The Trinity of Heroes (I Will Protect You Book 1) (14 page)

The two squared off, swords drawn, shields poised, and visors down. Lawrence could immediately feel his breathing deepen as the visor closed and he began to struggle for air. His body still hadn’t fully recovered and at this rate he wouldn’t last very long. Benni stood calmly as he was used to training with his metal faceguard down. “Let’s begin,” he shouted, “as far as our rules go, the first man to get the other to yield wins!”

Immediately Lawrence rushed toward Benni with his sword held high above his head. He screamed at his opponent, “Yaaaaaaaaah!”

Benni waited until Lawrence got close. He knew that Lawrence would be expecting him to block his attack. As soon as Lawrence was close enough, however, Benni dropped both his sword and his shield. As Lawrence went to swing, he hesitated upon seeing Benni do this, and it was that moment that cost him. Benni took one step forward bringing him into very close proximity with Lawrence. Benni took his right hand and placed his palm against Lawrence’s face, he proceeded to place his right leg behind Lawrence’s right leg and as he caught him off balance, pushed backwards, putting Lawrence on the ground. As Benni pinned Lawrence to the hard unforgiving earth, he noticed something that frightened him. He felt Lawrence’s entire being, his entire energy disappear. Upon connecting with the ground Lawrence let out a loud “Ooof!” The fight was over before it ever really began. Lawrence was beaten.

Benni stood up and kicked away Lawrence’s sword and shield. He stood over him and said firmly, “I’ll let my mother know you are coming to stay with us.”

“Benni, wait!” Lawrence’s voice creaked as he struggled to get to his feet. “I was just joking around. Let’s do this for real now!”

Lawrence fumbled around for a moment, attempting to locate his weapon. Finally, he picked up his sword and shield. “Come on, one more time!”

“Fine, but you already lost Lawrence, if you must…then come at me.” Benni readied himself once again.

Benni drew his sword; Lawrence charged again. His footwork was very sloppy and he more so stumbled than ran. Benni hated doing this, but he knew it was necessary. If Lawrence ever wanted to be strong again, he would need to commit himself completely to his training, and get away from all of the distractions that living in the castle brought with it.

Lawrence got close, and Benni simply parried his attack. Lawrence swung overhead and tried over and over to land a blow, but to no avail. Benni knew what he had to do to prove his point. He planted his feet and as Lawrence charged again, he swung at Lawrence’s sword as hard as he could.

Zzzzinnnnggggg!

The sound of steel cutting steel broke Lawrence of his delusions as the top half of his sword fell to the ground. He stopped in his tracks with an empty look on his face. Benni had just cut Lawrence’s sword in half, and without a weapon to continue the duel, Lawrence had lost again. Lawrence stood there motionless and without words, almost as if all of the life had just been sucked out of him. Lawrence looked down at the half sword that he still held in his hand, turned it over to examine it, and threw it to the ground. The earth parted as the edge of the half blade sliced into the ground. It sat there for a moment until it collapsed under its own weight, flicking up some lifeless dirt as it did.

Benni’s booming voice tore him from his personal sanctuary. “You have no hand to hand skills, and your sword play needs work. You have no stamina and tire easily. These are just four problems that I notice right from the start with you, Lawrence. Go get your things and take them to my house. Tomorrow morning will mark the first day of our training, and let me tell you this right now, if you think that I will go easy on you because we are friends then you had better think again. In fact, as of right now, we aren’t friends. We are training partners!” Benni knew this was how it had to be, and with the death of the old Lawrence Sanctus, a new one could be born.

Lawrence stood speechless for a moment, but eventually he walked away from the broken blade and Benni. He returned to the castle. Lawrence was in awe of how easily Benni had defeated him, and it was something that he dreaded happening to him in a real battle. He longed for Benni’s skills. He hoped that he could become that great someday, but right now he had another problem he had to deal with: Elsie.

