Noah sat alone under the shady tree, at a distance from the crowd, enjoying their lunch in the open space outside the infirmary. They were heavily chatting, sometimes giggling over the topic of discussions that did not interest him.
The knight shoved the green apple into his mouth, taking a bite as his sharp eyes stared at the commander's wife. It had been a few days since he became her escort, and the lady had routinely visited the infirmary.
The little lady got along well with the healer and his assistant. Every time they talked, her eyes shone brightly. She was happy and content with her new activities.
Anna was a simple person. She never asked anything out of the ordinary or displayed suspicious behaviour. She was as transparent as glass as if she had no hidden secret.
Other than her proficiency in a few foreign languages, there was nothing extraordinary about the commander's wife except for her eye colour. Even her pretty face was considered average among Cassian's beauties.
Noah's sensitive ears picked up a noise approaching, distinctly alerting him. When he inclined to the sound, a knight with brunette hair and grey eyes appeared, a familiar face he did not wish to see.
"So, I heard the great Sir Brooks has become the lady's escort, huh?" A contemptuous smile flashed on the lips of the man who came into sight as their gazes collided.
"What do you want, Eric?"
Noah's look changed immediately. The scornful tone of the second-in-command knight was intended to offend him.
"It's Sir Navin. May I remind you that we're currently on duty at the frontier."
The smile had left Eric's face, and his voice was now as stern as his face.
"Why would I address you respectfully when you don't know how to honour me?" Noah scoffed.
"You dare... I'm the second in command after the commander. Know your place, Sir Brooks!" Eric squinted his eyes at the knight in disapproval.
"You don't need to brag about your position. Haven't you forgotten that you lost the last duel?" sneered Noah.
"We are even! You were badly beaten in the previous duel before that," countered Eric.
"So? You want to rechallenge me, is it?"
"Me rechallenging you? Don't you remember that you were the one who kept on challenging everyone to prove yourself worthy as the Knight of Gerhard?" This time, Eric laughed mockingly.
Noah gritted his teeth and clutched his fist. The apple in his right hand had fallen hard to the ground.
"If you have nothing to say, leave!" he shouted.
"Oh, yes, I have. Stay away from the lady! A sinner like you shouldn't be near any woman!" Eric raised his voice.
"What did you say?" Noah took a step forward, confronting Eric.
"Or should I call you the 'r*pist'?"
A flash of pain landed on the knight's face after the sound of a 'thud'. The force was firm, making Eric draw back a step. Apart from the commander, if anyone else could match his strength and skill, it was definitely this man.
"Son of a b*tch!" Eric cursed.
The knight charged forward and smashed Noah's face as a counterattack. Eric tackled him and punched hard while Noah fought back with his kicks and fists. The two knights fell and rolled onto the ground in a fierce brawl that immediately caught the attention of onlookers.
The sudden uproar quickly reached Anna, Rafe, and Ayden, who were bewildered by the commotion. They all stood up and rushed to the gathering crowd, where they watched the fistfight.
"Sir Navin and Sir Brooks! Stop this right now!" Rafe shouted at the knights, who were continuously hitting each other. His face flashed with an intense expression. However, the two men ignored the yelling and kept fighting.
"Stopp!!"
A woman's scream reverberated in the air, bringing the brawl to a halt. Both men looked up as their chests heaved with rapid breathing. Blood trickled down from their nose and lips.
"Stop fighting right now! Both of you!"
The voice of Anna, who had always been soft and sweet, was now high on a yelling tone. All eyes darted at her. The lady's face was as red as an apple, glaring at the brawlers.
Eric was the first to stand up.
"What is all this fighting about? Aren't you both from the same knighthood?" scolded the princess.
The atmosphere was in total silence at the commander's wife's reprimand.
"My lady, I can explain," Eric quickly said as he cleared the dripping blood from his nose with the back of his hand.
Noah sat down first, wiping the blood from his face. Then, he rose and pushed his hair to the back, clenching his jaws to hold back the anger.
"This man is not a good person. He's not suitable as your escort. I strongly suggest you change him with another knight," said Eric.
"You have no right to propose that!" countered Noah furiously.
"I'm telling you, my lady. He's a dangerous man, and it's not good for you to have him around," added Eric, ignoring the knight's argument.
