The two Golden Knights returned to the camp once their preparations were complete, allowing the group to finally rest easy. As Zexastek the scale shimmer got a pot going over the fire, Lilianne Relinton took some dried meat from her satchel and distributed it to the group, minus Ales Ve Okavarex who was still out cold. Deryke sat on a small rock by the fire, watching as the Rezar knight poured his entire concentration onto the pot and its contents. He was apparently making some stew, using various herbs and spices he had brought in small jars. It appears that Zexastek was once a cook for a low ranked noble before he joined the Order of the Golden Spear as a knight.
“I alwaysss had training asss a knight, trained by the Lord whom I sssserved when I wasss not in the kitchen.”
Zexastek smiled warmly as he recounted his past.
“Though timesss were harsssh on my lord, he kept a sssmile and did hisss bessst for hisss people. I ssserved my lord during hisss many campaignsss for the Kingdom, but ssssoon war would eat into our land and lifessstock. I decided that leaving my lord would lessssen his burden, for I know little outsssside battle and the kitchen. And Rezarssss have large familiessss. Moving our clan outsssside the lord’sss land indeed did lesssssen his burden, but my lord keepsss assssking for me to return. Quite troubling.”
Zexastek smiled apologetically as he took some dried meat from Lilianne and dipped them into the pot, possibly to add flavour and substance to the stew. Vexer=iriloux nodded in an understanding manner as he hunched over his large shield, wiping it of its stains as he too recounted of his past.
“I had served as a wandering sword for hire. I could not call myself a mercenary, for I did not belong to a mercenary band. For a moment, I had thought to break my ties with this Kingdom and become a Freemen, before the Order of the Golden Spear approached me to join. I had thrown myself into a battle where a village was being oppressed by bandits, and the local lord’s army would not do anything. Thus I came to their aid, and it was at that battle that I met Lord Aureliks. As grand as he was, upon his mighty griffon, charging without hesitation into the enemy. It was at that moment, I knew that I would give my life to the Order, Lord Aureliks, and his cause. To protect the weak and innocent, to stand our ground and fight in the name of justice. A noble cause, and none more nobler than Lord Aureliks.”
The Koredin’s tone was heavily shifted towards admiration, and it was hard for Deryke to look through all of that high praise to find if there was any truth in those words. But Deryke did understand Vexer=iriloux’s position. He too had admired the Dragonnaire Order, for he believed they were at the highest pinnacle of justice. They were heroes that children would hear tales about, where bards would sing ballads of praise about their exploits. But the Dragonnaire Order was not such a grand thing to be in, and Deryke could see it first hand. Shivylie had told him before, that they did not fight for ‘justice’, but only for the duty which they were sworn to uphold. Whether that was something that Deryke accepted or not was a separate issue altogether.
“… And I suppose Knight Okavarex has a similar tale to sing praises of.”
Lilianne turned to glance over to the unconscious figure of the Golden Knight who still lay on the ground. Deryke saw that Ales was a indeed a very beautiful woman, and he would believe her to be born of noble stock. Her soft and fair complexion was not one that you would expect for a knight, and her slim stature did not really suit the battlefield. Vexer=iriloux turned to watch Ales with a rather sad smile.
“No… Okavarex has had… a rather violent and dark past. It is due to her past that she had such strong feelings of resentment towards those who ridicule the justice that she believes in.”
The Koredin stated, as though he was a father watching over the hardships of his child.
“Okavarex has some of the strongest of conviction amongst those of our Chivalric Order, some might argue hers being second to Lord Aureliks himself.”
“Rather obnoxiousss levelsss of pride, she hasss.”
Zexastek chimed in, making Vexer=iriloux laugh a little.
“That she has. She tries her hardest, and thus suffers greatly whenever she stumbles and falls.”
Vexer=iriloux turned to Lilianne and lowered his head slightly towards the white Dragonnaire.
“I plead with your honourable greatness, to not fault her in her ways and words. I shall agree that she has much to learn of the World, but I know that she had suffered as well. Thus… I plead.”
