A Prince’s Choice

Chapter 1

The knight rode quickly his horse huffing and puffing as he carried the child. He was tired and wounded. But he could not rest. This wasn’t supposed to happen. The roads were meant to be safe. They had brought a small party just because of that. But bandits, at least a hundred of them had come from nowhere. They were better armed then any bandits he’d ever seen before. And the twenty knights or so were so quickly overwhelmed. His horse buckled for a moment, “No time for rest,” he said to himself and the wounded stallion. He kicked the horse which tried to run in the heavy snow.

In his cloak he felt movement. That was why he couldn’t stop. The green eyed child peaked his head through the heavy wool cloak, “What’s going on,” the trembling voice said.

“Hide sire,” the knight said tucking the boy inside once more. He could not have been much more than six. But surely he understood what had happened. He must have heard the shouts of fighting. Even if his eyes had not seen. He must have heard. He must have heard the king’s final words. To keep the young prince safe, to take him to safety.

He sighed softly to himself as he saw the city gates approaching. The large battlements and stone carving. Yelfrend, the capital of the northern human kingdom of Esnary. Here it was safety at last. The knight was lucky that winter had not befallen them just yet. The cold air was nothing compared to snow covered roads. He looked up to one of the battlements, “You there, let me in,” the knight said but he was out of earshot.

He rode then to the city gates on the other side, a city watch guard wearing a gambeson and simple kettle helm looked to the knight. “Who goes there,” he asked brandishing his glaive against the strange foreign knight. The knight revealed his shield on it the symbol of a knight of the southern human kingdom. A kingdom of sun rays and oceans. “What business brings you here Thalorian?” The foolish guard asked.

“I must see your Lady, a tragedy has occurred,” just then the little green eyed child popped up again. His green eyes indistinguishable. Even here they knew of the green eyes of the Royal House of Thalor. Of the King’s of the Sunset Coast. The king was brother in law to the lady regent of Valkorias, in the Northern kingdom of Sosphira. The guards commander came forward on horseback. “What’s going on here?” He asked in a commanding tone.

But just then the commander saw the knight blood dripping from his side, his horse wounded as well. “This boy is the heir to throne of Thalor. And Nephew to Duchess Rayna, your lady will want to see us.” He said to the men. This knight had not ridden all this way to simply be turned away by a few up jump guards. He would have ridden past them if he were not wounded. “Take me now,” he ordered. His Kings last order would be obeyed.