Naruto: Banner of Chivalry
Chapter 1: Old Ways Never Die (The Exiled Knight of Konoha)
My name is Gonda, Duchess of the House of Bonn, and I am about to die. Once upon a time, I gave my sword and my loyalty to Lord Temujin and served him well and honorably on the battlefield. Where has the notion of honor gone? Is it but a fleeting voice upon the winds, across the lines and beyond the hills? No, I will defend my honor with my life.
Here I am now, on my knees in the deep forest outside of Haido's fortress. The spring thaw has begun, and the blossoms are in bloom. I wish I could pick one, but my hands are bound. I am here because I refused to attack a village that did not give tribute to Lord Haido. I will never stain my sword with innocent blood. I will gladly give my life for them.
"At least let me die with dignity," I requested,
To think that it is my own sword that will send me to the afterlife. The soldier gestured with his neck to see to my request. My chainmail coif and aventail were removed so the skin of my neck would be exposed to the cold steel. As the blade swung to my neck, I weaved and kneed the soldier in the gut and took back my sword, and slashed his throat.
I turned to face the second. I parried away his sword, and slashed him across the face. His body fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. I put back on my coif, and mounted my stallion to make my escape in to the dense forested trails. I don't know where I was going to go, but there had to be a better place than Lord Haido's lands that is for sure.
"Hyah!" I belted, urging my stallion to gallop,
That evening, I had escaped from Haido's lands, but I knew not of where I was. I let my stallion rest near a creek while I set up a fire. I sifted through my knapsack, and found some powdered soup for my evening meal. Many questions went through my mind. Who ordered my execution? And since when is sparing innocent people considered a crime?
So I am thinking you must be wondering what a knight looks like? Well, I have short blond hair to better fit a helmet and coif, and brown eyes. I stand 17.5 hands tall and 12.86 stone in weight. If you want a friend, I can be quite the teddy bear for you. Get on my bad side or face me in battle, then my teddy bear side can turn into a mother grizzly bear
"Good boy," I said stroking the stallion lightly,
What does a knight wear in battle, and what are they armed with? Let us start from the top, and work our way down? First is my helmet. It is a combined bascinet with pivoting kettle hat and bevor plate. It provides protection and vision. Next are my neck, shoulders and arms which are the gorget, pauldron, rerebrace, couter, vambrace, and gauntlets.
I wear chainmail to protect my chest, and black leather leggings to prevent pinching, and chainmail chausses to protect the back of my legs. The front is protected by cuisses, poleyns, greaves, and sabatons. The final pieces are a short-sleeved surcoat decorated with my family coat-of-arms, and my leather sword belt. It is all about form and function.
"Another day, thus we keep moving," I stated,
So what weapons am I armed with? First you need a shield. The shield knights use is called the 'heater shield'. Like my surcoat, it is decorated with my coat-of-arms. Next is my sword called an arming sword. It has an overall length of 39 inches, a blade length of 33 inches, a blade width of 2 inches at the guard, a 7 inch wide guard and weighs 2.5lbs.
It is sheathed in a leather and steel scabbard at my left hip side. On my right in a leather loop is my secondary weapon if I lose my sword in battle. That weapon is a battle axe. A single handed design measuring 21 and half inches long with a 7 and three-quarters by 9 inch single-edged steel blade and a weight of 4lbs, this is not to be underestimated.
I soon saw a village, "Finally some luck at last,"
I recognized the symbol at the front of the village gates. I believe this village is called Konoha. With all the weapons and armor on me, it will be difficult to tell the folk of the village that I come in peace. Might as well try, and get shooed away by the guard rather than not try at all. My armor clinked and rattled as I ride up with my stallion to the gate.
"Halt!" said the guard, and did as he requested. I dismounted my stallion with none of my weapons at the ready, and my shield on my back, "state your business, stranger," he asked of me. I took off my helmet to reveal myself to him wearing a coif of chainmail. I can see in his eyes that he does not trust me. The trust of another is to earned after all.
"My good man, my business is my own," I replied,
He squinted his eyes lightly at me. I hoped my eyes would not make him perceive me as a threat to the village. I have a bit of a chest on me and my hips are quite large and wide though smooth and well-shaped. I tilted my head slightly wondering if there was a problem, "You may pass, Friend," he said, and I led both myself and my horse into the village.
(Read and review kindly, or I tell Gonda that one of you called her 'Fat')