《Your Faithful Knight》 First Disgrace Winter is a merciless season which takes the life indiscriminately with the freezing temperatures, consuming the life of anything that wasn¡¯t prepared to face it. Even with all proper preparations, one would still feel cold and even fall ill. In those times, anybody with sane judgement would stay inside the walls of their homes or shelters. The barren and inhospitable land remained unpopulated. Many consider being exiled or thrown away into the barren land a cruel death sentence where one could slowly witness the fire of life being consumed by the cold. But everything has an opposite side. A mountain dressed in white is one of the many sights to behold, the frozen lakes and waterfalls. Artists could find inspiration from a tragedy but from a war it would twist into propaganda to get a reaction out from the population to rise the sense of belonging, brotherhood, nationalism and more. But every ounce of inspiration and romanticism would die the moment those souls set a foot onto the battlefield and come face to face with the true scenery of what war truly means. It should be lonely. Yet a single armored man didn¡¯t have the feeling of loneliness as he used his broadsword to support his weight while he kept moving forward, the cold white land didn¡¯t proportionate good company but for the bodies burrowed in the snow provided a morbid company to each one with a different face that told a different story with an unfortunate and early end. Unlike him, whose story has yet to end, whether his ending is happy or tragic matters not. But the present is engulfing his mind with doubt, as the winter slowly drains his life force with the sole intention of extinguishing his dim witting flame and embrace his body for the eternal slumber. The dangerous familiarity of the cold touching his vulnerable body despite wearing his armor and bear¡¯s force him to reenact memories dropping his mind more into the pits of despair yet he uses them to fuel his flame and move forward with renewed vigor helping him to ignore the cold and exhaustion. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. His gaze focused on what is in front of him and not of what is around him, the bodies of his fellow knights shall be immortalized in songs and poems from bards yet their bodies forgotten between the snow next to the scum who forced their hands. One vision isn¡¯t the best in the middle of the night, but the moonlight is strong enough to allow him to see the form of a makeshift camp, now abandoned and devoid of life. His gaze looks around, noticing a cooking pot and the food inside completely frozen solid. His mind lingers the thought of food and a warm meal, yet he still must rescue her highness, the sole reason of the sacrifice of his group and his only reason for his determination. He moved towards a tent and moves the thick curtain only to find animal skin piled up pretending to be some sort of bed; he moved towards another tent only to find the exact scenery than before but his search didn¡¯t stop even if it felt fruitless when the numbers of tents to search became few in numbers, his heart tightened as a knot formed in his throat when a horrible thought came to mind. If his deepest fear become true, then everything would have been for naught and he would have to surrender to the embrace of winter for the last time, the winter which has been waiting for him for a long time since he was merely a kid. His hand moves away from the curtain of the next tent and finds almost the same scenery, yet before he moves to another tent, his eyes catch the small mountain of skins and wool at the corner of the tent. He would have left for another tent if it wasn¡¯t for his instinct, like a call for him to approach that mess. His heart skipped a bit when he noticed the indigo hair as he approached. His heart ignited his flame in life again. Between the skin and other type of fabrics, he found her young highness hiding from the cold inside, asleep and ignorant of what had happened outside. Yet he couldn¡¯t return in the middle of the night with no means of fast transportation. Trying to do so in hostile lands would mean in certain death. With little choice, he left her highness inside the tent. His body was hit by the icy wave of winter again. Immediately, he reached for the other empty tents and tore them down for the fur that could provide any sort of warmth for the pair. He gathered the mantles along with pelts and carefully put them inside the tent to not wake her Highness Anneliese and expose her to the cold reality. With his job finished, he entered the improved tent and laid on the makeshift bed, allowing his body to rest after a long while of strenuous work and lengthy battles. Even if he completed his mission, he couldn¡¯t celebrate. Because he had nobody to celebrate with. Alone in the world once again. Second Disgrace Over the course of a year, seasons come and go. Such a natural occurrence is expected, especially when the next season is known for the awakening of a sleeping beauty, which is known as spring. The perfect season to remain outside and witness nature in her maximum beauty, but it was also the prime time for the younger generation to go outside and play with friends. Yet for a certain little princess having friends becomes quite the pickle since she is part of the royalty and the only kids fit to accompany her were part of the aristocracy who rather than enjoy their time as youngsters they spent their youth learning all aspects from being a noble. Lovely days couldn¡¯t be wasted indoors. Reason enough to assign caretakers willing to fill the void with the best of their abilities and give the youngest princess full access to the Royal gardens, a vast parcel filled with all kinds of flowers and harmless critters like bunnies. And so, with the caretaker¡¯s supervision, the little critters could