PROLOGUE - PT. 1
In the south, the Galyos Range separates the Trovan kingdom from the sea. Living inmates in their mountains are the legendary Animalia Knights, the greatest swordsmen in the world. They were men trained to be perfect fighters, specialists in hand-to-hand combat and in tactics of war. They were the last resort of the kingdom if a war were to happen.
Their training was arduous, but nonetheless, it was a force composed, basically, of volunteers. The first step to enter this life was to climb the more than a thousand steps that separated the mountain range from the city of Galyos. There, they were subjected to various tests of honor and willpower. Each month there were at least sixty new recruits. At the end of summer, when the passage of the mountains closed, only one became knight.
The Animalia warriors wore a white cloak tied to heavy armor that could be silver or gold. It was a purely hierarchical matter, the golden armors were worn by the generals, while the soldiers were left with the silver. The breastplate would feature the carving of three animals: the Taurus, the Lion and the Viper, the Trinity of Animalia. This trio comes from an ancient mythology that worshiped the animals, spread by the first knights. The Bull represented physical strength and will, the Lion's courage and loyalty to the kingdom and the Viper agility and intelligence in combat. This was also the great coat of arms that the castle's flag carried: a triangle formed by the Trinity. Therefore, a truly worthy knight should carry all these three virtues, and put them into practice when in action.
It had been a long time since the Animalia Knights had fought. After all, the arrival of the Freedom Age brought peace to Trovan as far as possible. The last great battle they were in was during the Dark Ages, when they resisted against the supremacy of Quarandir, the Skeleton King. Their role was instrumental in winning against the ruler and in his subsequent imprisonment. Now, four millennia later, new recruits could only do their best to honor this legacy.
The sun was beginning to fade to the west. In one of the courtyards of the castle, the daily training had not yet ended. The silver knights struck cloth dummies with their wooden swords. They wore appropriate suits for the exercises, stitches, that went under the armor when they were needed. In the center of the courtyard, watching with intent eyes to detect any wrong movement, one of the golden knights walked, also wearing more comfortable robes than the heavy armor.
Joffrey Diamond was one of the most recent recruits, he'd joined the order last summer. He was a short-haired, blond-haired boy. His eyes were blue and a short, but obvious beard surrounded his mouth. Sweat dripped from his greasy complexion, the training day had been tiring, as usual. Earlier that day they trained with crossbows, loaded barrels filled with weights from one side to the other, and did several crounches. The last exercise would be the fencing, which they were practicing at that moment, striking the dummies by the right and left flanks, on the head, piercing and cutting.
The training was never monotonous, especially with General Walter Redmont, the instructor, shouting orders. He was the most frowning of the leaders, and not merciful to the recruits at all.
The general surprised Joffrey with a scramble. He found, rightly, that his muscles were already hooked enough on the incessant and repetitive movements, so he would not notice the onslaught.
"Pay attention to your surroundings! Never lose focus!" - Walter advised.
Joffrey suddenly became angry and decided to fight back, but his muscles faltered and he could not lift his sword to strike straight. The rider was hit in the mouth, felt the metallic taste of the red liquid, and started for the counterattack. The trainer shied away from the blow and let his knee hit the student's belly, who collapsed in the stomach because of the heavy impact. He stayed on the floor for a few seconds, fighting the pain with the anger, which tried to give him energy to get up. The other knights had stopped training to see the scene.
The hatred that manifested in the boy at that moment was not personal, but rather familiar. Trovan was based on a system of government composed of several Houses, each with its coat of arms, laws and vassals. Some Houses were larger and had greater influence in the law, being called Protectors. The Protectors were hand-picked by the Great King, who resided in the Great Capital, the largest city in the world. Many centuries ago, the Diamond House was extremely rich by exploring diamond mines. Over the years, the house went through several crises, until it became extremely indebted, seeing itself forced to bend it's knees to the Redmont House. The Redmont, however, were not overly compliant. Joffrey lived a poor life and was constantly humiliated by his rivals. He knew Walter, a man who one day made little of his House like everyone else, allowing them to be treated like worms.
Again, he advanced with fury at the General. The other riders watched and were pessimistic about his chances of winning. Joffrey tried a frontal punch, but the blow was avoided by the general. The general, using his opponent's lack of balance, invested by grabbing him and throwing him on the sandy ground. He began to punch the warrior from top to bottom. The boy tried to pull away from the older man, but he had tamed him to the ground. Joffrey did a good job defending himself from Walter's fists, however, it was only a matter of time before he decided to attack at the wrong time and opened his defense. From there, there were punches and more punches in his face, until he simply hid it trying to surrender.
Walter stood panting and looked around, everyone was shocked by Joffrey's sudden rage, and how the general made the clash seem easy.
"You have to be prepared for the worst, always. Even from your own allies." He spoke, with slight disappointment in his voice.
The observers just sat there in silence, apprehensive. They expected Joffrey to get up and fight again. This did not happen, the boy was definitely defeated.
The older man looked up at the sky, saw the sun go down and said:
"You are dismissed. "
Relieved, the men walked by the general, leaving a humiliated Joffrey on the floor. The boy was crying; he was an Animalia Knight, he shouldn't cry.
"Joffrey" - Walter called. Not in an authoritarian or severe tone, but a serene one.
He took the boy's hands away and saw his tears and imagined them to be a mixture of hatred with impotence, given everything he knew he was to him. Walter was aware that the young man saw all the humiliation and suffering of his family every time he looked at him every day.
"I did not expect it to be true, but after what I saw today, I have no doubts. You still feel hateful about your family. " - Guessed the general. - "You must forget all of that, boy. When we take the robe, we swear an oath, remember it? "
Sobbing, Joffrey got up and faced the other man. He had an experienced look, a certain paternal air, but that lasted a brief moment. Soon, it was the man who hated his family again.
"Joffrey, do you remember it?" He repeated in a stern tone.
"I am no longer a nobleman, I am no longer a commoner, I am no longer a citizen. I am but the sword and shield of Trovan. " - He recalled the last words of the Animalia Knights oath.
"Remember, I said the same words, Joffrey. We are knights now. Our lives, what we did and who we were, no longer matter. We are the tools of the kingdom and we live only for it. We will have neither glory nor praise, but the world will still remember its saviors. " - He pointed to one of the banners, stretched across the castle walls. – "We are no longer individuals, we became part of something bigger. "
This is my first time posting here, so I'm sorry about any mistake I might have made. Also, english is not my first language, so forgive me for any possible blunder. Criticism is appreciated and I hope you enjoy my story!