《The Royal Guard》


 Chapter One: Hope

    ¡°Are these the new recruits?¡± The Scar-faced man asks the Hooded man. The Hooded man nods. ¡°What a sorry bunch of kids.¡± Scar-face examines all of us until his gaze falls on me. ¡°You. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Damien, sir.¡± I respond listlessly. I still can¡¯t fathom what has happened to me-my family, my friends, they¡¯re all-


    ¡°Your name is no longer Damien. Your designation will now be Beta, until you earn the right to a name.¡± Scarface interrupts my thought and I feel a small spark of anger in my chest.


    That anger wakes me out of my stupor and I finally take notice of my surroundings.


    The temperature and lack of windows make it likely that I am in some kind of cellar. On either side of me are other kids. The youngest looks to be a boy of six winters while the oldest looks to be around twelve winters. Scarface and the Hooded man are the only adults in the room.


    Finding nothing else of interest in the room I bring my attention back to Scarface. He is now giving new names to all of the other kids in the room. Scarface is an¡­ interesting looking man, with a large painful looking scar running down the left side of his face. His brown eyes seem almost uninterested with the kid he is now interrogating.


    My gaze travels down to Scarface¡¯s armor and sword, he is wearing what I recognize to be chainmail, the chainmail has no noble or official markings, which is unusual considering that most warriors pride themselves on their service to one faction or another. His sword is a little more noticeable with a carving of a lion¡¯s head making up its hilt.


    I know of a few houses that make use of the lion¡¯s head as a symbol, but it would be impossible to tell which, if any, house Scarface belongs to with just that symbol.


    I am about to turn my attention to the Hooded man, when I realize that Scarface is about to say something important.


    ¡°Congratulations.¡± Scarface can¡¯t stop himself from chuckling after saying that. ¡°You have been chosen for a special training program by our esteemed organization.¡± He tells us with noticeable sarcasm in his voice.


    I can¡¯t help but feel a small bit of fear when I see the smile that covers Scarface¡¯s face.


    A few days later I find myself lying flat on the dirt. An older boy has decided to teach me a lesson and show off to his friends.


    I slowly push myself off the ground and spit out a little bit of blood from when I had bit my tongue.


    I get in a ready position, he mocks me by giving me a second to collect myself and everyone in the room knows it.


    The Hooded man is watching us, but I know he won¡¯t interfere. This was a good ¡®lesson¡¯ for all of the people watching.


    I see the punch coming for me and I redirect it with my hand so that it won¡¯t touch me.


    I am lucky enough to have been taught a little bit about fighting as I grew up, but I have never actually been in a fight before and I am unprepared for the dirty tricks the older boy knew.


    After the fist went by me, I see an opportunity to hit him in the stomach and I try to take it. He dodges my exhausted fist and knees me in the stomach.


    I fall to the ground and roll away, A foot hits the spot I had been a second before.


    I roll to my feet and prepare for the next punch. The older boy goes for a straight jab into my stomach. This time instead of just redirecting the punch, I grab his hand, pull him off balance and kick him in the stomach.


    The boy heaves on the floor for a second before he gets up with an angry look in his eyes.


    His foot shoots up so fast I almost can¡¯t see it. All I can do is tense up as he lifts me into the air with his foot.


    I fall to the ground with the wind knocked out of me and I know that I won¡¯t be able to roll out of the way in time.


    I hear the whoosh of air as his foot comes towards my head.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± The Hooded man says.


    I turn over to find the Hooded man holding the boy¡¯s foot a few inches above my head.


    ¡°Fights are allowed and accidents happen. But if you purposefully try to kill another trainee¡­ Let¡¯s just say, you won¡¯t like what comes next.¡± The Hooded man says to the room before turning his attention back to me. ¡°Get up.¡±


    I push myself off the ground and whimper a little bit in pain.


    ¡°You are with the new recruits, correct?¡± The Hooded man asks.


    I nod in response, scared that If I open my mouth I might throw up.


    ¡°Then you should be off to see the alchemist with the rest of the recruits. Once you are done with your lessons come see me.¡± The Hooded man says before he turns around and walks away.


    I nod again before staggering towards where I know the alchemist to be.


    I lean against the wall as much as I can while I walk down the long hallways. I practically run into another recruit who is heading towards the Alchemist.


    He stares at me in shock for a second, before having me wrap my arm around his shoulders.


    ¡°Are you going to be ok?¡± He asks.


    ¡°I think so. It just hurts a lot right now.¡± I respond as we walk.


    He bites his lip for a second. ¡°I know that the Alchemist has some healing potions, I think I can convince him to give you one.¡±


    I nod in response.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    A few seconds later we arrive at the Alchemist and my new friend keeps his word in convincing the Alchemist to give me a healing potion.


    I immediately feel the pain go away and an energizing feeling spreads through my body.


    ¡°It should take a few minutes before it fully repairs the damage done.¡± The Alchemist says before motioning me towards a seat.


    I walk over to my seat which is little more than a pillow, but the pillow is still more luxurious than what most of the other classes consider ¡°seats¡±.


    I take this moment to look at my fellow ¡°students¡±.


    In the class there are a total of twenty new recruits, All of them were with me the first day when I met Scarface.


    I finally take a good look at the recruit who helped me walk here, since I was feeling too much pain to really notice him earlier.


    He looks to be a kid of ten winters, just like me. His hair and eyes are a nondescript brown and he wears the same grey tunic the rest of the new recruits are required to wear. I find my gaze going towards the most noticeable thing about him, his skin color, dark brown. That color of skin is extremely rare in this part of the country and gives him a rather exotic feel.


    The Alchemist starts talking and I drag my attention back to him. ¡°Good afternoon new recruits. In this class I will be teaching you about poisons and antidotes. Something you will find very useful in your life.¡±


    After saying that, he has us enter a long grueling hour of memorization. But I soon realize how useful the information is and do my best to memorize everything we were being taught.


    Class ends and we are told by The Alchemist to go to Scarface¡¯s class next.


    ¡°Um¡­ I didn¡¯t catch your name.¡± I say to the dark-skinned student who had helped me.


    ¡°I am called Seven here. What about you?¡± He responds.


    ¡°Beta. But my real name is Damien¡±


    He freaks out a little bit, ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone hear you say that. You can get in a lot of trouble for using your real name!¡±


    I step away slightly, shocked by his seriousness ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t want to forget that part of me.¡±


    Seven calms down a little bit ¡°It''s fine, just be careful.¡±


    After that we walk in silence until we arrive at Scarface¡¯s classroom.


    Scarface sits in the middle of a large room with a bamboo sword in his lap. I marvel at the size of the room for a moment and immediately notice the racks upon racks of weapons lining the walls of the room.


    ¡°Welcome to your new hell Kids.¡± Scarface doesn¡¯t have to raise his voice to get the whole class¡¯s attention. ¡°By the end of your time here on these grounds, I want you to be able to use every single one of these weapons like you were born holding them. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Is the response that most of the class gives him.


    ¡°Good, now put on those backpacks and run around the base.¡± He points at a pile of backpacks and each of us pick up a backpack.


    My backpack feels incredibly heavy and I imagine that the others are having the same problem.


    Twenty minutes later we are all on the ground, dead tired.


    ¡°Is that ALL you can do? What a group of pathetic wimps. Get up and keep your backpacks on. We¡¯re going to start practicing with a type of dagger called Kuriman. Then we will move on to throwing daggers. Then¡­¡±


    I started droning him out at this point as I move to pick up the dagger he was going to have us start with.


    A grueling two hours later, I am dead on my feet as I move to the next class.  This one was easier for me, it was a kind of acting class. We are told to talk and move a certain way for a little bit, then told to talk and move a different way after that. It was rather fun actually. Especially after all the crap that I had been going through before this.


    Finally our classes are over and we are told to go to bed, I quietly slip away from the group at that point. I think Seven notices, but he doesn¡¯t say anything.


    It was eerie being in the halls while they were silent, Part of it was the fact that all of the walls were made of stone and we didn¡¯t have any windows. The only light we ever got was from some magical lighting enchanted into the ceiling.


    As night approaches, the lights in the ceiling dim, making it even more eerie.


    It is a long walk to the Hooded man¡¯s room and all I have that interests me are my thoughts.


    It has become obvious that this school is training me to be some kind of assassin. Not that I really care though, maybe the skills I learn here can help me with¡­ that situation. It¡¯s doubtful though, even if I gain power here, it won¡¯t be enough to stand up to¡­ them. Maybe if by some small chance, my sister is still alive, it might be worth it to try. I shake my head. I hate thinking about those things! There is nothing I can ever possibly do about it! And I hate myself for it.


    I am starting to understand that I am different from the other kids here. They don¡¯t understand things the same way I do. I wonder when that happened, it is probably because of that incident.


    I hear some people approaching and hide in a small alcove. Scarface and another man are walking towards me.


    I wonder why I am hiding from them. The Hooded man told me to come see him, I have a good excuse for being out here.


    ¡°The trainee has been getting out of control lately. Alex told me that he would have killed one of the recruits today if he hadn¡¯t stepped in and-¡° The man is telling Scarface as they walk by.


    As soon as I can¡¯t hear them, I continue on my way.


    I wonder how those lights in the ceiling work. Does a mage come by once a year to reset them? Or do they just stay like that forever?


    A few seconds later I arrive at the Hooded Man¡¯s office-like room.


    I knock.


    ¡°Come in.¡± Says a voice from behind the door.


    I walk into the room to find the Hooded man sitting at a desk, waiting there with his namesake hiding his face. ¡°It was quite impressive the way you handled that boy this morning. Where did you learn to fight like that?¡± He asks me as soon as I entered the room.


    ¡°My parents had someone teach me.¡± I answer.


    ¡°Interesting.¡± The Hooded man studies me for a moment before turning back to some paperwork on his desk.


    I wait for a few seconds, before I realize that he isn¡¯t going to say anything else. ¡°Excuse me, sir.¡±


    He looks back up at me.


    ¡°Why did you ask me to come here tonight?¡±


    He is quiet for a second and I can¡¯t see his expression beneath his hood. ¡°Why do you think we are training you?¡± he finally asks.


    ¡°I assume that we are being trained as assassins or warriors of some sort.¡± I respond in confusion.


    ¡°Come now, you¡¯re smarter than that. Why do you think we are training you?¡± he repeats himself.


    I don¡¯t see what he is getting at, ¡°I don¡¯t know sir.¡±


    ¡°When we found you, as we did all of the others, you were lifeless. You had obviously lost all hope. Of course that isn¡¯t uncommon. No, the reason we chose you is because no one would or ever will notice your disappearance. You could die right now and no one would care. You have nothing to live for. When you were on the ground this morning, you should have stayed there and he would¡¯ve just walked off, you knew that too. And yet, while you were on the ground some life entered your eyes and you stood up, ready to fight back. Why? Why do you still have life? Why are you still fighting?¡± The Hooded man stares at me with a fervor and I finally see his eyes, they are a dark piercing blue.


