the protector of ages - the curse (book 1)

chapter 4 knighthood

Chapter 4 – knighthood

It's a few years later in the memories Sam is experiencing, having seen the blacksmiths reaction to the loss of his son and the following abuse he dished out on Alice and Rik in that time. Training Rik to become a blacksmith when he was capable of holding a hammer. Rik is now 16 and gets an unexpected visit.

"This is it my lady." A guard say's to a young girl about 14 years old, dressed like royalty "thank you please wait outside, I'm sure I will be fine." She says to the guard. Entering the blacksmiths chambers "excuse me" she says in an almost whisper of a voice. She goes deeper in thinking maybe the people here couldn't hear her.

She hears a sound coming from the room next door to room she is in, she decides to enter the area where she sees someone doing something near a fire "excuse me" she says in her delicate voice again, the person unable to hear her brings out the super-heated metal, nearly catching her since she was stood behind him and in the way of the cooling water.

"What do you think you're doing, get out the way." The boy holding the metal says to her. "Do you not know who I am!?" she says in disgust to him, he replies "do you not know that this is a heavy metal super-heated to forge a sword and needs cooling now, but you're in the way of the water!" the boy angrily says to her.

She looks to her right to see the water and moves out the way. The boy puts the metal into the water, as it sizzles away he marches towards the girl "what the hell are you thinking get out of here" he says to her.

"Do not harm me, I am the princess" she states, the boy was 16 year old Rik replies "I know who you are princess, but even you can't be back there when the fire is on, you could get hurt, like you almost were" the princess looks down for a moment before raising her head and saying "I understand, it will not happen again." She declares to Rik.

"So do I call you lady, princess or grace?" Rik asks her "just princess Victoria will do." She snobbishly replies. Rik simply replies "ok" as he sits and takes a sip of his drink, the princess sitting opposite him. "so what does a princess want from a blacksmith?" Rik asks her.

"I am of an age that I can pursue any curiosity of my choosing, I choose the swordsmanship of the knight's, so I am here for my own personal sword and will pay good gold for a good sword." The princess reveals to Rik, who just laughs at her! "What are you laughing at!" she asks "it's just, you're a girl. I don't know if you have noticed this but there are no female knights let alone a princess knight HAHAHA"

"Then I shall be the first" she proclaims to Rik "it is said you have to be a noble to become a knight and a princess is a noble as a woman can get, before a queen that is." Princess Victoria states to him. "ok, princess but if you're going to be a knight you have to have your own armour and know how to fight." Rik responds.

"I will have privet tutors to teach me first then I will be back for the armour." She states, Rik looks at her thinking it over for a moment "ok but there's a lot of things you need to consider before you make your sword." He says as he stands up and walks into the other room again.

"What could you possibly need to consider while making a sword." The princess reply's as she walks towards the room again walking through Sam. Rik comes back through the door with five big swords all grasped together, the princess moving out of the way, he lays them on the table saying "things like, if you want a sword for life, what will your height be, how much will you be able to lift, will it be one handed or a two handed grip, will it have one blade edge or two, these kinds of things"

"oh, I didn't think those would matter" the princess replies "well of course it matters" Rik explains "you think sir Edward would be able to swing his sword as fast and as hard as he can with such precision if his sword was as tall as him and twice his current sword weight or even if he could only hold it with one hand?"