The Ward's Guard

The delivery guy jumped, "jeez man, back off!" He tried to smack away the prying hands. Khutan looked up to the chef, "er yes." He smacked at the man's hands again, "that is, if you are Ms. Lirianial."

Caden had returned to the halls of castle as quickly as he could, having just positioned an entire regiment to form a perimeter around the castle to catch anyone attempting to escape. He had selected about twenty of his soldiers instead of those pitiful castle guards to help him deal with these nobles, the last thing he needed was chaos in a ballroom where any number of assassins could be hiding. Besides, if he had to deal with these idiots, he might as well do it with overwhelming force on his side. Just as Caden nearly reached the ballroom, the captain of the castle guard ran up to the general holding a piece of paper. "Sir, I found it!" Caden turned to the captain and snatched the paper, "Took you long enough, captain." He reviewed it quickly before pocketing it, "find all of the assassins and bring me a list of all of the ones you find. But first, order men to go through the servant's passages and kill anyone you find." The captain looked slightly confused, "sir, don't you mean capture?" Caden froze for a moment, he then slowly turned to the captain and stood up to his full height in order to tower over him. "Anyone caught in the passages is in direct violation of the lockdown, and they will be killed for their treachery, servant or not! I will take no chances captain, you find anyone, kill them!" The captain nodded before saluting, "yes sir." Caden studied the captain for a brief moment, glaring at him. "Then get moving boy! I will have this assassin dead!" The captain spun around and rushed off with his men. Caden only took a deep breath in preparation for what foolishness would await him in the ballroom, and he whispered the code word to the guard at the door before having it swept open before him to see the ballroom. Caden stood in the doorway with his cape flaring behind him and the army-men at his shoulders.

Khutan looked at his watch before knocking again, but louder.

Caden spotted the King's guard coming from down the hall. There were ten of them, and they were hard to miss as their armor was kept spotless and were ridiculously ornate. It was not until they got closer that he recognized two of his personal guard among them, as their armor and uniforms were steel grey with angular plating that resembled Caden's own armor, and covered with countless nicks and scratches from combat. Caden finished with the bindings on the king's wound; he had broken off the arrow's shaft, but left the tip in so that it would keep the wound blocked. The general turned to the men who had arrived, "it's about time you wretches! The king's attacker must still here, gather everyone who's not at a post and search this entire castle. Every way out is covered, if the assassin is still here, then she'll be dead! No one is to leave this castle without my explicit and direct orders, you got that?!" The guardsmen saluted. Caden growled, "then get moving! My two personal guards as well as two of you castle men will stay here with the king, don't let anyone near him unless you receive direct orders from me, you understand?" His personal guards merely nodded while the palace guards bowed their heads, "as you say sir." The general stood up, "two of you will come with me; I will fetch my personal regiment to help secure the castle, we'll need the manpower if we're going to deal with the," Caden took a moment to savor the word as he said it, "guests." Caden turned and stomped down the hall. He then stopped for a moment and gestured for the captain of the guard to follow him, "tell me, do you have a list with all of the King's ladies who are supposed to be in the castle at this moment?" The captain started a partial jog in order to catch and keep up with the general, "uh, I believe that is only meant for the king's eyes sir." Caden glared at the captain, "you'll have to make an exception, captain." "I'm sorry sir, but I don't think I can. Even I'm not allowed to look at it." Caden stopped suddenly, and he grabbed the captain by his collar, pulling him close. The captain yelped as he tried to squirm out of the general's steel grip, but he stopped when Caden began to speak. "My king is currently on the floor unconscious after being shot by an assassin boy. If you think I'm going to let something like a little rule stand in my way of finding the killer, then you're better off dead." Caden finished the sentence uncharacteristically calm, and as the captain looked into his yellow eyes he only saw a seething hatred staring back at him. Beads of sweat began to form on the captain's forehead, "You uh, you don't think that one of his ladies did it, do you?" The general only glared and growled before shoving the captain away, "I don't care if only the King is able to see it, I will catch this assassin! So either bring me that list, or your head." The general stormed down the hall, leaving the captain behind to deal with his insufferable mental quandary. Caden growled as he thought about what he had to do after assembling his regiment, dealing with the nobles. As he thought about their seemingly pointless bickering and endless politicking, his hand twitched as if to vent his frustration by striking something. He could find a little bit of relief from his anger by thinking how they would squirm if he had to deal with them one on one, but that was quickly swallowed up by the idea of dealing with the King's ladies after that. If there was one thing he hated more than pointless politics, it was assassins. His blood boiled just thinking about them.

Khutan knocked on the door, humming a strange tune as he lifted the package back up from the ground and waited.

