An Early Start -- feat. Cade from Foul Ambitions
Dread pooled in the pit of Cade’s stomach as he watched the bustle of the castle’s courtyard. The smell of fresh florals clashed with the even fresher manure that splattered the ground, the originators of the filth often trampling their own mess. Voices mixed, making the chatter almost completely indecipherable, all he could catch were bits of ‘highness’ and ‘gala’, everything else was lost to the breeze. His palms were clammy and he felt his tunic squeeze tighter and tighter with every breath he took.
While today was a day he had long since prepared for, the anticipation of performing his duties – and wanting to do so well – forced rationality out the door.
Another factor for Cade’s anxiety was the waiting. His instructor, Ser Luke, was second in command of the royal guard. He had taken Cade under his wing after the pupil showed great promise during the kingdom’s annual Feats of the Physical festival. While Cade had only been allowed to compete against pupils in his age range, fifteen and sixteen, his competitive spirit would not allow him to perform anything other than extraordinary. His competitive spirit, and thereby need to be congratulated, likely stemmed from his large family and his need to set himself apart from his dozens of siblings and cousins who vied for that same spotlight. Nevertheless, Cade had rightfully earned his place as up and coming to the royal guard. And once he was of the appropriate age, would do his duty in serving and protecting the royal family that oversaw their kingdom. Threats from dark elves, conspiring sorcerers, and even ogres were on the rise – only greatness itself would ensure the safety of royalty, and Cade sought to earn his place offering his protection.
“Get out of the way, kid!” A voice distantly sounded to Cade, just a moment before a tall man dressed in forest green linens shoved Cade away roughly with his shoulder, a bag of flour perched on his non-assaulting shoulder. Cade stumbled and backed away, positioning himself against one of the courtyard’s retaining walls. The shadow that enveloped him was cool on his skin, the morning sun out of reach. He mindlessly reached up to massage his shoulder, though the shove had done more emotional damage than physical.
After scanning the courtyard once more for Ser Luke, Cade let out a slow sigh. The morning was wasting away, usually by this time he would have already completed three or four practice duels amongst the other members of the guard. Today was not an exception to his training regime, nearly an advancement of it. He was to shadow Ser Luke as he performed his regular duties. That meant actively guarding whilst within the stone walls of the castle. Cade idly wondered if the stones that encompassed the structure of the castle truly had a soft hum from their initial blessing, or if that was merely a myth passed along by those who had never been within.
Twenty minutes passed before Cade grew even more restless. He wondered if this was a part of his training, learning to stay still for a long period of time with no instructions to do so, or if his teacher had merely forgotten their planned meeting. Regardless of the true reason, he felt the need to explore and what a better opportunity to finally set foot in the castle than today? Cade was already familiar with the castle’s current set of guards, as evident by the bruises and scars they had given him during his training. They would let him into the castle, there was no sign of Ser Luke, and he was basically just previewing what he was already going to see that day, so why not go in early?
Cade straightened his shoulders and adjusted his tunic, he knew that confidence was key in these sorts of situations – not that sneaking into castles were a regular part of his routine. Cade stepped into the bustle of the courtyard with just enough confidence so that he wasn’t trampled. Every step Cade took toward the servant’s entrance he felt himself growing marginally more confident. He was brave and he did belong there, the other staff just didn’t need to know that he was technically missing his chaperone. The young knight-to-be entered through the castle’s kitchen and was briefly amazed but the sheer number of people working simultaneously. Large and complicated stovetops and ovens adorned each wall with plenty of workspace in between. Cade simply squeezed between the staff and followed the stream of people out of the kitchen.
It was only when he was out of the kitchen that the realization of where he stood sunk in. Similarly to his positioning in the courtyard, those who knew the business they needed to attend passed him and paid him no mind. Cade, however, found his neck craning as his head tilted back to take in the intricate carvings that adorned the high ceilings. There was immense detail in every corner his eyes focused on. The chandelier was decorated with small sapphires that would catch the light, the curves of the ceiling allowed for any smoke to not linger, and – perhaps most impressive of all – the walls truly did hum. While Cade was a knight in training, he had no innate gifts with the magics. It was clear that the masons who carved the stones that made up the entirety of the castle went far above and beyond in ensuring no curse nor abomination could exist within such walls.
Cade’s distraction was much shorter than it had been when he was in the courtyard, as he knew that if he stuck out like a sore thumb long enough people may begin to question his presence. He returned his head to a neutral position and straightened his shoulders, moving forward confidently as if this were not his first time inside of the heart of the kingdom.
His feet seemed to guide him before his mind could, and his steps were not echoed by the walls that surrounded him. Despite the thick tunic and leather padding he wore, he could hear Ser Luke’s voice echo in his mind.
Though your armor is protective, there is no greater threat than an enemy who can hear your every movement. Walk with the outer padding of your foot and maintain rigid balance by tightening your belly. The next time I hear you stomping around the grounds I’ll allow my best knight to stomp you.
