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Chapter 8
To say that she was devastated would have been an understatement. Her heart sank into her stomach. In fact, it felt as if it threatened to stop beating completely. Her toes curled and fists tightened. There was not an ounce of her being that ever expected to hear those words. How could she ever fathom failing where her brothers did not. How could she ever accept not being able to realize her ambitions before having even started? She gritted her teeth.
“I didn’t even get the chance to hold that knightstone!”, she shouted. “How could I fail if I didn’t even try yet!?”
A noticeable change in the man’s demeanor came soon after her outburst. No longer was there the same playful tune. Only an observant stare casted upon her denial.
“I’m going to go talk to Leonora. She made some sort of mistake!”, Ezabel added, just before she marched for the door.
“I guess you don’t remember.”
Still anxious, Ezabel stopped midway in her trek. It was clear then that her composure hung by a thread. And, with reluctance, she turned back towards the man for an explanation. One that she hoped made sense of all this.
“Don’t remember what?”, she asked.
“Lets just say you’re lucky to have woken up in this inn and not behind bars.”, the man shrugged. “Although, I’m not even sure Angoulet even has a cell to put you in. I hear it’s famous for its sweet bread though!”
“Hey, I’m not playing around! What do you mean ‘behind bars’?”
The man then traded her frustration with a stern gaze of his own.
“Knightstones are dangerous, unpredictable. You don’t want them in the hands of just anyone. Which is why Ardyn only allows for Attendant Knights to wield them.”, the man pointed in her direction. “But, you took it anyway. And, you made quite a mess of this village’s town square.”
“I-I did what?”, Ezabel asked, completely stunned.
“Still, whatever that ‘thing’ was, you managed to put it down. You saved a lot of people, including Leonora.”, the man pocketed his hand. “Which is why instead of arresting you, she just failed you.”
“B-but, how is that fair?”, she hesitated and looked around for purpose. “I need to find her.”
“Well, you won’t find her here. She’s back in the capital with the candidates that actually passed.”
“How can that be? It’s been only one night. It takes four days to get to Gracewind from here!”
“Ezabel, you’ve been out cold for a week.”
She felt as if she had been punched in the gut again. The air fled from her lungs and her mouth began to dry. Her memories of that night were in pieces. Glimpses and seconds dotted throughout the evening. She refused to believe that her mind had become so unreliable. Did this mean that all of her efforts leading up to now were made in vain? She knew that was the truth. It was just painful to absorb.
From her spot in the center of the room, her eyes scoured the place in desperation. She knew nothing would come of it, but it occupied her while she began to panic.
“Then..”, she muttered to herself. “..does this mean I have to go back to Alm?”
The man scratched his chin.
“Perhaps. You would indeed recover more comfortably at home. Although..”, he smirked. “..we could also go to Gracewind ourselves.”
Ezabel looked up at him, confused, surprised, and above all, lost. At this point in her morning, she had no idea how to feel anymore. Her time had been thrown away and all semblance of drive had waned considerably.
“What do you mean?”, she asked in a daze.
“What if I told you that there was another way to get into the selection trials?”
The smirk on his lips grew and his arms crossed, pleased with himself. So pleased in fact, that he nearly chuckled to the ceiling. He most certainly knew that the implication of his question had set a fire under Ezabel’s curiosity. It may have been slow to start, but it soon burned strong. She lifted a finger into the air, and with new resolve, pointed it straight at the man’s face.
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“Don’t toy with me!”
She threatened him aloud. But, her curiosity was betrayed by the genuine excitement in her eyes. They practically screamed: “Tell me more!”. So, the man snickered in his own satisfaction.
“Then listen up!”, he announced. “The number of participants who want to take part in the selection trials grows every year. It has turned into quite the headache. - Most of them are just normal folk trying to be a part of the spectacle. They’re a waste of the Citadel’s time! So, it holds the assessments to pick them out. And, those who show promise naturally set themselves apart. It’s what you just went through.”
As a budding pupil did to its teacher, Ezabel nodded with honest understanding. She even kept her hands together in diligent anticipation.
“But, did you know that there is a select group of candidates that are allowed to skip that assessment?”, he continued. “People who have already proven to the Order that they are worthy of a knightstone. People with the resources to train their bodies for this very competition! People who are serious contenders! People who--!”
“Nobles.”, Ezabel commented.
“Yeah, pretty much.”, the man nodded. “Even so! These candidates can only skip the assessment if they are chosen and sponsored by a captain of the Order.”
All at once, Ezabel’s senses were heightened. Her blood coursed without resistance. The brisk feeling of opportunity had returned to her chest, where it resonated with delight. There was not much guess work left, if any at all. She ate up every word.
“So, even though I failed, I can still participate if I find a sponsor!?”, she pried.
