The Lady Knight

I cautiously peeked out, trembling slightly. Squashed in between the two pillars that faced the training fields, I stared on, unable to tear my eyes away.

It lay there among the grass blades and the droplets of dew, gleaming with the golden glow of the evening Sun, silently tempting me to approach it. Warm yearning blossomed in my heart as I swallowed.

I wanted to pick it up so badly.

I had never touched a sword in my life. Girls and women in Monrique were not allowed to dabble in warfare, and neither were they allowed to even approach weapons of any sort. We were considered the weaker, faint-hearted sex, unable to handle bloodshed.

Truth be told, I heard Papa telling Lord Louvre that women would hardly last five moments in battle.

In a way, he did speak the truth. The Ladies of the Society, after all, aspired to be graceful and elegant in all that they do. They were of the opinion that warfare was primitive and barbaric and it was men's work.

Their words, not mine. Never mine.

In any case, my father ought to be well aware of who could survive in a battlefield, and who could not. He was a great, experienced Commander General whom everyone was in awe of. I was proud that he was my father.

Despite all the restrictions, warfare fascinated me to no end. I loved to watch the Knights during their training sessions every day from my hiding place between the pillars. I had discovered the training fields during one of my many escapades about the Castle some time ago, and I have not been able to keep away since.

Indeed, I was especially fond of watching the Knights duel. They wielded their swords in such complicated wrist twists and movements, and in a blink of an eye, one of their swords would be on the floor!

I had witnessed many of them fighting for their honour, their pride, their country. It was a noble sport, and a pleasure to watch. Truth be told, it was my deepest, long-standing desire to join the army, and be able to duel like them to defend my country, as well as myself.

Nothing was as depressing as being well aware that I would never be able to do so, solely because I was a girl. It was so unfair.

However, at the moment, there was no one about. All were at dinner. No one would ever know.

All the while checking that no one was watching me, I crept out from the crook, and dashed across the fields with quick, light steps, feeling the grass blades of the training fields brush softly against my ankles,

I crouched down next to the sword, staring at it in wonder, unable to believe my fortune. I hesitantly reached out, and allowed my small fingers to close around the hilt of the blade. A strange, comfortable warmth enveloped my insides at that, the triumphant feeling of having acquired something I had wished for so long.

Standing up, I lifted the sword up with some difficulty, to admire the way it shone with the Sun's rays. It was heavier than I had been expecting, but the slight pain in my wrist was bearable. I knew I would become accustomed to it soon enough.

With that encouraging thought, I began to attempt some of the wrist exercises I had witnessed the Knights starting their duel trainings with. They had never seemed to like them, but for someone who had never held a sword in her life, it was truly exciting.

Indeed, imagine my joy when I had failed to drop it even once!

My eyebrows furrowed deeply in concentration, and beads of perspiration began to form on my forehead, as I increased my pace, twirling the sword until it became a bright silver blur before my eyes.

Quite suddenly, it flung out of my hands, flying far towards the other end of the fields. My eyes followed its path, startled.

A tall, dark haired boy was striding towards me. His eyes had widened at the sight of it, and he reached out to catch it deftly by the hilt with one hand, before it could impale his forehead. He then raised his gaze to smirk at me, before striding with purposeful intent towards me.

I groaned. How had I not heard him approach earlier?

"Give it back to me," I muttered sullenly, holding out my hand, "and go away."

A lazy smile spread across his lips at that. It was the sort of smile that made me want to strangle him until he choked, one that always made me feel smaller than I already was.

"Why should I?" his voice was smooth, laced with danger, "did the Lord President not forbid you from even touching a sword?" The threat was subtle, but it was there.

Chills ran down my spine. If Papa were to find out -

"It is none of your business, Nick. Give it back to me," I tried to order him, but I knew my voice lacked conviction at the thought of facing Papa's wrath.

He smirked again. "But what would you want to do with it? Fight?" he scoffed, bursting into derisive laughter, finding the idea absurd.

Scowling, I reached up on my toes and tried to snatch my sword away from him. However, he was much taller than me, and kept it annoyingly out of my reach.

"I said, 'tis none of your business, Nick!" I growled at him, "give it back to me!"

