Opening Moves (The Lion Knight Book 1)

by Aurelius L. Zero

  They had come clean with the old man about what was really going on in the kingdom and neither were able to anticipate such a reaction.

  Leon found the situation undeniably hilarious and was hard pressed to keep his guffaws in check.

  For a man with a relatively low opinion of the nobility of Albion, he had a surprising amount of reverence for the princess.

  Finally calming down, they managed to get back on track with their report.

  “My, my, I never thought I’d ever meet the princess in person, I’ve only ever heard about you from Chief Gustav, although I guess the bird should have been a giveaway. He did say that the two of you were almost inseparable after all.”

  Pulling out a memo pad, Regis started scribbling down a letter.

  “I understand you’re headed to Bose next to rescue your friend. I beseech you to do this old man one more favour. I don’t think there’s anyone in the region who missed the lightshow at the tower and I’ve tried calling for help from both the city and the border garrison but there’s a problem.”

  “Problem?”

  “The Empire’s forces are behaving strangely and the border guard can’t spare any men lest we have a repeat of six years ago. And when I tried contacting Bose, there was no reply. The telephone can’t connect to them at all. I don’t know what’s happening right now but this sudden loss of communication worries me. Bose is the technological hub of the kingdom and if something were to happen to it…”

  They stewed in silence as their minds processed the implications of such a disaster.

  More worry was building up inside Noire at the prospect that something might have happened to her dear friend imprisoned there.

  Hang on just a bit longer Aria, I’m coming for you.

  “In any case, even if it’s just a brief malfunction of their equipment, Chief Gustav needs to be updated about the events in the Vitae Tower. Someone needs to clear the tanks still parked outside the tower. Since the phone lines are down, I need you to deliver this letter to him. This way we can get the support needed to secure the region.”

  “Will do Elder.”

  Done penning his thoughts down, he tore out the sheet and handed the scrap to Leon.

  Taking a sip of his tea, his face turned darker ever so slightly.

  “Now, you said the Iron Wolves have been destroyed yes? What happened to that godless sonofabitch Allant?”

  Leon winced at that statement. Being the bearer of bad news never felt good, no matter the occasion.

  “My apologies Elder, but while Sir Geahart and I were engaging the Revenant, he woke up and escaped in the confusion. Although given the damage we dealt to him, I don’t think he’ll be causing anyone trouble anymore. On a side note, we did manage to retrieve his sword.”

  At that, Geahart drew the blade that had caused no end of grief, the luminescent sword was revealed to Elder Regis whose eyes widened considerably.

  “After the traitor broke my original sword, I claimed his by rights of conquest. Is… is something the matter Elder?”

  The cerulean knight inquired after noticing Regis’ odd reaction

  “Oh no no, nothing’s wrong, I just never thought I’d see that sword again. Not after Allant pried it from my bloody fingers anyway.”

  “Eh?”

  Pointing to the empty display case on his mantelpiece, Regis elucidated that the sword now in Geahart’s hands was a Seymour family heirloom.

  Found nearly six centuries in the past in a Zeonite ruin in present day Federation territory, it had been passed down from one heir to the next even as the Seymour family shifted from wandering nomads to farmers in Brune.

  “During the Empire’s invasion, I tried to use it to defend our home. Didn’t work out so well, on his way out Allant decided it would make an excellent trophy and took it by force. Never in a million years would I expect to see that sword again.”

  “I see, then let me return it to you then. My pride as a knight demands that I do so. I would that you had told me of the missing blade sooner, I could have given it back the day before.”

  “Oh no no, keep the blade.” Regis waved off Geahart’s attempts at returning the blade with a shake of his head.

  “It’s been gone for so long that it wouldn’t feel right for me to have it again. And besides, there was a prophecy written a long time ago that I would be the last of the Seymour line to wield it.”

  Giving a sigh and placing his cup of tea back on the table, he raised his trembling hands for all to see.

  “I’m old good Knight, too old to fight anymore. My granddaughter wishes to have nothing to do with the blade that failed to save her parents and once I’m gone she’ll just have it melted down for scrap or sold off. When Allant took my sword, I feared that the prophecy had come to pass. Now though, I am more than glad that it is in your hands, a nobler knight I have never met and the blade will serve you well in your struggles to come.”

  “You give me too much credit Elder Regis, I’m just a lowly travelling knight with neither lands nor titles to my name. All I wish is to aid as many as I can.”

  “And that is why you are worthy, too many knights are completely self-obsessed like Allant. A blade demands to be used Sir Geahart, in your hands I firmly believe it will be a force for good. Far more than if I just let it sit in a display case.”

  “If you’re sure.”

  “I am, in the few days you’ve been here, you’ve done more for the village than most anyone. You saved the rangers, children and my granddaughter when they were trapped in the Umbra Forest. You’ve done an excellent job of protecting the princess and lastly you’ve eradicated both the Iron Wolves and the Revenant, threats to the kingdom most would quail at the thought of facing.”

  Leon gave a subtle wince at the reminder that Loewe was really the one responsible for those deeds but nonetheless accepted the blade.

  An imperceptible twitch of his fingers had his puppet stowing the sword away.

