The Templar Outcast Chapter 2
#2 of The Templar Outcast
Chapter 2.
I opened my eyes, looking around still dazed from sleep, slightly surprised I had fallen asleep. Sitting up I yawned and looked around my room. It was dark though my eyes had been closed so it was easy to adjust to the meager light that came from my window which reflected from the moon and shined from the stars. It must've been late because I could hear no footsteps outside my door, meaning even the student watchers had gone to bed.
They didn't take to their own sleep until eleven at night, after checking to make sure every apprentice was in bed and asleep, though the night guards were still very much awake I'm sure. Looking for something to do I stood from my bed and headed over to my window and looked out over the court yard which I could see from my window, sure enough, a fully armored Templar walks acrossed the yard, paw ready at his sword, shield over his back, battle ready for any attacks, though none would come. The woods at the edge of the open fields that surrounded our fortress were full of supernatural creatures that could easily tear the normal fur apart. Only knowledge of the paths and the creatures themselves would get you threw to the world alive.
Some would think building a fortress in such a place would be dangerous, though the fields were warded with all manner of spells, keeping the creatures at bay. I turned from the window and moved to the door, cracking the door slightly and peaking my head out, looking right, then left, seeing nobody in the dimly lit hall way, lit only by torches as this part of the fortress did not have electricity.
Setting my bare footpads on the ground I stepped out of my room and closed the door slowly, as to not make to much noise and wake somebody. Heading down the hall, away from the main part of the complex I reached the end and took a right. Heading down another hall. I knew the guard patrol areas and the apprentice halls were not part of any of their routes. The halls were in the center of the complex and most protected. The closest a guard would come to them is the courtyard in the middle of the halls. I had no intention of leaving these halls.
Making another turn into another hall, I moved into the females quarters. Reading the numbers as I passed by, reaching room one thirty eight I knocked on the door. At first no response, though I didn't knock loud, so I knocked a bit louder but I still tried to keep it quiet. This time I flick my ear and could hear the sound of groaning inside so I knocked again and a female voice inside called out quietly, "Who is it?", though she sounded annoyed, though I answered anyway, "Who do you think?" "Branden?" "Maybe" "Gah..useless playing this" The door opened and a small white paw reaches out and tugs me into the room, I of course not ready stumble in and she shuts the door behind me as I turn to look at the white bunny before me. "Why'd you do that?" "Because you always try and play games outside my door, your gonna get caught" "I keep telling you that they don't patrol here" I walk over to her bed and sit down on the edge, her room, much like mine as she was same rank and age. "Yeah sure" She sighed, "You just gotta be more careful, if your caught, this close to the test, who knows what will happen" She walks over and sits next to me. "I'll be fine Brianna, don't you worry" "Not worried, concerned, you are a bit reckless, you have to admit this" "I do?" "Yeah you do" "But that would imply I believe that I'm reckless and I don't believe I am" she gave me a glare, "Your playing games again aren't you?" "That I am" She shook her head and I chuckled softly, laying back she did so as well, resting her head against my chest and I wrapped my arms around her.
This is of course as far as we would go. The limit to only males in the order and limit to not being able to find a wife had both been abolished long ago, so that the order could survive. Though sex before marriage had not been. Even though we weren't having sex however if we were caught we'd still be in trouble, males before marriage in the castle are not allowed to have contact with females before nine am and ten pm.
Brianna is of course my known girlfriend and we we're watched because of this, not allowed to have time to ourselves, unless of course I visited her after everyone was in bed and asleep. Stroking over her back, her long ear flopped over my chest, "Your heart's racing, are you feeling okay?" "For the most part yes I'm fine" "For the most part?.. What's wrong Branden?" "Council decides what will happen about the test tomorrow" "And your nervous" "Yes I am, because I already know their answer" "It's of course yes is it not?" "My father has givin me a blade today" "So it is yes" "He would not have passed down his test blade otherwise", She nods, rubbing her cheek over my chest doing so, causing a soft murr from me. "That explains why you're here tonight", now I nod, agreeing with her, seeing this and traces her paw over my chest in front of her face, "You'll do just fine love, don't you worry" "Thank you" "Now" she sits up again, "Get outta here and get some sleep you big lug, you'll need it", I sit up, "Alright then, that I can do", She leans in and rests a kiss on my lips, we both smile softly to one another before I get up and head to her door, she lays down as I leave her room into the hallway.
Closing her door quietly I turn around take one step and run into another fur, jumping back I look up to the fur in horror, the angered look on his face was clear as was the fur himself. My father stood before me, arms crossed and ear twitching, "Why are you out of bed and in the female quarters?" he asked harshly, "I'm uh I was just seeing Brianna..." "You were doing something you'll regret" "No we didn't do anything I swear" "Would you put your word on the bible?" "I would...we never do anything, just look for time to ourselves, where we can talk without someone listening in" "What could be so important that only she may hear it?" "I'm...I..." "Spit it out boy!" "I'm scared of taking the test" he was silent for a long moment before turning down the hall, "Walk with me" He stated simply and I fell in behind him, we walked away from the quarters, towards the outside wall, it was a long walk, all in silence, turning down corridor after corridor, heading out from the darker corridors into the lighted ones.
Opening a door my father steps threw and heads up a flight of stairs, I follow right behind him, heading up those stairs all the way to the top, heading through another door and then he stops, looking out over the outside fields. "See the forest, it protects and traps us and in a few days you'll be set in this forest and tasked with making your way back here...I understand that you are scared, all apprentices are but to think you would do such a reckless thing such as sneak behind everyone backs to see a female worries me" He pauses for a moment but I know he's not finished speaking so I do not speak up as of yet, "If you get reckless out there, you will not return, you need to stay calm, calculating, and toughen yourself, becoming reckless because your scared will not do" I frown and look down, I knew what he was getting at, "If anything like this happens again, I will bar you from the test, you will never leave this compound, do you understand my words?" "I do father" "Good, now go back to your room and go to bed", I nod and head to the door we came up threw and go threw it, heading down the stairs back into the corridors of the complex.
Heading down them, turning the proper corners, walking down the shortest hallways, to get back to my room as fast as I could, reaching it I made no effort to keep quiet. Just quickly slipped into my room and closed the door, shaking slightly. I laid down trying to calm down, though I was not sure if I'd get much sleep tonight, I would spend the night, staring at the ceiling and hoping I wouldn't make any more mistakes.