The procession through the throne room was slow and stately, but most of all, colourful. Nobles stood along the aisle, watching as courtiers bearing standards moved past, and the ceremonial sword was carried forwards on a cushion. The final members of the procession were three young men, dressed in full chain mail, with tabards with family crests emblazoned on the front.

From where he stood with his mother and father, Tomoki smiled. While the other pages, and even the squires watched from the gallery that ran around the top of the room, sat along with the merchants and notables of Lyndora, he had been permitted to stand with the rest of his family. He smoothed the front of his tunic, grateful that he had not grown so much as that his only non-issue clothing had grown too small to wear. Like the families of the other two knights, they stood at the front of the assembled nobles, nearest the dais on which King Elbert sat. He was flanked by his two sons, Prince Raoul, dressed in his own mail, and Prince Joshua, who having never entered into the training for knighthood wore a tunic finely embroidered with the royal family's crest.

The banners moved to the side of the throne room, and the servant carrying the sword stepped forwards and knelt in front of the king. King Elbert rose from his stately position, and took the sword from the cushion. The servant retreated, and the three youths drew forwards to stand before their king. The king spent a long moment gazing at each, then began to speak, his voice filling the room and reaching all assembled there.

"The Order of Knighthood is a serious one. It was given to us by the Gods that when they fell silent we were to choose our own Warriors, our own Champions. These three men stood here before you all have worked for eight years, learning the art of diplomacy as much as the art of the sword. A knight has a duty to help those in need, to aid any who ask for help regardless of what honour may be bestowed for the task. He is to serve not only the king, but the people of Grunweld." He hefted the ceremonial sword. "Kneel, Richard Berrik of Sandymead, Yutaka Himi of Snowshead, and Hikaru Moriyama of Westpoint."

The three youths did as instructed.

"Do you swear loyalty to the crown and people of Grunweld, to follow the orders of your king and commander, and to serve us all from the highest lord, to the lowliest peasant until the end of your days?"

"I swear," replied all three without hesitation.

"Do you swear to follow the Goddess and all her children truthfully, to keep her love in your hearts, and to look for her will in all things?"

"I swear," replied the three again.

The king nodded, and brought the flat of the sword down on the first youth's shoulders. "Then rise, Sir Richard, and serve with courage." He moved to Yutaka, and Tomoki squeezed his mother's arm. Both his parents had seemed so pleased when he saw them this morning, and he was sure that his mother would smother Yutaka in kisses once the whole family was reunited. He guessed that Yutaka would be embarrassed, but that it couldn't be helped. After all, Tomoki lived at the castle, and he had barely seen his brother in the last six months, and as the final preparations for today had been made, his brother had even less time. Yutaka had spent all the previous night praying for guidance at the castle shrine, as was traditional, so his parents hadn't even seen their eldest son yet.

Tomoki smiled as Yutaka stood, now appointed knight of the realm. As soon as the last youth was knighted, all three of the new knights called out "Goddess protect the king," and the ceremony was over. Yutaka turned and started to walk back towards his family, but was intercepted by Tomoki taking a flying leap at him.

Yutaka smiled and ruffled Tomoki's hair. "Hey there, kid. You here to escort me to mother and father?"

"Yeah!" replied Tomoki. "They're really looking forward to see you again. Me too, you've been so busy."

"One day you'll be busy like this too, you know," smiled Yutaka, leading Tomoki back to their parents.

************************

The Great Hall was seldom used by the people who lived in the castle, except at state events or for events requiring a large space. One of these events was the Midsummer dance, where after a feast for the nobles the tables were shuffled to the side of the room, a band set in the gallery, and the workers and servants of the castle allowed to celebrate. Indeed the nobles would sometimes stay, milling about the area where the high table had rested, and where food and wine was laid out, although they rarely mixed with the commoners.

Izumi hated it. By and large she'd found that the nobles of her home country were intolerant people, and placed too much importance on what was 'proper'. Her parents had only agreed to her staying if Lady Tomoko would watch her conduct.

