I've decided to stop naming my chapters. It would take me just as long to name a chapter as it does to write a chapter. Hope no one is bothered by this. Here's the next chapter.
Chapter 7 --
Harry hovers over his desk, letting a yawn escape through his chapped lips. He waves his hand, and the papers fall in a messy pile in the center of the desk. He picks up the letter from Norlan, unfolding the impressive paper and scanning the elegant words.
He grunts in disgust, and throws the letter down. Frusteration builds and tenses in his muscles, and he clenches his jaw to ease the dull ache growing in his belly. In a sudden outburst he pushes everything off his desk, and hears the crash of the letters, pens, bottles, and other materials hit the marble floor. He leaves the pile, and exits his study, striding down the hall.
Harry goes to the common hall, finding paladin's and counselors talking amonst themselves. The sun has yet to rise, but the palace is still humming with activity. Harry stands at the head of the table, leaning his palms on it. He braces himself, and lets his head fall forward.
"Norlan has sent word that they will attack Juxert within the next two days." Harry breathes, and his words sound muffled. There is silence in the hall, and Harry can feel their eyes piercing the back of his neck.
"My lord," a husky voice reaches his ears, and Harry brings a hand to silence the man.
"We are to be in Norlan before dusk tomorrow." A prickling sensation tickles his entire body, and he turns his head to the side, staring at the far wall.
"We will still ride at dawn to the north, my Lord?" The same man speaks, and Harry looks up at him. The man is short counselor. His crimson robe drags on the floor, his fingers are stubby and fat, and his face is bloated. His eyes are black, sunken deepy into his skull, and his skin is very tan. There is no hair upon his head.
"Yes. Paladins, prepare yourselves. Tell Ames to ready my horse and a horse for the woman." Harry pushes himself off the table and leaves the common hall.
"I will wake her." He calls over his shoulder into the common hall.
"Take me to her room." He stops to ask the guard from outside the common hall. The guard bows his head and walks ahead of Harry. They walk down a hall specifically just for guests of the palace. The rooms are lavish and huge, full of anything one may need. The guard stops at the second door to the left, and he bows again to Harry before leaving.
Harry looks down the long hallway, and silently counts the doors before he knocks on her door. He loses count at fourty. He taps his knuckles against the smooth wood and waits. He hears nothing from inside the room, and taps gently on the wood once more.
He waits a minute, and the door opens, but all he can see is darkness. He clears his throat, and her face appears.
"I am ready." She exits the room and shuts the door behind her. Harry glances at her attire, and nods his approval. She wears the same tunic and trousers, and now the belt is looped tightly around her waist. The bow is bound to her back with the quiver of arrows. She wears dark gloves, and high boots. She walks beside him as they approach the entry hall, and leave the palace.
The stench of horses and morning dew is strong as they walk down the palace steps beside one another. The sun is barely visible in the horizon, but the palace lights make the grounds visible. Horses are scattered, and paladins and stableboys ready them. Harry walks to the stables, and Ole is being brushed by Ames.
"My lord, your horse is ready." Ames hands the reins to Harry. Harry nods toward the woman, and Ames smiles.
"My lady, your horse." Ames walks into the darkness in the back of the stables, and comes with a magnificant horse almost the size of Ole.
"His name is Adam. He is fantastic, my lady, I am sure you will enjoy him." Ames gives the rein's of Adam to the woman and bows deeply. The woman nods to him, and Harry can see a blush form on Ames's cheeks.
"Come." Harry leads the way out of the stables, "The lady," Harry stops, and looks at the woman, not sure at what to say since he does not know her name.
"I will lead this party. Mount your horses, we leave." She tells the group of paladains, and mounts Adam. Disappointed, Harry mounts his horse as well.
"Will you ever tell me your name?" He asks, and the woman's eyes meet his for one moment until she kick's Adam so that the horse jerks forward. Harry follows her through the gates with fifty paladin's behind, racing to keep up with her. He leans forward, lifting his rear in the air to urge Ole faster. He comes up behind the woman.
