Chapter XII

Esesra pushed an errant blonde strand of hair from her eyes. After the first few weeks of training two years ago, it became obvious that her bangs were going to have to go. They got in her vision far too often. She had dabbled a little in finding different ways to bind all of her hair out of her eyes. Her experiments had given her varying results. For the tournament today, she had settled on the tried and true method of a simple ponytail, usually worn by servants.

She took a moment to look around the stadium. She had attended the final tournaments before, always in the royal box with Lynores and later Airja joined them. She had always dreamed of being a participant instead of in the audience. And now, after years of dreaming and two years of sweat, blood, and hard work, here she stood.

She resisted the temptation to wave back at Airja in the royal box. Her arm was waving back and forth with so much vigor that her entire body moved as well. Her companion looked disdainfully down his nose in Esesra's general direction. Prince Haimyr Grym of Walgrïm was the king's current suitor for Airja. As soon as she'd seen him glaring at her earlier; Airja pointing at her friend, probably explaining how and why a woman was participating in the tournaments; the scowl had not left his face. King Garath knew that the courtship wasn't going to work out, Esesra was sure. He was merely playing nice with Walgrïm.

Esesra had been overjoyed when Lynores had shown up for the last two days of the preliminaries last week. Her husband of one year, Prince Danal Ishi, First Born of Ishilm, had proven his love for Trellyx's eldest princess and tolerance for a woman handling a sword by allowing Lynores to attend the tournaments, as well as coming along himself a few days later. Lynores had arrived at the arena just after breakfast that morning; just barely in time to watch the opening match. Danal and Lynores had moved their chairs in the royal box in order to be as close as possible to the action. Esesra had smiled. She had also managed to notice during her rest periods how Lynores frequently placed her hands on her stomach; Danal too. Esesra had only smiled wider.

Her mother sat with Queen Xavia and King Garath. Chelsea Amia rarely attended the tournaments. She was married and therefore never came to watch the participants, as did all the single females in the audience. Today, she came to support her daughter and husband. Her familiarity with the queen was the only reason she was seated in the top box. While she had given her permission to her daughter, she had only half-heartedly given her blessing. Esesra had never glimpsed her talking, but she did attempt to clap animatedly when Esesra won her first two matches. Esesra assumed her mother spoke with the queen when Esesra was taking a break. It was far too unlike her mother to not talk.

The preliminaries over the past three weeks had not been easy. Esesra was still nursing a rather large bruise on her upper left arm. It had been no surprise that she was left-handed in swordsmanship. She had always been left hand dominant, no matter how her mother and penmanship instructor had tried to teach her to use her right hand. She had fumbled in the beginning; right-handedness dominated the world and no one knew how to teach someone different. Esesra had eventually learned to use her left hand. She had struggled with learning to handle a sword with her left hand, but again she had persevered. Her left-handedness had been a bit of an advantage to her; most knights were right-handed and therefore fighting styles were based on disarming a right-handed opponent. Of course, strategy was also taught; her training mates and opponents had quickly hurdled both obstacles of her gender and left-handedness.

Of course, her difference had also forged within her a desire to know how to wield a sword with her right hand as well. While not as adept right-handed as left, she was proficient fighting right-handed as well. Esesra wanted to keep her left-hand domination a secret as far as she could (which wasn't far among the trainees), so she wore her scabbard on her left hip and usually fought right-handed.

Esesra had placed within the top thirty percentile out of two hundred entrants of the preliminary tournaments. (Many years ago, her father had explained that exact numbers and positions were not given out because the tournaments were not a contest.) Only half of the original two hundred entrants ever made it to the final week of the tournaments. Very few of that one hundred made it past the infantry. A handful here and there made it to the Valen or palace guard. It was very rare for someone to go straight to entering the Voli'yiir.

Esesra was aiming for a position among the Valen. There were no rumors of war and the palace guard rarely had any excitement. As a street guard, Esesra would be doing something. Hopefully, after a few years of experience, she would gain a position among the Voli'yiir.

The trumpet sounded and the announcer called her name and the name of her next opponent. Her name coming first meant that she had more victories. The name rang a familiar bell, two in fact. Hoel Corbin had been a bit of a bully during her childhood. Esesra had crossed wooden blades with him many times. She had crossed real blades with him over the past three weeks. She was a little surprised to see him in the finals week. (A list of the final week contestants was never posted; this usually prevented rivalries and fights. Of course, those that did make it talked; no one but her father spoke to Esesra when it came to her training mates.) Hoel had never shown any unnecessary anger towards Esesra.

The other name that was connected with Hoel Corbin's was Darian Corbin, Hoel's older brother. Darian Hoel: disgraced Trellyxian citizen. He was still in jail for attempting to kidnap the princesses. Darian Corbin's involvement had been kept quiet to save his family's honor and reputation.

While Hoel had never shown a grudge, Esesra's strategy training guided her to keep the possible extra anger in mind while fighting him in the public eye. He had never done anything in the past, but it never hurt to be prepared.

Esesra needn't have worried: after several minutes he was disarmed without any fanfare. "Finished!" the announcer yelled. Hoel Corbin always fought too recklessly. Esesra's spats with him as a child had paved the way for easy defeats when the two of them fought during her training period. Hoel was nowhere near as reckless as Darian, but the younger Corbin brother was still reckless.

The crowd cheered. Esesra glanced at her father and again saw him, notebook tucked under an elbow, clapping. He was not always the official observer of her fights, for the obvious reason of avoiding favoritism. When he was, he always refrained from being too supportive. Esesra could tell by the light in his eyes though; he was proud of her.

