Queen Justine reached over and tapped her daughter's knee. Princess Levy looked up from the small book she was holding discreetly, she thought, in her lap. The queen simply smiled but subtly gestured with her head toward the throne room. Message received. Levy closed the book, tucked it up her broad sleeve, and tried to look as if she was interested in the proceedings.
It was the Midsummer Festival in Magnolia which meant that new knights of the realm were being presented to the king to be received into service for the court of Fiore. Levy was actually interested in seeing who the new knights would be, but the long, familiar speeches that preceded the presentations were something she had memorized long ago. She wasn't sure how her mother was able to sit there smiling as if this was the first time she'd ever heard this. However her mother was a woman of many talents, ones that Levy felt a queen should have and often felt that she fell quite short of herself.
Princess Levy smiled as she saw the familiar armor of Sir Fullbuster at the front of the line. He came forward and knelt before her father. King Clive put his hand on the knight's shoulder, the signal for him to rise, and waited for him to speak.
"Your majesty, Lords and Ladies, may I present to you for service to Fiore from the Earldom of Ultear, Squire Mest."
The young man came and knelt before the king presenting him his own sword, hilt first. King Clive took the sword and tapped him gently with the flat of the blade on each shoulder saying, "May your blade be true, your heart pure, and your service ever faithful. Rise, Sir Mest!"
A cheer came up from the crowd as Sir Mest was given his sword and draped in a surcoat with the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Fiore emblazoned on it. Both he and his sponsor moved to one side as the next sponsor strode forward.
Levy smiled happily as her old tutor Sir Alberona presented his son Rufus to the court. She'd known Rufus all her life. The poor lad had been so nervous before his trials that he'd almost missed them because he'd stayed awake all night tossing and turning only to fall asleep an hour before he was to rise. She gave a cheer that was apparently not ladylike judging by her mother's stern expression, but Levy didn't care. She was too happy for her friend.
The Lairdship of Heartfilia had an unusual applicant this year. Levy was surprised when Sir Belno stepped aside to present Erza Scarlet for knighthood. Levy had heard much about this woman that had taken advantage of Lord Jude's proclamation that anyone, male or female, from his lands willing to go through the rigorous training for knighthood would be eligible. Levy took a moment to carefully observe her. She was tall with a stern expression on her face, though that could have just been nerves about the day. Her long red hair had been pulled back into a braid, but Levy couldn't tell much else about her as the plain but well polished armor was obscuring any other tell tell features.
Levy felt it fortunate the McGarden county of Aurum didn't have an applicant this year. The ceremony was going far too long for her preference. She had left off her story at an exciting place and wanted to get back to it. Another two knights were presented, Sir Conbolt of Agria and Sir Warren of Faol, before Levy was surprised again. This time Sir Lockser, the knight from the neighboring kingdom of Stirling, stepped forward to kneel before the king. This hadn't happened before as far back as Levy remembered. Then again it was unusual for a knight from a neighboring kingdom to be serving in her father's court, but he was acting as a liaison between the two countries.
"Your majesty," he began once he had been allowed to stand, "As you know next Midsummer we will be celebrating the marriage of your youngest daughter the Princess Levy to the First Prince of my country." Her father nodded. "My most excellent majesty, Lords and Ladies, people of Fiore, King Joseph Porla sends his most excellent servant Sir Gajeel Redfox to you to act in my place as I am called to return to my country to help them prepare adequately for her highness to join us there."
Levy's thoughts began to swirl. She had become friends with Sir Lockser as he was her only connection to the unknown land to which she'd be sent as a bride of the Iron Prince of Stirling. Sir Lockser's steady calm and willingness to answer all her questions about Stirling and the royal family had made her almost not dread the thought of leaving her beloved Fiore. He couldn't be leaving her now! But there was Sir Redfox kneeling before her father accepting the place that Sir Lockser had held since she was five. It must be true. Princess Levy was so caught up in her thoughts that she barely heard her father's final words to the newly dubbed knights.
"Remember my friends, your duty is first to the crown, next to the church, and then to your lands. I bid you welcome to the court of Fiore!"
With that cheers broke out from all the guests. Everyone started filing out of the hall to get good places in the stands for the jousting and other tournament games that would be taking place, soon. Doubtless the new knights would be participating in order to show their worthiness to Sir Strauss, the captain of the royal guard.
The rest of the day passed by in a blur to Levy. She'd been aware of her mother and Sir Lockser talking about arrangements for next summer and how much he'd be missed at court. She saw her father cheering for her eldest brother, Laxus, during the tournaments, and her elder sister, Meredy, cheering on the newest knight of her husband's land, Sir Mest. Her husband, Lord Lyon, cheered for Sir Warren merely because Sir Fullbuster was supporting their champion from Vastia. Levy had the sneaking suspicion that Meredy was fanning the friendly rivalry between her husband and his brother.
Laxus did well though he didn't win first place. That honor went to Sir Eucliffe, the second-in-command to Sir Strauss, who had barely edged out the crown prince and … what was the title for a female knight? Levy knew that she must have heard it used throughout the day as Scarlet of Heartfilia had only lost to Sir Eucliffe and Laxus, but she couldn't recall it. She had intently watched Sir Redfox throughout the day, knowing that he would now be her only connection to her betrothed. She had mixed feelings about what she was seeing.
Sir Redfox did not take part in the verbal bantering and boasting of the other knights, which was good. He seemed to stand apart, always judging and sizing up the others, which was less good. On the tournament grounds he didn't need to speak as his lance, mace, and sword seemed to do all the talking for him, which was excellent for his knightly credentials but not so much for his courtly achievements. He was quick and efficient in disarming his opponents, which Levy enjoyed as it made things go by much faster. Even Laxus conceded that his unseating of the knight in the black armor had been more luck than skill. He took his defeat with a scowl, but didn't throw a fit unlike Sir Dragneel, and even cheered on Laxus as he went up against Sir Eucliffe. All of this told Levy that he was an excellent killing machine, but humble, or arrogant, enough to not need to tell anyone. He was also even tempered in either loss or win, which suggested to her that he had no particular love or stake in the games or possibly that he had an iron control over his feelings and made sure never to truly show how he felt.
He was a difficult book for her to read.
During dinner she observed that he had perfectly courtly manners, but once again he refrained from speaking much. Not that Levy blamed his neighbors for not striking up a conversation with the man. His face seemed to have a permanent kind of scowl on it and he gave off an air of intense force barely restrained. Just looking at him, the princess felt that he would merely speak in one or two word sentences. He didn't seem the kind of man to discuss poetry or write love sonnets, more likely he'd laugh at such things or brush them off as frivolous. If this is what the other people of Stirling were like, then her new home would be a lonely and grim place indeed.