  “The sword’s name is Ardentem, take care of it would you, consider it a small bonus for all your efforts here. The rest of your pay will be settled later and as for Allant himself… well I think he’ll get his just desserts soon, it’s just a feeling in these old bones.”

  With that, they were done with such heavy subject matter and the conversation moved on to lighter topics as the day wore on.

  -*-

  “Haaah… haaah… haaah… Denzel, what do we do now? The Iron wolves are gone and we’ve nothing left. Gaspard will have us executed for this failure he will.”

  Gulping down the last of his water as the noonday sun beat down on his back, Denzel looked back at his four remaining men.

  As fate would have it, they were the last of those who had defected from the Imperial war machine with him six years ago.

  “I don’t know Barry, I really don’t. For now we make for the nearest town to resupply. Then we head for the Federation, I don’t know how they’ll react to us but at the very least they shouldn’t execute us on sight like the Empire would if we tried to return.”

  “You think they’ll have use of sell-swords and deserters like us?”

  “Well we’ll have to find out won’t we? There’s no place for us here, and we can’t return to the Empire until we have a way to clear Master Wilhelm’s name.”

  Stowing his canteen, Denzel continued to trudge onwards, his men following hesitantly behind.

  He would find a way to clear his friend’s name even if it was the last thing he did.

  His heart was heavy though, six years of work had gone down the drain as a result of Allant’s foolishness.

  Any chance of using the Iron Wolves to support his quest for justice was gone now.

  And if what he heard was true, the ones responsible for the betrayal had already been iced by someone, getting the truth out of them would be impossible now.

  Dead men tell no tales after all.

  Silently reaffirming his resolve to seek justice, he tried his best to bring up the flagging
wills of his men.

  “The federation has no law against us mercenaries operating there and we’re not wanted by any of their member states. We could offer our services as body guards, earn our way up the ranks and then we might be able to put enough pressure on high command to reopen Master Wilhelm’s case.”

  “That won’t be necessary Denzel.”

  “WHAT! Who goes there?” Denzel shouted his challenge as the mercenaries drew their weapons and stood back to back in a circle.

  Guns at the ready, they were just waiting for their unseen intruder to show himself before thoroughly perforating him.

  “Come now, don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten me?”

  The air before Denzel rippled and seemed to peel apart.

  A figure clad in heavy black armour reminiscent of those of the Imperial knights walked out.

  Voice distorted by the full face helm and lacking any identifying insignia save a large wolf’s head emblazoned on his chest. Denzel could not recognise the man.

  With a series of colourful oaths, he unloaded his pistols into the newcomer as his men did the same.

  Their expressions went from angry to shock and surprise with a hint of fear as their rounds dissipated harmlessly upon impact.

  Holding up one hand to signal his men to stop shooting. Denzel directed an untrusting glare at the armoured man.

  “Who are you? You clearly know me but I have no idea as to who you’re supposed to be.”

  Distorted laughter came the man at Denzel’s questioning.

  “You don’t remember me? I’m hurt, surely the rest of you remember your old captain don’t you?”

  Removing his helmet with midway through his words.

  The face beneath that greeted the men was a most familiar one, burned into their memories a long time ago.

  Silver hair ran down his face in messy bangs.

  Two mismatched eye, one red and one purple stared at them.

  A slightly crooked nose sat upon his face and his lips were pursed into a line. A lone scar ran across the bridge of his nose.

  “Ca-captain Wilhelm is-is that you?” One of the mercenaries couldn’t help but blurt out upon seeing his face.

  “Well, it is good to see someone remembers me at the very least. Nice to see you all again, including you Denzel. Even if you managed to forget who I am, then again it has been six years.”

  The former vice-commander of the Iron Wolves was at a loss for words.

  “Bu-bu-but how? Master Wilhelm, how are you here? I heard you were incarcerated back in the Empire.”

  “Hmm, suffice to say, I had help escaping that land of treachery. Those responsible have already fed my blade. Now, you lot are in need of new employment no?”

  “Ye-yes sir!”

  “Good, you work for me now.” Donning his helm, Wilhelm addressed the men and drafted them all into his service.

  “From now on, you are a part of my Jaeger unit, The Fates. The pay’s good and you answer only to me. I heard about what happened to the rest of the Iron Wolves. Rest assured that won’t happen again, and as for the bastard Allant, he’ll get what’s coming to him. Now, come with me.”

  As one, the former Iron Wolves nodded their assent. A wave of Wilhelm’s arm later and they disappeared under the same cloaking spell that hid him.

  “One last thing, I don’t go by my old name anymore. From now on, call me * *”

  -*-

  Leon heaved a short sigh as he looked back at the village of Albri. Dawn had yet to fully break and the town still carried with it a sleepy atmosphere. His faithful puppet stood by his side.

  Packs slung over their shoulder, they were just waiting on Noire and Valor to arrive before they departed on their journey to Bose.

  Hey boy! Whenever you get this, leave for Bose. My work here is being bogged down, hopefully you haven’t run into any Jaegers or any of the random bullshit that seems to follow you wherever you go.

  I won’t be able to make it back to Albri so I’ll see you in Bose proper.