Cade gave a small huff of a laugh at the memory, continuing forward almost silently – he was, after all, still learning. A pair of white doors among otherwise naturally wooden colored doors stood out to him, and he slowed his pace until he was standing in front of them. His eyes slowly drifted to the matching pair of golden latches that held the door closed, then to either side of the great hall. While there was still a great deal of bustle around the kitchen exit, there was much less activity where he now stood. The guards posted at the end of the hall closest to him paid Cade little mind, as they likely recognized him from their training and assumed he was supposed to be there.
Before he could let any worry get the better of him, Cade reached forward and tugged the ornate white door open. His lips parted in awe at the sight that befell him. If he had been impressed by the intricacy of the great hall, the royal library was be an even greater feat.
Pulling the door shut behind him, Cade walked forward toward a wooden railing that matched the color of the doors he entered through. All that surrounded him were books. The bookshelf was singular, in that it circled all around him. As he approached the railing, he looked down to survey the library in its entirety. While the room was circular, it was only the floor that he was on where books clung to the whole wall. He appeared to be on the third floor, with the other two floors of the library open beneath him as well. The first and second floors had a break in the circular bordering of books with spanning windows. The windows were arranged in such a way that they would catch as much sunlight as possible throughout the day. Beyond the lightly stained glass were the forests that surrounded the castle, and though Cade was only aware of some of the threats that hid within, he still found the view beautiful.
Despite his complete neutrality towards books and reading in general, Cade could admit that this room was the most ornate and eye catching he’d ever seen. His forearms rested on the railing that looked down into the heart of the library and he continued to survey unaware that he was not alone, that was, until a voice echoed from below. His first instinct was to retreat and return to where he came from, but as the voice from below continued to filter upwards he realized that he was not the subject of their words.
Cade could faintly hear words from a tongue he was not fluent in, Elvish possibly, and his curiosity piqued. He returned to his earlier position and peered down below. What he had missed earlier was the lesson that was being conducted amongst some of the larger tables on the base floor. A girl, perhaps around his age – though it was hard to tell given the distance between them – sat with dozens of scrolls spread in front of her. While he could see that she was facing what appeared to be an instructor, her attention was elsewhere. Despite the distance between them this was clear, as the movements of her head indicated that she was following the movements of a deer that seemed to disappear and reappear within the tree line out in the distance.
The corner of his mouth curved upward, a slight smile that broadened when the shrill voice of the instructor echoed upward once more. Whoever this pupil was could not seem to focus, much to the frustration of her instructor, something that Cade would never replicate but could still find humor in.
“It’s a wonder that they’ve managed to fit so many books in a place where carriages come and go,” the unmistakable voice of Ser Luke sounded behind Cade, causing his spine to stiffen. While he felt his heartbeat quicken and pulse race, he refused to show any surprise or fear to his mentor.
Cade dulled his smile and turned toward Ser Luke. He bowed his upper torso out of respect and met the older man’s eye. “This isn’t the courtyard?” Cade began to play coy but immediately picked up on the knight’s annoyance with his remark. “My apologies, Ser, I was attempting to take initiative and find you, but I see I’ve overstepped.”
A slight frown briefly showed on Ser Luke’s face, it was clear he was looking to choose his words carefully. “I wouldn’t say overstepped, apprentice, perhaps simply skipped ahead.” He laughed softly, neither of their voices loud enough to disrupt the schooling session below. Ser Luke stepped forward and joined Cade next to the railing. “Ah, you’ve found the princess.”
Though there should have been no shock in finding royalty in the castle they lived in, Cade still found himself shocked that he hadn’t recognized her. His eyes returned to the heart of the library and he found that now, only in knowing who she was, he could vaguely recognize the features he knew belonged to the princess. While he had never seen the princess in person, he had met the king twice, and both times he felt a sort of shocking numbness overtake his body. But seeing the princess, especially with her being so close to his own age, did not instill the same type of feeling. Instead, he was only curious.
“Fitting, really.” Ser Luke continued, also watching the lesson play out below. “I have come from a meeting with the King and our commanding knight. The old fellow who guards her now will not be fit for the role in ten years’ time.”
Cade’s head snapped up and away from the princess, he stared at the side of his master’s head while he continued to peer below. “You don’t mean…?”
“Yes, young knight.” Ser Luke met Cade’s eye with a smile, he reached over to grip a firm hand over Cade’s shoulder. “When you have finished your training and apprenticeship, you will be the one guarding our fair princess. A responsibility I trust you will not hold lightly.”
Words escaped Cade for a moment, but that second quickly passed and he felt himself nodding. “Of course, Ser.” He verbalized the commitment he knew he had felt the moment he learned the identity of the girl sitting below. “There could be no greater an honor.”
Though he was still only an apprentice, Cade felt the significance of this moment and knew that nothing would forsake his knightly vows. As he peered downward, he already felt himself drawn to the princess and he knew that feeling meant he would never let anything terrible befall her.