Fantasy Chivalry: Academy for Future Knights

[JessicaAlbert13]

Naralyn's brown eyes lit up with glee. "You're stuck in the Tower of Snobs too? Homely with all the noble brats, innit? One of the little lordlings asked if I'd dance in his room for a gold piece. I knocked out his two front teeth. Since then nobody has really talked to me. How do you like it? Proud Lionhart or adopted like me?"

 

[JellyFish]

She paused. She wasn't suppose to tell anyone of her true heritage. It was suppose to be a secret. She closed her eyes, dramatically fanning her face.


"I suppose then I am a snob. I rich and spoiled one who enjoys forcing others to do her bidding." She blinked open a brown orb, a smirk forming. "Though, I don't think you're my type. So I won't try and bribe you into by quarters. But you are welcome to jump in whenever you want."

 

[JessicaAlbert13]

Naralyn laughed loudly and slapped Cordelia on the back. "You're the nicest snob I've met! And don't worry, I won't sneak into your room and steal your valuables or virtue. I behave myself now."


Naralyn smiled. "Nice to meet someone who doesn't think I'm a servant or maid. Or private entertainment."

 

[JellyFish]

Cordelia was thrown a few paces by the hard pat. She rubbed her shoulder, now feeling a foreboding pain in her joints. "You hit like a guy, sheesh."


Honestly, Cordelia had never owned or seen very much of darker colored slaves. If anything it would be local girls looking for extra money who would be working at her uncles home. "Besides. I never thought you would go in a my room and steal anything. If you had that kind of reputation I'm sure you would have been thrown out by now."

 

[JessicaAlbert13]

"I get a lot of riff because of my looks and honestly I worked as a servant before coming here."


Shrugging sheepishly Naralyn looked at the floor. "Lady Chardonnay found me when I was nothing but a beggar kid on the streets. She took me into her home and gave me a job, a family. Lady Chardonnay even adopted me and gave me the opportunity to be here. I'd be nothing if it weren't for her."


Naralyn sighed and smiled. "Anyways, enough about me. You wanna get out of here? Maybe visit the training field or throw some darts?"

 

[Taqhart]

The haze of hunger over Rowan, gradually rose with each bite of chicken. After he had polished off four legs all his senses were revived. He pushed his plate away and looked up and down the table of Templars. Rowan also kept his eye on Mal, lucky for him she wasn't on his blind side. All of the Templars looked extremely uncomfortable being in the presence of a dragon, Rowan still wasn't used to it either; but not viewing them as evil demons makes it a little easier.


A very tall and thin Templar upper maje caught Rowan's eye as he moved closer to Mal. Rowan watched with curiosity as the Knight grabbed the dragons hand and whispered to her. Rowan strained to hear his words but the hall was too loud, with his one eye he focused on his lips. The acolyte could only make out a single word, courtyard.





Abruptly the upper maje left the table and headed towards the exit, he had a slight limp favoring one side. Rowan spied a bandage on his foot. Knights were prone to training injury but he wondered why it was his foot of all places.


Not long after the Templar left the she-dragon followed. Rowan figured there was some sort of secret meeting going on between them, but why a Templar? Most of the Templars were set in their ways, Sir Jakob is a shining armored example of that. Rowan flipped the argument over in his head, to an outsider all of the priests would seem set in their ways, except for Gaol. Rowan just realized that the order or oath cannot overpower or wash out the individual. The priest said a quick prayer to Eesna thanking him for his constant teachings and direction. Rowan felt a shiver run though him and knew it was an answer.


Rowan pulled himself out of deep thought and decided he should follow the dragon and student. It was more likely he would find someone supportive there then at a table full of Templars scared stiff.


The acolyte pushed away from the table and trailed behind Mal. He kept his distance but tried to remain close enough to remain within earshot, if they spoke.

 

[King Of Imagination]

Aristaeus sat on the edge of the fountain in the west courtyard, wating for her to arrive. When she did, he stood, limping slightly over to her.


