Dark and Divine

by Jaide DM

Have you ever heard of the Heretic War? The following account I have written in a record I call The Heretic Story. Won’t you join me on one more journey into the “truth”?

5. 4

Thirteen

"Good, very good, now try to visualize the entire series of moves as one motion."

Meliadoul nodded, moving her light brown eyes from the injured old knight and back to her opponent. Sweat dripped down her neck and into the collar of her tunic, though Meliadoul didn't mind. She really hadn't fought since Ramza's death, and the woman was quite rusty. Not to mention that her muscles weren't as strong as they used to be. That was why she was standing in the hot afternoon sun, waiting for evening to cool the air, crossing swords with a Holy Knight. She tucked a loose strand of brown hair behind one ear, adjusting the grip on the training sword in her right hand. It was heavy, wooden, and hard to hold because of the sweat on her palms. Meliadoul didn't mind this, either, because it made her stronger by working with something that was more difficult to wield than a regular blade. Agrias walked in a circle, stretching her left arm painfully, as Meliadoul had struck it about a minute before. Both women had their hair braided loosely down the back, and had been sparring almost all day, under the always critical eye of Thundergod Cid.

Orlandu sat near them, breathing heavily and dressed lightly. Even after a week, he was still in a very intense amount of pain, and the smallest exertions made him weak. The man would soon be on his feet, with or without Ovelia's permission. Technically, even now, he was supposed to be bedridden and asleep, by order of the Queen. Instead he had sneaked out so he could help both of the younger knights train. All three were gathered outside of the castle proper, in the large training grounds that the King had expanded upon to help defend Lesalia. It was a massive field of archery ranges, training areas, and arenas for sparring. The presence of the two women had attracted the attention of almost the entire training field. Obviously, the Holy Knight was well known and revered throughout the area, and the squires and knights in training under her had all gathered to show their support. With them came a good number of other soldiers who had heard of Agrias' skills.

Now, however, all eyes were on the Divine Knight. Few Hokuten or Nanten troops had actually gone to battle with a Divine Knight, or even a Temple Knight. They were the soldiers of the church, and seldom interacted with other armies. Even though a number of Temple Knights and several Divine Knights were within the King's ranks, they had yet to be deployed for combat, for there was none who they would follow into battle. The fact that all five of the ex-Divine Knights had arrived to watch brought even more spectators, and a good number of the Temple Knights as well, though they kept to themselves as well. Of course those knights knew of Meliadoul Tingel. Most of them had served directly under her father during the Lion War.

So they stood silent, eyes locked on the woman. All five Divine Knights stood with arms crossed, in a small group by themselves. Every other soldier in the area avoided them, weary of soldiers that had once served the enemy. Few of these men knew of Meliadoul, and even fewer had seen a Divine Knight in battle, and those that had we're questioned constantly. That was why it had been so exciting. Not to mention that a good deal of the men came just to be in the presence of two beautiful knights.

With the arrival of Cid, any man or woman who had been avoiding the show made themselves present. Everyone knew of the Thundergod, and if he was interested in these two women, it was obvious they should be as well. Meliadoul circled slowly, wiping damp hands on her trousers as she glanced around the field. There were men on all sides, some shouting, some silent, all watching.

"For being so long without battle, you seem to have remembered a good deal Meliadoul." Orlandu said with obvious praise. Meliadoul simply nodded, coming around toward Agrias.

"I agree. What do you say we make this a live spar?" Agrias asked seriously. Many of the knights under her command shouted approval, and Meliadoul noticed that a few of the Temple Knights did the same for her. They had only been working on technique all day, striking, parrying, and countering, with Orlandu working with them. A live spar would be a workout, and Meliadoul wanted to really test how much she could recall.

"I accept your challenge."

Agrias didn't hesitate, didn't even take a breath, before she came at the Divine Knight. There was a concentrated roar near them, as the other Holy Knights began to shout. Meliadoul stepped back, adjusting her grip and bringing the training sword up. She parried Agrias' attack, deflecting it to the side, and circled to the left, looking for an opening. The Holy Knight recovered immediately, turning and lowering her stance. Even with swords made of wood, it was very painful and dangerous to be struck, and neither woman was wearing more than light cotton. Precision and care was essential. Meliadoul stepped sideways, backing parallel to her friend and enemy. She directed the tip of the sword to the earth, dark strands of hair falling across her face. Agrias came at her again, both hands on the wooden pommel. She snapped the weapon up and back down, the blow aimed at the exposed shoulder her friend presented. Which is exactly what Meliadoul was hoping for.

She switched her feet as fast as possible, bringing the free hand over to her weapon as it was raised. The wooden swords collided with a loud crack, and Agrias found her weapon momentarily caught against the handguard of the other woman's weapon. The change in footing gave Meliadoul leverage, which she used to her advantage as the Holy Knight was off balance. A rough shove against the woman's weapon and Agrias fell to her back, rolling even as she hit the earth. She was up and in a crouch just in time to deflect Meliadoul's attack, and counter back. The Divine Knight leapt back, just missing the end of the sword as it arched in front of her stomach. Temple Knights and Holy Knights alike were shouting and carrying on now, making bets on the victor of the battle. The Divine Knights, however, stood silent still, watching the fight with a collective calm gaze. Agrias stood slowly, backing and circling away from her friend.

