Princess Dark Bodyguard - 3 The White City

It was mid dawn, and the city was as grand and vast as he remembered. Fortviros was the biggest city in the continent. Many people see Fortviros as a safe haven for a new life away from the bandits of the frontier, but for Alex it reminded him of bad memories he would rather like to forget.

The carriage stopped at the at the northern gate. As the pair got out of the carriage Alex noticed two men approaching them.

“Hello, General Flint, the King is glad that you can join him, he only hears good things about you and your men. We will be taking you to the palace, follow me.”

The men had taken them through the noble district to get to the palace. Many people and merchants filled the street, fancy nobles were buying useless trinkets and other such things. Owners of stands were yelling out there products using large words most common folk misunderstood trying to get someone to buy their stock.

The palace wall was the most fortified he had ever seen it. Multiple guards patrolled the walls endlessly and the guards wore siege armor. What surprised Alex was the amount of guards at the gate, it was tripled from the last time he had seen them. It seems the king has grown paranoid in his old age. Flint was as curious as he.

“I have never seen the gates so protected, has something happened.”

When Flint asked the man the question the man looked perplexed and then calmed down.

“You were on the front lines in the north so it makes since you were not notified. There was an assassination attempt on the King. A number of assassins stormed the throne room not but a fort night ago. His Majesty has taken several precautions.”

An attack on the king, Alex scoffed at the idea. Such a thing was foolish, and long overdue. The pair was lead through the gardens. Despite the Stewart appearance on the outside the inside was beautiful. The Queen’s gardens, a meticulously planted haven dedicated to the late Queen Rachel. There were an uncountable number of flowers and other foliage from many distant lands. It was in someways a stark contrast to the happenings inside the castle.

While walking through these gardens he caught a gimps of a young woman sitting under a finely crafted gazebo reading a book. She had jade black hair with pail skin and with a smaller figure, something he himself didn’t mind much. She looked up from her book with green eyes resembling emeralds. For a moment their eyes connected and Alex felt a tinge of sadness, he took a bow and smiled like a nobleman would.

She smiled and gave a slight curtsy from her sitting position and dived back into her book. They were lead through large hallways bearing tapestries as large as the walls themselves. They told stories and great deeds of the kingdom and her rulers. He noticed a blatant disregard for the commons solders who died protecting there land. And unfortunately that has not changed.

Farther down the hall was a newer tapestry devoid the dust and grime of time. It showed the king, and old man with a long grey bear sat atop a grand thrown pointing towards a battle field. He believed it was supposed to mimic the kings rule during this disgruntled war, but in all truth he has done little more than start it.

The man led them up a a winding stair case and they came upon a smaller hallway he believed to be the guest quarters. There were doors on each wall that extended a small distance.

“Your rooms are at the very back. We encourage a good scrubbing in your rooms and we will send for you for tonight’s party.”

The man wrinkled his nose as he walked past them indicating to them that what he suggested may not be a bad plan. The two made there way down the hall, each seemed to hide there disgruntlement for there new longing.

“Alex, take the one on the right, it should have a window. I personally like as few entryways as possible.”

Alex nodded and opened his door, inside looked rather comfy. He had a fine bed, a small table with chairs, and a bathing area with running water through magical means. As Flint had said there was a window looking out over the city with a grand view of the sunset. It seemed there walk was longer than he thought. He started filling the tub, if he wanted to make an impression to the court it was best to do so with no lingering smells.

He would spend the rest of his evening bathing and using cologne he had pinched off a nobleman on his way to the castle. After bathing he put on some fancier clothes that Flint had given him to wear. He slid his dusty blond hair back and looked at himself in the reflection of the water. He looked like a fine nobleman if he had ever seen one, his blue eyes reminded him of his mothers. It was a slight reminder of the good still left in the world, but scar on his cheek did the opposite.

There was a knock on the door as he smoothed his outfit one more time. The only thought in his head now was how he was going to make it through the party without beheading any of the guest. He fastened his sword to his hip and exited through the room meeting with a even more disgruntled General.

“I don’t know why I agreed to this. Iv’e always hated the parties of the Nobles. And you, I know it might seem appealing, but don’t behead anyone. If it gets too much, just sneakily leave and cool sown outside. OK?”

“Yes sir. I’ll, TRY, to contain myself.”

“That’s all I can ask. Now, let’s…go…”