The Royal Knight Academy

Chapter 12: Dorm Room

After the three of us left the training room, we were in a long corridor that seemed to go on forever. While we were walking, it was silent, except for our faint steps clicking on the ground. I turned to Elijah who was looking quite nervous, to try and start a conversation.

"So Elijah, why did you want to come here and train to become a royal knight?"

There was no response. He didn't even look at me and completely ignored what I had said. He just tapped his hand on his leg, seemingly trying to distract himself from his worries. "He doesn't talk much, does he?" I thought to myself. Knowing that he most likely wouldn't speak to me, I turned to Xavier. "Maybe he'll talk to me," I thought. But when I turned to look at him, I saw that he was already staring at me. I almost stopped in my tracks, suddenly startled.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to stare, but you intrigue me." He was now talking in a voice no louder than a whisper. "I was watching you try to talk to Elijah."

"Well, apparently he did not want to talk to me. Is it me he doesn't like?"

"I don't think it's you. He was like that during introductions. He said a few words when Duke asked him a question, but not much else. I don't even know much about him besides his name and age."

Xavier paused for a second and looked at Elijah who was still a ways behind us, and then back at me. "I'm sure one day he'll become more comfortable around us and talk more."

There was a short silence.

"That makes sense," I said.

Then I had a question for him. "Can you tell me more about you? You don't have to if you don't want to."

"Well, I haven't ever really told anyone else this, but maybe now is as good a time as any." He cleared his throat and started to tell a little about himself. "I am originally from the Kingdom of Lolan, just across the sea. I moved here two years ago because my family was running out of money. My dad died and he was our only source of income. So with the last little bit of money my mom had, she sent me here for a better life. She said that she would write to me every week, but I haven't heard from her and I wonder everyday if she's okay. I'm here at the academy because I wanted to become a knight, like my dad. He sadly passed away because he didn't survive one of his missions."

With every word he spoke, I felt the way he felt. Xavier and I had more in common than I could have ever imagined.

"Sorry," he said to me, tears forming in his sad hazel eyes.

"Wow. I had no idea. That must have been so hard for you."

"It's nothing," he said, trying to change the subject. "Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself."

When he said that, I felt the urge to not answer him, but I did anyway. "Well, I don't really have much to tell about myself, but I do have a younger sister who absolutely loves unicorns. She thinks that someday my horse will sprout a horn and turn into one."

My story must have lightened the mood because he laughed. Then all of a sudden, Xavier came to a halt. Elijah had finally caught up and also stopped, but kept looking down at the ground, acting like we weren't even there.

"We're here," Xavier announced.

We were standing in front of a wooden door with a golden doorknob. On the door there was a silver engraved plaque that said:

Royal Knights Dorm Room Five

Only Enter With Permission

I grabbed the door knob and turned it. The door swung open to reveal what was inside. It wasn't the most luxurious room in the world, but it was definitely better than my room at my house. Inside there was a large bed with soft satin sheets and pillows, perfect for sleeping. There was also a closet, a desk, a side table, a clock placed high above the desk, and a large window on the far wall.

As I stared around the room, Xavier said, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow Leo," quietly shutting the door to leave.

I waited for a minute to make sure they were gone, listening as their footsteps got quieter and then locked the door. From that moment on, I couldn't ever forget to lock the door when I was in my room. I couldn't risk someone walking in and seeing who I really was. Soon enough, I couldn't hear their footsteps anymore. I sighed and took my helmet off and put it on the nightstand. I then took my armor off and started to unpack my things.

I put my book on the side table, the clothes and suit of armor in the closet, the stationary on the desk, and my mom's ring on my finger. When I finished settling into my new room, I flopped onto my bed and pulled up the covers, feeling the pillows under my head. The softness of the sheets felt like I was wrapped in a cloud. As I laid there, I looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought. The thought that kept running through my mind from earlier that day was, "Why do people think girls are weak?"