The Lady Knight

"Have you packed all that you had brought with you?" Dora pestered me for the hundredth time that morning, fussing with the straps on Aurora.

Rolling my eyes, I mounted my mare in one swift motion. "Yes, Dora, yes," I answered wryly, "even if I have forgotten something, I give you full permission to keep it as a memory, and cry over it every day."

She stuck out her tongue at me, before growing pensive. "I will truly miss you."

"Me too," Jo piped up sadly, "do take care, will you not?"

I nodded, as Lisa stepped forward at that moment towards Aurora and held up her arms towards me. Smiling sadly, I bent down as much as I dared without falling off, to envelope her in an awkward hug.

"Write to me often, all right?" she mumbled, "and visit me whenever you are able to. And remember to drag Kat along with you."

"Je le promets, Lisa. Au revoir."

Lisa smiled faintly upon hearing my French. Although French was the official language of Monrique, I rarely spoke it.

It reminded me too much of my mother.

However, this occasion was special, and I was willing to make an exception. I always found that I was able to express myself more sincerely in my native language in comparison to English.

She understood, as she always did. "Au revoir, Jules. Have a safe journey."

"I will."

Satisfied, Lisa turned around and walked towards Evoric, who took her hand in his. She squeezed it gently in return, completely forgetting all those present around them in the courtyard.

I smiled at the pair. True to his word, the Prince had spent three long hours the very next day persuading and arguing with the Duke and Duchess of Louvre about Lisa and Evoric.

At long last, the Duchess had relented and allowed them to court.

However, I had a faint, lingering suspicion that she was hoping that the courtship would not last long. I did not fail to notice how her eyes gleamed with fanatical hope every time Lisa had begun an argument, however small, with Evoric these last few days.

Yet, I cared not and neither did Lisa. All that mattered now was that Lisa and Evoric had achieved what they had wished to and were very happy with each other.

That made me, and the Prince, very happy also.

"Shall we leave now, Julie?" the Prince asked me quietly, interrupting my thoughts.

I nodded at him.

He then turned to the rest of the smiling Louvrians gathered below. "Thank you so much, all of you, for hosting us for this past week. Our visit to Louvre has been very memorable and enjoyable, and I wish to visit again sometime in the future, if you would allow me."

He beamed down at them, all memories of the poisoning scare a few days ago forgotten.

"You are always welcome, Your Royal Highness," Lord George grinned, having grown genuinely fond of the Prince, "we would be most glad to host you again."

"Thank you, Lord Louvre."

I cleared my throat. "Captains, mount your horses!"

Captain Dupont, Captain Percival and Captain Everard obeyed at once, and took their positions behind the Prince and me. A frown made its way to my face, as I remembered why the size of our entourage had decreased.

Clearly, I had not spared the man who had poisoned the Prince's dinner. The moment I was sure that the Prince would live, I had sprinted straight down to the chambers where the devil was locked up and pounded him until the truth had come to light.

Apparently, a hooded stranger had offered him a sack full of coins to spike the Prince's food with poison, and for the greed of money, he had consented.

He had cunningly secured a job in the Louvre Manor kitchens the day after we had arrived in Louvre, and grabbed his chance on that night's dinner to carry out his plan, and receive the money.

My anger had known no bounds. However, I had controlled myself with the knowledge that the poisoner would suffer a lot worse in Bordeux Dungeons in the weeks to come.

I had wasted no time in writing to the King about this incident and had asked Captains Morrison, Wellington and Evans to bring him to the Bordeux Dungeons. They would be meeting us in in three days in Tessensohn, our next destination, after leaving him in the capable hands of Lieutenant Raleigh and his team of Captains in Bordeux.

The poisoner would be severely dealt with, no doubt.

"After you, Your Royal Highness," I nodded, urging the Prince to ride forward.

The four of us followed behind him, waving all the way as we rode off towards the countryside once more, away from Louvre.

***

I tossed and I turned on my sleeping sack, restless. I had tried sleeping on my back, on my front, and even on my sides, as the night grew darker and darker, and as the moon made its way to the top of the skies.

