Sentinels: Forsaken Knight (2 page)

            Arnold entered the room first and bowed his head low as he spoke. “My Lord, I present your daughter, Lady Anye, captain of the Holy Knights.”

            Lord Romulus Everdyne the Fifth was a politician of some renown throughout the kingdom and a close friend of the king. The Everdyne family was known to produce fine political figures throughout history, as well as talented soldiers that served in the royal army. Romulus himself had a head full of slicked-back gray hair and pointed eyebrows to match. His face was cleanly shaven, but the wrinkles in his skin gave away his ever growing age.

            Appropriately dressed for the hour, the nobleman wore a long red silk robe lined with golden thread. The seams were detailed with an intricate pattern that appeared to be woven from the same golden thread. His fingers were adorned with jeweled rings, and a silver necklace engraved with the family crest hung from his neck.

            The younger man sitting with Anye’s parents was dressed in typical business attire from what he had been doing throughout the day. He wore a blue coat with white trim along the edges with matching pants, which had been bloused into a pair of clean brown boots.

            Anye’s mother was slightly younger than her father, but kept her youthful beauty with an unhealthy amount of makeup. Her hair was up in a formal bun with loose strands curling down the sides of her face. She wore an evening gown woven from dark purple silk trimmed with a white frill with no discernible markings or patterns.

            Anye strode past her elderly companion and bowed down as a sign of respect, for her father and his station. When she spoke, a sound of disdain echoed in her voice. “You wished to see me, Father?” As she picked up her head she continued her greeting with a hint of annoyance. “Arnold informed me that it was an urgent matter that could not be delayed.”

            “Yes, Anye…” her father replied. “Our guest here is the son of count Melvus; Jean,” he explained with a simple gesture to the well-dressed young man sitting beside him.

            Jean Melvus looked slightly older than Anye, but he had already made a name for himself in the region’s political circles. Being the son of a prominent count of one of the territories under Delrich’s control had placed Jean in the public’s eye from childhood, so talk of the young man actively seeking a bride had already met Anye’s ears. From what she could see she wasn’t impressed.

            Jean stood and placed a hand across his waste as he bowed down, but kept his gaze locked squarely on Anye. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet with the famous Anye Everdyne of the Holy Knights,” he greeted.

            A small chill ran down Anye’s spine as her fears were realized. For years her father had sent possible suitors to Anye’s door, yet each one was met with a polite decline and sent on their way so she could go about her duties. She immediately intended to do the same to this one, no matter what his social status was.

            “The pleasure is mine, I’m sure,” Anye replied sarcastically as she looked at the well-dressed man. Shifting her gaze towards her father, she began to speak once more. “Father, with no disrespect, is this really what you sent Arnold out to get me for? Another suitor?”

            “Anye, you wound me,” Romulus replied as he placed his aged hand on his chest. “I’m merely looking out for your best interests.”

            “I do not want nor need you to be looking out for what you think my best interests are, Father,” Anye lashed. “If this was the only reason for you calling me here then I’ll take my leave. Good night.” Her temper, she realized, had almost eliminated the polite dismissal she had planned. "I'm sorry for my father wasting your time, Jean, but I am not interested in marriage at the moment." she said as she turned around to leave.

            Romulus’s face changed from a lighthearted smile to a rock solid sneer. As he rose from his chair his wrinkled hands changed to fists. “Anye Rosalynn Everdyne, you will not leave this estate until our business is concluded!” he yelled loudly.

            Anye stopped where she stood and turned back around to face the old man, meeting his eyes with her own. “And what business exactly would that be, Father? I’ve already given you my answer.”

            “I have already entered talks with Count Melvus, Anye,” he explained. “You and his son are to be wed. I’ve had enough of this foolish rebellion of yours. The Marshall boy was acceptable, but he is gone. It’s time to move on!”

            Anye’s eyes widened with rage. “How
dare
you speak of Leonard in such a way!? And I am a knight in the king’s service! You cannot force me to marry!”