Kuno raised an eyebrow as he turned to look at Mira with his grey eyes, "my dear friend, let's not forget what we said about names. The sounds that we use to describe ourselves are powerful, not just for telling people about who we are, but also for defining who we are. If we define ourselves weak or unable, then we have already lost. Others may have powers granted to them by their eye color, but that doesn't make those born without obsolete." Kuno turned back to look where he was walking. "My friend, everyone can lend a valuable hand in the storm that is to come, that's the point of uniting together, to make the whole stronger than the individual. As my mother once told me, 'a thick rope will take strain that would easily snap an individual thread.'" Kuno turned to make eye contact once more, "so tell me my friend, would you choose stand with me to face what is to come?"

"Until the lockdown is raised my lady, and that will only happen when the issue is resolved. I'm sorry that I can't be of much help."

The guard bowed his head in respect. "Something has happened my lady, but I'm sorry to say that I don't know what. All I know is that everyone must stay in the chamber that they were in when the lockdown was initiated. No one may leave, not even you."

Bells began to be rung, which they could be heard all throughout the palace. As soon as the security or guardsmen heard the bells ringing, they began to close the doors to every single room in the entire palace, and they counted to times the bells tolled, ending at 13. All throughout the palace, guardsmen ran and scrambled from their barracks to their posts during a lockdown of this scale, closing doors and locking them as they went, sealing the people inside. Any chamber that had someone in it had a guard positioned on the inside that they they could watch the occupants. Anyone who was outside of a room was quickly rushed into the nearest door before it was closed. In no time as all, guards were positioned practically everywhere all throughout the building. "Complete palace lockdown my lady, you will have to stay here for now."

Caden lifted up the king and carried him out of the bedchamber, with the guardsmen covering him with their shields. As soon as Caden had made it out of the room, the captain had caught up to them; Caden didn't even spare him a glare before shouting at him. "Get this whole castle on lockdown, current codeword Mors Regem! No one is to leave the chamber that they're in without explicit permission, I want guards doubled and the entire area searched immediately! MOVE!" At the last word, the captain began to run off to raise the alarm. Caden placed the king on the ground to assess the king's wound, he shouted commands at the guardsmen around him as he did so. "You, scout down that hallway until you find a secure room! The other one will stay with me, now go!"

Caden arrived at the King's room first, where he was shortly followed by s number of the King's guard, shoving aside anyone who stood in his way as he slammed through the door into the bedroom. When he saw the King with an arrow in him, he rushed to where he was, throwing himself between the King and where he assumed the assailant had shot him from. Caden scanned the King's injuries with a deadly serious face before reaching to lift the King from where he was. Shortly after Caden had stormed into the room, two of the King's guards entered in with shields, moving to position themselves between the King and the assumed position of the assailant.

Caden turned around in an instant when he heard the yell, shouting at the captain to bring the Keep into lockdown. He then sprinted after this 'Jasper,' making good ground as he ran.

Caden's knuckles whitened as he gripped his arming sword, "and who might you be?"

Caden growled, but he seemed to more or less be holding his peace as he spared a glare for the captain. "Speak then."

General Caden strode through one of the palaces hallways with the captain of the King's guard trotting to keep at his heels. Caden growled in between sentences, not offering the captain a single glance as they continued to walk down the hallway. "Under the order of the King, you are to double the guards now. How you haven't suffered a break in yet amazes me boy, but that changes now; I'm assigning a regiment of my personal guard to watch over the King." The captain nodded, however, he spoke an objection. "But uh, sir, the castle guard the the greatest in the land, that's why we're here." Caden spun to face the captain, flaring his cape and backhanding the captain. "You and your band of idiots are nothing! Tell me, when have you last time that you have felt the taste of battle, heard the screams of your allies and enemies dying, the smell of blood in the air boy?" The captain reeled back from the strike to his face, feeling blood run down his cheek from where the general's armor plate on his forearm hit him. He grit his teeth, "but sir, it's our mission to defend the King, at all costs." He stood up to the general, "I do what's best for the King's safety, and no one can change that." Caden stood up to loom over the captain, "then do what's best, and stand aside for my men to take charge. You may have the best training, but my men have fought and stood through the fires of combat; more than that, they have come out stronger and harder than any of you pitiful boys could ever dream of! They are the best, and you will allow them to take the posts nearest to the King in order to protect him, do you understand, boy?" The captain hesitated, but then nodded, "if those are your orders sir." Caden simply turned back and continued walking, "you're not off the hook captain, my men are only to aid you in the defense of the castle. Call up all of your reserves, I will be taking no chances tonight." Caden continued to speak as they came to turn in the hallway, "I'll be forced to rely on having your boys stay on guard for the majority of the castle grounds, but the central keep will have my men, and no one is to leave their posts unless given instruction or-" Caden look up as he saw someone approaching, placing his hand on his arming sword's hilt. @Fallapede

Edgeworth sniffed at the statement, but reluctantly took his seat once again.

Pior rolled his eyes at Aerith, "Hot Eyes says they're friends, and I'm not up to arguing with him about that."