He still continued gazing at me with the same sickening amusement, unfazed, as he dangled it above my head.

"No one receives a sword on the first day of their training, Julie," he stated simply, "if you want it, you will have to work for it."

"By doing what?" I snarled.

He remained infuriatingly calm. "I will make you a deal," he proposed, "if you are able to defend yourself against my attack, you can keep the sword. If not, I will keep it – and inform the Lord President."

With that, he returned my sword to me, and took out his own sword from its sheath by his waist, and pointed it at me.

"And do not even think about running," he added, rolling his eyes, "you know I will catch you within moments."

I blinked at him, aghast, my earlier rage replaced with fresh panic. Was he truly expecting me to fight him? This was the first time I had even touched a sword!

Simply having watched duelling training sessions was not sufficient to -

"En garde, Julie," he ordered, taking up his stance.

My eyes were wide. "Nick – "

"Etes vous prêtes?" he cut me off, a stubborn glint in his grey eyes.

One look at his eyes, and I knew I had no choice in the matter. Well, if this was how it was going to be, I would put up my best fight.

Huffing loudly, I gripped the hilt of my sword hard, as I attempted to mimic his stance and concentrate.

"Oui, Nick," I gritted my teeth.

"Allez!" he cried, and pressed forward.

I barely had enough time to hold my sword above my head, as he brought his down on mine hard.

My wrist was already starting to hurt.

"Weak, Julie," he drawled, as he lunged forward.

He began to press offensive almost at once. His blows were quick, precise, calculated, while I was carelessly swinging my sword on instinct to prevent his sword from hitting my body.

Therefore, it was no surprise when, within moments, my sword was out of my hands.

I looked down at the ground where it lay, surprisingly breathless. Was this the end, then? Was he going to get me into trouble -

Nick snapped his fingers in front of my face to break me out of my thoughts. "Pick it up," he commanded, taking up his position again, "en garde, Julie."

I did not question why he was giving me another chance. Anything was better than getting into trouble with Papa.

I took a deep breath, picked up my sword and stood ready.

"Allez!"

As before, I found myself backing away from him, barely able to block his blows as they came, fast and furious. The blade of his sword hit my wrist this time, and I dropped my sword at once.

"Ouch!" I rubbed my wrist, wincing.

Nick paid no heed. "Again."

It was thus that he made me fight him again and again, until I had made a full turn about the training fields merely by backing away from him. Perspiration poured down my cheeks, my wrists were on fire and my head was spinning.

After what felt like the umpteenth time I was disarmed, I sank to the ground on my knees, tomato red in the face and panting heavily.

"Stand up, Julie," he, on the other hand, did not sound in the least tired, "en garde."

I could not move. By God, I tried. But black spots continued to dance across my vision, and merely nodding my head felt like I was about to fall over.

Moreover, my fighting wrist seemed to resist even the tiniest movements, such that even reaching for my sword lying beside me felt impossible.

Curse it all! I could already feel tears of helplessness build up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. After all that had happened at the Ball, he would not have the satisfaction of seeing me cry ever again.

"Julie," he called again brusquely.

I shook my head, exhausted and aching all over. It was no use fighting. If all these rounds of duelling proved anything, it was that I did not stand a chance against him.

He had known it all along. I knew he did. This was simply another of his sadistic ways to humiliate me, nothing more.

Staring at me impassively, he kept his sword back in his sheath.

"You are weak," he taunted, "you give up so easily, and yet, you wish to duel?"

I slowly looked up to glare at him, silently simmering.

"Warfare requires determination, resilience, and courage - all of which you do not have," he continued quietly, "one small injury, and you drop your sword. Merely twenty bouts of duelling, and you give up in exhaustion. So why do you need this sword? Why do you want to duel? You can never do it. You are wasting your own time."

Every word pierced my heart like a load of arrows being shot straight into my body at once, and my vision blurred.

Satisfied with what he had achieved, he rolled his eyes at me and stalked off, whistling lightly.

In the meanwhile, I stared hard at the sword beside me, which had, before his arrival, given me such joy. I reached out with my left hand, trembling, to close my fingers around the hilt and pull the sword towards me. I fingered the cool blade, my eyes brimming with tears of injustice and misery, as I came to a decision.