    I stand there, shocked at how serious his eyes are. I begin to wonder, why am I still fighting, after all I have been through, why am I still standing? Finally it comes to me, ¡°Hope. Hope that I will find light at the end of the tunnel.¡±


    The Hooded man looks at me for a moment in contemplation before nodding ¡°Report to me instead of the weapon-master tomorrow. You may leave now.¡± He turns back to whatever paperwork he was working on.


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± I say as I leave his office.


    It is a long walk back to my bed and I wonder at my answer to The Hooded man¡¯s question. Who knew that after all I had been through, I still had hope? I know that it is a foolish notion, the notion that I might actually be able to change something.


    But it is all that I have.

 Chapter 2: Blood

    I am woken up by one of the older trainees early the next morning. I had barely gotten any sleep last night,


    I am given an hour to eat before the classes start and it is during this time that I need to be the most careful. My fellow recruits have given me a warning, telling me that the boy I had fought with yesterday is out for my blood.


    So today I am going to lay low.


    I stick with my group as we eat, hoping that the numbers will stop him from trying anything.


    I don¡¯t run into the other trainee and Seven tells me at the end of breakfast that the older trainee got on the bad side of one of the teachers and he isn¡¯t in the breakfast hall.


    I sigh in relief. I really don¡¯t want to get into a fight with him again. I would never say it out loud, but the older trainee frightens me.


    Nothing of real interest happens during breakfast and I walk to my first class of the day without any problems.


    The class teaches us about the basic hierarchies in our kingdom. I know most of the material already, so I zone out about halfway through the class.


    The next class is much more interesting, a swordsman is talking about some rather common creatures, when the word ¡°Changeling¡± comes up.


    My ears practically perk up as I bring my full attention back to the class.


    ¡°Changelings are very uncommon to encounter and if you ever do meet one, you probably won¡¯t know until your dead.¡± Some surprise enters the swordsman¡¯s eyes when he realizes that he has gained the whole class¡¯s attention. He continues in his gruff voice ¡°Changeling look like humans, they talk like humans and they think like humans. Only they aren¡¯t human of course, they are only fooling you into thinking they are. Using some kind of magic, they change their body¡¯s shape until they enter human form.¡±


    To the surprise of the swordsman teaching the class, a student raises his hand into the air.


    ¡°Err. Yes? What is your question?¡±


    ¡°What do Changeling¡¯s usually look like?¡± A boy of eight winters asks the swordsman.


    ¡°Little is known about Changelings, but according to some, they all look different. Enough about Changelings, I¡¯m supposed to talk to you about monsters and creatures like¡­¡±


    The class ends and the recruits head towards the weapon-master¡¯s class.


    At this point I slip away,  The Hooded man asked me to come see him instead of the weapon-master, and I am not going to disobey The Hooded man.


    I arrive at The Hooded man¡¯s office and knocked.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    I am about to enter, when something strikes me as odd. Maybe it was the tone of his voice when he said ¡®come in¡¯. I decide to trust my instinct and move to the side of the door. I open the door, immediately moving my hand away just in time to watch two wooden throwing daggers passing the spot I would have been if I hadn¡¯t moved out of the way.


    ¡°Impressive, caution is always appreciated in a place like this.¡± The hooded man walks out from behind the doorway as he says that. Before I can react, he trips me and puts a wooden sword against my neck. ¡°But I want to teach you a very important lesson. Never relax, in this business, there is always someone wanting to kill you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Is my only reply as I keep my eyes centered on the wooden sword at my throat.


    ¡°Get up. We need to get started.¡± He says moving the weapon away from my throat.


    A long grueling lesson starts then. While Scarface had us focus on strength and endurance, The Hooded man has me focus on my balance and understanding of momentum.


    My weeks continue, until a month later I find myself alone, lost in my own thoughts. A group of trainees turn around the corner and walk towards me.


    I don¡¯t pay much attention to them until one of them tries to punch me. My training with The Hooded man is all that saves me as I duck under his fist.


    I back away from the group of trainees. Several of them are jeering at the boy who missed his punch. He is a boy of fourteen with brown hair and eyes. It looks familiar and it takes me a moment to realize that he was the same boy who started a fight with me all that time ago.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    His face is twisted in anger as he stares at me.


    ¡°What was that for?¡± I ask him.


    ¡°Because of you, I was made to survive in the mountains for a month. Do you have any idea how cold it is up there? Huh?¡± He says as he advances towards me.


    I am confused. I didn¡¯t do anything to-oh. I see. All of the things I had been hearing about him in the past month finally come together. ¡°That wasn¡¯t my fault, it was yours. You got on the bad side of some of the teachers.¡±


    I realize how stupid it was to say that as he decides to send a series of kicks my way.


    I do my best to redirect his kicks around me. But he has been training here for a lot longer than I have and he finally lands a kick in my chest. It doesn¡¯t hurt too bad, but I still realize that I don¡¯t really stand a chance in this fight.


    He shoots another kick at me, I duck under it and run towards him. He prepares to block me, but to his surprise, I run right past him and the other trainees.


    They all pause for a second, then run after me.


    I know the area well and I am quick on my feet. So it doesn¡¯t take long for me to lose them.


    I hurry to my next class.


    Over the next couple days, I see some of the older trainees from That Boy¡¯s group watching me from time to time. I do my best to stick with my group of recruits whenever I can, but I know that it is just a matter of time before That Boy finds me alone.


    ¡°Beta.¡± The Hooded man says, distracting me from my thoughts. ¡°That stance is atrocious, fix your posture.¡±


    I quickly fix my posture as I watch The Hooded Man for his next move. Within a few seconds, I find myself flat on the floor.


    ¡°Your mind is not with us today. Tell me why.¡± The Hooded Man commands as he puts his quarterstaff back on a rack.


    I stay quiet, unsure as to whether or not I should tell him.


    ¡°Did you not hear me? I told you to tell me what is keeping your thoughts.¡± He says.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Is my immediate response before I tell him the situation.


    ¡°I see. You have quite a problem on your hands.¡± He says, obviously bored with the situation.


    He then moves back to the training and I make sure to not let my thoughts wander.


    I doubt The Hooded Man will do anything about them. It isn¡¯t his style to directly intervene in that way.


    Three weeks later, I realize that my group has already moved out of the room, I am all alone and I am not the only one who has realized it.


    Three trainees, including That Boy swagger into the room.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually a little impressive how long you managed to avoid us.¡± That Boy says.


    My eyes go to the door in hope that I might be able to run past them like last time.


    That Boy catches my eyes and slowly closes the door. Cutting off any hope of escape.


    The three boys walk towards me and I slowly back away. All of them are older and stronger than me, there is no way that I can fight them.


    I feel my back hit the wall and that¡¯s when it starts. I manage to land a few punches, surprising even myself, but they soon overwhelm me.


    I end up on the ground with both hands held behind my back with That Boy squatting over me.


    ¡°You know. Killing other students isn¡¯t allowed, but accidents are known to happen.¡± That Boy says, parroting words that we had both heard long ago. ¡°In fact a lot of ¡®accidents¡¯ have been happening around me over the last few years. It¡¯s rather odd. I must just be ¡®accident¡¯ prone.¡± He puts his foot on my head and slowly pushes my head into the ground. ¡°The poor boy, while we were pushing him around, he fell and broke his neck against the wall.¡±


    Over the next couple of minutes, they take turns beating me until I am a bloody mess on the ground.


    ¡°Goodbye, Beta.¡± That Boy says.


    My fear rises to a fever point and I act on instinct.


    For a moment, my senses leave my body, I am a part of the room surrounding me, then the building, then the world.


    Without thinking I take my fear out on the boys surrounding me.


    My senses slowly return to my body and I feel a drop of wetness hit my cheek.


    I open my eyes to see a scene that I know will forever be in my mind.


    Spikes of earth return to the ground.


    I stare at the scene for a moment, before I start running.


    I run towards The Hooded Man¡¯s office.


    He takes one look at my face before he says, ¡°Show me.¡±


    I take him back to the spot of the carnage. Three bodies stare up at us.


    He turns to me ¡°How did you do this?¡±


    ¡°I-I made the earth move. I don¡¯t know how.¡± I respond.


    His rarely seen eyes widen a little bit and he whispers ¡°A natural Elementalist.¡± Then he looks at me with a serious expression. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anybody about what happened here. From now on, you will stay with me an hour later than usual to practice your abilities. Do you understand?¡±


    I nod. It is very hard to focus on what he is saying with three bodies lying before me.


    ¡°Good, now take this healing potion. Drink it, then go clean yourself up. You are a bloody mess.¡±


    I do as he says. And my days continue like nothing had happened. But I know the truth. I will always know the truth.


    Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and months turned into years.


    I continued with the same routine, until the week after I turned sixteen.


    That week, I received my first mission. I will finally be leaving the training grounds.

 Chapter 3: Sir Johnathon

    I confidently walk towards Alex¡¯s office. Today is the day that I will be leaving this hellhole of a place. Of course, I realize what that means, it means that I am most likely being sent to kill somebody.


    I don¡¯t know how I feel about that. But I sure as hell won¡¯t tell The Hooded Man, now Alex, how I feel about the subject of killing.


    If they thought I wouldn¡¯t be of use to them, I hesitate to imagine what they might do.


    I happen to glance at the mirror outside of Alex¡¯s new office.


    I have changed since my first days in this ¡°academy¡±. My messy black hair, blue eyes and sharp features give me an experienced look. Of course the thing that has changed the most is my height, I am now an inch taller than Alex, at five foot eleven inches.


    I make myself as presentable as possible in my new black apprentice clothes, which are vastly different from my old and grey trainee clothes. I knock three times at Alex¡¯s door and wait for him to respond.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    I walk in to find Alex and a man I don¡¯t recognize waiting for me.


    ¡°Welcome Beta. My name is Troy and I will be giving you your assignments for the next few months.¡± The man introduces himself. I look at his shoulder and see a black crow, the little known symbol of a master of our order.


    ¡°Thank you Master Troy. I look forward to my mission.¡± I respond as I bow deeply to him.