But nothing seemed to work. It must be because of the weather. I usually did not have a problem sleeping outdoors.

How I hated the cold.

My frustrated gaze fell on the peacefully slumbering Captains around me. Their chests rose and fell rhythmically, as they snored loudly - so loudly, in truth, that I was certain that we would not have a problem with wild animals this night.

They would most likely be scared off by the ruckus these Captains were making in their sleep.

Green envy bubbled within me, as I let out an annoyed huff, a cool, visible white cloud leaving my lips as I did so.

How were they able to fall asleep so easily when I could not?

When we had first come to this clearing in the evening, I had thought that the weather would be bearable enough for the night. It was why we had not sought an inn.

Our budget for this entire Potential Quest was not a grand amount, as our economy was still recovering from the recent wars we had fought. As a result, we were trying to save as much money as we could.

However, I had learnt my lesson. No more sleeping in the forest clearings during the Potential Quest. The weather was only going to become worse in the coming weeks.

"Julie? Are you still awake?" a quiet voice, slightly trembling, spoke from across the roaring fire.

I jerked, surprised. It seemed I was not the only one facing a sleepless night.

"Aye, I suppose I am," I sighed, disgruntled, crossing my arms over my stomach, as I stared up at the thinning canopy of the trees above me.

"Why? Is something bothering you?" he asked in that same emotionless tone, more out of courtesy than true concern.

"I could ask you the same, Your Royal Highness."

"I suppose you could," he chuckled softly, amused, "but there are too many things on my mind that I doubt you would want to concern yourself with."

A sadistic smile unfurled on my lips. "On the contrary, Your Royal Highness," I corrected him, "I would be very interested indeed in hearing what is bothering you. It would be a wonderful source of comic relief."

"Ha ha," he muttered, "how amusing."

He fell silent once more, and I assumed he was not going to elaborate on his earlier words. Shrugging, I began to struggle with the furs and cloaks that bound my freezing, numb body, attempting to turn over once more.

After a long, but silent battle, I succeeded -

Only to find myself face first on the snow covered ground.

The sleeping sack flew far and high across the clearing, and my furs and cloaks lay all around me in a myriad of colours among the pure white snow that covered the ground.

It had all happened so fast. I rose slowly and blinked, disoriented for a moment, before I uttered some very colourful language that had the Prince laughing at once.

"Ha ha," it was my turn to mutter wryly, "how amusing, Your Royal Highness." I stood up and strode across the clearing to clear up the mess, swearing further under my breath.

"Your misery entertains me, Julie, as much as mine amuses you," he answered impishly, with his arms crossed behind his head, completely relaxed.

He did not even make a move help me with the task. Not that I expected him to. Yet, if he did not wish to move, the least he could do was to hold his annoying tongue.

I shot him a ferocious glare, as I arranged the sleeping sack on the ground with extra force, slipped into my coats, and smothered myself in them, turning away from his aggravatingly amused expression across the fire.

"There is no need to make such a fuss," he continued to laugh, "it is merely a sleeping sack. And a couple of coats. What did they ever do to you?"

"Please, Your Royal Highness, for the Lord's sake, keep your silence."

Huffing, I snapped my eyes shut, letting my mind whitewash itself to a screen of emptiness. His laughter slowly faded away, as he immersed himself in his thoughts once more, likely in whatever that was bothering him earlier.

Meanwhile, I concentrated on keeping my mind blank.

Patience, Jules, patience.

A sense of calmness washed over me after a few moments, as I relaxed into my sleeping sack. Soon enough, I felt the familiar dense drowsiness sink into my mind.

Sleep was coming! At last! I could feel it in my bones.

"There is something that is really, really bothering me," the Prince sighed heavily, and quite unexpectedly.

In that very moment, all was ruined. All notion of sleep, which I had waited for all night to come, simply vanished into thin air.

I threw my hands up in the air, utterly exasperated. "What is it now?" I groaned, disgruntled.

