Battle of Her

Amos

Amos

I groan as I push myself up from my chair and move towards the window in my office. I rub my hands over my burning eyes.

It's been weeks of looking at all these reports and schedules, and still nothing. There has to be an inconsistency somewhere, something had to have gone wrong. there's got to be a trail.

A soft knock and a maid enters quietly, i turn and watch as she struggles to find a place for the tray of tea on my desk full of papers. she eventually just puts it on top and leaves.

Maybe I need a break, take a walk, or go train. Sighing I move towards my desk, pouring a cup of tea. I know Ariella has been getting a lot of tea, the chef promised it would give her nutrients and be calming for her. I should go and check in on her today too, I'll be sure to not push it like last time.

I sit back down in my chair and stair at the mess I have in front of me, I take a sip of the tea and that's when I hear it.

Somewhere in the office, cries of a newborn.

Protect her for me, Amos

I sit up and shake my head a little. It's always the same voice. Putting the tea down I grab another stack of papers to go through.

Im just about through another stack of papers, reports, and schedules when my office door opens.

"Amos, you really shouldn't be working this hard." I look up and smile softly.

Andrea and Amara have come to visit. I stand going over to kiss both their cheeks.

"And how was breakfast in the garden?" I ask them as I move some papers from the chairs around my desk. They sit as I got back to my seat.

"It was good, the weather was really nice for it." Amara says casually.

"I sure wished that Ariella could have come out to see it. The gardener planted this bush, it's called a hydrangea and it's beautiful!" Andrea says, eyes shining with happiness. Amara nudges her in the side giving her a look.

"Ariella has never been fond of eating outside." Amara concludes for them. Andrea is the younger of the two and I think she feels more sympathetic towards Ari than Amara does.

"I'm sure she would have enjoyed the hydrangea's Andy." I say gently. I give Amara a stern look, "Maybe you two should go visit Ari, see how's she's doing. You could even invite her to the garden for breakfast tomorrow." Andy's face lights up and she turns and grabs onto Amara's arm.

"Oh! Can we?" Amara stares at her before sighing.

"I mean if she wants to, just don't get too excited. She might not come." Amara says, I smile because at least they are giving her a chance. that's what she needs. "You should also come outside, you've been stuffed in this room for weeks, except for your impromptu travel you did a few days ago." Amara says to me, glancing around my sad little office full of papers.

"Ha, you're probably right but Ive got work to do." She frowns at me but nods.

"Speaking off, there were a few guards in the garden today. They were chatting about some big burly knight?" Amara tells me, glancing at Andy.

"Oh! Yeah they said he threatened them and it almost got ugly." I frown at that, Xalvador wouldn't approach guards to threaten them.

"Thanks for letting me know ladies, I'll look into it."

"So there is a random knight here?" Amara says, she's sharp and lets nothing get by her.

"Yes, that's what I went out to do the other day. I hired a knight to guard Ari to help her feel safer." Amara and Andy look at me with wide eyes.

It's unorthodox, but obviously Ari isn't going to trust anyone here.

"We trust you." Amara says softly, "if thats what you felt you needed to do, then thats what needed to be done. We should leave you be to work." Amara and Andy stand, Andy rushing around the desk to give me a hug. I laugh and kiss the side of her head.

Once the door closes and the silence fills the office again, I frown. I start digging through my papers looking for today's scheduling of the guards to see who was stationed near the gardens.

Xalvador wouldn't just threaten a random guard for no reason. I finally find it and start reading it, the guards assigned to that area were some newer lads. young, just finished training. I shake my head, it doesn't make any sense. He wouldn't threaten a soft knight that can barely hold a sword without shaking.

I grab another paper and look at the rotation, maybe it was during shift change. The shift change doesnt make sense either, its more of our younger knights, they all start out in the garden.

The gardens lead to the watch tower! Maybe it was a group passing through at shift change. I look down and that where I see it. A group of experienced guards, seen more battles. these are the kind of men I could see Xalvador standing up to. but why?

I read through the list and pause, I know I've seen that name somewhere before. I go back through everything on my desk and don't find it. I go around and start digging through the papers scattered across the floor of the office.

Finding nothing I sit back on my heals and sigh heavily. maybe this was nothing, I just want something so bad I'm making something up.

Protect her for me, Amos

I put the reports for the day of the accident in the drawer of my desk! I jump up and rush around to my desk pulling open the drawer. This has to be it, all the other papers came up blank. Grabbing the stack of papers I put them on my desk and start going through it.

Nothing, nothing, nothing. I sigh, slamming my hand on the table rattling the tea cups. I look again, fourth page in. There's the name.

He was stationed no where near the bathing chamber. I slump down into my chair, defeated. I continue to stare at the paper, before I turn to the rotation paper of the day. It matches. Wait, there's a different pen mark on the rotation. A change to the schedule. My first report from the captain shows him at the watch tower, my official rotation page shows his name on the watch tower, but it looks as though the names for the watch tower and the royal wing was scratched over.

Someone changed the rotation on the official report.

Everyone thought that the attack happened and they left without a trace. But this documentation being altered means something else completely.

It means that someone was hiding her attackers.