The blue haired woman walked gradual towards the armored knight. Cladius was finishing the leather straps on his horse saddle as Almorah approached. His sword sheath was strapped to the beast as well. He glanced back, once quickly, the second longer as he turned his body around as well.

"What of my training?" Almorah questioned.

"I have been assigned to some trouble by the border. I'm afraid you cannot come along." Cladius replied.

"Excuse me, fine sir, but I am ready, take me with you." Almorah argued.

"My lady, these are trained killers, I know you have had some training, but it is best to keep you out of harm's way while you wait for your armor to finish crafting."

"Yet here I still stand, blade ready for battle." Almorah said sternly.

"Miss Quail it is best I don't. Please obey me." Cladius replied, leaping onto his horse in his armor.

Almorah grabbed a horse by the stable pulling it forward. She wasn't going anywhere; she knew she could fight whatever threat was out there.

"I guess I will just have to follow you." Almorah replied.

Cladius was frustrated inside, holding his anger back. He refused to speak to the lady in his frustration for fear of speaking regretful words. He secretly found her stubbornness admirable, her courage inspiring.

"Almorah, follow my every word or you will most likely die." Cladius spoke back behind him.

Almorah was stunned by the blunt words, they stun in her chest, she felt insulted, "Well sir, I'm sorry my womanhood makes you feel as such."

Cladius took a moment to register her words, "This is not of being a woman, but of being ill prepared for battle. Especially sense you have no combat experience and the threat is still unknown."

"You speak to me as a child! Did not my father teach you? Does that not place me at your very own level?" Almorah spat back.

"For the exception that I finished my training with him at seventeen, and Nerus at twenty one, and that you never finished your training." Cladius replied, staying calm, "It takes fourteen years for a knight to complete his or in this case her training."

"So it is my fault my father died!" Almorah angrily yelled.

"This has so little to do with your father." Cladius replied.

"You didn't complete your training with my father either." Almorah replied, a tier rolling down her left cheek.

"Almorah, stop; turn around or follow my orders, if you can't do it because I am your master, then do it because I am your captain. Is that understood?" Cladius replied looking back through his helmet's thine visor.

"Yes, my lord." Almorah replied rudely.

"Very well", Cladius said turning forward rushing with his horse.

It was noon on the lovely day when they had approached the boarder. They traveled through the Woods of Swords. The trees were as old as the castle some said older. The forest received its name for the loyalty of the first king's knights. Most referred to the beautiful heaven as the Forest of Helm, the others outside the grand kingdom didn't know any better. Cladius watched his white horse place its hoof against the dead leaves. The knight raised his hand up to signal a stop back at Almorah.

"Do you hear that?" Cladius asked back.

Suddenly an arrow hit Cladius square in the shoulder. The shaft went through his armor into his upper chest, nearing his collar bone. The man leaned to the side falling off his horse on purpose. Almorah leaped off her horse next to her master's side drawing her sword, as four white skinned males came out from the brush. Cladius had his hand on his blade as he recognized the men, Ommart. Cladius drew his blade rushing to his feet.

"Almorah get out of here now!" Cladius replied grabbing his shield from off his horse.

"No way," Almorah replied, determined to aid her master.

"I'm trying to save your life! Now," Cladius yelled as loud as he could, but it was too late.

The Ommart were too close, their white pale skin shimmering in the sun, with their bulky build. They wore a thick belt covering the belly button, a helmet, a shoulder plate on their dominate arm, and sandals for armor. Cladius had tried to deflect the incoming blade of his enemy away from Almorah, but had failed, the sword being driving right through the woman's abdomen. Cladius was filled with rage as he lashed back at the Ommart. His blade came at one of them. The male figure tried to block the blow, both swords colliding. The knight of Helm's blade cut through the opponent's blade landing a blow across his neck. His head rolled to the ground as Cladius sword broke.