Lilianne watched the hunched over figure of the Koredin for a brief moment. Deryke did not know what was going through her mind at that moment, but in an instance, he felt as though Lilianne was judging him.
“… Raise your head, Vexer=iriloux of Vouxelz. My quarrel is not with you, thus it is not you who has to lower his head.”
Lilianne had said that, and paused for a moment, watching Vexer=iriloux’s reaction, which in that moment was none at all. Seeing the Koredin not budge, Lilianne continued.
“… I will give some thought to your word, Vexer=iriloux of Vouxelz.”
Upon hearing those words, Vexer=iriloux raised his head with a broad honest smile.
“T-that is all I can ask for, grand winged one.”
Deryke had to wonder about why Vexer=iriloux was having such a protective behaviour towards Ales, but he supposed he should not pry.
“Then in return, tell me as much as you can of the civil war.”
Lilianne suddenly said, making Deryke and Alsces rather confused as to why she would continue with this. Vexer=iriloux as well, showed a rather puzzled expression to her question.
“Do not mistake my question for mere banter, Knight of the Golden Order, for it too is part of the Dragonnaire’s duty to ensure the Kingdoms remain intact.”
Lilianne pointed out, making the Koredin nod slightly to show his slight understanding of her intentions.
“Should the Kingdom be unstable, and on the verge of collapse, we, of the Dragonnaire Order, shall intervene. Thus I ask you the question from before once more, can your Order ensure the survival of the Kingdom?”
Lilianne asked, staring hard at Vexer=iriloux. The Koredin hesitated in answering, words appearing to be at the tip of his tongue, and yet he did not speak for a while.
“… Perhaps not.”
Vexer=iriloux finally said, his shoulders dropping slightly. The Koredin gave a slight smile as he stared into the flicker flames of the fire.
“The King… Boy King Hiemvaxes Mez Tulliank is a King who is not known to be kind. A tyrant, some may call him, who ruled the Kingdom with an iron clad fist. Young, brash, brutal, the many words that echoes the streets to add to his name. And yet his rule was one that saw little crime, great wealth and plenty of bounty. The wars this Kingdom had with the Kingdom of the dunes, Gouralish, were seeing far more victories than the previous Kings, earning back much of the land that was lost during the ‘frail’ King Varix’s reign. King Tulliank was ruthless in dealing with his enemies, both from beyond the borders of the Kingdom, and those within. Villages were purged, children were slaughtered. It was… a terrible time.”
Vexer=iriloux narrowed his eyes as he recounted this dark past.
“Our Order stood to protect the innocent, and thus we stood on the opposite end of the field to the King. Though the results of his mad reign had benefitted the masses, the small groups of people who suffered were forced to silence. Thus our Order had to do so, lest we become the opposite of what we stand to be. However, all that changed when the King found his second wife. Lady Nikre Yul Ameranes.”
Lady Nikre Yul Ameranes, a lady born third to a lesser noble from the Kingdom of Brown, Gouralish. Her family was of a low noble status, owning little land, but the common people deeply loved their lord and his family deeply. Lady Nikre Yul Ameranes was chosen as a peace offering to the tyrant King of Hexarash, King Hiemvaxes Mez Tulliank, in order to cease his expansions further into their land.
Many believed the King of Yellow would not accept, that his eyes only saw conquest and war, though there were other factors that played into that very doubt as well. Lady Nikre was well known to be beautiful, but she was also older than the King, about nineteen Springs at the time, to the King’s fifteen Temspecu. The King was already betrothed, though for more political reasons, and many suspected trouble to brew within the Kingdom born from the jealousy of the future queen. But things changed.
Lady Nikre was accepted by the young King, for he was smitten by her beauty, kindness, and wisdom. The King’s bethrothed had also welcomed her warmly, and many rumours that came from the palace had stated that the future Queen sought both comfort and solace in Lady Nikre. The King soon had a change in heart, and his iron rule began to loosen. Many believed Lady Nikre to be a saint, able to cure the wounds inflicted on the young boy King’s heart that made him cold, or that she was proficient in magic, and had charmed the King to do her bidding. Such were the gossips and whispers in the capital. But the Kingdom continued to prosper despite it all, and it was clear to all that the boy King would treasure Lady Nikre forever.
