The Lady Knight
"We have arrived on the outskirts of Louvre."
My voice sounded rather loud in the peaceful silence of the morning, as I pointed to Compassvale, the capital earldom of Louvre where the Duke of Louvre and his family lived. It was set against the backdrop of a brilliant sunrise, looking lovely in all its majestic glory.
The Captains sighed in relief. I turned to the Prince, who was riding beside me, deeply occupied by his thoughts.
"Your Royal Highness, if I am not mistaken, the people of Compassvale would have planned a celebratory welcome in your honour. It is one of the traditions of the Potential Quest. As such, I feel that it would be more appropriate if you ride in front of us all and greet them," I requested coldly, speaking to him for the first time that morning.
Needless to say, I was still very angry with him.
He nodded, distant, and spurred Noir on ahead of us. The Captains and I arranged ourselves in order, with Captain Everard and I riding directly behind the Prince, and the others in a row behind us.
Just as I had predicted, loud, gleeful cheers rose up as soon as we rode into the cobbled streets of Compassvale. The people had lined up along the sides of the streets, holding up banners painted with the Crown Prince's badge - a white falcon - and Monrique's national flag, with huge beams on their faces as they applauded.
"Welcome, Your Royal Highness!"
"Crown Prince Nicholas Seymour!"
"Long live, Your Royal Highness!"
Screams and cheers of such a nature saturated the air, as the Prince beamed at them all with genuine happiness, waving. The Royal House of Seymour was well beloved in Monrique, and there was no doubt that the people simply adored their Crown Prince.
Why else would a town wake up at daybreak to go through such trouble?
Although my ears were threatening to burst with all the noise that bombarded them, the sheer happiness that oversaturated the atmosphere was infectious, and even I could not help but smile a little.
We continued to ride amidst the crowd straight towards the Duke of Louvre's abode, the Louvre Manor. He and his family were waiting at the gates.
The Duke and Duchess were easy to identify. Each wore a slim coronet on their heads, a gold one for the Duke and a silver one for the Duchess. They were attired in simple, formal wear, holding a platter covered in white silk.
My eyes widened. The platter was so large that it required both the Duke and the Duchess to hold it upright, and it almost covered their faces.
I was well aware that the platter held the customary gifts that a Crown Prince was welcomed with before he entered the home of a Potential, and yet, I was taken aback by how much the duo were willing to gift him to honour him.
Only the very best to welcome the Crown Prince, I thought wryly.
Shaking my head at that thought, my gaze shifted to the tall, willowy young woman, who stood next to the couple, holding her younger sister's hand. Her lips pulled up in a huge beam, as she watched us approach her.
I stared at her, mildly surprised. Lisa.
She was dressed in a simple, sky blue gown. With waist length of pure silvery blond curls that fanned her face, she was the very picture of simple beauty. Her emerald eyes twinkled in joy, as she and her sister waved at me.
Finally. It had been too long.
"Welcome to Louvre, Your Royal Highness," the Duke of Louvre knelt before him, as his wife and his daughters sank into deep curtsies, "we are honoured indeed to be graced with your presence in our humble home."
"Please rise. The honour and pleasure are all mine, Lord Louvre," the Prince smiled kindly, "thank you very much for hosting us."
"My stablemen will take your horses to the stables. Allow myself and my wife to escort you and your entourage inside, Sire," the Duke inclined his head, gesturing to the young lads lingering by the sides of the gate.
After the Prince had dismounted from Noir and patiently coaxed him towards the stables, and went so far as to accompany his apprehensive stallion up to his designated stall, I commanded the rest of the Captains to dismount and hand their horses to the stablemen as well.
When the Prince returned, we formed the same formation as earlier around him, standing at attention. The Duke and the Duchess then escorted the Prince into their Manor, as they made small talk with him.
I hung behind, leaning slightly towards Captain Everard. "Captain Everard, will you please lead the others inside?" I murmured under my breath, "I need to speak with Lady Alyssa."
In the meanwhile, Lisa was giving similar instructions to her sister. "Gabrielle, go with Mama and Papa," I heard her vaguely urging the seven-year old towards the Duke and the Duchess, "Jules and I will play with you later."
