Knight Fall (The Champion Chronicles Book 1) (37 page)

              “All of who?” Paul asked.

              “All the Royal Guard,” Havid replied.  “They came running out of the castle gates and are tearing through the city.  Searching every dark corner.  Every building.”

              “I don’t want any trouble in here,” Paul said, moving out from behind the bar.

              Conner could hear the shouting from the streets getting louder.  It would not be long before they would come into the tavern.  He had to leave.  His head swiveled, looking for the back door.  He took a step towards the back of the building, but Paul stood in his way.  Havid was closing in as well.

              “Why are you in one of their tunics?” Paul asked.  “What are you running from?”

              “Did you really kill the king?” Havid asked.

              Paul shot the man a harsh look.

              “I would not be sad if you did,” Havid added.

              “Havid!” Paul shouted at the man.  “You cannot say such things!”

              Havid let out a low growl.  “I never cared for that fat lord.  He was a cheat and a scoundrel.  He never should have been king.  Princess Elissa would have made a fine queen without some fat lord at her side.  Anyone would have been better than him.”

              “What you said is treachery,” Paul whispered.  “You cannot say such things.  You are the head of the Merchant’s Guild!  In your position, you must respect and honor your king.  Saying such things is as if you did it yourself!”

              “I do not care!” Havid shouted.  He stepped forward and extended a hand to Conner.  “Did you do it? If you did, I will shake your hand.  The world is a better place without that fat lord.”

              Conner gripped the hand and Havid pulled him close and patted him on the back.

              “What is your name, my young, brave, man?” Havid asked.

              “Conner.”

              Havid, still gripping Conner’s hand stepped back and looked closely.

              “As in the Princess’ Champion, Conner?” Paul asked.

              A wide smile grew on Havid’s face.  “How fitting that her champion would step in and do what’s right.  You are now the Queen’s Champion!”

              Conner shook his head, feelings of guilt swarming through his body.  “I killed him.  I was angry at what he had done, and I just killed him.  I should not have.  It was murder.”

              “What did he do?” Paul asked.

              “He beat her,” Conner replied, tears filling his eyes.  “He hit her.  I know it was not my place to step in, but I could not bear to hear what was happening to her.”

              Havid guided Conner to a chair.  “You must not feel guilty about what you have done.  It was the right thing to do.”

              Conner shook his head.  “I killed him.  Out of anger.”

              “But you have killed before,” Havid said.

              “Yes, but not like this.  That was war.  This wasn’t.  This was murder.”

              “I think they are coming close,” Paul said, glancing at the door.

              “Conner, you must understand it was the right thing to do.  You said he was beating her.  You were defending her.  You are her Champion.  It was your duty.”

              Conner shook his head.  “No.  Once she married, I was no longer her Champion.”

              “Were you not her friend?” Paul interjected.  “I had seen you before.  Several times in the city.  You walked with her to the outer streets.  Places that decent folk stay away from.  But she went there and you went there with her.”

              “Yes,” Havid said.  “We have all heard stories.  The servants come to the taverns to fill their bellies and they talk.  They come to the markets and they talk.  They talk about the friendship of Queen Elissa and her Champion.  They do not do it to spread gossip, but they did it because it was something that surprised them.  A commoner like you and the Princess – the Queen – were friends.  Good friends.  And you were just defending your friend.”

              Crashing and shouting caused them to jump to their feet.

              “They are next door,” Paul said frantically.  “They will be here next.  You must go.”

              “Where do I go?” Conner asked.

              “With me,” Havid said.  “I know ways in and out of the city that are not through the main gates.  As the head of the Merchant Guild, there are certain secrets that I must keep.  Now move.  And quickly.”

***

              Elissa sat against the wall behind the bed, her knees pulled tight to her chest, her head buried in her hands.  The sobbing had stopped some time ago, but the tear streaks remained.  Occasionally she would let a whimper escape from her lips.  She ignored the activity around her.  She ignored anyone who tried to talk to her or comfort her.  She wanted none of it.

              Someone sat down next her, but she did not move to see who it was.  After some time, she finally picked up her head to see Sir Marik sitting next to her.

              “Have they found him?” she asked.

              “No,” Marik replied.  “They have looked through the night and there is no sign of him.  No one knows how he escaped or where he went.”

              “What will happen?”

              “If they find him?  If he makes it back to the castle alive, he will be executed in public.”

              Her head dropped back into her hands.  But there were no more tears left.

              “Are you okay?” Marik asked.

              With her head still buried in her hands, she shook her head.  Gently, Marik lifted her head so that he could look at her face.  The blood had been cleaned up as soon as she was found, but there was no hiding the bruising.  It covered the entire left side of her face.  Her lower lip was split and swollen and her left eye was puffy not from crying, but from a punch.

              “He deserved it,” Marik said softly.  “No man should ever be allowed to do what he did.  Conner should be commended, not condemned.”

              “Then you must find him first,” Elissa said.

              “My queen,” Marik said softly.  “I cannot get involved.  The Royal Guards are on a rampage.  Twice their king has fallen on their watch.  One in battle and now under their roof.  They will not want me, or any knight, getting in their way.  And after the battle with Thell, I think there are more of them than us that can wield a sword.”

              “I do not understand,” Elissa said with a soft anger, “why you cannot work together.”

              Marik chuckled.  “That is a good question.  For too long the Royal Guard and the Knights of Karmon have been at odds.  We each do our own thing.  I would say it is probably more of a habit than anything.”

              “Maybe it is time to change that,” Elissa said.  She wiped the tears from her eyes, carefully avoiding the bruise that covered half her face.

              “You cannot change generations of men who only know one way.”

