The Stupid Knight

Chapter Six

Ham was great company to annoy but when you're about to become some of the cold plum ice soup Rebekah once made the chefs serve after her and Xael's visit from the Guang dynasty, your motivation to wreak havoc on those around you dwindles significantly.

I sighed as I drank the herbal tea my knight made with the items he had brought along. The horses had the extra food, but they had disappeared just as Amancio and Heron had. I'm sure my horse hadn't been kidnapped by a seductive siren, though.

As I closed my eyes, sipping the scalding beverage, liquid flowing down my throat and warming my body before settling in my stomach, I couldn't help but feel the mighty fist of guilt around my heart. Poor Yani, where are you...

I gasped, opening my eyes. Shades of green, with multiple tints and hues of reds and yellows blurred my vision. Stars of white made it seem as if I stared at the sun for too long, but once my eyes adjusted, I realised there was no sun in this land. The sky was a deep violet, with fluffy grey clouds that looked as if the gods had taken a brush and painted them in.*

The unusually grey branches of the ashwood tree loomed overhead, blocking the twin moons, Lyra and Onisia. Beyond the ashwoon trees stood proud oak trees, branches encompassing the heavens.

I had never been anywhere like this, anywhere that was pure natural with the nearest leagues away.

Ham was crouched in front of a folded map he had brought along with him. From the browned edges and curled corners, coupled with the deep creases due to multiple folds, this resembled an accessory belonging to a senior officer, not a newly appointed knight like Hamilton.

"Who's is that?" I asked out loud, squinting my eyes so I could get a better look. The map looked very similar to the one that was sprawled across Xael's desk, Glamaia smack dab in the center, the Prisubrian Sea taking up much of the lower half of the map. The previously isolated kingdom Pluora bordered my nation from the west, while the vampire kingdom Drusfey was nestled besides both the Prisubrian and Crimson Seas. The Guang Empire lay beyond the partial submerged kingdom of Falkor, separated by a treacherous mountain range. The roads from Vallas, north of Glamaia, and Grie were peppered with ink marks, with orange ink highlighting the barren area known as the "savage land."

I don't appreciate politics that much, but it always puzzled me why it known as "savage." Asking Gavin, the one who tried to educate me on border conflicts, didn't help. He had looked me with wide green eyes boring into my blue ones, saying and said, "True savages don't even live there. I should know."

What is most important (for me at least) is that many Vallasians have sought refugee in Glamaia, many even swearing fealty to my great grandfather, King Rikkard the Valiant, who would not let them in unless they switched loyalties. That's why Amancio is my knight.

Hamilton didn't look up, fingers dancing across the wrinkled map instead. His fingers crossed over the Henley Rivers, which separate the second and third provinces, befote sweeping over his own homeland, Xenith. "This belongs to Sir Gabriel d'Morte. He lent it to me."

I raised an eyebrow. Why would one of Xael's knights give away his personal map marked with the routes he took with Xael when traveling the continent?

"Uh huh," I thought outloud. "Not suspicious at all."

Hamilton frowned, but still didn't look at me. "It was given to us with good intentions, milady. How would the First Princess know about our plans?"

He was right. Xael wasn't psychic.

"What are you doing? You traced the same thing like a dozen times now!" I said instead.

His head snapped up. Suddenly his fingers were thrust in my face, three glovec fingers folded. "How many fingers do you see?"

I groan, pushing his hand away. "Just because I was blind for a few hours doesn't mean I can't aee clearly now. And two, by the way." A thought struck me. "Have you been doing that the whole time?!"

He didn't say anything. Smart man.

I rubbed my eyes in exasperation. "Okay, what are we doing next and where are we and what is going on?"

Oh look, finally something he could answer!

Hamilton pointed to the mountain range before the borders of Pluora and Glamaia. It was hundreds of miles away from Irisdor, near the lands most fertile due to the Jericho and Geneva Rivers. "These are the Jericho Mountains."

"Doesn't explain why you kept going back and forth from Grie to Vallas," I note, confused.

"I'm getting there, milady. Patience is key," he shook his head with a wry smile. "It is rumoured that there is a Maerithium deposit in these mountains, but its heavily guarded by fey. I believe it'll be best if we head west."

This was too simple. I regarded the map with suspicion. "Do you even know where we are? What about Amancio? We need him."

I half expected to hear a "no we don't!" But the voice it would have rung from wasn't here. It was somewhere in the hands of a siren.

Gods forbid, am I missing him? Heron? The stupid perverted knight?

"No," I murmured, far too quietly for my only knight to hear.

"I wanted to fetch Lady Harmonia," he answered. "I tracked her down. She was at Ridgewood and hasn't migrated anywhere else. I wanted some advice from her, but it seems she knows that."

I didn't think the neighbourhood witch was psychic as well. "How so? I mean... If you made it obvious..."

"I would never let down my guard for that," he answered unhappily. "Why else do you think we're here? Why else do you think you went blind?"

I rubbed my eyes. No way did I want any of that again. "The lady witch is behind that? To be honest, it's not surprising. That woman always was the odd one. She's the reason why Freya is as crazy as she is now."

The air around us warmed considerable. I flickered my eyes open to be greeted with Hamilton's glare. "Sorry, sorry, I know you love her and everything but still you never lived with her through her werewolf phase. And then she was obsessed with mermen, so much her room was plastered with shirtless... Alright I'll shut up now."

Like I mentioned before, it was always amusing to annoy Hamilton. I wait for the day he actually kills me.

Which he won't because he's a noble creature. His allegiance is with you.

And so was Amancio's, so we had to get back to business.

"Where is the witch and how do we get out of here?" I changed the subject, glancing back at the weathered map.

"Over here," he pointed.

"What?" I lifted the map, twisting it around to see better. "We're just outside the city limits? Are you sure?"

Hamilton solemnly nodded. "Pretty sure. We have to cross the Daer Plains and get to the mountain range. Before then, we have to get Sir della Rosa."

I'm sorry for the geography lesson. No seriously, I am. I'm working on a map, right now, trying to get it committed to memory, so I'll post one up in a later chapter.

Making a picture of Xael for an art contest. She is easily my favourite princess, but I love all my characters. Wish me luck!

By the way, I have an artbook called "Literal Sketches" on my page. Go check it out please ✌