The Trinity of Heroes (I Will Protect You Book 1) (5 page)

“But what, Lawrence?” Elsie’s soft voice broke through the uncomfortable silence in the air. “I mean, if he was such a great Knight, how come he isn’t pictured here? How come he isn’t amongst these other great Knights of Haile?” Elsie asked inquisitively.

Lawrence looked at the ground and breathed deeply. He felt like a giant weight was being lifted from his back. “The rumors are that my father and your father had a dispute that they couldn’t settle, and instead of going to war with the city he had loved for so long, my father simply left,” Lawrence explained. He looked at some of the different portraits donning the walls of the barracks. “I haven’t seen my father since I was thirteen years old, but I have heard rumors from traveling merchants and the like that he is living somewhere in the Endless.”

Eventually he let out a large sigh and continued, “You know, part of me really wishes that my father would come back so I could learn about knighthood from him and train with him. However, I fear that an even greater part of me resents him so much that I could never love my father again. I don’t know if I am prepared to face those feelings. I just don’t know if I can forgive him for what he has done to my mother and me. He was a great warrior, and I respect him for helping save Haile from Ghast’s army, yet I struggle to have love in my heart for the man who abandoned us. It’s gotten so bad that my mother and I have been reduced to squalor, and we struggle every day just to put food in our bellies. I want to be a great Knight like my father was, but I’ll never neglect my family like he did.”

“Lawrence, I had no idea…” Elsie trailed off. She then came back with an even stronger inquisition, “Lawrence, what dispute could there have possibly been between a great Knight of Haile and my father?”

“The rumors I have heard were that my father found out that your father was taking bribes in the form of donations to the Knight Guard. Apparently at the time the coffers were low, and the mayor was doing what he thought was best. I’ve heard that the Hall of Heroes and these barracks were even funded with those bribes. My father didn’t agree with the way the mayor went about obtaining the money, so he called your father out on his wrongdoings. There was never any proof that Mayor Flint was doing anything against the law, and so my father was made to look like a fool. One day, without word…my father just left.” A look of deep sadness crept over Lawrence’s face as he stood in silence, musing to himself.

“How dare you!” Elsie shouted at Lawrence, her voice booming through the barracks.

“Miss Elsie, what’s the matter?” Lawrence asked. He was shocked by her sudden outburst. Her calm and soft voice had turned abrasive and dark.

“How dare you ever speak ill of my father in front of me!” she shouted, making her opposition to his story known. “Those are nothing but allegations and lies. My father would never do something so unjust. He would never stoop to such a level as to accept a bribe to support the Knight Guard! You should be ashamed of yourself, Lawrence Sanctus, how can you stand here and tarnish my father’s golden reputation?” Her words lingered in the air like heavy smoke.

“Miss Elsie I just…”

WHACK!

Elsie’s hand careened against Lawrence’s cheek as tears fell from her angered eyes. She shot him a look that made him feel instantly defeated. Lawrence’s face had never felt like this before, it burned as if a yellowjack had just stung him a hundred times. His pride had been crushed, what he intended to be a simple explanation had turned into a huge misunderstanding. Lawrence didn’t hold anything against Elsie. How could he? He had just met her today. When he finally stopped cringing in pain he looked up to see Elsie standing there crying in her hands.

“Miss Elsie, I didn’t mean to-”

“Silence, Lawrence!” she commanded angrily. “Just take me back to the castle, now!”

Lawrence proceeded to escort her out of the barracks. As the two began to walk away from the barracks, an annoying voice called to them from the side. “Elsie, there you are my dear. I have been looking all over for you.” Phillip Arcel Galexia’s shrill, pompous voice resonated around the empty area. His beady, black eyes were fixed like a hawk’s on Elsie, but would wander momentarily to Lawrence. His blonde, ruffled hair curled about his ears, and his long, pointed nose accented his face.

Elsie’s eyes narrowed and she tried to hide the fact that she had been crying. She didn’t need a lecture from Phillip, nor did she want to have to explain to him what she had been doing with a Knight Guard trainee for the past hour. As mad as she had been at Lawrence, she still couldn’t help but feel that her time with him had been more meaningful and more rewarding to her than her entire forced relationship with Phillip. She swallowed her swelling emotions and quickly regained her composure in order to avoid Phillip’s interrogation.

