The Book of Terrus: A Land of Sunlight

Chapter 4 - Princess Ellorae

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The sun was barely up, and already Tarun was through with this whole princess business. He and the rest of the Fourth had been awakened nearly two hours early, and even sharing the night watch hadn't left Tarun feeling any better rested. His bunk seemed a much better place for him to be right about now. Instead, Tarun stood where he had been for the past hour, in full armor and at attention. The metal helm was smothering, even with its soft wool lining, which only served to make his ears and forehead scratchy. Could no one have ridden out and sent word as to the more exact hour of the princess's arrival?

            Soldiers' time though is apparently as cheap as sand. And so Tarun stood, and stood, and stood, whiling away the morning with nothing but his own thoughts to keep him entertained. At least the thoughts in his head were somewhat interesting. Tarun pitied the likes of Warin or Tonny, who no doubt had to make do with watching the flags wave.

            At long last, the call of distant horns reached the barracks. Jerriod ordered the gates opened, and Tarun got his first good look at the town of Geristan since their arrival. A generally dull, no-nonsense mining town in the shadow of The Teeth, some effort had still been made to dress the street fronts up. The last of the summer flowers were strung in garlands around the windows, and bolts of red, yellow and black cloth, no doubt appropriated from the local tailor, criss-crossed overhead to make an Amentherian canopy. The cobblestones had the vaguely filmy look of soap not quite dried, suggesting they had been scrubbed on hands and knees that very morning. Even the townsfolk were spruced up; all of the men and women lining the main street wore their best clothes, and the children's pink cheeks still glowed from a vigorous washing.

            Again the horn blew, closer this time, close enough to be practically outside the town's wooden gate. Those assigned to the town gate this morning had been given careful instructions by Jerriod, as they were to be the princess's first glimpse of the men of the Fourth. Speaking of Jerriod, the captain of the Fourth set his training marshal on the men in all his regimented glory.

            "Tighten formation! I want to be able to balance a level on your shoulders! Gerdiomson, spine straighter!"

            "Which one?" muttered Hengar under his breath as Andris squirmed next to him. Tarun came dangerously close to snorting in disbelief. That may have been as close to a joke as he'd heard Hengar make in the past year. Maybe the hours standing on the spot were making them giddy.

            A cheer went up from the townsfolk lining the street leading to the barracks. Right on cue, they all began to wave and smile as the princess's convoy rounded the corner.

            At the head of the royal party rode what could only be a cadre of the famed Knights of Amenthis. Members of Goran's elite First Company, hand selected by the king to guard himself and his blood kin. Their armor gleamed dully in the morning sunlight, highlighting details such as the vertical ribbing along the breastplates, intricate gardbraces covered with motifs of monsters and men, and shining scale mail beneath their steel plates that hissed softly against itself as the knights moved. Wine red cloaks flowed from the tops of their pauldrons, draping down their backs and across their horses' hindquarters. What caught Tarun's eye most of all though where their helmets. The helms' lower edge stretched down into a point just above the hollow of the men's throat, from which the 'T' shaped visor slit emerged. The steep, featureless planes of those masks rendered the Knights of Amenthis completely anonymous; unknowable guardians behind a wall of steel.

            Ten Knights of Amenthis in all had accompanied the Princess Ellorae from Amenthere to Geristan. The royal crest on their horses' barding danced and waved; a merry golden crown over each animal's heart as they cantered into the barracks yard. The knights took up positions seamlessly, forming an honor guard ringing the space where the carriage would stop.