If I had been undecided and hesitant beforehand, it was all gone now. I will learn properly to duel, by hook or by crook.

And one day, I will become better than him, and subject him to a thousand-fold worse than what he had subjected me to today.

Sighing under my breath, I shook my head clear of my thoughts. Although I had long since grown out of the little girl who could not even stand up for herself, these memories never failed to badger my mind at the oddest of times in the present day.

Pursing my lips, I ferociously continued squeezing my clothes into my travel sack.

My brother Max observed me with some bewilderment. "Julie, you look like you are preparing for a battle," his forehead creased, as I packed my sack in a furious hurricane, "'tis a happy occasion, for the Lord's sake."

"Having to tolerate him for the next three months is nothing short of fighting a battle," I muttered under my breath, "damn it all, where are my handkerchiefs?" I threw my hands up in the air, exasperated with myself.

"Here, under your uniforms," he pointed to a pile on my bed, chuckling.

My features formed a scowl. "I do not see what is so amusing, Brother-mine," I snapped at him, as I snatched the pile of handkerchiefs and threw it into my already bulging sack.

It was the evening before I was to leave for Louvre with the Prince and six of my Captains. As a result, I was not in the best of moods. There was a lot of packing to complete, and I had yet to fully enjoy my last day of freedom.

For the next three months, at least.

Max raised an eyebrow. "You are too focused on the negative aspects of this trip," he pointed out, "are you not in the least bit happy that you are going to meet Lisa at Louvre?"

I paused at his words, suppressing a sigh. Lady Alyssa of Louvre and Lady Katherine of Roche had been my best friends since the early days of our childhood. Busy as I had been, fighting my own battles to be allowed to join and retain my position in the army, I had not seen them or spoken to them in several years now, with the exception of our correspondence through letters.

Indeed, I missed them very much. It would be wonderful to see them both again. It was only that -

"Aye, I am very excited, Brother-mine," I admitted, "not only will I be able to meet Lisa in Louvre in less than a week's time, but I will also be able to visit Kat in Roche in December. However, I am afraid having the Prince as a constant thorn in my side outweighs that excitement." I scowled.

Max shook his head, exasperated and amused at the same time. "You never know, Jules," he smiled slightly, "mayhap the journey will not be so horrible."

I snorted in disbelief. "In my wildest dreams."

***

"Captain Dupont?"

"Present, Ma'am!"

"Captain Evans?"

"Present, Ma'am!"

"Is this truly necessary, Julie? We are losing daylight." I heard the Prince mutter under his breath, scowling.

Losing daylight? Dawn was only beginning to break.

I paid no heed to him, continuing to take attendance. "Captain Percival, Captain Morrison, Captain Everard, Captain Wellington.....good, all of you are early and present," I smiled in approval, "now, have you packed everything required? Arms, food, clothes?"

"Aye, Ma'am!"

"All right. All of you may now mount your horses. Your Royal Highness, if you please."

The Prince mounted his stallion, Noir, in one swift motion, a string of unintelligible grumbles of low volume leaving his lips. I was well aware that mornings made him moody, even in our childhood, but my patience at the moment was not in excess, either.

"Let us leave before you waste any more time," he sulked, spurring Noir on ahead.

Rolling my eyes, I glanced helplessly at my men. "It seems that I may not be in command for much longer, Captains," I jested, humourless, "you had all better do as he says."

***

"Truly? This is where we are stopping for the night?" the Prince raised an eyebrow incredulously, breaking the silence that had existed among us for almost twelve hours of riding now.

The forest clearing we had stumbled upon at the moment was, in truth, excellent for camping. Surrounded by tall, emergent trees, fortified by thickly grown shrubs, and sheltered by a thin canopy layer above us, the clearing was well protected, and would keep most animals away. In addition, dried branches that would make good firewood lay around the area in abundance.

In other words, it was a perfect shelter. Only the Prince could find something to complain about it.

The Captains and I exchanged meaningful glances at his outburst. This was not the first time today that he had expressed his dissatisfaction with the travelling arrangements, and he had been wearing on our patience all day.

To keep myself in good spirits, I took sadistic pleasure in assuming that he possessed such a horrible disposition because he was suffering in my company as much, or more than, I was simply dying in his.