Why is it that I have to suffer through this? wondered Izumi, looking back at her etiquette tutor. She can't be that old. She should be busy with her husband if she'd married like she keeps telling me I'm supposed to. I know she's old now, but she must've been pretty with those blue eyes and black hair… Sort of delicate, maybe even elf-like if more of them had dark hair. She sighed. Instead she makes my life miserable and insists I be 'proper', which means no opinions and no common sense so I can catch a husband in a few years. She smirked as she noticed Prince Joshua slip something into his brother's drink while Raoul talked. Like I'd want to be attached to those immature, pompous… She paused as she noticed someone standing by her. By his dress, he was obviously not a servant, or menial labourer, but nor was he a merchant or lord's son. But his clothes were clean, as was his skin and brown hair.

He bowed. "Beautiful lady? Would you dance with me?"

Izumi could feel Tomoko's disapproving glare on her back. I know I'm supposed to turn him down because he's below me, but he was nice and polite, and I do want to dance. Plus he called me beautiful, which is more than those snobs have ever done. She held a hand out to him, pointedly ignoring the indignant squeak from Tomoko. "I'd love to."

The boy took her hand and led her to the open space serving as a dance floor. He smiled as they started to dance. "Lucky me. I get to dance with the prettiest girl at the festival."

Izumi blushed a little at the complement. "Thank you. In truth, I really only agreed to dance with you to annoy my etiquette tutor. She thinks you're below my station."

The boy looked sad for a moment, but then brightened again. "At least it gave me the chance to win you over, eh?" He bobbed his head in an abbreviated bow. "I'm Junpei Shibayama, no lord or sir attached I'm afraid. Just a simple apprentice is all."

Izumi laughed a little. "I'm sure that the fact that you are not a commoner or a servant will placate Lady Tomoko," she said with irony. "I'm Izumi Orimoto. You might have heard of me as 'that tomboy' or something."

Junpei nodded. "I had heard rumours of someone falling on the wrong side of the Princess. That you?"

"Probably," agreed Izumi.

They danced a while in silence before Junpei spoke again. "So what are you? Lady, Duchess, Baronet?"

Izumi shrugged. "Does it matter? All of those titles put me out of your reach in this court, and really, I'm enjoying dancing with you too much to let rank get in the way."

Junpei tilted his head. "And this Lady Tomoko says we shouldn't talk? Just because you have a title and I don't?"

"She says a lot of things I don't agree with." Izumi looked over to where Lady Tomoko stood, and was surprised to see a faint expression of longing.

Junpei looked too. "You know, I heard that she wasn't always like that." Izumi turned her attention back to him as he continued to speak. "I heard that when she was young she was a free spirit. Until she disappeared. According to my master, she was gone nearly two years. When she came back, it was like the life had been sucked out of her, and all that was left was hollow. Some say she met the love of her life and lost him, which is why she never took a husband."

Izumi looked at him curiously. "And do the servants talk about me like they do about her?"

"Oh no," smiled Junpei. "They say that you're very kind and generous sometimes, if no one else is in the room. Else you're a right brat."

Izumi laughed. "Never realised that servants knew so much."

Junpei shrugged. "Well a good servant is supposed to be invisible, not blind, deaf and dumb. And we get seen by them more than one of you nobles dares to enter our sooty hut. About the only nobles we see are the pages and squires trying to get something fixed, and they don't stay long."

Izumi sighed. "Wish it wasn't like that. That there wasn't this imaginary line between us and you."

Junpei shrugged again. "Well it is there, and I don't think it'll ever really change. The Princes seem to like lording it over us as much as their sister."

Izumi looked sad. "Let's enjoy this while we can, then." She looked around. "The Goddess surely can't disapprove of us doing this."

******************

Joshua waited silently in his darkened room. His careful preparation would in a few short hours pay off. Of course I must be seen to be reluctant to take my brother's place as heir… but I must be strong for my sister and father's sake. He smiled as he remembered Raoul's limp form being dragged back to his apartments. The wine combined with the sleeping draught would ensure that the older prince would never wake.

Joshua smiled as he heard a soft 'pop' from further down the corridor. "Help," he said, ineffectually. "Fire. Fire in the castle," he continued softly. He decided to wait a while, the better not to be the first to see the fire before his vain attempt to save his brother.