"Why do you say that?" asked Anna, her sight fixed on them.
"Because he's a rapist!"
The princess's eyes widened at the statement.
"I'm not! I was never convicted. The case was dropped!" shouted Noah, defending himself.
"That was because the proof was insufficient! Everyone knew you did it!" Eric cried out.
Noah was about to yell back when Anna quickly intervened.
"Stop arguing!" she shouted again. Her eyes turned to Noah and stared at him broodingly.
The knight pursed his lips. Looking at her face, he could already guess that she too, would have the same opinion as the rest of the men.
A moment of silence passed.
Anna's eyes shook as she stared at both men. She took her time to unravel the thoughts in her mind from both men's claims and finally decided.
"What is your name?" the princess turned to Eric and asked.
"I am Sir Eric Navin, the commander's second-in-command," the knight introduced himself to the lady.
Anna paused before opening her mouth.
"Sir Navin, as the highest ranking officer after my husband, isn't it your duty to keep the safety of the camp rather than become the cause of disruption?"
The piercing gaze of her emerald eyes shot to the knight's face. Eric raised his eyebrows, returning the look.
"Yes. I'm aware of that. But, my lady, he was the one who started the fight. I just came to remind him to stay away from you."
Eric glanced at his opponent and added, "He's a troublemaker."
"Sir Navin... please apologise to my escort!"
A firm order came out of Anna's mouth as if she was ignoring the warning given by the knight.
Surprised by the demand, Eric sternly opposed, "I will not! Why would I stoop so low to request forgiveness from this shameful person?"
"Sir Navin! Don't let me repeat myself! Are you aware of what you've done?" Anna shouted again, making everyone baffled by her stubbornness.
"My lady, please calm down. Sir Navin is right. I've been trying to tell you the same, actually," Ayden, who was at her side, cut in.
"Please don't interfere, Ayden. This is between these two men and me!" Anna firmly answered.
The assistant healer was taken aback by her reply. Throughout their time, the princess had never shown this side of hers. She had always appeared docile and fragile.
Noah was also surprised by Anna's sudden change of behaviour. Knowing they were estranged, he never thought the commander's wife would take his side. It was weird too, since she pushed away the assistant healer, her closest friend, from the argument.
"You've done wrong, Sir Navin. You obstructed my escort from doing his duty and caused a commotion. For that, you need to apologise," Anna explained.
"You're getting off on the wrong foot if you put your trust in him, my lady," warned the knight.
"I don't. But my husband appointed him," the lady replied, adding, "I trust his judgement. If Sir Brooks is such a bad person, why would the commander put me under his care?"
Eric downcasted his gaze. He and everyone else also questioned it when they learned Noah had become her escort.
"Are you saying my husband misjudged his decision?" the princess asked him again.
"I wouldn't dare! The commander always has great insight," Eric replied in defeat. He looked down again, averting his gaze from the lady.
A disparaging smirk etched on Noah's lips, realising that the commander's wife had a great sense of discernment.
"Sir Brooks, don't think I'm taking your side just because you're my person." Anna glared at his smiling escort.
The knight's curving lips returned flat at the admonishment.
Despite the scolding, a hint of warmth emerged in Noah's heart when he heard the words from the lady's lips. No matter how skilled he was, except for the commander, no one had ever acknowledged him as their 'person'.
Once a mercenary, Noah had always been used as a tool to achieve his client's purpose. It was a path he had previously undergone, and there was no emotional attachment to any task he took.
Yet somehow, only after a few days of him becoming her escort did the commander's wife announce him as her person, a meaningful declaration from a lord or lady to their knight.
Anna opened her mouth again.
"As knights and comrades, you should have put aside your differences while on duty and upheld chivalry. Both of you should've known this better than me."
This time, the two men were reprimanded.
"Yes, my lady!" Eric quickly answered.
"Sir Navin, please apologise to him," Anna continued.
Eric turned to Noah, who was holding himself from smiling at the victory. With a solemn face, he slipped the apology words to the knight.
"Sir Brooks, please acknowledge his apology," ordered the princess.
"I acknowledge." A little smirk escaped from Noah's lips.
"Now, both of you shake hands," the soft voice further instructed.
"What?!" both men shouted with wide eyes.