Long Live the Emperor: Chapter 8 (Patreon)

"Crap." Alvin lurched to his feet.

His head pounded like there was a blacksmith in his skull trying to hammer out a tune to the pulse of his heart.

He'd gotten hit in his dream. Why was his head sore in the real world?

Alvin didn't know. What he did know was that he was going to be in a lot of trouble if that invading army showed up at the manor and captured him. He wasn't sure what the local procedure was for capturing nobles and taking all their land, but Alvin was pretty sure he'd be better off finding out first.

Damn it. If he'd gotten even a few months to learn about this world before disaster struck, he'd be far better off.

Then again, if he hadn't known how pressing research would be, he'd probably have spent months goofing off and having fun as a feudal lord instead of getting any work done.

Focus, Alvin.

He had laid one hand against the wall to steady himself, and Ella slipped beneath his other arm.

"My lord, are you alright?" Ella asked, already hurrying him down the hall.

At her verbal prompting and his own internal insistence that he get his head together with all haste, he straightened his back and his thoughts.

"Yes, I'm fine. You have horses and supplies ready?" Alvin asked.

"The horses are ready, and there are two standard travel bags on each. They should last you until you get to your hunting cabin," Ella explained. "But quickly, you must hurry!"

"Last us, you mean. You're coming with me." Alvin knew absolutely nothing about this world. But his maid, on the other hand, was a born native. He could learn a lot of what he needed to know from her. He'd probably have to let her in on the secret that he wasn't really Aldrich, but that would have to wait until they were safe in the cabin. He didn't need her questioning her loyalties at this crucial moment.

What he did need from here though were directions to the cabin. He had no idea where the damn thing was. Or the horses, for that matter.

Fortunately, Ella led the way for him without complaint. As they traveled, Alvin snatched a few trinkets from the manor. An exotic dagger here, a bejeweled silver cup there. He wasn't sure what the cabin would have in the way of supplies, and he wanted some modestly valuable items to pawn off. Nothing so valuable that he could be identified when selling it, but valuable enough to be worth carrying on a horse riding hard.

After looting his own manor and reaching the horses, Alvin was greeted by a rather embarrassing problem. One he wasn't quite sure how to broach to Ella.

He didn't know how to ride a horse.

The trouble was, Aldrich would know how to mount and ride a horse without issue. Even Ella, the manor maid, hopped on the horse in two quick steps. In this world, not knowing how to ride a horse.

But as he approached the horse, he found it not so familiar after all. He looked at the stirrups and knew just where to step with his left foot to bring himself up and over the horse in one smooth leap. He sat astride it like he'd mounted the horse a thousand times before.

Where had that come from?

Alvin followed the thought and was met by a brief flash of memory. A memory of a tiny Aldrich talking to an instructor and being shown how to mount a horse just as he had a moment ago.

Alvin was absolutely certain that hadn't been one of his memories. For one, he'd never have been able to afford horse lessons. For two, nobody back home walked around wearing armor and a sword while giving horse lessons. That had to have been one of Aldrich's memories.

The thought that his body's memories were bleeding over into his own troubled Alvin. Would he and Aldrich start to blend together? To some extent, he should have seen this coming after he had no trouble speaking the local language as well as Aldrich would have been able to speak it, but now that the thought was in mind, he was growing increasingly troubled with each passing moment.

But this was hardly the time to contemplate such things, and right now, the fact that he could ride a horse without falling off was an unexpected boon.

"My lord, you're certain you want me with you?" Ella asked again in confirmation. Her face was covered by a blush, and Alvin remembered her mother mentioning she had a bit of a crush on Aldrich.

That would unfortunately make letting her in on Alvin's secret a lot more troublesome, but he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

"I'm certain. Lead the way, Ella!" Alvin said.

And lead the way Ella did. She prodded her horse with her heels, and it took off. Alvin noted she was riding normally instead of side-saddle. She'd pulled up her skirt and girded it around her front into a set of makeshift pants and now rode with her rather lovely-looking legs bare.

