บท 4: The Knight

"WHO ARE YOU?"

Alice sucked in a deep breath through her teeth, her gaze never leaving the blade that was threateningly close to her throat.

This man that stood before her was a thousand times more intimidating than the other three ruffians in the forest. For one thing, they were crudely dressed in clothes for peasants. This man, on the other hand, was dressed in what seemed like a pure white silk shirt, accompanied by a navy waistcoat with gold embellishments and a black jacket with royal blue cuffs and gold buttons on top of that. He wore black trousers that were without a single crease, tucked into a pair of polished black boots. A matching cobalt cape was draped over his left shoulder under the padding, threads of gold hanging off the sides of the velvet-like material. On the breast pocket of his vest was a single crest in silver embroidery, one which Alice was not familiar with.

In other words, he reeked of power, adorned by a formidable aura.

"Why are you in the forest? Where is the young master?" The stranger continued with his onslaught of questions, the tip of his weapon only getting closer and closer to Alice's skin.

It was nearly touching, almost drawing blood when a sudden scream tore through the forest and sent a flock of birds up into the air. The man immediately looked up, turning his attention away at Alice and towards whatever was behind her. She, too, could hear thunderous steps headed their way, followed by the familiar screech of the young boy she had encountered.

Sure enough, when she turned, she caught a glimpse of lavender hair, followed by the three hulking bodies of the men that were after him. The stranger that had his weapon pointed towards her had taken a step back, his rapier still in hand as he advanced towards the boy hastily.

Alice spun herself around, twisting her body before climbing back onto her sore feet. She couldn't help but want to watch the clash.

When the boy was close enough, he hurried behind the stranger with the rapier, cowering behind his taller stature while peeking out from the side. The three hooligans who were following the young boy all halted upon the sight of the stranger, their grips on their weapons tightening significantly.

"Were you hurt?" The stranger asked, slightly looking over his shoulder so that he could see the young boy as he spoke. However, his gaze never quite left the three opponents that stood a few feet away from him.

"No," the boy replied with a shake of his head. "I was bought some time and managed to run off. Thank goodness you're here, Miles."

"Maybe now you'll learn not to run off on your own, young master," the stranger quipped.

That made the young boy's mouth snap shut.

"Pfft," one of the men spat on the ground. "So you only have one knight coming after you. Big deal."

"We can take him." Another scowled, raising his dagger while drawing another. "It's three on one. Piece of cake. Then we can take both the brat and that bitch."

Suddenly called into attention, Alice jerked a little in fear, inching back further. The stranger, however, barely even paid Alice any attention. He simply waved his left hand, signaling the boy to move back.

"Stay back, young master. I will handle this quickly," was all he said.

"Cocky bastard!" Yelling a curse, the three men charged, their weapons raised as their battle cry resounded through the forest.

The young boy staggered back to where Alice was, standing right by her side, his eyes never leaving the scene. Alice, too, was entranced by the fight. She watched as their weapons clashed, three against one, yet the stranger barely broke a sweat. He moved like a dancer on stage, his body weaving, arms executing movements too quick for her to register. The rapier tip countered a few blunt attacks before stabbing forward, effectively repelling the three men one by one. It was barely even half a minute in and Alice could already tell that they were starting to get tired. They simply couldn't keep up.

"Amazing, isn't he?" The boy spoke up from beside Alice, his arms folded across his chest.

It was then had Alice unwillingly torn her eyes away from the fight to examine the boy. He was a little taller than her but not by much. His eyes were a bright yellow, dripping like liquid gold. It reminded Alice very much of a pair of cat eyes and she wondered silently to herself how his eyes were such an unnatural shade. He was much more well-built than Alice first assumed. Light muscles adorned his arms. However, he was certainly not as bulky as the four men that battled in front of them. In comparison, he seemed like a pale little porcelain doll.

Alice's throat felt dry as she searched for her words. "Yeah," she croaked. She wasn't used to seeing a live fight. Everything she had witnessed today still seemed like a nightmare she couldn't wake up from.

"You don't have to worry now that Miles is here. He's the best knight in our house." The boy reached out and grabbed Alice's hands all of a sudden, clutching them tightly near his chest. "Also, thank you so much for your help back there! I would've been long captured if it weren't for you."

