Chapter 3

“Your Highness, allow me to introduce the knight in charge of your security detail; Lady Laurel.” A slender young lady with auburn red hair French braided down her graceful neck made a knee and then rose to look Erin squarely in the eyes. Her look was appraising, as if comparing the reality to her mental image of Erin.

Erin felt as if she had just been tested, and was glad that Laurel smiled back at her, as if satisfied with what she saw. “Lady Laurel, we are pleased to take you into our service.” Erin spoke the ritual words, but felt a quick shifting in the focus of force of the house. Her eyes grew large, and she turned to study Jenny, who seemed equally unbalanced by the response of the focus on which the house rested.

“We’ll have to use care about that, won’t we?” Jenny said a bit too brightly.

“Your Highness, if I may be permitted, I would like to present the remainder of your detail. At one time or another, you will always have one of us at your side.” Laurel waited until Erin nodded, then beckoned forward another slender young brunette, with shoulder-length hair. “This is the Lady Hannah” The lady in question made a quick knee and then rose and resumed her post by the main entrance.

Erin, Jenny, and Laurel moved out to the courtyard of the estate. “This is the Lady Debi,” and another of her slender guardians, this one with a halo of dark brown curls framing her face, made a brief knee, while continuing to watch her side of the yard and the street beyond. “And finally, may I present the Lady Kundry.” A tall, slender beauty with a braided ponytail of lustrous brown hair that reached to the small of her back nodded absently while scanning the other side of the courtyard near the two SUVs.

Laurel took a small step back, and then taking a knee removed a sword from within the folds of her cloak and, holding it by the blade, pommel out, and extended it to Erin. Jenny nodded and Erin laid her hands gently on the pommel. “Your Highness, we four are your sworn protectors. At all times, one of us will be within sight of you, and we have chosen of our own free will to serve you as well as we can, and to protect you from all threats with our very lives and souls.”

Suddenly feeling the pinch in her breast that these sorts of oaths always brought to her, Erin nodded and then offered the response: “Lady Protectors, know that I accept your hands and hearts in service to this our royal person. We do charge you to fulfill your duties to the best of your abilities, and we entrust ourselves into to your care. Rise, Lady Laurel, and take your rightful place as our chosen champion.”

Only as Laurel rose did Erin notice the brooches that adorned the left breast of each of her ladies forest green leather armor. A golden lion rampant with the initials ER beneath it appeared to now grace each of her lady warriors. For a moment, Erin was a trifle confused until it dawned on here that ER stood for Erin Regina! She smiled for a moment at the thought of having her own little army, and then quickly frowned at the thought of having to use them. She wasn’t stupid, after all, and the last few months with Jenny and Anna as tutors, as well as friends, had shown her that threats to her very life were everywhere.

“Well then, now that that is over with, shall we see about when we can move into this monstrosity?” Smiling brightly, Erin returned to the inside of the house with Jenny and Laurel in tow.

Two weeks later, the house was hers, and after a whirlwind of moving and unpacking she had settled into a routine with her household, and had even practiced her formal entertaining on Richard and Megan. She had been overjoyed when Megan had told her she was expecting, and she smiled shyly at Richard as he basked in the shared glow of a not yet showing, but still glowing bride, and mother to be. Richard moaned when Erin asked if they had seen Megan’s parents yet.