#doveactuallywrites

WIP Teaser: Knight Errant (#A #Fantasy #WLW)

Seven years ago, Lady Sarra Mendi refused the knight’s oath, turned her back on King and the Knight Corps that trained her, and became knight errant. She roams the land, by turns wandering bard, hired brawn, or brash adventurer, beholden to none, disdained by all who knew her.

But it’s all a ruse! 

Sarra was recruited by the royal spy-master, and now works in the shadows  against an insidious enemy: the High Prelate of Scania himself. For years she’s foiled his schemes, a clever, invisible pebble in the gears of his conspiracy, at once protecting the land and pursuing vengeance for her father’s murder...

But the High Prelate is a cunning adversary!

When a distant cousin lays a claim on her family estate, Sarra suspects a trap to lure her in the open. But her family home--her last link to her old life and good name--means too much to Sarra: though she knows she’s risking her life and  mission, she returns to court, a despised knight errant, to challenge the claim. 

But she can’t do it alone!

At court, Sarra finds only contempt, and little recourse for a disgraced knight to defend her inheritance. A few friends want to help -- but stubborn, and hurt by many years alone, Sarra won’t trust anyone. Yet, with the High Prelate out for blood, her boss hatching schemes, and every knight and courtier determined to hate her, her cunning and formidable skills may not be enough to win, this time. 

But mo’ friends mo’ problems! 

To stay alive, regain her home, and foil the Prelate’s treason, Sarra will have to remember her family motto, and the first rule of knight-training: you never fight alone. Which, it turns out, is not an easy pill for a knight-errant to swallow...

Time to get creative!

Back against the wall, Sarra decides she’s done working from the shadows. She plants herself unabashedly before the court that hates her, brazenly flouting their disdain, and the spy-master’s orders, in the pursuit of her wishes. 

But is she finally embracing the life of a true knight errant, or has she concocted some clever scheme? And how will she reconcile her newfound disregard of everyone, with the growing intimacy between her and the Citadel knight-healer, or with the duckling knight-to-be she’s accidentally picked up? 

If this sounds up your alley, you can check out the Knight Errant tag here! Also Sarra’s OC Intro and Ahni’s OC Intro, and a short Sarra/Ahni snippet. 

tag list below the cut