All Chapters of The King's Guard : Chapter 51
- Chapter 60
65 chapters
Chapter 51
The bells of Veridale’s southern gate rang long before the caravan appeared. Their low clang rolled across the capital, drawing people into the streets. Market stalls closed, shutters opened, and eyes turned east.Kael stood with his squad on the steps of the Academy’s outer wall, armor polished but plain. The King himself had ordered the Corps deployed for this visit.Reyna adjusted her bowstring, muttering under her breath. “Stormhaven never travels quiet, do they?”Kyna tilted her head. “Would you, if you wanted everyone to know your wealth?”Jared smirked, leaning against the rail. “I’d prefer everyone to know my power. Wealth is only the surface.”Reyna shot him a look. “Funny, since you brag about your family’s vault more than anyone here.”“Correction,” Jared drawled. “I brag because I have one. You think Stormhaven parades carriages for no reason? It’s the same game. Flash the silver, hide the knives.”Kael final
Last Updated : 2025-11-26
Chapter 52
The palace quieted after midnight. Torches burned low in their sconces, shadows crawling along the stone. Kael sat on the edge of his bunk, boots still on, eyes fixed on the ceiling beams. Sleep wouldn’t come.A knock at the door broke the stillness. Three short raps. Reyna’s code.He opened it. She slipped inside, cloak pulled tight.“Arvel left his chamber,” she whispered.Kael straightened. “When?”“Minutes ago. Guards didn’t move to stop him. That’s not routine.”Kael’s brow furrowed. “They just let him pass? At this hour?”Reyna nodded grimly. “Didn’t even glance at him. Like it was expected.”Kyna appeared behind her, already armed. “I saw him too. He’s heading for the east wing.”Kael frowned. “And Jared?”Reyna muttered, almost through her teeth. “Already outside. Of course.”Kael’s jaw tightened. “You think he’s tailing Arvel, or helping him?”Kyna’s eyes narrowed. “W
Last Updated : 2025-11-26
Chapter 53
The council chamber smelled of ink and dust. Scrolls lay stacked along the walls, and the single window let in a thin strip of pale light. Darius stood at the centre, hands braced on the map table. His shoulders were tense, his jaw set.Kael entered first, Reyna and Kyna at his side. Jared trailed behind, expression unreadable as always.Darius’s gaze swept them once. “You followed him.”Kael nodded. “Yes.”“Tell me everything.”Reyna spoke quickly. “Lord Arvel left his chamber under cover of night. He passed the outer gate without challenge. He met a cloaked figure in the gardens.”Kyna added, “They spoke within a barrier. We couldn’t hear. But an exchange took place. He handed over a case.”Darius’s eyes fixed on Kael. “And?”Kael hesitated. “That’s all we saw.”Jared chuckled low. “All we saw. Which is another way of saying: nothing useful.”Reyna turned sharply. “It was proof enough. He met
Last Updated : 2025-11-27
Chapter 54
The morning haze still clung to the palace courtyards when Reyna and Kael were summoned. By the time the squad reached the eastern hall, the announcement had already rippled through the Academy: the Veridale Princess was taking the Stormhaven Princess into the city market.Darius waited for them at the foot of the marble steps. His arms folded, expression unreadable.“You’ve been chosen for escort duty for Princess Vashti—the Crown Princess of Veridale, and Princess Alana—the Crown Princess of Stormhaven,” he said. “Not parade duty. Escort. Understand the difference?”Reyna nodded. “Keep them safe, bring them back.”“Exactly. Crowds hide more than cheers.” His gaze swept over Kael. “Especially for you…keep your eyes ahead, not inwards.”Kael tightened his jaw. “Yes, Commander.”Jared gave a short laugh under his breath. “So we play watchdogs while royalty haggles for ribbons and fruit. Surely the height of our training.”
