"Feeling nervous?"
Talen turned, jerking his head around sharply and stumbling over his own feet. He swore instead of answering, regaining his balance on the back of a chair and banging his knee hard into the carved arm.
Closing the door behind him Khalad chuckled, watching his brother limp around the chair.
"Aren't you supposed to be in armor?" Talen asked irritably. He paused and bent rubbing his tender knee and hissing softly.
"I'm here to help you into yours first," Khalad said. He drew himself up straight, regarding Talen with a stern look. Forgotten on the narrow bed was a set of padding. It was still neatly folded at the foot of the bed. "Did you forget something?"
Talen followed his brother's look, saw the padding and dutifully ducked his head.
"I got sidetracked."
Khalad said nothing but crossed his arms over his chest and raised a brow in silent rebuke of the feeble excuse. He was starting to look more like their father and this pained Talen some. Hiding that feeling Talen pulled his tunic over his head, stripping quickly and reaching for the padding. He dressed, Khalad gently reminding him when he began to the padding on wrong.
Soon enough Talen was faced with the formal enameled black armor of the Pandion Knights. This was not the first time he had ever worn armor. Returning from Tamuli, Sparhawk had been true to his word, entering Talen in his novitiate. He'd worn armor on the practice field on plenty of occasions since then. None of that armor had been his though. Most of it had fit poorly and bore the dents and dings of their years spent in the hands of students. Now as Khalad helped tighten straps and close buckles the fact that this was his own armor began to raise excitement in Talen. As Khalad finished Talen began to grin.
Khalad grunted, noticing the lopsided grin on his brother's face.
"Don't know why you're grinning," he said bluntly.
"I'm padded, just the way you showed me," Talen protested in the face of his brother's brusqueness.
"I'm not talking about chaffing," Khalad said. He made a last adjustment and then straightened looking critically at Talen for a moment. Then he looked up and met his brother's gaze. The smile that warmed his face was touched slightly with humor. "I'm talking about what happens next. After you receive your knighthood."
Talen's grin drained quickly from his face, along with his color. The young man swallowed hard and a shadow of fear entered his eyes.
-+-
It had somehow happened that Talen was the only man to receive his knighthood this year. Sparhawk was highly suspicious of this and certain the blame lay squarely at his daughter's door. He had refrained over the last few weeks of making this an issue, but as the door to his office opened and Kalten entered with Tynian and Ulath behind him the broken-nosed knight made up his mind it was time to have a long talk with his daughter.
"Sparhawk!" Tynian exclaimed, laughing heartily and stepping forward, extending a hand to shake with Sparhawk.
"I found these two in the courtyard," Kalten told his friend.
"Kalten mentioned Bevier was already here," Tynian said warmly clasping Sparhawk's hand.
"I believe he's in the chapel, he said something about saying a prayer for today's ceremony," Sparhawk said. He turned to Ulath, exchanging an equally warm handshake with the Genidian. "It's good to see you both, what brings you all the way to us?"
Ulath shrugged, removing a folded parchment from his tunic and handing it to Sparhawk. "Letter from Komier, when I heard the news I offered to deliver it in person."
"Ulath looked me up as he passed through Deira," Tynian said. "And there was an overly affectionate baroness I was looking to avoid."
"Talen will be glad to see you both," Sparhawk said, laying the letter from Komier on his desk and planning to read it later. He recalled a conversation with Sephrenia, in what now seemed to be the distant past in which the woman had confessed that Flute lacked the ability to lie convincingly. The child-goddess had implanted the feeblest of excuses into Talen's mind, sending him after Sparhawk and the others as they journeyed to face the elder god Azash. As he digested the reasons given by Tynian and Ulath the big Pandion was even more certain that Flute was up to something again.
"You got here just in time," Kalten was saying to the men. "It's pretty close to the hour. Khalad was on his way to help Talen into his armor when I ran into him a little while ago."
"Are you sure the Pandions are ready for Talen?" Ulath asked with a smile.
Kalten grinned widely. "We survived Sparhawk didn't we?"
"Do you mind?" Sparhawk asked his friend tartly.
-+-
The knighting ceremony was traditionally attended to by family and close friends. Talen and Khalad's mothers were seated close to the front. Elys was smiling brightly, pride radiating off the woman as she watched her son walk solemnly towards the front of the chapel. Beside her Aslade was wiping at her cheeks and wringing a handkerchief in her hands in between tears. Seated at on Elys other side was the Crown Princess Danae, gowned in silver and gazing adoringly at Talen.
As Preceptor of the Pandion order it fell to Sparhawk to make speeches for all sorts of occasions and to conduct the ceremonies that bestowed knighthood on the young men who joined the ranks of the Church Knights. He spoke briefly about how pleased he was to be present on such a beautiful day and gave thanks to god for the blessings bestowed upon those assembled. When he said this Danae gave him a sly wink and smirked just slightly. Sparhawk moved onto to talk about Talen and the young man's passage into manhood omitting the grittier details of their first meeting. He talked in brief about Kurik and the strong sense of loyalty and duty that Talen had inherited from his father.
Aslade's frame shook with the force of her tears as Sparhawk spoke about Kurik. Elys leaned over, putting an arm about her friend and comforting her while dashing away a few tears of her own.
Sparhawk had attended several of these ceremonies and since becoming Preceptor he had conducted them as well. This particular knighting was special to him though. He had known Talen as a young boy and he couldn't have been prouder to pronounce him as Sir then if he had been Talen's father. This feeling had driven Sparhawk to working long hours writing out a speech special enough for the occasion. The problem was that his obsession about the speech had been produced flowery metaphors and uncomfortable analogies about the passage into manhood.
In the end Sparhawk had given up with disgust and that morning had pulled out a few old notes from previous occasions, cobbling together the speech in the space of a few minutes.
He paused, not so much for dramatic impact but to cue Kalten who stepped forward bearing a black satin cushion on which lay an ornately decorated broadsword. The blonde Pandion presented the sword hilt first on its cushion and Sparhawk lifted it. Before him Talen sank to one knee, bowing his head and struggling not to grin. Gently Sparhawk raised the sword then lowered it, touching the highly burnished steel to Talen's shoulder.
He repeated this again, touching the other shoulder and completing the accolade.
"An I pronounce thee Sir Talen," Sparhawk intoned formally. "Rise now and join your brother Pandions."
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This completes Chapter 2, and I hope it was enjoyable. Thank you for your reviews – your feedback is appreciated and helps me to improve the story. Anyone interested in being a beta (or knows where to locate one) I am seeking someone to help me out.