Damaged but Unbroken Ch. 01

Damaged but Unbroken

Prologue:

This story is set in a world of monsters and magic, in a land of kings and queens and petty lords, and in a time of peace following a long and brutal war. This world has dragons, manticores, wyverns, feral wolves as tall as man, and all manner of nightmare beasts. Though humans have been hunting them for a thousand years, their numbers never seem to wane. The only upside to living with them is that monster parts can be used for powerful potions and healing salves through the practice of Alchemy.

The protagonist is a 26-year-old adventurer named Avalon Frost. He was raised by a single mother close to the capital city of Tempeste. He started training with sword and bow since he was old enough to hold them. His dream is to make a name for himself out there, in the vast expanse of the unknown world. For the past 8 years, he's been travelling the countryside on the back of his adult female starwing griffin, completing monster bounties, saving towns and performing all together heroic deeds. Starwing griffins have a base of black fur and black wings, but their lustrous fur has streaks of purple, blue, greens and reds, like nebulae frozen in time. The feathers are pitch black too, but that only makes the luminous points of light that pepper the wings look even more like stars. About 2 and a half years into his journey, he met Circi Blackwater (36 at the time, about 42 in the present day). At the time, she was head of a city patrol unit. It's important to note that in this society, women are allowed to enter the military but are often viewed as inferior soldiers. Even her patrolmen viewed her as a woman first and then a soldier, and certainly no one they expected to go very far in the armed forces. On their first meeting, he looked past her gender and treated her with the respect that her rank and experience commanded. That very night, they faced a particularly nasty water wyvern. Together Circi and Avalon managed to save the patrolmen and Tempeste city from its wrath. They went for a drink to celebrate, and their friendship was cemented.

Circi had short, red hair and golden eyes that seemed to glow when she got excited. Her pale skin, although well taken care of, was riddled with the many scars she had accumulated in her time of living dangerously. She was tall, standing at 5'10". Her time as a soldier had broadened her shoulders and fleshed out her arms, which gave her a vaguely tom-boyish look. Her overall figure, however, was toned and lean without any visible musculature. She mostly wore the red and gold armour of Tempeste city with a red-maned Hoplite helmet. She fought with spear, sword and shield though she was trained to use most readily available weapons.

Avalon stood at 6'4" tall with raven black hair and piercing blue eyes. His time on the road had tanned his skin and worked his muscles. He was lean and strong, his well-defined muscles showing visibly when bathing. When on the road, he wore a blue enamelled chestplate with padded leather and chainmail underneath. He found that heavy armour slowed him down, and that in his business, slow means dead.

Over the next 5 years, as Avalon continued to roam the lands to defend the innocent from the monsters... and to make some quick coin. Every six months or so, he would stop by Tempeste for a hot meal, a feather bed and a drink with his friend. As the recognition of her talent grew, she quickly rose through the ranks, putting a scowl on many old-fashioned faces. During an attack on the King while on the road about 18 months ago, she saved the King from certain death but at the personal expense of her eye. For her brave act of heroism even at great personal expense and her continued loyalty to the crown, the King bestowed upon her the first female knighthood and promoted her to his personal guard.

On his first morning back in the city, just as Avalon walked outside to feed his Griffin, he froze in his tracks as a loud, deep, guttural sound filled the air. There was no mistaking it. It was the bloodcurdling sound... of a dragon's roar.

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Chapter 1: Take me to Court

He knelt before the throne, his head bowed. He felt the heavy, dulled, ceremonial sword as it was lifted from one shoulder and landed on the other. As it left his other shoulder, the king called out "Rise, Sir Avalon the Dragonslayer, may your title be a symbol of your courage and our gratitude. As a further gesture of gratitude and hospitality, the crown has seen that a respectable homestead has been bought in your name for you to use at your pleasure. You are also, as a knight of the highest order, entitled and dare I say expected to take one of the women in my court here today as your lady wife." He stood up to look around the large chamber. Most men were smiling slyly at one another and not-so-subtly placing bets among their friends as to who he would choose. He got the feeling that regardless of whom he chose, however, someone was going to make a lot of money. All the women in court began to giggle amongst themselves and smile coyly at him, expecting the gentle smile and batting eyelashes of a noble lady to send him dashing into their arms. All women, that is, except one. One woman stood in the shadows of the room, leaning against a large pillar, looking so disinterested she would rather watch paint dry. After a long minute of deliberation, he proclaimed loudly "I choose the Dame Circi Blackwater, Captain of the Royal Guard, Your Majesty"

Dead silence fell upon the court as every woman stared at him in disbelief. Just as the fury in her eye flared, he looked over at her, grinned a wicked smile and winked mischievously. The King gestured for her to join him in the mid-morning sunshine that came in through the stained-glass windows and landed on the grey stone floor, a few meters from the throne. The court watched in utter silence as she stepped out of the shadows and walked towards him, each step brimming with fury. She stood at Avalon's left side, bowed to the King rather than curtsy, and turned to glare at her friend with lethal intent. After a long moment of dazed silence by all, the King finally spoke up. "Do you, Dame Circi, accept this proposal of marriage?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a middle-aged woman of the court stood and cleared her voice politely. "My apologies, Your Highness, but Circi Blackwater is not a woman of this court nor is she able to bear a viable heir nor is she able to care for it should she have one. For God's sake, she's not even a Lady. How can you expect her to be anybody's Lady wife?" she said, her voice dripping with scorn and disdain. She continued speaking, "I demand that this proposal be invalidated, in the interest of the noble ladies of your court." The rest of the court, as if suddenly having found their voice, roared in unison. Quips, cheers, jeers, demands, and some obscene remarks were made at her in the span of 30 seconds. Much like a schoolteacher to mewling children, the King raised his hand and silence fell once again. In a calm, yet sonorous voice he asked, "Have you anything to say for yourself, Sir Avalon?"

He looked over at Circi and saw her fists and jaw clenched in white-hot anger. He turned around and faced the open court. He placed a hand reassuringly on her shoulder and whispered, "Trust me, play along, I have a plan." He stepped away from her and towards the noble woman. "Circi Blackwater is most definitely a woman of this court. Not only does she spend more time in this room than any of you, but she does also so in the interest of your safety and your children's safety. When you sleep soundly at night, knowing your children and their children will be safe, it is because of her that you do so. Never forget that. My family owns no lands, has no renown of any kind, possesses no titles, and leaves no gold behind. I intend to travel the world and hunt beast and man until I - sorry, we - are old and grey. What am I going to with an heir, exactly? And yes, I'll admit she's not a noble lady. She's a Dame, and you would do well to remember that that title is earned not given at birth, Lady Stoneheart. It stands for strength, honour, integrity, hard work, and sacrifice. The fact that you don't know that, tells me more about your character than you will ever know." He smirked smugly and retook his place at Circi's right side. As the gentle murmurs died down around them, he reached down and interlocked his fingers into hers. He gave it a small squeeze as if to ask quietly if she would be alright. After a moment's pause, she squeezed his hand back. The King stood, and noticing their bond, took their interlocked hands in his own. "Do you, Dame Circi, accept this proposal of marriage?" She had clenched his hand in a death grip at this point, but in a voice as sweet and smooth as caramel she said:

"I do."