Next Scene

Fire burned in the pit of my stomach and I couldn’t help turning to look at my woman. She laid there under the dim-glow of the lantern. A book in her hands and a pair of glasses that made her seem all the more like the scholar I knew she was. She licked the tip of her finger and broke the next page from its lover, holding it in preparation to be turned. Her eyes flickered over at me for the third time while her lips pulled into a smile.

“See something you like?” She lowered the book to her chest.

“Of course,” I replied in a low whisper. “The moon through the window is exceptionally beautiful.”

Her eyes narrowed and her lips parted. I rushed to place my fingers against her soft lips and could no longer hide my smile.

“Of course, it pales to the fairy in my bed. You have already sailed across the moonlight and into this knight’s heart. I cannot begin to think of anything this perfect–” I paused and leaned over to kiss her lips while ignoring the rosy hue of her cheeks. “Though it would, maybe, be a tad more dreamlike had you been just a bit taller, yeah?”

Her eyes narrowed and then she punched my bare chest. “Don’t push it, pretty boy. I’ll ship you to the corner of a battlefield with nothing but rice porridge to eat and men to see for as far as the sea is blue.”

“Oh, that made me shiver.” I chuckled and kissed down her jawline but she dragged my lips back up to hers.

***

Morning came and I made a light fish soup breakfast then sparred with the grandmaster. This kind of habit, I could enjoy without a second thought. Definitely if this was all I had to do to live a peaceful five years. I didn’t even need more than that.

Leaning against the ship’s railing, listening to the sound of the waves splashing playfully on the ship’s hull, and feeling the mighty breath of the sea, made this trip wonderful. And then, out of nowhere, the sailors mopping the deck, checking the ropes, and sails, broke out into song. Even though it was rustic, it held a certain charm.

The grandmaster held a bowl of porridge mixed with pieces of that fish steak he first bought from me. “I was curious why you wanted to chase after the seventh Princess? Ignoring even amongst the Duke family, she is only the third daughter? With your talent and islander looks, you could woo the pantyhose off the first borns who are a little taller with a little more meat on them.”

I raised my eyebrow and turned to him. “What are you trying to say?”

The grandmaster lowered his spoon from his mouth. “I’m not insulting her grace. I was just saying that, I figured you would have preferred better, right?”

“I don’t really have a high standard on physical traits as long as she is feminine.” I shook my head and patted my sword’s hilt. “That being said, please watch what you say.”

“I understand,” The grandmaster said, and went back to eating.

I returned to leaning against the railing. “What did you do to get sent out here? I’m sure you didn’t volunteer for what is basically a babysitting job.”

“You should have some understanding of how we faithless knights become Grandmasters. It’s through struggling to climb up on a pile of resources but there are tons of knights seeking the Duke’s favor.” He let out an exhausting breath. “As you get older, it becomes less ideal to run around the country, swinging your sword than it is to take a post like this and suck up to someone young and a little naive.”

“Mm. I read some scrolls that depicted the struggle but it shouldn’t be hard to obtain any. You can literally go become noble and settle your own territory. Grow the necessary plants, hunt the exotic beasts, and hire your own healers.”

“It’s not that easy or else others would have done it. Ignoring the effort in securing the land, prepping it for those plants, and raising the men to hunt the beasts. None of that is easy. Especially when you have to wait on normal crops to provide a balance to the workers. The left over land won’t be enough to sustain your hunters needs, let alone a grandmaster. The beasts, exotic beasts take a Master level Knight to take down. Anything less is just offering their heads.”

“Oh, we could fight them as Squires. Didn’t figure it would be hard.”

The Grandmaster spoon rapped the side of the bowl in his hands a few times. “Show off.”

I chuckled and turned to see his knights walking onto the deck while yawning. They went through a sort of stretching dance that flowed a lot better than their sparring. It was pleasant to watch but would have been better if they were women.

“I’m a bit curious. What is your actual plan when going to this city-state,” I asked, turning to the Grandmaster once more.

“We have enough funds to buy a manor, a store, and recruit some local hunters. After that, planned on hunting exotic beasts while Her Grace fumbles around the political gates of the Noble world.” He rotated his neck. “What about you?”

“Eh, I didn’t have anything planned to be honest.” With a snap of my fingers, water climbed the side of the ship, and jumped into my palm. It took a brief moment for it to transform into golden nectar but after that, I drank it in tiny sips. “I’ll probably be tasked with guarding the monastery or hunting with the extermination team. Or they just may have me teach so that I can be on hand.”

“Mm,” the grandmaster grunted. “We will have the hardest for the first half year but then it should be easier.”

I glance behind me, catching Alaine walking down while talking excitedly with Lady Allison. My stomach felt an incredible itch to dive over the side of the boat. I, truly, did not mind Alaine asking for advice but she should at least talk with me about it before trying to replicate whatever she was told by someone older and worn out. It’s only fair, given that Lady Allison is married to a Knight while Alaine hasn’t even gone through the ceremony yet.