Captain Dupont was the sole brave soul among my Captains who dared to answer the Prince now.

"Your Royal Highness, the nearest inn is almost six hours' worth of riding away, and it is on the outskirts of Louvre," he explained patiently, "should we proceed to it, we will have no time to rest, as the Duke and Duchess of Louvre are expecting us at their Manor at dawn. It is only for this reason that Ma'am and the rest of us feel that it would be advisable to stop here tonight." He even attempted a smile.

Truly, Captain Dupont had the patience of a saint. However, I knew that even such abundance of patience would not be sufficient to convince him into agreeing with our sensible opinions.

I dismounted from my own mare, snorting. "Unless, of course, you hold some phobia for forests and the horrors within, Your Royal Highness?"

I held his gaze for a long while, daring him to agree with my words and continue insisting that we travel to the inn.

It worked. He scowled back at me, before he too, dismounted.

"Nay, I do not," he muttered, "I am perfectly agreeable to stopping here for the evening." To my surprise, however, a small flash of genuine fear fleetingly crossed his eyes.

I raised an eyebrow. Truth be told, I had merely been taunting him, but it seemed as if he were truly afraid of the forest.

But what could he possibly be afraid of? Mayhap the wild animals?

I shook my head, nodding at my men to dismount. "Captains, fall in!"

Nodding, they did as told, and arranged themselves in a single file in front of me, with their hands clasped behind their backs, and their legs shoulder-width apart.

"Captains Evans, Wellington and Dupont, you will stay here with His Royal Highness and set up camp. You will tie all our stallions and mares to these emergent trees, and start feeding them." I gestured to all our horses and the trees surrounding us.

"Aye, Ma'am."

"Captains Percival and Morrison, you will search for firewood around a mile's radius from this clearing and start a fire that will last us at least for the next six hours. The night will be biting cold," I commanded, and received nods of acknowledgement.

"In the meanwhile, Captain Everard and I will be fetching water from the river located a few miles from here. Does everyone have their whistles?"

Six hands shot up in the air, holding the small, shiny objects.

"Good. Should you face any peril, blow it. The rest of us will rush over to aid you. They can only be heard across a five-mile radius, so please try not to venture further than that. Am I understood?"

"Aye, Ma'am!"

"Captains, you are now dismissed to your various tasks."

All of us split up, and I strode towards Captain Everard, who sent a small smile in my direction, holding up two empty pails.

"Shall we, Ma'am?"

***

A shrill, deafening screech shot through the air, shattering the tranquillity of the evening.

The whistle.

I paused midway of scooping up my fourth bucket of freezing cold water from the river, and my eyes met Captain Everard's shocked ones.

At once we dropped our pails, and sprinted towards the camp site at breakneck speed, stumbling often over branches due to the fast dimming light from the sunset.

Let all be safe, let all be safe, let all be safe.......

We reached the clearing as soon as we could, panting heavily. The other Captains had gathered there by that time, pacing back and forth the blazing fire, looking highly fearful and paranoid.

"What is the matter?" I looked between them, "who blew the whistle?"

The other men exchanged looks, but did not answer.

Captain Everard lost his patience. "Well?" he snapped impatiently, "I do believe Ma'am is asking you a question!"

That seemed to startle them out of their worry. Once again, it was Captain Dupont who dared to answer me.

"The Crown Prince is missing, Ma'am."

***

Prince Nicholas (earlier in the evening)

"Captains, you are now dismissed to your various tasks," Julie ordered.

I watched from a corner of the clearing, as she strode with Captain Everard into the dark forest, whistling an old tune softly under her breath, swinging her empty metal pail back and forth in a carefree, light rhythm.

Blood filled with intense rage roared loudly in my ears once more, as it had all day.

How could she be so normal, so light-hearted, after she had killed Lucien? Regardless of what Papa seemed to believe, I knew and was certain that it was only because of her that my best friend was dead.

I closed my eyes, running a hand through my hair. I hated this.

I hated that I had to tolerate her.

I hated that I had to go through the Potential Quest under her leadership.

I hated that I did not have a choice to break free from it all, and be able to live with my family as plain Nicholas Seymour, with none of these succession problems to interfere with my life.

