I was the last choice, always had been, not because I wasn’t good at what I did, but because I didn’t look good doing it. With my battle scars and damaged armour, I wasn’t the typical knight that the king wanted around.

Sat at the bar in the tavern, after making a few coins in the local hay ring, bashing a few heads all I wanted to do was to relax and have an ale when the kings advisor taps me on the shoulder “your presence is requested by his majesty” his voice laced with privilege “oh yeah? And what may he want with me?” I spit, without turning to him “that is to be discussed at the castle” he said with a small amount of urgency. I drain my mug and turn to him “well if his majesty is so desperate, I had best come and have a chat” sarcasm dripping from my lips

“William Chatworth, as requested your majesty” the advisor walks to the king and stands to his right, the queen sits to his left, but there is an empty seat beside her, I note this but say nothing, waiting for the king to speak. “You are neither noble, nor honourable but alas you are required” the king starts, with distaste soaked into his words, I turn my nose up at the comment but stay silent “I have sent the best of my men but none have returned, therefor I am ordering you to-“ I cut him off “I do not take orders, I will do a job for a price, I presume this is regarding the missing princess?” He winces at the mention of the girl “yes, she has been taken by the Winglets and is being held in their castle, no amount of ransom will release her and my men are reduced to less than ten” a tear rolls down his cheek. I ponder this for a moment before speaking “I will require a horse, two days worth of food and two hundred gold, those are my terms” I turn to leave, expecting him to try to change the terms “done, you must leave right away” the king exclaims, I hide my surprise and nod

An hour later I am sat astride a chestnut mare, my food and water packed into the saddle bags and my armour stowed in my shoulder bag “Do not let me down William, I am counting on you” the king says with a quiver “My reputation should tell you enough” I kick the horse and set off for the Winglets

The ride is uneventful for the most part, I enjoy the fresh air and pass through villages I hadn’t seen before. After eight hours of riding I decide to stop at the next village, it doesn’t take long for the lights to emerge in the distance and I arrive thirty minutes later. “Got a room?” I ask the innkeeper who is sat on his porch “Yes, one gold coin a night” he says flatly “With that price I expect breakfast and a stable for my horse” “Stables round back, breakfast is at 6” I dismount and pull the reigns, walking her round to the stables, after leaving a net of hay in with her I removed my bags and made my way inside. It had been a long day so I settled in to sleep before my long ride tomorrow “I should make it by nightfall tomorrow” I whisper to myself before nodding off

I wake to the smell of cooking and head down to the table “Do we catch you on your way to somewhere traveller” the innkeeper speaks from the fire “Just passing through” I keep my answers vague, knowing the risks of discussing my jobs with strangers. I eat in silence, thank the innkeeper and fetch my horse from the stable.

An hour into my ride I come across the first of the kings knights, bloody and broken, he is crawling to the river, his armour shining against the water “Help me” he croaks I dismount and remove my sword from it sheath “I’m sorry, your injuries are too severe, god be with you” I say before bringing my sword down across the back of his neck, his head rolls into the river and his blood turns the water red as it rushes past. After a moment of reflection, I turn, climb back onto my horse and kick off, continuing up the winding road.

As the darkness descends, the Winglets castle looms in the distance, it is a dark construction, as if it was made from obsidian, I take a deep breath and move from the path into the woods so I’m not visible, I had heard rumours about the Winglets, none were good so I wasn’t taking any risks of my presence being detected before I was ready.

The terrain off the path was rugged and hard going, but as the sun slipped away and the moon took its place, I got to the outskirts of the wood, the castle outer walls dwarfing even the biggest of trees. With the task I have been set embedded into my mind, I dismounted, tying the horse near to a river so she could get a drink, I assemble my armour, my battered leg pieces first, then my arms and finally my chest piece, my armour had seen better days, pieces of chain that had been forged into it to cover the holes that coincide with the scars on my chest and the human bones tied to my forearms, years of fighting had taught me that these will break before my own, leaving me the advantage in a fight. I refuse to use a helmet as it limits my vision and I want my victims to know my face. With a last check I break the tree line and run over to the wall.

The climb was less arduous than I expected and I slipped over the top, onto the walkway. There was two guards that I had observed from the bottom, I timed my breach so they would be out of sight and now I had to wait, I had stationed myself in a secluded spot that could only be seen if you were on that side of the castle on-top of the wall, perfect for an ambush. The first guard walks past me and I slit his Achilles before he could notice me hiding, he lets out a short scream before I cover his mouth and slide my sword through the shoulder gap in his armour, killing him instantly. He drops to the floor as the second guard runs round the corner, sword in hand “Hey!” He shouts, bounding towards me I say nothing and meet his sword with a counter attack, unexpectedly his sword snaps in two and his eyes go wide beneath his helm “Oops” I joke before throwing him off balance and forcing him over the wall I had just scaled, he hit the grass below with a thud and I followed him with the second guard

I round the corner and duck into a side door, following the steps up I couldn’t believe my luck, the door I picked was the door with the princess at the top of, the stairs were long and winding, winded I reached the top and a young knight was sat at the top, asleep against the wall, I stopped and caught my breath, slowly I approached him and put my hand over his mouth, waking him. “Mmmhph” he tried to shout but my hand stopped him “Two options, shout and you die, stay quiet long enough for me to take her away and I’ll let you live” I stare into his eyes and they start to tear up, he nods quickly and I remove my hand “Any more inside?” I ask and he shakes his head “Come on then, open the door” I bark the order at him and he stands to open the door, it swings inwards and reveals a four post bed and the princess, sitting against the headboard, red faced from crying “W-who are you?” The princess stutters “William Chatworth, your father misses you, I intend to take you home, your majesty” “I don’t know you, why isn’t one of my dads noble Knights here for me” “Because they all failed, now we must hurry, before they find the bodies” -

this is my first ever story so please let me know if you like it or would like any more, and I’m open to any and all advice! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it!!