Once they entered Malden, Mikaela and William dismounted and continued further inside on foot. Mikaela could sense that William was uneasy, but was not sure why. As they walked his eyes darted back and forth nervously although he still walked with an air of confidence, tall and proud. The streets of Malden were now bustling with activity, however, when the people saw their princess they would stop and smile. Mikaela smiled back at her people, whom she loved dearly. Every so often she would look over at her protector. William was a good looking man � his body had been well toned and muscled from years of training, his dark hair hung in soft waves to his shoulders, and he had a kind face.
When William entered Malden, he paid special attention to its defenses and the basic layout. He now saw why the princess was concerned. The walls seemed fairly sturdy; along the top stood guards, watching for any sign of the enemy. If the people had to fight, they would; William could tell from the look in their eyes when they saw Mikaela�but the town was not very large and the people did not seem to be very well prepared for defending their homes. A small church was off to the left and the castle was a little further back on the right. As they continued on to the castle, William stole a few glances at Mikaela. Her beautiful emerald green dress hugged her curvaceous body, he could get lost in her deep green eyes, and he longed to run his fingers through her long tresses, which were being blown about by the wind. Any man would be lucky to have her as his bride� William pushed the thoughts out of his mind; she could never be his and besides, by all rights he should not even be here now. Being in Malden just reminded him of why he left his home.
The houses in Malden were small, but well built. At first glance, they all looked the same, but upon closer examination, one could see the little touches that made each distinct. Outside one home, many baskets were lined up; most likely a basket weaver lived there. Some of the roofs were thatched, others were made of stone. The streets were not very wide and many people hurried along going about their business. The people�s faces were somewhat weary, not surprising considering recent events. A little ragged around the edges, their clothes were an assortment of colors a little dulled due to the dirt that collected on them.
A church stood where the rows of houses ended. Quite a bit of time and effort had been put into this place of worship. A beautiful carved wooden cross was hung above the set of doors at the entrance. On the steps stood a priest, talking with some parishioners and leading them inside. Beyond the church were the practice field for the knights and a little further back, the stables. It looked as though the knights were just finishing up their afternoon practice and were heading into the castle.
As William and Mikaela made their way to the castle, a young stable boy ran up to them. He brushed his blonde mop of hair out of his eyes before he spoke.
�Princess, you have returned! I am so glad to see you safe. Who is this? I will take your horses to the stable.�
Mikaela looked on in amusement as he rambled on, barely catching his breath. �Marc, my heart is glad to see your face as well. This is Sir William; he saved me from Lord Bryant�s men.�
Marc seemed rather impressed by this newfound knowledge. Lowering his eyes, he stepped back, humbled. �Sir William, Malden is forever in your debt. Are you truly a knight?�
�I am. However, Malden is not in my debt. I consider it a great honor to save a woman such as Mikaela.�
�I shall take your horses to the stables, if it so pleases you.�
�It does; I trust you will look after Shadow as if he were your own?�
�Of course. You have nothing to fear; your horse will be well taken care of.� �Thank you.�
With that, Marc took hold of the horses� reins and led them to the stable, glancing back at Mikaela and William every so often, until he could see them no more. Once he was gone, Mikaela turned toward William.
�Shall we continue to the castle?�
�Yes, let us go.�
Two knights in silver armor embossed with a phoenix stood guarding the door. They stood motionless until the princess and the knight approached.
�Princess, your father will be glad to know you have safely returned. He was about ready to send out his best knights to find you.�
�He need not worry, for I am here. I will find him immediately.�
�Pray, who may this be m�lady?�
�He is Sir William; he saved me from Lord Bryant�s men.�
�You were attacked?�
�Three men came out of the woods and surely would have taken me prisoner or worse, had it not been for the skill of William with his sword.�
�Malden thanks you, fellow knight.�
William nodded slightly in response. He had watched the guards while they spoke with Mikaela, trying to ascertain whether they had heard of him or not. To their credit, if they did they said nothing.
With that, Mikaela and William entered the castle. Upon entering, they were in the middle of the courtyard. A birdbath sat on a pedestal in the center, beautifully carved with intricate flowers and vines. Lilies, roses, and various other flowers of all sizes and colors were growing all around. About a dozen trees provided some shade and a few benches were placed in the garden.
The Great Hall was amazing. Tapestries hung from the walls in beautiful colors and bold designs. A massive stone fireplace stood at the other end of the room; a fire blazed from within it. In the middle of the room a long table sat surrounded by chairs. On either side of the main table were a few other tables, not quite as impressive as the first. Besides the door they had entered, two other doors were in the room. One no doubt led to the kitchen, and the other to the rest of the castle.