Gabrielle's initial frown at being asked to leave vanished, as she threw me a blinding smile. As she skipped off towards her parents, Captain Everard gave a subtle nod in agreement to my words.
Lisa and I discreetly lingered at the gates, watching the rest proceed into the Manor.
When the front door slammed shut, I relaxed, turning to Lisa with a small smile. The emerald-eyed woman took two strides towards me, and promptly threw herself into my arms, holding me in an iron grip.
I sucked in a sharp breath. Ouch.
Truly, I was certain that I was already starting to bruise where her arms held me. "By God, woman," I gasped slightly, "are you trying to suffocate me to death?"
Lisa pulled back to swat my arm none too gently. "Believe me, I want to," she scowled at me, "where have you been for the last few years? Did it ever occur to you to come to Louvre to visit me? Or even have the courtesy to be present in Bordeux when Kat and I try to come visit you?"
Guilt flooded me at once. Due to the never-ending list of duties and tasks I had to handle as a Commander General and a Lady Knight in the army, I knew I had neglected many of my relationships with those I held dear over the years.
I now linked my arm with hers in a gesture of peace and pulled her towards the gardens. "I am truly sorry," I meant every word, "I have no excuses to justify myself, but I will try my very best to make it up to you while I am here in Louvre. Is that all right?"
"You had better, if you value your life," she grumbled, before her face lightened slightly, "in any case, will you be coming to the Ball tonight? Mama and Papa made sure to invite everyone we know. Dora and Jo are arriving later this afternoon, too, if you would like to meet them."
Dora and Jo were the only daughters of the Earls of Compassvale and Moonwall respectively, which were the two Earldoms that comprised Louvre. They were good friends of Lisa's, as they had all grown up together in Louvre.
They must be arriving for the first Potential Quest ball to be held at the Manor later this evening. With a jolt of surprise, I realised that Lisa, Dora and Jo were the first batch of potentials I had to assess over the course of the next one week.
It was certainly going to be strange.
"That is wonderful news," I smiled at her, "and of course I am coming to the Ball. It is most unfortunate that the King placed me in charge of the Crown Prince's security, and I am afraid he would be an easy target to potential assassins in such a crowded place." I made a face.
Lisa huffed in exasperation, as we turned a corner. "I am aware of that," she rolled her eyes, "but I was asking you if you were coming to the Ball to dance and meet new people, like a normal Lady of the Society would do."
"You think that I am not normal?" I dramatically clasped my hand to my heart, "you wound me."
She rolled her eyes once more, chuckling at my antics. "I know you are not normal," she emphasized, "so I assume that you are coming to the Ball as part of the men in black, as usual?"
"They have a name, you know. They are called Captains."
"Certainly, certainly," she waved dismissively, before, "speaking of Captains, did you hear about old Lady Bessie? Captain Evans' great-aunt? Surely you must have. Oh, she - " She swiftly launched into a hot, steaming vat of Court gossip that had quite missed my attention, although I lived there.
I smiled softly. It felt good to spend some time with her again.
***
"For the last time," I threw my hands up in exasperation, "all three of you look just fine!"
It was with great difficulty that I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes at the three young women in front of me, who were furiously adjusting their jewels, their hair, and their glittering gowns in the dim light of the courtyard.
Dora glanced up at me, tugging at her gown. "But Jules, we do not want to look just fine, do we?" she huffed anxiously, "or else the Crown Prince would not even look twice at us. How do we stand out from all the other beautiful women His Royal Highness has already seen at Court - "
I closed my eyes tiredly, feeling close to pulling my hair out in frustration. By God, I could handle a whole day of vigorous training at one stretch, but I absolutely could not tolerate three, hysterical women incessantly fretting over their appearances.
What bewildered me to no end was the fact that they were so willing to undergo such draining emotional trauma for the Prince, of all people. Neither was he worth such trouble, nor was he that great a catch, in my opinion.
Or mayhap it was because my taste in men was far better than theirs.
