The Reformation Wars: Countdown to Catastrophe

Chapter 5

Automoi 1st, 995 A.D.

Princess Kate ate breakfast with her father and fiancé just after watching Manfred and Nathan finally gallop off from her castle balcony's vantage point. As usual, the food was delicious, and the conversation civil. Once finished, the two men kissed her cheeks and hustled off to go about their work.

Apparently, her father had many discussions to endure with Shafarian diplomats over opening Monterayne's borders to that restless land and allowing them to pass through and increase trade with the Alcontean Republic that way. All because Shafaria and Alminian couldn't learn to be good neighbors. And as for Captain Sloan, the personnel in his garrison had rotated a third of the men out for fresh faces, so he had many training exercises to conduct and orders to bark out.

Left alone, Kate enjoyed a few minutes of solitude and fresh air before setting her mind to carrying out her own business. She decided checking in on Sir Tom Holt would be wise, just in case there had been any more development in the arena of missing knights and barbed arrows. After putting on a lightweight, stylish violet coat over her indigo dress, she made her way to the knights' hall.

As Kate had come to expect by now, her presence in the stone-walled building wasn't ignored or downplayed in the slightest. Either gawking eyes tracked her progress down the hall, or knights clearly went out of their way to greet her, their attitude as nervous as polite. A younger Kate would have been irritated by all the unnecessary attention, but she'd since come to simply ignore it at worst and accept at best.

At last, Kate found Tom in one of the sparring chambers, which was currently empty besides the two of them. The one-eyed knight with the grizzled beard leaned against the back wall and sharpened his sword. The shrieking of metal on metal grated on Kate's ears every time he swiped with the sharpener, but she did her best to ignore it and complete her approach.

Tom glanced up and immediately bowed, a gesture she gave a polite nod to, but immediately brushed aside.

"Good morning, your highness. How may I assist you?"

Kate drew in a deep breath. "Firstly, I wish to know if there were any incidents last night."

"Nothing notable, other than a few of our knights reporting having felt as if they were being stalked. Of course, I wouldn't build a cathedral on that notion. It could merely be nerves."

"Likely so. But at least no blood was spilt."

Tom rolled his right shoulder, which audibly clicked into place when he did so. "Yes, no blood. I can only pray tonight is much the same."

"I share your sentiment. You appear burdened, though, Sir Holt. Why is that?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

"No, it isn't." Kate contradicted with a sweet smile, "It's clear as day to me something is troubling you."

"Alright, you've found me out." Tom remarked with a warm chuckle, "I suppose I'm feeling a sense of having been through this situation before. Though it feels so long ago, the old order investigated that unmarked swordsman about ten years ago, and this feels much the same. The Council convicted Sir Raska unrightfully, and I suppose one could say I feel apprehensive now about doing no better presently, when I'm the one in charge."

"Ah, I see. Well, I trust your judgement, Sir Holt. And not only that, but unlike the old order, you have a council of men who strive to serve the kingdom, not their own interests." After a moment of thought, Kate's smile widened. "And the old order didn't have men like Sir Rickland or Sir Korynn."