The atmosphere in the manor's Great Hall was thick with tension. King Alaric sat in an oak chair. Never in my life I imagined to appear before our King, moreover for a matter where 'I' was the center of trouble.
The intensity of the aura was crushing. His Majesty, the knights, all eyes fell on me. I stood, only clinging onto the cloak with my life behind Lord Kaldric who remained stoic.
His Majesty's eyes narrowed as he looked from his bloodied Captain to the shivering woman standing behind him like a loop.
The three townsmen, battered and groveling, were held in iron grips by other knights, seeking the judgement they deserved.
"Explain, Kaldric." the King commanded.
Lord Kaldric stood rigid, his face unbothered.
"These animals were found in an abandoned tannery, Your Majesty. They were attempting to... defile this woman." He paused, pointing towards me. I kept my eyes at the ground. I couldn't possibly imagine daring to look our King in the eye.
"I intervened as any knight would. The accusation of an unprovoked attack on the town is a lie to cover their own filth."
King Alaric's gaze turned to the men, his voice dropping to a deadly chill.
"To touch anyone under the shadow of my knights is an insult to the Crown. Take them to the square. Let the executioner be ready by sunrise." His order screeched in the air.
A heartbeat of relief washed over me. My eyes fell on Lord Kaldric, admiring him, refusing to let go of his thick scent filling me through the cloth.
As the guards dragged the screaming men away, another silence fell. Lord Kaldric turned to leave, his duty done. Standing straight, hands closed behind his back, solidifying his dominance.
"Go, woman. You are safe now. Return to your home." His Majesty ordered in a soft tone.
I froze. Home?
The hammering heartbeats, admiration, and relief died instantly in my heart. I had no home to return to anymore.
I saw the glares of the townspeople lingering at the doors. If I stayed here, I would be dead by nightfall, murdered for the deaths of the three men.
I didn't want to die yet. The families of those men would torture me to death. That is not how I wanted to die- painfully.
"Y-Your Majesty," I whispered.
My heart drummed madly as I stepped forward. Resenting myself but desperation to live gave me courage I didn't know I possessed.
"Justice has been served to the criminals, but what of my life? My dignity has been tarnished." I paused, noticing my words had gained his attention.
"For the very reason those men are going to be executed, Lady."
"I am not talking about them," I gulped, glancing at Lord Kaldric.
"My Lord Dawnstride has seen every inch of me... he has touched my skin before the whole town and in darkness."
"You girl! How dare you!" the Herald sputtered.
The King himself appeared at the top of the stairs, his presence silencing the room. He looked at Kaldric, then at my bruised face and the cloak that bore the Dawnstride crest.
Lord Kaldric's eyes widened to realize where this was leading.
Nonetheless, I continued, "In the eyes of God and man, I am spoiled. Who will marry a woman whom the strongest knight has already claimed?"
Lord stiffened, his head snapping toward me, enough to make me jump back in fear. His eyes burned with a sudden, lethal heat, glaring at me to not speak further.
"Silence, girl. Do not overstep."
But, King Alaric was already stroking his beard, his eyes calculating.
The town was on the verge of a riot, a scandal involving his Captain and a local girl could turn the province against him. A marriage would turn a 'shameful assault' into a 'gallant rescue of a future bride.'
"The girl is right," the King said, "A Knight's cloak is not given lightly. To the eyes of the people, you have claimed her, Kaldric. And to protect the honor of the Emberspear, there is only one path that silences the wagging tongues."
Lord Kaldric's eyes went wide, "My King, surely you don't mean—"
"You will wed her. Tonight," Alaric commanded. "It will be recorded as a long-standing betrothal. The scandal dies here."
"No!" Lord Kaldric's voice was a roar that shook the rafters. He stepped toward the King, his fists clenched. The sheer declination was visible in his eyes.
"I am a Knight. I swore to never take a wife. I will not be shackled to a fragile, weeping burden, My Liege."
"It is not a request, Commander," King Alaric's features hardened, "It is an order."
King Alaric only saw this scandal as a way to strengthen his monarch and spread the words of his unshakable justice.
He saw it as 'This will go down in History'
As per orders, the wedding took place. My mind was blurry, the world around me spinning.
Everything felt surreal because I never imagined being a wife- though I saw myself becoming a mistress- but never a wife who will hold honor and… respect, moreover by the strongest Knight of Emberspear.
The ceremony was a hollow, cold affair conducted by the priest in the dim light of the chapel.
No vows of love were exchanged- only words of duty and ownership. When it was over, Lord Kaldric didn't even look at me, he walked away, leaving me in the cold bench of the chapel.
He spent the remaining hours of the night in the stables, his rage radiating off him in waves, scaring me by each passing second. My eyes locked on him through the window with compassion.
When the first gray light of dawn broke over the horizon, he marched back to the manor. He found me sitting on a wooden bench, still wrapped in his cloak, looking exhausted.
The second he was before me, I forced myself to stand, "I am sorry… I am so sorry,"
"Don't. It's my fault I bothered myself with you. I should have let those men have their way; it would have been a swifter end. But since we are stuck. Listen very carefully." He hissed. He didn't offer a hand. He grabbed me by the arm, his grip rough and unforgiving.
"Do not expect a husband, Woman. I have no room in my chest for a heart– only the King's law."
I flinched, my eyes filling with fresh tears at the cruelty of his words. "My Lord, I only-"
"Be silent," he spat, not even looking at me. "You are no wife. Only a burden I must now carry across the kingdom."
He gripped my upper arm with a painful force, his strength bruising and indifferent, as he dragged me toward the towering, battle-scarred warhorse.