Servants were bustling about the room, getting it ready for dinner. Places were set and the food was being brought out when some of the knights began entering the room. Milling about and talking in groups off to the side, they stayed out of the way of the busy servants. William noticed that while many of them were glancing in his direction, some were simply staring. Knowing this was no time to be humble, he stood a little taller, a little straighter, and a little prouder. From experience he knew that that is what the other knights would expect. Humility would only be seen as weakness.
Suddenly, William noticed the knights grow silent. Looking over at the third doorway, he saw someone enter. The man was tall with broad shoulders. His hair was turning gray, as was his beard. Although his face was stern and commanding, his bright blue eyes were kind. His gaze swept through the room slowly, until resting on his daughter.
�Mikaela!�
�Father, it is good to see you.�
�I was afraid I had lost you.�
Mikaela moved to her father�s side and embraced him. How could she have even thought of leaving? She would have missed her father, her people, and her home. Stepping back, she remembered William and beckoned him over.
�Father, this is Sir William, he saved my life when Lord Bryant�s men attacked.�
�You were attacked?�
�Yes, three men came on horses and tried to take me, but William defended me.�
�Sir William, it appears I am in your debt; you saved my daughter�s life.�
�I did what any knight would do, your majesty.�
�Perhaps. Where are you from, knight?�
�I am from nowhere.�
�That can not be true; you are a knight, are you not? From which kingdom do you come?�
�The kingdom I came from was destroyed your highness, I have been roaming the countryside since that time.�
�You must be weary from your long travels, please join us for our meal. Afterwards you can tell of your rescue of Mikaela.�
�I would be honored.�
The king nodded and turned to the others in the room.
�Fellow knights, tonight we dine in celebration of the return of my daughter, Princess Mikaela, and in honor of Sir William, her rescuer.�
A cheer rose up from the knights, but William could tell that it was only given because the king desired it. They were wary of him, not that he could blame them. The king eyed him a little suspiciously as well, but was too overjoyed at the sight of his daughter to give it too much thought at the moment. The king moved to the head of the table with Mikaela seated on his left and William at his right. Apparently two different kinds of knights, and their families, were allowed to dine with the king. Probably the knights at the table of the king were his special knights, and the others were some of the less important ones, although still high ranking.
Everyone ate with gusto, hungry after a hard day of work. To William, who had not had a good meal in months, the food was especially tasty. Piping hot meats, drizzled with succulent sauces, warm fresh bread, stewed vegetables, and one of the best wines he had ever tasted. The meal seemed to end too soon, but he could not have eaten any more.
The king held up his hand for silence and the response was almost instantaneous. A hush fell over the room as they waited for him to speak. The king looked at his knights, then at William.
�Now that we have feasted, let us hear of how it came to be that you saved the princess.�
Some faint whispering could be heard as William looked to Mikaela, and then stood. He turned to face his audience and began his tale.
Mikaela was quite impressed by the storytelling. One minute his voice would be almost a whisper, the next it boomed throughout the hall. To his credit, William did not disclose the reason Mikaela was on the hilltop, for which she was glad. She also took note that while he did embellish the story some, as was custom, he did not make it some outlandish tale. He never said that she was frightened, only that she showed great courage. This act helped him gain respect in her eyes, although he was probably unaware.
When he had finished the story, the king came over to him.
�Sir William, you impress me. I would be honored if you would stay in Malden as long as you like. In fact, I would like to make you one of my high knights. What say you to that?�
�Majesty, I would most graciously accept your invitation to stay in Malden, for the evening. However, after that I shall be moving on.�
William�s gaze rested on Mikaela. At the mention of him leaving, Mikaela looked up quickly, in alarm. She was not sure exactly how she felt about the man, but she did know she wanted to know more about her protector.
�But knight, you do not have a kingdom to return to, why not stay here?�
�I believe that I have more that I need to do before staying in one place.�
�Well, will you at least stay for a few days? Perhaps we can convince you to stay.�
�Very well, your highness, I shall stay for a few days, but I can promise nothing more.�
�That is all I ask. Mikaela, would you show Sir William to his room, please? He must be tired after today.�
�Of course father. This way William.�
As they left the room, conversations started up again. They climbed up a staircase and reached the door to his room in silence. Mikaela walked inside and he followed her slowly.
�This is where you will be staying. I hope it suits you.�
�It will do quite well, princess, thank you.�
�If you need anything, some of the servants live in the rooms around the kitchen. They would be happy to get you what you require.�
Mikaela looked into his gorgeous eyes and thought she saw sadness, although she could not imagine why. After a moment, she turned and headed towards the door.
�Mikaela?�
As she turned, her hair flowed about her shoulders. She stood facing him.
�Yes William?�
�Where exactly will you be sleeping, if I need you?�
His eyes danced as he flashed her a playful grin. At first she seemed taken aback, then offended. He could tell that she was not actually offended though; her eyes sparkled and a smile tugged at her lips as she responded.
�I believe that is something you only have a chance of finding out if you stay in Malden. Good night William.�
�Good night Mikaela.�
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