“She was the key to the King’s heart, and was adored by all… But the pain inflicted by the King would not be so readily forgotten by the people.”
People who suffered under the King’s iron rule plotted, and schemed. They vowed to bring the King down despite his change of heart. To them, it was all false smiles. To them, it was justice to inflict pain upon the King, to let him suffer what they had, and more, for in their eyes, blood can only be paid for in blood. And so, they planned and acted upon it. They decided to take away the King’s one happiness and joy. They poisoned Lady Nikre.
“Lady Nikre was innocent, she had no ties to their suffering. Rather, she ended their suffering and brought light to many. And yet they still chose to kill Lady Nikre. They chose to kill Lady Nikre because she was the one thing they knew the King could not bear to lose. They wanted revenge, and it was clear they wanted to see him suffer greatly. It was not a fast poison, but a slow, excruciating one. Lady Nikre suffered in agony for many moons, and even the best doctors could not even sedate her to ease her pain. I dare not imagine what the King had to suffer, helplessly watching his beloved scream in pain, unable to do anything to stop it.”
Vexer=iriloux’s hands gripped each other tightly.
“… Lady Nikre Yul Ameranes breathed her last five moons ago. The King, in rage, has declared war upon the villages that both conspired, and those that sheltered the conspirators. The number of villages involved, over fifty. The nobles are split, most choosing to stand with the King, some who resent the King for ending the war with Gouralish, and the others stand to protect the land they own, thus protecting the villages that are marked by the King’s vengeance… Even our Order has received a call for aid from those villagers. Do you think we should laugh? The ones whom we had protected, the ones we saw as innocent, now stained mad with blood, calling upon us to protect them again? What a laughable predicament.”
The Koredin’s voice tensed, anger seething through his eyes. Lilianne simply sat there, listening to the story, her eyes glancing over to Alsces and Deryke, who were also listening and contemplating their own opinions. For Deryke, he did not know what should be done.
“… And what is your Order planning to accomplish?”
Lilianne asked, making Vexer=iriloux ease a little, though his arms were still slightly tensed, gripping each other tightly.
“Our leader has made our entire Order, without the three of us, ride to the nation’s capital to see if we can still talk sense into the King. I dare not hope for the best, but it is something we must try.”
“And if it fails?”
Vexer=iriloux paused upon hearing that question. The Koredin cast a heavy shadow, hanging his head low.
“… We act upon justice. We cannot condone the actions of the villagers we had once protected, and we also cannot condone the actions of the King. Lady Nikre was a beloved person to all within the Kingdom, and she had no fault to her name, thus the villagers will not receive our protection. The King’s actions, though we can understand his grief and anger, are deemed to be harsh and excessive. We can only hope the King can see reason before war fully erupts.”
Lilianne listened to his explanation well, and took some time to ponder on what was said, before she spoke.
“And if he does not? What course of action will your Order take?”
Vexer=iriloux froze upon hearing that question. A dreaded question, but one he had to answer nevertheless.
“… Our Order can not step into this war, for neither side is just in their actions and reasons. It may pain us to do so, but we cannot step forward in this war.”
Lilianne sighed, shaking her head in dismay after hearing those words.
“Then it shall be our Order that will need to step forward in these dark times for this Kingdom. Know this, however, that our Order will do anything it takes to ensure the survival of this Kingdom, even if many will have to die for that goal.”
Lilianne warned, and the Koredin swallowed hard, nodding slightly.
“We are prepared for the worst, grand Winged one.”
Lilianne closed her eyes, a sigh escaping her lips as she turned away from the Koredin.
“For your sake, I pray that you are.”
The White Dragonnaire said, getting up from her seat and taking a bite from her dried meat in hand as she walked out of the camp. Deryke and Alsces looked to one another, wondering if they should follow.
“The sssstew isss ready.”