"If you have any dignity left in you, stay downwind and out of my sight. Looking at you is a chore I no longer wish to endure."
With a grunt of effort, he hoisted me up onto the saddle, mounting behind me. His cold armor was a wall against my back, but the iciness in his eyes was colder
The horns blew, signaling the departure. As the procession moved out of the gates to continue the- Our three-month tour, I looked back at the town that hated her, then up at the man who loathed me.
I was no longer a beggar, I was a knight's bride. A life I never fathomed would experience.
But, as I saw the town fading from my sight and back to the stoic man I just realized for years, I hated that everyone looked at me.
Now, I am bound to a man who refuses to see me at all.
The way fate works in a twisted way is truly fascinating. I prayed to become a shadow, to disappear, to be ignored, my prayers were fulfilled.
Just not in a way I had imagined.
The royal procession traveled deep into the rugged highlands, and by the night, the luxury of light had been replaced by the efficiency of a military camp.
The Obsidian Pillars moved, erecting a sea of black tents in a clearing near a rushing stream. Before I could notice the scenery, my arm was pulled.
Lord Kaldric dismounted and hauled me down, dropping me onto the grass, I hissed in pain but caught the cloak carefully so it wouldn't expose me.
He didn't say a word as he pointed toward a large, central tent. Forming my lips in a thin line, not daring to question him, I entered the tent quietly, keeping my head low.
Inside, the air was thick with the scent of leather and cedar. A single cot stood in the corner, that made my heart race.
I clutched the cloak tighter to myself when I sensed Lord Kaldric entering after closing the flap, shutting us from the outside world.
Lord Kaldric unbuckled his gauntlets and dropped them onto a table with a heavy thud. I blinked at their sheer weight, my body tensing at the power emitting from his aura.
Finally, he looked at me. His icy silver eyes narrowed, certainly not preferring my presence in the slightest.
"There are the rules of this 'mercy' you forced," his voice started dangerously low.
I stood still, clutching the cloak to my throat.
"First: You do not speak to the other Knights. You do not look at them. Second: You do not touch my things, and you do not cross into my space unless commanded."
He took a step closer, his shadow consuming me. My gaze cascaded to the ground, not daring to move an inch.
"You think you have saved yourself, no?" he whispered, the words dripping with venom.
"But you have just walked into a cage, woman. I will make your life a living hell until you beg for the shadows to take you back."
"I have lived in hell my whole life, My Lord,"
I slowly met his gaze, my heart thumping madly, my voice dying under his pressure yet I managed to let out a weak, triumphant smirk.
"At least in yours, I have a roof over my head."
He recoiled, curling his hand in an exasperated fist before turning on his heel. Without another glance, he walked out of the tent, leaving the flap fluttering.
I was alone. The silence he promised settled over me.
I sank onto the edge of the cot, the crimson wool of the cloak the only thing keeping me from shattering.
I had my roof. I had my safety.
While I was adjusting to my new world, observing everything I had never been privileged to see from up close. My hands extended, touching his gauntlet to feel the metal but someone entered.
"I- I was only checking the metal!" I put my hands up defensively, jumping back in fright only to find a younger knight there.
He had golden hair and beautiful blue eyes, his features were softer.
He saw the flustered reaction and smirked, "Aboslutely. I doubt you can handle the weight." He paused, picking the gauntlet and tossed it towards me.
My hands instantly extended, catching the heavy armor, clutching it to my chest with both hands though it was heavier than I thought.
"Oh? You did. How strong." He teased me.
I gulped, placing it back exactly where it was, "L-Lord Kaldric isn't here." I kept my words short, not wanting to break the rule.
"I know. Do you need something, Lady…?"
"Ardelle."
"Beautiful name. I am Aldwin Ornstein. Commander's in-command. Is there anything I can do for you?" Someone, doing something, for me? How rare.
"I… uh…"
"It is alright. You can let me know."
"Can I have some water, Sir Aldwin?"
"Absolutely."
"Thank you." He nodded and handed me a flask as I hastily chugged the liquid down, uncaring if it rolled down from the corner of my lips.
"Um, where is My Lord Kaldric?"
"He is currently with My Liege discussing internal affairs. Sleep assured. The commander might be late." I nodded as Lord Aldwin left.
I sat on the cot again. Anxiety bubbling in me while I waited, my eyes getting heavy and after a while, he reached his own quarters and saw me there.
"I will not share a space with her," Lord Kaldric barked at the squire outside his tent.
"The King's orders, Commander," the squire stammered, eyes fixed firmly on his boots.
"His Majesty insists the marriage be seen as legitimate by the men. To house her elsewhere would invite... talk." He paused, "Moreover Lady is in nothing but your cloak, we cannot expose her to hundreds of men to feast their eyes."
Lord Kaldric let out a low growl that sounded like a cornered beast. He shoved the tent flap aside and stepped in furiously. My body shivered when I could feel his infuriated eyes locked on me.
He didn't speak. He moved through the tent like a whirlwind of suppressed violence, unbuckling his armor. The clatter of steel hitting the wooden chest was increasing my beats too.
"My Lord," I rose from the cot, my voice trembling, "I can sleep on the ground. I do not wish to take your—"
"Be silent." he snapped, not even looking at me.
He stripped down to his linen tunic, his massive, scarred shoulders heaving with every breath. He grabbed a single blanket and his sword.
"I find the air in here stifling. I will be outside."
"But the chill, My Lord... the frost is settling."
"I have slept in blood and snow, woman. Your pity is the last thing I require." He turned, his eyes raking over me with a flash of disgust.
"Stay in the shadows where you belong."
He exited the tent, leaving me in the piercing silence.