The other Ommart came at him while two behind him killed his horse. He dodged the attacker's blade grabbing the man's arm and shanking him in his open torso. The man took every blow with a smile smashing his fist into Cladiu's head. The blow did more damage than Cladius had expected, but barely dazed him as the figure dropped to his knee dead. He swung around, blocking the next blow with his shield. Cladius slammed his shattered blade into the Ommart with a helmet, the one without was their captain. The blade went through the other attacker's visor, but his blade still hit the knight in his abdomen. His armor took the blow as a bash instead of a slash. He fell down to one knee blocking another attack from the Ommart captain.

The Ommart with no helmet gripped Cladius shield with both hands tarring it away from Cladius. They sustained a tug of war as the now open Claidus faced the remaining foe to his right.

The knight grabbed and arrow from his quiver on his hip reading for the blow. The blade came at Cladius, as he bashed it to the side, slamming the arrow into the forearm of his opponent. The nerve Cladius had aimed for was hit, as it rendered the enemy's hand useless. He grabbed the enemy's blade slashing off the Ommart captain's head, and then turning to bash sword's shattered blade into the wounded male's head.

He dropped the blade once both men were dead rushing to the now dead Almorah, lying cold on the ground, the blood slowly dripping from her open mouth. Her hand on was placed gently on her bleeding abdomen, to stop the blood, but to no avail. Cladius placed his head against the woman's chest, his forehead resting on her breastplate. Tear's streamed down his face. He had lost his only student.

The remorseful man yelled into the sky in agony, as the arrow in his shoulder, slowly faded from all thought. He could only feel the horror of the emptiness in his soul.

"I told you to leave." Cladius said aloud, "I told you to leave."

He repeated the lines once again, until the hell he saw before him fully registered in his mind. He lifted his skull up, getting on his knees. He held the woman's body in his arms, lifeless. He swallowed hard as a hand was placed on his shoulder. Cladius turned back in a smooth motion, placing the woman's body over his shoulder, and slamming his foot into the unwelcomed stranger. Cladius fell over, his blow deflected, starring up at the stranger.

A man stood six feet tall and fairly portioned for his size. He had long grey hair with a beard to match. He had an aurora about him, one Cladius thought to be familiar, as if known before.

"Cladius, hand me the woman." The figure said with authority.

"And why would I perform such a task?"

"Because I can restore her life before you, I am Claydrin, nothing is greater than I."

Cladius's eyes widened as he gently placed the beautiful young woman in the man's care.

"Why would you do this, for one such as me?" Cladius inquired.

"For many reasons, what do you know of the sun?" Claydrin replied.

"What does the sun have to do with me?"

"You are of royal blood. You are Cladius."

"I have no father, nor mother." Cladius replied, "They were taken from me."

"No, they sent thee here." Claydrin replied. "And there will come a day when they will reclaim you. Seek me out, Cladius; I know the answers you seek. Learn of me, learn of Zelstine."

Cladius didn't speak as Almorah floated above the ground. The god took a sword out of thin air slamming it into the ground.

"A gift from your mother, the sword Sosire, may it guide you in all your travels. Until we meet again; Knight of Helm."

"Why gift me such a sword?" Cladius asked.

Claydrin smiled, as he disappeared before Cladius's eyes. Almorah gentle fell into his arms, as her eyes flickered.

"What? What's going on?" Almorah said confused.

"You had been wounded, and the gods spared your life." Cladius replied, "You seem to be a very important figure in their eyes."

Almorah was silent as she felt the firm arms of Claudius around her. She glanced into the man's eyes as he did back in hers. She felt safe and protected in his arms and time seemed to have stopped.

Cladius let the woman down, hovering his arms as the woman regained her balance. She felt awkward to have been held by the gentleman, mostly because she didn't really want him to set her down.

"Come, we have urgent news, we must not dwell her." Cladius replied, leaping onto his horse.

"Yes, sir," Almorah replied riding her horse after him.