Knight for the Prince

Chapter 3 - Mark of the Golden Lion

Marilyn wakes up just before dawn in her flimsy one-man tent, which is just a sheet of cloth held up by a sturdy wooden stick in the middle. She has discovered that the tent can easily fall on top of her if she accidentally knocks the stick out of position.

She hears the gentle scrapping noise of a sword being sharpened by a soldier next to her. She crawls out of her tent. Only to find Grendelow grazing on the grass in front of her tent.

She looks to her left for the source of the scrapping and finds that Ralson is sharpening his sword. He lifts his head in the way of a morning greeting without saying a word.

She nods in reply. She stretches her arms and legs. Then she rolls up her tent and packs it on Grendelow's back. She leaves him to continue grazing as she goes to find a bush. Other soldiers also make their way around quietly. None of them are willing to break the morning silence.

She hears the soft clopping of hooves behind her. She looks behind her and finds her horse following her like a puppy dog.

She sees several soldiers seeing this and snickering. "Hey Sameth! Your horse is mothering you again!" One of them calls out to her.

"At least I am safe from perverts like you. Why are you so interested in my johnson anyway?" She shoots back in a boisterous voice.

"Not interested but we are all men. It is funny how that stallion protects your privacy. We have never seen it before."

"I think he is eccentric. Now my piss is killing me."

I still can't believe men can talk about it as if it is nothing. It is disgusting and embarrassing.

Grendelow stops short of the bush she has chosen and she quickly ducks out of sight.

She kneels and can see the camp through a small gap in the thick leafy bush. Grendelow nickers a threat at another soldier aiming for the same bush.

"Come on Grendelow. I just want to take a leak!"

Grendelow snorts and shakes his head pointing at another bush with his nose.

Another soldier comes close. She immediately sees this one does not know about the stallion's behaviour and several soldiers are snickering behind him and watching.

The moment the young man is too close Grendelow makes a chopping motion and the man is forced to back away. He stumbles and falls causing the other men watching him to howl with laughter.

"It never gets old. Don't get close to that horse when Sameth is taking a leak. Grendelow does not like it when you try to invade Sameth's privacy. Go find another bush to water."

Marilyn is shaking with laughter. Grendelow is not just helpful but an endless source of amusement. Seeing the men's reaction every time Grendelow charges or chops his teeth at them is priceless.

But the amusement only lifts her spirits for a short while. When it is over the pain of losing her mother is smothering her heart in a dreadful dark fog of sorrow. It makes her heart ache and it takes every ounce of self-control not to start crying. It feels like her heart is slowly turning into a heavy rock because of this.

She longs to properly mourn her mother. The pain of her loss beats painfully in her chest. She must mourn without anyone noticing that she is full of sorrow. She can not shed tears or allow her emotions to control her.

If she gives in she will start wailing like any other woman in mourning and then her gender will be known. To top it off they will execute her for impersonating a soldier.

She mounts Grendelow and looks around her. Before them on the main road lies Zealot City. The capital of Ristheart. It is surrounded by a stone wall and the only way in or out is through one of three portcullis gates.