only endure the antics of the youngster and use their little paws to escape the tiny grasp from the princess, leaving her even more excited to catch them. The caretakers would never let the princess catch one of those critters, since even the smallest of them might injure her. The many times she missed by a minimal margin was, in fact; the work of those two who were purposely scaring them off. Ignorant of the little harmless scheme, she keeps chasing and laughing to her heart''s content while exhausting her energy little by little. One after another escaped to the safety of the bushes or trees, leaving the gardens quite desolated however that didn¡¯t stop her from her personal quest and her eyes quickly found the next target that was a squirrel storing food. Disappointment all what can she feel when it ran away as soon as they made eye contact, with the excitement gone she soon felt exhaustion, her muscles aching while her young lungs demanded her to give them the so needed air and her throat became dry, thirsting for a refreshing cup of water. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Slowly, she let her body descend to the grass under her feet. ¡°Your highness, this is no place for you to rest. You might get sick.¡± One of her caretakers spoke out. Those warnings became deaf to her ears. The princess was truly tired, and the grass felt so comfortable under her; she could easily fall asleep on the fields, given the time. With the sun touching her delicate skin with so much care that it truly brings her comfort and a warm feeling inside enticing her to just lay down and close her eyes for a long while. ¡°Your highness, please hear them out.¡± She jumped in joy when her eyes noticed the black and grey long uniform of knights adorned with golden buttons all the way down, starting from the neck to the end of the long coat. Her gaze went up and connected with the warmth of his green eyes for a moment before looking away, her eyes wandering around, looking at his long black hair. ¡°Alynore!¡± Her joy to see him once again had her leap towards him and hug whatever her hands could reach, which ended up being his legs. Alynore chuckled as he caressed her head. Annelise could be compared to a cat if she intended to remain in the same position, clinging to the young knight''s leg. While such action didn¡¯t fit for royalty, a kid is a kid, after all. ¡°Your highness is a pleasure to see you.¡± Her knight gently caressed the well-maintained hair of the little princess below him who in response mused her joy, for some reason his touch feels right, but only after enjoying his touch for a couple of seconds she broke away with a serious yet cute expression showing her sudden displeasure towards him. ¡°Mmm... Alynore, call me Anne!¡± she reprimanded him as a faint blush painted her cheeks while her lips formed into a pout. He only smiled as a response. ¡°As you command, Anne.¡± Annelise giggled before leaving his side to run towards her caretakers and bring them closer. Both caretakers bowed in respect. ¡°Good morning Sir Alynore.¡± The young knight smiled again and bowed to reply in kind. ¡°Greetings. I hope I¡¯m not interrupting your duties.¡± Both women covered their mouths to suppress their innocent laughter and quickly dismissed his worries. ¡°Of course not, we are giving you permission to play with her Highness.¡± The princess¡¯ eyes shined with glee and lunged to the knight''s leg, giving a tight hug. ¡°You heard that Alynore?!¡± Alynore caressed the princess¡¯ head while easing her indigo hair, that was covering her innocence from the world to see. ¡°I try my best, Anne.¡± Third Disgrace The beauty of life and death can be measured with time. But time can be an ambiguous concept to many, both beautiful and terrifying, all depending on the person¡¯s perspective. Many children have the common wish to become older than soon as possible, while adults wish to revert in time and return to their days of youth, where they had no responsibilities weighing on their shoulders. But for the princess Annelise, it was the former. They had denied her multiple activities for her young age, which she was very interested in. One of them being the elegance of swordsmanship, a recently piqued interest after she watched her saviour knight fight in an exhibition time, but at least they promised her that in a couple of years she could start with the basic stances. In the meantime, they gave her a short wood sword to practice and play, a quite strange gift for a princess whose equals would prefer pretty dresses or jewelry. Princess Annelise since that day went to the gardens to swing her practice weapon repeatedly until sweat formed under her brow as her arms became heavy. Her caretakers were always close to provide her with water and warm clothes whenever they saw she needed their help. She swung her wood sword downwards with both hands like a lumberjack would cut logs, but she was only cutting the air repeatedly. She raised her weapon to strike again but met resistance, stopping her arms from moving an inch, followed by her weapon taken away from her hands. Annelise immediately turned to face the responsible one for taking away her joy and recovering her practice weapon. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Your Highness, that is not how you wield a sword and you shouldn¡¯t wield one as a member of royalty.¡± First there was a lot of joy when she saw her saviour again, but that was replaced, as she finally understood who was the one who stopped her from practicing. ¡°Give it back!¡± She jumped with hands extended, hoping to reach the wooden sword. ¡°I want to be strong! I want my name to be known across the world!¡± The knight didn¡¯t relent from his stance and his eyes shifted their attention to the approaching caretakers. ¡°There are many other ways to let your name spread, but this path doesn¡¯t suit her Highness¡¯ kind nature.