"Thank you for coming, I know you had no reason to believe me, but this is very import-" Suddenly, Aristaeus noticed a fleeting shadow just on the outskirts of his vision. He pulled out his bow and knocked an arrow, aiming at where he had seen it.


"There's no point in hiding now, come out, or this arrow will fly, and I won't know whether you've been maimed or killed until I'm done." This was a little out of character for Aristaeus, but he needed to sound strong enough to do it, even though he would never.

 

[JellyFish]

"I suppose that would be fine. I'm wasn't hungry anyway." Brushing off her black sleeves, she straightened out her clothing. Placing her hand on the girl's shoulder, she pushed her away from the dining hall.


"What's darts anyway?"

 

[Taqhart]

Rowan followed the dragon closely. She walked with strong yet graceful strides, If watched enough a person could tell she wasn't human if her eyes and hair didn't already give it away. She walked out to the Lionhart courtyard and approached the same tall Templar, who contacted her in the dining hall. The courtyard was open and left not a single good hiding place for a one armed eavesdropper. The Templar stood up, hobbled closer to Mal and then said a few words before his eyes passed over Rowan.


It shocked how quickly the Knight pulled out his bow. In a commanding voice the upper maje threatened Rowan to reveal himself. The acolyte slowly raised his arm, trying not to make and sudden movements. Rowan stepped out into the open as commanded.


"I am Rowan Archard, acolyte of Eesna" He said slowly while eyeing the arrow pointed at his chest. "You can put the weapon down, I am unarmed." Rowan tried to remain clam, he watched the Templar closely in case he let his arrow fly.

 

[Killigrew]

Emmie was quite dissatisfied with the High Magister's announcement. Not only were the dragons allowed to determine where they sat, it seemed no matter anyone's opinion, these dragons were meant to be treated the same as any loyal citizen of Gallace. It was an outrage, wasn't it? She saw the blue dragon walking to the Templar table and shuddered in horror. Whispers rose up all around her, voicing her same thoughts, her same displeasure.


As this furious atmosphere accumulated, the dragon's route into hostility was intercepted by a flash of silver. The templars let the flames of their hearts burn low, and coldly ignored the conversation with upturned noses. This dignity was severely hampered once the silver woman fell over their table, knocking aside plates and half-eaten meals with sudden brutality. Even so, the anger that flared as a result was directed at the dragon beyond her, as their fury still burned towards her in their hearts. The girl speaking with the blue one was hateful by association, though Emmie found she in fact pitied her a little.


The boy that interrupted, and the girl that inserted herself into the conversation, both were marked by Emmie was sympathizers, and she was more than shocked to recognize the pierced-foot boy that she'd known before.


And he was a Templar, no less. Emmie snorted in disgust.


When he left, and the ice dragon followed soon after, Emmie watched with narrowed eyes, certain something was up.


And as if to echo her own intentions, from beside her a mentor whispered in her ear, "Follow them. That boy's favored by a mentor. I've heard it said the man's a devil-worshiper."


Emmie obeyed quickly, joyous to have been noticed. She followed after the dragon, lagging behind, and clinging to shadows. She saw the one-armed priest tarry on ahead, and when the tall, dark boy drew his bow, she snuck back, letting the priest be the one marked.


She could hear little from the other side of the courtyard, nothing but snippets caught by the wind. In silence, she sent a prayer to Airesh, asking to for help, that the goddess would bless the wind to carry the sound, that Emmie might be honored because of it.

 

[King Of Imagination]

Aristaeus replaced the arrow in it's sheath, slung the bow over his shoulder, and walked over to the intruder. He looked him up and down, a feigned look of disdain on his face.


"Why did you follow us? This meeting has nothing to do with you. You had no right." He glared in fake anger at this Rowan. He was more frightened that if this acolyte had followed them, who else might have followed?


