Alli's Note: This is a sneak peek of Leo's first chapter. I'll have the full of it up tomorrow for you to read. It is sent in an imaginary country. Leo's father is a knight and a very good friend of the king. Leo has been sent out to visit Princess Hollis, who his father wants him to marry.
Leo scowled harshly at the ground. His father had insisted that he take a large guard with him to the Capital. Machiavelli cleared his throat beside him, trying to catch his attention. Looping his horse’s reigns through a ring on the front of his saddle, he looked over to his friend. Machiavelli gestured behind them with a small wave of his hand. When he glanced back, Leo found two of his men were arguing in harsh whispers.
He tugged his reigns sharply, causing his horse to stop abruptly. Behind him, his men hurried to do the same. Leo hopped down and approached the two men in an argument. “Go home,” he told them .
“But, sir, your father told us not to leave you until you had seen the king!” The taller of the two protested.
The other one nodded sharply to Leo, “Of course. C’mon, David. Mister Leonardo Decker has asked us to return home, and we will obey him.”
Leo looked around to all of the men. “Tate, Hyde, all of you, head home.”
As the men began to turn their horses around and trot off, two stayed back. They were both young and fresh out of training. “Sir, you cannot present yourself to Princess Hollis without some sort of guard. I mean no offence to your friend, but one scholar won’t cut it. Zakir and I will gladly accompany you the rest of the way.”
Machiavelli walked over to whisper in Leo’s ear, “He’s quite right. You have to have someone. I know that you didn’t want to put up with Tate and the rest, but I like these two.”
“All right, you’ll do, I suppose. What are your full names?” Leo swung himself back in his saddle, but kept his eyes trained on the two.
“I’m Jerome of Sir Isaac, son of Scott the Fearless, son of Sir Rayton who slayed the Great White Wolf.” He was a tall, scrawny fellow, but Leo liked his attitude and his swordwork.
The other boy had hardly spoken a word since they had left a day before. He was broad-shouldered, as tall as Jerome, and strong. His sword was government issued and a rare sight to Leo’s eyes. Most men his age carried their family sword, or had received their own as a manhood gift. “I’m Zakir.”
That’s it? Leo thought, a common man’s sword, no heritage, no title? “Very well. Let us be swift, because I do not want to spend another night on the ground.”
They headed off, riding faster now. A total of eight men had been sent back to his father, and they traveled much more quickly without them. They kept silent mostly, though, and focused on their path. Leo and Machiavelli led and Zakir and Jerome followed close behind. It was a peaceful span of time.
Leo used it to think of Hollis. He had met her before, and had been quite taken with her. She was a petite brunette and had a thirst for knowledge. She was a quiet girl, but Leo preferred to keep to himself as well. If this went as his father planned, he’d be asking King Patrick for her hand by the end of the week. He would have a wife by the end of the season.
He didn’t particularly want a family. He liked Hollis, and wouldn’t mind being a father, but that wasn’t what he was looking for. He had decided that the Capital was the best place for him to find contentment. He would be in line for the throne, because Hollis only had one older brother. If something were to happen to him, Leo would receive the crown. This meant that he had to be protected. He would no longer be sent out on pointless trips, or have to waste his time with foolish men. He could rest for the first time since in three years.
