EM Fiction A story in three parts.

[Bennu]

“How dare you!” Lady Amandine spoke in hushed tones so that the groomsmen Barton wouldn’t hear her.

“Please, Lady Amandine… listen to reason. The King is losing favor with the people, it is only right that we should all make our own beds more comfortable.” Lord d’Hardt smiled and crossed his arms.

“It’s your fault the King ended up with egg on his face over this whole assassination business anyhow, you are supposed to be his Intelligence Chief! Instead you went around killing civilians in Malas!”

“Please, my men and I are not murderers. We laid low a few unseemly folks that sought to break the siege of Falling Waters, yes. Traitors all and they met a traitor’s death.”

“As will you Fabian, in the end!” Amandine spit her words.

“I can see that I cannot persuade you, that is too bad. The King is out of the castle chasing rumor of a Xorinite, Dupre is drunk in town. I thought you would be more receptive to my… proposals. A woman in your condition, alone and undefended…”

“You disgust me” The bedridden Lady Amandine crossed her arms.

“If you will not help me, then you will have no role in the future of this Kingdom.” Fabian produced a key from his pocket and quickly slipped out the door, locking Lady Amandine in her room.

“Barton… or should I say, Lord Barton. Lady Amandine is tired, see that she is undisturbed.” Fabian smiled darkly and dropped a large emerald ring in the Groomsmen’s pocket.

The courtyard was filled with Kingsguard, loyal knights, zealots who seemed to worship King Blackthorn as a sort of living god. Above them, Lord Fabian d’Hardt stood a scowl on his face.

“Kingsguard!” Lord d’Hardt’s call was answered back by three hundred militaristic guttural howls of attention and praise.

“The King has given me orders, we are to march upon Trinsic. It is to be our new Stronghold. As Serpent’s Hold was once to the now forgotten Order of the Silver Serpent. Trinsic shall be ours, a gift from our King!” Fabian raised his sword, and below him three hundred knights raised theirs in salute and shouted…

“In the name of the King!” and the words shook the stones of Castle Blackthorn.

Fabian and his closest knights raced forward across the bridge into Britain. Behind him the Kingsguard dragoons began to form ranks and companies for their march south to Trinsic.

Above them, a single bright blue ribbon waved wildly in the wind from the open window of Lady Amandine.

 

[Bennu]

Across Britain, a young squire ran the streets from the north to the east.

“I call for the Lady of the Lake.” The squire whispered into a dark alley, seemingly to nothing.

“Who calls?” A voice answered back.

“A humble pilgrim of the ankh.”

No sooner had the words slipped his lips, the young man was blindfolded from behind and carried by two others.

Three right turns and a long walk south landed him on a small ramshackle dock forgotten by the rushed merchants of west Britain. Ahead of him Kinneret Lauka, her back turned looking into the ocean.

“The streets are full of Kingsguard Initiate, these are dangerous times. Even for the Crux Ansata.” Kinneret whispered.

“The ribbon, the sign is given. The blue ribbon flies from Amandine’s window!” The nameless squire issued his report.

“Then there is no time to waste, the fool has stuck his neck out!” Kinneret roused her horse, and five Crux Knights followed. Leaving the squire alone on the docks.

 

[Bennu]

Near to Midnight, the moon had barely risen over the horizon. The forest pitch black, even the gypsies knew tonight was no night to be out in the forest. Still Kinneret and her knights charged south at a full gallop through dense forest, tangling brush, jumping streams and dodging the horrors of the night.

No words were exchanged, their mission was clear. Head off the main Kingsguard force before it was too late. Their swift and clandestine actions within Britain under the noses of the misguided Kingsguard had served them well.

Across the bridge along the road Kinneret dropped her torch, as she did five other torches hit the ground making a circle of light in the middle of the road. Bright blue shields, silver swords and pure white tunics bearing the golden ankh of the Crux Ansata formed a wall across the road.

In sharp contrast to her Knights, Kinneret wore dark leather, carried a wooden shield and a small mace. Her form tiny compared to most of the Knights of the Crux Ansata. She stood slightly ahead of the group, in the darkness. Her shadow stretched into the darkness and met the first company of Kingsguard.

“You are hereby ordered to halt, by order of his majesty King Blackthorn of Britannia!” Kinneret called to the marching men.

“Outta the way Ansata, we are on the King’s Business! We have no quarrel with you.”

“You have been misled Captain.” Kinneret reached out her hand and one of her knights behind her put a sealed diplomatic pouch in her hand which she handed to the Kingsguard Captain.

Kingsguard Commander, if you are reading this then it is as I feared and your commander Lord d’Hardt has truly taken his final steps away from me and sealed his fate. This letter and my seal below hereby recalls you from your current mission and releases the Kingsguard from command of Lord Fabian d’Hardt. You are hereby ordered to report to Castle Blackthorn, and placed under the command of Lady Danica Amandine until my return. ~ Signed and sealed. Blackthorn, King of Britannia​

“Are those orders genuine Captain, is Lord d’Hardt really a traitor?” one of the Dragoons asked.

“It is not for our judgment, we follow the orders of the King.” The Captain mounted his horse and ran to the rear, in the distance he shouted, “Company Reverse! To the rear, march!”

Soon the bulk of the Kingsguard were back in the darkness of the forest.

“What of Fabian and his most loyal?” one of the Knights spoke.

“Trinsic can handle them. Governor Lew is no fool.” Kinneret smiled slightly.