Chapter 1
A Knight in a flowing red cloak strode purposefully down the main Corridors of Castle Seaford.
Sir Jackson's Cloak billowed in the draft as he made his way toward the Great Hall. He detested getting dressed up in his full ceremonial regalia, but it was expected at these royal functions where he and the other knights were expected to be the Kings window dressing.
King Crawford was holding a banquet in honor of Princess Kimberly's Fifteenth birthday. Sir Jackson, or Jack, as his friends called him, knew that the princess wasn't looking forward to this birthday banquet anymore than he was. Fifteen was a girl's coming out year and that meant she could look forward to her father dragging in one royal suitor after another to court her.
"Well," thought Jack, "at least tonight should be interesting." The party was already pretty much in full swing when jack entered the great hall at took his place at the table on the right side of the kings table.
Seated next to Jack were Sir Milton, Sir Gerald, called Jerry by his friends, and Sir Edward, called Eddie for short. They exchanged greetings and looked over toward the kings table. Seated next the king on his left side was the princess. No one could deny that she was one of the great beauties of the land, so there was no shortage of suitors.
At present Prince Frances the son of King Ty of Draconia was being presented to the Princess. Jack couldn't help noticing that the young man bore an amazing resemblance to a Weasel.
After the prince's name was announced, he started forward to present her with a bouquet of flowers. Suddenly he hooked his foot on the rug, Prince Frances went sprawling over the table and the flowers when in the princesses face.
The princesses eyes got big and she doubled over and began to sneeze repeatedly.
"What-achoo-is-achoo-in that-achoo-Bouquet?" gasped the Princess. Jack sprang from his chair and ran to help the princess's lady in waiting, pull the disheveled remains of the bouquet off the princess's lap. As he did this he spotted a long green plant with familiar small yellow flowers all up and down it.
"What is this?" Jack said turning to Prince Frances who had just been pulled off the table by his father.
"Just a little Heather," he said snootily, "something from my father's personal garden to give the bouquet a little class." King Ty went red with embarrassment when saw what Jack was holding.
"Frank, that's not Heather that's Ragweed, you Idiot!" he exploded in front of everyone. He grabbed Prince Frances by the ear and dragged him out of the great hall, lecturing him the entire time.
"I distinctly told you that that the Heather was the plant with the lavender colored flowers, and what do you do you pick a nice big stalk of ragweed. Can't you tell the difference_."
The rest of the lecture was lost when door closed behind him, and the princess, who had stopped sneezing when the ragweed was removed, as well as everyone lost their battle to keep a straight face.
After the laughter had subsided and a few more princes were presented, the king called in the entertainers. Besides the Jester there were jugglers, acrobats and an assortment of musicians.
The guests watched the entertainment as they ate. When the meal was over everybody stood up and began to mingle. The Musicians began to play a livelier tune and several people there began to dance.
Jack was standing in the corner of the room tugging on his collar when suddenly a familiar voice spoke to him.
"Is something wrong, Sir Jack?" Jack turned and found Princess Kimberly standing next to him. Quickly he bowed respectfully.
"Only a bit too much starch in my collar, Princess." He said, "Oh and Happy Birthday, Your Highness."
"Thank you Sir Jack," she said with a smile. Before she could say anything else Prince Lucas one of the visiting princes came over and asked Princess Kimberly to dance. For no other reason than to avoid causing a scene at her own birthday party and getting a lecture from her father about how a princess should act, she accepted.
Prince Lucas was a thin haughty looking brown haired young man with a hawk like nose. As the princess laid her hand on his arm he looked at Jack and sniffed arrogantly. Jack bowed politely to the princess, as she asked him to excuse her, while at the same time doing what he thought was a pretty good job of concealing the urge to tie Prince Lucas in a knot and drop kick him through the open window.
Jack reached up to tug on his collar again. just then his three friends walked up beside him.
"Don't let snots like Lucas get to you," said Sir Eddie, "his type grow up thinking that they're better than everyone else just because their better off and they get their own way all the time."
"Oh I know," said Jack, "But knowing that doesn't really make them any less irritating."
Jack turned his attention back to the dance floor. The song had finished and the princess was making her way across the dance floor back toward her father. Prince Lucas was following her. He said something to her that Jack couldn't hear. The princess shook her head and turned to walk away.
The prince grabbed her by the arm and spun her around. Jack sprang forward and crossed the dance floor to them in a few fast steps.
With one move he broke the prince's grip on Princess Kimberly's arm and shoved him away from the princess.
"How dare you?!" yelled Princes Lucas, "I'm a crown prince!" Lucas swung and Jack. Jack caught the punch and twisted the bratty princes' arm behind his back. With one arm Jack pinned the prince's arm behind his back, and put his other arm around the prince's neck.
"I don't care if you're the king," Jack said into the prince's ear in a quiet but menacing voice, "you grab her like that again and you're a dead man."
Jack shoved the prince away hard enough to make him sit down hard in the middle of the floor.
Jack glared at prince Lucas, and when he looked up he made eye contact with the princess. She smiled.
"Thank you, Jack." she said. Jack bowed politely. Prince Lucas pulled himself up off the floor and stormed out of the great hall.
"You'd better watch out for Prince Lucas, Sir Jack," warned the Princess as Jack Escorted her back to her quarters later that night, "he's not the type to take an insult like the one you gave him today lying down."
"Don't worry," said Jack, "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it?"
"Just be careful," said Kim, as they stopped outside her door, "I wouldn't want to lose my favorite knight!" Jack's eyes widened in surprise and Princess Kimberly's face turned as red as her dress as she realized what she said.
"I-I mean, that is I-I… Good Night Sir Jack!" the Princess bolted into her room and shut the door solidly behind her. Jack stood there for several seconds half stunned at what had just happened. Then with a slight smirk on his face he turned and strode down the hallway his step much lighter than it had been before.
The Next day found Sir Jack riding on a dirt road through the woods on his way back toward the castle after a brief visit with his parents.
Jack was the son of Lord and Lady Brewer a noble family that lived on their own land several miles south of the castle. But though his parents were quite wealthy they never spoiled Jack but had raised him to be down to earth and respectful.
As he rounded a bend in the road he saw the Princess riding toward him. Jack rode up to her and reigned in his horse. He bowed his head slightly.
"Princess," he said
"Sir Jack," she said, "I left you rather abruptly last night, I should apologize for ..."
"No need," said Jack with a wave of his hand and a smile, "All you did was pay me a high compliment!"
"So were okay?" said Princess Kim
"We were never otherwise." Jack assured her. Princess Kim smiled again.
"I should get back to the Castle before my father starts to worry." She said they turned their horses around and started back toward the Castle.
They hadn't gone more than a hundred yards when suddenly an arrow slammed into a tree right in front of them spewing wood chips in all directions. Jack drew his sword. As he turned to look for the shooter of the arrow, another arrow slammed into the tree.
Just inside the tree line Jack could make out five or six attackers heading toward them mercenaries by the look of them.
"Princess," he yelled, "Ride for the Castle, I'll by you as much time as I can!"
"But what about you!" she cried
"Forget about me!" he said, "I'm just a knight, I'm expendable you're not!" he slapped her horse's flank with the broadside of his sword.
"GO!" he yelled. The horse took off toward the castle with the princess
Jack jumped off his horse and turned to face the on rushing attackers. He dropped the first two that reached him, but was taken down by a searing pain as a crossbow bolt slammed into his side.
Jack hit the ground with the bolt jutting out of his side and his vision going blurry, but the killing blow never came all he caught was the glimpse of a flashing blade cutting down his attackers then everything went black.
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