"Hey, stop pushing!"
"Well, climb faster, dummy!"
Three children quickly shimmied up the blanket of ivy covering the castle walls. But, one of them was lagging behind. Every group had that one reluctant straggler and theirs happened to be a little girl with auburn pigtails, a stubby nose and a face full of freckles.
"We shouldn't be doing this! We'll get in trouble!"
"You didn't have to follow us here, Emi! Just go home!"
"No, don't let her do that! Your sister's gonna tell on us again! She's a snitch!"
"I'm not a snitch! I don't wanna go home!"
"Then, get up here and stop whining!"
They each grabbed a fistful of her dress, hauling the pipsqueak up to the top of the wall, where she happily wiggled in between them. The boys would normally grumble at Emi's clinginess. But, their attention was, instead, arrested by the very thing they had come all of that way to see; the curious children were finally getting a peek into the mysterious world of Evergreen Kingdom's nobility.
The courtyard was a symphony of color as members of the upper crust, one more extravagantly dressed than the next, flitted from crowd to crowd, like butterflies in a secret garden. Servants brought out champagne that was quickly passed around as they toasted to their success. A little wining, a little dining and a little social climbing was always on the agenda at these events. It was nothing new to the aristocrats. But, to the young outsiders, it really was a whole other world; like the ones they heard about in fairy tales.
"Wow! Look at all their dresses! They're so pretty!"
"Forget the clothes, sis! Look at the food!"
"Yeah, all that food!"
Sitting off to the side, barely touched, was row after row of the most delicious-looking dishes the children had ever laid eyes on. The seasoned chicken, the roasted pig and by Merlin's beard, those desserts! Fluffy cakes, feathery scones and dainty crepes piled high! It was a sugary feast fit for a king! The longer they looked, the more their mouths watered. It was all so tempting; too tempting.
"Hey! Maybe if we yank up these vines, we could use them to climb down there to get some of that food!"
"Yeah, let's give it a try!"
The display was so alluring that the only voice of reason in their ragtag group, didn't utter so much as a peep. Instead, she nudged over, while the boys heaved at the floral ropes crisscrossing the stonework.
"Hey!"
They all froze.
"Get down from there!"
Slowly, the children gathered enough courage to peer over the wall. What they saw down below was a lean, raven-haired man wearing a distinctive, silver-plated armor; it bore the head of a roaring, red lion. There wasn't a single person in Evergreen who couldn't identify that crest.
"T-That's a knight!"
"Run for it!"
The boys took off, sprinting along the top of the wall at breakneck speeds. But, in their panic, they forgot one very important thing: Emi.
"B-Brother! Wait for me!"
Disaster struck! The little girl's foot got tangled up in the vines. In her haste, she lost her balance and tumbled off the top of the wall; something the other children noticed far too late.
"Emi!"
Every face was alight with panic; all except one. Mocha eyes flashed a luminescent rose, as the knight dropped into a crouch, tightly gripping the hilt of his blade.
"Perfect.. Aim!"
A whirlwind spun to life, catching up dust, as the knight kicked off from the forest floor. His sword was pulled from its sheath, as the man leveled out with the falling child. A horrifying thought played on loop in the boy's heads; the knight was going to kill Emi! And it was all their fault.
The metal hummed as it swung, cutting through the air and the children's cries for mercy. But, the sword never so much as brushed the girl's skin. Instead, the vines that had been treacherously winding around Emi's neck were cut away with the precision of a surgeon. Strong arms caught her up, before gravity could take its toll.
"I've got you!"
As they touched down, safe and sound, Emi blinked, before bursting into tears. She pressed her tiny face against her rescuer's armor and wailed from the scare she came through. The knight's eyes gentled, returning to their soothing brown as he gave a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry. You're safe now."
"You sure about that?"
The boys whipped around just in time to see that someone had crept up behind them in the chaos. Another knight?! Strong hands shot out and grabbed them, holding firm even as they thrashed around like wild animals caught in a trap.
"Goin' somewhere, kiddos? Yeah, I don't think so. Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Up to you."
