Archive 38: A tree without roots I.

"Don't give me that look. It wasn't your fault and deep down, you know it too." 

Seeing the sincere look in Zuri's amethyst eyes made Alcyone freeze. He was reminded of a distant memory, one he had no desire to remember. He wanted so badly to look away, but his body couldn't bring itself to move. He was stuck in place, looking into those sincere eyes, full of light, unable pry away.

His face turned dark, remembering the events that took place that day. 

Seven years ago…

It had been five years since Alcyone had been taken in by Duke Helio and formally began his knight training. Alcyone was a skilled fighter labeled a genius since he had surpassed his seniors who were years ahead of him so quickly. 

He was born with a rare gift. He had the ability to observe something and replicate it easily with no problem, a skill that was quite rare even amongst veteran fighters. 

Alcyone didn't care about the praises of others nor the looks of envy he received from his elders. The only thing that was on his mind was pleasing the person who took him in when he had nothing. He wanted to do everything in his power to payback his benefactor and be of use to him. 

He worked hard, day in and day out, training diligently, never taking any breaks. His level continued to grow, and soon, he passed his peers and was no longer considered a knight in training. 

But since he was still young and inexperienced, Duke Helio thought it would be too early for him to become an official knight and a member of Ceros. So he decided to assign him a mission to test him. If he passed, he would become the youngest person to ever enter the order at the young age of fifteen. 

Alcyone was glad that he could finally be of some use to the Duke and so he didn't hesitate and took on the task that was given to him. 

When he received his assignment, Alcyone was surprised to know that the mission would be of exhorting someone and that that someone happened to be lady Esmeralda, the duchess of Caesrus. 

"H-has there been a mistake?" A young Alcyone asked the captain of the trainee's at the time. 

Beryus a tall man with a rough appearance and a muscular frame was also surprised by the assignment but did not dare to question his boss. 

 He only sighed wondering what that crazy boss of his was thinking. Although Alcyone was incredibly skilled, he was inexperienced and had never once in his life been assigned a mission let alone such an important one. 

"Unfortunately it is not a mistake. This will be your first assignment. You are the escort lady Esmeralda throughout the day, insuring her safety during her travels. This is your test." 

"But-"that is all." Beryus said with a stern voice leaving no room for negotiation. 

Seeing the look of distress on the boy's face made Beryus a usually stoic man a little sad. 

"Don't worry little one. You are more than capable of doing this assignment. Trust your instincts. Don't let all that training go to waste." 

"Right. Will do sir." 

The following day was the day of his assignment. 

This would also be the first time he'd be face to face with the lady of the house. 

Seeing her for the first time, a lot of emotions coursed through his face. 

Nervousness, anxiousness, excitement, dread and determination. He was feeling all of these emotions at the same time. 

Lady Esmeralda looked as beautiful as the knights had described her. Her beauty truly transcended time and space. Her long and luscious periwinkle hair flowed in the wind leaving a trace of lavender in the air. She was standing there looking so effortless without a care in the world. 

Following her every move, Alcyone did not miss Esmeralda's hands going towards her stomach. It was then that he noticed the very large bump in her stomach region. 

She is pregnant?! Was the first thought that came to mind. He hadn't once heard of her pregnancy. Why hadn't he been informed?! 

Despite the chaotic mess that was going on inside his head, Alcyone remained calm on the outside. 

The only thing Helio had ever taught him was this. Never let your emotions take control of you. Never let people know how you are feeling. That is the number one rule. 

And although it was difficult for the young boy to steal his emotions, he tried his best not to let them be known. 

He calmed himself down and thought about the whole situation logically. 

This was probably a part of the test too. Being faced with a situation he was not prepared for and knowing how to act accordingly. 

He knew how important this mission was and he needed to succeed at all cost in order to become a knight and serve the Caesrus Clan. 

Alcyone didn't let his training go to waste and was able to escort the duchess with no problem throughout the day. He was relieved when they were only minutes away from reaching the gates of the mansion. Little did he know that they were being followed by a group of skilled bandits from the southern region.

Alcyone had been so focused on watching lady Esmeralda, that his other senses had been negleted and he didn't that there were people with malicious intent lurking in the dark, waiting for a moment to strike. 

Everything proceeded smoothly however and lady Esmeralda was suddenly craving some sweets. Since Alcyone wasn't worried about leaving her alone considering how the shop was only a block away, he quickly left his post and indulged his master's request.

Unfortunately, this timed perfectly with the deranged bandits who completely ignored the insignia that was infront of the carriage and proceeded to attack said carriage. 

"It looks like we got lucky lads. I bet this carriage will fetch us a fortune!" The leader of the group exclaimed with joy. 

Despite seeing the Caesrus crest on the carriage, non of the bandits were fazed.

They most not have been in their right minds because anyone who was from Bellyion even if they weren't from the northern region would know who this carriage belonged to and would run away immediately. 

Despite being bandits, they were all coordinated each having a role assigned to them. One would get rid of the person driving the carriage, the other would brake the wheels of the carriage, the others would attack whomever was in the carriage and so on.

The leader managed to make his way into the carriage, and tried to grabbed lady Esmeralda. Seeing that she was pregnant, the leader thought she would be easy to deal with and instructed his companion to deal with the two maids that were in the carriage as well.

The two bandits would soon realize however that Esmeralda was not someone they could mess with. Even if she was seven months pregnant she was a seasoned fighter and would never go down without a fight. She focused all her energy on protecting her stomach making sure that any hits she took wouldn't be directed to her belly and pouring the rest of her energy on protecting her maid that had accompanied her. 

Luckily, Alcyone was on his way back when he saw the scene. All he saw was red and he immediately fought off the leader almost killing him. He would've taken his life had it no been for lady Esmeralda stopping him. 

When Alcyone woke up, he found out from one of his doctors that the shadow knights had been secretly monitoring them and were ready to step in but stoped when they saw Alcyone on the scene. 

Since he had exerted quite a lot of energy on top of the stress of the situation, he passed out. The shadow knights stepped in and brought lady Esmeralda, the maid and Alcyone back. 

He had been unconscious for two days.