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.
King Alaric glared, his presence silencing the room. He looked at Lord 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 three-month expedition, I looked back at the town that hated me, 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.