As Lawrence reentered the castle, he immediately crossed paths with Elsie who was speaking to her mother on the ground floor. Lawrence approached the two as if to talk to them, but Elsie immediately shot him a concerned look. It stopped Lawrence in his tracks, paralyzing him; it was almost as though he had lost all function. As he stood motionless and the conversation ended, Elsie approached him.

She stopped about four paces away from him and looked at him suspiciously. “What are you doing back so soon, Lawrence?”

“I don’t know how to tell you this, Elsie,” Lawrence mumbled, looking at the ground. “I don’t want you to take it the wrong way.”

“What do you mean, Lawrence?” Her facial expression changed, and now her eyes begged for the truth.

“I’m leaving.”

Elsie felt a strange sensation course throughout her entire body as she was unsure how to react to the situation. Over the last few months she had grown used to spending every morning with Lawrence, and now she wouldn’t be able to. Even though she knew Lawrence needed a change of pace, the news was still shocking to her.

“What, why?!” Her voice was intense, fearful. “Why would you leave the castle, Lawrence?”

“I can’t stay here anymore, Elsie. I told Benni that if he beat me in a sparring match that I would go live and train with him. I gave my word. You know I’d rather stay here with you, but maybe he’s right. Maybe I can’t recover fully if I stay here. Maybe I have been slacking. I feel like living here has dulled my recovery. I realize now that what you were doing was only to help me, but I have to help myself first. I can’t just rely on you. I appreciate everything that you and your family are doing for my mother and I am eternally grateful. However, if I am to become stronger and reach my full potential as a Knight then I need to be somewhere free of distractions while I train. Elsie…” Lawrence trailed off as he collected his thoughts. “I will return to you, but not as a weak Knight who couldn’t protect you if his life depended on it, but as a stronger, more able Knight. I will become a Knight so strong and so agile that you will be able to count on me for anything. When I am finished, no matter what evil may come to these lands…I will protect you.”

Elsie didn’t say anything for a while as she stared into Lawrence’s eyes. There was a glint of resolve and resilience in them that she hadn’t noticed in quite some time. Finally, her soft, calming voice broke the silence between them. “I have no doubt that you will, Lawrence.” Elsie didn’t want to cry. “So, I guess this is goodbye for now.”

“Yes, yes it is, Elsie.” Lawrence could feel his emotions tearing at him. But he had to be strong.

Reality finally overcame Elsie. Small tears began to well up in Elsie’s beautiful eyes. Her body shuddered momentarily and she sniffled as she looked away in embarrassment. “When are you leaving?” she managed to choke out, tears flowing.

“I’m packing my things now; I’ll be gone before supper,” Lawrence responded.

Elsie could no longer hold back the heavy stream of tears that now flowed freely from her eyes. She didn’t want Lawrence to go, and she knew if he did that the two could grow distant. She wanted so badly to stop him, but she knew that if Lawrence was to fully recover, he needed the constant tutelage of a training partner who was as dedicated as he needed to be.

“Lawrence, I’m scared!” Elsie cried. She grabbed his hand and clenched it tightly. “Please, don’t go! I’m…I’m…” Elsie wanted to tell Lawrence how she really felt, but it didn’t feel right to force something like that on him right now.

“You’re what, Elsie?”

She gazed deep into his eyes. Her voice was soft. “I’m afraid you won’t come back.”

Lawrence took her hand gently and said, “Elsie, I’ll always come back to you.” He paused for a moment. “Elsie, when all this training is done I hope to have a new reason for being a Knight. When I finish my training, I need you to promise me that you will go somewhere with me.”

Elsie had no idea what Lawrence was talking about and needed more clarification. “What do you mean, Lawrence? Go where?”

“Remember when I mentioned that special spot that night at the Silver Shield? If you hadn’t left before I could say something, I was going to take you there. I want you to go there with me after my training.”

“Yes, Lawrence. I’ll be waiting for you.”

