Stripped of the custom-fit armor she had worn during the tournament, the brilliant blue hair of Ravina’s favorite warrior flowed behind her as she introduced herself with a graceful bow, “My name is Aurelia… Walküre." Aurelia stood in front of Ravina in the fittings of a lesser knight of Ravenshield. A dark dress, reminiscent of Eylisa’s own uniform, devoid of any flair. Its color made both her hair and eyes glow all the more brightly.
In fact, when her blue eyes met Ravina’s dark purple the small girl was momentarily stunned by their beauty.
“Ah,” catching herself Ravina gave a soft cough to allow her breath to catch up to her. “Y-yes, it's good to meet you!” spying the blue bauble hidden in the women's freshly tamed hair caused Ravina’s smile to be genuine - if only from a slight embarrassment.
"Wonderful," a voice chimed in, its pleasant, sweet tone accompanied by a clap. Aurelia's eyebrows drew together, her lips pressing into a thin line. The brightness in her eyes dimmed slightly, replaced by a cool, distant look as she regarded the man. His thin smile stretched across a round face, and he looked down at them from his considerable height. Like them, he was dressed in the distinctive Ravenshield knightly uniform. Ravina didn't recognize his badge, his pinned rank made it easy to understand that he was Aurelia’s new superior. This suspicion was confirmed when she looked to see an identical badge Ravina overlooked when she first laid eyes on her.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, young lady. I am Brian Weighdur, Commander of the Vorgeset Guard," he said, his cheeks quivering with a soft chuckle. "Lady Walküre is our latest recruit, celebrated for her recent achievements in the open form tournament. As of now she is a trainee, however she will be your guard going forward until the,” he gave a slight pause to his words as a smile rose in the shadow of his eyes, “difficulties surrounding your situation are cleared up.”
That's not menacing at all, she thought sarcastically. Pushing that sentiment aside, she addressed Commander Weighdur with a courteous smile. "Thank you, Sir Weighdur. If there's nothing else, I'd like to speak with my guard privately."
“Of course, little lady!” With a nod, the portly commander waved his hand, offering a "good day" before turning on his heel and departing.
“That's… okay…” Shaking off the brief encounter with the surprisingly sinister commander, Ravina shifted her attention to Aurelia. "Shall we have some tea?" she suggested, glancing at Siet.
The young maid nodded in affirmation. "Certainly. Would you prefer the garden or the sitting room?"
"The sitting room, please. Thank you, Siet."
Aurelia's gaze followed the maid as she bowed in response to her mistress's command. Her fingers tightened briefly on seeth of her sword, attached to her hip, her jaw clenching for a moment before she took a measured breath. She shook her head, her hand leaving the weapon and rising for the hair clip she was now wearing.
After choosing to wear the trinket the young noble had given her and then accepting the recruitment offer, she found herself in the service of yet another typical noble: outwardly charming, but inwardly arrogant and self-absorbed. "I should've just walked away," her soft spoken mutterings were lost in the air as Ravina addressed her once more. Honestly, she thought, whatever drove me to think any of this would be different.
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"Sir Walküre this way, if you please," Ravina’s words cut into her thoughts, not waiting for a response as young girl started walking. With a resigned click of her tongue, Aurelia trailed behind the young lady through the corridor, leading to the vacant but well kept sitting room.
Its walls were adorned with intricately carved wooden panels, dark mahogany that shimmered in the gentle light. Each panel was painted with motifs of leaves and vines, resonating with the room's predominant shade of deep forest green.
But what truly elevated the room was its large, arched window that stretched nearly from floor to ceiling, giving a panoramic view of the splendid garden beyond. The blend of the garden's natural beauty with the room's interior design made the space feel expansive, almost as if the walls melted away, integrating the outdoors with the indoors. Birds could be heard chirping, and the subtle fragrance of blooming roses wafted in, making the room feel alive.
In the center, a luxurious wooden tea table stood, its surface polished to a high sheen, reflecting the room's muted ambient light. Around it, plush chairs with embroidered cushions beckoned visitors to sit and relax. Everything was crisp, clean and well kept except a small roughly handled bag on the tea table.
“Please sit,” Ravina indicated the ornate sofa chair just opposite of the one she climbed in.
Clicking off the snap fastener that held her sword to her belt she removed it as she sat, placing the blade beside the chair. She held her tongue as Ravina eyed her, all too aware of the haughty attitude of the noble humans. This would be the time that she would state just how lowly her position is and how lucky a commoner would dare to dream of belonging to her. In three… two…
“I’ll be quick and brief,” One… “I am not the daughter of Count Ravenshield. Oh, but don't worry, we have already come to an understanding of sorts.”
“What?” surprise forced the word from her before she could stop herself.
"What?" Aurelia blurted out, taken aback.
"In essence, the Count's wife and child are deceased. Yet his vassals refuse to acknowledge this fact. Therefore, I serve as a deterrent from any politically greedy man under his care. But that is not why I fought so hard for you to be by my side.”
“Fought?” Aurelia’s confusion came from the fact that it wasn’t Grim Callous, the knightage Recruiter, but Jason Lachute who had accompanied him that had convinced her to accept a position of a knight under the count. Him and the bag of coin that bought her several rounds of ale.
While Aurelia mentally chided herself for her weakness for free drinks, Ravina pressed on. "Yes, I specifically wanted you as my guard for a few straightforward reasons."
"Wait a moment," Aurelia interjected, raising her hand. "What do you mean you're not the Count's daughter?"
Ravina shook her head with an expression no child should hold. “We can go into that further later, right now I would like to keep that between you and I. for now, that pouch there. That contains the entire fortune I have earned already as the counts good daughter.”
Ravina pointed to a small gray pouch, roughly the size of a fist and equally as full, resting on the luxurious wooden tea table between them. As she had said, it was filled with the silver coins earned through Aurelia's tournament victories. Aurelia looked at it briefly before her eyes returned to the young girl before her.
"Is this a bribe?" she asked, a hint of skepticism in her tone. "Are you hoping I'll help you escape this place?"
Ravina shook her head. "No, staying here would actually be quite comfortable, at least for a while.” protection, good food and the assurance of a good life. What could be better than this? Unfortunately it was only temporary. “What I want from you is training.”
A hushed stillness followed Ravina's declaration. Aurelia looked her over once more, this time closely enough to see the scars marring her skin, the uneven tan lines not entirely concealed by opulent clothing or makeup, and the rough, calloused hands that hinted at hard work.
Before either could break the silence, a knock sounded at the door.