    Master Troy hands a folder over to me. ¡°You shall assume your old name of Damien for the duration of this mission. In that folder you will find your supposed history. After you have memorized it, please destroy it.¡± I take the folder out and glance over it. ¡°We will be traveling to Cerelion the capital city of the Chuman Empire. You have been recommended as a royal guard there, you understand what that will entail?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Master Troy finally takes a moment to study me, before continuing. ¡°This mission is different from what you might be expecting. You may go for months without getting any orders from us. During that time, we want you to simply impress your superiors, get promoted if possible. In the meantime, I will give you the name of an inn where you can go if you need anything or wish to send a message to us.¡±


    ¡°I understand, sir. When will we be leaving?¡± I ask him.


    ¡°We will be leaving right now. Everything you might need has been prepared for you in the carriage.¡± Master Troy glances at Alex, ¡°Go to the carriage, I will join you in a moment.¡±


    I bow to him, then bow to Alex before I leave the room.


    It doesn¡¯t take long for me to arrive at the exit of this training center.  All I do is show one of the guards at the exit my pass and he lets me through.


    I walk up the stairs and slowly, reverently walk into the sunlight. The enchantments for lighting the ceiling of the training center could never compare to real, glorious, sunlight.


    I must have stood there for a minute before I noticed the carriage waiting with a door open.


    I step into the carriage and finally take a moment to truly examine the file Master Troy had given me.


    Name: Damien.


    I pause at that part, unable to move past the name that meant so much to me. It had always reminded me who I really was.


    I shake myself out of my reverie and move on.


    You were orphaned at a young age and taken in by a guardsman by the name of Pat. He raised you well and when you got to be of age you chose to follow in his footsteps as a guardsman. You started your training in a small town called Taimin, Pat saw how well you were doing in your training and recommended you to a friend at the palace. The friend agreed to interview you and offer you the job if you passed.


    After that, there was more detailed information, but I decide to save it for the long trip to the capital.


    A little while later, Master Troy enters the carriage and we set off.


    We sit in silence for a little while before I say, ¡°Do I have to worry about a ¡®Pat¡¯ coming by to visit?¡±


    ¡°Pat is an agent of our organization. There is very little chance that he will come to the capital and jeopardize your mission.¡± He says before he makes it clear that he doesn¡¯t wish to speak to me with a heated glare.


    I return to my reading after that, letting it distract me from all of the annoyances involved in travel.


    It takes us a week to arrive at Cerelion, which surprised me, I didn¡¯t think that the training center would be so close to the capitol of the empire.


    My eyes widen when I see the walls surrounding Cerelion, they extend so far into the distance that I couldn¡¯t see where they curved. That, combined with the height of the walls makes it likely that this wall was created by an Earth Elementalists.


    As we get closer, I decide to change into my guardsman uniform. The guardsmen uniform is a combination of leather and chainmail, with a large dragon as an emblem on the chest piece.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    We arrive at the gate and wait in a long line of carriages. When we are next in line Master Troy tells me that we must leave the carriage.


    I step out of the carriage and a guardsman walks up to me. ¡°Welcome to the capitol, brother.¡± He slams his chest in a salute.


    ¡°Thank you brother.¡± I say, saluting him in response.


    ¡°Do you have any active magic artifacts on you, or any magical effects on you?¡± The guardsman asks.


    ¡°No sir.¡± I say, glad that I didn¡¯t have any time to bring any of my experiments with me.


    He grabs a crystal ball and shows it to me. ¡°Please place your hand on this crystal.¡± At my confused look, he explains ¡°You must not have had these in your hometown, they were created by mages to detect changelings.¡±


    I nod and say, ¡°Thank you, brother¡± as I place my hand on the crystal ball.


    The crystal ball doesn¡¯t change and the guard nods at me, ¡°You may go. Good luck on your journeys brother.¡±


    ¡°May your paths be easy to find, brother.¡± I respond with the ceremonial goodbye.


    Master Troy has me get back into the carriage and takes me to the palace. At the gate to the palace, Master Troy stops the carriage ¡°From here on out, you are on your own.¡±


    I step out of the carriage and watch it drive away, before I talk to the guards at the entrance to the palace.


    They look over my paperwork and let me in.


    I go through a few more checkpoints before I arrive at the Royal Guard barracks.


    I stare at the barracks, unsure where to go from here.


    I grab the attention of a passing guard and ask him ¡°Good afternoon, brother. Can you tell me where to find Sir Johnathon? I have an interview with him.¡±


    ¡°Good afternoon brother, are you hoping for a position with the Royal Guard?¡± The passing guard asks .


    I take a moment to look at his insignia, marking him as a captain of the Royal Guards. ¡°Yes, sir, I am.¡±


    He smiles at me. ¡°You can find him through that door over there. Be careful, he has quite a temper.¡±


    ¡°Thank you brother.¡± I respond before I walk to the door he pointed at.


    I take a moment to prepare myself mentally and walk through the door.


    ¡°DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO KEEP THE ROYAL GUARDS FED, CLOTHED, TRAINED, PAID AND ARMED? EIGHT HUNDRED GOLD PIECES A MONTH? DO THEY WANT ME TO STOP ARMING THE ROYAL GUARDS?¡± A man in knight¡¯s armor, whom I assume to be Sir Johnathon, tirades against another man in servant''s attire.


    ¡°Excuse me sir.¡± I interrupt.


    ¡°What is it?!¡± He turns his indignation to me.


    ¡°I was asked to be here for an interview with a Sir Johnathon. Are you him?¡± I say, trying to keep my expression as neutral as possible.


    The knight¡¯s eyes narrow at me ¡°So you are the kid Pat spoke so highly of. Yes, I am the mover of mountains, Sir Johnathon. You must be Damien.¡±


    ¡°That is my name, sir.¡± I respond, keeping as formal of a posture as I can.


    ¡°Very good.¡± Sir Johnathon turns to the servant and says, ¡°You may go.¡±


    The servant bows to both of us and leaves the room.


    Sir Johnathon moves behind his desk and sits in a chair. He motions at a set of wooden chairs I had been to nervous to notice.


    I sit down in one of those chairs.


    ¡°So, tell me, why do you wish to be a Royal Guard.¡± He asks.


    I am a little surprised by the question, I shouldn¡¯t have been, but I am. I think fast and give the first answer I can. ¡°Because changes don¡¯t happen in some small town in the northern province. The empire is run by the people living here, they will decide the futures of everyone I care about. And I want to protect the people who will be deciding those futures.¡± The lie comes easily from my mouth. I imagine that in another life, those words would have been absolutely true.


    Sir Johnathon studies me for a moment and I do the same to him. Sir Johnathon is a large man, with short red hair and a trimmed beard. His brown eyes hold an intelligence in them that anyone could see. He is wearing chain armor with the emblem of the empire on its chest.


    ¡°That was a very good answer Damien. One of the best I¡¯ve ever gotten in fact.¡± He stands up and walks towards the door. ¡°Come, even with Pat¡¯s recommendation, I must test your abilities.¡±


    I follow him as he walks to a large courtyard. Royal Guards stop in the middle of their training as we walk towards the center of the courtyard where a large pile of wooden weapons await us.


    ¡°Pick whatever weapon you are most comfortable with. I will be your opponent.¡± Sir Johnathon says as he picks up a large wooden sword.


    I look over the wooden weapons and pick up a small shield for my left hand and a short sword for my right.


    Whispers go through the crowd ¡°Sir Johnathon is going to fight a newbie.¡± ¡°Poor kid, he doesn¡¯t know what he is getting himself into.¡±


    I glance at the circle of onlookers before I get in a ready position ¡°It looks like we are going to have a crowd.¡± I say.


    ¡°So it does.¡± He responds as he gets ready.


    Before I can say anything else, he strikes at my head with his sword.


    I am a little surprised by his speed, but still manage to redirect his strike away from me. I move forward with my short sword, trying to take advantage of the small opening I created with my shield.


    But Sir Johnathon is a pro, he redirects his sword mid air towards me.


    I lean all the way backwards, dodging the swing. Then I go back at him.


    Sir Johnathon¡¯s style is very different from what I am used to facing with Alex or Scarface. Sir Johnathon barely moves his feet, mostly uses his leverage, strength and speed to overpower his opponent and keep a distance.


    Meanwhile, I am completely relying on my movement and ability to redirect attacks in order to get close to my opponent.


    It is a long contest, but it is obvious to everyone present that I will exhaust myself before he does.


    Left with very few options, I change my style. Sir Johnathon isn¡¯t wearing any gauntlets and I take advantage of that. I aim all my attacks at his fingers or arms. Eventually I land a hit on his arm and everyone hears a crack. Unfortunately, in the next moment I feel a his sword hit my shoulder.


    Sir Johnathon has a grin on his face as we both huff and puff. ¡°Very impressive, it has been a long time since I faced a style like yours. You will have to introduce me to your teacher someday.¡±


    I bow to him. ¡°I will remember to do that, someday.¡±


    ¡°It seems like you are very proficient with a shield and sword. What other weapons are you familiar with?¡±


    I look over the pile of weapons. ¡°All of them.¡±


    He looks at me for a moment. ¡°All of them?¡±


    I look it over again. ¡°Except for the pole-axe, for some reason, I never could get used to those.¡±


    ¡°That is quite impressive.¡± Sir Johnathon says


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Well, that concludes our interview. Welcome to the Royal Guards, Recruit Damien.¡± He says with a big grin on his face.


    The other Royal Guards who had been silent up to this point surround me and welcome me.

 Chapter 4: The Traveling Minstrel

    I am unsure how I should get away from the pile of guards congratulating me, I get no help from Sir Johnathon who just laughs as he watches my uncomfortable attempts to get away.


    Finally Sir Johnathon stops laughing and says, ¡°We need to get the boy a new set of Royal Guard clothes and weapons.¡± He pulls me out of the ring of Royal Guards.


    ¡°Thank you sir. That would be much appreciated.¡± I say, a little out of breath from my attempts to escape the evil horde.


    ¡°What will you need from the weaponsmith?¡± Sir Johnathon asks as he leads me back towards the barracks.


    ¡°A longsword, a Kuriman dagger and some throwing daggers would be very useful. If you don¡¯t mind sir.¡± I respond.


    ¡°We will get them to you right away.¡±


    ¡°Thank you sir.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any questions?¡± He asks as we arrive at my new room.


    ¡°Yes, sir, I do. What will my duties be once I start? And when will I be starting?¡±


    ¡°For now, I will have you stationed under Captain Durno, as a recruit. He will assign you whatever duties he sees fit. You will be starting tomorrow at sunrise. Good luck, Royal Guard Damien.¡±


    I slam my chest in a salute. ¡°Thank you Sir.¡±


    He responds to my salute and walks away.


    I sigh and enter my room.


    The room is sparsely furnished, with a bunk-bed to one side and two small chests underneath the window being all that occupies said room.


    I look at the bottom bunk and find an empty name tag on it. The bunk above it has the name Damien on it.