“Well Elsie, I have been out all morning looking for you, and now I have found you. It is time to return to the castle now, Elsie. Come along, dear,” he said menacingly. He extended his hand to her.

“I don’t want to, Phillip,” Elsie said in a low and barely audible tone.

“Well, my dear, we all have to do things we don’t want to do. Now come along,” Phillip said again, his voice hinting at annoyance.

“I’m not coming with you!” Elsie exclaimed, raising her voice a little more. Her eyes told the story; she couldn’t stand Phillip and would rather be locked in a room for hours with Lawrence than have to spend even one more moment with Phillip. Elsie loved her father, but couldn’t believe that he would offer her hand in marriage to Phillip when he knew that she despised him so much.

Phillip reached out and forcefully grabbed her hand and said, “Come now, my dear, you don’t want to embarrass me, do you?” He continued his pursuit of her until Lawrence stepped forward and came between them, causing Phillip to break his hold.

“She said she doesn’t want to go with you, Phillip,” he said sharply, defiantly. He glanced at Elsie for a moment and then turned back to Phillip. “So maybe you should take a hint and leave, and go back to your father and his money!”

The two had never gotten along. Since Lawrence had become a squire, Phillip had always been there. Though Phillip wasn’t involved in the Knight Guard, he had free reign in the castle to go wherever he pleased. This annoyed Lawrence to no end, as Phillip was the only person who wasn’t in the Knight Guard who was allowed inside the barracks at will, simply because his father’s money bought him those kinds of favors. And besides that, Phillip acted as though he was entitled to stand amongst the Knights of Haile during their training and planning sessions. The Knights had complained repeatedly of this to Captain Bryce Maxwell and to Mayor Flint, yet even though action had been promised, little had been done to curb Phillip’s interference in the Knight Guard.

“Lawrence, how many times must I tell you, don’t interfere in my business…”

Before Phillip could say another word, Elsie stepped around Lawrence and said, “I am not your business, Phillip, and you would do well to remember that.” Her voice was now filled with anger and fury. She glared at Phillip, then turned to Lawrence. “Come on, Lawrence, let’s go!” She grabbed his hand and proceeded to lead him away from Phillip. Before Lawrence had a chance to react, she had dragged him almost completely off the castle grounds.

Finally, she stopped walking. “Are all men this way?” she asked, annoyed.

“What do you mean, Miss Elsie?” Lawrence asked, hoping to avoid any more of her wrath.

“What I am asking is if all men are like Phillip: pompous, arrogant, assholes!” She was flustered and her usually calm personality had been transformed by Phillip’s previous presence.

“No, no we aren’t, Elsie,” Lawrence said as his eyes met hers again.

“Tell me why I have to go through this,” Elsie pleaded, begging Lawrence for some form of support.

“Well, I don’t really know if I am fit to do that, Elsie.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right, Lawrence…” Elsie trailed off and a silence fell over them yet again.

Lawrence could see that she was upset, and in an attempt to make things better he said, “Elsie, it seems hopeless, I know, but we just have to hold true to ourselves and hopefully things will turn out for the best. Look at me, I’ve been squired to Sabre Grey, one of the greatest Knights in all of Haile, yet he refuses to train me. If he doesn’t come through for me I won’t be able to become a Knight, no matter how much I train, no matter how hard I try. We just have to stay positive Elsie, and hope that things work out for the best.”

“I wish it was that easy, Lawrence. My father promised my hand to Phillip because his father is some rich businessman. I don’t know what to do. I feel like if I marry Phillip I am betraying myself, but if I don’t marry Phillip, I am betraying my family.”

Lawrence could see the sadness creep across Elsie’s face and he had to find a way to cheer her up.
“How about getting out of the castle tonight, and joining my friends and me at the Silver Shield for some real fun?”