Last Updated : 2025-11-27Read more
Last Updated : 2025-11-27
Chapter 55
The summons came before dawn. Princess Vashti insisted the market visit continue, this time with Princess Alana in tow again. Kael’s squad was ordered to guard them once more.Reyna laced her gauntlets tighter than usual. “Yesterday wasn’t a walk. Today won’t be either.”Kyna checked the straps on her bow, eyes sharp. “The way those men moved: trained, not pickpockets. If they show again, it won’t be coincidence.”Jared smirked. “Maybe the armed men were just shopping. For scarves.”Reyna gave him a withering look. “Scarves with steel edges?”Kael said flatly, “Men like that don’t shop.”“True,” Jared drawled. “But at least they had good taste. All eyes on our princesses, not us. Can’t blame them.”Reyna’s hand twitched toward her dagger. “Keep talking like that and I’ll make sure they’re looking at you instead.”Kael cut across before it escalated. “Stay sharp. Jokes won’t matter if someone draws steel in a cro
Last Updated : 2025-11-28
Chapter 56
The palace doors shut behind them with a hollow boom. Guards escorted the Princesses away, leaving Kael’s squad standing in the corridor, smoke and sweat still clinging to their cloaks.Archon himself strode forward, robes brushing the polished stone. His voice carried sharp authority. “Both Princesses safe. That is what matters.”Reyna started, “But the market…”“Not your concern,” Archon cut her off.Reyna bristled. “Citizens died. Merchants lost everything…”“Not. Your. Concern.” His tone cracked like a whip, final.Jared, leaning on the wall with affected nonchalance, muttered, “Told you. We’re pieces on a board, not saints.”Archon’s eyes flicked to him. “You, in particular, showed initiative in securing Princess Vashti. Well done.”Jared straightened at once, pride curving his mouth. “An honour to serve. Though I’d hardly call it initiative, just instinct.”Reyna shot him a glare. “Instinct to gra
Last Updated : 2025-11-28
Chapter 57
The throne room carried the weight of smoke and silence. Banners still hung from the high beams, though ash clung to their edges. The King sat forward on his seat, his crown tilted as if burdened by more than ceremony.“The people cry for answers,” he said. His voice echoed. “And the shadow of this market attack cannot linger without answer.”Darius stood at the foot of the dais, his posture rigid, eyes lowered. Beside him, Archon watched with that unreadable calm, hands clasped behind his back.The King’s gaze cut down. “You will find those responsible. No matter where they hide.”Darius inclined his head. “Yes, Majesty.”Archon stepped forward. “A squad already proved their worth in the chaos. Assign them. They know the scent of these cowards.”The King nodded once. “So it is. Darius, send your recruits. Let their loyalty be tested in fire.”The order came down swiftly. By the time Kael heard it, the squad was already
Last Updated : 2025-11-29
Chapter 58
The sound of rain had always marked Kyna’s earliest memories.Not gentle rain, but hard, punishing sheets that lashed the woodlands outside her home in Virell’s border province. She remembered standing barefoot in the mud, small hands clenched tight, her father’s shadow looming over her with his hunting spear in hand.“You keep your stance low,” he told her. “Or the ground will take you before the prey does.”She was seven. Her knees ached, her toes cut on stone. But when she faltered, his voice cracked through the rain.“Again.”Her teeth chattered as she tried to adjust her footing. “It hurts.”“Pain is a tutor,” he said coldly. “It teaches what words cannot.”Kyna’s small fists trembled. “But I don’t want…”Her father snapped, voice hard as the downpour. “Hush, girl! Wanting has no place here. Do you want the wolves to wait until you’re ready? Do you think raiders care for your tears?”Her mother had
Last Updated : 2025-11-29
Chapter 59
The forest trail curved down toward the ruins of an old watchtower, its stones scattered like teeth in the earth. That was where the trail of the mercenaries ended.Kyna crouched, fingers brushing a scrap of cloth snagged on broken masonry. The seal stitched into the corner made her freeze.Reyna noticed. “What is it?”Kyna held it up to the firelight. A black and silver crest, the sigil of a rising sun over a tower.Kael’s stomach turned. He knew it.House Varion.Reyna stepped closer, brows knitting. “You’re certain?”Kyna’s voice was low but steady. “Beyond. My mother warned me of this symbol, it’s Varion, the same they press into ledgers and contracts.”Kael stared at the cloth, jaw working. “This isn’t just mercenaries. It’s tied to Jared’s house.”Reyna’s head snapped toward him. “Kael…”He didn’t stop. “You’ve seen his signet ring. Same metal. Same engraving.”Reyna frowned. “That’s a dangerous assumption.”“It’s not an assumption if the crest matches,” Kael said tightly. “You
Last Updated : 2025-11-30
Chapter 60
Chapter 60 The night after the cipher discovery pressed down like a weight. Kael sat in the barracks long after the others slept, journal open but words refusing to come. The parchment copy of the coded message lay folded under his cloak, heavy as stone.Reyna found him there, candle guttering low.“You’re still awake,” she said quietly.Kael didn’t look up. “So are you.”She moved closer, sitting across from him at the narrow table. “Because I know that look. You’re circling the same thought over and over.”Kael shut the journal. “I should confront Jared.”Reyna’s brows lifted. “And then what? He’ll deny it again. Or worse.”“He’s lying,” Kael said, voice flat. “Every word he speaks bends around the truth.”Reyna crossed her arms. “He bends words because that’s what nobles are trained to do. Doesn’t mean they’re poison.”Kael frowned. “You didn’t see his face when I mentioned the crest.”“I saw it,” she said softly. “And I saw yours. You looked ready to run him through.”Kael’s voic
Last Updated : 2025-11-30