If Alvin ever ruled over East Water as baron again, he would definitely outlaw her previous maid outfit. He'd hardly even noticed Ella while she was wearing it. It was a shame to conceal a beautiful woman under black and white frills.

Horse hooves pounded against the ground, and Ella led their pair of horses down the road at full gallop. They pressed their mounts as hard as they dared, hoping to get out of sight by the time the troops headed toward East Water took the manor and noticed the baron was gone.

Unfortunately, someone in the enemy army had suspected that the baron might try and make a run for it and had sent a platoon of fifty cavalrymen to circle around behind East Water and watch for an escape. Most were lightly armed and armored and had the appearance of soldiers. But the remaining handful wore full plate and looked like they knew how to use their swords. If those weren't knights, Alvin wasn't sure what would be.

The only good news was that by the time they made it all the way around, Alvin and Ella were already well on their way down the road, giving them a hefty advantage. For all they knew, the two of them were just a band of fleeing peasants who happened to own horses. The real Aldrich could still be in the manor, so only a couple of them could break formation to pursue.

Alvin glanced over his shoulder as they road. It turned out he wasn't so lucky. About half of them had broken off to chase the pair of them down the road away from the manor.

Still, Alvin and Ella had a lead, and they planned to keep it. The riders had been using their horses all day to get to East Water, whereas the horses Ella had selected for herself and Alvin were fresh and ready to run. They'd outpace the others, at least for a while.

Ella's mount took the lead. For a maid, she sure knew how to ride. Now that Alvin had a bit of knowledge about how to ride, he knew the way she leaned tightly against the horse's neck and high on its back was supposed to give the horse just a little more speed. Aldrich could probably have done the same, but Alvin didn't have all his memories, just enough to avoid making a fool of himself and falling off his horse during a chase. Holding tight and urging the horse forward was all he could do, and he started falling behind Ella.

Alvin glanced at the riders behind him. Three of them had taken their horses down to a trot and were walking slowly behind the others while the other two ran ahead.

Alvin grimaced. He'd heard of this technique before. The two riding hard would prevent Alvin and Ella from giving their horses the chance to rest. Then, when their horses started to tire, those who'd been walking would speed ahead. At that point, Alvin and Ella's fortunes would be reversed. They'd be the ones with tired horses.

He had to do something, and he only saw one thing to do.

Aldrich was supposed to be a master swordsman, and there was a sword belted to the horse's side. One lone feudal lord against two dozen armed and armored men. He didn't like those odds, but Alvin was supposed to be a master swordsman. Maybe he could kill three or four of them and flee in the chaos?

Alvin didn't like his odds, but they were his only chance. So he pulled on his reigns and brought his horse to a stop. Ella heard the noise and whipped her head around.

"My lord, what are you doing? They'll catch us!"

Alvin shook his head. "They'll catch us anyway. Go on, Ella. Run! Sell off anything of value there and get us a nice pouch of coin to live off of."

But Alvin knew he'd never find the hunting cabin without Ella. He was staring down long odds, and chances were he wasn't going to get out of this one. He reached for the sword belted to his horse and drew the long curved saber. It felt cold and unfamiliar in his hands.

Behind him, he felt Ella's horse ride up beside him.

"I can't leave you, my lord," Ella insisted.

"They'll probably want me alive. I can't say the same for you. I'll hold them back as long as I can, Ella. Save yourself and go, Ella. that's an order!" Alvin shot her a smile. "I'll come find you again as soon as I can. That's a promise."

His cloak fluttered behind him and mounted on horseback with his sword raised high overhead, Alvin thought he cut quite the heroic figure.

At least, the tears in the corner of Ella's eyes said so. Her face flushed red, and her fingers clutched the rains tightly.

With his free hand, he grasped her by the shoulder and pulled her tight into a warm embrace. She must have thought he was going for something more though, because when he pulled her tight, she planted her lips against his and locked him in a kiss.

"Lord Aldrich... you've got one thing wrong. You're not coming back for me. I'm going to be coming back for you. No matter what evil plans Count Grandhill has in store for you, I will find a way to break you free!"