He did not pick on my tone. "I am very much in the dark about who are the Ladies I am to meet tomorrow at Tessensohn, and what are they like. I do not want to be unprepared as I was in Louvre. I would...I would like to go through with it properly this time round."

I tossed over, and turned to see him propped up on one arm, gazing at me with a troubled expression on his pale face from across the fire.

"I was under the impression that you were not interested in the Potential Quest, Your Royal Highness," I yawned, "why the sudden change?" I was mildly surprised.

"Well...." he trailed off uncomfortably, "it is true that I hate it, and I still believe that it is a waste of time. However, now that I am forced to go through with it, I might as well put in my best while I am at it." His gaze was disgruntled, but sincere.

I tilted my head, surprised at his maturity. He truly did mean what he said.

"All right, then. The Lady you will be meeting tomorrow in Tessensohn is Lady Olivia," I answered him, "and she is the only daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Tessensohn. This duchy is rather small, and it has no earldoms. As such, it has only one eligible Potential. I must say, you are fortunate this time round, Your Royal Highness."

A resigned huff sounded from the other side of the fire. "I assume that you mean, you are fortunate, Julie," he muttered, "you only have to evaluate one Potential. I still have to go through the daunting task of acquainting myself with Lady Olivia."

"Daunting, Your Royal Highness? What happened to wanting to go through with the Potential Quest properly this time?" I quoted his earlier words, mocking him.

"Keep your silence, Julie," he turned to glare at me, "I know what I said. Just because I decided to put in my best does not mean that I like it any better."

And any thoughts I had regarding his maturity vanished with those words.

"Truth be told, Your Royal Highness," I sighed, shrugging, "considering your already mounting dislike for the Potential Quest, I am afraid it is going to be daunting this time."

He stared at me for a moment, before he relaxed. "Whatever do you mean?" he laughed it off, "surely Lady Olivia is not that bad."

I rolled my eyes, but I did not answer him. I knew I was being blatantly biased, and I did not wish to say anymore, lest I influenced his decision in any way.

Lady Olivia had been my cousin, Tess's most trusted friend since our childhood days, and neither of us liked each other very much, to say the least. As a result, regardless of whether or not the Prince would have his hands full at Tessensohn, I knew I certainly would.

***

The double doors swung open as we were announced.

The Prince offered me his arm, giving me a faint smile. I accepted it, as we allowed ourselves to be ushered into the receiving hall of Tessensohn Manor, followed closely behind by the Captains.

"Always the gentleman in public, Your Royal Highness?" I remarked.

"Whatever do you mean, Julie?" his smile turned impish, revealing a dimple in his right cheek, "I am always a gentleman."

"Certainly, certainly," I rolled my eyes.

He discreetly stuck out his tongue at me for an answer, before a thoughtful look entered his eyes. "Look straight ahead," he whispered again, "are they not a sight to behold?"

Puzzled by his words, I turned to look towards the end of the red carpet we were walking along, where a dais was erected.

The Duke and Duchess of Tessensohn - Lord Auguste and his wife, Lady Françoise - sat upright on their thrones. Sapphires, amethysts, rubies, emeralds, and many more kinds of jewels seemed to be dripping from every inch of their formal wear, almost dragging them to the ground.

The ducal coronets that rested on their heads were also embedded with more gems than customary to make them shine with a blinding glow, reflecting the light from the morning Sun shining in from the windows.

By God, they were even wearing cloaks of ermine around their shoulders.

It was well known in our country that ermine was a symbol of royalty. What were they implying, wearing it in public and blatantly flaunting it in such a fashion in front of the Crown Prince himself?

Astonished, my gaze drifted to the younger woman standing to their right. With luscious blonde tresses framing her unblemished, oval face, and her huge, shining sapphire blue irises, she was the very portrait of angelic beauty. One could even imagine a glowing halo on her head, if not for the familiar subtle pout of her lips that was ever present on her countenance, even when we had been younger.

Lady Olivia was always dissatisfied, be it with the weather, her appearance, or anything under the Sun. Like her parents, she was also similarly smothered in jewels, laces, ribbons, and fluff to the point of suffocation.

