A King's Guardian

>2<

The king's entourage had never been as large as it was today. At least, not in the last eight years since I had begun training for this position. In front of the carriage were twenty of the elite cavaliers. We, all twenty-five guardians, flanked the carriage in five even rows, and behind us were fifteen of the king's closest guards.

I wondered why the king wanted such a large entourage. My superior, Samson, had not given us any details on this excursion. We weren't warned of any specific dangers. I found that peculiar. The guardians were typically only called on for direct action if the king was ever put in danger.

At last, the king emerged from the castle. He padded down the gray stone steps in his bulky Kevlar suit, the one he's worn every day for fifteen years now. I caught myself studying his face as he passed by several yards away.

King Zacharias was older than me by a few years, though not by much. His hair was cropped close to his head, similar to my fellow guardians, and the same stern look continually guarded his face. Although I had seen him several times through my employment in the castle, I hardly knew what he looked like. We'd never been close enough for me to see. I had always wanted to know what color his eyes were.

"Gawk too hard and your knees are gonna buckle," Isaac teased from beside me.

I shot him a stern glare and hissed, "I wasn't gawking."

"Defensive, are we?"

"Shhhh." Pursing my lips, I forced my gaze forward onto the back of the carriage.

King Zacharias stepped inside and then orders were barked out. The entourage shifted into motion, first with the cavaliers. I was glad to be moving. Despite my initial indifference about this entire affair, I knew it would be good for me to do something different. I'd been so distraught lately that a long walk should do my head some good.

Isaac attempted to make small talk until he realized it was pointless. I wasn't in the mood to speak. We had a duty to fulfill—getting our king to Wainsworth safely—and I needed to sort through the chaos of my mind. Sometimes I wondered if the king's elders had been right about me so many years ago. They speculated the concept of a woman guardian, noting me to be of the sex with a more emotional, empathetic nature.

At the time, I had been twelve years old. I was an orphan with the only hope for my future to serve as a king's guardian. The elders had noted my exceptional gift with weapons, deadly aim with both knives and guns. Mostly guns, though. I didn't understand yet the significance of my reproductive organs or the true difference between men and women. I would later learn with time.

We stopped every hour for ten minutes to rest. Evidently the king didn't want his warriors too exhausted yet. By the fourth stop, I had to use the restroom. Most of the others had already done their duties, but they were men. I stepped out of formation and started towards the tree line. Isaac followed me until I hissed at him to leave me alone.

After I snuck far enough into the shrubbery that none of the king's men could see me, I leaned against a tree and pulled down my jeans. I had only just begun to pee when I heard a bit of ruckus. A shout was followed by gunfire. Once my initial shock wore off, I jerked my pants back up and sprinted back towards the entourage.

My pistol had made its way into my hands without my notice. I stopped at the tree line and bent down beside a bush to survey the scene. The guardians had assembled around the king's carriage to ward off the pack of hogs that were currently devouring the foot soldiers. Although I could hear King Zacharias yelling orders, I couldn't make them out from here.

I darted to the carriage, clearing two big, hairy tusked pigs from my path on the way. Isaac shuffled to the side to let me into the formation.

"What's going on?" I demanded.

"Freaking hogs came charging out of the bush!" he hollered back. "We have orders to surround the carriage while the others are to eliminate them."

It wasn't looking good. Several of our men were wallowing on the dirt trail while their innards were being scarfed down by the beasts. Some of the hogs were easily as tall as me and probably two hundred pounds heavier. I took aim at one of the pigs gnawing on a solider, but Samson barked at me.

"Do not fire, Apphia!" he said. "Fire will attract them in this direction!"

Clenching my jaw, I continued to stare down the barrel of my gun. I wouldn't shoot. Yet. I didn't see what the point in waiting was. If we didn't pick the hogs off now, there wouldn't be enough of us to take them down later. Unfortunately, it wasn't my call. My job was to take orders and protect the king.

The cavaliers managed to beat the hogs down until the animals realized their circumstances and fled. Their squeals filled the cool autumn afternoon with fret until every pig had disappeared. Soldiers dispersed to aid the wounded and get a body count. Although I should have been doing the same, something caught my eye.

A circular, black object was strapped around the neck of one of the deceased hogs. I tucked my pistol back into its holster and walked over to the animal. The object was a collar. Attached to it was a metal rag ingrained with three numbers, 809.

"Formation, guardian," a voice snapped from behind me. When I didn't respond, he furiously added, "Rise to your feet and address me."

I cut the collar off the hog with my hip dagger. His hand was latching onto my shoulder when I stood up and spun around. Just as I was about to throw the collar in his face, I dropped. King Zacharias stood before me in his black clad outfit with a stern look on his face.