A deep growl caused the troublemakers to go limp. It was pointless to struggle against a knight; especially one this big! After gathering up the boys, the knight landed with a grunt next to his comrade, who finally managed to calm the whimpering loaf in his arms.
"Thanks for collecting them, Niles."
"Yeah, yeah, sure. Now, what do we do with em? Stick em in the dungeon? Hang em up by their toe nails? Feed em to the dragon in the tower?"
Puck set the girl on her feet, before humming and stroking his chin in contemplation. Seeing the little scamps tremble in their boots slowly put a smile on his face. The scare tactics were doing their job. The children were learning a much needed lesson. Curiosity killed the cat.
"No, not today. We're security for the tournament, after all. Maybe next time."
"Well? You heard the man, punks! We're too busy for ya! Get outta here!"
His roar sent the children scrambling from the castle, as if it had burst into flame. Emi's hands were tightly clasped by the boys this time, something that didn't go unnoticed by the lither knight. Another lesson had been learned through this ordeal, it seemed; a priceless one. Once they were out of sight, the larger man dropped the act, leaning against his halberd with a heavy sigh.
"Kinda wish I could cut those kids some slack, ya know? They're just lookin' for some adventure. Heck, I woulda done the same thing at their age!"
"Any other day and I would be happy agree with you. But, think of what would happen if they fell in there! With them."
"Yeah, guess you're right. It's a real sea of sharks in there. They may dress like lords and ladies, but they'd gobble those poor kids right up-! What's the matter?"
He followed his friend's wide-eyed gaze over his shoulder just in time for a shadow to fall over them.
"G-General!"
"What's this, then? Two junior knights standing around, daring to insult the very nobility they're sworn to serve?"
Now it was their turn to learn a valuable lesson; like how painful it was to have their bottoms swatted by the flat end of the General's rapier.
"Get back to your duties, gents! Hippity-hop!"
The men screamed bloody murder as they raced around the corner, making a desperate bid for the safety of their posts. Meanwhile, the old man brought out a tin of mints with a nod of approval. As the brisk candy touched his tongue, his snowy mustache bristled up, before smoothing out once again in satisfaction.
"Well, then. Now that I've rounded up those rapscallions, let's see if I can't corral a couple of nobles."
Enshrined in the heart of the city, half a mile away, was a marvelous device; a towering, grandfather clock that might have been mistaken at a distance for a pillar holding up the sky. Every citizen could depend on it, no matter their age, wealth or social status. Depend on it for what was all a matter of opinion. While the chimes ushered the frolicking nobles into the arena for entertainment, the hard-working merchants cursed the oversized timepiece as its vibrations caused their wares to rattle right off the shelves.
Complaints aside, catching the falling merchandise was just part of the usual routine; like the minstrel sitting on the edge of the fountain, strumming his lute for coins. Or the old men playing chess under the shady, oak tree. To the average citizen, it was all business as usual; just another day in Evergreen.
But, the normalcy was broken when a group of knights stepped into the marketplace. They unrolled a large, cloth sign, stringing it up unceremoniously between two shops. It was rare for the castle to put out an edict those days. Which is why it got rushed by the crowds to see what the fuss was about.
"Well, well, well! What do we have here?"
"So that's what's going on at the castle!"
"Yeah, a tournament! Hasn't been one of those in forever!"
"It's a recruitment drive, too. Looks like the winner will be made a royal knight."
"They hire knights all the time! Big deal!"
"Clean out your ears, peabrain! They're looking for a royal knight! They only serve members of the monarchy."
"Hey, do you think this has anything to do with the incident-?"
"Quiet! Do you want the guards to hear!?"
"What?! It's not like it's a big secret or anything! The Prince almost-"
"Thief! Somebody stop that thief!"
That was all the warning they got, before something came sailing through the banner. The cloth ripped open to reveal a pint-sized girl with brilliant, green eyes, soot-black hair and arms stuffed to the brim with bread loaves of all shapes and sizes.
"Look! It's Chibi!"