Red Hood

CHAPTER 1 THE RED HOOD The palace hallways were almost completely empty in the afternoon which served as the perfect opportunity for Aurora to run at full speed to her chambers. She was going to be late for training and this would be the third time this week. Arriving at her door, she yanked it open and shut it instantly, making sure it was locked before flinging off her green tunic and donning her red hooded one. She grabbed the black scarf draped on her vanity and tied it round the lower half of her face. Pulling the hood over her head, Aurora unlocked the door and rushed out. "I am starting to really get tired of all this running around," she muttered. Along the way, she passed two maid-servants who giggled and blushed when she ran by. Ugh! She thought. I'll never live this down when those women crushing on me find out about the truth. The training court was already filled with knights in training practicing different forms of combat, archery and sword-fighting. Only a handful took notice of the slender man with a red hood that had just arrived. The rest were too deep into their training as they feared the wrath of their knight commander if they were caught slacking. Most of them had gotten used to the mysterious squire dressed in a red hood that had no semblance to the national colours of the kingdom which were a deep, sapphire blue and forest green. Needless to say, he had been quite the talk of the palace and beyond but no one dared defy their commander and try to unmask the hooded figure. The fact that the fierce and strong willed Commander Senale trusted and protected Red Hood was another reason for the curious palace-dwellers to wonder whose face was behind the hood. Especially since his sword-fighting and hand-to-hand combat skills were remarkable. Numerous rumours circulated about where he came from and what his face was like but since no one knew not even his real name, they had all let it be until the day he was knighted for surely the king would have to reveal his real name then. Aurora grinned to herself. That day was going to be a startling one for sure. "I'm so glad you could make it on time, Red," a bald, dark-skinned man said sarcastically. He was massive and appeared as strong as a raging bull-troll - and those were quite the temperamental green-skinned beasts. He handed her a pair of twin blades. "Here are your swords. You've kept your sparring partner waiting." Aurora took the swords from his hands and allowed him to lead the way. "Sorry, Ram," she said, deliberately deepening her voice. Ram shrugged. "Just make sure the Commander doesn't catch you coming in late again. You know how he gets when people disobey a direct order." Oh, I know alright, Aurora thought. He's my father. They both stopped by a young man perched on a stool, examining his sword with faux fascination. His longish black hair was slightly dishevelled and his boots were almost worn. "Jonathan," Ram practically yelled. The young man stared back at him with a calm expression on his face. "No need to yell, Ram," Jonathan replied. "I knew you were there." "You're sparring with Red Hood," Jonathan turned his attention to Aurora, a smile gracing his features. "Let's see what you got, Red," Aurora drew her swords as Jonathan straightened. She'd seen him many times before but never had the chance to actually talk to him. This was the first time they had met face to face and she had to admit that he was quite attractive. She noticed him frown as he noted her swords. "Shall I make it even for you?" she teased. "Well, if you insist," he smirked. Rolling her eyes, she tossed one of her swords to Ram, who was just about to leave. Then, taking her stance, she waited for Ram to call their duel to begin. "You may begin," Ram said, making his leave. Without wasting a second, Jonathan lunged at her, thrusting his sword forward. Managing to dodge the blade, Aurora swung out but he blocked her strike. That was how it went for a few short moments, as they dodged and cast blows at one another in such fluid movements it was mesmerising to the onlookers. Finally, Aurora faked a downward swipe and as Jonathan instinctively brought his sword up to block it, she turned around him and raised her sword to the back of his neck. Jonathan raised his hands in surrender and slowly turned to face her. They were both breathing heavily and Aurora could feel the perspiration on her forehead and neck. Lowering her sword, she stretched out her free hand for him to shake. "You're really good, Red," Jonathan said, smiling as he shook her gloved hand. "Jonathan Dralon. But you can call me Jon," "Red Hood," Aurora replied, thankful she hadn't slipped up like the first few times. "But you can call me Red." "Still keeping the secret identity, huh?" he asked, amused. "I'm glad you understand," she replied. "So can I get a rematch or what?" "You're on," Their next round was more intense than the first and Aurora had the sneaking suspicion that Jon had been testing her the first time as he attacked with more dexterity. He masterfully blocked and parried, practically teasing her with his blade. It went without saying that he won that round and she had to hand it to him - he was good. For the rest of the afternoon, training was spent practicing archery and hand-to-hand combat. Aurora was exhausted by the time she had returned to her chambers for a bath. Her body ached and her movements were sluggish but it would all pay off in the end when she became a knight. Only then would she reveal herself