The Awakening

Chapter 10 ~ The Friend

"During a time when chaos perpetuates, kingdoms must stand tall, united to one front."

- Prince Lex Sinclair de Laurent Beaumont

~*~

The Friend

Chapter 10

"Ah, finally," sighed Clement through the fatigue that had overcome him. He stretched his tired muscles in various directions, working out the kinks from the long journey to Mayfair. He scratched his days old stubble distractedly as the others themselves took a pause and took in their surroundings.

A few days into their journey they had been unexpectedly ambushed, only for Saskia to realise it was only her dear friend trying to frighten her acquaintances. Andre had grunted in dissatisfaction, mouth pulled down into a heated scowl. Leia later approached Saskia with a short snigger after the hoax was up, the confident swagger in her walk exposing her lack of sympathy.

"She is preparing for your arrival, friend."

"Good, we are three days away so hopefully that is enough time."

After that the pair bid farewell, promising to see each other soon despite not knowing either's whereabouts. It had been a long and tedious journey, the excitement from the last few days making them all feel exceptionally drained. However, there was no time to rest--well for Saskia.

"Clement and Shuo rest up in a nearby inn. You have the whole day to do whatever pleases you. I will accompany Miss Saskia to the resident's home. Alert me of any problems and meet us here near that fountain tomorrow morning at seven am sharp."

"Thank you, sir. Please, do allow yourselves some rest too," said Shuo. "Although the next journey is short, we have been overexerting our bodies for quite some time."

"Of course," nodded Andre before they departed.

A piercing silence accompanied the two individuals left, Saskia's features carefully placed into a blank mask, no sign of worry or doubt or anything of the sort. It unnerved him, to see a face so perfectly concealed, no inkling of how she may be feeling. His eyes kept averting to hers before she held his gaze, a brow raised.

"You seem troubled."

His head snapped back into their usual position, eyes facing forward, away from her probing stare. "Nothing of the sort, Miss Saskia. You have assumed wrong."

"Of course," she responded back, but he was getting the strange sensation that he was being mocked. His lips hardened into a frown, the air between them tense. He had no clue what to say or even do in her presence. He was always so put together, cool and collected when dealing with problematic situations or people but with her it was hard, he had to admit. He had no idea what her thoughts were like and her face was always so blank and free of emotion that he was hesitant with anything he did around her.

Figuring it would be good to distract himself, he glanced around at his surroundings.

After a small walk down a weathered route, they found themselves at the heart of civilisation. The first signs of the morning awakening again made themselves known with animals calling out at the break of dawn. The sun filtered through the trees and little houses, bathing them in a golden, blinding light. Saskia's eyes trailed from cottage to cottage, passing over bars and small inns impartially as they strode through. Some early goers eyed them curiously while others regarded them wearily, ignorant of the fact that they were in the presence of loyal knights.

A strangled gasp sounded in front of them, the merchant's eyes widening to accommodate his widening mouth. "Hail!" he yelled deafeningly, "For you are in the presence of General Andre, leader of the Novicius Knights!" They both watched as he bent low, head bowed in respect.