The Prince and His Knight
Sasha was born as the only child to the King’s personal guard and best friend. Both her parents died when she was four in a house fire. She grew up learning the ways of knighthood from the Prince’s personal trainer. As she grew up, she got to know the Prince, and by age thirteen, they were the closest of friends. By seventeen, they were secretly growing even more attracted to each other, and by nineteen, the two admitted their love for one another. However, that same year, Sasha was sent off on an important mission to find and assassinate the single man who was threatening the balance of the kingdom of Esmerelda: Iro Lanti. Sasha was gone for three long years, but finally, word was sent to the King that she was returning, and even more importantly, that her mission had been a success.
Sasha awoke to the sounds of the main capital not far off. She could just see the walls surrounding the city on the horizon, and with the dawn came a refreshing feeling of accomplishment; she had completed the mission, protected the peace of Esmerelda, and returned safely.
The horse beneath her snorted as it stepped carefully over a log. “Easy, Twilight,” Sasha soothingly whispered. The black, mustang mare had grown tired beneath her, and while Sasha wished she could give the mare a rest, she knew she needed to arrive at the city and be safe inside its walls before nightfall, for the most dangerous creatures nearby lurked just near the outer walls.
Sure enough, Sasha made it inside with three, maybe four hours to spare. When she reached the city gates, the guards immediately recognized her, despite the differences in her appearance. It was more than likely due to the message she had sent about ten days earlier. They had been expecting her.
”Lady Sasha, you’ve returned!” One of them called out to her. A smirk crossed her pale lips.
“Of course I have,” the twenty-two-year-old woman replied. “Now open up the gates, or I’ll come up there myself!” It was an empty threat, as the guards were more than happy to do so for the knight. One of them greeted her as the gates closed behind them.
”Lady Sasha, is there anything you would like us to do?”
Sasha gently nodded her head. “Yes. Send a messenger, the fastest you have, and let the King know that I am here. Have the messenger tell him that I will be in my quarters just south of the knights’ barracks,” she ordered him. The guard dipped his head before hastily making off to find a messenger.
Sasha rode slowly through the city, letting Twilight walk at her own pace as she looked around. “So much has changed,” she softly said aloud, her dull green eyes taking in all the little details.
So have you, a tiny voice within her thoughts reminded her.
The knight left her horse in the stables that belonged to the elite guard, as she had a special stall in there just for her own mare. Sasha made her way back to her quarters, where she found a message stating that the King would be holding a feast in two hours for the royal family and all knights to celebrate Sasha’s successful mission. A small smile made its way across her face, and she decided that she should probably wear something a bit more formal than what she had been traveling in.
When she finished changing and getting ready for the feast, Sasha checked in the mirror to make sure she looked halfway decent. Her hair had been cut short when she had been on her mission, as its long length from before had been too difficult to handle in the battles and assassinations she had to perform. So, her blue hair hung down to just below her ears. She wore the more elegant navy-colored armor that her father had a blacksmith specially make for her, with the crest of her family indented into the middle of the ribcage, as well as a white backing that flowed easily which had once belonged to her mother. Sasha had avoided the armored leggings in favor of the silk pants which clung to her thighs and then drooped down around the calves. Her boots were simple black leather, reaching up to the middle of her calves and stopping there with a clean-cut, rounded edge. “Well…this will have to do,” she muttered to herself before turning around and walking out the door.
Sasha was surprised to see how many had shown up. As always was the case with the nobles, the King had decided to have everyone converse in the ballroom while the feast was being prepared. As there was still another half hour until the feast would be fully ready, Sasha had plenty of time to greet most of the knights, though she had purposely avoided the royal family. While Sasha had grown up with the Prince and his parents, things changed over time, and she was secretly afraid of what might have changed within this very palace while she had been gone.