The day ended with three wins and one loss to Esesra's name. She met with her parents, the princesses, Danal and Prince Haimyr for dinner. Airja dutifully passed along her parents' congratulations to Esesra. Most everyone else did as well, with the exception of Haimyr. The men spent the majority of dinner repeating events of the day's tournament, most of them highlighting Esesra. Prince Haimyr excused himself after the salad course, complaining of fatigue. No one was sorry to see him go.

"The man is a storm cloud," Airja complained.

"When does he leave?" Esesra beat Lynores to the question.

Airja stuck her tongue out as if the salad was distasteful. "After the tournament."

"Yuck," Lynores and Esesra agreed.

Esesra turned to Lynores. This was the first time the two of them had managed to spend real time together since Lynores' arrival. "So…? How far along are you?"

Lynores tried to feign ignorance. "How far along am I in what?"

Esesra poked her friend. "You're pregnant, don't deny it!"

Lynores and Airja laughed. "Sister never could pull the cloth over your eyes, Esesra."

"I'm about three months along." Lynores put a finger to her lips and looked directly at her sister, but she spoke to Esesra. "Father and Danal want to keep it a secret for a few more months, just in case."

Airja giggled while Esesra mimed locking her lips and tossing an imaginary key over her shoulder.

"Danal has to return to Ishilm tomorrow, but he'll be back for the placement ceremonies. He wanted to show his support for me and Esesra, so he cleared his schedule and came today," Lynores told Esesra.

"I'm glad to know that your husband not only allowed you to come and watch me, but he's tolerant of a woman becoming a soldier. Methinks your father picked you a good man, Lynores."

-CotI-

The tournament finals week ended with Esesra in the top twenty percentile. (In private her father told her she was in the top thirteen.) Delma and his closest friends, advisors, and the king spent the next three days haggling and deliberating on whom to place where. Delma came home after the final meeting with a smile on his face. He wouldn't tell Esesra her position, however; she would wait until the announcement ceremony with the rest of the contestants. No one would be able to blame Delma Amia, Captain of the Trellyxian Guard, of giving special attention to his daughter.

The announcement ceremony was mostly an excuse for the palace to host a large, elegant party and for the majority of Trellyxian nobility to attend. Asturia was the only country that rivaled Trellyx in frequency and extravagance of parties. Asturia was a far bigger country and therefore won by default. Of course, there wasn't any sort of contest.

The announcement ceremony always began with drink and chatter. Then the one hundred final entrants were announced as they arrived, followed by the usual Trellyxian dinner. Then the entrants' names were announced in alphabetical order, along with their new positions. A night of dancing and light drinking finished the festivities.

Esesra tried to hide her nervousness, her hands twisting together under the table. She almost wished for her bangs. Her father was giving the announcements as usual. However, he was nearly through the entire list and had not said her name. There could be no mistake; Esesra knew she had been skipped for a reason. But what?

Her mother placed a calming hand one her elbow and Esesra stopped fidgeting with her hands.

Her father finished reading his list and turned, bowing to the king. King Garath rose and cleared his throat. "Lords, ladies, and fine tournament champions; I am sure that no one present here tonight missed the absence of Lady Esesra Amia's name. After much deliberation, it has been decided that Lady Esesra shall take up position as the Princess Airja's personal guard. Lady Esesra will continue to retain her position as head of the handmaidens. And now," he turned to Esesra, "Lady Esesra, please approach so to be knighted."

Esesra mentally reminded herself not to scrape her chair when she pushed it back. She kept her head high and walked to the royals' table. A servant handed the king the special sword used in such events and King Garath drew it. "Bow, noble lady."

Esesra did so, feeling for the first time a little embarrassed by the attention; the entire room was watching her, the dining hall completely silent.

"Esesra Klairita Amia, daughter of Sir Delma Amia, Captain of the Guard and Lady Chelsea Amia, I now knight you, and these witnesses present shall attest to the honor and respectability you receive in this act." He tapped the sword to her left shoulder, acknowledging her difference in dominant hand as well as a woman, then her right. "Rise, Knight Amia."

Esesra stood and the audience applauded. Garath smiled at her and handed her a goblet. He picked up his own goblet. "And now, I propose a toast to the first official female knight within the known countries of Gaea." Everyone in the room took up their own goblets. King Garath looked directly at Esesra. "To Knight Lady Esesra, may she live long under Teradosq with many blessings." Several hundred voices repeated the toast and drank.

The room shook with applause as Esesra walked back to her table. She broke out in a smile. Airja leapt from the royal table after her and took up her friend in a fierce embrace. Both women laughed at their good fortune.

-CotI-

"So why did King Garath make this decision?" Esesra asked her father on the carriage ride home very early the next morning.

"Queen Xavia gave him the idea, actually. She made a comment along the lines of she wished that you could be by Airja's side throughout her suitors fawning over her after the kidnapping. In a far more protective capacity than as her handmaiden," he clarified. Delma continued. "Also in this manner, he can kill two birds with one stone; or I should say three: Airja has a friend, a handmaiden escort, and a personal guard at all times." He beamed at his daughter.

"Especially while suitors are visiting; the king can gain some insight into the men based on how they treat Esesra," Chelsea commented.

Delma looked thoughtful. "You may be onto something, dear. That probably crossed the king and queen's minds." He kissed his wife's forehead.

"We are both very proud of you, Esesra."

She smiled.