Zexastek finally said, looking up from the pot he was cooking with over the camp fire, before pausing, noticing Lilianne walking off, and turning to the others in the group before asking.
“… Did I missss ssssomething?”
Deryke Verias was unsure of whether the task they were required to undertake was, in some form or another, somewhat minor in the grand scope of events happening in this Kingdom. There is a civil war going on, and they are hunting goblins? Derye was told by Lilianne that the goblin threat could lead to larger problems. For one, goblins normally do no work with harpies, and vice versa. This change in behaviour could be the result of some influence from a Dark one, and therefore it was imperitive for them, as Dragonnaires, to investigate. On the other hand, Lilianne had also told them that the Dragonnaire’s mission is to prevent the fall of the Kingdoms.
A civil war sure did look like some Kingdom-destroying event to him. Alsces Kyros seemed content with hunting goblins, apparently the prospect of having to fight a Dark one, even should that possibility be minor, was a far more enticing deal than dealing with an already-boiled-over political mess. Deryke did agree on that part, however, seeing as how war was more or less imminent. The Order of the Golden Spear had hoped to end the hostilities by talking the King out of his rampage, but to Vexer=iriloux, it was too little too late.
The nobles of the Kingdom were already arming their armies, and at this point it can be said that it is the Freemen and them that are doing something rather odd. To Deryke, it would appear that the three Golden knights who accompanied them were very well aware of this, and Ales’ behaviour seemed to indicate her frustration in not going with the other Golden Knights. Vexer=iriloux was somewhat more restrained in his behaviour, but Deryke had an inkling that the Koredin knight felt the same as Ales, and that it was only duty that held him here. Deryke watched the moon slowly rise from behind the mountain ranges where the group was suppose to head towards. A mere two days ride from the city of Leoux and they had already reached the bottom of the mountain ranges, though one must take into consideration the fact that the group were not travelling as full pace, and their journey was constantly being barred by creatures like monkeys.
There was little in the way of shelter in this vast barren field of rolling hills and mounds, and only the hard rocky surface of the mountains to shield them from the harshest of weathers. But it was still at this barren field at the foot of the mountain, that they had to make camp. A goblin cave was supposedly sighted nearby, and so that was where they had to go. Deryke glanced over to the side, where Alsces was swinging his sword in some sort of practice battle with his imagination. It was not bad, from what Deryke could tell, though the occasional sighs and shakes of the head from Lilianne seemed to say otherwise. Deryke might not have fared any better. Deryke could have joined in with the practice, but there was something that Deryke wanted to understand, mainly from the Golden Knights. Lilianne may not approve, but she did not say anything to stop him, only giving him a rather stern disapproving look when he sought her advice on it. However, Deryke was uncertain of how he should phrase it. It was a question that he had to ask himself, if he had an answer to that question himself.
“… Why does your Order seek justice?”
And so he asked. The meaning behind the question was simple, and yet the manner in which he could ask it was odd. As odd as the looks he was getting from the three Golden Knights.
“Because it is the right thing to do-”
Ales gave her usual answer, but was stopped by Vexer=iriloux, who placed a hand on the other knight’s shoulder and shook his head.
“Think, Okavarex, before speaking, or do I require to enforce the ‘braids’ upon you?”
The female knight immediately grabbed onto her hair and shook her head violently. Vexer=iriloux smiled, before turning back to Deryke.
“I do believe, that the honoured grand winged one is not asking such a simple question.”
The Koredin was as sharp as ever. Yes, it was not such a simple question that Deryke had asked. Rather, it was a question that he barely knew if it was the right way to ask.
“Our Knight Order seeks justice in order to right the wrongs of the Kingdom, though that is but a simple way of saying it.”
The Koredin knight stated, putting pause in his tone.
“It is much simpler to state that our Order of the Golden Spear strives to ensure that justice is served, though how and why each member achieves that dream is a never the same.”
And thus comes to Deryke’s problem. Deryke once believed in justice, that joining the Dragonnaires meant justice, but it was not. Deryke came to the realisation, just as Lilianne had said before, that justice differs from person to person. That each individual sees and perceives what is right and wrong in their own ways. But if that is so, then how can a Kingdom function? How can law reside over people if people differ in what they believe in?