  Not much time left to talk, gotta go soon. I left some funds for you, use it to buy whatever you need. Make sure to keep up maintenance on your puppet yes? You don’t want it to fail on you when you need it most.

  Take care of yourself you hear. I don’t want to have to go find a new apprentice. Good ones are hard to come by these days and they’re getting more and more expensive.

  Oops, no time left, need to leave now.

  Oh and before I forget! Go find yourself a girl yeah? Make a man of yourself and do your old man proud. But uhhh, I don’t want no grandkids running around yet yes?

  Do keep that in mind, Libra out.

  A package had come in by courier the day before. Addressed to Leon, it contained a decent amount of cash and an audio crystal. Playing it back had left him that message and it was constantly circulating through his mind now.

  He hadn’t told Noire about it or his circumstances yet and he didn’t know if he could anytime soon. He himself didn’t know what to make of the situation.

  Libra… are you really Equinox? I need to know.

  The entire issue was a complicated one for Leon. On the one hand, he clearly saw his mentor as family, and if the message was anything to go by, the feeling was mutual.

  But on the other, if Libra really was Equinox, he was responsible for a great deal of tragedy in his young life. He didn’t know if he could look at Libra the same way ever again if it turned out to be true.

  As much as he wished that blob to be lying, in his heart of hearts he knew that wasn’t the case.

  His one wish now was that there was some kind of misunderstanding, that the man he’d grown to love and respect as a second father was not the monster he had grown up hating with all his being.

  One way or another, he’d get to the bottom of it all.

  “You told when we first arrived in Albri, that you would fill me in on the secrets you've been keeping if I grew stronger.”

  Staring down at his clenched fist, Leon could feel the power coursing within.

  “well, i'm stronger now, and you will tell me the truth.”

  “Squire Leon! Sir Geahart! I’m here now, sorry I’m late.”

  The princess of Albion came running up to them, slightly out of breath. Rapier at her side and Valor perched on her shoulders, she was ready to proceed.

  “It’s fine Lady Noire, my squire and I haven’t been waiting long. Come, let us make haste for Bose. Your friend awaits us there, let’s not keep her waiting any longer shall we?”

  “Yes!”

  SCREEEEEE

  Noire gave an enthusiastic smile and set off down the road with her guards walking behind.

  Leon spared the gates of Albri one last backwards glance before facing forward once more.

  Together, the three marched off for the technological capital of Albion to rescue the princess’s beleaguered lady in waiting, and deliver a message to the de facto mayor of Brune. None of them were naive enough to believe the forces arrayed against them were in anyway undone by the setbacks they suffered at the Vitae Tower.

  They might be defeated for now, but they’d be back, and in force. Until they defeated Noire’s uncle, they’d never find peace.

  But that was okay, they could come and he would beat them down as many times as needed. The road to victory was long and hard, but it was a road worth walking.

  Exchanging a glance with Noire, they headed down the main road towards an uncertain future, ready for whatever the morrow might bring.

  Destiny was calling… and they would answer.

  Epilogue

  Loud pants could be heard as a man ran through the trees.

  His broken arms dangling limply by his side, he dashed through the underbrush, sharp twigs and low lying branches scratching at his exposed flesh as he ran.

  Behind him, he could see the flickering lights belonging to the torches of his pursuers. Swearing under his breath, he made a sharp right and continued blundering through the tree
s.

  Darkness had robbed him of his vision and his polished armour only weighed him down.

  A single misstep threatened to end his flight prematurely and he unleashed a flurry of expletives that would have gotten him tossed out of any school as he just barely managed to right himself.

  Dishevelled hair was plastered to his face as the wind and rain lashed at him.

  His already impaired vision was rendered even worse as a stray lock of his hair whipped across his right eye and stayed there. With his arms in the state they were in, there was no way for him to remove them.

  Unable to do anything but curse as he ran on, hoping to find some reprieve from this nightmare soon.

  Tears of frustration streaked down his face, mingling with the torrential downpour as he noted the firelight still getting close to him.

  Bloody hell, they’re closing on me. No I won’t let them take me like this, I won’t!

  Missing a pothole in the darkness, he stepped right into it and was thrown forward. With his arms non-functioning, he was left to collapse and roll downhill.

  Sharp stones digging into the gaps between his armour and his damaged arms being battered even further on the way down.

  He was deposited at the bottom of the hill, gasping in pain as his every nerve screamed in protest.

  Clumsily pulling himself to his feet using a nearby tree for support, he staggered onwards in his quest to escape. Fear, frustration and anger were burning in his stomach.

  How the hell had everything gone wrong for him so fast? Just a few days ago he was granted the promotion he rightfully deserved after wasting away for so long as just another competent officer.

  Instead of it being his crowning glory and a stepping stone to new heights, it had completely unravelled in a matter of hours.

  His mouth set in a grim line and he bared his teeth just thinking about the one responsible for his predicament.

  Letting out a howl of indignation into the wind, he cursed the day that boy was ever born, him and his entire family.

  Not only had the boy prevented him from getting the girl and thus his reward, in a matter of hours he had torn apart his entire army.