"Get out of here." He looked at Mal, "This meeting is over, we will reconvene another day, without intruders such as this." He feigned storming off, only to run straight into Emmony.

 

[Taqhart]

Rowan lowered his arm and sighed in relief. He knew he deserved the knights anger, but he had a greater purpose.


"I followed you, to see if you were a just man or not." Rowan said to Aristaeus, he turned as the knight started to walk past him.


"And to speak with Mal." The acolyte, carefully chose to refer to her by her name instead of dragon or devil. He quickly glanced over to Mal before continuing.


"I am one of the few who believes peace is closer to justice than vengeance. I'm looking for people who are allies to th-" Rowan stopped himself when he saw Emmy. He remembered talking to her earlier about the devils, while they were breaking fast. It was more likely than not she would adhere to the Abbas' and Templar view. Gaol showed no fear in stating the truth in the temple, the acolyte must do the same.


"Allies to the dragons." He said dejectedly.

 

[Killigrew]

The prayer must have been lacking conviction. Emmie concentrated and listened with all her might, but gained nothing for it. Impatience overtook her, so she took tentative steps to lean out from the wall, desiring to catch sight of the boy with the pierced foot, and was suddenly full of the vision of his face.


She stumbled backwards, caught off-guard and stammering in sudden surprise. "Y-y-y..."


Emmie was caught. So much for stealth.


The priest came up behind the boy, and she caught the last of his statement. "Allies to the dragons." The very statement set her blood to boiling.


The dragon was beyond them, staring blankly after the two that had so abruptly left. Emmie shot her a hateful glare and turned her attention to the boy in front of her.


"Making friends?" She forced a smile. "I see you've got a hankering for hues of blue."

 

[King Of Imagination]

Aristaeus didn't have a hard time being angry at this one. He had been there when she spoke out against the dragons. She would not give them a chance, and he knew it. He could not let her ruin things.


"Yes, I am making friends. Do you have a problem with this? I'm sure you aren't too keen on us befriending the, oh what do the Books call them, devils? Creatures bent on destruction without souls?" He almost spit the word Books, he was very out of himself and angry at her for judging them without knowing about them, not giving them a chance. He couldn't stand that.


"Oh, and just to be clear, if anyone finds out about this, I have a feeling it'll throw the humans and dragons into yet another war, that would likely destroy both of our races, and then the ForeSworn would be in complete control. I doubt anyone wants that, and it would be all your fault."

 

[Killigrew]

"Please. If I were to tell others, it would educate them on who to mark as an enemy, and allow them to guard their hearts from your deceit and your treachery." Emmony retorted, indignant. "And what right have you to tell me what to say and to whom? You, who are so scornful of the Holy Writ of the Books."


She looked over the boy's shoulder to the priest, and said proudly. " 'There are those amongst you that will embrace the serpent when he comes. Thou shalt know them by their darkened gaze and scornful tongue. No one can embrace both the gods and devils, for they will live with two minds, one in the light and one in shadow, and they shall be worthless.' "


She shook her head in controlled fury. "May the gods have mercy on you, traitors."


Emmony stiffly spun about to march away.

 

[King Of Imagination]

Aristaeus smiled then. He had a thought. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back.


"Tell me, who wrote the books? And when were they written? You know so well the history and the words in them, tell me that." He stepped back, awaiting an answer. He knew the answer she would give. Men wrote the book, many, many years ago, during the war between men and dragons. He would ask her then, if men wrote the books during this war, would they not be biased, even if instructed by the gods? For men were given free will, and all men imperfect, so for perfect beings to guide them is irrelevant. The bias would still be there, despite the guiding hand of the gods.