“But people often share a common goal, and though our reasons may differ, and how we achieve it may conflict one another, we all desire the same result. And thus our chivalric Order came to be.”
A collection of people who share a similar dream. It is not the same dream, but as long as they have things in common, they will bond. Deryke came to realise something about the Dragonnaire Order. No one in it believes that the Order represents justice. Alsces may talk of grand duties and whatnot, but he never spoke of how what they did would be considered as justice. Was it the right thing to do? Even the Dragonnaire Order did not say. What is known is that the Order seeks out Dark ones and the preservation of the Kingdoms. That sounds like the right thing to do, and so shouldn’t it be right?
“… Do you not believe in your own grand Order, honoured winged one?”
The Koredin suddenly asked, making Deryke a little surprised by that question.
“W-what do you mean?”
“I apologise should my words have offended, and if so, please feel free to ignore my words.”
Vexer=iriloux said quickly, but Deryke shook his head, gesturing the Koredin to continue. Vexer=iriloux glanced over to Lilianne, but the White Dragonnaire was not paying any attention to the conversation, resting herself against a large rock and observing Alsces train with a scowl on her face. As Lilianne was not present to say anything, Vexer=iriloux continued.
“… Very well. What I have come to understand, is that your honourable self is not completely part of the Grand Order, am I correct?”
“I am part of the Dragonnaire Order… though not yet made a full Dragonnaire.”
Deryke’s tone was defensive at first, but trailed off near the end. Vexer=iriloux nodded, understanding Deryke’s meaning.
“I see, well that should explain quite a fair amount. At current, you are no more than a squire, still training, and still finding your place in the Grand Order.”
“I know my place.”
“But that is a physical place bestowed upon you by the Grand Order. What I speak of is your own place. Perhaps you have not joined the Grand Order for long, and thus many things are still new, foreign, unusual for you to take in. Thus you wonder if you should embrace the teachings of the Grand Order, would you lose everything else?”
Deryke was kept silent by that, for he did not think it was true, but yet at the same time it was something that seemed to hit home with him. The teachings of the Grand Order, the beliefs that Shivylie, Alsces, Lilianne and all the others held. They were different, yet still held a common goal. It was like what Vexer=iriloux said earlier of his own Order. Each member had different understanding of what justice is, and yet they still managed to find common footing as part of their own chivalric order. Was it the same as the Dragonnaire Order? No, the Dragonnaire Order had principles that they followed.
Some may deviate slightly from those teachings, but they nonetheless followed those principle aims. And perhaps it was at this moment, in which something within Deryke clicked. It was not the assumption on his part, nor of any others, that he now understood everything. No, but it was as though the fog within his mind was starting to clear. That he could now see the path he had to take, rather than being mindlessly led around. He still had not found his answer, but now he was on the path of doing so. Deryke was, for lack of a better word, lost, when it came to how he viewed the Order and its views. Since the beginning, Deryke had been simply taking it all in.
He didn’t really think for himself properly what he thought of anything, merely being swept up by the events, stumbling all along the way as he tried to follow and keep up with the others. Now he had the chance to question it. By Vexer=iriloux’s word, Deryke could now think a little more on his own. And the first thing that Deryke thought of was:
“What makes things right?”
It harkoned back to his conversations with Shivylie. She told him of the nature of the Order, that they will not use their position and power to right the wrongs of Draagterra. They will remain neutral in any and all conflicts of the Kingdom, only intervening when the Kingdoms are about to collapse, or when Vel Wyvernia are involved. Lilianne had also reinforced the notion that the Order would not step in unnecessarily into the affairs of others. People suffer, and yet the Dragonnaire would do nothing.
Deryke understood now why Ales was constantly arguing with Lilianne. Ales was frustrated at the Dragonnaire Order’s silence during such troubled times. Just as Deryke felt, and even now, Deryke felt his own beliefs still aligning with Ales. He too believed that the Dragonnaire Order should, and must help those in need. But Lilianne also told Deryke to watch the situation of this Kingdom. The civil war. The Order of the Golden Spear had helped the villagers, protected them during their time under oppression. And now it has come back to haunt them, for the people they had once protected were now the ones responsible for the civil war.
