With a triumphant shout, Ravina's voice swelled with pride, cresting the wave of excitement just before a shrill whistle pierced the air of the bustling arena. "She won!" she declared, eyes wide with admiration and her heart pounding against her chest.
"Hmm, so it seems," Fraven muttered, his voice gravelly and dismissive as he waved a hand in the air to dismiss her excitement.
"Can you imagine," Ravina began, a sly, mischievous glint shimmering in her eyes. "The fortune one would make if they had placed all their bets on her?" The corners of her mouth curved into a devious smile.
“Eh, who's this little brat bragging beside me.” Fraven called out as he pulled a bag from his belt.
“A rich and noble lady.” the smug girl said without any shame.
With an irritated click of his tongue, Fraven grudgingly handed over a bag of coins to Ravina. “Really disappointed in the Silberwache’s men, seriously.”
“It's not like Lachute was one of their brightest members.” Falkurs casually mentioned with a shrug. “He’s always had health problems.” As he spoke, the large man took deep breaths, stretching his arms out and savoring the sensation of the breeze against his exposed body. Despite their mockery, the other men couldn't help but empathize with the liberating feeling of being free from the suffocating confines of the iron oven meant to protect them.
There were three types of knightly armor, the official ones anyway. Light, medium and heavy. Light armor offered very little protection and was meant for scouting work, never for combat. It had very little metal and was the same as entering the field of combat in their dress uniforms - in fact the dress uniforms might hold more protection then the light armor.
On the other side however, heavy armor all but guaranteed victory. It was almost impossible to be killed while wearing that armor, almost. Heat made a devil out of the complete metal suit, few knights were brave enough to use it. In a world where fire could be wielded at will, it was a gamble and a half.
Instead the preferred armor was the inbetween, for those who could not get away with custom designs. The last of the armor classes, medium, was originally designed to bring the power of the Nevarus Kingdom to the desert. Swallowing the sandy sea in armor meant to protect the men from a fatal blow, allowing the injured to retreat and be healed. Over time, medium armor emerged as the pinnacle of knightly defense, striking the delicate balance between protection and maneuverability.
“Doesn't that just about sum up the Lachute barony? I don't think I ever saw one of them in proper order.”
Elysia waved her hand in the air, as if to chase away the negativity of the men. “Don't worry about them,” she called out to Ravina, the young girl's face fallen by their lack of excitement. “Your little champion just won. Isn't that great? Beating a knight in single combat is no easy feat.” though, it was only because his endurance failed, she thought, but did not say aloud. After all, her words brought a child-like smile to the girl's face.
With the brightness returned Ravina nodded. “Yeah! She's amazing.” a gleeful chuckle came out as she started counting her hard earned coin. “Truly amazing!” She repeated, her thoughts resetting the future. With Aurelia winning this bout, she was guaranteed to get hired. Not only that but she would be assigned to protect her. Guarding her whenever she went out. With that she could put this coin to good use and prepare for the future.
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Catching the sight of a very happy Ravina, Fraven clicked his tongue in childish annoyance. “Don't be so sure your girl is going to make it to the finals.” he warned her, winching at the sharpness of his words. Before an apology could escape his lips, Ravina parried with a reply as melodious as a lullaby.
Her light-hearted laugh echoed through the air. “Hehe, we’ll see.” Ravina sang. Of course she was going to win the whole thing. Main characters were like that! After all, this was her introduction after all.
Grinning, she cinched the bag and affixed it to her belt. Looking up she found that others took the field. While some of the commoners deftly held their own, none showed as much promise as Aurelia. As such the matches for tomorrow would be the remaining knights, and the lone commoner who beat a knight; Aurelia.
That young woman’s name would fall out of everyone's lips, much to the indignation of the knights. Jason would never live down his defeat, but none of that mattered to Ravina. For she had won the bet with the castle butler.
Her smile remained as steadfast as the castle itself as they headed back. Enjoying the feeling of victory and the clink of her coin as they walked inside. They had just reached the grand entrance when a sturdy figure began his descent from the luxurious staircase in the main hall. A respectful hush fell over the crowd, everyone stepping aside to yield passage. Ravina endeavored to follow suit, but wasn't quick enough to elude the scrutinizing gaze of the approaching man.
He was slightly portly, a man whose age could attest to his unused muscle. Stress thinned his hair, but allowed him to keep the full of it. His movements exuded a sharp and practiced elegance; the hallmarks of nobility that had been refined over the years. Every aspect of him resonated with the finely honed sophistication of high birth.
Count Ravenshield himself caught the purple gleam from the girl's eyes, causing his own to narrow. A fleeting scowl played across his face as he shifted his gaze between her and Varis before shaking his head and closing in on them.
“My lord, we're going-” another man stated. Distinguished with graying hair and dull grey eyes, he was lost in his master's shadow, summoned to mind only by his voice and lost and silenced by a wave of the count’s hand. He bowed his head obediently, smoothing his black robes, as he faded into the background once more.
In the hush that filled the room, the count steps reverberated on the stone floor, they clicked sharply with a subtle, polished squeak. The cadence of these sounds quickened the girl's heartbeat, transforming the calm atmosphere into a rapid drumbeat of anticipation. As the rhythm of her heart synchronized with the count's footfalls, the room fell silent, leaving only the thunder of her heart to beat without a tune. Before her stood the lord of the grand city, his dark purple eyes gazed into the soft, bright color of the same, reflecting in the face of a poor village girl brought to him for nothing more than this simple hue.
"So, Varis, this is the girl?" His words resonated with a palpable curiosity laced with disdain.
With a hand over his heart and his head bowed, Varis replied. “Yes, my lord. This is the girl.”
The count hummed thoughtfully, scrutinizing the girl before turning back to the robed man, "Cancel it," he commanded. The other knew better than to question the count.
"Yes, my lord." With that, the man in the robe took his leave, his movements punctuated by a graceful flourish of the black robes.
Looking back at the girl he hummed once again, twisting his body back and forth as she pondered allowed, “the purple room, I think,” he voiced allowed, nodding at his own words. He locked eyes with her, causing a shiver to run down Ravina's spine. "We have some very important things to discuss, wouldn't you agree?" He posed the question to her; the dragon addressing a mouse.