"It's no big deal." She coughed. Alice soon found her eyes back on the stranger. Miles, the boy said his name was. "I didn't know that people still had knights around. I thought it was only for the royal families."

The young boy laughed, his hands clutching his belly, which only caused Alice to wrinkle her nose in confusion.

"All noble houses have knights at their service too, Miss. That's common knowledge, even for the common folk. Judging by your…" his eyes roamed off of Alice's face and down at her t-shirt and shorts, wincing a little as he did so, "... choice of attire, I'm guessing you're not from a noble family?"

That only made Alice frown. Not because the boy had insinuated that she was a peasant but rather how he even thought that there were different social classes present in the country. That was abolished long ago, where Alice was born and raised. Probably centuries back.

"No one is," she swiftly retorted. "There's no separation of classes in our country. What drugs are you on?"

"No separation of classes?" The boy's eyes went wide, deftly ignoring the second part of her sentence. "Nonsense. The House of Ragan has been a marquess family for generations. Have you hit your head during the scuffle back there?" Then, his eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "Or perhaps you're from a different country? One with different rules? That would explain your bold fashion choice."

Alice was never uncomfortable with showing a little skin. However, with how the boy kept judging her clothing choice, not to mention it was her nightwear, she was starting to grow insecure about her thin shirt and shorts.

"There's no way…" Murmuring under her breath, Alice shook her head. "I was just at home. I've not made plans to travel. The second I woke up, I was—"

"Young master," a voice cut in. It was followed by the screech of a blade being sheathed. When Alice turned, she finally noticed the knight walking towards them. "Let us return. Your brother is very worried about you."

"You sure took your time, Miles," the boy cheekily replied with a grin, Alice's strange behavior long forgotten.

"I noticed that you were otherwise preoccupied and decided it would be unwise to cut in so quickly," Miles answered, casting Alice a quick glance. "Apologies, Miss. I wasn't aware that you were previously acquainted with our young master."

"Ah yes! We've not introduced ourselves!" The boy exclaimed. "My name is Charlie Ragan, second-born son of Lord Philip Ragan. This is Miles, a knight in service to our family."

Miles frowned. "Young master, it is basic etiquette to have—"

"Yes yes, to have those of lower status to introduce themselves first, I know. However, this lady saved my life. We could be considered friends, yes?" Beaming brightly, Charlie's eyes were glimmering with affection. "What's your name, Miss?"

"Alice," she introduced. "Alice Clemente."

"A pleasure, Miss Clemente." Miles dipped down into a low bow before straightening. "You have my thanks for assisting young master Charlie against those ruffians."

"It was nothing." She casually waved it off. "Rather, do you know how I can get back home? I live on Somerset Street in Riverside Creek. Yet, no matter how I look around, it doesn't seem like I'm in Riverside Creek at all."

The two exchanged looks, each more bewildered than the other before Charlie grimaced. "Apologies but I've never heard of a Riverside Creek. Is it a country?"

"No, it's a small town in America. It's not odd that you've not heard of it but I couldn't have possibly traveled that far in my sleep to have gone to a town that's never heard of it."

It was at that point that Miles had asked a question that stumped Alice.

"Where is America?"

Alice's breath hitched as she stared dumbly at Miles and Charlie, gaping blankly as she blinked a few times in pure shock. There was no possible way for anyone to not know of such a big country.

'What on Earth is going on?' She thought.

"You're joking." Alice coughed out a few short laughs, wincing. "You've got to be pulling my leg. How could you not know? Where are we, then?"

Charlie puffed out his chest proudly. If it weren't for his tattered attire, he would seem every inch like a visage with his handsome features and proud appearance.

"This is the Kingdom of Gladiolum, Miss Alice."

Now, it was Alice's turn to get stumped. Her back was drenched in a layer of cold sweat which caused her shirt to stick uncomfortably against her skin. The tire of the run was starting to catch up to her. Paired with the shock of an unknown name, along with foreign rules she was unaccustomed to, Alice had just about reached her limit. Her vision blurred as she staggered back a few steps before ultimately succumbing to the weakness of her knees.

She collapsed but not before Miles could reach her. He held her in his arms right before she hit the ground, holding her up as her vision faded.

"Miss Alice?" She could faintly hear Charlie calling her name in the background but there was no longer any strength for her to answer. "Miss Alice? Alice!"

Then, everything went silent.