    I¡¯m guessing I don¡¯t have a roommate, which is perfectly fine with me. Not only does it give me some private space. But it also provides space for me to work with my magic.


    I lay down on the bed for a moment, exhausted from my fight with Sir Johnathon.


    I wake up to someone knocking on the door to my new room. I stretch and walk over to the door, opening it.


    ¡°Are you the Royal Guard Damien?¡± A young maid with blue eyes and hair hidden behind a cap asks me as I open the door.


    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am, I am.¡± I respond.


    She looks up at me, blushing a little bit when she meets my eyes. Her eyes quickly return to the sets of Royal Guard¡¯s clothes, sitting underneath the pile of wrapped weapons in her arms.


    She hands the pile over to me. ¡°Sir Johnathon asked me to bring these to you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    She bows to me and walks off.


    I walk over to my bed and set the pile down.


    I expectantly unwrap the sword first. It is a little ostentatious for my tastes, with the scabbard having dragons carved all throughout its length, but I will live with it. I unsheathe the sword and swing it a few times. It is a beautifully crafted weapon with near perfect balance.


    I sheathe the sword and set it down, I unwrap the Kuriman dagger next. Again, the scabbard is rather ostentatious. I unsheathe it and hold it in a proper stance.


    Ever since I first held a Kuriman dagger, I knew that they were perfect for me. Originally created by a warrior tribe known as the Kuriman, the Kuriman dagger has a wide blade and is only sharpened on one side, they are designed for slashing rather than stabbing.


    I sheethe the Kuriman dagger and move to my throwing knives. They are all perfectly balanced, not that I expected anything else. It has just become a habit to check my weapons.


    I look at The Royal Guard uniforms that have been given to me and unfold one of them, it is a beautiful black and blue which I actually admire for a moment before I pack the uniforms away for the next day.


    I sit down after that, wondering what I should do next. I¡¯m not used to having so much free time and from the light coming in from outside my window, I have at least an hour of time before it even gets dark.


    I look down at the sword for a moment before I grab it and unsheathe it. I place the blade in my lap, before softly running my fingers down its blade.


    I consider the sword for a moment and an idea that I had always wanted to test came to mind.


    I reach towards the power inside of me and pull, once I have gathered enough of the power, I move the power to the hand I have caressing the blade and push.


    My eyes close as my mind is filled with knowledge about the sword. It is an exhilarating feeling, sensing every part of the sword at once.


    Once I am comfortable with the feeling, I start with my enchantment.


    I make the sword Mine, making it much easier for me to work my magic through it.


    I sigh, I have a lot of ideas for enchantments, but I believe that other Elementalists, or Mages will detect any powerful enchantments.


    I set my new sword down and lay back in my bed.


    A knock on the door brings me out of my reverie. I get out of my bed and open the door to find a Royal Guard with blonde hair, blue eyes and a rather good looking face. He looks to be around my age and I can see a silly grin on his face.


    ¡°So you are the person who fought Sir Johnathon. That was really impressive by the way.¡± He gives me the guardsman¡¯s greeting by slamming his fist against his chest.  ¡°My name is Dean. What¡¯s yours brother?¡±


    ¡°My name is Damien.¡± I say and respond to his greeting.


    ¡°So, some of the Royal Guards are getting together at one of the taverns in the commoner¡¯s sector. They asked me to come see if you wanted to go. So, what do you say?¡± He says without ever losing his grin.


    I look at his uniform ¡°Are we supposed to wear our uniform there?¡±


    Dean looks down at his uniform, then back up at me. ¡°Most of us do, but you don¡¯t have to.¡±


    I bite my cheek for a moment and then nod at Dean. ¡°Sure, give me a moment to put on my uniform¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Dean nods and I close the door.


    It only takes me a moment to put the uniform on and quickly walk out the door to meet with Dean.


    It doesn¡¯t come as much of a surprise that Dean is a big talker. I don¡¯t mind, I don¡¯t talk much anyway. It feels good to just listen.


    We leave the palace without any resistance from any guards.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask. What is the difference between the Royal Guard and the guards at the gate?¡± I ask as we pass through the last checkpoint.


    Dean looks at me as if my question is crazy, ¡°Well for one, our jobs are much more important. We are charged with protecting some of the most powerful people in the world, while they have to guard a gate. In general, the Royal Guard is simply better. We have better warriors and more powerful mages.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Dean leads me through the noble¡¯s sector, pointing out various landmarks. A set of large buildings almost as large as the palace pulls my attention.


    ¡°That is the Mage¡¯s Coliseum. Anyone who has magic goes to train there. To be honest, that place gives me the creeps. Sure, they say that our uniforms protect us against magic.¡± Dean pats his uniform unconsciously.  ¡°But the people over there, they can take control of your mind and body, summon demons and control the elements. I¡¯m glad they¡¯re on our side.¡±


    I am rather surprised at his reaction to the mages. But after thinking about it for a moment, I find myself feeling grateful for my uniform¡¯s protections.


    ¡°Come on. We don¡¯t want to be the last ones at the inn.¡±


    He leads me out of the noble¡¯s sector and into a market square. Merchants are selling their wares to people and races of all different types. I can¡¯t help but stare at a man with yellow, cat-shaped eyes and blue scales creating a ring around his neck.


    He notices my staring, so I bring my gaze to the rest of the people in the market.


    Most of the people smile at us, give us nods and respectively move out of our path.


    ¡°It must feels a little awkward, people making a path for you. You¡¯ll get used to it eventually.¡± Dean says with his usual smile.


    A pair of passing guardsman greet us with a salute and we respond in kind.


    Once we leave the market we arrive at a group of taverns and inns. Dean leads me to a tavern called The Traveling Minstrel.


    Inside, the place is filled with soldiers, mercenaries, guardsman and towards the back is a small group of Royal Guardsman.


    Dean leads me through the crowd to their table and says, ¡°Everyone, this is the newbie, his name is Damien and on the way here, he told me he could take all of you on in a fight, with one arm tied behind his back.¡±


    I act shocked at what he said and the group of Royal Guards bursts into laughter when they see my face.


    Dean introduces the group to me.


    ¡°That¡¯s Jake, he is one of the finest spearmen in the Royal Guard. He works under Captain Jane.¡± Jake is a wiry man  of twenty five or so winters, with brown hair and brown eyes. He smiles at me as he is introduced.


    ¡°That is James, he is a Fire Elementalist under Captain Coy¡± James has short red hair, with sideburns to match, brown eyes and is the oldest of the group, looking to be fifty winters old. He nods at me as he is introduced


    ¡°That¡¯s Carla, she is a Spirit Mage, also under Captain Coy.¡± Carla is a normal looking woman with straight brown hair reaching her shoulders and soft blue eyes, she looks to be around thirty winters old. She waves at me and gives me a polite smile.


    ¡°Finally we come to the brothers Chris and Alex. They both wear heavy armor, and use tower shields. They are currently under Captain Jane¡± Both of the brothers are muscular and tall, with dark skin similar to Seven. They each appear to be twenty winters old, making me and Dean the youngest Royal Guards at the table. Both of them salute me as their names are called.


    I salute them back.


    ¡°James and Jake are the two officers amongst us. And you are the only recruit here, the rest of us are ranked as guards.¡± Dean explains.


    After introductions are finished, Dean and I pull some chairs up to the table.


    ¡°Is it true that you managed to land a hit on Sir Johnathon during your match?¡± Chris asks me as soon as we sit down.


    ¡°I did, but I lost because of it.¡± I respond.


    Chris whistles in appreciation ¡°That¡¯s impressive. Nobody lands a hit on him during their first match.¡±


    A waitress comes to our table with some alcoholic drinks. Handing them over to the other Royal Guards before she turns to Dean and I. ¡°Would you two like anything?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take some of your house soup. What about you Damien?¡± Dean asks.


    ¡°I will take some soup as well.¡± I tell the waitress.


    After that, the group turns back to the conversation they were having before we got here.


    I listen to their conversations with a small smile. It has been a long time, almost before I can remember, since I felt as comfortable as this. Those memories take away my smile and I shake my head to bring myself back to the present.


    A loud spurt of laughter from a group of men wearing the emblem from some noble¡¯s house distracts me. They are laughing at a girl around my age who is hiding a young boy¡¯s face from them with her hands.


    I find myself a little confused about the situation and I am about to turn my attention away from them, when I see one of the men step menacingly towards the girl who backs up into a chair, still covering the boy¡¯s face.


    The Noble¡¯s men burst into laughter again.


    I don¡¯t recognize the noble¡¯s symbol, but it doesn¡¯t really matter anyway. These men are most likely mercenaries who found some money in working for whatever noble they represent.


    The men¡¯s jeers and laughter finally start to get on my nerves.


    I slowly stand up, stopping the conversation that my fellow Royal Guards had been in the middle of.


    I walk over to the mercenary¡¯s table. ¡°Oy. Do you think you could leave the poor kids alone. They don¡¯t look like they are enjoying whatever you are doing to them.¡±


    A large man with scars covering his entire face stands up. ¡°I don¡¯t think that what we do is any of your business.¡±


    I look the man over, the scars and his physique mark him as a warrior of the Tuman clan. I look over the other mercenaries, most of them look like fairly experienced warriors. Luckily, none of them are armed with anything more than a knife.


    The young woman who they were picking on is staring at me with a thankful look. That is what decides me.


    ¡°I respectfully disagree. The kids look like they have had enough.¡± I say firmly.


    The mercenary takes a step towards me. We both hear as chairs scoot. The other Royal Guards at my table and a handful of regular guards stood up.


    The fifteen mercenaries behind The Tuman warrior stand up in response.


    The large Tuman warrior smiles and shoots a fist towards my face.


    I duck under it and a cacophony of sound breaks out in the room as people move out of the way of the fight.


    I hadn¡¯t expected the Tuman warrior to actually start a fight against a Royal Guard, but I had learned from The Hooded Man to always expect that someone will try and kill you.


    The brawl lasts for a few seconds, before a ring of fire suddenly appears around every mercenaries neck. A mage amongst the mercenaries looks like he is about to respond, so I hold a knife that I had pillaged from one of the mercenaries against his throat.


    James clears his throat. ¡°You are all under arrest for the crime of assaulting a Royal Guard. Please stay still until the appropriate authorities arrive.¡±


    A few minutes later, a large group of guardsmen arrive and arrest the group of men.


    Meanwhile Carla is going around healing anybody who needs it.


    I look around the room and find the girl slowly sneaking herself and the boy out of the tavern. I intercept them before they can leave.


    I look the two of them over. The girl has brown hair and sharp blue eyes with a relatively pretty face. The boy, who I now realize is her brother, has the same brown hair. However, I can¡¯t see his eyes because they were hidden by a scarf she had wrapped around his face.


