The Trinity of Heroes (I Will Protect You Book 1) (19 page)

The first sword of the first Knight of Haile was Hailestorm. It was forged by Blacksmith Bartholemue and given to Arthan Silver by order of Sora on the Night of Heroes. Arthan was the first man to walk the path of the Knight.

- Excerpt from
The Legend of Hailestorm

A small, dark figure slowly entered the door to a bedroom where two young men were sleeping in separate beds. The shadowy figure looked from one bed to the other, and then slowly advanced toward one of the slumbering men. A board creaked under its weight and the character froze tensely. After a few seconds of silence the figure continued creeping toward the beds. It reached one of the beds and stood over it, looking down at the young man lying there. The man's square jaw line was broken by a few days’ worth of stubble on his chin and he had sandy-brown, wild hair that curled around his tan, light-orange skin. The figure smiled wryly down at the man and it crouched low, ready to jump. The figure took a deep breath, leaped onto the snoozing man, and yelled, “Wake up! It’s morning, Benni! Wake up!”

Benni’s eyelids flew open and his orange eyes glowed faintly in the morning light. He exhaled hard as the figure landed on his chest. Benni put the small figure in a bear hug, and rolled off the bed and onto the floor with him. “I’ve got you now, Fairen,” he chuckled while tickling the boy.

Fairen started laughing, and struggled in vain to break Benni’s hold on him. They were startled as a pillow flew across the room and hit them. The man in the other bed sat up and said in a groggy voice, “Will you two keep it down?” He smirked and swung himself out of bed and stood to his full height of almost two meters.

Benni got up, still holding Fairen, and said to the other man, “Here, Lawrence, catch!” Benni threw the boy across the room to Lawrence, who caught him with ease, and slung him under his arm. Lawrence roughed up Fairen’s blonde hair with his large hand, then set Fairen on the ground.

The boy indignantly smoothed out his hair and cleared his throat. "Mom told me to get you guys up for breakfast. She wants everyone ready to attend the knighting ceremony."

Benni smiled and threw a glance at Lawrence. "But I'll bet she didn’t say how to do it, did she."

Fairen giggled then shrugged.

Benni tossed the pillow at him and said, "Go tell Mother we’ll be down in a few minutes."

Fairen dashed out of the room, leaving the still sleepy men standing there.

Both Benni and Lawrence walked back to their beds, feeling their stiff joints crack as they did. Lawrence took a white tunic from where it was hanging on his bed post and slipped it over his thickly muscled torso, and then carefully donned his hardened leather vest over it. The scars from his skirmish two years earlier with Phillip were a constant reminder of the dangers of knighthood. He walked over to his sword and sheath, which were resting in the corner, and buckled them onto his belt. The weight of the sword felt familiar, even comfortable to Lawrence. Benni had already dressed in his official Knight Guard attire, woven chainmail adorned with the crest of the Hailian Knights. Lawrence finished dressing in his mail, and leaned against the doorframe to the bedroom, yawning. Benni grabbed his sword from under his bed, and the two headed down the wooden stairwell outside the room.

The warm smell of frying meat and freshly baked bread assaulted their nostrils as they walked into the kitchen together. Helen was standing in front of the table slicing thick slices of steaming rye bread. Benni set his sword on the worn, oak countertop. He walked over to Helen, and kissed her on the cheek while snaking a hand under her arm to grab a piece of bread. "Good morning, Mother,” he said with a smile.

Helen smiled and slapped Benni's sneaking hand aside. "Benni Wakewood! Mind your manners."

Benni grinned, showing no signs of remorse as he went over to a fire to tend to some sausages that were sizzling in a large iron skillet. Lawrence had grabbed five clay plates off a shelf and set them around the table, along with a thick pewter mug for each plate.

Helen smiled warmly at Lawrence. "Good morning, Lawrence. Are you excited for your knighting ceremony today? It feels like only yesterday that I was watching you and Benni train in the backyard. We are so proud of you both.”

Lawrence finished setting the table and replied, "I’ve been looking forward to this day for two years now. I just hope that Sabre Grey shows up. Benni and I are going to head to the castle as soon as we finish eating breakfast. We want to get our positions for the ceremony."

