The Scarlet Paladin

Alice was preparing Toni to depart from the carriage. She covered his body with a cloak, enchanted to make the wielder blend in better. His veil was exchanged for a scarf that lessened the effect of his blessing. He looked like a refugee, but it had to be done while he was in public.

“Couldn’t they have made it look better?” Toni whined, muffled by the scarf. He was squirming as his mother finished setting the cloak. “Could have made it a dress or something…”

Alice laughed slightly. Her son was fond of fashion. He wanted anything cute or beautiful, but these clothes were the opposite. “Shh… you can take them off once we’re inside.” She said warmly.

“Aww. Fine.” Toni said, crossing his arms. “Do I have to wear them when we go to the shopping district?”

Alice just nodded her head. She doubted they’d visit the district, or that it was even worth going to. Given the state of the citizens here, she doubted the fashion district was even a thing. She finished tying the cloak and turned the enchantment on with her own mana. “We’ll see… I don’t want to stay here long.”

Toni did his best to smile for his mom, but the scarf covered his mouth. She could only see her boy’s gleeful eyes as the pit in her stomach almost made her bend over. It physically hurt to bring him into this place, and what was rumored to be inside. She hugged him tightly before they heard a knock on the carriage door.

“Mistress, Master. Are you two ready?” A female knight’s voice called out. Alice pulled away from her son and took a series of deep breaths.

“Yes. Thank you.” She responded with a bit of shakiness. 

The door opened to the carriage, and the light entered the enclosed cabin. Alice first noticed the junior knight holding the door open for them, her head bowed in respect. Maeve, now in her armor and covered by her helmet, had her hand outstretched to help the two out of the carriage. Alice took her retainer’s hand and leaned on the woman’s strength to descend the step.

Before her was an assortment of knights, purple accents detailed her escorts, while a light shade of pink decorated the Lady’s knights. The two companies stood in formation facing each other, a noble welcome. Alice turned to help Toni down before letting him hold her arm. Maeve stood beside him.

Alice nearly flinched when the music started. Horns played a rhythmic noble tune as the entrance to the castle was slowly opened. She’d seen this hundreds of times, and been a part of it too, but she had never felt this much dread before. She was having trouble keeping her breathing steady as more guards appeared from within.

A detail of 10 knights exited the entrance before filing into two facing formations on each side of the entrance. They presented their decorative swords to the people about to emerge. The first one to appear was a knight in decorated armor, more cloth than steel. The Guard’s Captain.

She made it past the platoon of knights before turning and saluting them. They resheathed their arms as she turned back to face their guest. She bowed to them and without saying another word, stepped to the side to wait for her Lady. Alice felt a chill run down her spine, she knew the next person would be her. The noblewoman who all those rumors were.

“Attention!” The Captain’s booming voice broke the silence. Both Alice and Toni jumped. Alice had forgotten, while Toni did not know it was coming. It was followed by the sounds of feet moving together all around them and the shuffling of steel. Toni held Alice’s arm tightly before the woman emerged from within.

A middle-aged woman dressed in decorative fashion, adorned with pink all over. The rumors were true about her stature; the plump noble had overindulged herself over the years. Alice grimaced, knowing the state of some of this Lady’s citizens. She walked with confidence, strolling out as best she could before her captain came to her aid.

She leaned on her captain and walked towards the trio standing before her. The closer they got, the more Alice could start to confirm the rumors. Toad-like face? An overabundance of makeup? Faint smell of grease? All true, the closer the Lady got to them. Alice nearly had to cover her mouth as the woman's bizarre appearance nearly made her laugh.

She stopped several feet away from the trio before her captain detached from her and approached them. Maeve left Toni’s side and met her in the middle. The two saluted one another before walking off in sync to the side. The moment they stopped, another wave of shuffling feet and steel as the surrounding knights went back to at rest.

Lady Lloyd stepped forward and extended her hand in a gesture. “Welcome, Mistress and Master Elfreit, to Castle Lloyd.” Her voice matched her appearance. It sent another shiver down Alice’s spine before she responded. She guided Toni through a return bow.

