Interlude:
The Captains Visit the Royal Villa
IF ONE TRAVELS DUE WEST from the royal capital, they’ll eventually reach Set Beach at the edge of the continent. Thanks to its long and beautiful coast of clear-blue waters, Set Beach became a popular tourist destination in the summer, but it also played host to the royal family’s villa, the Set Villa, where King Laurence and Commander Saviz’s mother, Queen Dowager Hyacinthe, lived with a number of other saints.
Three captains—Quentin, Clarissa, and Zackary—paid a visit to Set Villa in order to escort the queen back to the royal capital. They did not immediately enter the building itself, however, but instead stopped at the entrance and glared at the door. Not a single one so much as twitched.
Clarissa broke the silence first in a bid to end the deadlock. “Quentin, you’re the youngest. Be a good boy and open the door for me all cheerful-like.”
Quentin recoiled. “Er, a youngblood like me has no business here. First impressions are important, so the most senior of us should be the one to do it. That’s you, Zackary.”
Zackary laughed dryly and said, “Very funny! But a brusque man like myself can’t be the one to intrude in a woman’s domain like the Set Villa. The one to open this door should be a lady like the queen dowager. In other words, you, Clarissa.”
As all three insisted on somebody other than themselves making the first move, a voice from behind interrupted the stalemate.
“My, how rare it is for the captains of the capital to come all this way.”
They tensed as they spun toward the voice. A second later, they were dropping to one knee and bowing their heads.
“It has been a while, Your Majesty Hyacinthe.” Zackary spoke for the group without delay, as though they hadn’t been bickering over who would take on the role mere seconds prior.
“Indeed, it has. I’m happy to see such nostalgic faces again. Please, lift your heads.”
With permission, the three raised their heads to regard the queen. As undeniably beautiful as ever, she held red hyacinth flowers that contrasted with her white dress. Her red hair spilled freely down her back. As always, one eye was hidden behind a curtain of bangs.
Hiding one eye had the strange effect of drawing attention to her hair, an intentional effort to highlight its vibrant color. Clarissa couldn’t help but admire how the queen dowager picked the one hairstyle that highlighted her most charming point.
Zackary began to explain the purpose of the knights’ visit. “Forgive our sudden visit first thing in the morning. Under His Majesty the King’s orders, we have come to escort Your Majesty to the royal capital. As it has been some time since we’ve last had the honor to meet with you, allow me to reintroduce us. I am Zackary, and these two are Clarissa and Quentin.”
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Hyacinthe nodded, smiling tenderly. “Laurence gave the order, did he? Oh, how he’s grown. Has he been keeping well? I hope his heart hasn’t become childish as well, and that he’s finally given his pranks a rest.”
The three met her playful comment with blank, stony expressions. According to the last report they read, Cerulean had dressed up like a jester and gone to town with Fia, a new knight recruit. That news would only serve to reinforce the queen’s fears, but they had no reason to tell her about it, so instead Zackary said, “He is as admirable a king as ever.”
With a soft gaze, the queen said, “And how is Saviz? He’s always been one to feel a strong sense of duty. I can only hope he hasn’t overworked himself.”
She sounded genuinely concerned, so Zackary reassured her. “Commander Saviz is as hale as ever. He remains steadfast as our leader, ever guiding us.”
“Is that so? Good. Since I live so far away, I’m counting on you three to be there to support him.”
“We shall serve him with all our hearts!” The three captains lowered their heads and responded in unison.
They were then led into the villa and brought to a spacious parlor. They stood in a corner and watched as Hyacinthe spoke with a group of saints. She lived in this villa with five saints plus several maids, the knights of her royal guard, chefs, and gardeners, and she appeared to be in the middle of giving instructions for their departure.
Incidentally, she called her royal guard, composed of about a half dozen knights, the Royal Red Flower. They wore a smoky-purple uniform contrasted with touches of dark red and stood guard around her in a tight circle.
As the knights of the Royal Red Flower and Black Dragon Knights rarely met, the captains eyed the queen’s guard curiously. After some observation, Zackary and Clarissa turned their gazes forward and spoke quietly and discreetly.
“Her Majesty’s knights are all real lookers,” Zackary said. “Their faces put the Black Dragon Knights to shame.”
“Not necessarily,” Clarissa said. “If you ignore their personalities and judge solely by appearances, Cyril, Desmond, Kurtis, and even Quentin, among many others from our brigades, are quite fetching. Even you put up a good fight with your manly features, Zackary.”
“Hmm, you bring up a good point. Our knights have such strong quirks, one forgets what their faces look like. We don’t have a single knight as meek- and harmless-looking as Her Majesty’s royal guard, so it’s safe to say we lose from an aesthetic standpoint. Either way, her knights are way too lanky. There’s no way they can swing those swords properly.”
Just as Zackary claimed, the knights of the Royal Red Flower were all tall but thin. To the captains, they sorely lacked muscle. But perhaps such knights were perfectly suited for standing guard in this all-woman environment. Reaching that conclusion, the captains continued to observe while Hyacinthe talked to her people.
She explained that only one saint would stay behind in the villa while the rest would accompany her to the capital. Her saints listened intently, admiration clear in their bright eyes, while her knights attended her with pride and devotion.
Though the captains of the Black Dragon Knights were far from fond of Hyacinthe, the same could not be said for those closest to her. That’s the Healing Flower of Náv for you, the captains thought simultaneously.
Zackary quietly added, “The current head saint’s extremely popular with the citizens. I suppose we should take extra care to ensure she makes it to the capital without a scratch.”
“We should be doing our utmost anyway, no matter who it is we’re escorting,” Quentin chided.
“Right. You got me there,” Zackary said.
As the villa had been informed beforehand of the captains’ arrival, they were already set to leave. It took only an hour after the three’s arrival for Hyacinthe, four saints, a number of maids, and her royal guard to set off for the royal capital. Guarding them were two dozen knights from the Black Dragon Knights, including the three captains.