Maud: the Daughter of the Count of Nocturne

Prologue: Jousters from Mantua

 Maud stood on the deck of the ship and watched as the bow cut through the water. The sunlight reflected off the sea and illuminated the carvings on the body of the vessel. Maud ran her hands over the intricately carved leaves on the railing and followed the woodwork with her eyes to the nymph carved into the bow. Her hair whipped around in the wind and she forced it out of her face as she turned to look at her father. He stood at the very center of the deck, sword drawn, sparing with his squire.

A sturdy man in his forties, his shoulder-length brown hair was pulled back and his hazel eyes were locked on his squire's sword. They circled each other, their eyes never leaving the other, just waiting for the moment to strike. As the squire Sheridan turned his back to the wind, his hair flew up and blew across his face. Amadeo smiled and lunged, jabbing his sword towards Sheridan's leg. Sheridan screeched and leaped to the side, bringing his sword around to try to parry the strike. The sound of metal striking metal rang loudly and the entire crew turned to watch the duel that had begun on the deck.

Sheridan swung his sword around towards Amadeo's side but his blow was blocked by the smiling knight. Amadeo then slid his blade up Sheridan's and hooked the tip under the guard of Sheridan's hilt and twisted. Sheridan's sword fell out of his hands and the duel was over as quickly as it had begun. With a look of defeat, the young squire retrieved his sword and sheathed it before stalking over to Maud.

Maud smiled at him knowingly. "You will never learn if you give up so quickly," she stated as she grabbed his long, blond hair and began to braid it. She tugged her fingers through a knot as she continued. "I know my father is difficult to learn from at times but you must not think poorly of your abilities."

Sheridan rolled his eyes and looked at Maud unconvinced. "I cannot even last a minute against your father when we spar. What abilities do i have that are not poor?" He shook his head at her as she began to open her mouth to speak. "I'm not fit to be your father's squire."

Maud tugged his braid and forced him to look her in the eye, pulling him down the seven inches so they were the same height. "Now listen here Sheridan," she said with a commanding yet caring tone in her voice. "If there is anyone in this world that deserves my father's teaching it is you. You just can't give up whenever you fail. The road will be tough but you just have to fight through it all."

Sheridan sighed and nodded. "Alright Maud, you win."

Maud smiled and released her hold on Sheridan's hair. She watched as Sheridan marched back to the center of the deck and faced Amadeo once more. They drew their swords and began to circle each other, the way they had before. This time, however, Sheridan managed to get Amadeo to face the sun. As he squinted to see, Sheridan lunged forward and brought his sword around towards Amadeo's leg. He barely managed to dodge the blow and stabbed at Sheridan's stomach. Sheridan blocked the strike, metal ringing against metal. Amadeo quickly brought his blade up towards Sheridan's head and Sheridan ducked under the blade and thrust the hilt of his sword into Amadeo's gut. He grunted and grabbed Sheridan by his shoulder, jerking him forward and to the side, forcing him past him. Amadeo turned and lunged at him, not judging the distance. Sheridan was too far across the deck. Sheridan quickly regained his balance and swung at Amadeo's newly exposed side. Amadeo yelped as the tip of the blade grazed his hip and Sheridan froze, completely shocked. Amadeo took advantage of Sheridan's falter and quickly put his blade against Sheridan's throat.

"Even though i am your mentor, you never halt in the middle of a fight. If i had wanted to, I could have killed you just now. Do you understand me?" Sheridan nodded the best he could against the sword and avoided eye contact. Amadeo let him go and sheathed his sword.

Maud chuckled and tugged at the bottom of her shirt. Sheridan shot her a glare and stalked off below deck. Maud stared after him for a moment before turning to look at her father, who had come to stand next to her.

He tucked her hair behind her ear before tugging at the sleeve of her shirt. "Last i checked, i had a daughter. Perhaps you should look the part." He smiled at her but his eyes said that he was serious.

Maud rolled her eyes. "I hate dresses. They restrict my legs too much and make riding difficult. Must i wear one?"

Amadeo gave her a serious look. "Maud, i do not care if you like them or not. We will be making port soon and you need to wear one. You will be representing all of the women of Mantua. You need to make a good impression."

"Fine." Maud went and changed and quickly returned. She looked out over the water and could see the coast of Britain and the port.

"It's a lot different than back home, isn't it?"

Maud turned and looked at Sheridan. He had changed out of his travelling clothes and now wore his finer squire clothes. His blond hair frizzed out of the braid and stuck out every which way.

They soon made port and everyone unloaded. Three of the men towed a horse out from the hull and out onto the docks. Sheridan grabbed him and stroked the creatures neck to calm him. The horse was a paint, his white coat covered with large brown blotches. He pawed at the wood of the decks and snorted the salt-filled air.

Sheridan strapped the saddle to him and tied Amadeo's armour to it. The horse stomped his foot as Sheridan finished and tossed his head. After double checking that they had everything, they were off.

It took them the entire day to reach the Scottish Inn they were staying at. When they got there, Sheridan put the horse in the stables and they all got settled in their rooms. It was late, and everyone but Maud was asleep.

A thump outside of Maud's window made her sit bolt upright in her bed. Hushed whispers floated through her window and she quietly slipped out of bed to listen.

She could just barely make out what was being said. "Boy, don't make me regret saving you." The voice was gruff and familiar, but Maud couldn't put a name to it.

"But what you're doing is wrong. What have they ever done to you," the other complained. He sounded like he was in his late teens. The sound of a flesh hitting flesh made Maud jump. The young man grunted slightly and Maud heard him take a couple steps.

"You will hold your tongue and do as I say," the older one growled. She heard him stalk off but didn't hear the other move.

She peeked around the windowsill and saw the young man standing there looking defeated. His blond hair hung around his face and barely brushed his strong shoulders. It was dark but Maud could still see that he was built like most squires, thin and muscular, but was still quite tall. the symbol sewn onto the back of his shirt revealed that he was indeed a squire; the squire of the Duke of Killington to be exact.

What is Xavier up to now? She thought. And why does his squire protest? Is it really that bad? She shook her head and crawled back in bed, the jousters of Killington on her mind. She soon slipped into slumber, not knowing how eventful the next day would truly be.