            “Anye, I am a powerful man,” her father said quietly, though his anger was obvious. “I can end your service if I wish, and if you do not agree to this I will do so whether you like it or not.”

            The red haired girl looked back and forth from her mother, who was avoiding matching eyes with her, to her father. Her hands were in fists, trembling with fury. She was tempted to bear her sword against him out of pure rage and spite, but knew that would solve nothing.

            “I’m sure you’ll be quite happy with me,” Jean said quietly as he smiled. His grinning face only seemed to anger her more though, like he was insulting her.

            “Silence yourself, you pampered twit!” Anye spurted out at the man. “I do not wish to be wed to you nor anyone else! Father, if you think your threats will stop me from leaving, you are sorely mistaken.”

            Jean was taken aback, but Romulus grinned and chuckled slightly. “Did I mention that she has a bit of a temper?” he jokingly asked.

            Jean, with his face still full of surprise as he looked at the raging woman, slowly nodded his head. “Yes, you may have mentioned it.”

            “So, you will continue to rebel, Anye?” Romulus asked. “You intend to force my hand?”

            Anye glared angrily at her father, but knew full well that he wasn’t joking. A man in his position could end someone’s career instantly if they wished, as well as propel someone through the ranks of social status. She knew that her pride would never allow her to give in to his demands, though.

            “Good night, Father, Mother,” she muttered quietly. “I have my duties to attend to.” She turned around and walked out of the room, leaving Arnold standing alone before her parents.

            “Anye!” her father yelled out to her as he followed her to the open door. “Anye, if you walk out of this house you
will
regret it!”

            Anye continued her stride towards the main entrance and, without even turning around, opened the door and marched through it. She never had the intent of listening to what her father wanted, no matter what the consequences were. She was stubborn to the end, and knew that somehow she would get out of whatever it was the old man had planned.

______

            The walk back to the castle from the Everdyne estate was lengthy to say the least. Had it not been for a merchant traveling along the same road as her, Anye would have had to march the entire way back, a journey which would have taken until dawn easily. She was still irritated at her father’s latest attempt at forcing her into a marriage, but had calmed down considerably.

            As the merchant’s carriage rolled off Anye approached the main gate to the castle she was sworn to protect. It was an impressive display of architecture resting on a cliff overlooking the western sea. As the years went by it became more of a home for her than the family estate had ever been.

            An armored soldier wielding a pike approached her as she made her way towards the door. She wasn’t wearing her issued armor, but she was wearing one of her dress uniforms, so the guard on duty stopping her before granting her entrance was somewhat surprising.

            “Sorry miss,” a gruff sounding voice said from beneath the guard’s helmet. “The castle is off limits to civilians, especially at this hour.”

            “Stand down, guardsman,” Anye answered. She turned to face him without realizing that her sword was still strapped to her waist.

            “And what would a pretty girl such as yourself need with a sword?” the guard asked as he pointed to the blade. “Surly not to defend yourself,” he joked with a gruff laugh.

            “Watch your tongue, guardsman, or I’ll have you reported to your captain,” Anye replied slyly as she pulled part of her blade from its sheath, showing the insignia of the Holy Knights engraved in the steel; two crossed swords in front of a shield all within a circle surrounded by lines symbolizing the magic the unit used. “Now do you know who I am?”

            The guard, upon seeing the crest, immediately brought himself to attention. “Beg your pardon, Captain Everdyne,” the guard replied nervously. “I didn’t recognize you!”

            “At ease, Cole” she said with a sigh as the blade slid back inside its sheath. “How goes the night watch?”

            “Nothing new to report ma’am,” the guard replied with a salute. “Oh, but I was told that Captain Sturmwind was looking for you earlier. I think I heard him and Sir Astley training in the courtyard.”

            “Thank you, Cole,” Anye replied, although she was surprised at the report of her friend training in the middle of the night. Still, the news lifted her spirits slightly. “Return to your duties. I’ll find Glenn myself.”

            “Yes, ma’am.”

