Matthew was navigating the castle absentmindedly. He was able to traverse this maze without even looking. The benefit of somebody who lived here for the past twenty-five years. He was occasionally greeted by a few blushing maids working here. Youngest squire of the kingdom who had been knighted. Promoted to a captain of the guard at only thirty he was one of the few jewels that all unmarried maiden were fighting for. It has been ten years since then and he was still single, no one was able to move his heart. But far from pacifying them, they only grew more daring, firing multiple coquettish glare in his direction.

As always, he ignored them, pushing forward. The guards patrolling the area made space when he approached. Filled equally with respect, envy and worry.

His face was grave, serious. His beard was well trimmed but seemed a little bit wilder than usual. His long dark hair was tied in a low warrior bun where a few grey threads were occasionally showing. His red, tired eyes were mounted with gray pupils. His eyes were sunken and it was easy to see he was at the end of the rope. His scar splitting his chin was the only touch of color on his face.

He knew he was not sending the best picture of himself right now, but he felt too spent to care. The news were far from good and he was torn between his duty and his responsibilities. In addition his old wound were aching more than usual. It did not bode well...

Merry, the priestess, did not wake up since last week tragic event. The healers were clueless about her state and even one of the Saintess from the communion church was unable to help.

He arrived at the training field where his first apprentice, now friend, Tobby was training new recruits. He was one of the only people he could trust in the capital and needed his help to cool down.

"Matthew, you look horrible."

"Thank's I guess Tobby, I was not able to close my eyes since ..."

"yeah, I heard, sorry ..."

"Well, I can't really do anything about this situation. I'm guarding her door all night long, searching for help everywhere. I'm spread thin. I'm not seeing any hope in this situation."

"How is her father, Our King, reacting ?"

"Bad, really bad. I can't blame him tho. I'm already happy to be alive to try my best to resolve the situation. You know every Monarch is not as lax as him."

"You know, it's not your fault ..."

"Obviously, he knows it too, but I'm still ashamed at my uselessness."

Matthew sighed before continuing.

"I'm a sword master, I usually push through hardship with my strength on the battlefield. I'm completely lost my friend."

Tobby looked at him with pity before unsheathing his sword.

"If, and I say if, you are still better with the sword than using your brain, let's spar. Exchanging blows may help you clear your mind and see new possibilities."

"I don't know..." responded the forty-years old captain.

"See, you are as dull as your blade. You would have never refused an occasion to cross swords a few week ago. You are completely undecided, full of doubt. I may not be able to help with your situation but at least I can force you to shake your old bones."

He then smirked before continuing .

"Also the boys are watching us rest while they are all working their ass off, we should at least do a token combat to motivate them a bit."

Matthew looked around and was surprised to see a myriad of eyes directed at them.

"No discipline at all, what are you teaching them Tobby ?"

"You will see it soon enough old man !"

The two friends laughed while exchanging blows. The clear ringing of the swords clashing was getting increasingly muffled by the wind blasts. The aftereffects were becoming more and more impressive. When Tobby was not able to follow anymore he started to rely on his powerful aura to keep in check is old master. A few bouts latter, it was Matthew's turn to activate his aura to deflect a strong sweep toward his head. They grew more frantic and more bloodthirsty the longer the match lasted. The recruits were awed to no end, it was like watching a beautiful but deadly dance. They needed to retreat to escape the dangerous slash that cut the air.

Tobby charged at Matthew with what seems to be his ultimate move and roared before unleashing a flurry of attacks in all directions. Matthew dodged the majority of the strikes with his movement technique, appearing and disappearing like a ghost before executing a single slice toward his opponent. Cutting all the sword rays in his path, he stopped a fingertip away from Tobby's neck.

The recruits were all shouting, completely drunk on the combat.

"Humph, bunch of unfilial trainees ! Only happy when their instructor bites the dust. We'll see if you still have so much energy after your training."

The captain retrieved his sword and sheathed it.

"Come on, don't be angry at them, it was a nice show. And I must thank you, it indeed helped me awake from the lethargy of the last week."

"At least it was not for nothing... So what will you do ?"

"I will go seek an audience with the King once more, I think we need to talk."

Tobby was the curious type, but he still knew when to push for an answer and when to stop. They exchanged a few nifties before Matthew left again. A new objective in sight.

Matthew was waiting in front of an enormous double wooden door. The carvings on the door were gold plated and depicted multiple wild creatures bowing to a single man. The man was their first emperor and founder of their grand country Sacae. Legends told that he befriended a god while young and travelled with him for a long time. When he came back to his home, he was strong to an unimaginable extent. He didn't even need to wage war to unify the different nations around. The leaders subjected themselves without even a fight.

A few sources contradicted this version of the story, but not trustworthy enough to change the storytelling. The family of the first emperor reigned supreme since then and thats a fact.

The situation had vastly changed and the power of Sacae reduced a lot over the years. No family could grasp a big chunk of the world eternally. A few allied kingdom became enemies, subjects rebelled and more important, the source of the strength of the emperor family ran thin. They had always been blessed since youth, more intelligent, stronger, faster than their peer. The gift is said to have almost disappeared now.

The only exception being Merry, who got another kind of gift, or curse, depending on your impression. Her vision was the only talent that appeared for the last fifty years. Voices could be heard that the end of a dynasty was near.

He didn't agree with them, divine force is sure great. But it was the people who made a country, and Merry was a goddess to the people. She was a fairy that did her upmost to ease the life of her subjects. She was loved by the people and it's what motivated him to protect her with all of his abilities.

