The Knight's Eyes

4: INVISIBLE

The ride through the city was uncomfortable. The sun was naked in the morning sky inviting hordes of fruit flies, bloodthirsty mosquitos, and stomach cringing smells. He wished he had brought along one of Walta's fans to wave away the pestilence and cool off his sweaty face. To add on to his annoyance he had to walk Rome instead of ride him.

People were leaving. Piles of their most valuable possessions sat tied upon carts and wagons. Children cried to be leaving behind their homes and friends while women for the first time ever glued their lips shut. Men from all parts of the kingdom furrowed their eyebrows and shouted at one another as if it was their fault for their present situation.

Alsin spotted a lot of armsmen who he had saw sign their names on the quest roster. He grunted seeing they had managed to snap back into their senses and found 100 peeks to pay bail. Eyes of disgrace and heads shook at Alsin knowing he had signed up and chose to bail and disgrace his royal title. He could care less about the consequences. Already he was poor so what more could the king do to him?

Kill you, the thought popped into his head. He groaned and swiped at a stubborn fly.

When his father did his campaigns against King Edrich Von, warning the people about the man behind the mask, money slipped from their savings in chunks. The worst part, his father had no supporting evidence to back his crazy claims. This led Edrich to take everything from his family; their stone house in the hills, his father's physician license and job, all of Alsin's personal savings for his education in carpentry, and his family's dignity.

The painstaking results left them poorer than poor and by the time Alsin was sixteen, Walta finally took them in to live off of her small savings. He had to drop school and find work until a representative from Edrich's army recruit convinced him to join.

His father hated the idea having no respect for the king's army because unlike the citizens, the army had to abide by the king at all cost. There was no true freedom being in Terra's army and Alsin found that out the hard way. He had seen and committed acts he regretted and gave him nightmares. Plus, their teachings separated him from those of his father's and it was difficult balancing the two sides. Once he mistakenly told his father that there was nothing wrong with the king and that he had met him plenty of times and even had dinner with him. His father didn't speak to him for weeks.

Alsin checked the interior pockets of his jerkin to make sure his money hadn't fallen out. The word stupid kept chanting in the back of his head that forced his feet to move faster. To avoid the hold up in the crowd moving north, he thought to take a short cut. He took a sharp turn into an alley occupied by a few people and stray pets. He continued, traveling through alleys and narrow streets letting his mind float off to the mistake he had made four weeks ago.

Somehow, he managed to become convinced to join the convoys. If it wasn't King Edrich and his need for vengeance it had to have been Princess Javana. She was a goddess. His heart always fluttered when her name popped up or her pretty face appeared in his vision. Forget the Athenian sword and the anointed king reward, what he wanted was her. It was obvious that she favored him. A piece of his soul danced whenever she was in his presence and his imagination cuts wild.

Someone whistled behind him. Alsin halted, all thoughts vaporizing into the muffled drums of his heartbeat. He turned to face the meddler, but no one was there. Hand firm on his sword, he narrowed his eyes, glancing side to side and up and down.

Rome stirred and his body shifted uncomfortably. A boot clicked the ground. Alsin unsheathed his sword to fight the pest who thought it best to mess with a knight. The cloaked figure stood to his right, behind his sword arm. Alsin's breath left his body as his eyes scanned upwards, cranking his neck back from the mysterious person's great height. The face was nowhere to be seen beneath the hood. Actually, not a single body part could be seen, only the cloak hung in the air. Alive and moving.