Defender of the knights

Prologue

The cave was cold, damp and dark. The only light emanated from the small flame on his torch reflecting of his now grubby armour. He shuffled forward, filled with a sense of apprehension. Looked back at the note that had been mysteriously delivered under the door to his chamber a long way away, back in the kingdom he had sworn to defend. There was a dripping sound. The only sound to be heard. Thankfully it was the sound he was looking for. The note told him to come to this cave and to seek out the everlasting drip. Here he would meet someone who could help him.

He sat waiting for five hours before he felt the air drop in temperature to make it much colder than it already was. He could feel the icy wind beneath his armour and wrapped his purple cloak around himself. It didn't work. He was getting colder and colder. His bones felt like they were freezing over.

Suddenly from within the shadow on the wall that he had been staring at for five hours, a frail figure appeared.

"I see you have come as I have asked, that is good. Listen to what you must do."

He returned to his horse, mounted and set off; his mind spinning with thoughts on what he had just heard.

Chapter 1

"Sir? Sir? Sir It's time you woke up"

Leo stirred from his dreams, lifted his head of his pillow and looked into the face of his dutiful squire.

"Sir, its one hour after dawn, the time you told me to wake you" the boy stated.

"So it is, Thank you Lars. Go get some breakfast, I'll send for you if something comes up, but I expect you to be outside the war room when the war council concludes today's meeting." Leo instructed, and with that Lars left the bedchamber and headed for the kitchens.

Leo swung himself out of his simple wooden bed and crossed to the other side of the room. He was pleased to see that Lars had already heated some water for him to wash with. He looked at his reflection, looking at how his short black hair would soon be needing a cut and that he needed a shave. He was of average height and his skin was darker than most peoples but not as dark as others. His almond brown eyes gazing deeply at himself in the mirror. He then did his morning ritual of tracing the scar down the right hand side of his face with the tips of both his long index fingers. He obtained the scar on his very first quest with the companion knights. He had been traveling through the forest that straddled the border of Conrad's kingdom and the Kingdom of Marlok, the kingdom he served. They were ambushed by a group of Conrad's knights, one of them knocked off Leo's helmet and slashed his face. If it wasn't for Sir Harrison and Sir Viijax he would have died. It was this encounter that led to Leo deciding that from then on, he would not wear a helmet into combat. To remind himself that he is vulnerable and that he needs to fight hard to survive. It also served to intimidate his opponents when they saw his scar.

He washed and shaved before making his way to the small drawers in the corner of his room. He put on a simple tunic and then crossed to the stand where his gleaming white armour rested. He donned it piece by piece. It was customary that the squire would help their mentor into their armour, but Leo took the approach of doing it himself, It made him feel relaxed and he liked to think make Lars' life a little easier. He even polished the armour himself, usually late at night as he found it calming. After finishing placing the last piece of his armour he grabbed the royal purple cloak that was hanging over his chair and fastened it around his shoulders.