 

[Killigrew]

"The gods wrote them. They spoke, and those they had Chosen from among us wrote it down, and over the generations, we have attained these divine words in written form, unmarred by the passage of time." It was a simple fact. The gods still spoke, sometimes, and were constantly involved in the affairs of humans. But humans felt unfulfilled because their souls were half-stolen by the dragons at the time before the Great Slaying, creating an unbreachable rift between humanity and the gods. This boy would have that terror happen a second time, and by welcoming devils, he forfeited his soul. At that thought, Emmie had pity on him, and by that urging, she answered his question.

 

[King Of Imagination]

"The Gods spoke through the Chosen, as you say. Yet are not humans imperfect beings, prone to bias and fault? The books were written during the wars between the dragons and men. The bias of men against dragons would have been so deeply rooted, that perhaps even the Gods could not rid humans of it in the writing of the books. As a result, the dragons were conveyed as evil. I have another question for you. It says in the Book of Eesna, that the Gods created all things. Is it not true then, that the Gods created the dragons? And why would the Gods create creatures, for no other reason than to destroy us and take our souls. No, I believe dragons are more like humans that we think, prone to flaw, jealousy and hatred, rage and all forms of emotion that could weaken the resolve of even the strongest. You, yourself, displayed anger at my support of the dragons, but now, and I can see it in your eyes, you show me pity for my 'forfeited soul'. I truly believe, that the Gods created us, humans, so that we may fill the world with peace amongst all creatures. Men, dragons, we are not so different as so many say. We are of like mind, of like soul. We must forgive the actions of the past if we are ever to achieve peace throughout the land and achieve perfect harmony, as in the Book of Aerish we are instructed to do. Together, humans and dragons, Templars, Lionharts, and Teutons, we can acheve Utopia. All we need to do, is set aside our differences, look to our common ground, and forgive."

 

[Killigrew]

"We are imperfect." Emmie cut in. "But the Gods are perfect. They would strike dead any that would write falsehoods in their book at that time for the our sake."


She let him continue behind closed teeth, his words grating on her ears and stirring her heart. Some doubt crept in with his words, but she shoved it down in desperation, seeing it as betrayal to Airesh and Her fellows. "On what basis do you make this claim? That dragons are akin to humans? Can you see the intention in their hearts? Have you the ability to gaze into their minds and know whether they act or behave in deceit or no? You say humans are imperfect but behave as though you are exempt from that claim, going so far as to correct the very words of the Gods. I think pride has its hold on you, and will destroy you if you do not challenge it. To question the words of the Gods, to be unable to even recognize the divinity intrinsic to the Holy Script reveals your flaw."


His words were pretty, but Emmie felt justified by her own. It was true; the words were holy and the priests had long tested and known them to be; the very relics, remnants of the Gods' own gifts, worked in confirmation to this end.


The dragon seemed to have overheard, and looked with some interested at the group. When she made as if to approach, Emmie felt a scowl dominate her face.

 

[King Of Imagination]

"I do not deign to correct the Gods. I simply take it as I understand it. Clearly you have not read the Holy Scripts fully, or you would realize that it says, very clearly, in the Book of Aerish, that we are 'Called to live in harmony with all creatures of the sky, earth, and sea.' In fact, it is on page 812, passage 3. Does this not include the dragons? Are the dragons not creatures of the earth, sky and sea? By not living in harmony and peace with the dragon, you, along with your priests, go against the words of Mother Aerish herself, as according to you the Books are an exact, perfect record of the words of the Gods. Do you notice anything here? The Books contradict themselves. If the Books are an exact record of the desires and orders of the Gods for us, then why would they tell us first to hate and cast out the dragons, only to later tell us to live in peace with all creatures, including the dragons by definition." He knew it would take more time to change her mind, more convincing, but he hoped he was at least breaking through.

 

[Auren]

Lureana paused in her training, hearing a loud shout that sounded awfully familiar. She wiped the sweat from her brow, and carried her sword with her as she walked to the other end of the field, near the courtyard. She found quite the crowd there, and she approached with a raised eyebrow. She seemed to be breathing heavy, but not in a way that constrained her ability to talk clearly. She was obviously worn from a hard practice, but something about the girl seemed to make her stronger in the light of the evening.


