Chapter 20: Kindred Spirits
- One Year Later
The day of the knight entrance exams came by sooner than Sarai and Amaya had been expecting, but their desire to join the ranks of the knight squads never faltered. The greater level of focus, stamina and agility they had undergone with their hard training regimes had assisted both girls in their sword strikes and the range of their attacks. Their mother, Dalia, continued to support her two daughters in their swordsmanship and she was soo proud of their progression of strength and resolve. After all, the two girls were both well versed in sword and hand to hand attacks.
Sarai and Amaya had been honing their skills since they had been thirteen and twelve, respectively. The skills taught to them were now down to such a point that they 'owned' each of the other sword students in their class.
'Follow your dreams, and don't let anyone stand in your way', those had been the words of their mother as they had departed from their small homestead, towards the interior of the Capitol, for the tiltyard of the Katolis branch of the Pentarchy's Knight Squads headquarters.
The capital city was nothing the two girls had ever seen before, not that they had anything to compare it to. The city itself was built on the slope of a grassy plateau with the royal castle at the top of the cliff; overlooking the forest and river below. The upper and mid level nobility, whom had capital residence, were located halfway up the plateau whilst merchants and the ordinary citizenry were
below on the flatlands separated by tall high walls. To any commoners that chose to dwell within the city, they were granted homesteads within the merchant quarters. And as the power of Katolis grew, due to its geographical position and ease of carrying out raids into Xadia; bringing back gainful supplies and knowledge, Katolis was regarded as the wealthiest of the Five Kingdoms.
As such, the capital had expanded several time in its centuries of existence and currently it stood at over one million citizens, the majority of them being commoners, who built the massive market square and the huge number of craftsmen. Creating two distinctive levels within the common sector of the capital: the Citizenry and the Draughtsmen.
Separating the Royal and Noble precincts were walls and a small garrison defending them. Built into the natural rock and surrounded by high thick stout walls, the royal castle was seen to be impregnable. The garrison guarding the castle were known as the Crown Guard and were headed by one of the Six Generals, the other five generals were stationed at various military outposts all the way along the border of the Human west and the Elven east. Ports, mountain passes, even merchant routes... threats didn't just come from Xadia... the Six Generals guarded, King Svengauld and his ancestors had known, that threats came from the other human kingdoms. And would do whatever they could to vie for an advantage over each other. Which usually came in the form of the Pentarchy High Mage.
Electing a High Mage was a hugely important role for the Pentarchy to do, and as much as the kingdoms tried to be bipartisan when selecting a new High Mage, the result would almost always be seen as partisan to someone. Each of the five kingdoms had their own mages, and they would put forth candidates for the role of Pentarchy High Mage in hopes of having their royalty being seen as the most important. The current High Mage, Julius Novachrono, may have been born in Neolandia but his friendship with Katolis's Crown Prince made his home nations royal family angry and jealous. Julius was beloved by the ordinary citizens of the Pentarchy, was an ardent reformer and an idealist when it came to wanting a cessation of violence between humanity and elves.
Upon immediately entering the inside the capital, Sarai and Amaya were blindsided by the size of the gatehouse and drawbridge, and then frustrated by the long queues of people trying to get past as well. Most of whom were also heading to the Knights Entrance Exam. The interior garrison which manned the checkpoint and carried out mandatory searches of all incoming, outgoing merchants and travellers but to the two girls the guards orders to stop and search everyone entering or leaving, was of no surprise. Especially, when they heard people whispering that they had heard rumours of a boy that had survived Xadia and was now under observation and loyalty tests by Captain William Vangeance.
When Sarai had heard that she had hung her head in shame, for she realised that the boy everyone was suspicious of was the same boy that she had seen being taken to the castle one year ago. Gritting her teeth, the older sister moved on in the queue pleading that her sister would not be able to pick up on her sudden sullenness. So once they were approved to move onward, they decided to head straight for the Katolis branch Knights Headquarters, 'come on', Sarai signed, 'we don't want to miss registration'. Nodding her head, and showing off a competitive grin, Amaya signed back 'I will beat you sis! Captain Charlotte Roselei will pick me not you'.
Further inside was, the subdivided, merchant district and the civilian residences, either side of a gigantically wide market square with a huge white barked and red leafed tree in the centre, surrounding it in all directions were hundreds of stalls and shop fronts spread out all around. 'It must be market day...' Amaya signed, before bolting off towards a stall selling meat kebabs. Leaving her sister scowling. As she looked around her, Sarai noticed that many of the shops had above rooms for lodgers or the shop keeper and their families, whilst others were quite obviously given over to draughtsmen who needed extra space for working or storing their wares.
She was about to once more hail her sister and head off towards the Knights Entrance exam, when she saw a familiar dark haired boy from across the market square. Dressed in a brown tunic, black breeches and a dark navy blue cloak with a gold clasp holding it over his shoulders, Sarai couldn't not miss the boy that she had seen last year. Only this time, instead of being paraded away by soldiers, the boy had emblazoned on his cloak the sigh of the Golden Dawn Knights. Before she could register what was happening, the boy suddenly became aware of her staring at him, and changed his route accordingly. Towards her. Recognition in his eyes but no sign of resentment or malice, just kindness and genuine curiosity.
"I remember you..." the boy stuttered, once he was close enough to her to be heard. "You were in the street last year when I was being taken away by soldiers..."
Sarai immediately flushed with shame at remembering her not standing up for the boy as he was marched past her towards the castle. Only when he was standing right in front of her, did she notice a faint blush on his face. "I never got to tell you then... how pretty you are".
Sarai dug her nails into her arm, as a means to steady and prevent herself from being lost in the incredible beautiful heterochromia eyes staring at her. One violet the other green. In addition to his rare eye colour, his brown hair with a braid hanging down the left side of his face, only made her self injury more acute. The boy was cute, and she didn't know how to handle these sorts of situations she never had boys telling her that she was pretty, mostly down to her prowess as a swords woman. Strong women were not sort after, and to be strong woman in a heavily dominated male ruled Pentarchy, was often a hard unforgiving life. But there was something in this boy's eyes that shone with understanding and hope, that drew her in even as she desperately tried to stand back.
"I-I-I don't know how to respond to that..." she stuttered, finally looking up at the boy before her, who was blushing and trying to hide his eyes behind his fringe of brown hair. "Such awkwardness", she murmured. "Your not the typical boy that I thought would try and flirt with me", she grinned, slowly raising her hand toward the boy, initiating proper introductions. "I'm Sarai, and the girl over there currently making that vendors life hell, is my sister Amaya. We're going to the knight squad entrance exams".
Upon hearing that, the boy grinned as he pointed to his cloak bearing the emblem of the Golden Dawn knights squad on it. "My name is Zeren, and I am a steward to Captain William Vangeance". Something flashed across Sarah's mind as she heard the boy's name, 'that not a Katolis name... he's from Duren', she was about to ask further question when she caught sight of a set of black metal twin daggers at his waist and a silver moon opal pendant around his neck.
"I'm sorry I didn't catch that", she apologised, blushing, as she realised she hadn't heard what Zeren had asked. With a soft smile, and a sigh, the boy spoke again. "I said I hope we can be friends, because I get the feeling that we have more things in common than we initially think". Sarai grabbed Amaya and stomped off after the boy, in the direction of the Knights headquarters. All the while shielding her blushing face with her scarf, and trying to desist her traitors thoughts.
