NOVEMBERLAND: the little shieldmaiden

4

The next few days I started to get to know my way around the castle, it was big, but Eleanor and some others helped me navigate. However, I had not been in the royals castle, and to be honest, I had no intention to either. Neither had I seen King Gryffin since that night, but I avoided any type of contact with him. What I had done was trying to get to know Queen Viorica, she was actually really nice. I asked her about Esca, even though she was quite restricted about telling me stuff, but I tried to know the little information she was willing to give me. The tailor had also gotten around, and I had received multiple gowns and dresses for different types of occasions, formal dresses, outdoor dresses, everyday dresses, a dress to every occasion to be precise.  He had also made some hunting clothes, like the ones I had on earlier. The clothes were not the same as the ones at home, as they were more decorated, but it was good enough. Eleanor also had made sure that the dresses could be paired with my belt, or other belts if I wanted to. 

This day I had on a new gown that was a dark mauve dress, and on top of it, I had on a jacket with golden details, such as golden buttons on each side. I had on a corset too, but it was a different one, a more fitted one to how I looked now, compared to years before, when the other one was made. I decided to go outside in the courtyard, which overlooked the open sea. The men were training, whilst the noblewomen watched or stayed inside reading and talking gossip with other noblewomen. They looked astonished by the men fighting, even though their skills were not great at all, I wanted to try, but I stayed in the back, containing a low profile. I stood beside Queen Viorica, or Viorica as I called her now, she had no emotion in her face. Even though she was in her late thirties, she did not look a day older than twenty-five. 

"Why don't you show them how it is done?" she suddenly asked and looked up towards me, because she was shorter than mee, even though she sometimes made me feel small.

"What?" 

"You're clearly annoyed by how they don't do something right. So, I think you should go up and change into those clothes you've looked at for days now, and fight the bastards," she said and nodded towards the direction where my chambers were. 

I did as she said, and she was right, I really wanted to. I ran upstairs to my chambers and got a servant to help me undress so that I could put on the clothes. I looked kind of ridiculous, but it was alright. I had on pants, a shirt and a decorated vest, and on my feet, I had on the shoes I usually wore at home. It made me feel more like myself in a way, it was a feeling that felt like home. My hair was pulled back halfway just like before, however now it was braided, after my suggestion.

When I arrived downstairs the men had sat down for a break, and they were laughing their manly laughs. As I entered the courtyard everyone went silent, but I did not care. I knew that this was an act not proper for a lady of my station. I walked up to a man that did not seem as tired as the others, as I wanted a great challenge.

"Fight me, my lord?" I asked and pointed a sword towards him. 

"Aren't you a little to much woman to be challenging a man for a fight?" he said and laughed at his mates.

"Well, you're probably too scared to lose, so I'd have to challenge someone else," I said and turned away from him, knowing he would.

"Alright princess, I'd fight you, but don't go weeping to your ladies when you lose over a man." When he said that I moved my sword so that it was only a few centimetres away from his throat.

"I think I'll be alright, Lord Monaghan is it?" 

We started fighting quite quickly after I did that move as he picked up his sword and showed mine away. He was annoyed, not happy about me challenging him. I swung my sword gracefully and I managed to expect his every move, as he was quite slow and easy to read. "Fight properly, don't hold back," I said after a while because I got bored. After that comment, he placed an attack, and I took the sword out of his hands without him realizing it. Then he attacked me with a another sword that some nobles had left on the ground, and he managed to get both of the swords out of my hands, and he picked up one of mine. "Look who's the fool now?" he said grinning towards me. He backed up, almost meeting the courtyard's wall, and I picked up an axe and threw it right above his head, then a knife hitting right by his ear. "I guess that'd be you Lord Monaghan," I said and bowed as a sign of that the fight was over. 

Then all of a sudden the sound around us went quiet, and I turned round to see who entered, King Gryffin. He looked stupid surrounded by all the nobles who either adored him or tried to create a deal that would be great in their favour. He did look better though, he even smiled when he saw Lord Monaghan pinned up by the wall. "Well, what might have happened here?" he then asked after a while.

"Princess Saga totally crushed Lord Monaghan in a fight, your highness," one of the nobles said, as every one of them had risen up from the ground.

"That must've been a sight," he said and looked towards me, but then I just looked the other way. 

"Excuse me," I said and left the courtyard willingly, as I did not want to look into that falsified king's eyes. 

When I returned to my chambers I took off my vest, and I only had on the shirt and the trousers. Then I jumped onto my big soft bed and stared upon the painted ceiling. It was so beautiful, and it made me think about other things that unnecessary kings and stupid lords. The time went by faster if I stared into it too, I could even fall asleep if I wanted to because there was nothing scheduled up that day. Then all of sudden a gentle knock on my door made me jump up, it was probably Eleanor coming to help me put on my gown again. 

"Come in I said, and laid back down on my bed." 

"Princess Saga," a voice said and closed the door. It could not be the person I thought it was, it could not, but when I rose up into a sitting position my eyes met his.

"King Gryffin, " was the only thing I could think of saying. It was now I realized how different he looked, his hair was much neater and his clothes fitted better than the days before. "What do you want," I said as I stood up from my bad and stood up by the large window. "Have you come here to harass me again?"

"I came here to apologize," he suddenly said with a different type of voice than he had used before. "I should not have acted like that towards you, and I understand if you're angry at me, trust me I'd be too, " he said and stopped, as the words left his mouth. "It's just that I haven't seen anyone on my age since the deaths, after that I left school, and I barely see my siblings," he continued and stepped closer towards me. "And no one has talked to me that way since my father died, and I think I needed it."

"Well, you were an arse," I said and turned my head slightly back.

He laughed, and it was like any boys laugh, especially at my age, simple but boyish. "I'm truly sorry Princess Saga, I hope you can accept my apology?" he then asked and went quiet. I turned around to see a whole different man, the sun hit his figure lighting up his face. He had dark features, dark eyebrows and prominent cheekbones. However, his eyes were this light green, shining in the light they stood out like crystals. 

"I can, on one permission," I said and walked slowly towards him. 

"That you start behaving like a human being, and respect others. Whilst also letting me leave the castle whenever I want to go do whatever I want without context," I said and stopped just a meter in front of him.

"Not at night though, I could not let you risk that," he said and looked down at me with those green eyes. 

"Ok, deal," I said and reached out my hand so that we could shake hands. 

"Deal," he said and shook my hand whilst giving a little smirk. He looked much more alive now than when I first arrived, he had gotten some colour back in his face and he did not look lifeless anymore.

Then the door went up, and the little Eleanor entered to see us standing together. "Oh, I'm so sorry, your highnesses, I'll leave," she said. That is when I realized how oddly close we stood, and how it must have looked like from her perspective. 

"It's alright, I have to leave anyway," he said and walked past Eleanor standing in front of the door. "Goodbye princess Saga," he said and shut the door behind him. And then I was stuck with Eleanor looking like a shock, which made me realize I had to tell her what happened.