Lawrence and Elsie both shared a smile before Lawrence headed up the stairs to see his mother and gather his things. Lawrence opened the door to his mother’s room and saw her sitting in a padded royal chair looking happy and comfortable. In the months that she had spent in the castle, Elizabeth had eaten better and felt better with each passing day. She knew she could never make a full recovery and that this condition would eventually follow her to her grave, but for the time being, she lived without the constant stress and hardship that she had endured before. Lawrence could see her spirit somewhat reinvigorated with life and energy, but her body was still weak and she was still fragile. The sum of three years of living in squalor would not be erased so easily and every day was still a new battle for her.

She looked at her son and immediately noticed the sad look on his face. “Lawrence, my son, what’s wrong?” she asked.

“I’m leaving to train, Mother. I just thought I should let you know that I will be living and training with Benni. I will visit you everyday.”

“Oh, Lawrence, come here,” she said, waving him over. She took him in her arms. “I love you very much, son, and I am confident that things will go well for you. Be sure to eat well and wash whenever you can. I have no doubt that you will become a great Knight.”

“Thank you, Mother; I can always count on you for support. But lately I just don’t know anymore…” Lawrence’s voice trailed off.

“What do you mean, Lawrence?” she asked. A look of concern morphed over her wrinkled face.

“Now that you are here and feeling better, I don’t really feel that I have a reason for being in the Knight Guard anymore.”

“No reason? What about Haile? What about Benni and Razzius? Lawrence, what about the Pyre family? What about Elsie?”

Her last question hit him like an arrow from the mightiest bow.
Elsie!
Lawrence could actually feel his heart skip a beat and he didn’t know how to respond. It was as if his mother had just opened the flood gates to his mind and these questions were flowing through him all at once. Lawrence tried to respond, but his mouth and voice would not obey. He didn’t know what to say to his mother; he didn’t know how to respond to any of her questions. Did any of these things matter to him?

“Lawrence, I love you. I want you to make sure that if you stay in the Knight Guard, that you do it for the right reasons. I married your father for the right reasons. I wanted a family, and just as importantly, I loved him. I loved him more than anything, and I still do. Lawrence, I want you to make sure that if you stay in the guard, that you have a real reason for being there, and that you fight for that reason and hold it dear to you for the rest of your life. Do you understand, Lawrence?”

Lawrence nodded his head. “I do, Mother.”

They spent the next several moments locked in an embrace. Eventually, Lawrence separated himself from Elizabeth’s firm hug and said, “Well, Mother, I best be on my way to Benni’s house. Wish me luck!”

“Good luck, Lawrence,” Elizabeth said with a smile.

Lawrence turned around and walked out of her room with tears beginning to form in his eyes. Lawrence knew it was time and he began to pack his things. An hour later he had left the castle and was on his way to Benni’s house. He really didn’t know what to expect, but Lawrence knew that Benni had a very caring family and could only hope that he would be welcomed with open arms. As he walked to Benni’s house he couldn’t get Elsie, or the promise that he made to her, out of his mind. He arrived at the Wakewood home and knocked on the door.

“You don’t have to knock, you live here now!” a joyous, female voice called from inside.

Lawrence pushed the door open and an inviting, comforting scene flooded his vision. The main room was a quaint kitchen with a round table that seated four, but a fifth chair had been brought in. Just off to the right hand corner, a fireplace had a modest fire burning inside of it. Lawrence looked around for a moment and saw the voice’s owner; it was Benni’s mother, Helen. She was busy tidying up the kitchen and preparing a large feast. The short, rotund woman moved gracefully in the kitchen. Her curly black hair was peppered with flour and her hands moved from one utensil to another. She looked up from her task and smiled at Lawrence. “Benni already told me that you’d be staying with us, Lawrence. Don’t worry about a thing. You are welcome to stay here as long as you like.”

Lawrence didn’t know what to say, he was so lucky to have a good friend like Benni. And now, even his family was helping Lawrence in his time of need.

“Thank you, Mrs. Wakewood.”

“Lawrence, you’ll be sharing a room with Benni. Just move your things up there and then head out back. But be careful, Benni and Nicholas are training.”