Benni walked back over to the table, carrying the hot sausages, and said to Helen, "We will be looking for you in the crowd."

Laughter echoed into the kitchen from the hall, and was followed into the room by Nicholas Wakewood carrying a giggling Fairen. He slung the young boy over his shoulder then playfully swung Fairen down to the floor. "Well, what are we standing around for? You can’t start a day on an empty stomach." He walked over and gave his wife a small intimate kiss before gesturing for them all to sit.

Lawrence averted his eyes, and couldn't help but feel a small pang of longing seeing what Nicholas and Helen had together. He hoped that one day his relationship with Elsie would reach that level. But he quickly shook the feeling, and set about helping Fairen heap his plate with sausages, bread smeared with apple butter, and small mince pies. The smell was mouth-watering, and they quickly set about sating their bellies.

Helen filled their mugs with fresh creamy milk from a pitcher. Nicholas placed a mug he had been carrying with him down on the table. It was filled with a fresh breakfast stout from the tap at the Silver Shield. He took a glug of the brew, which left a ring of foam on his short brown beard. "Just think, after today, both of you boys will be full-fledged Knights of Haile. The future is bright for this city, especially with Knights like the two of you to defend it.”

Lawrence hoped those words would be true.
I wonder if Sabre Grey will show up at the ceremony to prove my training.

Fairen's brow furrowed in thought. He looked up at Benni. “I want to be a Knight like you and Lawrence. I want to be important.”

Both Lawrence and Benni glanced at Fairen. “It takes a lot of work, but if you are dedicated, then there is no doubt that you can join us someday,” Lawrence said.

Lawrence polished the last of the morsels from his plate, and sat waiting until Benni had done the same. They both stood up from the table, and Benni walked over to the counter where he had placed his sword. He buckled it to his belt in the same manner that Lawrence had earlier. Benni walked back over to the table and stood behind Fairen, roughing up his hair with his hand. "We will see you all at the ceremony.”

“Ok,” replied Fairen through a mouthful of food.

Benni chuckled and then joined Lawrence, who was leaning against the kitchen wall waiting for him. He pushed off the wall with one arm and opened the solid oak door that led outside, letting the crisp, morning breeze stream in with the sunlight of a beautiful spring morning. Lawrence turned and gave Helen a big hug before stepping outside. “Thank you both so much for housing me for the last two years. I cannot thank you enough for caring for me after my wounds healed. Even though I had the opportunity to live in the castle, I realized that I needed to get away from all of its distractions. I would never have fully recovered if I didn’t focus completely on my training. Ever since I’ve come here, you and Nicholas have been like parents to me.”

“We are so proud of you two young men.” Helen smiled and watched as the two Knight Guard hopefuls walked out the door, pulling it shut behind them.

The sun was just peaking over the tops of the houses that lined the streets, making Haile seem to glow with the light of a new day. The pair walked down the path leading away from the small stone house and onto the street, settling into a leisurely pace and allowing the calm to envelop them. A few birds flew overhead, twittering and performing acrobatics around each other in the hopes of attracting a mate. This was Lawrence’s favorite time of year. He loved the new life and warm rains that spring brought after the cold snows of winter. As they walked down the street, people began to stir in their houses, opening their shutters and shaking out rugs. Cats, who had wandered as kings of the streets at night, were now hiding away and returning to their homes, frightened by the traffic of humans on their streets. People were beginning to make their way to the streets, dressed in their best clothing, clearly on their way to attending the Advent of Knighthood. The knighting ceremony was a holiday in Haile. All businesses closed, government activities were suspended, and everyone in the town took the day to witness the coronation of the next batch of recruits.

Benni and Lawrence reached a crossroad after a few minutes of walking and headed east toward the center of Haile where the central market was located. They reached the end of the street and continued walking into the large cobblestone courtyard that served as Haile’s primary area of commerce. It was filled with the stalls, booths, and tents of merchants who normally all sold goods and services there. Today was an exception, though, as the market was closed. Benni and Lawrence made their way through the vacated market, discussing with each other the importance of this day. From behind them they heard shouting. They stopped and turned to see what the source of it was.