But now... Things were dire. The nobles that were kept in check by her would try grasping all the power now freed from her hands and their motivation would never be as pure as hers. It was his responsibility to prevent the worse from happening.

He was never an expert in court business. He loathed the pettiness of the nobles. The intrigue, the plotting and backstabbing involved in this kind of life was untailored for a proud and upright knight. He was alone in the snake pit and could do nothing but bite the bullet.

A lackey signaled him to prepare himself and opened the door while bowing.

He forged ahead in the heavy atmosphere of the room. His aura was a burning knife cutting through the gravity of the situation like butter. He stood his ground in the presence of hundreds of people. He proceeded until he arrived at the thirty-meter mark away from his king. He got down on his left knee, his right hand clenched in a fist resting on his hearth. He bowed his head while the lackey trumpeted.

"Chief of the priestess guard, knight Matthew Onoare is reporting to His Majesty the King."

A solemn silence emerged, Matthew, his head still down, waited for the signal from the King. He waited for what seemed like a few minutes but could have been only a few seconds.

"Rise."

Having received his order he got up and adjusted his posture. Neither defiant nor overly submissive either. His status as a knight and his background allowed him this much. He waited silently for his King enquiry.

"We thought We made Ourselves clear, knight, that after your past mistake you were expected to lay low and not show yourself in front of Us again. What lunacy drove you to renege on Our order ?"

If the King words were almost polite, the sharp intonation and the fury in his gaze indicated that he was far from pleased with this impropitious gathering. The knight took his time readjusting his breathing before explaining the reason of his visit.

"My King, I have failed my duty as the escort of the priestess, I will never be able to get rid of this stain. I could give you my death, because you already have my life, but it would change nothing about the situation."

"Hurmph ! You think We don't already know that ? Were it not for your formidable military records you would not be here, wasting Our time uselessly."

"My king, I may not be able to resolve the situation, but I know that I can do something about the reason it happened. Merry ..."

"Your Princess ! That you failed to protect ! Don't voice her name ever again in front of me."

Matthew closed his eyes, waiting for His King to be finished and finally calm down.

"My Princess, ordered me, in her last lucid moment, to find someone and help him if needed. She said our survival depended on it. I intend to honor her last order, for the meantime, at least until she regains consciousness."

It was already an incredible feat that the King didn't explode during Matthew's explanation, but the unavoidable happened right at the end. He rose from his golden throne and shattered his scepter on a neighbouring desk. Scaring the attendant out of his pant. Before roaring.

"Are you kidding Us ? Not only are you unable to do your fucking duty correctly, but you even want to chase moonbeams now ? You disappoint Us to no end. Guards !"

Four bulky guards assailed Matthew from all directions. He could have bested them ten times out of ten, but drawing blood in this room was a declaration of war. He was no zealot nor rebel. He allowed the four guards to hold him. The public was restless, it's not everyday that this kind of event happened before their eyes.

The situation was becoming more dire by the seconds, until an old and lanky man rose from his seat.

"Please, my King, calm down. We know that the situation is far from ideal but we have the obligation to cope with it."

"Senator Grey, We warn you that you are treading on thin ice. This is official business."

"Even more reasons for me to intervene then, Your Majesty. We have war at our borders. The enemy will assault us from every direction at any occasion. If there is a fight we should avoid, it's definitely in-fighting."

On those words, the King, cooled down. He pondered about the situation before answering.

"What do you get from this Senator ? We know you are not from the royal faction and that you don't side with the princess, so why would you protect Matthew ?"

"As I just said, Your Majesty. The situation is dire enough, what can a single knight weight on the battlefield ? Not much. Sorry for the harsh words Captain. But if we instead have a wild card helping us behind the back of the enemy, it could mean a lot."

Matthew didn't like where the discussion was heading to but he had no more say in the matter.

The King reflected over the situation before approving.

"Maybe, maybe you are right. At the very least We would not see him roam the capital uselessly."

He then turned in the direction of the Captain.

"Guards, release him. Matthew, We will now give you your next mission. You are to leave the capital today and you are forbidden to return before having made significant contribution toward our situation. You are to either help with the war effort or find whoever Merry wanted you to find. Those words are absolute !"

After his declaration, the King sat back down on his golden throne. Signaling that the discussion was over. The lackey tapped lightly on Matthew's shoulder to get his attention and signal him to leave. He then bowed before turning back.

The audience was not dupe about what happened today. It was a mission on paper, but it was more of an unofficial banishment. The King would be the only judge and should he never want to see him again, Matthew would never be able to come back to his home.

But decided as he was, Matthew left without another look behind his shoulder. He went back to his room, prepared his belonging, he had not much to begin with. He adorned his armor, fastened his sword, threw his package over his shoulder and closed his door.

Tobby was waiting for him at the stables.

"It was not a good plan finally..."

"No, you are right. But I needed to do something. Or try at least. We will not be able to see each others for a long time my friend. I am sorry but I will need to trouble you..."

"Don't worry, I know, I will look after her. Nobody will be able to harm her and I will keep you informed if possible about the changes happening in the capital."

"I always knew I could count on you Tobby. Thank you for everything."

He laughed before responding.

"Don't make it sound so bad. It's not a farewell."

"No, it's not."

They hugged themselves, they were teacher and student, friends, brothers who fought together on the battlefield. No more words were needed.

Matthew mounted his destrier and left. Neither fast nor slow, but inexorably toward his destiny.