wakes.

  Noticing the falcon was still staring at him with a tilted head, Leon simply sighed and answered the bird’s questioning gaze despite feeling like a fool all the way.

  “The girl’s fine, from what I can see, she’s just sleeping, her fever’s gone and until she wakes or we get her to a doctor in Albri tomorrow there isn’t any way to tell if she’s hurt anywhere else. For the time being it’s best to leave her alone lest we mess anything up.”

  Another wave of sleepiness washed over Leon and he fell to one knee.

  “Shit, I’m at my limit. My liege will hunt for some food so we don’t go hungry. If you really can understand me, I am aware that your kind has superior night vision, please do go with him as assistance.”

  SCREEEE

  The falcon took flight and followed the knight puppet out the cave, presumably to aid in the hunt.

  Heh, I guess it really does understand me. Now… some *yawn* shut eye….

  Confident in the campfire’s ability to keep out any unwanted intruders, Leon took one last look at his sole remaining companion before allowing sleep to wash over his tired body.

  -*-

  The aroma of meat cooking wafted into Leon’s nose and roused him from his rest. Blinking away the last dredges of sleep, Leon surveyed the area.

  The forest was still dark but with then the place wasn’t called the Umbra forest for no reason, it was impossible for Leon to tell how much time had passed since h
e fell asleep.

  Beside him though, his puppet had returned and the falcon was perched on its shoulder, both watching the boar cooking on the campfire. Clearly their hunt was a success.

  Directly across from him, the girl was still sound asleep. Despite himself, Leon found that sight to be most charming and he was unable to tear his eyes away.

  Giving up the futile struggle, Leon chose to relax and continue watching while waiting for the meat to cook, banishing the small tinge of guilt and disgust at his actions.

  After a further fifteen minutes of relative silence, the only sounds being the crackle of the fire and the sizzling of fat, the boar was fully cooked and ready for consumption.

  Finally it’s done, not quite world class cuisine but beggars can’t be choosers.

  Besides this is fine dining compared to the muck Libra makes.

  The growling of Leon’s stomach betrayed his anticipation, pulling out his camping knife, Leon begin to divide up the boar for consumption.

  “Ah what the hell, for your help here you go.”

  Throwing a choice piece of meat to the bird, Leon chuckled as it let out a happy screech and immediately began tearing into the meal.

  Carving off another three pieces, Leon set the meat onto several large leaves in lieu of plates.

  One for me, one for sleeping beauty and one for the puppet, if only for show.

  Placing one set next to the still slumbering girl, he began to satisfy his hunger while commanding his puppet to follow suit lest any hidden observer be curious about the knight’s true identity.

  Evidently the sound of eating and or the smell of the meal was enough to do what Leon failed to earlier. A small twitch of the girl’s fingers was the first sign of her return to the waking world.

  A small frown crossed her face as she daintily brought one arm up to rub her eyes before opening them.

  Once more Leon was struck speechless.

  Eyes of the purest gold he had ever seen stared right back into his own and he found himself again questioning if the girl was even human.

  “Ah, excuse me” a soft angelic voice came from her, “kind sirs, may I know as to whose company I have the honour of sharing?”

  Her question drew Leon out of his reverie and for a brief moment sent him into a panic.

  Oh crap. I completely forgot to give the knight a name. Damn, what do I do, what do I…. Ah! I got it!

  “Young miss it is good to see that you are awake. I am Geahart a wandering knight offering his services to whomever is in need of it. And this” pointing to Leon “is my squire Leon”

  Mentally congratulating himself on the quick save, Leon picked up from where his puppet left off.

  “Milady, it is an honour to make your acquaintance. It was this Vernium falcon that led us both to you. We found you washed ashore on the river bank unconscious and brought you with us to seek shelter for the night.”

  Pausing his meal, Leon dedicated most of his concentration to selling the illusion that the puppet was a flesh and blood knight.

  This time round, Libra was no longer around to cover for the teen and this would be the first of many steps on his journey to become the world’s greatest puppeteer.

  Using the minutest of hand gestures, he began directing his puppet while retaining eye contact with the girl. His flux reserves still too low for a direct neural uplink and so he was left with the old fashioned way.

  With a single fluid motion, the knight set his half-finished dinner on the ground and began to question.

  “I have some questions that I need answered young miss. I am aware that you have been through an ordeal of sorts and I humbly apologize for my rudeness, but it is paramount that we clear the air.”

  SCREEEEE?

  The falcon took off from the knight’s shoulder and circled around the mystery girl before perching on her to watch the knight at work.

  “It’s not every day we come across a strange girl washed up along a river shore in the Umbra Forest of all places.”

  Glancing at the bird, he continued, “And accompanied by a Vernium falcon no less. I may be a foreigner but I am aware that it is a rare bird and hardly something most people would be traveling with.”

  “He.”

  Brows furrowing at the strange response from the girl

  “Excuse me?”

  “He not it. This Vernium falcon’s name is Valor. He is my most precious friend a-and I won’t let you take him from me!”