“What? I wouldn’t be caught dead in that dreadful place! You must be-”

Lawrence interrupted, “Joking? No, I’m not joking at all. I’m very serious. Come out and enjoy yourself. What do you say?”

“Well, I guess… In all honestly it can’t be any worse than spending the night alone, or, Sora forbid, with Phillip.” Elsie was still struggling with the notion that the man whom she had just slapped no more than twenty minutes ago had just invited her out for a night on the town. He wasn’t angry with her, he wasn’t holding it against her, in fact it seemed as though her small emotional outburst had intrigued him. After all, her original goal
was
to get to know Lawrence better, and this might be the very opportunity she was looking for.

“Great!” Lawrence exclaimed. “When the moon hits the top of the castle meet me at the Silver Shield.”

“I’ll be there, Lawrence,” Elsie replied with a soft smile. Lawrence raised his hand to wave to her as he walked away.

Lawrence strolled down the stone streets of Haile noticing all of the shops and the numerous homes that stretched down the roads. Lawrence stopped at his small wooden house and approached the door. He slowly opened the door to the home and was shocked when he saw his mother laboring in the kitchen. He immediately rushed inside in an attempt to stop what his mother was doing.

“Mother, you heard what the healer said; you shouldn’t be out of bed,” Lawrence said as he took the wooden spoon out of her hand and proceeded to help her sit on a nearby chair. He frowned. “I leave you alone for a few hours, and when I come back you haven’t rested at all.” His frail mother sat on the chair before him, signs of rapid aging and malnutrition clearly apparent.

“Lawrence, how did training go today?” Elizabeth Sanctus spoke with the same care and interest that Lawrence had loved her for his entire life. The way she always seemed to have time for him was in stark contrast to the way he hardly ever had meaningful conversations with his father.

“I didn’t really train that much. I was too distracted playing escort for Miss Elsie Pyre. She is such an odd girl; she paraded me around the barracks for at least a half hour, and when I mentioned my father she slapped me for it… I really don’t understand her at all. Then we got to meet her boyfriend who is a complete ass. Phillip treats her like a possession, and thinks he can do whatever he wants because his father has money. I really hate that about him. How are you feeling, Mother?” Lawrence asked, looking around the home that had been kept very neat and tidy.

Though his mother was in very poor health, she was still trying to do things to keep the interior immaculate, and her mind off of her worsening condition. The outside of the house was another story, however. The shutters over the glass windows had become battered from fierce winds, weeds dotted the cobblestone walkway to the front door, and the grass grew longer by the day. The home was in need of repairs on the exterior, but Elizabeth was in no condition to do them. With his commitment to the Knight Guard taking up most of his daytime hours, Lawrence rarely had time to work on it either.

Elizabeth forced a smile. “I am well, son. I am in high spirits and hopeful that my health will improve.” Elizabeth was a strong woman who refused to admit to her failing health.

“Mother, is there anything I can help you with? Should I clean up around the house for you?”

“Lawrence, I know that tonight is Benni’s birthday, and I wouldn’t feel right if you missed it on my account. I want you to have fun. Just do one thing for me before you go.”

“What is that, Mother?”

“Take that pitcher and go fill it with water for me,” she said, pointing to a large empty pitcher on the table.

“Yes, Mother, I will be right back.”

Lawrence stood up, grabbed the pitcher, and sprang out the door. On his way to fetch water for his mother, thoughts of her sickness polluted his mind. He always felt guilty when he went out at night while she sat home alone. Even though normally he refused, tonight was Benni’s birthday, and they now rarely saw each other outside of their Knight Guard training. The two had been best friends for many years. Benni spent a good deal of time with Lawrence at his house when they first met, and Elizabeth had taken an instant liking to him. Elizabeth treated Benni like her own son. Because of Elizabeth’s fondness for Benni, Lawrence knew she wouldn’t be happy if he didn’t attend his birthday celebration. His mother had made it very clear that even though she wasn’t in the best of health, she still wanted Lawrence to enjoy himself when he wasn’t under obligation to the Knight Guard. Lawrence was prepared to be her caretaker at every turn if she so desired, but she had not, to this point, demanded or even requested that sacrifice from him.