League of Darkness:

Prince Edward:

Ugh!

"I'm so bored!" I groaned. We had been traveling since early morning, and now the sun was going down. I rode in a carriage big enough to fit four people, but now it only held another knight and me. The carriage wasn't anything special there were no decerning features at all. It was as plain as it gets. I did this on purpose in order not to draw too much attention. If I road around in my usual carriage, I was sure to draw a crowd.

"Tristan, are you not bored of just sitting there?" I asked the

female night across from me. Out of ten knights, she was the only woman. She was also the second only to my head knight.

"I was instructed not to speak, your highness," Tristan said, never taking her eyes off the window. Tristan's voice was soft yet firm. I found myself staring at her peach-colored lips. Her mouth was the only thing I could see under her tan leather helm. The knights all opted for leather armor instead of their usual plate male.

"Did Ryan tell you that? He sure is the most boring out of the royal knights. The man's a walking sword with muscle." I huffed. Tristan smiled at my words but said nothing. I looked at the tall, lean woman who sat cross-legged, staring out the carriage window.

"What are your plans once you become a full-fledged knight?" I asked, hoping to get the woman to talk to me. Although part of a knight's corp, Tristan was only a squire. A knight in training.

"I'm sure your family will be proud if you were to become a knight. Especially being a woman. There aren't many female knights." I explained as I uncorked my wine flask. I took a long sip hoping the woman would break the silence, but she never did. (Just my luck. I'm stuck in a carriage with a beautiful woman that won't speak to me.) I thought.

"When this is done, I'll be sure to put in a goo... Woah!" I braised myself as the carriage came to an abrupt halt. (What the hell.) I thought as I started to head for the door. Tristan stopped me before I could turn the handle.

"I will check it out. Stay here, your highness." The woman declared before she exited the cart. I looked out the window, seeing that the sun was already down. (Maybe we are making camp.) I wondered. I decided to go check it out myself. I stepped out of the carriage, feeling the cold night air on my face.

"Your highness, get back inside. It's not safe here," Tristan announced, her hand on her sword. The woman was looking at a small hill on the left of the road. I glanced in the direction woman was staring, finding a man's silhouette.

"Men dismount and protect the prince." Sir Ryan commanded as he drew his sword. I looked to the silhouette again, noticing that one had turned into many. The newcomers then made their way down the hill. I could see their faces in the darkness, but I could see weapons in their hands.

"Halt! State your business!" The knight commander's voice boomed. The advancing men didn't stop, however.

"Men, draw your swords and prepare for battle. Tristan, you know what

you have to do!" Sir Ryan's announcement was followed by a choir or of weapons being unsheathed. Tristan only nodded as she drew closer to me. The woman's sole mission was to keep me safe.

"Is this any way to treat an old friend?" I heard a voice declare. A tall man with long ragged silver hair and fur clothing stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight. (Old friend? Who is this guy?) I thought as I looked at Tristan. The knight looked back at me in confusion. I guess she didn't know the man as well.

"State your name and business! Or we'll be forced to

resort to violence." Ryan ordered, pointing his sword at the apparent leader of the group.

"I'm hurt you don't even recognize me. A fellow knight. Well, it has been ages since we last met. Allow me to jog your memory." The man announced as he pointed one of his small hatchets at us. With that, his men started to charge us. In seconds, around thirty men attacked our party. Even though we were outnumbered, my knights didn't waver. They all had reached the stage of evolution means they were at least a layer five. The bandits that attacked were at most a layer four except for their leader, who was at the same level as my knight commanders.

Clank clank clank

The sounds of metal striking metal filled the air. I pulled my own weapon from its sheath and readied myself for battle. I didn't need to, as my men didn't let anyone get passed them. Even if they did, the bandit would have to face Tristan. She was famed for being quite ruthless to her enemies.

"Tristan, help your, comrades, I fine for n..." I started to say but was cut off. The hair on my body stood up, and my instincts screamed for me to run. But I was frozen in fear. (What the hell?) I thought. In the next moment, I saw Tristan race to my position. Pushing me out of the way.

Bang!

I turned to see a figure out of the shadows dressed in all black. The assassin struck the squire's shield with a long dagger. If Tristan hadn't moved, I'd have a blade in my neck right now. Then as quickly as the assassin appeared, they disappeared, turning into a puff of smoke. (A smoke user.) I thought as I got to my feet.

"Listen, men, there's an assassin in the shadows. Stay alert!" Tristan shouted. The other men nodded in understanding even as they fought off our attacker.

"This isn't good. If there's a smoke user here. It means these aren't your average bandits." I said as I scanned the area. There was no way a person with the smoke element would be running with a bunch of bandits. The shadowy figure was most likely a member of the League of darkness. A group of spies and assassins only known by the royal family. (One of my brothers must have put them up to this.) I thought as I went back to back with Tristan. It would be easy for us to fight the smoke user this way.

"Your highness, stay close to me at all times. If you see the enemy, don't try to fight. Leave it to me." The woman said without turning to me. Even If I wanted to attack, I was no match for a league member. (Where in for one hell of a night!) I thought, preparing myself for the worst.

Smoke User: Also known as a shadow crawler. This is a person with the ability to turn into smoke. Most are recruited by the League of darkness because they make great spies and assassins.

League of Darkness: A group of royal spies only known to the royal family of Mira. Their existence is a secret from the public. Even the most distinguished of the nobility have no idea they exist.