“Lawrence, Benni, wait!” It was Razzius, rushing toward them from the other end of the courtyard.

“Are you ready for the knighting ceremony, Razzius?” Lawrence asked with a huge smile on his face.

“I think so…” Razzius paused. “I am excited to become a Knight, but it feels bittersweet since my father most likely won’t be present today. He has recently taken ill, and won’t be able to make it to today’s ceremony,” Razzius said, continuing to harbor the secret burden of his father’s scorn and hatred. He wanted so badly to bring Lawrence and Benni to light about the truth surrounding his father’s constant illnesses.

Benni turned to Razzius with genuine concern. “That’s so disappointing, my friend. I hope Wurn feels better soon. He’s sick quite often, isn’t he?”

“Yes, but I think he is going to recover soon.” Razzius wished now that he hadn’t brought up his father. He wanted to change the conversation back to the ceremony.

Luckily, Benni must have had the same agenda. “I bet you probably aren’t too worried about being knighted today, you know, since you trained with Captain Maxwell? He probably has all your training listed day by day?”

Razzius answered confidently, “Yes, gentlemen, Captain Maxwell has assured me that all is ready for me to become a Knight. I’ve been looking forward to this day for two years! Benni, do you expect Knight Reinhardt to be at the ceremony?”

Benni responded with a bit of trepidation in his voice, “Well, I hope so. I have kept my schedule for two years. I went to see him every fourth day of every month just like he asked me to when I became his squire. I will be upset if he doesn’t hold up his end of the bargain. Lawrence, what about you? Have you ever even trained with Sabre Grey?”

Lawrence lowered his head and sighed deeply. After a long pause he looked at his friends. “I just don’t know. I’ve never trained with him. I have tried to, though. I am really unsure about what will happen at the ceremony. I even tried to see him yesterday, to plead with him one last time, but he still did not speak to me. Benni, you of all people know how hard I’ve trained. I just wish Sabre would have seen it…” Lawrence’s voice trailed off at the thought of not being able to join the Knight Guard, because his hard work and training hadn’t been recorded.

As the three Knight hopefuls approached Knights Runn their hearts began to beat furiously with excitement. What a sight it was! Thousands of citizens of Haile crowded into the castle’s mammoth courtyard, greeting one another and chatting gaily amongst themselves. Knight Guards were positioned helping to keep order, as this was the one day of the year when all Hailian citizens were allowed onto castle grounds. Banners with the Hailian Crest were hung on two large poles that denoted the entrance for the Knight Guard trainees. Mayor Flint stood on a high podium, discussing last minute preparations with Captain Maxwell. Lawrence noticed immediately how few of his fellow trainees were actually in attendance. Apparently many of them didn’t dedicate themselves like he and Benni and Razzius had. The twenty squires were instructed to gather on one end of the courtyard, their trainers across the way. Each squire would be called to the front podium, and asked to kneel before the mayor. Then their mentor would be called to join them. Mayor Flint would ask for the Knight to present proof of the squire’s training. Once the squire’s training was inspected and was deemed satisfactory, Mayor Flint would then ask each trainee to repeat the Hailian Oath. He would then tap each squire on the left shoulder, then the right, then the top of the head, signifying the sacred transformation from squire to Hailian Knight.

Do-Do-Da-De-Dooooo!!!

The sound of the quartet of trumpets signaled the start of the ceremony. A hush fell over the massive crowd. This was a monumental day to all citizens of Haile, and they watched the processions with muted reverence.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Advent of Knighthood!” Flint boomed, his voice filling the courtyard. “Every year we gather here to induct a new class of Hailian Knights. We entrust our lands, our freedoms, and our lives to these brave souls. Their duties are immense. Their sacrifices immeasurable. They defend injustice wherever and whenever it rears its ugly head. I’ve watched many of these squires train daily in this very courtyard. They are a strong group of righteous, courageous individuals. I cannot tell you how proud I am to stand here today, in the shadow of Knights Runn, to knight each and every one of these young men.” Flint’s voice reverberated throughout the courtyard, filling the crowd with a sense of pride in their city and their Knights. They wildly applauded and cheered his opening statements.