Snippets of a Knight's Woe

Chapter 8: Fighting Freedom

It was late afternoon when the princess placed her quill in the inkpot. She was in her study, handling administrative work related to the construction of new estates near the castle. After hours of paperwork, she knew where her knight would be. They had talked yesterday at lunch about everything the princess would be doing in response to her father's request. She had her first date scheduled with Alaric.

Aegis rarely left the princess unattended, but occasionally, when she was deeply engrossed in her studies, he allowed himself to train. Training helped him think, sort things out, and vent the repressed rage he carried within him.

Dressed in a loose grey linen shirt and black trousers, Aegis's brown leather boots were covered in a light layer of dust as he practiced with a wooden sword against a training dummy. He started with his usual stance, gracefully gliding the sword through the air with deadly precision. Then, he suddenly began smashing the sword violently against the dummy until it broke, leaving only the handle in his hand.

The other trainees and guardsmen around Aegis said nothing, trying to continue their activities without interrupting him. As Aegis cleaned up his mess, the princess strolled into the garrison's training area and immediately spotted him.

Amara greeted all the soldiers as they bowed and greeted her. Aegis looked up from disposing of the broken sword when he heard Amara lightly call his name. He stood to full attention in front of her. "Princess, if I had known you would finish earlier today, I would have been waiting at your door."

Amara's eyes roamed up and down his large frame, taking in his slightly disheveled look. A light sheen of sweat glistened on his temple and neck. His shirt's top three buttons were undone, giving her a glimpse of the brown chest hair dusting his pecs. His hair resembled a mane as he pushed his bangs back from his intense green eyes. The princess asked curiously, "Did you have a good workout?"

Aegis crossed his arms and puffed out his chest as he tapped his large boot. "Not really." Amara smirked at him, finding his frustrated display quite endearing. "I think I know how to help you."

Aegis was about to chastise her for flirting in public when the princess turned to the other guards training and announced, "A reward of 500 gold to the guard or trainee who can best Sir Aegis here."

The men looked at each other, weighing the risks of fighting a literal bear against the reward of 500 gold coins. For most, the potential reward outweighed the dangers. As Amara faced the potential contenders with excitement, Aegis grinned evilly over her head, intimidating them as he looked forward to the sparring.

The princess clapped her hands together and asked loudly, "Who wants to go first? Remember, the first to beat him wins the money." Amara was eager for this impromptu event and saw a big man with a beard, nearly Aegis's height, step forward confidently.

Aegis turned and Amara looked up at him expectantly. "I want you to blow off some steam, but I also want you to remind me why you're qualified to be my knight." Aegis nodded, grabbed a wooden sword, and walked to the center of the sparring ring. He and the bearded man faced each other, taking their stances in preparation for the fight.

Amara stood to the side with the other soldiers, who formed a viewing circle around the ring. She lifted her hand into the air as silence fell over the space. The princess dropped her hand swiftly, and the fight began, with both men stalking towards each other.

Amara was familiar with Aegis's way of fighting. For such a big man, he was deceptively fast, and his raw strength made for a deadly combination. Aegis and the other soldier circled each other before Aegis lunged suddenly and struck the side of the man's knee, slightly buckling him before he rebalanced and blocked Aegis's next strikes.

Amara leaned to her side and asked the soldier next to her what the bearded man's name was. "His name is Gregory, Your Highness." She nodded, thanked him, and watched intently as Aegis probed Gregory's defenses. Gregory was no pushover and managed to deflect most of Aegis's strikes. He pushed forward and struck Aegis's ribs, but Aegis kept moving as if nothing had happened, except that it seemed to anger him. Aegis parried Gregory's next strike and hit him hard over the head, shattering his wooden sword on the man's skull. Gregory fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

Amara called the match in favor of Aegis. His move was technically allowed, though the amount of force was excessive. The princess gave Aegis a look, and he shrugged, saying, "Who's next?" The princess looked around, expecting some hesitation after such a display, but a new contender, a tall and lanky man named Howard, stepped forward quickly.

Aegis fetched another sword and returned to the center of the circle, ready for another round as Howard approached. Once again, the princess lifted her hand into the air and, after a moment, swiftly dropped it to start the fight.

This time, Aegis was much more aggressive. He moved close and struck repeatedly at Howard's sword. Howard struggled to maintain his grip as Aegis's strikes nearly made the sword fly out of his hand. Howard's wrists absorbed the shock of each heavy blow. Eventually, Aegis sidestepped the tall man and swung his sword down on Howard's wrist, damaging it enough for him to drop his weapon.

Aegis won the second round as well. The competition continued for an hour and a half until Aegis did something that scared everyone else away from competing. Amara watched as Aegis pummeled his opponents. After an hour and fifteen minutes, Aegis looked much more haggard. He noticed that many were waiting for him to tire out before attempting to challenge him. Before the next person approached, he glanced at Amara.

Amara had been watching the entire time with her eyes fixed on the scene. She knew she was being cruel to Aegis and those taking him on. She understood that Aegis would not lose if he could help it, especially with her watching, and she knew the gold would make any man reconsider not fighting Aegis. The princess had set up a situation where only one could truly win: either Aegis or a soldier claiming the gold.

Amara and Aegis locked eyes for a moment before a stout soldier marched up towards Aegis. Aegis gave the princess a look she knew well: his interest in the event had dwindled, and when he was done, he was really done. Amara broke their gaze and turned to the man in front of Aegis, wondering if he could actually beat her tired knight.

Aegis dragged his fingers through his hair, pushed his damp bangs back, and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand before taking his stance once more. The playfulness he had earlier was gone, and his green eyes stood still in his head.

Amara lifted her hand in the air, looked at each of them, and then swiftly dropped it. In a flash, Aegis crossed the distance between himself and the other man, bending his knees as he wound up and swung his sword as if using a bat. The impact sent the stout man flying back into the crowd, knocking over other men as the contender's body was flung into them violently.

The princess moved next to Aegis as he breathed heavily from the exertion and held up his hand as she announced to everyone, "Aegis has not been defeated. However, due to a sudden medical emergency, the competition is ended. All of you have performed valiantly, and every contender in today's event will split the 500 gold among you." The crowd went from dead silence to cheering as the gold would be divided among them.

"Let's go, Aegis." The princess walked back to the castle, with her knight following behind. Once they were away from everyone, Amara turned to Aegis, slowing down to walk beside him. "How are you feeling, big guy?"

Aegis grinned and rubbed his ribs. "A bit battered, but that was fun." Amara nodded and poked his bruised ribs. "I'm beginning to see what my father keeps nagging about when it comes to you." Aegis lifted an eyebrow. "What?"

The princess groaned. "Aegis, you're going to have to start at least pretending that you care about how other people feel if you're to be Prince Consort." She held his hand and led him through the halls toward her private bathroom. "Honestly, nobody wants a psychopath in power. Think about it."