Lisa seemed the most calm and composed of the trio, silently observing her two friends with some amusement from where she stood against the pillar. Yet, knowing her as long as I have, I was able to detect a trace of that same excitement that the duo was displaying so openly, as she subtly patted her face with her handkerchief, and tucked a stray curl behind her ear, glancing at the glass panes across her to scrutinise her reflection.
Hmm. I wonder whom she was intending to impress? It was clearly not the Prince.
"Are you ready? It is almost time to make your entrance," I intervened, before Jo could agree with Dora, and launch into yet another monologue of despair.
"As ready as we will ever be," Lisa chuckled, fanning herself slightly as she turned to face the Ballroom door, "oh, Dora, do not look so forlorn! I am sure we will all have a good time this evening, regardless of whether the Crown Prince takes any interest in us." Her eyes were unusually bright with joy, and her cheeks high in colour.
A wry smile unfolded on my face. She was definitely intending to impress another.
"That is the spirit."
With that dry encouragement directed at the women, I walked up to the door and opened it as gently as I could, peeking my head within to place my lips near the ears of the heralds who stood on either side of it.
"Heralds, they are ready," I murmured to them, "announce them."
"Announcing Commander General Van Helsing of the Monriquan Armed Forces, Lady Knight of Monrique, and Ladies Alyssa, Theodora and Josephine of Louvre!"
I swiftly stepped away from the doors as they were flung wide open with a dramatic flourish. The band began to play a light march, as the trio glided along the red carpet in time to its rhythm. I followed a few steps behind them, calm and professional.
The Prince waited with a small, perfunctory smile of his own for the Ladies at the end of the red carpet, attired in a black suit, with the royal deep blue sash slung across his torso and a golden crown that rested on his head to emphasise his authority.
Both Dora and Jo were quick to notice, and they simpered to return the smile. However, Lisa's emerald eyes sought someone else in the happily smiling crowd that stood applauding along both the sides of the carpet.
My gaze followed hers, curious.
When her eyes rested on a man - a certain someone with a familiar shock of dark hair and twinkling goblin green eyes - her whole countenance began to glow with happiness, as a blinding smile as bright as the sunrise at daybreak pulled her lips up.
The returned grin was no less adoring.
Fighting a smile off my lips with much difficulty, I shook my head in amusement. I had been very dense indeed. Only a fool like me would have forgotten her best friend's childhood sweetheart. In my opinion, at least, it appeared that her fondness for him had only grown stronger over the years, and his for her.
Lord Evoric Hale of Warwick was he, from the dukedom of Anchorvale. He was one of the Prince's best friends, and had travelled with him to Osterlund a decade ago. He must have come to Louvre this evening to meet Lisa again after all these years.
I tilted my head slightly, observing him. He looked well.
However, he was not aware that I was watching him. His gaze was solely and completely trained on Lisa to the point of discomfort for me.
I subtly cleared my throat, very softly but loud enough for her to hear. Her eyes swiftly snapped to the Prince, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred, but a slight blush crept up her cheeks.
When the trio reached the Prince, they sunk into deep curtsies, just as the music ceased. "Good evening, Your Royal Highness," they murmured together, their voices sounding loud and clear in the silence that followed.
"Good evening. You may rise, Ladies."
They obeyed, holding their breaths as they waited for the Prince to continue speaking.
"A very good evening to everyone," he bowed his head in greeting, "thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedules to help to organise, and attend the first Potential Quest ball of my beloved father, His Majesty King Frederick V of Monrique's reign. It is my greatest wish that I get better acquainted with all of you this evening, and in the course of the next one week that I will be residing here. Thank you."
His speech had been simple and to the point, but the sincerity that had shone through his words made all the difference. He received a thunderous round of applause from all the guests, which did not die down in the slightest until he held up his hands for silence.
"Please enjoy your evening, people of Louvre." Upon hearing the Prince's words, the orchestra began to prepare themselves to play the music for the first dance of the evening, furiously flipping their sheets of music.
In the meanwhile, he turned towards Lisa, lowering his volume. "Evoric wants your first dance of the evening," he murmured, "go ahead, he is waiting for you."
