A Chosen Love - Book 1 The Frencolian Chronicles (complete)

Chapter Three

As previous, one knight led a quad of soldiers to the fore and the remainder formed a guard behind Sir Louis and Lady Elissa.

Elissa noticed the path widening. Red Boy's hooves resounded on cobblestones and Elissa knew they approached the Samdene town gates.

Sir Louis drew Blue close to Red Boy and grasped the reins. The two knights moved closer.

Speaking to the men in an undertone, Louis said, "Don't tell the keepers on the gates who we are —just announce us as knights on kingdom business."

As the men moved away, the senior knight spoke earnestly to Elissa. "I'm going to teach that brother of yours a lesson he won't forget in a hurry. There's just one promise I want you to give me, Elissa."

Glancing around to confirm that none other than his men could hear his words, he spoke softly, "Promise me, you'll tell no one —not your aunt or your brother —the name of the knight who brought you here. When you meet me again, you must pretend you don't know me. Will you promise, Lady Elissa?"

Frowning, Elissa wondered how this commanding man was going to set about 'teaching Dorai a lesson'. But one did not question a knight. Dorai reminded her of this whenever she, his sister, asked him a question regarding his knighthood. This man, Sir Louis, was a senior knight, answerable only to the king.

Elissa spoke lightheartedly, "I shouldn't find that difficult at all Sir —what was your name? But I would like to thank you for escorting me here Sir, whomever you might be."

Louis grinned, his pearl-white teeth glittering like stars. He said, "I'll escort you safely to the castle gates."

Due to the riders' concealing helmets, the keepers could not discern the identities of the knights who rode with Lady Elissa and it was too dark for the soldiers to be identified. The company rode through the gates and around the perimeter of the wall toward the main street.

Samdene Castle was in the center of the town with a wall and moat around the circumference dividing the town houses from the castle grounds.

Aunt Jane was Elissa's mother's youngest sister who had never previously married. Jane had married the widowed Baron Samuel who had one young married son of the same name. The marriage had taken place two years ago and Elissa wondered how the vivaciously independent Jane was coping with being married to a much older man, a widower of ten years. The couple had attended the funeral services, that of her mother a year ago, and recently, her father's, but in her isolating grief, Elissa had only been vaguely aware of their presence.

Stealing a glance at Sir Louis as they slowed their horses to a walk, due to darkness and the unevenness of the small, worn cobblestones, Elissa wished she had been more observant. He said he had been present at both funerals. She sighed. So had Baron Chatelain, but she could not place either of them.

The baron noticed me at Mother's funeral and he probably felt sorry for me, she thought, but he wants me as his future wife... I don't know him and that makes me afraid...

Just before her father's death, Baron Chatelain had approached Dorai on one of the knights' rendezvous and the brother had heartily agreed with the match.

Dorai had broken the 'good news' to Elissa, two months after their father's funeral, and the betrothal date was set for tomorrow. Dorai announced that three months' mourning was more than enough. "It's time to set our minds on happier occasions," he had declared.

The despondent Elissa remembered her father's words. Foretelling Dorai's lack of emotion, the old man had prophesied that Dorai would be void of real care until he married and had children of his own. When, or if, this happened, then Dorai would really begin to 'live'. And here she was, being married off first when Dorai had already gained the age of twenty-one. He had recently passed the arduous tests and taken the solemn oaths to become a Frencolian knight, a keeper of the kingdom.