Ella turned her horse and ushered it back into a gallop before riding off down the road. She cast Alvin one last tragic look before vanishing around a bend in the road.

Alvin, for his part, stood with his sword in hand. He glanced at it awkwardly.

"Alright, come on, body. How do I use this damn thing?"

No memories of fighting on the practice field came to him. The sword felt as cold and awkward in his hand as ever.

Well crap.

Alvin turned toward Ella and wondered if maybe he'd spoken too soon. He'd only promised to buy her as much time as he could. If that time was only a second or two, it was still the thought that counted, right?

Just as he finished justifying turning tail and running in his own mind, a crossbow bolt shot from the group of riders and struck his horse in the neck.

Alvin's mount bucked on its hind legs, throwing Alvin clear of the saddle and tossing him to the ground. He was just barely able to catch himself as his sword was flung from his grasp, and he lay sprawled on the ground. His horse toppled sideways and had to roll out of the way with all haste to avoid being crushed.

By the time he was on his feet again, he had found twenty men on horseback encircling him, all of them with swords and bows drawn. Alvin glanced at his sword, which was all the way on the other side of his dead horse.

"It really is him! It's Baron Aldrich! Count Grandhill will be pleased," one of the cavalrymen said. Alvin wasn't sure if they were knights. They wore thick gambesons with a chainmail shirt and a helmet over it, but none of the distinctive plate armor Alvin would have expected of a knight. They were probably just well-trained cavalrymen and career soldiers instead of members of a hereditary warrior cast with generations of training in sword combat.

"Uh... nope, sorry. You have the wrong guy," Alvin said. "Aldrich? I don't know an Aldrich."

The soldiers glanced at one another.

"There's no use pretending, Baron Aldrich! We all saw you on the walls when we stormed your castle."

"I'm not Baron Aldrich, and I'm quite upset that you shot my horse! He's been in my family for years. My father passed him down to me when I was just a boy, and he was the last memory I had of--"

"That's a mare," one of the soldiers pointed a finger at the dead horse's hind legs.

"Ah..."

Alvin stopped talking. He knew how to quit and cut his losses.

A voice from the rear called out as a group of much more heavily armored soldiers shouted.

"Make way for Lady Mabel! Make way!" one shouted through a lifted visor.

Following him were four knights in plate armor, each carrying both a lance and a sword. The horses they rode were taller than anything belonging to the other soldiers, and it was clear that these were of the finest breeds. If these men weren't officially knights, they were close enough to it that the title hardly mattered.

At the center of all of them was another armored figure, though her armor was finer than the rest.

Her armor was made of the same steel as the rest of her knights, but it was slightly smaller around the waist and wider around the chest. They weren't adorned to the point that there was anything to catch in a fight, as this was clearly a set of battle-ready armor. But it had distinct femininity to it that meant it had been clearly designed to be worn by a woman from the beginning.

If Alvin had any doubts that women could be knights in this world, they were gone now. Lady Mable standing before him, had the nicks in her armor to prove she'd seen battle before.

"Baron Aldrich, we meet again," Lady Mable said. Her voice rung against the inside of her helmet, and she drew her sword to point it at him. "My father's army is taking your final stronghold. I didn't think I'd be lucky enough to catch you running away, though. I thought you the type to stand in your manor and fight to your last breath."

"I've had a change of heart," Alvin said.

So this was the daughter of Count Grandhill, the lord who was taking everything that once belonged to Aldrich. Her family was the reason why Aldrich abandoned his world to switch places with Alvin.

"My lady, say the word, and we'll subdue him," one of the knights said.

"No. I want a rematch. You may have bested me last time, but I'll show you why you should have finished me off when we fought last!" Lady Mabel pointed her sword at Alvin menacingly. She turned her head to her soldiers as she dismounted from her horse. "Fetch his sword and give it back to him."

Alvin frowned as his sword was tossed back to him. The tip was bent slightly from when his horse took a tumble, but otherwise, it seemed alright. Alvin held it in his hands. It still felt as cold and unfamiliar as before. No flash of memories filled his mind.