    ¡°What were those men bothering you for?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Why do you care?¡± She responds in a hostile tone.


    I raise an eyebrow at her. ¡°Mostly because I just got in a fight over it.¡±


    The little boy surprises us both by saying, ¡°My face has some words written on it. My sister tells me that the words mean some bad things.¡±


    I sigh and run my hand through my hair. ¡°Let me see.¡±


    The girl opens her mouth to deny me, but her brother places his hand on hers. ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡± He says.


    She gives me a sharp look before slowly unwrapping the scarf she had woven around his head.


    The kid didn¡¯t say the whole of it. The words weren¡¯t just written on his face, they were carved there.


    A wave of disgust against whoever did this rolls over me, but I am careful to keep it from my face.


    ¡°I know someone who can do healing magic, I am going to call her over to look at your face, okay?¡±


    He nods.


    ¡°Carla! Come over here.¡± I yell at her, getting her attention.


    She walks over with an annoyed expression. ¡°What is-¡° She stops when I move out of the way, showing her the kids face. She kneels in front of the kid and I feel her magic activate as she examines his face, ¡°Who did this to you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

 Chapter 5: What is Good? Or Evil?

    I watch as Carla continues to pull on her magic. After a few seconds, I am surprised when there is no change to the boy¡¯s face.


    Carla continues for a moment, before she lowers her hands in resignation. ¡°Whoever did this to you was a mage of considerable power. Do either of you remember anything?¡±


    The older sister responds ¡°The last thing I remember is a carriage coming down the road towards us. After that, everything is hazy.¡±


    I walk away from the children, it is better if I let Carla handle the situation.


    ¡°Well, Let¡¯s hope that not all of our nights end up like this one.¡± Dean says from behind me.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Is my only response.


    After that, the rest of the Royal Guards decide to call it a night and walk home. I stay a few feet behind them and Carla drops back to walk with me. ¡°Why would someone do that to those kids?¡±


    I answer while keeping my expression as natural as possible ¡°People will do truly scary things for their own greed, or their own amusement.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ It¡¯s just horrible.¡±


    I look at Carla for a moment. ¡°Yeah, I suppose it is.¡±


    Our conversation puts me in a bad mood. I stay quiet after that, lost in some nearly forgotten memories.


    ¡°That¡¯s it for me. See you later Damien, Carla, Jake, Twins.¡± Dean nods to each of us as he says our names. Then he turns around and walks away.


    The others say their goodbyes before walking off.


    The rest of my night is uneventful until I am woken up at sunrise by the maids.


    I stumble out of my bed and take care of my morning routine.


    The maid I had met yesterday directs me towards where Captain Durno was gathering his troops.


    It isn¡¯t a far walk to the compound the maid directed me to. I step into the formation of Royal Guards waiting there.


    A few moments later, Captain Durno enters the compound. He is a lithe man of forty or so winters. He examines us carefully, I copy the other guards and keep my face as emotionless as possible.


    ¡°Recruit Damien. Please step forward.¡± The Captain commands. I do as he says and the captain studies me carefully. ¡°Welcome to the Royal Guards Damien, you may step back in line.¡±


    I do as he says and Captain Durno spins around before walking to a spot where we can all see him.


    ¡°The night shift will be getting off in a few minutes. At that time, I will have all of you walk over and replace them.¡± Captain Durno¡¯s voice booms over the group of ten or so Royal Guards. ¡°Our duty is to protect the Dallen family. Each of you will be assigned a family member to watch over. You will be relieved at sunset. And Damien,¡± Captain Durno singles me out.


    ¡°Yes sir?¡±


    ¡°You will be paired with Officer Tiron. Do everything he does and listen to his every word.¡± Captain Durno then proceeds to assign each of us a family member to protect before dismissing us.


    Tiron is a short man who has seen quite a few winters judging by his appearance. His beard and short hair have already turned grey from age, but he walks up to me spry as ever.


    ¡°Follow me Damien.¡± Tiron says curtly, but I don¡¯t mind. I had gotten used to abrasive personalities a long time ago, Tiron wasn¡¯t nearly as bad as some of the people I¡¯d grown up knowing.


    Tiron leads me outside of the compound and towards a large tower. ¡°The man we will be guarding is Hector Dermon. Your job as my subordinate is to shadow Lord Dermon at all times. You are not allowed to leave his side, no matter the reason. If he goes to the crapper, you follow him. Understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Tiron leads me up the stairs of the tower and greets a Royal Guard resting outside a large door.


    The Royal Guard salutes us and walks down the stairway. I assume he is one of the Royal Guards we were sent to replace.


    We both enter the room to find a Royal Guard standing next to a man of forty or so winters. The man whom I assume to be Lord Dermon brings his brown eyes up from the book he was focused on, Lord Dermon brushes his raven black hair away from his eyes and gives both of us a once over before turning back to his book.


    ¡°My Lord.¡± Tiron says, bowing to Lord Dermon.


    I follow Tiron¡¯s lead.


    We get up from our bow and salute the other Royal Guard as he leaves the room.


    Lord Dermon doesn¡¯t respond as he continues to read, I look at Tiron in order to find out what it is we should be doing. Tiron keeps his focus on Lord Dermon, waiting for some kind of signal.


    Eventually Lord Dermon turns his attention back towards us. ¡°Yes? What do you need?¡±


    Tiron doesn¡¯t blink, in spite of the apparent rudeness of the noble. ¡°My name is Tiron and this is my junior, Damien. We will be in charge of your safety for the next twelve hours. Is there anything we need to know in order to protect you?¡±


    Lord Dermon thinks for a moment before responding, ¡°No, There is nothing you need to know at this time, Just don¡¯t bother me while I am working and everything should be fine.¡± After saying that, he promptly returns to his book.


    Tiron gives a slight bow and I do the same. ¡°Damien.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir?¡±


    ¡°I will be outside the door, you are to stay in this room and keep an eye on Lord Dermon.¡± Tiron orders me, leaving the room shortly thereafter.


    I stand there for a moment, stunned at the amount of trust put into me. They barely knew me, yet they didn¡¯t mind leaving me alone in a room with an obviously important man.


    ¡°So your name is Damien?¡± Lord Dermon says, gaining my attention.


    ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± I respond, surprised.


    Lord Dermon sets the book down. ¡°Tell me Damien. What is a child like you doing with the Royal Guard? You must be what? Fourteen? Fifteen?


    ¡°Sixteen, My Lord.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. Stop calling me ¡®my lord¡¯ I hate it.¡± He says, an indescribable emotion appearing on his face for a moment.


    ¡°Yes... sir.¡±


    Lord Dermon sighs, ¡°So tell me, why are you with the Royal Guard? A supposedly elite group.¡±


    ¡°Because I chose to be, sir.¡± I respond.


    He takes a long look at me. ¡°That isn¡¯t much of an answer.¡±


    I shrug.


    Lord Dermon looks at the book he had been reading, lost in thought.


    After him not talking for a few minutes, I turn my attention away from him and start inspecting the room.


    ¡°Do you think this Empire is a nation that stands for good?¡± Dermon asks suddenly.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Good nor evil exist. Horrible men can do acts of great kindness, just as men of justice can perform terrible acts. However, this Empire is better than some other nations that come to mind, sir.¡± My voice got softer as I spoke.


    Lord Dermon looks at me with a long stare, as I have noticed he is prone to do. ¡°That is a very insightful thing for you to say¡­ Come, I have need of the library.¡± He grabs a coat and worn down hat.


    I open the door to let Tiron know where we are going, he nods and gives me the formation we will walk in.


    We leave immediately after that.


    A light rain pours down on us as we walk across the palace grounds. Occasionally a servant or guard crosses our path.


    We arrive at the library, meeting a servant who dries us off with a towel. Lord Dermon doesn¡¯t give the servant a second thought and continues on into one of the grandest buildings I have ever seen.


    I tear my gaze away from the building and continue my lookout.


    Lord Dermon spends his time looking at various books in the section dedicated to law. We spend an hour there as he gets more and more annoyed with the books.


    A loud shout disturbs the silence of the library. I look at Tiron as he looks back at me. He nods in the direction of the shout, causing me to quietly unsheathe my sword and knife as I walk towards the sound.


    The dreadful sound of steel on steel reaches my ears as I round the corner.


    I pause for a moment, quickly taking in the scene. One Royal Guard stands fighting another Royal Guard and two cloaked figures. The first Royal Guard is standing over a young woman wearing a rich dress on the floor, he is fighting with his all, obviously trying to protect her.


    Next to the young lady lies another Royal Guard, run through by the likely traitor guard, who is working with the two cloaked men.


    Before my eyes, one of the cloaked men distracts the Royal guard enough with a cut to the arm, for the traitor to run him through.


    In the next few seconds as one of the cloaked men turns towards me, I consider my options. I can try to take on three highly trained men by myself, or I can hide behind this shelf before they see me.


    I am about to hide, when my gaze goes towards the young lady on the ground. She is still breathing.


    Sighing at my own idiocy, I pull out two throwing knives and throw them at the hooded figures.


    One of them strikes true, killing one of the cloaked men by hitting him in the throat. The other one is lucky and instinctually dodges my throwing knife. It leaves a nasty cut on his arm, causing him to curse.


    I hold my sword and Kuriman Dagger readily, yelling as I run towards them. The yell is partly used to intimidate them, but I am mostly using it to alert anyone else in the Library to the commotion.


    Both of my enemies hold fast as I yell at them, raising their swords in preparation to meet me.


    I roll under the swing of the cloaked man, landing on my feet in front of the traitor Royal Guard. He slashes at me with his sword.


    I redirect his sword with my dagger, landing a nasty slice on his arm with my sword, as he twists out of the way of my attack.


    I jump to the side, dodging the attack of the hooded man from behind me.


    They both back away, gaining some distance from me. I smile as they realize that I am now standing in-between them and the young lady.


    ¡°If you ask nicely, I will happily let you two run away. I have no desire to fight a former brother.¡± I say seriously, my stance becoming a little more relaxed.


    The traitor guard laughs, before starting in a gravelly voice. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you have gotten yourself into, new recruit. I¡¯ll tell you what, if you get on your knees and beg to me, I might let you live with simply a knockout spell.¡±


    ¡°I liked my idea better.¡± I say, throwing a dagger at the traitor as a distraction, while I step in to fight the cloaked man.


    The cloaked man steps away from me, dodging my sword by centimeters.


    I smile, activating the enchantment on my sword. My sword extends those few centimeters, leaving a deep cut along his belly. We both know what that kind of cut means. He is going to die unless he is brought to a healer.


    The cloaked man falls to the floor with a grunt of pain, while the traitor guard attacks me, raining a series of ferocious blows on me, forcing me to back up.