Lisa smiled in gratitude at him. "Thank you, Your Royal Highness." With that, she picked up her skirts and swiftly weaved her way through the crowd on the dance floor, towards where Evoric was waiting for her.
I smiled slightly at that. Indeed, I was so amused watching her blushing and stammering to her beloved, that I did not notice the Prince take a few steps closer to me.
When I did, however, I hastily took a step back. "Your Royal Highness?"
He raised an eyebrow at my surprise. "I simply wanted to inform you that Captain Everard was looking for you earlier."
On that note, he turned away from me to ask Dora to dance. My forehead creased, as I stared after his retreating back. What did Captain Everard want now?
At that very moment, however, the music for the first dance of the evening began to fill the highly charged atmosphere, prompting me to snap out of my bewilderment and quickly steer clear of the dance floor.
As I proceeded to search for Captain Everard, I could not help but admire the grandeur of the Ballroom. Sparkling banners in hues of forest green and grey, the colours of Louvre, were draped over the pillars that supported the structure of the room, and around the transparent glass ceiling.
The grand chandelier was also designed in such a way that the flames of the candles seemed to emit an unearthly glow that was as awe-inspiring as it was mysterious.
I could not believe this was the very same Ballroom where Kat, Lisa and I used to play our little games and run around in when we were younger. Clearly, the Duke and Duchess had put in a lot of effort into transforming the former dusty, void ballroom into one worth of much admiration.
"Jules?"
At the sudden sound of my name, I broke out of my thoughts and looked around, startled to find the couples on the dance floor bowing and curtsying to each other again.
Hmm. Had I been lost in my thoughts for so long that the first dance had already ended?
"Jules."
Blinking, I gazed down to find my hand being tugged insistently by little Gabrielle. She was beaming cheerfully up at me, her pearly whites glittering with the light from the chandelier, dressed in a pale, pink gown that suited her well.
I chuckled, kneeling down to her height. "Good evening, ma douce," I smiled at her, "you look very beautiful in your new gown."
Her emerald eyes lit up at that, an exact copy of Lisa's own. "Truly?" she twirled once, the soft fabric swishing against her ankles, "Mama had it specially made for Sister-mine's Ball. Do you think it is nice?"
"I know so," I assured her with utmost conviction in my voice.
Her beam widened at once. "Thank you, Jules."
Another chuckle escaped me once more, as I reflected on how much easier it was to reassure Gabrielle in comparison to Dora and Jo earlier. Mayhap it was because she was a carefree child in the prime of her childhood, while the other two were young women under immense pressure to marry soon, and marry well.
"Oh, Jules, I almost forgot," Gabrielle spoke up once more at that moment, "Robert requests that you meet him and Evoric at the back of the Ballroom as soon as you possibly can."
My forehead creased. "Robert? Who in the world is that?"
For an answer, she pointed to the back of the Ballroom, where two familiar men stood in the shadows. While Evoric seemed to be very much lost in his thoughts with a small frown etched on his face, Captain Everard beside him waved enthusiastically at me when he caught my gaze.
Oh, Captain Robert Everard.
"Oh, thank you, Gabrielle," I smiled weakly, "I shall be off now. Have a good time at the Ball."
"You are most welcome," she lisped a little, grinning, "and of course I will!" With that, she skipped off towards the refreshments table, allowing me to hurry as discreetly as I could to the back of the Ballroom.
"Ma'am," Captain Everard greeted me, "I assume all is well?"
"Indeed, all is well," I frowned, "but surely you did not request the Crown Prince and Lady Gabrielle to find me, merely to ask me that?"
At the sound of my voice, Evoric snapped out of his thoughts, noticing my presence for the first time. His goblin green eyes took me in with some surprise, before a small smile graced his countenance.
He raised my hand to his lips by way of greeting. "Good evening, Jules," his deep voice was gentle, "it is most wonderful to meet you again after such a long time."
I returned his smile wholeheartedly, inclining my head. "I can say the same of you. You do not seem to have changed in the slightest all these years," I chuckled, before, "but where is Lisa? Was she not dancing with you mere moments ago?"