Most of all, at the present moment at least, I hated this forest, because it would be pitch dark very, very soon.

And I absolutely feared the dark.

Such a fear was mayhap childish, but it was very true. When I was four years old, my twin brother, Richard, had shut me in the Castle broom cupboard on a winter night as an innocent jest. It had been the phase of my childhood when I had fully believed in blood-sucking monsters that hid in dark corners, and I had cried and banged the door for hours - but no one had found me until dawn the next day.

I had never been the same since.

"Your Royal Highness?" a voice jolted me out of my thoughts.

I glanced up to find Captain Dupont, accompanied by Captain Wellington and Captain Evans, staring down impassively at me.

By the Lord, I simply despised such a stare. It made me feel very small indeed, as if I were a burden that they were loath to tolerate and drag along with them.

At least the feeling was mutual.

I merely raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Please remain here while we feed the horses and set up camp, Your Royal Highness. It will not take us very long, and we will be having dinner together soon," Captain Dupont requested, bowing, before turning towards the stallions with the other two.

I stood up, alarmed. "Hold!" I called out, striding towards them, "my apologies, Captains, but I am afraid Noir does not take too kindly to attention from anyone but me." I gestured towards my horse.

It was true. Noir kicked up a storm whenever anyone else tried to touch him.

"I see," Captain Dupont was startled, "would you like to tie him to a tree and feed him yourself, Sire?"

I nodded, and caught hold of Noir's reins, tugging him along towards the Eastern side of the clearing, where I tied him to a stable looking emergent tree, and unpacked the sugar lumps and the tufts of hay I had brought for him.

Judging by the speed at which he ate them from my hands, however, it was clear as day that it was not enough for him. The poor thing neighed pitifully, almost whining.

Frowning, I looked towards the Captains on the other end, who were busy tying the rest of the stallions and feeding them, laughing as they conversed freely with each other in my absence. Somehow, I did not feel like asking them for extra food for Noir.

My dislike for them was one thing. Their obvious contempt for me was another matter altogether.

There was no way my pride would allow me to ask them for anything.

However, I knew I had to do something. Noir had been travelling with me on his back ceaselessly for almost for twelve hours now, and I most certainly did not wish to begrudge him his dinner and rest.

I glanced at the rapidly darkening forest, swallowing.

It seemed I had to face my fears tonight.

***

The Lady Knight

"What?!" I burst out, more alarmed than angry, "how could he have gone missing without your knowledge? Did I not leave the three of you with him?" I glared at Captains Dupont, Wellington and Evans.

"His Royal Highness claimed that he wished to take care of Noir himself and brought him to the other end of the clearing," Captain Wellington answered, flustered, "we were busy attending to the rest of the seven horses, and we left him on his own after telling him to remain in the clearing. When we completed our tasks, Noir was still here but he was gone."

Silence reigned, as the mounting panic threatened to suffocate me. Where would I start searching for Nick in such a huge forest? Where could he have gone? Had some wild animal attacked him?

Calm down, Jules, calm down.

"All right," I took a deep breath, "what is done is done. All of you will split up and begin searching for His Royal Highness in all four directions from this clearing. I will stay here in case he returns. If you face any peril, blow the whistle once. If you find him, blow it twice in quick succession. Now move!"

They dispersed, leaving me to pace up and down the clearing like a madwoman.

By God, I would never forgive myself if something had happened to him under my responsibility. How would I answer to the King and the Queen? How would I face the kingdom?

Damn it all, I had managed to lose the last remaining heir to the throne on the very first day of the Potential Quest. I would be exiled, perhaps even shamed -

Such thoughts and possibilities plagued me for the next few hours, each more ridiculous than the next. There was no sound of the whistles, and although it meant that my Captains were safe, it also meant that the Prince was still not found.

Waiting was always the hardest task, one that I did not wish to burden any of my Captains with. It would drive them to madness. As the skies darkened above me, and the moon rose slowly, glowing pure white, my mind burned with dark despair.

Where could he possibly have vanished off to?

I grew pale. Mayhap he has been kidnapped! Like Richard -

"Here, Noir, old boy."

