Shielded

Chapter I

The Funeral

My mother squeezes my hand, a clear warning for me to not cry.

Even though Sir Harvin was my guard and was killed trying to protect me, I am a princess and therefore must not break down in public.

I look to my right and see Sir Harvin's wife and two sons, who do not have to hold back their tears. Mrs Harvin is crumpled on the floor, weeping while holding her two sons close.

Yesterday evening, I was attacked by assassins while I was asleep. Today, I am attending Knight Harvin's funeral. He was a good knight, who was always kind to me, so I am sad to see him gone.

A pastor from the town he was from is holding a speech about how loved Sir Harvin was, what a good man he was and that he died for a noble cause. That really feels like a punch to my gut. I am the noble cause he died for. He died because of me. I bite my tongue and clench my black dress to keep back my tears.

We've had a conflict with our enemy, the Kingdom of Kra, for as long as I can remember, so my father believes the assassins were sent by Kra, but without proof, he can't do anything yet.

There have been instances where a few assassins have been caught just outside the palace walls, but yesterday was the first time they actually managed to break into the castle. In the past few weeks, the attacks on me and my family have become more and more frequent. My younger sister has a hard time sleeping nowadays.

My father thinks they're after me, because it is expected of me to marry the son of the emperor of the Farisian Empire. The Farisian Empire has the biggest navy fleet in the world, so if those marriage plans actually work out, my kingdom would gain a powerful ally. So he believes that Kra wants to make sure that that doesn't happen.

But they have nothing to be scared of; I have never even met the emperor's son, Arnold. And no one in my family has actually talked about an engagement.

The funeral progresses slowly. Early in the afternoon, some villagers lay flowers on Sir Harvin's grave, or letters they have written about him and their experiences together. I always liked that tradition. My mother and I walk to his grave and curtsey.

My mother turns to the pastor. 'He was a good man. He died protecting my daughter; a greater honor is not in this world.'

The pastor bows to my mother, his Queen. 'He will go to serve Lord Darkness, as we all must one day.'

My mother smiles softly and turns away. She leans down so she can whisper in my ear. 'Your sister and I will leave early. Our people do not need to see their princess in such a state right now. They need us to be strong. Do you understand?'

I nod.

She walks to my father, and I follow shortly behind her. I stop when someone steps in front of me. It's Sir Harvin's wife. Her eyes are red and puffy, her hair is a mess and her skirts are all rumpled. She glares at me.

'It is your fault that my husband is dead now. He gave his life for you! He should've let you be killed. I saw you during the ceremony. Not even a single tear from you! Have you no heart? Do you not care about anyone but yourself? His death is on you, do you hear me! On you! I will-'

She is cut of by a guard pulling her away from me. He is joined by two more, who drag her away while she's still screaming to me, even though I can barely make out a word she's saying through her sobbing.

I watch her being dragged of. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry.

Someone pulls me by my arm. It's my father. 'Let's go, Isobel.'

I nod slightly and let him take me by my arm. We walk in silence from the graveyard of the church to our carriage. We are silent for our entire ride to the castle as well. My father opens his mouth a few times, as if starting to say something, but he always ends up closing it. I can't say I care enough about what he has to say to ask him about it. I stare out the window and watch the landscape go by. Thankfully, the church is close to our home.

Once we've arrived, I step out of the carriage and try to leave as soon as possible. I want to go to my room, where no one will care if I cry. I want to have tea and I want to get out of this dress. I hate black.

'Isobel, wait just a minute,' my father tells me. I'm not bold enough to ignore a direct order from the King. I turn around. 'We can talk inside, but don't run off to your room yet. There is someone I would like you to meet.'

Please don't tell me it's Prince Arnold, that's the last thing I need right now.

'He's in the drawing room, I believe.'

I follow him, but just outside of the doors he stops. He turns to me and says, 'Isobel, I have been worried about you. You are obviously a target for our enemies, and a simple knight is apparently not enough to keep you safe.'

I frown. 'He was not 'a simple knight', Father. He was the best in the country.'

'Yes, well, that only strenghtens my point. You need to be guarded better. So I did something, and before you judge me, just know that I did it because I want to protect you.'

Oh no. I've got a bad feeling about this.

'I went to the Realm of Darkness.'

I sigh. 'This is not the time for one of your jokes, Father.'

'It is not a joke.' He looks at me carefully. 'I went to the Realm of Darkness to ask for help guarding you.'

He's not serious. He can't be.

'His Majesty and Her Radiance have assigned us their son. His name is Alastar. He is a very skilled warrior. Since he's a Deity, he is faster and stronger than any other guard here. He's going to be your bodyguard, until the threats have died down.'

He's serious. He actually is. 'You did what?!'

He sighs. 'He's inside. But before you go in, I have to warn you. He is your guard, but still a god. He will always be higher in position than you. Don't get too close to him and, for the love of all gods, please be kind and don't pick fights with him, Isobel.'

I think I'm going to throw up. 'I will try my best, Father.'

He nods. 'Good. While he's here, you should be safe. Then, we can finally find you a husband. A good one. We do not want a repetition of your brother's marriage scandal.'

Not this again. 'I understand, Father.' I personally found my brother's love story quite romantic.

He opens the doors and enters the drawing room. With a lump in my throat I follow my father through the doors.

~+~