Gift
"Thank you once again for your aid, Sir Makaelthos."
The crusader nodded briefly; acknowledging the thanks with a slight smile. His partner was already getting the rest of her men ready to leave the village. After a brief skirmish along the river, he and the members of the first knight division had routed a large party of bandits in this isolated village. All that was left was to make a report and this mission would be complete.
"That's a beautiful shield, Sir Makaelthos!"
Makaelthos turned around to see who had made the comment. At once, one woman clamped her hand over a novice's mouth. The boy broke free, however, and ran over to take a better look at the shield. In response, Makaelthos knelt on one knee to put himself on eye-level with the boy. With a glance, he could tell from the well-toned arms and legs that the novice was training for a physical profession. A swordsman or merchant-to-be perhaps. He ruled out archery as archers seldom took interest in shields.
"It is, isn't it? It has served me well for some time now."
"Yaren!"
That was the woman from before. She looked flustered and obviously embarassed at the way the boy was fussing over a shield. Makaelthos shook his head and smiled at her. The boy spoke again.
"Is it enchanted, sir?"
Makaelthos nodded.
"With thara frog essence."
Taking a bold risk, Yaren ventured to touch the shield. Seeing no hostile reaction from the crusader, he ran his fingers down the engraving of Prontera's symbol; a two headed eagle. As he expected, even over the engraving, his fingers only felt smooth surface.
"The blacksmith who forged this must be incredibly skilled..."
Makaelthos smiled and nodded.
"Yes, he is. He's one of the best and this shield is one of his best."
The boy's eyes practically shone with curiosity.
"Was it made to honor your accomplishments?"
Makaelthos shook his head this time.
"No."
"Oh, I see. It must be to commemorate a glorious battle, right?"
"Not really."
"A treasured family heirloom, then?"
"It was a gift from a friend of mine. He forged it."
Yaren was puzzled over that one.
"Was it for helping him? Did you save his life once?"
Makaelthos shook his head again. From the corner of his eye he noticed Eliarainne signal that they were ready to go.
"No. He simply wanted to give me a gift."
Makaelthos looked fondly at the beautifully tempered and engraved elunium shield. The metal was white elunium, a rarer ore compared to normal elunium. It was harder and it certainly befitted a crusader more but it was also more expensive.
"Think of it as something similar to a good book or a bottle of fine wine, Yaren. There was no battle that called for it nor an occasion that made it fitting reward. Just a friend giving a gift out of friendship. He just happened to be a bit more practical about it as he says."
Patting the boy on the shoulder, Makaelthos got back on his feet. He looked fondly at his shield, especially at the nicks and notches on the surface where it had deflected the blades, clubs, claws and fangs of his foes. Kreizen had given him a shield but the blacksmith had indirectly guarded his life as well.
"You'll soon find out that it's these kinds of gifts that you'll treasure the most, Yaren. Farewell."