“Yup! And, that’s exactly why I came to fetch your sorry ass. To get you sponsored!”
“R-really!?”, she gleamed, clearly too excited to pay his comment any mind. “By who!?”
“Me.”
The man stood proud and delighted with his own story. It was a moment of glory, no matter how short. Even if he had just met Ezabel a handful of minutes ago, he surely had her spirits raised. It was a piece of news that gave her hope. Yet, something felt off. As if too much silence followed. Where was the reaction? He smiled and took a look in her direction, only to be met with a blank stare.
“Hey.”, he demanded. “Get a little excited, will ya?”
“U-uh.”
As far as her morning was concerned, this particular portion was not at all strange. In truth, it had just donned on Ezabel like a splash of cold water. They had been talking for a while. Her emotions rose and fell on a whim through every second of it. And yet..
“I just realized..”, she smiled nervously. “..I still don’t know who you are.”
“Hm? You don’t know me?”, he asked with furrowed brows. “Are you sure?”
Ezabel nodded twice.
His lips poured out a sigh. From his pockets, both arms rose to cross into one another. Now was as good a time as any for an introduction. With his face in the sun, chin upturned, and headband tight, he paraded a look of confidence directly at her.
“I’m Leland.”, he grinned. “Leland Hart.”
“Wait a second. Leland… Hart?”, Ezabel tilted her head. “F-from the letter!?”
“Ah, I see you read it!”
“I didn’t read it, Leonora did!”
“Oh good! That means it got here on time.”
“Hold on! That means you’re an..”, she leaned in for a closer look. “..an Attendant?”
“Yup.”
“B-but, but how!?”
An immediate air of disbelief fell upon her shoulders. How was any of this at all possible? He slept like a slob. Spoke like a slob. Dreamt like a slob. - His clothes were what you would have expected of a city dweller, but not an Attendant! He was much too casual. Where was the stoicism? The stalwart, heroic aura? The commanding presence? But, most importantly..
“Where is your cloak!?”, she questioned.
“My cloak? Why does that matter?”
“It’s the symbol of the Order, the most famous uniform in Ardyn! How would anyone know you were an Attendant without it?”
“Huh? Is it really that big of a deal?”, the man shrugged. “It got damaged and it’s being repaired back at the Citadel.”
“Damaged? How could you let something so sacred be damaged? What kind of Attendant are you--?”
The groan of wood came beckoning. As old as the floorboards were, so too was the door. But from it, a fresh sheet of light came sifting through when it opened.
“Captain Leland?”, Dani spoke with a hushed voice. “I brought you some breakfast.”
°°
Peace and quiet, there was nothing that quite matched its effect on the body. Especially after a morning as tumultuous as the one Ezabel had just gone through. For some odd reason, the inn calmed her chest in a way that most other spaces could not. Dani had lit a candle whose aroma very quickly beat away the scent of old hay and mud. And because of it, Ezabel’s mind began to recover the pieces of her memory that were lost to stress.
She had remembered how, in a split second, her body had moved on its own to secure the knightstone. Everything after that moment seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. A strange sensation whose only comparison, by her reckoning, was a dream. That would at least explain her groggier-than-usual state not too long ago.
“I’ll tell you more on the way. - I’m going to pick up a few things before we leave!”, that was all that she was afforded when Leland’s surprise introduction swept through her like a hurricane. How was she supposed to know that he was an Attendant, much less a captain? The thought of having embarrassed herself in front of such a man had her nearly ripping her hair out.
Nevertheless, she remained seated at the foot of the bed. Traded between her face and the standing mirror before her, was a blank stare. Sure, her reflection was the majority upon its surface, but Ezabel made no effort in looking. That is, until Dani’s reflection appeared behind her.
“I’m glad you’re okay, Ezabel.”, Dani smiled.
“Thank you, Dani.”, Ezabel replied, still in thought. “The candle smells nice.”
“Oh, I’m glad. I bought it this morning from a merchant outside. He said it was made with caeroses.”
Ezabel perked a brow and turned around for a better glimpse of the candle at her bedside. An orange flame, black wick, ivory wax; there was nothing out of the ordinary about it. Still, she found it strange that such a soothing scent belonged to the flower she had been allergic to all this time. But, why then, was there no itch in her eyes? Where was the stuffiness in her nose?
“We can go get some more if you’d like?”, Dani added.
“Hm?”, Ezabel blinked away her thoughts. “Oh, no. It’s alright. - Hey, what happened after the attack? Did you get your chance at the assessment?”
There was a visible shift in Dani’s demeanor. As if, her facade of comfort had suddenly lapsed for a split second. More importantly, it had not gone unnoticed. Ezabel simply chose not to pry. So, without having been pursued, Dani very quickly donned a smile.
“Let’s talk over some lunch. My treat! It’s the least I could do after you saved my life.”
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