Red Sword

The trumpets sound, their blast following the designated pattern indicating an oncoming attack. My fellow knights and I rushed to the weaponry, grabbing swords and shields off their racks. As the more seasoned knights ran off to the stables to get their horses, I stepped into formation with the lesser ranking ones.

My mind raced with excitement but also mild concern; this was my first real battle. Of course, I had been training with the other knights, overseen by the king, but my skills were nowhere close to the others. Occasionally I dropped my shield, and my parrying skills needed a fair amount of work to match those of the other knights.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts as we marched across the bridge connecting the castle grounds to the rest of the city. I can’t think like that. I have to protect the city, it’s people, and the royal family.

The tell-tale sound of metal clashing together told me the more seasoned knights had beaten us to the fight, the occasional horse neighing loudly accompanied by the scream of a knight also making its way into the cacophony of sounds. My company split up into pairs or singles, branching out in any direction an enemy was heading. Now on my own and looking for an enemy soldier to fight, I started to jog around and look into buildings to see if any civilians needed help.

A battle cry from behind made me raise my shield and turn, just in time for an enemy soldier’s sword to bury itself deep into my shield. That gave me an advantage. While the soldier panicked, trying to pull his sword from my shield, I unsheathed my sword and sliced at their legs where their armour isn’t covering. The soldier crumbles to the ground with a scream, and I quickly make sure he won’t get back up again.

Adrenaline now pumping, I spotted another enemy soldier who in turn spotted me.  We both readied our swords and charged at each other, steel meeting steal with a clang. I quickly realized I got lucky with the first guy as this one gains the advantage on me, backing me up towards the town bar. The windows are open and I could faintly smell alcohol as I brought my shield up to block an oncoming blow, once again trying to aim for the soldier’s legs with my sword. The soldier blocked my attack, but that left the top half of his body unguarded. As I managed to take him down, I noticed a younger woman with flaming red hair running through the streets, looking mildly concerned but determined about something.

“Hey, you! Lady! Come back, I’ll protect you!”

***

I ignored the knight’s call. Given how he struggled with those soldiers earlier, I had no confidence he could protect me. Still, knights had to start somewhere, and they could be trained to improve their skills.

So many men fighting and so many taken out, but I can’t find a single sword? People only have two hands!

Finally, I found a body of an enemy soldier with his sword still in hand, hidden away in a back alley behind the town bar. I snatched it from him and turned it over in my hand; their weapons were a bit heavier than ours, but the length and type of sword were similar enough that I didn’t think it would cause too much of a problem for me.

Footsteps approached slowly behind me. They probably thought I couldn’t hear them. I turned, raising the sword above my head on an angle to block the oncoming blow. Steel met steel with a clang, and the soldier’s eyes widened in shock. Spinning my sword down and swiftly slicing towards the attacker’s stomach, he fell lifeless to the ground. The metallic smell of blood faintly filled my nose before I ran back to the front of the bar, taking out a few more soldiers as I went.

Rounding the corner, I was unsurprised to see the knight from earlier struggling to take on two attackers at once. With a sigh and a shake of my head, I jumped in to help him. He tried to say something, but his voice was drowned out by the clashing of swords and the grunts of the attackers.

One was easy to take out; like the knight behind me, he seemed inexperienced and left multiple openings for me to attack. The other seemed more seasoned, blocking my blows and swiftly countering them with his own. The knight tried to jump in and help, but the soldier leaped on him, throwing him to the ground and raising his sword to finish the job.

I attacked him, but yet he’s more concerned over the knight? I thought to myself. Men.

With the soldiers back to me, it was easy to drive my sword into his back. Shoving his lifeless body aside, I moved to stand over the poor knight, who seemed to be in shock and visibly distressed.

“I think you’re the one who needs protection,” I said sarcastically, before running off to find other enemies to take out.

***

After an hour, the fight was over. My fellow knights and I had won and were now assessing the damage and losses. As I walked by a few of the fallen knights, I couldn’t help thinking about how if not for that red-headed woman, I would be one of them. She was amazing; where had a woman learned to fight like that?

“Oi, Hawthorn!” A voice I recognized to be my commanding officer sounded behind me.

I snapped to attention as he approached. “Yes sir? What can I do, sir?”

“As the newest member of the Varvian Order of Knights, you are tasked with recounting the details of the battle to the king. He will be here in just a few minutes, so be prepared.”

“Yes, sir!” I replied as he walked off.

Going over the events of the battle in my head, I started growing anxious. What if the king finds out I needed protection? I’ll be fired, or worse. No king has a use for a knight who can’t fight.

The trumpets sounded again, this time in the distinct pattern that announced King Damon. As he walked across the bridge assessing the damage, his royal blue overcoat moving slightly in the wind, I noticed the same red-head who saved me approach him, sword still in hand. When she reached him, they began talking, the lines on King Damon’s face creasing when he smiled at her. As he pulled her in for an embrace, I realized who she was; Princess Rimona. No one had ever seen her face, but she was well known among the palace for being our strategist behind the scenes for Varvian’s past few wars, and even though she was a woman she devised the best battle plans, and apparently even had a hand in making the training regimen for the knights.

As I began to approach them to inform King Damon about the battle, I began to panic. What if the princess rats me out? I thought to myself. I’ll be fired so fast.

“King Damon, I am Knight Hawthorn, here to recount the battle to you, sir,” I said, saluting both him and the princess. This close, I could see the similarities between the two; the same green eyes and sharp jaw, the same aura of confidence surrounding both of them.

“Knight Hawthorn, I am proud to introduce my daughter, Princess Rimona. You may have noticed her in battle today,” the king replied, gesturing to his daughter. Before I got the chance to reply, the princess began to speak.

“Oh yes, I saw you out there earlier.”

I started to panic. This is it. I’m doomed.

“Good job taking on those two Tarvian soldiers at once. I noticed you held back a bit though, next time make sure to go all out,” she continued with a wink.

I breathed out a sigh of relief and smiled at her, silently thanking her for not telling King Damon about my near failure.

I started to recount the battle to the king as the sun began to set over the city, and I resolved myself to attempt to talk to the princess later about trying to train me in her ways of fighting.

I was really inspired by a quote I read 'She wasn't looking for a knight, she was looking for a sword.' This blossomed into Princess Rimona's character.