Knights in Shining Armor (And Princes in Love)

vii

Cirthe Strar had always found comfort in the palace grounds as a young child, with tales of brave knights and soldiers protecting the boundaries echoing in her mind everytime she sneaked into the training arena to watch the said fighters in action. One could clearly wtiness the buzz of exhiliration that went through her when Adras Ashforge, Commander of the Royal Knights, offered her a chance to be one of them when she was of age.

Why was it, then, that even with the sun slowly creeping up the horizon now, Cirthe felt a ball of unease settling in her stomach every time her gaze swept around her, catching on the looming buildings and the armed figures of the guards and knights passing through her vision. There were a number of questions swarming her mind ever since the first arrow sunk into the tree behind Veran a few hours ago.

"So you mean to tell me," Adras said, his arms crossed across his chest and face grim, "the Crown Prince was attacked, within palace boundaries and no one has any knowledge on how this happened nor were there any perpetrators caught."

An emergency meeting was called by Adras as soon as he was informed of the incident that took place. Veran was told to head to a secure room in the palace, with several guards escorting him while Cirthe was ordered to stay back and recall the details in the meeting in Adras' office.

"The only information we have so far is that the attack was pre-planned," Cirthe spoke up when it seemed like no one else would. "I'm almost certain that whoever it was, they had been watching the Crown Prince for a while, a few days at least."

Adras frowned, his expression serious as he turned to Cirthe.

"And we know this because, as you mentioned, they didn't attack Veran while he was outside the palace grounds with you but waited till he was inside the boundary."

Cirthe nodded in affirmation.

"I also believe that although they might have harmed the Prince when they shot the arrows at him, they weren't aiming to kill him," she told him, her hands clenching into fists at the thought of Veran dying or coming anywhere near close.

"How come you didn't notice anything suspicious until someone shot those arrows?" Edmund Fergo said. He mockingly raised a brow at the sharp look she sent his way. "Surely you remember the rising tensions that exist due to the rumor of the threats against Veran."

"That's Crown Prince to you, Knight Fergo," Cirthe snapped before tuning him out altogether and responding to Adras instead, "I followed the Prince precisely because I was aware of said rumors, however baseless they might or might not be. I couldn't very well drag him back because we all know he would not take kindly to that. So I did the next best thing and followed him to the market and back. It also gave me a chance to gauge how far spread those rumors were while scouring for any suspicious activity."

"Very well," Adras pinched the bridge of his nose briefly before standing up straight and turning to the rest in the room. "Tonight it became clear that the rumors weren't baseless. While we do not have much information regarding this matter, I expect everyone in this room to be aware of their priority, that is, the safety of the Crown Prince. The ceremony isn't too far away now but I have a feeling those who wish to harm His Highness won't stay quiet anymore. Anything suspicious or out of sorts needs to be reported immediately, either to me or to Knight Strar."

"I didn't realize Strar had been appointed back to her post beside the Crown Prince," One of the knights spoke. Cirthe looked at him flatly and realized he was one of the lackeys of Edmund. Figured.

"She's not. But she was the one who protected him tonight," Adras replied, glancing around to shut down any other snarky remarks. "She did what was supposed to be the duty of the Amon Knights. You would do good to remember that we're meant to be a united front for the sake of the Prince. I won't tolerate snide comments against a capable member of the squad, not when there are better, more important things to worry about."