Only when I noticed the same ermine cloak draped around her shoulders did I realise what was being implied. My stomach clenched in disgust and discomfort, as I let out a heavy sigh.

By God. How were they all so confident that it was Lady Olivia whom the Prince was going to wed, therefore making her and her family royal enough to wear ermine?

I frowned.

"What do you think?" the Prince chuckled under his breath at my expression, which I made no move to mask.

I looked up at him, and I saw it in his eyes. He knew. He knew what they were doing as well as I did. He seemed to find it amusing, even, while I could only blanch at their audacity.

"Laugh all you want, Your Royal Highness," I murmured, "I am afraid this might be the last time you do in the days to come."

By this time, we had reached the dais, and we came to a stop. At that moment, I felt a glare scorch side of my face. Turning around, I found Lady Olivia staring at my hand on the Prince's arm with something close to hatred.

I waved at her slightly with my other hand, giving her a deadly sweet smile. I am not that fond of you either, sweetheart. If I were you, I would cease glaring before I found myself missing a pair of eyes.

She flinched, frightened for a moment.

"Julie, are you aware that you look rather frightening when you smile like that?" the Prince spoke from the corner of his mouth, all the while smiling charmingly at the Tessensohn family.

"I am well aware," I murmured, "and she will take great care not to look at me like that in the future and risk being impaled."

The Duke and Duchess of Tessensohn, and Lady Olivia deigned to descend from their places at that moment, and bowed and curtsied respectively to the Prince.

"Your Royal Highness."

"You may rise," the Prince commanded solemnly.

They did as they were told, seeming appropriately polite and respectful.

However, that did not fool me. I had been an army officer for too long to be unable to recognise ambitious, power-hungry people as those before me. I could clearly see the arrogance that their exterior expressions hid.

"Welcome to Tessensohn, Your Royal Highness. We are most delighted to host you for the coming week," Lord Auguste smiled benignly, "may I introduce my wife, Lady Françoise and my only daughter, Lady Olivia?"

The Prince approached Lady Françoise and bowed low over her hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Tessensohn," he murmured, flashing another dazzling smile at her.

"The pleasure is all mine, Your Royal Highness," she simpered.

I was bewildered, truly. Why did the Prince seem to have such an effect on all the Ladies, young and old, we had met so far? What did he possess? Surely it could not be merely because of his supposed charm.

In the meanwhile, the Prince had conversed a little with Lady Françoise, and had now turned to Lady Olivia.

"I trust the morning finds you well, Lady Olivia. I am delighted to meet you," he smiled at her.

"Yes, Your Royal Highness, it is a beautiful morning, and it has been made more beautiful with your arrival in Tessensohn," she giggled, lowering her eyes in an attempt to seem shy and demure.

Truly? Poetic words?

From the corner of my eye, I noticed my Captains raising their eyebrows at that also. Captain Everard, in particular, seemed downright disbelieving.

Behind the Prince's back, I discreetly made a gagging face at them and rolled my eyes, to which they all silently laughed.

Unfortunately, Lady Françoise had caught that, and she shot me a scorching glare with all haste. Even in the past, she had never liked me. According to her, I was too boyish, too barbaric and too boisterous to ever become a proper Lady worthy of being in a Duchess's presence.

Her words, not mine.

A sweet, forced smile formed on her lips at that moment. "Do you not find the morning delightful as well, my Lady Knight?"

The Prince turned around to look at me, amused, realising at once that I must have done something. Usually, the Prince's escorts were only seen and not heard.

"Aye, Lady Françoise, it is indeed a delightful morning," I tried to keep a straight face, "and it has been made more delightful by having to meet you all in Tessensohn so early in the day. Now I am certain the rest of my day will be a wonderful one." The words rang with double meaning, as I smiled just as sweetly.

Captain Everard broke out into a loud burst of laughter that he quickly turned into a violent cough, as the other Captains turned away to hide their smiles. The Prince simply raised an eyebrow at me, amused and surprised at the same time by my words.

