About fifty soldiers rode into the Royal Academy — a camp of tents, dirt paths, and the steady clang of steel where young men trained to serve the crown. Among them was Agnus, seated tall on his horse, sunlight glinting off his armor.
By the well, a few shirtless cadets were cooling off, scooping water into their hands. Amariam, broad-shouldered with warm brown skin and a cropped black beard, looked up first. Beside him, Nerios brushed a curtain of blond hair from his eyes. Both spotted Agnus instantly..
The two crossed the yard. Soldiers swung down from their horses. Amariam dipped a jug and handed it up to Agnus.
"I didn't know they gave water to bastards like all of you," Agnus said. "Back in my day, you had to earn every drop."
The group chuckled, shaking hands and slapping shoulders.
"Not all of us," Amariam replied with a smirk, "have the luxury of certain… royal friendships."
"You're not suggesting my training scores are fake, are you?" Agnus asked, raising a brow.
"That's no secret," Nerios cut in, deadpan.
Amariam laughed, clapping Agnus on the arm. "Good to see you brother. My eyes light up at the sight of you. And Nerios is right."
"So," Nerios asked, "what brings you here?"
"Just passing through," Agnus said. "There's a matter I need to investigate — something that happened at the camp nearby."
While Agnus spoke, Amariam noticed a few soldiers from his group watching him from a distance. They kept their smiles, but their conversation was their own.
"These men are from Adames," Nerios murmured to Amariam. "Looks like someone else is running this expedition… and it's not Agnus."
"Unless they're here to serve him," Amariam said.
Agnus's gaze followed the men as they mounted up. "The king placed them under my command — at least on paper. But they don't respect authority."
The soldiers rode out without him. Agnus urged his horse forward, but Amariam stepped into his path.
"Careful, my friend," Amariam said. "Better to follow them than force them to follow you."
"Don't worry," Agnus replied. "Some of them even talk to me — I like a few. But I'll take your advice."
Amariam and Nerios stood watching as Agnus rode out.
Hours later, the cadets were at sword practice, trading blows with their fellow trainees. From the corner of his eye, Nerios spotted twenty soldiers riding in, halting to speak to one of the camp's men. The man pointed toward the same path Agnus had taken earlier. Without another word, the riders headed that way. Amariam caught Nerios's glance. Something was wrong.
Out on the trail, Agnus followed his soldiers, listening to their stories about women, food, and home. Suddenly, they stopped and dismounted.
"What's going on?" Agnus called. "If you just want a rest, the camp's close — we should keep moving."
One man jerked his chin. "Get down."
Agnus stayed in the saddle. A blade flashed from its scabbard. He turned his horse to pull away, but more riders closed in ahead of him. He was surrounded.
"You're breaking the soldier's code," Agnus warned. "A soldier never betrays his comrade. This is treason — punishable by death."
"The king's orders override any code," one man said flatly. "You have two choices: fight to the death… or take your own life in honor of him."
Agnus glanced to the trees. Archers waited in the shadows.
"All this for one man?" he said, voice cold. "Cowards."
He swung down from his horse, drawing his sword. Some of the soldiers sat back to watch. Five advanced. Agnus met them with steel and fury, blades ringing, sparks flying. He cut two men, but they were too many. Slashes opened along his ribs and thigh.
From the treeline came a sudden rain of arrows. Through the trees charged Nerios with his archers, and Amariam leading fifty cadets in a headlong rush. Steel met steel in a chaos of shouting and blood.
Agnus staggered upright, wounded but unyielding, and joined Amariam in the fight. Nerios's archers loosed from the high ground, picking off targets with each shot. Still, the cadets were outnumbered four to one. Then came the thunder of more horses — Kletus arrived with two hundred men. His troops faltered, unsure who was the enemy.
"You idiots!" Kletus's voice boomed across the clearing. "Killing each other? What is this — some lover's quarrel? It ends now."
A soldier shouted that the king had ordered Agnus's execution. Kletus's eyes swept over Agnus, then the battlefield.
"You cadets," Kletus said at last. "You've broken the law, killed to protect your friend, and defied the king. Form up. You'll be delivered to him, and he'll decide your fate."
Agnus, Amariam, Nerios, and the cadets obeyed. As soldiers gathered their belongings, Kletus's voice dropped to a lethal command: "Kill every man carrying the king's order." Within moments, five cadets were forced to their knees. The blades fell.
Kletus caught Agnus by the arm and pulled him aside. "You're in the wrong place, Agnus. Those cadets died because of you."
"The king betrayed me," Agnus said through clenched teeth.
"That shouldn't surprise you," Kletus replied. "I told you to come with me, but you stayed with your princesses. Be grateful some fat fool sent me a messenger to pull you out. I'll send word that you and your boys slaughtered the king's men. You'll be fugitives. That's the best I can do."
He pressed Agnus's sword back into his hand. "Go. Maybe you've got a few days left to live. I can't help you beyond this."
Agnus and the cadets slipped away into the trees. Behind them, Kletus's men finished the slaughter.
Kletus barked. "The rest — with me."
The soldiers who'd seen him let the fugitives go glanced at each other.
"If anyone has something to say," Kletus warned, "say it now."
No one spoke. They followed him into the woods.