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already chosen my path. I want to wield the sword just like you!¡± She pointed at Alynore with a smirk. ¡°Me?¡± The young knight was initially surprised but composed himself quickly enough to keep his stern face. The caretakers were close enough for him to hear their giggling and murmuring. ¡°My esteemed sister can rule this kingdom, but I shall protect it!¡± He kneeled, trying to be on the same height as her. ¡°Your highness, the path of the sword is not only filled with obstacles and challenges, is a path that only those with sufficient willpower can reach the end. You should focus on your studies on the magical arts and domestic affairs.¡± ¡°I shall not!¡± Annelise shouted before snatching her wooden sword from his hands in a swift motion and ran away deeper in the gardens, leaving her knight rather surprised by the sudden outburst. Her caretakers didn¡¯t lag behind and were already trying to catch the little princess before she tripped. For his case, he calmly walked in the direction where the princess ran, soon reaching the pavement and following the directions. The caretakers were standing, looking in his direction. He passed them and his view was greeted by the young princess, who was standing above a bench made of marble so she could see past the deck railings made of the same exquisite material, with the best view of the entire city below the castle walls. She immediately felt the flow of nature caress her skin and play with her long hair the moment she leaned on the deck railing, enjoying for a brief moment before raising her wooden sword pointing at the sky. ¡°This sword shall protect the innocent and slay those who mean harm!¡± Fifth Disgrace More time has passed for the young knight, with fortune on his side once again he could finally sit behind his very own desk inside a humble yet comfortable office given to him by his superiors as a reward, but the empty shelves around him didn¡¯t sit well with him. However, he was sure he would soon fill them with documents and books. But he was slightly saddened that he wouldn¡¯t have time to enjoy the small benefits as new ranks demand more responsibilities and a small pile of paperwork was already waiting above his desk. With little else to do, he grabbed the first file and placed it on his desk until the door of his office was thrown open with a child wearing a long indigo dress running inside, followed by two servants he had met before. ¡°What do I owe the honor of your visit, your highness?¡± He quickly addressed the young member of the royal family as any knight should address them. However, princess Anneleise, with her pre-teen like strength, stomped the floor. ¡°How many times must I tell you to call me Anne?¡± Her reaction earned a small laugh from the loyal man. ¡°I cannot break my code as a knight.¡± Princess Annelise giggled and walked up to Alynore¡¯s desk, showing her height to be tall enough for her to rest her elbows on it. ¡°But that¡¯s why I¡¯ve come to congratulate you on your promotion as First Lieutenant.¡± The new lieutenant stood up from his chair and gave the princess a bow. ¡°Is a great honor to have the princess to personally congratulate me. I assure you, I won¡¯t disappoint the faith the royal family puts upon my shoulders.¡± ¡°At this rate, you might become a commander, or even a general!¡± She exclaimed as she put a finger below her chin, pondering the implications. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. The young man nodded. ¡°Is a possibility, but I won¡¯t think of the future as only the present matters now.¡± ¡°But if you do become one, you will leave the capital.¡± The princess somehow could deduce the implications of a military promotion. He let out a long sigh and grabbed a specific document from his desk. ¡°I do have to leave your highness, after my promotion, they have assigned me to assist on the western frontier.¡± Document, which he handed to the princess, who didn¡¯t wait another second to eat the contents as fast as she could and threw the paper away. ¡°Mmmm, I don¡¯t like that.¡± She pouted with her arms crossed, an action that didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the caretakers who suppressed their amusement. The newly promoted lieutenant hit his chest right above where his heart should be. ¡°Is my duty as a knight to serve this kingdom.¡± The young princess looked down gently, biting her lower lip, her heart clouded with uncertainty as her limited mind raced for solution, until one idea finally brightened her face, giving her the strength to look him in the eye with confidence. ¡°What if I become your superior?¡± Alynore was taken by surprise momentarily, but just as fast regained his composure and kneeled in front of the princess, lowering his head in reverence as he extended one hand to her. ¡°Then I would gladly become your subordinate.¡± His declaration made her face break into a wide smile while her heart fluttered with excitement to the point of jumping in joy, but as a member of the royal family, she had to control herself. ¡°Is a promise then!¡± Then she turned around and proceeded to leave the small office room with her bodyguards and caretakers. Or that was her plan until her favorite knight loudly coughed twice, catching her attention. ¡°Your highness must first graduate from the military academy to be part of the military.¡± He hastily explained. The princess remained still for a moment before looking at her caretakers, who could only nod in agreement with the lieutenant causing for her cheeks to slowly adopt a faint pinkish color of embarrassment before pointing a finger at her favorite knight and future rival. ¡°I will graduate and reach the rank of commander first so you can be by my side!¡± Soon after, she left with fire in her eyes, as she had a new objective to prove her resolve.