A flash of sadness crossed his eyes. "Do not worry," he assured me, "Lisa is absolutely well. She is dancing with Ned at the moment." He gestured to the dance floor with a heavy sigh.
I followed Evoric's gaze to the dance floor, to find Lisa laughing freely in the arms of a familiar lean, honey blonde man, who seemed to be keeping her in good spirits.
But then again, Lord Raymond Fourier, Earl of Testalt – or Ned, as his friends knew him - had always been popular among girls and women alike even when he had been younger, for his quick wit, devilishly handsome features and boundless charm.
What a surprise. Had all of the Prince's closest circle of friends flocked to Louvre this evening?
However, Evoric's hollow tone bothered me. "Is there something wrong, Evoric?"
Evoric glanced at Captain Everard for an answer, who had politely looked away while Evoric and I were speaking. The latter now a put a hand on his shoulder in support.
Taking a deep breath, Evoric cleared his throat. "Truth be told...yes," he began hesitantly, "and I was hoping you could help me. You are Lisa's friend, yes?"
I stared at him, mystified. What sort of a question was that?
He ran a hand through his hair in frustration at my expression. "Aye, I am aware," he answered his own question, "I merely wanted to know if.... Lisa had ever...if at all...mentioned anything about me while I was away all these years?"
I blinked in surprise, as he fumbled for words like a flustered child, growing more and more embarrassed with every passing second.
As always, Captain Everard lost his patience. "He wishes to be certain of her affections," he sighed in exasperation, smirking at Evoric, "insecurities are a pain in the bottom, after all."
I chuckled softly. "Have you considered asking Lisa herself how she feels about you?"
He let out another huff. "I cannot. She will think of me as a lunatic, especially since I have not seen her in almost a decade," he fretted, "in any case, what am I to do if she does not harbour the same affections I hold for her? Moreover, her mother the Duchess does not approve of me. She wants Lisa to marry Nick. What if - "
"He has been worrying incessantly like this all afternoon - since the very minute he arrived," Captain Everard muttered darkly, "save me, please, Ma'am, I beg of you."
Evoric paused in the middle of his monologue to throw Captain Everard a scowl upon hearing his words, who returned it with a good-natured roll of his eyes.
In the meanwhile, I stepped forward to grab Evoric's shoulders. "Have you been listening to yourself these past few minutes? You sound like a whiny child," I enunciated each word with a shake, "be a mature adult for once in your pathetic existence, gather up your courage and speak to her."
He drew back from me with a slight pout, looking threatened. "You wound me. I am not pathetic."
"Then prove it. Go talk to her."
Letting out another frustrated snarl, he stomped off away from us, muttering to himself darkly. Almost at once, Captain Everard and I glanced at each other, and quite suddenly, the both of us found ourselves falling into bouts and bouts of laughter.
"By God, that man," I gasped out, holding my stomach, "I can hardly believe that he is turning three and twenty this year!"
"I agree with you, Ma'am," Captain Everard chuckled, before sobering, "however, should he wed Lady Alyssa, he will definitely keep her happy. Of that, I am certain." He looked into the distance.
Still chuckling, I followed his gaze to where Evoric was now tugging a furiously blushing Lisa out of the Ballroom to the gardens as discreetly as he could. Indeed, it was high time that he ceased speaking to all else about her but her, and it seemed that the duo were about to achieve their happy ending after all.
However, one glance across the room at Lisa's mother the Duchess of Louvre was enough to douse the happiness that had barely begun to bubble within me. Although she was entertaining a few guests with a vague smile on her face, the hardly concealed fury that was burning within the emerald depths of her eyes as they followed the couple out of the Ballroom, promised trouble for them ahead.
I frowned, very much puzzled. Why was she against their match?
Yet, I knew well how stubborn Evoric was. I believed that he would not forsake Lisa or their happiness, and was most certain that he would succeed in his suit, as childish as he was at times.
"I am certain, as well."
****
A/N: Emma Stone as Lady Alyssa of Louvre :)