King of Griffindale

Chapter 9 - More Allies Than You Know

    The young prince chose to follow the elite knight to the knight's academy, where most of the experienced knights and children in training lived and grew. It would be the prince's first time getting there, and he was excited about it.

    They both walked out of the king's residence and eventually exited the castle as a whole. They got to the next fortress after the castle of the king, and there was the knight's academy. It was a well-constructed castle, but it was also a lot smaller than the King's Palace.

    The young prince had only seen the place from afar as it had been introduced to him by his father; he had never thought of going there before.

    They walked through the bridge leading from the King's Castle to the Knight's Academy, a path on which Cyrus had never walked. Then they got to the gates of their destination, and sitting right next to them was an elderly man in silver armor, the gatekeeper. 

    The gatekeeper, upon recognizing the Elite Knight approaching, stood erect and gave a bow of respect. “Welcome, Sir Cletus,” he said. “I suppose your spar with the Prince was shorter than usual.”

    “Yes, Maximus,” Cletus replied. “Yes, it was.”

    Then he gestured towards Cyrus and said, “As a matter of fact, I even came with him.”

    Maximus widened his eyes and said, “He is the Prince? Prince Cyrus Theodore?” he asked.

    “Who else would it be?” asked Cletus. “Open the gates! I don't want to keep him here for long. He has a tight schedule.”

    Maximus quickly bowed his head to the ground. “It is an honor to meet with you, your highness,” he said to Cyrus. 

    “The pleasure is all mine, Maximus,” Cyrus said to him, and he got back up and opened the gates for them.

    Then Cletus and Cyrus walked in. The Prince was in awe of the place, seeing several young children sparring with wooden sticks for swords in the open field and firing arrows at faraway targets. Others were doing physical exercises with large rocks, while the rest were just messing around, playing catch as they ran about.

    “Don't mind the rowdy condition of the place. The day's work has not yet officially started,” Cletus said to him as he walked forward.

    The moment the first child who was running around recognized Cletus, he quickly ran off to join the others who were training, and so did the others who were just playing around as well.

    The ones who weren't training but were instead playing around also ran off to join the others in proper training upon seeing Cletus arrive. It was as if they were afraid of getting spotted by him doing something other than training, and that was the case.

    “Well, as far as I'm concerned, the training has already begun officially,” Cyrus said to him, also taking note of how the children were now rigorously focused on training the moment they noticed an Elite Knight was watching them.

    “It usually takes a bit longer for the higher-ranking knights to finish getting prepared so they could train and discipline this lot. It shouldn't be long before they start their work for the day, so they should be in the dining room. Let's go there,” Cletus said to him.

    “Alright,” replied Cyrus.

    So the two of them walked past the open area where the children were and got into the main castle. They walked past a few doors and got up the staircase to the third floor, which was where the dining hall was located.

    Cyrus got there with Cletus and was stunned to see several knights in shining armor sitting down in large numbers to have breakfast.

    “The children usually eat first and then get outside to warm up in preparation for training, while the senior Knights have their own meals exclusively,” Cletus said before clearing his throat. “Now, without further ado...” 

    “Good morning, brothers,” Cletus said out loud so everyone in the hall could hear.

    “HEAR! HEAR!” they greeted back, with some of them raising up their wine cups as if offering a toast.

    “Here with me is the highly esteemed man we talk a lot about—the one in whom we will be delighted when he becomes king, Cyrus Theodore!” Cletus said, and the Prince came forward to face them properly. 

    The moment the Knights in the hall saw Cyrus, the whole area went silent within seconds. 

    Cyrus had expected a loud round of applause with a standing ovation, but instead, what he got was sheer silence. The hall did not revert to how it was before Cletus interrupted; instead, it only got a whole lot more quiet.

    With the silence that was occurring, Cyrus had begun to wonder if this was all just a big mistake. But to his surprise, all the Knights in the hall who saw him for the first time got out of their seats and knelt before him in instant servitude.