"You should not fight him alone, Lady Mabel. Your father ordered us to keep you safe," one of the knights said.

"But my father also placed me in command. And so now I give the order to arm Baron Aldrich and let him face me with his sword in hand!" Lady Mabel said.

There was a bit of muttering beneath the knight's helmets, and the soldiers looked equally uncertain. Alvin noted the soldiers glanced to the knights, not to Lady Mabel. They considered the knights more in charge than she was. Perhaps it was a matter of nepotism. They knew she'd only gotten her position because of her family name, but the knights were seasoned veterans who knew how to campaign.

Alvin turned to survey Lady Mabel and her men. Even if he did, by some miracle, defeat her lady, he wasn't getting out of this. Even if she ordered her men to let him go if he won, they wouldn't obey. Worse, killing Lady Mabel probably would be enough of an excuse for the knights to quietly dispatch Baron Aldrich in the woods.

Alvin realized they could rightly claim he ran as well and say they missed him. Or that they'd killed him in an attempt to keep him from slaying Lady Mabel. There were any number of ways this Count Grandhill could get rid of him. In short, as much trouble as he was in, he'd be in a lot more of it if this Lady Mabel died.

"I don't think we should fight," Alvin said. "After all, you're in full armor, and I'm in my nightclothes. It isn't exactly fair."

Lady Mabel froze a moment, and Alvin hoped she was about to cancel their duel. But instead, she reached for her helmet and tore it off.

Long locks of golden hair cascaded from her helmet and fell over her shoulders. Beneath her helmet was the face of a beautiful young woman about Alvin's own age. She had striking violet eyes and high noble cheekbones. A single scar lined the side of her cheek as the only blemish on her face.

"I have the scar you left me with. A bit lower, and you would have gotten my throat. I know you could have made the cut if you hadn't pittied me," Mabel spat. She reached for the straps on her armor, and they fell off her chest soon after. The metal skirt around her waist came up over her head, leaving her chest as underdressed for battle as Alvin was.

*Well, crud. This Lady Mabel really wanted to fight.*

Alvin looked at his sword hand again. He waited for something. Anything.

Was there a little twinge of something there? Maybe he'd feel it if he swung his saber at an enemy. Or sensed a blade about to sink into his flesh.

"You're certain you want to fight me?" Alvin asked, staring at his weapon as it glinted in the sun.

"What? You still think you're too good to face Lady Mabel of Grandhill?" Mabel asked. "You might technically still be a baron, and I just one of many daughters of a count, but already your title is in little more than name. I swear if you beat me, then my men will let you free, and my father won't pursue you."

Alvin chuckled. "I doubt that. I can tell your men are your father's, not yours. They won't listen to you."

"I may be new to command, but my orders are obeyed when given!" Lady Mabel's cheeks flushed. This was a sore spot with her.

Alvin shook his head. "I suppose I only have one option then." He raised his sword as though to fight, and Lady Mabel raised her own. Alvin took two quick steps forward, and Lady Mabel unleashed a devastating cut.

No instinctual technique or sudden rush of memories filled Alvin's mind. So he let his blade be swept clear from his grasp and go flying into the air behind him. Lady Mabel's sword was at his throat with the follow-up attack, eyes wide when she realized he hadn't blocked her.

"It appears you've beaten me," Alvin said as he raised his hands in the air. "Well done, Lady Mabel! I don't suppose you're in the mood to show a little pity?"

Note:

Alright, guys, Paladin 3 beta reading feedback has started coming in at high speed, so I may slow down on this to go back to editing that full-time. I've got to compile my full list of what I'm supposed to work on between beta readers, comments from here, and my own notes. Once I have that, I'll have a good guess at how long the final draft will take.

I'm hoping for a September release, but we'll see.

There will be more of this though. I still have one chapter waiting for editing, and hopefully a few more after that. It should be enough that I can put it to a vote to see if you guys want more or want to explore some other story premise.