"I am very glad to hear that," her eyes narrowed slightly.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"It has been a long journey, and I am certain that the Lady Knight and the Captains would also like to freshen up, as I would," the Prince intervened hastily before I could make another cutting remark, "may we be excused?"

"Yes, yes, of course," Lord Auguste, who had been watching us with something close to amusement himself, "Liv, dear, please bring the Prince, the Lady Knight and the Captains to their chambers."

"Yes, Papa," Lady Olivia curtsied to her father, keeping her head low, before she turned to the Prince, "allow me to show you to your chambers, Your Royal Highness."

She offered the Prince a soft smile, and stared up at him with wide, dreamy eyes. It was almost as if she was trying to stage a scene from those ridiculous romance novels that were the rage these days, where an introverted, noble born Lady fell in love with a rich, empty-headed man on first sight.

The shy gaze, the moony eyes, and the faint blush — yes, she was playing it very well indeed.

The Prince shuffled on his feet, his gaze frequently darting to the staircase, growing increasingly uncomfortable in her presence.

As much as I was enjoying the Prince's discomfort and the silent drama, my legs were exhausted and they demanded rest.

"My dear Lady Olivia?" I coughed after a moment, amused.

She snapped out of her carefully arranged daze, and threw me a dirty scowl. "Yes?"

"Our chambers, if you please?" I could not help but snicker at her annoyed expression, "it has been a long journey, and I am most weary."

She was fuming with all the rage in the world at me, but I cared not a whit. Upon seeing Lady Olivia, the inner demon inside me, which I had trained hard during Army training to keep under control, had resurfaced.

"Of course," she plastered on a forced smile, "I was distracted for a moment, I am afraid." She shot the Prince another of her demure gazes, and beckoned us to follow her to the stairway.

"Allow me to carry those for you, Your Royal Highness. They seem rather heavy," she gestured to the Prince's trunk, clearly eager to please.

"That is quite all right, thank you — "the Prince hastily denied.

However, she had bent down to tug it from his hands before he could finish, making sure to give him a full view of her cleavage in the process. "Nay, I insist. We do not allow guests in this Manor to experience any discomfort," she murmured, before turning around to lead him up the stairs.

She had not even checked to see if the rest of us were following her, having already plunged into one of her life stories.

Then would you be so kind to carry my sacks and trunk, as well, Lady Olivia? I wanted to ask, but I bit my tongue in time.

It was inadvisable to rile her up so soon. After all, I had all week, did I not?

"Allow me carry those for you, Captains. They seem rather heavy," I mimicked her, rolling my eyes at my Captains, "I do not allow guests in this Manor to experience any discomfort."

They laughed softly, careful not to allow the Duke and Duchess of Tessensohn to hear them. "You are exceptionally wicked this morning, Ma'am," Captain Everard's eyes twinkled, "it is a welcome change from your serious demeanour, I admit."

"This kind of people bring out the worst in me," I sighed, a little frustrated myself, "they twist and turn their words until I lose all sense of what is true and what is not."

"At least the other three Captains will arrive soon, yes, Ma'am?" Captain Dupont smiled kindly, "their arrival may make it better for you. It will also give you something to look forward to. Fret not, Ma'am, there is a bright side to all darkness." He nodded in encouragement.

"I truly hope so, Captain Dupont," I murmured, "I truly hope so."

***

Prince Nicholas

"These are your chambers, Your Royal Highness," Lady Olivia breathed in my ear, standing a little too close to me than it was necessary or appropriate, "Mama and Papa had them refurnished before your arrival. The curtains are green, your favourite colour, and coincidentally mine — "

She started to babble on again, and truth be told, her voice was beginning to grate on my nerves. By God, my mind would truly burst if she spoke one more time.

My eyes fell on my supposed favourite coloured curtains, as I stepped towards the chambers.

I sighed.

Although it was true that green was my favourite colour, it was not this shade of green. The lime-green hue of these curtains was too bright, too flashy, too attention-seeking.

My favourite colour was the dark, subtle yet strong green of nature, of wild grass, of pine trees. Whenever I closed my eyes and allowed the colour spread on the canvas of my mind, it offered me a sense of peace and strength that even Marzipan sometimes failed to.