“Thank you, Lady Lloyd. We are extremely pleased to meet you.” Alice said in her noblewoman's voice. One that Toni always found funny. She elbowed her son to stop him from giggling.

“Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Toni said with a faint chuckle. His voice had an immediate effect on the women around them. Alice, whose head was still down, heard the faint shuffling of the knights and saw Myrtle shift slightly. A silence fell over the crowd as the two came up from their bow. Alice held her serious face despite the urge to grimace.

“Ahh… yes, it’s Anthony, right?” Myrtle’s voice grated against Alice’s ears. Her lustful eyes scanned her son’s disguised figure. “It’s a shame you are dressed in such… plain clothing. I can tell from your voice how handsome you are.”

Alice bit her tongue. Handsome was nearly a dead word. A word from when men had a more equal footing in society. Only nobles used it now as a status or something. Alice wasn’t quite sure, but it was a word reserved entirely for men they fancied. Alice silently cursed Anka for making them come here.

Despite her urge to grimace at Myrtle licking her lips, she spoke back. “Yes. Anthony, and I’m Alice. Excuse his appearance as the Goddess Anka has blessed him with a troublesome blessing.” She said in her best voice. Myrtle just nodded, her eyes never leaving Toni.

“Yes. So I’ve heard.” Myrtle said, finally taking her eyes off Toni. She turned to her captain and continued. “Lillith, inform our guard that Lady Elfreit’s knights will take their duties while here.”

“Yes, my Lady,” The captain replied.

“Now, we should head in. The sun is getting hot.” The noblewoman said, fanning her face with her hand. She turned with no decorum and headed back towards the shade. Alice held Toni back from following.

“Not yet. Wait for her to enter like we practiced.” Alice whispered. Toni nodded back as the two captains departed from one another. Maeve returned to Toni’s side while Lillith entered the inner building. 

“Now?” Toni whispered to his mother. Alice nodded as the three followed the captain inside. They passed the captain as she stood by the entrance. The moment they entered the building, Lilith signaled for the doors to close behind them. With a thud the wooden doors slammed together, and Alice’s nerves almost took over.

“Right this way. Myrtle will be out in a bit.” Lilith said, losing all her manners and even calling her Lady by her first name to guests. She led the trio to the castle’s courtroom while they waited for their host. 

After a moment, their platoon of knights funneled in with a select number of Lady Lloyd’s guard joining. It was one of the conditions Lady Elfreit had set out in order for this visit to happen. Her own knights needed to take Lady Lloyd’s so that no incidents happened.

“Can I take this stuff off now?” Toni asked, tugging on his mother’s sleeve. Every fiber of her body told her to refuse, to make him keep it on. But this was Myrtle’s condition. She just nodded while biting her cheek. Toni let out a sigh of relief, he undid the scarf to reveal his blessing.

There was a shift from a few of Myrtle’s knights, but nobody moved. That was a good sign at least. Next, he undid the cloak to reveal his body and the outfit underneath. An extravagant white dress with purple accents covered his body. Alice got the final say in the dress, and she rejected any that showed off his belly.

Maeve retrieved the matching veil that Toni put on to complete the look. While it didn’t show off any skin, it still highlighted his figure. The veil and matching headpiece, a staple of his fashion, brought attention to his face. To his blessing.

A silence fell over the room. Lady Elfreit’s knights watched Lady Lloyd’s for anyone who dared to move. Lady Lloyd’s guards held their positions after a brief moment of shuffling. Alice let out a sigh of relief, knowing Myrtle had picked knights that were safe.

Then, the doors next to the throne opened, and Alice immediately held her breath again. Myrtle appeared from behind the door before pausing in shock. Her wide eyes filled with lust as she licked her lips. Alice instinctively moved to protect Toni before Lillith approached Myrtle. The captain pulled her Lady to her chair and helped her sit down.

“Well… the rumors of your beauty… were true,” Myrtle said between labored breaths.