Amicia de Runes life was that of a normal noble lady. Until the Inquisition came to take her brother, who suffers from a mysterious disease. Now, in the midst of the Hundred Years war and the Black Death, the two orphaned siblings must survive and h...
"Sire, such tasks are beneath you." the servant said to the knight.
"Nonsense, my friend. I can't just sit idly by and watch you work all day. Besides, I've got nothing better to do." The young knight smiled at the servant before continue unloading the timber. Charles wanted to help out and prepare the estate for the winter. And winter was usually a time of great boredom so it was best to find something to occupy themselves with. The autumn was quite warm this year but everyone knew that snow could come every day now. Firewood hat to be prepared, enough food for both human and animals had to be stocked and much, much more.
The gate to the property flung open violently and the master of the estate, Robert de Rune, along with his daughter Amicia, stormed in on their horses. Both of them dismounted right away, not waiting for any of their servants to help them. Charles noticed that Amicias dog, Lion, was not with them anymore. He certainly was when they had left for their riding trip. Next he noticed the look of pure horror on Amicias face. He had never seen her so scared before.
"I'll organize a hunting party. Go and find your mother - tell her I must speak with her. She's probably..."
"...looking after Hugo, I know." Amicia nodded, having recomposed herself. She even sounded annoyed, which wasn't a surprise to Charles.
"Amicia... he was a good dog." Robert told her with sympathy. He knew how much he meant to her.
The young girl sniffed and nodded. "I know..." She did not notice how her father walked away with heavy steps.
"What happened, Lord de Rune?" Charles asked, now almost as frightened as them. "Don't tell me the English are already here."
"No, nothing like that, my old friend. Go and help her out, will you?" Robert asked and patted his shoulder before moving on. "Accompany her to her mother."
"Yes, my Lord." Charles was right by her side and and took her into his arms. "Goodness, Amicia. What happened out there?"
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She sniffed and held him close. "It was Lion... something... something killed him."
"Oh no." he muttered and held her tight to his chest.
Charles was a close friend of the family, having served with Robert de Rune alongside King Phillip IV as a fellow knight and member of the nobility. The war cost him everything, his estate was now deep within english territory and he lost his family to war, famine and disease. During their military service, Robert de Rune became sort of a mentor for the young Charles and the two became close friends, saving each others lives quite often. The scar across Roberts left eye was just one of these stories. His sword broke in the middle of a battle and Charles narrowly saved him from death.
After he had lost everything, Robert was kind enough to take him in. That was four years ago and since then Charles had come to regard the de Runes as his new family. He had built a particular strong bond with the daughter, the now 15 year old Amicia. She was witty, funny and had a big heart. Since he had been here, Charles became sort of a bigger brother for her. Always making jokes or giving her advise. And, whenever her father was away to perform acts of royal service, he would also play the role of the father and reprimand her if necessary.
