Hexenguard Duchy (Narrator)
After the meeting of King Eddard and his council, Jarod returned to the Hexenguardian Capital of Nelar, a massive city of more than 74000 people sprawling over the slopes of mount Aribushi. The first thing Jarod did upon seeing his wife Minerva was to embrace her, take her hand, and then he summoned the court. Minerva knew something was different by the animated demeanor of Jarod, something had occurred at the capital and it changed Jarod, gave him a youthful exuberance he had not had since that awful day many years ago.
"For the past 13 years our home - our duchy - has been broken," began Jarod to his assembled high nobility and council. Many were missing, as Jarod was unwilling to wait to make an announcement, but they would be informed in the following hours via mage relay. "Our King was suffering in the grip of madness. In that day all people across our beautiful country of Pervalia suffered from that madness. Without the aid of Archmage Tika, we might have forever labored under a mad king, driving our country into desperation, depravity, and weakness. Dark and terrible practices prospered under King Eddard's reign. The nobility was permitted to do as they pleased, regardless of our constitution. All aspects of society suffered as our cohesion broke down and it became every man for themselves, and ever still the wolves were circling. Aurelia. Dather. The United Free Cities. Huura. All wanted a piece of our rich land, our beautiful people - and we nearly broke," Eddard painted a sad tale for everyone and his voice while quiet seemed to carry to everyone in the room.
"13 Years ago, my beautiful Duchess Minerva and I had to make the hardest choice for anyone to face. We sent our son away, in secret, to preserve his life from the Kings madness," Minerva looked down in shame and despair as the high nobility in the room gasped and murmured amongst themselves. The official story had been a miscarriage, leading to strife between Jarod and Gerald which ended in Gerald's immediate banishment - it was presumed at the time that the loss of his son had broken Jarod and so had made a hasty mistake. One that maybe he was too proud to revoke.
"Today. Today that ends." Jarod continued, shouting with a mad joy. "I have already sent the order. Today I am reinstating Knight Commander Gerald and recalling him to the capital, ending his banishment. And with him comes my Son, who Gerald has been raising in secret will come with him. The Duchy, which has had a heir in secret for the past 13 years, will officially have a secure line of succession."
The Sands
I was standing in a row with my fellow recruits. Facing us were 14 individual knights who we would be squired to. Each of the imposing men facing us wore their full plate and each clutched a red leather belt in their left hands. My father stood before them, a grave look upon his face matching the seriousness of the occasion that each of us felt.
"Gentlemen, raise your hands." Dad ordered them, and as they complied he continued, "I, Knight Commander Gerald, Do hereby entrust these recruits to you. Do you swear to protect them and teach them to the best of your abilities?"
"We do," Came their echoed response
"Do you swear to treat them fairly, and to not abuse the trust that you are invested with?"
"We do."
"Finally, should the worst happen, do you promise to surrender your life for the good of the future generation, so that by your valiant sacrifice we might water the tree of chivalry with the blood of heroes?"
"We do."
Gerald turned around and faced us.
"Recruits, raise your right hands," he ordered us.
"From this moment forward, you will become belted squires. Do you swear to learn from your mentor to the best of your abilities? To keep his confidence, and his trust? Do you swear to obey his commands as faithfully as you are able?"
"We do." We cried out, and our voices echoed over the training sands.
Gerald nodded once and turned on his heel, leaving the two rows facing each other. The recruits took a full step forward shadowed by their knights. The knights in a practiced motion snapped out their left hands, holding the red leather belts out to us. I was facing Knight Roderick, who looked just as pissed off and impatient as ever. I bowed low and held my hands cupped out in front of me, and he laid it with surprising gentility in my hands.
I stood from my bow and removed my brown leather belt, draping it over my right shoulder, and then attached my red leather belt. Each of the recruits beside me did the same. Then as one we faced right into a single file line mirrored by our Knights, and after waiting a six count we marched out of the training sands and down into town. Gerald began to call out a ditty along the way, echoed merrily by knights and squires as we headed into Agile Valley, down the main thorough fare where those who were interested in the next generation of knights had gathered. Once we came into sight cheering broke out and Gerald switched our marching tune to a martial ditty. Many of our brother knights were in the crowd, and they began to scream out the song as well until our voices echoed across Agile town.
