The Warden | A For Honor Fanfiction

A Little Push

There were no stars in the sky when we approached Blackstone Castle. Clouds had long shielded our advance, even moonlight seemed obscured by their sheer coverage of the sky. To my right was Elder Zulan, his arms crossing over his chest in an effort to fight off the cold. On his other side was Mercy, who seemed completely unmoved by the weather, not that it was any surprise. Ice has no effect on something colder than it, after all.

The rest of our company trailed behind us, with only Siegemund maintaining a close march to ours. Say what you will about the man, he was loyal to his Elder, I appreciated that about him. Behind him, Blackstone lieutenants and soldiers marched dutifully, but the forced steps and near dragging of their feet betrayed their resolve. I didn't blame them, I had pushed them hard on our journey. They were tired, and so was I. The only one who seemed in any sort of bright spirit was Belial, poleaxe resting comfortably on his shoulder. His gaze seemed focused ahead, far above that of any of the others. He seemed especially eager to be back with Blackstone's walls. His entire demeanor struck me as odd, though I knew now was not the time to press him.

The front gates slowly drew open as a loud horn blared from the top ramparts, alerting the rest of the castle to our arrival. Before long, the impressive view of Blackstone Castle was freely open to us. In truth, calling it a castle was to severely downplay its massive size. It was more accurate to call it a fortress, with its first layer further built upon time and time again. Blackstone Castle was a mass of three castles, each one rising higher and higher than the one before it. The entire thing was almost as tall as a mountain, and ten times as imposing. The dozen mounted warriors strolling out to meet us only added to that feeling of intensity.

The mounted guards quickly led us inside, the riders not even taking a moment to observe us. I suppose such an act wasn't necessary, they knew to expect us. Still, their dismissive nature bothered me, especially with the knowledge I had. Before long, we were led to the Captain of the watch, a man I was more than familiar with. Captain Abel Obadia, a gifted Cavalryman, a beloved leader amongst his men, and one of the few faithful remaining among the legion. He was on horseback when we approached, but I was quick to notice him setting aside his reins.

"Good to see you back, Sir Cross. I trust our guests made it safely as well?" He asked, dismounting and raising his visor as he spoke. A bright red face with dull brown eyes stared back at me, blinking away droplets of sweat that had formed above his eyes.

"Yes, the elder and his knight have arrived safely, I'll deliver the news to Apollyon immediately." I confirmed. Obadia shook his head and rested a hand on the hilt of his arming sword.

"Apollyon has already retreated to her chambers for the evening, sire. She has asked not to be disturbed." He explained. I furrowed my brow at this. Night had only recently fallen, not even an hour had passed since the sun set. Moreover, Apollyon never retreated to her chambers before an important arrival. Just what was she up to?

"Did she give any reason for such early retirement?" I asked. If I had suspected Obadia of secrecy, those thoughts would have been immediately dispelled by his next words.

"I'm not sure, sire. I only received the order from one of her lieutenants. I assumed it was something important, but I couldn't begin to imagine what." Obadia was an honest man, and a good one. He wouldn't lie to me, nor would he hide something from me if I thought it was necessary to know. I briefly looked around me, observing my companions in the bits of torchlight that illuminated them. Something seemed off about them, but I couldn't describe what it was. Perhaps I was just being paranoid, I was still on edge from the journey back, after all. I sighed and turned back to Obadia.

"Well in any case, the guests and our men have had a long journey. See to it that they are fed and taken care of." I ordered.

"And for yourself, sire?" Obadia asked. I simply shook my head.