"Is something wrong?" she asked tentatively, her sword held down by her side. It looked harmless enough, being a practice sword, but it would work should she create a barrier of sorts. Heated arguments tended to lead to a bit of a fight, and Lureana would hate for either to be harmed.

 

[Killigrew]

Emmie shook her head. "No, it says we were called to rule in harmony over all creatures. They appointed humans as the stewards to the Earth, to guide the creatures that they should live with us in harmony. It was after that verse that the serpent dragons invaded and disrupted this harmony. They weren't made to exist among the earth, as we were. They were from a different realm, and we know not from where or how, but we know that they defy the gods, and have long been enemies with them."


The dragon cleared her throat, and Emmie's eyes about popped out her skull in fury as the devil spoke. "I have not met these 'gods'. Nor have I ever heard of any of my kind fighting them. If I could make amends, I would."


"Silence, devil." Emmie hissed, and then turned her fury on the boy. "You see? They slither lies from their tongues and nothing else! What makes you think they're like us?!"

 

[King Of Imagination]

"It is clear you cannot see logic. Would you like me to show you the passage? I would be happy to. I have a copy of the book of Aerish right here, in my back pocket." Aristeaus pulled it out and flipped to the passage he marked, the one where the Gods say the dragons are evil. He pointed to it, "As you can see, right here, page 447, passage 4, the Gods state that the dragons are evil, and enemies of mankind, not the Gods." He flipped forward another hundred or so pages, and pointed to passage one, "Here is says, on page 523, that the Gods created all creatures of the Sky, Earth, and Sea. That includes the dragons." He then flipped to page 812, passage 3. "Right here, it says mankind is to live in harmony with all creatures, not rule. If you believe this is a false copy, I will get permission to show you the exact words in the copy in the Temple. After all, they say that it is open to viewing by the public. I copied this exactly from the Book of Aerish in the temple though, so there really isn't a need. Now, will you finally see logic and understand, and think, instead of just quoting thoughtlessly what the priests and Abbas tell you? Or will you continue your doomed argument, which I proved incorrect? I'm simply trying to spread peace, and make the lives of all a little bit safer, and easier."

 

[Auren]

"That is ENOUGH," Lureana said, pushing her sword into the ground forcefully, a loud thump resonating. "I will not tolerate disrespect in any shape or form. Curl your tongue, Emmony," she stared at the girl, her gaze hard. She drew a slow breath, looking to the boy and then the dragon, and then back to the young girl.


She sighed, and then looked to Emmony. "Be calm, and think through your words. Such arguments should not be held in anger." She narrowed her gaze at the boy as well. "I speak to you both."

 

[Taqhart]

Rowan listened silently to the argument. It reminded him of the bickering the priests do behind closed doors, even those who have dedicated their lives to studying the Holy Books do not know all of their mysteries. The priests kept these debates secret for they had to represent the stable rock of faith.


When Lureana stopped the argument Rowan decided to speak. He walked forward and put himself between the two Templars.


"As you know I am a follower of Eesna. I know his words and teachings well." He looked at Emmy "It is written in the Book of Eesna, chapter 6 verse 1 to 3, "So the God of Ice instructed his followers to only judge a man who's wounded still bleeds, a murderer who still breaths, and a thief who is selfish. For if Eesna did not guide his followers, the ice cold sword of justice would never stop falling, and be used for war." Rowan was proud of himself for citing completely from memory. He took a slow breath.


"I have not seen or heard of any crimes these dragons have committed with their own hands or will, therefore under the eyes of Eesna and his followers they are as innocent and pure as you or I" Rowan lifted his one arm and pointed a long finger at Emmy and then to himself.


"Master Gaol has shown me the way, and I believe this is a test of how human humanity is today, for such a test is written in the Book of Ending." Rowan smiled to everyone around him hoping they would listen and try to understand.