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The culmination of all of our efforts sat around my waist. I had worked hard for this leather, and to me it was more precious than my own health. Now my next goal was to become belted as a Knight, and I glanced at Knight Commander Rodericks care-worn red leather belt. Silver and gold had been added to his once he became a belted knight, and although each belt was different as it was changed to reflect the deeds of it's owner, all shared the same crimson hue that represented the blood we shared in our noble hearts.
And so, with the end of our recruit training we did what any group of people would do. We got piss-drunk at the hart tavern with our fellows, under the watchful gaze of our mentors.
Castle Hart
It came as a shock to me, on the eve of my 14th birthday, to discover that I was the son of a Duke. Gerald had never mentioned my parents much to me, just noted that he and they were good friends and he missed them dearly. Upon hearing the news, along with the entire castle in the main hall, I figured my life would change drastically. Turns out, it wouldn't really change that much. My adoptive father, Knight Commander Roderick, and I would travel to the ducal capital where I would meet my parents for about a month. And then I would return here, to continue my training. Turns out, while not all ducal heirs train with the Chivalric Order of the Hart, most do. So in the eyes of the duchy and my parents and everyone else, I was basically just training for my future as heir to the duchy in secret. There was only one problem...
I didn't want to be a duke.
"Why can't they just have another son?" I asked my adoptive father as we sat in his study. He considered me for a moment in silence as he contemplated his response.
"Because you are their first child, their eldest. You have two sisters as well but in our society women do not inherit," he eventually said, as if I cared about any of that.
"My place is here, in Agile Valley. They might be my parents, but I am your son and this was the life that was meant for me from the moment they gave me up!" I said hotly, standing from my chair and glaring at my father.
"It is understandable that you would be angry. But I would recommend you try meeting them first. I have a feeling that it will be a little rough - you have a lot to over come and so do they - but they are your parents and everything that they and you have sacrificed was to preserve your life," I didn't notice at the time that Gerald never really mentioned what he had sacrificed to raise me. It was not something that occurred to me until much later.
"With war on the horizon, you and Knight Commander Roderick will be active participants. I am being recalled to head the ducal military once more, and so I will resume primary command of the duchies forces. Knight Commander Roderick will take my place here as the head of Agile Domain's military contribution. With war on the horizon, it is more important than ever for the duchy to see that their royal leadership is secure, that the future leadership of the duchy is secure," Gerald explained patiently to me. I wasn't willing to hear it.
"If I was so important to them, then they would not have abandoned me. They would have fought for me," I yelled before turning on my heel and stomping out of the room.
Knight Commander Roderick awaited me in the hall, and even though he surely heard my immature yelling, he said nothing. Just motioned for me to follow and lead me out of the castle, down into the valley, and eventually back to the Order grounds. We entered the Training Sands and wordlessly both of us picked up weapons from the rack.
"Come," Roderick said simply, and I swung my sword in a vicious rapid chop, released directly from the hip and rotated my wrist and hip so that the wooden blade whipped forward with deceptive speed. Roderick easily deflected the blade and lightly struck out, bringing his blade in line with my body and poking at my with the tip. I dropped my hilt and tilted my sword, pushing the tip away and to the side while punching out with the cross-guard on my weapon and forcing Roderick to step back.
We continued to exchange blows for half an hour before I dropped the tip of my weapon and looked at Roderick, who had said nothing nor had he displayed his usual skill. He allowed me to attack and only returned an offensive strike when I left something glaring open. "Why the hell do things have to get complicated Sir?" I asked wearily. He chuckled, a ghastly sound coming from his ruined throat.
"It's a part of growing up. Every man faces hardships, and it is how he responds or fails to respond that dictates what kind of man he will become in the future. You are on the cusp of manhood. 14 years old and already built like someone in their twenties. Part of that is training, part diet, and part magical supplements that Master Tika provides boosting your growth. Most people wont have to face the same hardships as you my future duke. But many people have it much harder. You have time right now, to think things over and decide what kind of man you want to be and what kind of life you want to lead. Time is a luxury that you probably wont have in the future. So we will meet here, every morning, and together we will spar and you will think. You will ask questions and you will do your best to decide. Because it is what a man does. It is what Knights do. It is what leaders do," Roderick finished the longest conversation I had ever heard him hold at a reasonable volume. And then he chuckled again, "And because you have no choice," and he walked away, leaving me to my thoughts.