    They knelt with one knee to the ground and their clenched right hand in their chest, and their faces stared directly at the prince. This was the symbolic kneel, which represented absolute submission and servitude, and was not a move taken for granted in the military. Yet here these people were: highly respected nobles, all kneeling in that same manner toward the prince.

    They knew he was the Prince because Cletus was with him, as they were aware of the absurd times when the Prince would abruptly call upon him to come to the King's residence for another sparring session in sword fighting.

    Cyrus' heart sank to his stomach at the mere sight of these nobles expressing servitude to him in such a magnificent manner. He was at a loss for words.

    “You can tell them to get up now,” Cletus whispered to him, and Cyrus snapped back into the moment. 

    “Rise up, everyone,” Cyrus said to them, and they did so with smiles on their faces. It was obvious that they were glad to see him, as it felt like an honor for a member of the royal family to visit them in person like this. But it was more than that. It wasn't just delight at meeting a celebrity, but one whom they genuinely respected. 

    “Did I not tell you, young prince?” Cletus asked him closely. “You have a lot more allies and supporters than you think.”

    “You were right, Cletus,” Cyrus said to him, “Thank you.”

    “You are welcome, young prince,” Cletus replied. “Now, they are eager to hear from you. How about a word? - Something of hopeful inspiration, if you will.”

    “Alright then,” Cyrus said before taking a deep breath. He was about to address all the Knights in the hall. At first he felt anxious, but remembered a few lines from the several books he read that described the situation he was in, and he played along. 

    “Thank you, Knights of Griffindale,” Cyrus said, “While most might take your sweat and sacrifices for granted, I choose not to. Though you might call me your prince, I am but a humble servant to my people, and that includes you. The only difference is that I am not King, at least not yet. With the circumstances stacked against me, I thought I had little hope—until I met you all this morning. Once again, I thank you!”

    With that said, Cyrus gave a bow, expressing his gratitude to them, and in response, they all knelt down once again.

    As Cyrus got up, Cletus commended him. “Well done, your Majesty,” he said.

    Then what followed next was a loud round of applause. The Prince smiled as he waved at them.

    Cletus called the members of his small Conroi to come meet the prince. They met with him, all sharing formal introductions with the Prince.

    After the introductions were over, though he had a great short time with them, Cyrus had to leave, as he did not want to keep his mother waiting. He had not told anyone at the King's residence that he was leaving—not like most people cared, apart from his mother.

    Cletus walked with him back down the stairs, into the open field where most of the children had resumed their play, only to run back into proper training upon seeing the elite knight coming again.

    “These children really know how to coordinate themselves, don't they?” asked Cyrus while trying to hold back a laugh.

    “Don't worry, your highness,” Cletus said to him, “They would be punished strictly after you leave.”

    “I didn't ask for that now, did I?” asked Cyrus. “Please take it easy on them; they are still children, after all.”

    “Nonsense!” Cletus exclaimed, startling Cyrus.

    “With all due respect, these children are the prodigies who will grow up to serve you as noble knights of the kingdom. And not just as average noble knights, but members of the King's Diamond,” Cletus explained. “If I don't properly discipline them now, then when?”

    “Good point,” Cyrus replied as they got to the gates. Maximus, the gatekeeper, quickly opened the gates for them before giving a quick bow to the prince as they went by.

    Cletus went with him back to the King's Castle and back into the open field at the King's residence where they came from.

    “Thank you so much, Sir Cletus,” Cyrus said to him.

    “The pleasure is all mine,” Cletus replied. “Perhaps now you would reconsider actively ascending as king when the time comes. And if the situation calls for something drastic, just know that you have the Elite Knights of the Diamond by your side.” 

    Cyrus nodded, “Thank you,” he said before turning back and raising his hand, “Goodbye, Cletus.”

    “Farewell, your highness,” Cletus said back as he went his separate way as well.

    All that had happened today had only further strengthened his resolve on becoming king when the time comes. 

    That appeared to be what destiny had in store for him, but little did he realize that his every move was now being watched by the Queen and her supporters, who would now take drastic measures to make that dream much more difficult to achieve.