A Dog Among Princes

Summary

The Band of the Hawk discovers one of their number is more than they seem and the flow of causality begins to move in a new direction.

Chapter 1

“Riders!” The rest of the watch scrambled for their equipment while Casca scaled their makeshift battlements to join Judeau.

“Whose emblem are they carrying?”

“It’s not one I recognize.” Judeau handed her his spyglass. There were about ten riders, all but one well armored. The one in the center of their formation wore purple robes and a wide brimmed hat. A knight at the front of their pack held a banner emblazoned with a rose surrounded by thorny vines. None of them had weapons drawn yet.

“Not one I’ve seen either. They don’t look hostile but,” Casca reached for her sword, “can never be too careful. I’ll go out to meet them. Can you cover me?” Judeau pulled out a handful of throwing knives.

“Way ahead of you.”

It took the riders a few minutes to reach camp. Enough time for Casca to mount up a horse and ride out to the gate. Up close she noticed the figure in the center was significantly smaller than the surrounding knights. A child perhaps? But then why the entourage? The knights were speaking to them as they walked closer. Casca could just barely make out one of them ask “Here? You’re sure?”

“Stop and state your business.” She dropped her voice low, as she was accustomed to. The armies of Midland knew to fear the Band of the Hawk’s female captain but outsiders were always a gamble.

“We are the Black Rose Knights of the Kingdom of York and we come seeking a young man. Probably in his late teens or early twenties.”

“Anyone specific? You’ve just described more than half of the men in our camp.” The knights began whispering among themselves seemingly debating something.

“Oh for God’s sake we already know he’s here, no use hiding it,” the small figure in the purple robes shouted. They had a high voice, probably a young girl. They rode up to Casca and extended their hand. Underneath the big hat was a young girl with green hair. “I’m Schierke. My mistress asked me to help these guys find a prince.”

“A prince?” Judeau jumped down from the battlements. “You won’t find anybody like that here.”

“Well he wasn’t raised as one,” Schierke interjected. “He probably would’ve been an orphan or an adoptee. He and his mother were presumed dead, a casualty of the war.”

“Wait then how do you know this theoretical prince is even alive to search for.”

“My mistress is a friend of his grandfather’s. He asked her to track down the place where his daughter died so he could offer her a proper burial. When she looked into it she discovered her son was still alive.”

“And this was determined how?”

“Magic. By tracing the king’s Od and using it to locate anybody directly related to him.” Casca pulled Judeau aside.

“Do you think they’re pulling our leg?”

“Why would I know?”

“Well you said you used to know an elf.”

“Yeah one, but he was a bit of an airhead. He was more interested in quoting the sagas of the bard George Lucas than actually telling me how magic works.” Both Casca and Judeau realized at about the same time there was one person in the band who might fit the bill.

“Well it would explain some things if Griffith was a lost prince.” Casca admitted.

“Yes, it’s frustratingly believable.” The two straightened from their huddle.

“Alright, we’ll take you to see our commander. Just know the second you unsheathe your weapons, We bring the whole camp down on you.” The banner carrier nodded.

“Understood. We will treat our lord’s companions with the utmost respect.”Casca gave the signal to open the gates.

The strange group of knights drew stares as they walked through camp. The young witch pulled the brim of her hat down seemingly uncomfortable with the attention.

“I think I have a pretty good idea of who you’re looking for.” Casca led them forward pretending the eyes of the entire band weren’t on them. They reached the commander’s tent and she pulled back the cloth. “In here.”

Griffith was dressed in his armor holding his helmet in his hands. His silver hair was carefully groomed despite its length and the long siege they’d just taken part in. He looked, as usual, more like a portrait come to life than a man. He looked up from the pile maps and unfinished battle plans that littered the table.

“Ah Casca, I see you’ve brought guests.” He smiled warmly. Having known him for as long as she did, Casca could tell that he was a little displeased at being interrupted. If you didn’t know what signs to look for, the twitch in his eye, the ever so slight curl of his lips, you’d never notice.

“They’ve come here looking for a prince.” Griffith’s lips quirked up in a more genuine but incredulous smile.

“In the Band of the Hawk? Surely these good knights have seen how we’re outfitted.”

It took a moment for Casca to explain why the knights were there. Griffith didn’t question it. Much like when the old seer woman had given him the crimson behelit, he knew when not to question a gift being dropped in his lap.

“I see.” He knelt down in front of the young witch. “Schierke was it? Feel free to examine me or anyone else in camp.” He batted his eyes. The young girl pulled her hat down to hide her face.

“Y-your hand, please.” Griffith removed his gauntlet and placed his hand in the young girl’s. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up and then she pulled away.

“It’s not him. Their energies are deeply intertwined but it’s not him.” Griffith feigned graceful disappointment while internally he was screaming, knocking papers off the table, and tearing down the walls of the tent.

“That’s a shame. You said our energies are intertwined?” Schierke blushed and looked at the knights behind her before speaking.

“Yes, you will somehow be very important to his destiny in the future. The way they’re interwoven, probably more important than anyone else in the world.” The young girl had chosen her word's carefully but Griffith was pretty sure he understood the parts she left unspoken. Well he supposed he could turn up the charm once they found out who it was. He knew quite a few of his men carried torches for him. It was possible he could position himself as an unusually influential adviser who just happened to sleep in an adjoining bed chamber if he played his cards right. Shadow king was better than no crown at all. The girl looked around and then eventually stared eastward. “The flow of Od is headed that way.” She pointed in the direction she had been looking in. “He’s nearby, a few yards at most.”

“Well then, let’s see who our mysterious prince is.”

Schierke led them through the camp. They moved past groups of men cleaning armor and maintaining weapons until the men thinned out almost entirely. Without the sound of chatter and horses Griffith could hear a familiar whoosh growing louder and louder. The group reached a clear area on the edge of camp. It had been specifically set aside when the band had set up here. After all, the one who requested the space needed a wide berth for his exercises. Guts stood in the center doing reps with his sword as usual. He had reached the weighted portion of his work out and had tied a bundle of kindling around the base of his already ludicrous sword.

“You can’t be serious.” Griffith heard Casca whisper. Guts paused mid strike. The control he had over that heavy blade was astounding. He looked warily at the knights surrounding Griffith.

“Can I help you with something?”

“It’s him,” the girl announced. Griffith’s heart skipped a beat.

“I didn’t attack your men I swear,” Guts blurted out. Judeau started uproariously laughing. “What’s so funny?”

“Seriously stop, I'm going to throw up.” Judeau put his hand on Casca’s shoulder to steady himself. Schierke looked back at him dead serious. “You’re not joking are you. Oh my god you’re not joking.”

“Wait what is it? What am I supposed to have done?” Griffith stepped slowly towards Guts keeping his head bowed in front of the knights. He took the swordsman’s hand in his and knelt in front of him. He brought Guts’s callused hand to his mouth and gently kissed his knuckles.

“Allow me to be the first to swear myself into your service. If you’ll have me, my Prince.” Griffith looked up at him through his thick silver lashes. Guts hurriedly looked away. The Rose Knights all dropped to one knee as well following Griffith’s lead.

“Can somebody please tell me what the fuck is going on?!”