Protector of the Crown

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

I stood, unsure what to do. I entered the palace and was immediately brought to my new sleeping quarters. The room was huge in comparison to my old one. At least six of my old rooms could fit in my new one. In fairness my old room was the size of a closet, but still.

The bed was a Queen size, at least that's what I was told when a butler showed me to my quarters. The comforter was a cream color and the royal symbol of a lion was embroidered in gold in the center. The floors were a deep, mahogany wood and the walls a clean cream. There was a large mahogany wardrobe on the wall opposite the bed and a huge, golden-framed mirror to the right of it. Attached to my new room was a private bathroom, something I had never experienced in my life.

"Is everything alright, Ms. Luther?" the butler asked in a steady and comforting voice.

I looked at my small duffle and my new room, "Yes, I'm just surprised," I smiled, "I'm used to smaller quarters."

The butler smiled a smile that touched his soft brown eyes, "The rooms always surprise you Protectors. Now, I've had the staff stock the wardrobe with several of your uniforms, as well as basic casual clothing. Some occasions will require you to blend in."

I nearly choked on air, casual clothes? I had no idea what was even in style! "Thank you," I muttered.

"My pleasure, Ms. Luther. Now, you should change, the King and your new charge await."

When I was left alone I briefly took in my room and opened the wardrobe. The wardrobe was fully stocked, and had no space left empty. I gently set my bag on the bottom surface of the wardrobe and pulled out one of the uniforms. The majority of the wardrobe was filled with my uniforms, but a small corner held folded jeans and some simple white or black blouses and t-shirts.

I looked at my watch and was running low on time. I pulled out my uniform and quickly changed, peaking in the large mirror as I passed. My auburn hair was pulled back into a neat bun, only one strand hung in my face. I tucked it back behind my ear as I was too short on time to redo my bun. My new uniform was a pair of simple fitted black skinny pants, a black tank top, and a fitted black blazer, the royal insignia embroidered into the right breast. I had a belt with a gun holster, my badge, and a couple throwing knives clipped on my waist. I threw on a simple pair of round silver studs that I found in a small box in the wardrobe and left the room.

I walked quickly to the throne room. In my training we had all memorized the blueprints of the castle, I knew where everything was, no questions. As I approached the large wooden doors, guarded by my fellow Protectors I felt a wave of nausea. I was about to look at the man who ordered the death of my family. I was about to swear to protect his son. I took a deep breath and nodded at the guard.

The doors opened slowly to a decedent and elaborate room. The floor was crisp white marble the King had excavated from a quarry on an old farmer's property years before. The farmer didn't want to sell, so he was killed. The King forced laborers to excavate the quarry, which was unfortunately unstable and crushed half the workforce in the first week. The living men from the workforce were expected to still meet the deadline with no new men.

I entered, knowing full well that I was exuding confidence, despite my anger at seeing the marble that was worth more than seven men's lives to such a selfish king. Displaying confidence was something we were trained to do without fail. A small smile touched my lips when I saw Grant. He must have been assigned to guard Marcus. Grant locked his bright blue eyes on mine and smirked.

Grant was ridiculously handsome and he sure knew it. On top of those baby blue eyes he looked like a Greek God, tall, muscular, rich dark hair, and naturally glowing tanned skin. Grant was a legacy in the Protector world. All the men in his family served and they were damn good.