The Druid Wielder

Chapter 23

My footsteps echoed through the hall as I followed the young lad. My skin smelled of rose petals from my bath and my hair felt dirt free again. Leaving my home taught me to appreciate many little things in life, such as soap, in this instance. It had been too long since I had been able to clean myself.

"This is it, miss." The lad stopped and gestured to a room. I thanked him and entered. Around the room stood seven men and the prince. It was a bit overwhelming. All their eyes drifted over to me. My heart pounded in my chest. Never had I been in a room filled with so many men.

"Emilea, come." Prince Andrion gestured to a spot in front of him. I did as he instructed. "This is Emilea, daughter of Lord Dazaron of Aldan. She will be joining you as a royal guard. She has proven herself as a fighter, so look to her as your equal."

Waryn scowled.

"For now let us go eat supper and get to know her better."

"Yes, my prince." All seven knights spoke together. It was like a choir of men. No wonder Dalani always read her books; the world had so many interesting things in it. If only she could be here experiencing these things. I bet her mouth would drop.

I sat down next to the Prince who made sure I was comfortable. He was quite kind, not to mention handsome. Every time he asked me something I couldn't help but blush. He did seem a bit too concerned about my wellbeing.

"Let me introduce you to the group." The Prince got the attention of the talkative bunch. "First off we have Nathanael, who is one of my right-hand men. He is also the eldest of the group. We all think of him as a father."

"I am only fifteen years older than you, my Prince." Nathanael shook his head. The group chuckled. He had a thin gray beard and very broad shoulders. Not to mention his voice was extremely deep. He fit the father description quite well.

"Next we have Owen. He uses the bow and though he is too humble to brag, he can hit every target right in the eye. If he hasn't had anything to drink that is." Owen shrugged while drinking a mug of ale. Owen had bright red curly hair with a pointy mustache to match.

"Ziggs and Nibbs here are twin brothers. They are excellent assassins and are also a bit mischievous, so watch your back." The two boys smirked. They both had short brown hair and were tall and lean. They seemed to be around my age. One of them caught my gaze and winked at me.

"Eyels is my only guard that dual wields and is quite talented at it. He can take out ten men by himself if given the opportunity. He has a lot to teach, so if you want fighting tips, go to him." Eyels gave me a warm smile. He was rather well built, had long black hair, and warm green eyes. I could spot a long scar running down from his cheek to somewhere below his neck. If he hadn't smiled at me, I would be rather scared of this man. He looked as if he could break a skull with his bare hands.

"Of course, you have met Waryn. He is the only knight of mine that uses an ax and for good reason. I know you two didn't get off to a great start but if you can learn to ignore his usual sexist comments, you will learn he is a good guy at heart."

"Pah!" Waryn crossed his arms. Like the prince, he too had blonde hair and blue eyes, yet he was not as pleasing to the eye. Not to say he was a horrible specimen. Waryn gave me a glare. I internally sighed. I couldn't see us getting along anytime soon.

"Then lastly we have Carther. He is my right-hand man, along with Nathanael. I had him undercover at the Blood Brothers camp because I had my suspicions that the King was trying to ally with them. You see, the slave traders have been a pursued group by both myself, the king, and the assassins. However, after speaking to Carther it seems as if they have recently been disbanded. Most likely a ploy by the King to get rid of a possible enemy."