Somehow, I felt that this particular colour was mine, made for me alone.

"Lime green is not his favourite colour," Julie observed quietly on my other side, "and I doubt that it is yours either, Lady Olivia. Why, I heard you telling Tess a few years ago that you preferred pink."

Lady Olivia turned a bright shade of pink just then, mayhap the very shade of pink that Julie had claimed to be Lady Olivia's favourite.

"I did not remember speaking to you, my Lady Knight," she turned around to hiss at her, "it is absolutely rude of you to interrupt me thus — " Fire raged in her blue eyes, and she looked ready to charge at Julie.

Julie, on the other hand, regarded her calmly and coolly. "I merely corrected you, Lady Olivia. You seemed to be rather misguided about your own preferences, let alone that of the Prince's."

Lady Olivia narrowed her eyes at her. "Well, I like lime green now," she insisted, "I had been told that the Crown Prince also preferred that — "

However, I was not listening to her. Instead, I turned to look down at the petite Julie, surprised.

"How do you know that lime green is not my favourite colour?"

She glanced at me, her huge hazelnut brown eyes twinkling. "Forest green," she answered simply, "you favour forest green above all other colours." On that mysterious note, she turned away to speak with her Captains, who were demanding her attention.

I frowned, bewildered. How in the world had she known that?

"My sincere apologies, Your Royal Highness. I truly believed lime green to be your favourite colour. It was why I had asked Mama and Papa to purchase the curtains of that shade," Lady Olivia spoke up, ashen.

"That is quite all right," I replied absent-mindedly.

"If you wish, I could order forest green curtains - if that is your favourite colour, of course," she hastily amended, "I hope you understand why I do not trust the Lady Knight's word on that. She holds the deepest of hatred and ill-will for you — "

"I do not hold the Prince any ill-will, Lady Olivia," Julie cut her off from behind, "and neither do I hate him. At least, not to the extent that you are portraying it to be. Please be careful with your choice of words before you speak. Is that not a critical point in that social etiquette book you revere?"

The quiet force of her words silenced all those around her, including Lady Olivia.

She was surprising me, again and again, ever since we stepped foot into this Manor. "You do not hate me, and you do not bear me any ill-will? Truly, Julie?" The words which I intended to tease came out sounding bewildered.

The Captains were all staring at her, bemused, but Lady Olivia was staring at her with something more than confusion, as she had all morning.

Loathing.

I had seen it too many times in Julie's eyes when she was younger not to recognise the same now in Lady Olivia's.

Julie's hazelnut brown eyes snapped to me, emotionless. "I will not bear you any hatred or ill-will until Lisa and Evoric are successfully wed," she confirmed, "and only until this truce ends with their wedding."

I read in between her words. She does not trust Lady Louvre still, I realised, she thinks Lady Louvre might still try to separate Lady Alyssa and Evoric while we are away from Louvre.

With that, she turned to Lady Olivia.

"I know where the guest chambers are. You need not direct me there. I will go there myself, and I will guide my Captains to their respective chambers as well," she continued in the same detached tone.

"Please do spare me the trouble," Lady Olivia sneered, her expression morphing into one of great hatred.

I frowned again. I did not like the tension overwhelming the atmosphere, and neither did I like being in the dark about what was going on between them.

Julie merely nodded, as if she had expected this rude reply. "Come, Captains, let us go," she beckoned them, "Your Royal Highness, I will see you at breakfast." She inclined her head at me.

I nodded, and smiled slightly at her. "All right."

On hearing that, she picked up her belongings and walked away to the stairway with the three men without a second glance at Lady Olivia.

"Well, Your Royal Highness," Lady Olivia sighed heavily beside me, her countenance changing into one of happiness once more, "please do enter your chambers. Did you know, this chamber holds wonderful memories for me? When I was seven — "

She launched into another one of her endless, meaningless stories, as she had been throughout the time she showed us all around the Manor, carrying my trunk into the chamber.

I ran a hand through my hair, already frustrated.