              A wry smile crept across Elissa’s face.  “Maybe it’ll take a woman to change them.”

              Marik’s eyes narrowed.  “What are you talking about?”

              The smile disappeared from her face.  She took a deep breath and stood up.  As soon as she did, several attendants flocked towards her, offering words of comfort and support.  She harshly shooed them away.  She stepped to the center of the room and all activity stopped.

Percy, who had been angrily arguing with Lord Martin cleared his throat and stepped forward.  “Your Majesty,” he said with a low bow.  “Your guardsmen are scouring the city for the king’s murderer.  We will find him and bring him to justice.”

“You will recall your men,” Elissa said.

Percy’s eyes went wide.  “Your Majesty, the king must have justice!  You cannot just let it go!”

“I can,” Elissa said.  “And you will.”

A new voice interrupted them.  “Just because he is your…was your champion, does not give him reprieve of his crime.”

Everyone turned to look at the speaker, a tall man with dark hair and graying temples.  He stepped forward.

“Who are you?” Elissa asked.

“Admiral Hester, Your Majesty.  Commander of the fleet of Taran ships anchored just off your coast.”  He spoke the Karmon language flawlessly without the hint of the typical Taran accent.  “I admire your devotion towards your friends, but a crime is a crime, and it cannot go unpunished.  To do so would be to invite anarchy and chaos.  We must have order.”

“Yes!” Percy said.  “We must have order and civility if we are to survive this atrocity!”

“Do you not see her face?” Marik shouted out.  “Neffenmark beat her.”

“King Neffenmark,” Percy corrected.  “You will offer our fallen liege the honor he deserves.”

“He deserved what he got,” Marik replied angrily.

Swords suddenly became unsheathed.  Marik left his in his scabbard, but he did not retreat or back down.  He glared back at Percy.

“Enough of this!” Elissa shouted.  “Put away your swords!  We are no longer fighting among ourselves.”

“Your Majesty,” Admiral Hester said.  “If I may…”

“No you may not,” Elissa snapped back.  “And why are you here?  Someone get him out of here!”

No one moved.

Admiral Hester smiled and said, “Your Majesty.  King Neffenmark had an agreement between Taran and Karmon.  I am here to ensure that the treaty is carried out to the letter.”

“There is no king,” Elissa said firmly.  “I am queen!  I will sit upon the throne.  It was my father’s and now it is mine.”

“My Queen,” Percy said softly.  “You cannot.  There must be a king…”

“There shall not be a king!” Elissa shouted.  “I am the ruler of this land, now and for as long as I live.”  She looked around the room from the guardsmen who had rushed to her side as soon as her screaming began, to the man her father trusted most, Arpwin.  He stood at the back of the room, as he always did, waiting to serve.  He had much wisdom to offer, but he rarely let it out.  Just seeing him in the room comforted her.  She would spend much time talking with him in the coming days and months.  Her eyes drifted across Lord Martin, who lorded over most of the farmable land outside of the city.  Their eyes locked and he showed a hint of a smile.  Two other lords who had remained from Neffenmark’s coronation stood nearby.  Lord Arrin and Lord Kor had large tracts of land on the far eastern edge of the kingdom.  They were so far away they had little to say about the politics of the kingdom, but they still held power.  The only other lord of consequence, Lord Kirwal, governor of Tyre, was not in the room.  She was not sure if his absence was a good or a bad thing.  If he wanted to, he could band all the lords against her and she would have to fight for her kingdom.  But if he were on her side, all the lords would fall in step.

Marik pushed his way forward and drew his sword and fell to a knee.  “Your Majesty,” the knight ranger said with bowed head.  “You have my sword and the sword of every knight.”

Admiral Hester’s smile faded away and drew into a sneer.

Percy, not to be outdone stepped forward and drew his own sword to present it to the queen. “Your Majesty.  You have my sword and the sword of every Royal Guard.  Your life…”

“No!” Elissa shouted, her eyes filling with tears.  “There will be no more knights.  No more Royal Guards.  There will be only Karmons.  We will stand together.  As one.”

Percy’s face went ashen while Marik’s lit up.  This was who she was meant to be, Marik thought.

“Percy!” Elissa said, adrenaline still burning through her system, so her voice was filled with more anger than she really wanted.  “You will disband the search for Conner.  You and your men will escort every Taran out of the city.”

“Queen Elissa,” the Admiral said.  “We have a treaty…”

“Start with this fool,” Elissa said.  When Percy did not move, she said sharply, “Now!  Get him out of here!  I never want to see another Taran centurion in this city again!”

Percy quickly escorted the Admiral out of the room.  Everyone else was silent and still.  Elissa looked around at those that were there.  Marik still was kneeling in front of her.  Lord Martin was in the back of the room, sweat dripping from his face.  He was also unsure what to do.  If he were to support the queen and no other lords did, he could lose his lands and possibly his life.  Lord Kirwal, his cloak dusty and muddy from the road, stepped forward.  He was an elderly man, around the age of Elissa’s father and had always treated Elissa as one of his own.  He had also been a staunch defender of the male leadership of the kingdom.  He looked around the room and knew what he had to do.  He approached Elissa and gently held her face in his large, thick hands. 

“My sweet Elissa,” he said.  He was an opposing figure, the tallest in the room.  His hands fully engulfed her face.  “I remember the day you were born.  What a sweet treasure you were.  You have grown into a beautiful young woman.”

Everyone in the room held their breath because they knew he was the only other person in the kingdom that could lay a stake to the throne.  The people would follow him, because they would have no other choice.  He swept his cloak from behind him and dropped to a knee, holding her hand.