The Kingdoms of America

She awoke in the darkness of her chamber. Outside she heard rustling in the dirt. It wasn’t animal rusting. It was footsteps rustling. She prepared the small blade she kept beneath her pillow as she heard a knock upon her door. She kept her blade close as she crept from the darkness, out of her chamber, into the front room of her cabin. She could see a light flickering outside through the drapes and shadows.
“Who knocks upon my door?” She called.
“Dame Etana Olivier? It’s Wormhouse.”
Yestin Wormhouse was the messenger of her king. She opened the door immediately, throwing her blade aside. Beyond the threshold she saw Wormhole and his squire who carried a torch.
“Dame Olivier, King Jedrek would like to see you immediately.”
“Lord’s sake, it’s the middle of the night.”
“I am aware, Dame Olivier. The king says it is urgent. Please gather yourself and your horse and come with me.”
“Give me a moment.”
Was there proper attire for a knightress to where while meeting with the king? She almost never dealt with the kind. In fact she was knighted five winters past and she has only met with him once since then. She put on the best attire she could find and only hoped it was appropriate for the king. She found a cotton top that she had bought from the earning of her last quest. Cotton is sparse and difficult to come by if you aren’t Sentaro or Imperio.
The ride to the brick palace was about an hour, lit only by the dim light of one torch. Summer had arrived but the nights were still cold and dark, darker than they had ever been Etana reckoned. After about fort-five minutes riding through the darkness of the woods that surrounded Etana’s cabin, the three riders reached the capitol limit. She had never seen the capitol at night. It was emptier than she thought it would be, and more quiet. The silence gave her an unsettling nerve. At least there were torches all along the pathways. She called them torches of infinite light. Soon they reached the brick palace, which was rebuilt by servants of the first king from a building still left from the old world, a world that she never knew.
Wormhouse escorted her to the door of the king’s chambers, knocked upon it and opened it. He signaled for her to walk in and so she did, but hesitantly. The palace around her was a unique one as far as palaces in the Kingdoms are. It is the only one made of materials still left from the old world. The others are built from wood and then as powers increased, materials we reconfigured. Eventually, when cement was re-invented, all of the palaces rebuilt using that cold material. There was something about the brick palace that Etana loved. It was warm and it felt like it had a soul, a history.
She spotted the king sitting in a grand chair in front of a fire. She knelt down on one knee and bowed her head.
“Your highness,” she called.
“Get up Dame Olivier” She obeyed. “I’m sorry to have called you here in the darkness, but I’m afraid that my next mission for you is an urgent one.” He paused and then rose from his chair. He was wearing a cotton robe. “As you know, King Leander of New’shington, our neighbors to the north, has been my friend and ally for many years. In fact before both of our reigns both of our kingdoms have a very friendly past.” Again he paused and walked over to her. “I have just gotten word from a very reliable source that Finley of Meerland is setting up a rather elaborate coup. He plans on tricking King Leander into collaboration when in fact he plans to slaughter the entire royal family and invade New’shington to take it for himself and add to Meerland’s borders.”
“Oh dear.”
“Indeed. As you probably know, these nine kingdoms have works in harmony for many years. After the war of the old world, each kingdom stayed out of the way of the other, unless collaboration was in place. We can’t have King Finley mucking this harmony up. We can’t have another war. Not after the turmoil of the last. So, this is what I need you to do. I need you to travel to Columbia, the capitol of New’shington and warn King Leander of Finley’s plot. I need you to get there as swiftly as possible. I will send a capable squire with you as back up should you need it.”
“Your Highness that trek is at least a week’s journey, possibly more. Will I make it on time?”
“I can only hope. You must go now.”
“I will not disappoint you, Your Highness.”

The king’s humble servants provided Etana with enough food, mostly bread and berries to hopefully last her for a week. If it was to take longer for her trip, she would need to hunt and gather her own food. Then, they introduced her with her squire. He was tall and strong, had the read buildings of a knight. He hand long brown hair and olive colored skin.
“I am Harper,” he said in a deep voice. “It is my pleasure to accompany you on this quest, Dame Oliver.”
“Please, you can call me Etana. We will be spending a lot of time together after all.”
Harper smiled. “If you wish, Etana.”
Harper followed Etana to the armory where they were fitted with armor and Etana and equipped Harper with a sword and gave Etana hers from the vault.
“Well I think we’re ready, aren’t we?” Etana suggested.
When they left the brick palace, the sun was peeking out of the trees. They mounted their horses and the pair of Harper and Etana embarked on a journey through many trails that have never been traveled before. She didn’t know if she could completely trust in Harper, but she had no choice. It would be only the two of them for a week or possibly more on a journey to save an Imperio and his family.