    I curse as one of his blows finally lands, leaving a deep cut along my arm.


    He smiles at his blow, a berserk state overcoming him as his blows increase in speed and strength.


    Small curses come from my mouth as shallow cuts start to appear on my arms and chest.


    I know this can¡¯t continue. At this rate, he will kill me. So I roll backwards, creating some space.


    Once I am outside of his sword range, I pull my throwing daggers out, throwing them at him one by one. He roars as one of my daggers slices his face. He runs at me, causing me to smile, I swing my sword at him, but he stops mid run.


    My sword should have missed, but my bloodthirsty smile stays on my face as I activate the enchantment on my sword.


    I watch as it extends, cutting through his throat with ease.


    His hand goes to his throat, surprised at the amount of blood pouring from it.


    He falls to the floor, gurgling as he lives his last few moments.


    My gaze stays on him, morbidly fascinated and disgusted at the same time. I just killed three more men.


    I don¡¯t know how I feel about that.


    I walk over to the young lady laying on the ground. Picking her up, I lean her upper body against the bookshelf, which is now covered in blood.


    Now that I am no longer fighting for my life, I give myself a chance to study her. She has light brown hair which flows down to her waist and a fairy-like face. She looks to be seventeen winters old and is wearing a rich red dress, which has been ripped slightly.


    I frown, this will be my first interaction with a pretty girl since I was ten years old. These aren¡¯t exactly the best circumstances to be meeting in either.


    I gently slap her, to wake her up.


    She groans, turning her head away from my slaps.


    ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time to be sleeping  M¡¯lady. Wake up.¡± My slaps increase in force slightly.


    ¡°Mmm. What is so imp-¡° She opens her blue eyes with irritation, but stops when she sees the blood on my uniform. ¡°W-what happened?¡± her musical voice rising an octave as she speaks


    I had leaned her facing away from the carnage behind her, so she couldn¡¯t see the dead men lying all over the ground.


    ¡°I was hoping you could tell me that. What is the last thing you remember, My Lady?¡± I ask, my voice carefully calm.


    She closes her eyes, trying to remember. ¡°I was visiting the library because Blake told me that my father wanted to meet me here. And then, oh god¡­¡± She opens her eyes, tears welling up in them. ¡°Blake stabbed him. He killed Hyde.¡±


    I stare at her, unsure how to comfort her. Slowly, I raise my hand and pat her on the head, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I understand that this is hard, but what happened next?¡±


    Tears started to flow down her cheeks, but she kept speaking clearly, ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. Two men showed up and Blake cast some kind of spell to put me to sleep. I remember him and Flare fighting, and oh god. Flare, before the spell knocked me out I saw Flare get run through as well.¡± She pauses for a moment before whispering, ¡°That¡¯s all that I remember.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry-¡° I am interrupted by the sound of many pairs of running feet.


    I hold my sword up in preparation.


    Royal Guards flood into the room with weapons drawn. I give a sigh of relief when I see James and Carla, the mages.


    A fit middle aged man walks in front of the rest of the group. This must be Captain Coy. ¡°Place your weapons on the floor brother. We mean you no harm.¡± He says


    I consider my options for a moment, before I place my Kuriman dagger and my sword on the floor.


    Once I am unarmed, the Royal guards rush in, surrounding the young lady. Two of them move over to me, placing swords against my throat. I don¡¯t move. I just stand there calmly.


    ¡°Your highness? Are you ok?¡± Captain Coy asks the young lady.


    She brings herself to her full height, ¡°Yes Captain. I am unharmed.¡±


    ¡°What happened here?¡± The Captain asks, surveying the scene.


    She turns around, finally getting a chance to look at the carnage behind her. She gasps, ¡°Hyde? Flare?¡± the words come out of her mouth in a whisper. Tears fall from her eyes.


    ¡°Your highness, I am sorry to disturb you, but can you please tell us what happened?¡± Captain Coy says quietly, almost as if he was speaking to a wounded animal, he puts a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.


    She takes a deep breath calming herself, then she tells him the same story that she told me, ¡°And then I woke up with this Royal Guard standing over me.¡±


    Captain Coy takes a step back, ¡°A traitor in the Royal Guard, this doesn¡¯t bode well. Why make a move now?¡± He mutters to himself, before turning to the girl. ¡°We will assign new guards to you at once. For now, I will have James and-¡±


    The woman interrupts him, ¡°Actually Captain, the only person that we know isn¡¯t a traitor is that young Royal Guard over there,¡± She points a finger at me.


    If it wasn¡¯t for my training, I would have laughed.


    She continues, ¡°And he has shown his ability, taking down two assassins and a Royal Guard by himself. Captain, I formally request that this man become my personal Guard.¡±


    Captain Coy looks like he is sucking on a lemon, ¡°Your Highness, that wouldn¡¯t be appropriate, he is a new recruit, we barely know anything about him-¡±


    ¡°And we knew everything about Blake, yet he betrayed us.¡± The girl interrupts him. ¡°Captain.¡± She continues slowly, ¡°Are you denying a formal request from me?¡±


    I look at the two in surprise as they have a small staring contest, this isn¡¯t what I was expecting. The fact that Captain Coy keeps referring to her as your highness means that she is a member of the royal family. I have only been here a day and I am already being put in one of the highest positions possible for a Royal Guard.


    ¡°Very well your highness.¡± Captain Coy finally says. He turns to me and motions for the guards to lower the swords they have at my throat.


    I rub my neck absentmindedly.


    ¡°Royal Guard, what is your name, ranking and current mission?¡± Captain Coy asks me.


    ¡°Damien, Recruit and my current mission is the protection of Lord Dermon, Sir.¡± I answer.


    ¡°Recruit, you have been promoted to an officer.¡± I look at him in shock, my eyes widening slightly. ¡°You can disregard your last mission, your new mission is to protect Princess Maria De Lemor. Third in line for the throne of this empire.¡± He says the next sentence like an order. ¡°May you do the Royal Guards proud.¡±


    I stare at him in shock. I just got promoted two rankings on my first day.

 Chapter 6: Princesses, Dukes and Barons, oh my!

    Princess Maria De Lemor, third in line for the throne of the Empire; she has two older brothers, both of whom garner a lot of respect in the Empire. One younger brother is currently attending the Mage¡¯s Coliseum if I remember correctly. I don¡¯t know much about the Princess herself, other than the fact that she tries to stay out of the fued her brothers are in for the throne.


    This girl is now my responsibility. And I know enough about my organization that I will likely have to kill her.


    Captain Coy had escorted us to a large room in the palace. It is ostentatious, expensive and larger than most houses.


    Surprisingly enough, I like it. Someone had made the place their home, with sculptures, paintings and personal items littering the place. The sculptures and paintings aren¡¯t professional, but they were obviously made with care.


    The woman who lives in this room sits on her bed, staring into space. She had refused the captain and his men entry into this room, but the captain had insisted that as her new guard, at least I should be able to accompany her.


    I watch Maria De Lemor awkwardly, I have no idea how to comfort anyone when they see people die for the first time, let alone comfort a woman. The Hooded man had simply looked at my kills professionally, telling me to just deal with it.


    I don¡¯t think that I should do that with her.


    So we sit in silence.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She says after a few minutes.


    ¡°For what?¡± I respond without thinking, quickly adding ¡°your Highness?¡±


    ¡°For rescuing me. I doubt that things would have been pleasant for me, if they had managed to capture me.¡± She says, falling into her bed as she speaks.


    I nod, trying to think of something to say. ¡°It must have been hard for you. Watching those men die.¡± I finally say.


    ¡°It was.¡± She says, with seriousness. ¡°But that isn¡¯t why I am locking myself in my room. I have seen men die before.¡±


    I ask the question that naturally comes after that, ¡°Why are you locking yourself in your room?¡±


    She is quiet. After a few minutes, I realize that she probably isn¡¯t going to answer me, so I start cleaning my weapons.


    ¡°It was the betrayal.¡± She says, shocking me out of my cleaning. She reaches a hand to the sky, almost as if she is trying to grab some unseen object. ¡°I trusted all three of those guards with my life, unconditionally. I have known Blake since I was three.¡± A sorrow enters her voice. A sorrow that reminds me of an old life, long ago. ¡°All of my guards have known each other for years. I have seen them- Blake, Hyde and Flare, laugh with each other. Play games with each other. Treat each other like brothers.¡± She pauses, for a brief, heartfelt moment. The sorrow switches to pain and no small amount of confusion, ¡°But when Blake ran Hyde through, there was no sorrow on his face, no regret. Only a casual smile.¡±


    She stops speaking and I consider her words, all the while running cloth down the length of my sword in long, smooth motions, cleaning off the blood of a man she once trusted. After digesting her words I speak. ¡°We are killers your highness. Each and every one of us in the Royal Guard have killed, or will kill.¡± I put the cloth in my pocket and study my mostly clean blade, ¡°Killing another human goes against our nature, but once we have done it, something snaps. We realize that humans, they are fragile.¡± I pause, thinking about where I want to take my words. ¡°It is so surprisingly easy to take a life. That realization can change a man. ¡®If it is so easy to kill an enemy, it must be just as easy to kill a friend¡¯ we realize.¡± I hold my blade to the light, looking at the dried pieces of blood lining it. ¡°We have already suppressed our humanity. All we need is motivation, and then.¡± I slice my blade through the air, listening to the sound it creates as it moves through the air. ¡°We can kill anyone. That is the abyss that we almost step into every day.¡±


    The Princess stares at me in surprise. Her eyes wide at the sight of my blade. I had been so engrossed in my thoughts, that I hadn¡¯t seen her get on her knees at the edge of her bed.


    I blush as I realize the dark path my words had taken. I quickly sheathe my blade.


    ¡°I think I understand now.¡± She says, her eyes watching me with an emotion I can¡¯t quite describe, almost as if she was seeing me for the first time. ¡°I have never killed someone personally, but I think I can understand the dark path it can take you on.¡±


    ¡°You look a lot better, your highness.¡± I say before my mind realizes what my mouth was doing. This girl puts me off somehow.


    ¡°Yeah. Surprisingly enough, what you said made me feel a little better. And please, you are my new guard, call me Maria when we are in private. Oh by the way, what is your name? I feel silly for not knowing it.¡± She says with a small smile, moving to the door to her room.


    ¡°Damien, your hi- Maria.¡± I respond, surprised by the sudden change in the Princess¡¯s mood.


    She opens the door to her room, where an angry Sir Johnathon is waiting, behind him stand five Royal Guards, ready for anything.


    He calms down as he sees her. ¡°Your highness, I came as soon as I heard. We will assign new guards for you right away.¡± He says politely to her, glancing at me with an irritated look before opening his mouth to speak some more.