Deryke felt pity for them, to have to suffer under the fist of a tyrant, if one could call the young King that. But the actions they chose to take was one that Deryke did not understand. Were they justified in their actions? Was harming someone else the right thing to do?
“That depends on who asks such a question. And to whom it is asked of.”
Vexer=iriloux answered, raising one of the right hands and one of the left hand, with his right hand open and his left clenched in a fist.
“Justice rests within the palm of the right hand of the one who wields power in the palm of his left. That is what Lord Aureliks had once told me.”
“Thus one who holds power should wield it for the sake of others! That is what justice is!”
Ales Ve Okavarex suddenly said, standing up with full vigor, hand clenched and raised. Vexer=iriloux sighed, shaking his head as he forced Ales to sit down with one of his hands.
“Do not forget, Okavarex, that the one who holds power is not always the same person, thus what form that justice takes in their right hand shall change.”
“But-”
“Look at the war that brews over the horizon and ask yourself who is right.”
“Neither of them are!”
Ales’ immediate answer only illicited a troubled expression from Vexer=iriloux, who buried his face in the palm of his four hands in dismay.
“That is not my point, do you really wish for the ‘braids’?”
Okavarex grabbed onto her long tail defensively, shaking her head vigourously to deny it. Just what exactly were these ‘braids’ that instilled such fear in her? Vexer=iriloux continued after being satisfied with Ales’ reaction.
“… There will come a time when those who hold power will clash with one another due to the differences that lie in their right hand.”
Deryke thought about what the Koredin had said, before asking a question.
“You seem to speak as though you have seen such scenes in the past, is it due in part to your life as a sell-sword before?”
Vexer=iriloux smiled at his question.
“Yes, I suppose it must be so. I have seen much horrors that paint the land, and just as many hopes and dreams fulfilled.”
The Koredin muttered, crossing his arms as he stared into the burning embers of the camp fire in the middle of their camp.
“Was it on the field that you decided on the path you now stand?”
Deryke asked, making Vexer=iriloux rather puzzled.
“Perhaps, though it is hard to say if my path has yet to be set. A path can only be a path should one choose to walk it, lest it be nothing more than a place that will root your feet to its stall embrace. But if your grand winged one seeks answers from my words, then I shall have to refuse. The answers I have found are not to be any one’s answers but my own. For the things I have seen through my eyes can not be shown once more for the eyes of others.”
Deryke did not believe that the experiences and words spoken by the Koredin would change his mind entirely, but he knew that at this point in his life, he needed answers from someone. Vexer=iriloux had said to find his own answers, to find a path to call his own. But was it wrong to seek help from others? Deryke was aided by many thus far, and he knew that he would continue to count on their help in his struggles forward. But what struggles? Deryke shook his head to clear his thoughts. To more he thought about it, the more questions he had, and more doubts. Vexer=iriloux noticed Deryke’s struggle and smiled.
“There is no need to force one to understand everything at once. An answer to life is not so easily obtained whilst one is still walking its path. It is by seeing, listening, experiencing life itself, does one be able to form their own answers to life by its end. However, there are many who would not have reached any sliver of an answer even by its end, thus you have no need to worry over what you may or may not find. I do wish, however, that some people would have found a small glimpse of it by now.”
Vexer=iriloux glanced over to Ales Ve Okavarex as he said that. The other Golden Knight seemed rather oblivious to the Koredin’s hints as she continued to sharpen her sword in a rather sullen mood.
“Well, one can only hope. For your honourable Winged self, I would believe that until you have found your own path, it would simply be best that you do what is right by you, and those whom you wish to protect. Think hard of your path when you are ready.”
Wish to protect. Deryke did not know who those people were, for now he was the one constantly being sheltered and protected. Perhaps one day, he might be able to stand on the same level as the Wings, but for now, he could only wait.
Imagination's fart 