The paladin's have no trouble keeping up with the woman and Harry. The sun peeks above the mountain in the far horizon, and beams of sunlight blind him. He brings a hand to block the rays of sun.
A haze appears in the horizon, and he squints his eyes. What looks like a fallen castle sways and becomes larger as they approach. The sun has revealed itself completely, and has risen in the sky by the time they reach the ruins.
The woman rides through the broken gates of the castle, and Harry notices that if there was a city, it is completely destroyed. He sits back on Ole, his mouth falling open as he stops his horse. The paladin's ride past him, and the woman stops a hundred feet ahead of him.
"What," Harry begins, but cannot finish. A black smoke rises from behind the ruined castle, and bits of the towers still fall. The earth rumbles beneath the horse's feet, and Harry feels the vibration. The walls the guard the kingdom are completely demolished. Bloody bodies lie beneath and ontop of the destruction, but Harry avoids looking directly at them to keep the anxiety in his belly from overcoming him.
The stone beneath is dark with debris. Harry looks to the woman, and sees his paladin's searching through the distaster to find surviors. Harry finds Adam, but the woman has unmounted and is not in sight.
"Where is she?" Harry jumps off his horse, running up the cracked and broken steps of the castle. The doors have been taken off his hinges and simply hangs there. Smoke fills his lungs, and he coughs madly when he enters the castle. He cannot see anything for the smoke is thick.
"Hello!?" Harry yells inbetween fits of coughing. His eyes water, and he walks aimlessly. He feels a hand on his forearm..
"There's no one here. There are no survivors." The breath is on his ear, and it makes him shiver. He turns, and barely sees the woman's face. Her eyes are also watering, and her cheeks are red. He grabs her hand, and she pulls him from the castle. He coughs and falls on ground outside, breathing and wheezing heavily.
"My kingdom has indeed fallen." She is behind him, and Harry sees her boots as she passes him. He looks up at her, wiping his eyes and nose as he does so.
"What kingdom is this?" Harry asks, and sits on his knees. From the corner of his eyes he sees his paladin's continuing their search for survivors.
"Greenwich." She says softly, and Harry simply stares at her.
"I've never heard of it." He attemps to stand, and the woman turns, "Who are you?" He tries to focus through his watering gaze.
"We must leave here. Quickly. I can no longer stay." She says to him, taking a step forward. She reaches out her hand, but he simply looks at it. He refuses her hand, standing on his own. He stumbles a bit, and wipes the remaining tears from his eyes.
"Do you like ignoring my questions?" He asks her, bending slightly at the waist, and she smiles.
"There's no rush." She looks up at him through her lashes, and a strange feeling overcomes him. The smoke clears from his throat, and his eyes no longer burn.
"Please just tell me your name." Harry's voice hints at pleading, and she walks past him to Adam. She mounts the horse, looking at the ruins of her kingdom before she speaks.
"Paladin's of Lorbia." Her voice rings throughout the disaster area. Paladin's look to her, stopping their search, "Mount your horses, we return to your kingdom."
She rides past Harry, and he takes a step back to refrain from being run over. Paladin's follow after her, and Harry mounts Ole, riding from the fallen kingdom of Greenwich. He turns his head to look over his shoulder, his eyes following the rising smoke. He hears a horse whine and he jerks his head forward to see the woman readying an arrow and her bow.
His eyes dart from the woman to a small group of oncoming knights. He notices their attire: a lion printed on their chest armor and purple sashes around their waist. He knows them to be Juxert. Their swords are drawn, and their familiar battle cry echoes throughout the area. Harry unshealths his sword, holding it straight in the air.
"Ready men!" Harry rides ahead to the woman who holds an arrow ready, "Steady." He murmurs to her as they approach the Juxert group. Harry sees there is no general leading the knights, and is surprised.
"Now!" Her voice is loud and powerful, and a surge of electricity urges his forward. Harry mentally counts twenty knights, and he silently smirks.