  Eyes widening in terror at the prospect of having her companion taken away from her, tears began to pool as she looked around searching for a way out.

  “Don’t take him from me please.” She pleaded voice quivering.

  I can’t lose anyone else, he’s all I have left.

  She finished in a soft voice, so soft that Leon barely caught her last words. Mentally beating himself up for having his words so horribly misconstrued as the broken tone threatened to tear his heart asunder.

  He spoke up once more trying to reassure the poor girl.

  “Milady, please calm down. No one’s going to be taking anything from you.”

  Pausing, he stopped to make sure his words had sunk in. once he saw the girl had calmed down somewhat he let out a barely audible sigh of relief.

  “Okay… just a few questions and then we’re done.”

  Once the girl had nodded her consent, he breathed easier and decided to allow her a chance to speak up for herself first.

  “M-my n-name is Noire. I am a noble of Albion.”

  As she spoke, she became visibly calmer with each word. Her eyes grew dark as she recounted her tale.

  “My dear uncle wishes to have me removed from the line of succession… by any means necessary.”

  A bitter smile slipped across her face, jarring Leon badly.

  Such an ugly expression does not belong on one such as her.

  “My-my friends, the-they stayed behind to buy me time to escape. An-and….”

  Hugging Valor to her chest, Noire was on the verge of bursting into tears once again.

  “They’re all g-gone now, Yu-yulia, Aria, I’m… I’m so sorry. Valor is all I have left.”

  Ah shit, I made her cry again. I’m going to hell for this.

  She could have been lying, things might not have been as clear cut as she was making them out to be. He’d heard enough stories from Libra about people who could spin such fine yarn wars had been started over their falsehoods.

  But still, something about the crying girl before him pulled at his heartstrings. The same connection he’d felt when he found her earlier was in full swing now, and he felt compelled to assist her.

  Once he realised where his thoughts were taking him, he gave a short sigh.

  Libra would probably give him another painful crash course on making ‘impulsive stupid ass’ decisions. He didn’t quite know how he was going to explain all this but his mind was set.

  As his fingers twitched and his puppet moved to do his bidding, a small part of him hoped whatever connection there was wouldn’t cause him to jump off a cliff for the girl.

  He knew, oh he knew what he was doing was irrational, but he had no way to stop it. And frankly, he had no desire to do so.

  “I see…so your uncle wishes to steal your birth right? I never thought I’d see that happening in Albion of all places, such political wrangling is more suited to the Empire’s palaces.”

  Sweeping his gaze across the cave, the knight seemingly coming to a decision and rose to his feet.

  The flickering firelight reflecting off his form made him a most imposing sight indeed.

  “Well Lady Noire, it goes against my code of honour to allow such injustice to stand. If you will have us, we will serve as your protectors.”

  “Y-you will help me?”

  “We will if you should accept us.”

  “I have no money to pay.”

  “We help those who cannot help themselves, money isn’t an issue.”

  “I, I should not impose.…
”

  “And you won’t. I swore on my honour when I set out on my journey years ago that I would give aid to all who needed it. Right now, that’s you.”

  Drawing in a sharp breath, Noire’s determination seemed to be kindled by the knight’s declaration. Hardening her expression, she accepted the puppets offer in a manner reticent of a queen.

  “Very well. I, Noire accept your resolve. Sir Geahart and Squire Leon, you shall be my sword and shield to protect me from my enemies and to aid the people of Albion. I hereby accept your pledge of service.”

  SCREEEEEEE

  Valor, still clutched in her arms let out a triumphant screech at that declaration.

  At that Leon felt a weight lift from his heart.

  Hmm, aiding her as well as finishing my assignment is going to be difficult.

  No choice, I made this decision and the lord as my witness I will uphold my responsibilities.

  Giving Noire a small round of applause, Leon spoke up again, “It is our honour to aid you, for now though, we’re stuck in this cave until noon where it is bright enough to see the path out of here.”

  Smiling he pointed to the still untouched and cooling piece of meat by Noire’s side.

  “Until then it is probably for the best if you eat something. You’ve been unconscious for a long while and you’ve clearly been through a lot. Surely you must be hungry, and even if you aren’t you should eat something to keep your strength up. It is going to be a long walk back to Albri.”

  As if on cue, Noire’s stomach let out a growl and she blushed scarlet.

  It… I… oooh… ahh…. Damn it, get a hold of yourself man! Don’t do anything stupid.

  At that sight, Leon had to do his best to resist the urge to start screaming about cuteness overload and his mind shut down temporarily.

  With great willpower, he managed to direct the puppet to resume its meal as he did the same while keeping his face impassive. He triumphed at forcing any improper thoughts out of his mind… to an extent at any rate.

  Letting none of his thoughts show on his face, he sat back against the wall content to simply watch Noire do her best to scarf down her meal without losing her dignity.

  Seeing as the previously tense atmosphere had mostly dispelled, Leon decided to ask a question that had been bugging him for a while. “Miss Noire, may I inquire something of you?”