Lizzie of the North (Yrsoreth Chronicles 2)

8 ◦✿◦ Song of the Slums

This is looooong. Have fun.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

The notion of knights posted outside her room, inside the probably most secure castle in the empire, was outrageous.

Yet, it was Lizzie's reality

Black Knights to top it all.

Rumors had it that you could only be a Black Knight once you sold your soul to the devil. Compared to the ordinary Norvillon knights as the shield that protected the city, the Black Knights has Devanti Norvillom as their direct commander. They are his sword. And my, they are very sharp.

They accompany him in territory inspections, monster hunting in the mountain range, and anything that required execution and death. Compared to thousands of Norvillon soldiers, the number of Black Knights had always been a hundred. They only recruit to replace the fallen members.

In the first place, Norvillon soldiers average as well and went through with brutal battles with monsters and traitors constantly. However, only the soulless could be a Black Knight they said. They even earned the nickname as the duke's Shadows, that follow him around, even the duke was darkness himself.

If the duke ordered to kill, they must, whoever or wherever. Most of these knights were taken in young, fro. slave traders, to orphans to victims and shaped by the duke himself.

But, two of these called soulless knights had been standing outside Lizzie's door in shifts, ready to cut all things deemed out of order. Lizzie even assumed that they'd cut her too if she tried to step outside her room.

"Silver, are you okay?!"

And here's the third one. She did not even spare a glance at Garth barging into her room, startling her maids who had been encouraging her to eat more than a spoon of the creamy soup. For now, they retreated themselves to the corner of the room as invisible as they could be.

"Were you really talking to a stranger in the garden? Why didn't you tell me?"

Glancing by her almost untouched dinner, Garth walked closer. Her bed shifted as he sat and conquered their distance. "You sad, Silver?"

No, I'm not. "Yes."

"You scared too?"

Of that mean Devanti? "Yes."

"Don't worry, Shaw and Leendil are one of the best. You could sleep well as they guard you the whole knight. And if ever I see that Red person, I'll cut him myself. Just don't talk to strangers from now on, okay?"

Please don't. But she couldn't tell him. Even if she wanted to give Red a wicked swing on his face, he needed information from him. Her life went on spiral after they met.

She was just fuming angry to be in a household she never wished to be in, compared to a mother she never met and surviving a tragedy told vaguely.

Her life as a street rat was way better. All she had to worry about was the food she had to eat every day.

"The streets... were better. Lizzie wants to go back to the streets, not here-." She clamped her mouth with the sudden flash of frustration on Garth's face.

"Garthie?"

Then it was gone. He then just picked her up from her bed and placed her back to finish her dinner. "I'm starving," he exclaimed. "Silver, can I eat this?"

"Okay-" but a soft cut of vegetables was spooned to her mouth. "You eat too!" he said. He continued his tirade of questions about the colorful feast in front of them.