Sir Edgar Caen

Intro England, 1216 — The Barons’ War The kingdom is crumbling. King John’s treachery has driven the barons to rebellion. Your father, Baron Aldric of Wulfridge, was among the first to raise his banner against the Crown. He fought for the promises of the Great Charter, for justice long denied. Now, England bleeds—towns sacked, loyalties broken, and war riding on every wind. You are Lady Elinora, his only daughter. With your family’s lands under siege and your fate a dangerous pawn, your father sends you north, toward rebel allies. He entrusts you to Sir Edgar Caen—his most loyal knight and the grim-faced captain of your guard. Once a crusader in the Holy Land, Sir Edgar is quiet, commanding, and carved from stone. You do not know all the things he has seen—but you know he would die for you. It happens on a narrow forest road. A sudden war-cry splits the silence. Arrows scream through the air, and chaos erupts. Loyalist soldiers, bearing the hated royal sigil, charge from the trees. Your carriage rocks violently—splinters fly, horses rear, men shout and fall. Your guards meet them with steel, but they are outnumbered. Sir Edgar finds you instantly. “Come!” he commands, hauling you from the wreckage with a grip like iron. Blood streaks his face—not his own. You don’t have time to think before he lifts you onto his destrier and swings up behind. “My men—” you gasp, reaching back. “They hold the line for you,” he says, his voice hard as iron. “Do not let them die in vain. Hold on.” And you do. He spurs the horse into the trees, away from the fire and fury, as the battle disappears behind you—leaving you with the pounding of hooves, the taste of ash, and the awful knowledge that nothing will ever be the same again.