    Maria smoothly interrupts him,¡°There is no need for that Sir Johnathon. I will be deciding my own guards.¡±


    ¡°But your highness-¡±


    ¡°Where are my mother and father?¡± She interrupts him again.


    Sir Johnathon grinds his teeth at the interruption. ¡°They are in the middle of an important meeting with the high nobles and heads of state.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know about any meeting.¡± Maria responds, her eyebrows furrowing.


    Sir Johnathon¡¯s eyes go serious, ¡°Someone tried very hard to kidnap you, your highness. We need to find out who they are and why.¡±


    Maria thinks for a moment, tapping her finger on her chin, before she nods to herself. ¡°Thank you Sir Johnathon. Please have your guards accompany me to this meeting.¡± She says, turning down the hallway.


    ¡°Your Highness-¡± He starts.


    She pauses mid-step ¡°This meeting is about me, I have every right to attend. So don¡¯t argue.¡± She interrupts him again, I am starting to notice a pattern here.


    She continues to walk down the hallway. I lengthen my pace to catch up.


    A quick glance behind me shows Sir Johnathon silently fuming, he motions for the Royal Guards to move. The Royal Guards rush into positions around the Princess. I realize that I don¡¯t know how to move into their formation, so I walk to the side and slightly behind the Princess.


    ¡°Do we have any idea who the kidnappers were?¡± Maria asks Johnathon, who is standing behind and to the left of her.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I do not know, your Highness. I have had my hands full elsewhere. The Emperor likely knows more.¡± Sir Johnathon responds, his calm tone vying with the angry expression on his face.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The Princess nods, staying quiet as we continue the rest of our walk.


    She stops in front of two ornate doors, guarded by two Royal Guards. The Royal Guards in front of the doors look to Sir Johnathon questioningly. He nods at them, signaling for them to let us through.


    Both Guards salute, bowing slightly as they open the doors to us.


    ¡°This is obviously a ploy, no professional organization would be so obvious-¡± A masculine voice cuts off as we enter the room.


    Men and women of all ages surround a round table. Most of them wear the silk clothing and gaudy jewelry identifying them as nobles, but a small minority wear the ceremonial uniforms of the various militaries.


    But the two most important people in the room sit in two ostentatious chairs, making them look slightly taller than everyone else in the room.


    The Emperor is an older man of fifty winters or so, his brown hair turning grey from many years of service to his kingdom. His blue eyes hold a powerful gaze that I suspect to be slightly magical as he grabs your attention.


    Demurely sitting next to The Emperor is an olive skinned woman, who looks to be thirty winters old. Long flowing black hair goes down her back in gentle waves, she holds a fan in front of her mouth, hiding any expression, but her green eyes hold amusement in them. My gaze briefly goes to her ears, which taper to a point, suggesting that she has some elvin or fae blood in her. It also means that she is much older than my earlier guess. I can see that Maria gets her delicate features from her mother.


    Sir Johnathon and the other Royal Guards kneel before the Emperor and the Empress, I follow them a half-second later, placing my hand on the hilt of my sword and bowing my head.


    The Emperor looks over the Royal Guards ¡°You may rise.¡± He says before turning his attention to The Princess ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you to be here Maria.¡±


    She smiles at him, ¡°This meeting is about me after all. Of course I would be here.¡±


    The Emperor nods at her, motioning to an open chair. As Maria passes me by, she gently taps my shoulder and motions for me to follow her.


    I politely pull the chair out for her, bowing as I do.


    An assassin that says he doesn¡¯t know etiquette is either a terrible assassin, or lying to you.


    She sits down and I stand quietly behind her. ¡°So¡­¡± The Princess starts, ¡°What do we know so far about the kidnappers?¡±


    The Emperor motions for an elderly man to speak. The man is one of the Nobles at the table, likely a High Duke from his position at the right hand of the Emperor. ¡°Unfortunately, all we found on the kidnappers were their weapons and their clothing. However, amongst Royal Guard Blake¡¯s things we found a note.¡± He motions for a serving boy to come forward. The serving boy hands a piece of paper to the Duke.


    He holds the piece of paper out, all it reads is;


    Today


    Below that, the image of a crow is stamped.


    The style of the crow, with its wings wide open is used by very few people. In fact it is used by only one organization really. An organization that I am deeply familiar with. Apparently, I am not the only man they sent to infiltrate the Royal Guard.


    The Duke puts my thoughts into words ¡°The crow is a symbol used by very few, and this style points to one organization. The Order Of Crows.¡±


    The Princess looks at him curiously, ¡°The assassins? What could they want with me?¡±


    A military man stands up, he wears a red sash across his chest, marking him as a general. ¡°If I may, Your Majesty?¡±


    The Emperor nods at him.


    The General salutes the Princess with a fist to his chest. ¡°I am General Parton of the imperial army.¡± The Princess motions for him to continue. ¡°I would not take this note at face value. It is unlike the Order Of Crows to be so obviously traced. It is very possible that someone is pinning the blame on them.¡±


    I consider his words, while it is possible that he is correct. I think that it is much more likely that they wanted the Emperor to know that they were behind it. If they had succeeded in kidnapping the princess, they could have used her as a bargaining chip. You can¡¯t use a bargaining chip unless the other party knows that you have it.


    The meeting continues with everyone stating different theories. No other evidence surfaced and no one came to any conclusions, but somehow the meeting still managed to last a good two hours, before the Emperor excused himself. The rest of the imperial family soon did the same, leaving the nobility and high ranking military officers to bicker amongst themselves.


    Sir Johnathon and his men accompanied Maria back to her room. She sat on her bed, looking at him questioningly.


    ¡°Until you decide who you want to replace you former guards, we wait here, guarding you. Your Highness.¡± Sir Johnathon says, making it clear that he won¡¯t accept any arguments with his tone.


    ¡°Very well. Please set up some interviews for tomorrow.¡± She responds, snuggling into her pillows.


    Sir Johnathon bows to her, ¡°As you wish.¡±


    ¡°Your highness,¡± I start, looking outside at the starry night sky, I was supposed to have gotten off of my shift an hour ago. ¡°If you have no other use for me today, I have some matters I would like to take care of.¡±


    Maria doesn¡¯t respond right away, stretching like a cat underneath the pillows on her bed. ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Some other Royal Guards and I will be meeting at an inn in the commoners district, I was planning on looking into something that happened last night.¡± I respond carefully.


    She jumps out of her bed, showing a surprising amount of energy compared to moments before. ¡°Perfect. Why don¡¯t I come with you?¡± She says, moving over to her wardrobe and pulling out a surprisingly common dress. Just rich enough for her to pass as a merchant¡¯s daughter.


    I stare at her wide eyed, unsure how to respond. Luckily, Sir Johnathon isn¡¯t as lost for words.


    ¡°Your Highness, going out into the city so soon after a kidnap attempt isn¡¯t-¡± He starts, before she interrupts him. I¡¯ve noticed that she likes to do that.


    ¡°Oh hush Johnathon. I will be going in disguise, plus, you heard Damien, there will be other Royal Guards there.¡± She says, moving behind a screen to change.


    ¡°Still, I must protest!¡± Johnathon¡¯s voice rises, his anger becoming obvious. When no response comes from behind the curtain for a few minutes, he continues ¡°Very well, give my men a few minutes to prepare-¡±


    Princess Maria De Lemor walks out from behind the screen in her new dress. The world stops around me for a second as I see her. The makeup that she had worn was gone, and her hair was no longer in some elaborate style, instead, she wore it loosely. She smiled, a small dimple appearing in her cheek.


    Blood rushes to my face as I realize that I am staring. Boys and girls were kept carefully separate at the training institute. Yes, I saw them, but I was never allowed to look at them. Because I knew that if I became attached to one of them, it would be the death of me. Everyone there was looking to rise up the ladder, be noticed by Alex, or one of the teachers. Everyone. And I was at the top, so the moment I became attached to someone, they were used against me, or they used me.


    But, all of that carefulness was lost as I stared at the beautiful girl before me. I forgot that she was a Princess, I forgot that I was an assassin. Until I remembered. And then the moment was lost.


    I forcefully got control of my expression, turning slightly away from her. My mind turned back to the conversation.


    ¡°-We must accompany you!¡± Sir Johnathon was saying, his voice rising. ¡°Someone tried to kidnap you!¡±


    ¡°Sir Johnathon.¡± The Princess¡¯s voice snapped. ¡°You forget your place.¡± She carefully brushes one of her hands through her hair, taking a moment before continuing. ¡°Damien faced two trained assassins and a Royal Guard. And he won. I do not wish to be surrounded by men as I make my way through the city, I will not be surrounded by men as I walk through the city. Feel free to complain to your superiors. I will be back before the night is up.¡± After saying that, she grabs my arm, leading me out of the room in front of a red faced Sir Johnathon.


    ¡°You should have listened to him.¡± I say as soon as we are out of the room, a faint blush coloring my face at how close she is to me. ¡°Just because they failed once, doesn¡¯t mean they won¡¯t try again.¡±


    She looks ahead, her hand still around my arm, ¡°As I told Johnathon, nowhere is safe right now and¡­ Whoever is after me, they won¡¯t expect me to leave the palace.¡± I must not have heard that part. ¡°Plus, I cannot let myself be caged. Once they realize that they can cage me, they won¡¯t ever let me go.¡±


    I look at her, not quite understanding what she means.


    We reach a branching hallway and Maria stops.


    I wait for her to move, but she seems frozen. She looks at me, a slightly embarrassed expression on her face, ¡°umm, I don¡¯t know where we are going.¡±


    To my surprise, a small laugh escapes my mouth.


    She smiles as I bring my expression back to normal.


    ¡°What?¡± I ask.


    ¡°That is the first time I¡¯ve seen you smile.¡± She says, looking at me strangely. ¡°You should do it more often, it¡¯s good for you.¡±


    I ignore her comment and start walking. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s this way.¡± I say, leading her to the right.

 Chapter 7: The Elf and The Barman

    I lead Princess Maria De Lemor, third in line for the throne of the Empire down the streets of the city by myself.


    The city is still alive with action, as lively music comes from inns and shops sell wares to the more night-friendly races living in the city. Fire Elementalists put on small shows for the populace, beautiful lights appearing as students of the Mage¡¯s Coliseum shape dragons and heroes with their mana.


    Maria loves those the most, delaying our walk by a good ten minutes as a storyteller wearing a mask, shows the story of Serdinon The Great, a First Circle Mage and Master Of Nature. He actually makes plants grow from the ground as his friend makes fire come from the mouth of a dragon, also made of fire.


    It was fun and I found myself very surprised as The Princess oohed and aahed with the crowd, yelling with joy when Serdinon saves the princess from an evil mage.