An arrow punched into the back of my shoulder and I spun with the force. A small skiff was rowing alongside us, eight men sat with oars in their hands, like a coordinated row of flowers in the field under the guidance of the wind spirit.

The guy who shot me with an arrow already released another one. Growling, I snatched it out of the air and threw it back, adding a layer of my destructive intent behind it. The arrow didn’t drive through the air but magically teleported. It stabbed a head size hole into the foolish archer's chest and punched right through the side of the skiff. Right where the wall of the skiff met the water line.

The men on the skiffs stood up at once, using the railing of the skiff closest to our boat, they jumped over with axes in hands.

Ignoring the stinging pain, I unsheath my sword, and went to work like the butcher in the meat locker. Piercing, slashing through their necks and chest, I left them no opportunity to do what they set out to do. Yet, I was nicer than the Grandmaster who directly cleaved them in half with his broadsword.

“Well, that shouldn’t have happened,” the grandmaster said, while fetching his dagger. With blood-stained fingers, he pressed against my back and cut the flesh around the arrow. Then he pulled it out and tossed it down. “Wow–”

I turned to see many of such skiffs on the water. Those bastards raised up their bows and released arrow after arrow. Luckily for us, the non-combatants already retreated under the ship bowels while the soldiers stood on the deck with shields forming an arch dome.

Now, I see why the sailors lowered the sails and were just relying on rowing. Sighing, I punched out and a torso-size fist jumped out and demolished all arrows in the path for me. I pulled off my own bow and returned fire through the pain of my shoulder wound.

The sounds of arrows slamming into shields reminded me of training in the rain. The slippery mud beneath my feet, the drumline formed from the rain slapping into the hardpack dirt. Well, the mud beneath my feet was blood and innards.

My quiver didn’t hold enough arrows to sink every person into the bloody sea but it was plenty to tear holes into the skiffs. The sky soon filled with follow-up arrows. Their arrows bloated out the sky while our density looked like nothing but rocks being thrown against a wall. The pirates just copied our actions and used walls to block the arrows' downfall. Those that didn’t even need to raise their shields, just continued firing. Thankfully, it did not take long before we started out pacing them and the only ones foolish enough to keep up, didn’t, yet, have to stop to dig water out of their skiffs. It didn’t take much to make those brave fools back off.

Just a glowing fist that sunk one or two skiffs.

Lowering my bow, I turned to see a few soldiers lifting up bodies of the pirates and tossing off the skiff. Deacons in white robes were going amongst those who were just like me, unfortunately to receive an arrow.

“How did they manage to sneak up on us like that?” The Grandmaster looked at the crow nest and saw a body hanging out. “Oh, well that’s awkward.”

“At least you didn’t get stabbed in the back with an arrow. Feels like someone rubbed hot oil into my back.” I reached back and touched the wound. My aura was already doing it’s best to repair the wound but it would take some time.

“Nobody told you to be staring at Her Grace like a lost puppy,” The grandmaster laughed and slapped my back before pausing at my howl of pain. “My bad.”

I glared and wished a thousand cuts upon him while moving away before he forgot I was injured. Treating a precious commodity like me with such roughness, like he doesn’t know I'm a beautiful knight and not a barbous soldier of the flatlands.

Sniffing, I made my way up into the room and eased out of my robe and the tunic top. Alaine and her servants walked in right after, fetching water like usually.

“Oh, did you get hurt,” Alaine placed her hands on my bare back and I felt a coldness that soothed the burning pit in my shoulder.

It wasn’t like I had any intentions to moan it just that the intensity of fire and then directly being calmed, it was unsuspecting.

“Lay down and let me clean your wound. There is some kind of poison inside it.” Alaine pushed against my lower back and I allowed her to guide me to the bed.

My knees hit the bed and I collapsed down, not even caring that I still had my boots on. Her weight settled into my lower back and I felt that coldness seeped into the wound again.

“Those damn flatlanders and their triple-eel venom. If you were a normal person, this would have killed you.” A little fire seemed to sprout from her words. “Oh, you are healing fast.”

I felt her weight settle over my back and her lips tickled my ear. “Hey, I heard warriors get a little fiesty after they fight–”

“Your Grace, he’s half-conscious. I don’t think he’s in the same mind-space as you,” Knight Bowers said.

“Really,” she said with much doubt, turning my face gently only to let go, and sighed.

“You have plenty of chances in the future to get all you want of him, your grace. He’s not going anywhere.”

“But what if he does? Other Holy Knights barely stay at home and when they do its just more training. He’s already a training addict.”

“I don’t know what to tell you but can your body take it? He’s not that small–”

“Of course I can. I have that.”