Hello! And welcome to my first ever book! :D
I'm Lisalynd, Writer of Many Names. I'm mostly known as Destiny RainbowHeart in Wizard101 (If ever you see me online, please let me know you've read this story of mine before asking to friend me). I'm also known as the Mystery Writer in a few of AlliyahtheWriter's Author's Notes in one of her stories. Together, we are the Writers of Destiny! ;D
(Now you know why I titled myself as 'Writer of Many Names' :P )
This is the first book of the series Knights of the Rainbow Heart. It is a prequel to the series called: The Knights of the Silver Rose, which I will soon be posting as well.
I hope you readers out there (if there are any), love this story as much as I loved writing it. :) Feel free to give me some pointers on writing if you think I can improve. This is my first time publishing my writing after all. Enjoy! :D
Lancelot's P.O.V.
We're in big trouble... I was running down the royal hallway with my accomplice, John Hawkwood. No way am I gonna get beat up by some nun or maid! Not today!
Being nine, I was allowed to go wherever I pleased in the castle, because I was a knight's page. I was lucky he never really asked me to do much except pack up his gear for his travels and adventures, which he went on non-stop. John, on the other hand, was almost always being called up to serve his old knight. I was surprised that he was still alive.
We ran down the corner, my loose brown hair in a page cut going wild. We had to get to the boys' dormitory as soon as possible.
John Hawkwood's P.O.V.
I should have never agreed to this… I regretted. I just wanted to have fun! I didn't realize the whole palace staff would be on the lookout for us!
I was a year older than Lancelot, and I should have known better than to prank the future King of Avalon! I shuddered. I've always feared Prince Artorius. He was a fierce bear cub after all. They are the symbol and representation of bravery, strength, and power.
Our prank was a simple one. Wake him up a bit earlier than usual and pour two buckets of swamp water and toads on him. The reaction was worth it!
Prince Artorius was lying in bed, tossing and turning. It was before sunrise.
"Are you sure we should do this?" I precautioned the mastermind. "He seems to be having a nightmare..."
Lancelot smirked. "Lighten up John! This is gonna be the funniest thing you've ever seen!"
"Okay..."
We slowly started pouring the murky cold swamp water onto him.
"Brr..." shivered Artorius, still asleep. "Don't make me swim in the swamp..."
We both struggled to keep back our laughter. We kept going, and the frogs jumped out. He kept sleep talking, and seemed to think he was fighting in his sleep! I couldn't believe it! I was having a blast until a toad was leaping towards Prince Artorius' face!
"Lancelot! Let's get out of here!" I tugged him out of the room, then closed the great doors behind us.
He was too busy giggling to answer until we got out. "Aw come on John! Don't be such a spoil sport!"
We peeked in through the keyhole.
"Ah! I'm drowning in the swamp of doom! Frog monster's gonna eat me! Help!"
He screeched just like a girl. I burst out laughing alongside Lancelot.
Then I saw him bolt upright from his bed, now wide awake. He discovered he's been pranked.
"Who dares do this to me? Why, I'll hang them! Maids! Guards!"
"Now's the best time to give him the slip."
Lancelot rushed down the hall.
And here I am now. Running for my life after a harmless prank on a to-be powerful leader. Our lives were at stake! Or more like, on the line. Literally.
We past by the halls with all the armor displayed. I looked at my reflection. I was a mess! My clothes all stained, wet, and wrinkled, my short, straight, blond hair all tangled, and my skin, clammy.
I slammed open the door to the dormitory. I bunked with Lancelot, so that was convenient since we only had to lock one door to secure the safety of our messy refuge. It was the only entrance and exit around here. Or so I thought…
"Psst! John!"
Lancelot removed a few tiles and bricks from a corner. There was a tiny tunnel behind it!
"Follow me," he directed. "This is our route to freedom!"
I was quite uncertain about this. I've enjoyed the benefits of living here. I didn't want to give that all up and run away! Then again, all those pleasures were about to become burdens…
Emeric de Mousquetaire's P.O.V.
I woke up at the sound of John and Lancelot hustling. They were probably plotting something again. I groaned. I didn't bother getting up from my homemade bed. Not only was I tired, but I knew what would happen if I tried to stop them. Next thing I knew, all fingers were pointing at me. I would be blamed, then get the punishments they deserved. I tried not to hold grudges, but that was extremely challenging when surrounded by a bunch of ruthless boys.