as Red Hood. The kingdom needed to know that women could make great warriors too. Dressing up in an ordinary green tunic and black breeches, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. This was the uniform designed specifically for the female knights in training. It was what she usually wore to dinner anyway - unless there was a banquet or special celebration which required the women to wear ball gowns. Just as she had finished brushing her auburn curls, a blonde woman stormed into the room, a murderous look on her face. "Men are such pigs," she seethed. "Why do they have to be such pigs?" "Calm down, Raine," Aurora said, trying to soothe her roommate. "I will not calm down. Do you know what that jerk-face said to me? He said that girls should stick to cooking and cleaning because a knight-lady is destined for failure and loneliness." "Who are you talking about?" Aurora asked. How could anyone say that to her friend? Suddenly, Raine stopped. "I'll tell you on the way to dinner. Come on." The two young women made their way to the dining hall at a slow pace. Neither one uttered a word. Finally, Raine spoke. "It was Prince Isaac," she squeaked. "What?" Aurora gasped. "I was looking for you after I heard that the boys were done with their training," she lowered her voice even more, in case there were eavesdroppers about. Raine and Commander Senale were the only ones aware of Aurora's other identity. "I didn't see where I was going and then I slammed into him. Then he starts talking about how we're wasting our time here as knights. Honestly, Aurora, I don't know what I ever saw in him." "He's a prince. Every girl has a crush on him - until they get to know him." "Don't even get me started on that other moron, Derek." Raine rolled her eyes. "He's such a show-off and when I had the misfortune of meeting him after training today, he had the nerve to comment on my sweaty face. And let's not forget our beloved trainer, Sir Aldin. He didn't even listen to a word I said when I told him I couldn't fight anymore because I was spent. Told me I was weak. Some trainer he is. And he made poor Bel cry because he said she'd be better suited as a mistress just because she couldn't handle a broadsword correctly." She let out a frustrated breath and clenched her fists. They came to the end of the hallway and paused to look at the oil painting on the wall. It was of a woman wearing a knight's uniform. Her eyes were calm and calculating. She clutched the hilt of her sword that was sheathed at her hip. From the simple painting, one could practically feel the air of confidence she seemed to radiate. Her name was engraved on a gold plaque underneath her painting. Amelia Gersome: First Female Knight of Isalgia. "Aurora," Raine said to her best friend, giving her a weak smile. "You show those pigs that girls can be just as tough as they are." "No, Raine," she said. "We'll show them - all of us girls will. We just need a really good plan of action first - something that'll wake them up a little." "I like where this is going," Raine grinned, all the anger she possessed dissipating instantly. "Slumber party," Aurora blurted out her thoughts. "We all come up with a plan together." "Wait, are you saying we include Jemma too?" Raine grimaced. "Yes, even Jemma." They made their way to where the rest of the knights in training were seated. There were only about a dozen women there. Most of them had quit after a few days when they started their page training due to a certain trainer. The other full knights and higher officers usually sat together and even among them, there were only a handful of women. Aurora and Raine managed to catch bits of conversation and the most talked about person happened to be Red Hood and how mysterious he was. Some of them were even trying to picture what his face was like. Once Raine and Aurora were seated, Raine passed on a message to the girl next to her. "All knights in training report to Aurora and Raine's chambers after dinner." The young women whispered and giggled amongst themselves as the message was passed on. Raine turned to her roommate. "I think it's time we taught those boys a lesson," "Did you think of a prank or something?" Aurora noticed a spark of mischief in her friend's tone. "Or something," Aurora rolled her eyes. But deep down, she didn't just want to prank the boys and be done with it. She wanted to show everybody - even the other women who looked down on them - that being a knight isn't all big muscles and sharp swords. It's about protecting the kingdom. Something most people had forgotten since Amelia Gersome's death. It was going to take a miracle for people to abandon their stereotypical views. Almost immediately, Queen Alyssa called for order and announced the start of dinner. As the maids and footmen brought in the first course, one of the ladies looked around and asked, "Has anyone ever noticed that Red Hood never comes to dinner?" "He's so mysterious," another gushed. "I wonder where he goes and what his face looks like," one with pigtails sighed dreamily. "I bet he's got a scar," Raine added, just for the fun of it, which made Aurora giggle. "I bet he's drop-dead gorgeous like Sir Neil over there," a brunette remarked, using her fork to point at the devilishly handsome charmer of a knight at the other table. This caused a fit of uncontrollable giggles and blushed faces among the young women. Aurora sighed inwardly. A lot of people were going to be disappointed when Red Hood revealed himself. ***************