"You lose." The woman slows her horse, but Harry kicks Ole with his heels. The groups collide, and a Juxert knight falls with an arrow in his chest. Harry evades a knight who swings at him, and he in turn thrusts his sword through the man's armor. A man Harry holds his sword to falls with an arrow through his eye.
Harry pushes forward through the dying Juxert, and the enemy begin to retreat. Harry holds his arm out when a paladin tries to pursue the ones who flee, but they fall with a bloody scream with arrows in their back.
Angry, Harry turns and looks for the woman. She sits high on Adam, and she holds another arrow in her bow down towards the ground. Harry digs his heels into Ole, coming up beside the woman.
"Why did you shoot them?" His eyes are bright. The woman takes the arrow from her bow and places it in the quiver on her back. She then ties the bow securely before she looks at him.
She doesn't say anything; she only watches him with her mysterious eyes. Harry shakes his head, and rides to the head of his group.
"Is anyone injured?" He calls out.
"One is injured, my lord." A paladin rides from behind the rest, a wounded man across the front of his horse.
"How badly?" Harry asks, examaning the wounded man.
"To the chest, my lord."
"We must hurry then. Come." Harry gently urges on Ole, and they continue the ride to Lorbia. The woman rides up beside him, and Harry glances at her. He says nothing, and she stays silent. They ride through the city gates, then the palace gates of Lorbia. The sun has already begun its gradual set, and the cool breeze of oncoming autumn is in the air. Harry breathes deeply, already beginning to smell the scent of the season.
He unmounts his horse at the stables, and sees the wounded paladin being held by two others around the shoulders. They hoist the unconscious paladin up the steps of the palace, and Harry follows farther behind. He feels the prescence of the woman beside him again, but he does not look at her. He walks to the armory, stripping himself of the armor he put on early that morning.
He looks around the long room, and finds himself alone. He breathes a sigh of relief, and stretches his back, reaching his fists backward.
"Ah." He stretches his sides, then arms and neck before leaving the armory. He sees the woman standing outside the door. Startled, he takes a step back.
"I will get a guard to escort you to your room, or to the banquet hall for supper." Harry tells the woman, but she shakes her head, "What is it you want? I will call your servant-maid-"
"Take me to your room." She breathes, and Harry's mouth stops working. His jaw opens and closes several times before he responds.
"What?"
"I wish to speak to you in private." Her voice is low, and she moves close to him as she speaks. Her fingers brush his hand, and warmth escalades throughout his being. He nods and swallows hard, turning and walking down the hall to his study. The woman walks beside him, and occasionally her hand bumps his.
"In here." He says and opens the doors to his study, "This is my study. We can talk in private here." He tells her, and looks at his desk. A mountain of letters sits in the center, and the mess still is scattered across the floor. Without thinking, he waves his hand so that the mess disappears, then reappears on his desk so everything is in order.
She stares at him in disbelief, and her eyes study him. He feels nervous as her eyes trail across his body.
"Magic." He says to stop the silence.
"How can you do magic?" She looks up at him through her lashes. Harry stares into her hazel orbs, and for a moment is lost in them.
"My father," Harry pauses, closing his eyes, "my father was a sorcerer. He taught me"
"Oh." Her voice is small, and Harry reopens his eyes, "I didn't realize humans could do magic anymore." She runs her fingertips over the top of the desk.
"What is it that you wanted to speak with me about?" Harry asks, swallowing the lump in his throat. He silently curses himself for his weakness around this woman.
"My kingdom is fallen. I am a queen without people." She takes her hand from the desk, "I would like to ask if I can stay as your guest, or servant if you will." She bows her head to him, but he takes her hand. Harry inwardly grins at the surprized look on her face.
"You will be no servant here." Her fingers tighten around his, and the warm sensation circles throughout his body starting at their joined hands, "Stay as my guest for as long as you like, only if you do one thing for me." He stares hard into her eyes. She seems to ponder this for a long time, but finally she nods her head.
"Tell me your name."
The woman takes her hand from his, and the warmth turns to cold. He lets his hand fall to his side, but he does not let up on his stare.
Finally she answers, "Hermia."
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