I'm always the scapegoat around them. Would they ever suffer the consequences instead of me?
Prince Artorius' screams echoed all over the castle. This is the third time this week he has woken up roaring.
"Here we go again..." I grumbled out of bed, put on my servant clothes and rushed out of my room to Prince Artorius'.
I was the lucky one to get picked as the closest servant of Prince Artorius at the age of nine, which was approximately a year ago. Not as glorious as I imagined, but at least I could play my part in this kingdom of Avalon. From six to seven years old, young, aristocratic boys would be chosen by knights to be their pages. But I was one of the three remaining since I was so skinny and scrawny. It was true I was all skin and bones. I had no muscles, but that didn't stop my high energy level.
I think I got the best role out of the three: Edward, Richard, and me. Even though it does require a lot of energy to search all over the place to fill those orders and is the most laboursome, I enjoyed it because it gave me satisfaction and a purpose. I was pretty much a runner and messenger. I personally wasn't interested in the other possibilities, even though they also would deal with the prince.
Edward was very tall and very awkward. His jaw was so sharp I once thought he didn't need a knife or any weapon, because could cut with his chin instead. His skin was ghostly pale, and he always had droopy black eyes, just like a zombie's. Altogether, he seemed paranormal, which always made me uncomfortable standing too close to him. Though he was not very good at fighting, he was resourceful at when it came to trade. He became the prince's personal adviser. I never figured out how old he really was... He seemed young, but with a look like that, he could be ageless!
Richard was short and stubby with blond curly hair and vibrant blue eyes. He wore specs at all times, making him unable to put on a helmet properly. He always carried a book, or two, or a stack full I'd end up picking up for him. He was definitely rich in knowledge in any field since he would often read in his spare time. He was the studious type, which made it suitable for him to be the prince's daily planner. He was so organized, I could picture him as a walking, talking schedule! Organization was a skill I lacked, since I was a complete scatterbrain.
I took the fastest route I knew to get to the prince's chambers. I met up with Edward and Richard. They had better luck than I did. They didn't have to go across the castle in order to reach this hall since they have a servant's dorm closer to the prince's. I resided in the boys' dormitories, well, sort of. I wasn't a registered squire or page, and all the servant rooms were taken. I ended up finding a small empty storage room and made it my home. For a pillow, I 'borrowed' a bag of grains and would lay my head on that. I also 'borrowed' some hay from the stables outside, making that my mattress. I grabbed some bed sheets that were left on the drying rack. I assumed no one was using them, and if they were, they must have forgotten them. It used to be white with royal blue design, but now it's gotten dirty and full of holes. I didn't dare ask anyone to repair it or wash it in public. If I did ask, the maid might recognize it. Plus, cleaning was a girl's job. It would be humiliating for a boy to be seen washing laundry. I didn't mind that it was dirty and ripped though. It was all I needed.
I actually chose this little room on purpose. I could hear all the events of the day in the dormitory, and be one of the prince's closest servants at the same time. Even though it's been a year already, I still have yet to establish a stable friendship with Prince Artorius.
Richard and Edward were both anxious and uncertain whether or not to enter Prince Artorius' gigantic bedroom. Ours were tiny compared to his.
"It's your turn." Edward tried to push me into the room, but this time, I held my ground.
"No way!" I argued. "I went in first last time and got a detention to clean his room!"
They both eyed me.
"Hey! It wasn't my fault! I'm telling you! It's that prankster Lancelot and his follower John Hawkwood! They shared what they did to all the boys in the boys' dormitory! How many times must I tell you guys?!"
Richard finally gave in with a sigh. "Okay fine. I don't want to cause an argument here, so I'll see what's going on..."
He went in the royally draped room. I heard some screeches from the prince, and he exited immediately, running towards the maids' dorms.
"What in the Crown's name is going on here?!" Edward slammed open the great double doors, trying to make a big entrance, but ended up getting yelled at instead.
He ran out the room and headed the opposite direction Richard took.
Guess it's my turn. I looked at myself through a display of armor just to check if I looked presentable for prince Artorius. He does have high expectations. Everything has to be perfect.
It was unfortunate I could never smoothen my spiky brown hair. I always seemed to have a bad hair day.
I looked at my big green-brown, worried eyes. "Well, here goes nothing..."