    I am thankful that we came towards the end of the story however. I am already rather late for the meeting with Dean and the other Royal Guards.


    We arrive at the inn as a room full of drunk Guards sing along with a minstrel in a rather rowdy song about a barman and an elf. Made all the funnier by the fact that the man singing it was a rather obvious half-elf, with the fair skin and pointed ears their kind are known for.


    An elf girl goes into a bar


    Her lips like colored berries


    So red and plump it seemed that she¡­.


    ¡­Had just been popping cherries!


    The whole tavern responds like they had heard the song a dozen times.


    ¡°Cherries, Cherries, Her lips were popping cherries¡±


    The minstrel continues the song with a smile on his lips.


    The Barman saw her cherry lips


    The floor he stopped a moppin¡¯


    He felt to check his bottle neck


    And¡­.. The cork it was a poppin¡¯


    ¡°Poppin¡¯ Poppin¡¯ his cork it was a poppin¡¯!¡±


    I look over at Maria, who has a confused look on her face. I laugh at the fact that she hasn¡¯t gotten it yet.


    The elf girl swept beside the keep


    Her beauty filled his eyes and


    sure enough the Mizzen mast


    Between his thighs was risin¡¯!


    ¡°Risin¡¯ Risin¡¯ His Mizen mast was risin¡¯!¡±


    The barman was a handsome lad


    He once had been a sailor


    His hope was high (beside his thigh)


    That maybe he could nail her!


    ¡°Nail her, nail her, he hoped that he could Nail her!¡±


    The elven girl could clearly see


    The sails that filled his rigging


    And she had gold and jewels besides


    For which he could be digging


    ¡°Digging, Digging, she hoped he would start digging!¡±


    She danced a dance that made the men


    Forget she was their better


    Her eyes would burn with every turn


    And¡­ her lips were getting wetter


    ¡°Wetter wetter, her lips were getting WETTER!¡±


    Her skirts would fly and show her thigh


    Her ankles were so naked


    The Barman thought the confined space


    Around his mast might break it


    ¡°Break it, break it, he thought that he would break it!¡±


    The elf girl slipped up to the lad


    And reached into his pocket.


    The boy had been so long from joy


    It went off like a rocket!


    ¡°Rocket rocket, it went off like a rocket!¡±


    The elf girl¡¯s fun had just undone


    His zipper oh so trickyStolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    She danced with glee so all could see


    The poor boy¡¯s mast was sticky!


    ¡°Sticky Sticky, the poor boy¡¯s mast was STICKY!¡±


    Relieved that the song is over, I start laughing, men and women joining in with my laughter. The minstrel looks at all of us with a wry smile, winking at Maria and I.


    Then to all of our surprise, he continues,


    Not even sad, the sailor lad


    Danced on and caught his prankster


    His mast and he both took a bow


    Together they both thankst her!


    The barman laughed and bobbed his shaft


    And spoke up for his member


    ¡®A pleasant whirl with such a girl


    is something to remember


    But when you take me out of bed


    To fill the night with blisses


    The very least that you could do


    Is tuck me in with kisses¡¯


    ¡°The very least that you could DO¡­


    Is tuck me in with kisses!¡±


    After the song is finished, Dean and the other Royal Guards wave me over.


    I look over at Maria, who is redder than an apple, not that I am one to talk. Both of us not looking at each other, we walk to the table full of Royal Guards.


    They stare at the princess curiously, obviously not recognizing her.


    Dean bows to Maria, ¡°Why hello there, m¡¯lady. Welcome to The Wandering Minstrel, a rather famous tavern where us Guards unwind after a hard day at work. I am Dean, what might your name be?¡± He says with a cheeky smile.


    Maria laughs at him, curtsying in response to his bow, her blush almost completely gone. ¡°You can call me Marry.¡±


    Jake, the spearman, James, the fire elementalist, Carla, the healer and the brothers Chris and Alex, both of whom are carrying giant shields on their backs all introduce themselves to Maria.


    Surprisingly enough, she seems to remember all the names.


    Dean speaks up as we sit down at the table. ¡°What brings you here with this ruffian, Marry?¡± He says, motioning towards me.


    Maria laughs, ¡°He told me that he was planning on looking into something that happened the other night, I was curious about it, so I decided to come along.¡±


    ¡°The boy?¡± Carla asks, I nod.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a good idea to be messing with powerful mages.¡± James says, ¡°Those protections on your uniform can only go so far.¡±


    ¡°Powerful mages?¡± Maria asks.


    ¡°Damien didn¡¯t tell you anything did he?¡± Dean says, looking at me with a fake frown, before explaining what happened last night to her.


    ¡°That¡¯s terrible.¡± Maria says, angry at the person who could do that to a kid.


    ¡°It is.¡± I say.


    The minstrel starts another song, moving amongst the Guards as he sings,


    Thank God that we have emperors and lords and queens and kings


    And knights and earls and barons and such lofty noble things


    Without them there we¡¯d all be left with such unpleasantry


    Why we might not even realize that we were peasantry!


    To my surprise, all of the people in the tavern, including the guardsmen, join in with a line;


    ¡°We might not even realize that we are peasantry!¡±


    So drink a toast to Nobleness wherever it is found


    And let¡¯s drink one for heroes for who knows where they are bound


    And when a hero is a noble, nothing can top that


    Most likely you can tell because they wear a noble hat


    ¡°Most likely you can tell because they wear a noble hat!¡±


    Without the castle walls and moats and drawbridges and such,


    Who knows what cruel invaders would have had us in their clutch


    Thank heavens that our masters told us peasants all to build them


    And then threw glorious parties every time that we had killed them


    ¡°And we will throw a party each and every time we kill them¡±


    So drink a toast to fighting prowess, gifted from above


    And let¡¯s drink one for those who lead us and to those we love


    Sometimes they are both the same, and nothing can be bolder,


    Though often times it means we won¡¯t be growing any older


    ¡°Though often times it means we won¡¯t be growing any older.¡±


    Our kings and queens are glorious, our emperors are godly,


    They¡¯re never wrong even when they may be acting oddly


    It¡¯s not for us to judge such things, but only to OBEY¡­


    And dream at night that we might be as wonderful as they.


    ¡°And dream at night that we might be as wonderful as they!


    As wonderful as they, as wonderful as they,


    And dream at night that we might be as wonderful as THEY! HEY!¡±


    Maria bursts out laughing at the end of the song as everyone in the tavern claps and laughs. Cheering the bard who was brave enough to sing such a song.


    The minstrel bows, flourishing his cape with a smile on his face. ¡°Thank you. Thank you.¡±


    Somehow the minstrel ended up at our side of the tavern, Maria waves him over. ¡°Please, join us. I loved that song! Who made it?¡±


    To the surprise of everyone at our table, the minstrel joins us. Pulling a chair from another table, he waves at the waitress. She nods, winking at him.


    ¡°I wrote the song myself, I make sure to sing it every time I come to this tavern.¡± The minstrel says with a slight accent and a tenor voice.


    ¡°And we love hearing it every time.¡± Carla says.


    ¡°Thank you. I am glad that you liked it so much.¡± He says as the waitress gives him a mug of some unknown drink.


    The table chuckles at his words. Chris pats the minstrel on the back, his deep voice showing signs of an accent from the southern province. ¡°We appreciate anyone with half the wit you have. Not to mention that amazing voice.¡±


    The Minstrel smiles at the praise, ¡°Thank you again, fair sir.¡±


    I notice the minstrel glancing at The Princess quickly, before looking away again. He does it a few times and It makes me wonder why he decided to sit at our table.


    James speaks, the mug of beer in front of him likely affecting his words, ¡°We get to deal with the Noble bastards everyday. It is good to hear someone finally say the truth.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t mean that.¡± Maria says, chuckling. ¡°I don¡¯t think that was the way the song was intended at all, I am sure the minstrel was honestly praising Nobles.¡±


    Dean knocks James on the head, saying ¡°Of course you are right, James has just had a little too much to drink.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just the drink talking, little miss.¡± James says, his voice calm and stable. ¡°Some little rich brat had a daddy that did something great. So he gets to wake up every morning with the military¡¯s ear and the power to punish any peasant that looks at him wrong.¡± He pauses, thinking, ¡°I love my work, mind you and I would sacrifice my life for that little brat any day. But that doesn¡¯t make it right.¡±


    Maria looks like she wants to argue, but settles for shaking her head ruefully and smiling.


    ¡°You had better be careful friend,¡± The Minstrel says, very carefully not looking at anyone. ¡°That kind of talk can get you into trouble if you say it in front of the wrong person.¡±


    My eyes narrow at the minstrel. He knows. He knows that the girl sitting next to him is The Princess. Or at least he knows that she is more than she seems.


    James waves him off. ¡°I am well respected enough to say a few things under the influence of a drink and not get any trouble over it.¡±


    ¡°What is your name? I haven¡¯t had a chance to hear it.¡± I ask the minstrel politely. If people find out where the Princess is, he will be first on my list of suspects.


    ¡°Kevan Silvertongue, at your service.¡± The minstrel says, bowing a little in his seat.


    ¡°Silvertongue? Is that your Elven name?¡± Maria asks, putting her hand in front of her mouth.


    ¡°It is actually. My family has always had a way with words.¡± He responds, accenting his words with small movements of his hands.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± I interrupt their conversation politely. ¡°But if you don¡¯t mind, I would like to start as early as possible to find the man who did that to those children. I was hoping that you might join me.¡± I talk to the whole table, ¡°but I am fine with carrying on in this mission myself.¡±


    Chris hits me on the back guffawing. ¡°Of course we will join you.¡± He rumbled in his deep voice. ¡°Even James isn¡¯t one to see kids harmed without a fight.¡±


    ¡°I seem to have missed something. What is going on?¡± Kevan interrupts.


    Dean tells him about what happened the other night.


    ¡°That is terrible. Perhaps I could be of some help to you?¡± Kevan says, stroking his clean-shaven chin.


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t wish to trouble you.¡± I respond.


    ¡°It is no trouble at all. I am happy to help¡± He waves away my words, ¡°and I might have access to knowledge that upstanding men like you do not.¡±


    I open my mouth, not sure what I plan to say, maybe I might argue with him. But Dean doesn¡¯t give me the chance.


    ¡°He is right, there are people who won¡¯t trust us, simply because of our positions in the Palace.¡± Dean says.


    I close my mouth and give some thought to his words. Begrudgingly, I admit that he is right. ¡°Welcome to the team.¡± I say, holding my hand out to the minstrel.


    He looks at my hand with interest, before he reaches out to accept my handshake.


    ¡°So Carla, where are the kids?¡± I ask her.