            Anye entered the castle grounds and looked up at the sky, taking in the sight of the stars and the moon. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been gone but fatigue was starting to get the better of her. She assumed it was sometime after midnight, but there was no way to be sure.

            As she continued to walk through the deserted castle grounds the sound of metal clanging grew louder. “It looks like Cole was right,” she mumbled to herself. A turn around another corner led her to the area where the kingdom’s lancers commonly trained, where she found the armored figures of Glenn Sturmwind and Amador Astley dueling with their lances. Rather than interrupt the bout she decided to watch the two for a moment before making her presence known.

            Glenn Sturmwind was a well-built man with light skin wearing a blue colored set of light armor. It was crafted out of a mix of leather and polished thin steel that reflected the moon’s light in an almost surreal sort of way. Rounded shoulder pads adorned the armor, protecting his arms from overhead assaults while helping to deflect enemy blows. Amador Astley’s armor was similar in design but was darkened steel with jagged edges and spikes along the shoulder pads.

            The choices in armor design were clear indicators of how different each fought when compared to the other. While Glenn preferred a more agile and defensive approach to combat, Amador used more power and strength to overwhelm his opponents. Both of the men had been recognized for their prowess and skill with the lance, but Glenn always seemed to come out on top when they were compared. A bitter rivalry formed between them over the years as a result, which had led to many fights similar to the one currently happening.

            After Glenn deflected some of Amador’s attacks, Anye saw that Glenn had noticed her. Several more jabs were made with Amador’s weapon, but Glenn dodged each one of them before leaping against a wall and pushing off of it, pinning his opponent down to the ground with his foot and knee. Holding the point of his weapon to Amador’s neck, he spoke.

            “Not bad,” Glenn said as he breathed heavily for air, “but still not good enough, either. I thought you would have learned to make sure you can actually live up to what you boast before running your mouth. You’re lucky I don’t have you reprimanded.”

            Anye grinned and slowly clapped her hands at the result of the duel. As she walked towards the pair, Glenn got to his feet and allowed Amador to get up. “Impressive, Glenn,” she commented, ignoring the irritated grunt coming from Amador.

            “Well thank you, Anye,” Glenn replied.

            “Well, if it isn’t the lovely Anye Everdyne,” Amador sneered as he picked up his lance.

            “That’s
Captain
Everdyne to you, lieutenant,” Anye replied. “I suggest you go clean yourself off. There’s mud on your armor.” Amador’s face started to match the angry expression she had seen on her father earlier in the night, but he remained silent and stormed off into the adjacent barracks. Turning her attention back to Glenn, she sighed. “I was told you wanted to see me?”

            “Ah yes,” Glenn answered as he cleared his throat. “I went to your quarters earlier but I saw you had to leave for your family’s estate. Is everything alright?”

            “It’s nothing. What did you want to see me for, Glenn?” Anye persisted. She didn’t want to seem cross but it was late and she didn’t feel like getting into a drawn out conversation with him, though a small part of her wanted to.

            “Sorry,” Glenn replied as he rubbed the back of his head. “His Highness, Prince Robert, will be leaving for Mitus’ capital city in the morning to negotiate terms of peace with the emperor.”

            “I know that already,” Anye replied. “We were tasked with selecting twenty soldiers from each of our units to act as an escort a week ago.”

            “Yes, well plans have changed,” Glenn said back to her. “King Justin wants you to go with them personally.” Anye was stricken with surprise, and gawped at her comrade in disbelief. “As you know, I was supposed to go, but His Majesty insisted that I remain here to protect the castle and send Amador with you instead.”

            “You’re serious, Glenn?” Anye asked with a sound of elation.

            “Quite…” Glenn raised an eyebrow at the woman as he observed her face go from shock to complete joy. “Why are you so happy about this?”

            Anye’s face was lit with glee. With news of the escort assignment she didn’t need to worry about her father or his schemes until she returned, and by that point she would have thought of a plan of her own to evade being caught in his marriage trap.