A deep, musical voice, gentler and softer than I had ever heard it in my lifetime, spoke behind me.

My heart almost stopped in my chest. I turned around, with my eyes as wide as saucers, astonished to find the Prince trudging into the clearing towards a very worn out Noir, perspiring and trembling violently.

I watched, stunned into silence, as he fed the stallion two hands full of what suspiciously looked like wild berries and a couple of acorns. He stroked Noir's back and murmured to him in soothing tones, smiling gently.

The relief that flooded me was overwhelming. He was well. He was whole. He was safe.

Safe. A concern I need not have had if he had remained in the clearing as he had been told to.

Almost at once, indignant anger began to bubble in the pit of my stomach, and I felt it burn acutely within me.

Had he any idea of the worry he had put us all through for the last hour?

Shaking, I lifted my whistle up to my lips and blew twice. The Prince looked up at me and around himself, startled, realising for the first time he was alone.

Had he been that oblivious?

"Where have you been, Your Royal Highness?" I glared at him, marching over to him.

He was taken aback by my question for a moment, before he scowled at me for an answer. "Mayhap you mistake me for one of your Captains," he answered coolly, "but I do not have to answer to you for everything I do."

He was unbelievable!

"I am not asking you to," I snarled, "at the very least, you should have the basic courtesy to inform any one of us - the people your father the King entrusted you to for your protection - before you wander off on your own! Have you the least idea of how worried you had us all?" My voice rebounded from the tree trunks, and echoed throughout the surroundings.

The Prince's annoyed expression faltered in bewilderment. "I had merely gone to search for some wild berries for Noir. The food that I had brought for him was not sufficient," he explained, frowning, "by the Lord, there is no need to overreact!"

Almost on cue, the Captains rushed into the clearing at that moment, exhausted and perspiring profusely. Their eyes widened to the size of saucers, as they caught sight of the Prince.

I pointed a shaking finger at them, simmering.

"Overreact? Look at them! All of them have been searching for you ceaselessly over the last few hours - only because you were stupid enough to wander off in the first place, when they told you specifically not to!"

"Julie - "

"For the Lord's sake, are you not aware that it is night time, and wild animals may be on the prowl around this area? Damn it, do you even realise that you might have become some beast's dinner by now, had you been unfortunate? And I would have had to answer to your parents and the Kingdom for your foolishness!"

I panted heavily, extremely red in the face after that outburst. An uncomfortable silence fell over the clearing, as the Prince opened and closed his mouth not unlike a fish out of water, unable to come up with a retort to that.

"Your Royal Highness," Captain Everard spoke up kindly after a while, "next time, if you do not have enough food for Noir, feel free to ask us for some. We have brought along plenty of food to spare for all our horses."

The Prince's confused countenance was wiped clear of all emotions at once. "Aye, I will, thank you. Have a good night, Captains."

He inclined his head, before he turned away to unravel his travel sack to sleep on.

The Captains shot me incredulous glances, and I opened my mouth to say more of his utter lack of guilt for what he had done, but Captain Everard shot me a warning look.

"No more tonight, Ma'am, please," he murmured under his breath, "all of us are exhausted. Let us strive to reach Louvre without further incidents."

Suppressing a snarl, I turned away to put my energy into setting up the fire, anger still pumping through my veins.

***

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my country's first Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. To those who may not know, he passed on peacefully last Monday, on 23 March 2015, at the Singapore General Hospital.

To the man who gave up his entire life to build Singapore with his extraordinary vision, courage and iron will - from a tiny third world fishing village, to a first world country that the whole world admires today, all in a span of fifty years - no amount of praise or gratitude would ever do justice to how much he has done for us.

We are a country that has very limited land space, and no natural resources. Today, if we are able to sustain ourselves, and sustain well, as a self-sufficient nation with clean water supply, access to basic amenities, a strong civil force to ensure the safety of our country and her people and an honest government that ensures that even the less fortunate have a good quality of life here - it is all due to Mr Lee.

His passing is greatly mourned, and this edited chapter is a small tribute to him for giving me this home in the form of this country that I am so, very fortunate to live in. Although I am not a native of Singapore, it is the only home I have ever truly known and loved.

Thank you, Mr Lee. Rest in peace.