"I don't remember ever seeing that before. Are you sure that knight friend of yours didn't teach you a few things?" Agrias said, panting lightly.

"Afraid not. That was the way my father always got the drop on Izlude. Worked every time for him."

"Well," Orlandu added calmly. "It almost worked on Agrias too. Although from here it seems you were open at the legs, if someone had been quick enough."

"You're right, I'll have to work on that." Meliadoul said, wiping her forehead with the back of her left hand, and working toward the middle of the trampled grass arena.

"What's this about a knight?" Orlandu inquired.

Agrias darted ahead, trading blows with the Divine Knight a few times before retreating and explaining.

"Meliadoul met a friendly knight in Bervenia. He convinced her to come here."

"Is that so? Perhaps I shall thank this knight some time. What was his name?"

Meliadoul struck this time, smashing her blunted blade against Agrias' sword, both women circling quickly. After a few more strikes they separated, moving away for a breath. Meliadoul shot a sideways glance at Orlandu, noticing how silent it had become.

"His name was Damien."

Agrias had taken the moment of distraction to move toward Meliadoul, and slip in close. The Divine Knight barely had time to see the attack coming, and even less time to try to block it. Agrias knocked her sword away, but found her victory short lived. She found her own weapon grasped tightly, slender fingers gripping her hands roughly. Meliadoul pushed into her, shoulder shoving into the older woman's chest and knocking Agrias back. She released at that moment, darting toward her own sword. The Holy Knight hit the ground and was up in an instant, just as Meliadoul snatched up her sword. Both women were dripping with sweat, as the sun steadily fell toward the horizon. Neither got a chance to breathe, as both women came at each other at once. Their swords collided with a resounding crack, and the high roar of observing soldiers. Both women pushed off of the ground, running parallel to each other and changing the upper hand back and forth. The two women left the arena, leaping off of the raised earth and rolling as one on the ground below. The soldiers flooded around them, eager to see the outcome of such a fast paced battle. Agrias circled to the left, Meliadoul to the right, swords cracking together in a manic pace as each woman tried to get a hit in. They moved across the open field, coming toward one of the walls of the actual castle, as a wave of knights and men followed them. Even some of the castle guard had found themselves pulled along, shouting and carrying on as the rest of the army.

The women reached the stone wall, Meliadoul finding herself forced against it by a barrage of blows from her friend. Her back skimmed against the stone and mortar, as she ducked and weaved, blocking everything Agrias could throw at her and countering back as best she could. It was obvious the Holy Knight was in better shape, as her breaths were coming much easier after such a fight. Even so, it seemed that the Divine Knight had lost little of her skill for combat in the past year. They danced back and forth across the grass, moving toward a set of stone laid stairs. Agrias was directing the fight, obviously trying to put Meliadoul in a difficult position. The Divine Knight moved away even faster than Agrias drove forward, feigning retreat. She sidestepped quickly up three of the stairs, deflecting her friend's sword as she moved. Meliadoul presented her legs to the Holy Knight, hoping that Agrias would take the bait. Without realizing her mistake, she did. She swung at the woman's feet, hoping to land a blow on her legs. Meliadoul hopped, both feet landing solidly on the wooden blade as it came around. She pinned it to one of the stairs, swinging her own weapon down toward Agrias' head. The Holy Knight let go of her sword, hands coming up to catch Meliadoul's wrists, and pulled. Meliadoul hadn't been expecting this, and found herself jerked off balance, and forced to jump. She leapt over Agrias, forcing her arms back so far as to release her grip. Meliadoul landed in grass hard, rolling quickly to her feet and running back toward the other woman. Agrias had snatched up her sword and hopped down from the stairs, coming at the Divine Knight. Meliadoul ran alongside the wall, timing her charge just right, before she sprung.

She bent at the knees, leaping up toward the wall. Her feet met it, and she pushed off again, as the collective gasp of almost every man watching filled the air. She fell toward Agrias, sword held tightly in front of her. Agrias raised her own, parrying the blow and forcing Meliadoul down toward the ground. The Divine Knight landed on her feet and spun, whipping the sword around her body. She moved fast, slowing her blade's movement only before it smashed into Agrias' stomach. She stopped it there, pressing the tip of the wooden sword against the woman. It was then that she realized that Agrias had come to rest her own training sword on her neck. It was a stalemate, for both knights had basically just died. She smiled, standing to full, and leaning heavily on the wood sword. Agrias leaned against the castle itself, as both women found themselves completely exhausted from the fight.

"That was something new." Agrias said between shallow breaths.

"It didn't work exactly as I had planned." Her friend replied.

"It seldom does." Agrias stood back up, offering a hand to Meliadoul. They shook, hugged, and then began to walk back toward the starting point for their battle. Around them was a dead silence, as both women sized up the crowd that had been following the entire display. The men and women stood rigid, staring, for several seconds before someone cheered, and the whole courtyard they stood in burst into applause and shouting. Meliadoul found herself surprised that they had gone so far from the actual training grounds. The women had ended up almost at the rear gate to the castle. After a short walk back to the training area, both women returned their weapons to their respective racks, and continued back toward where Orlandu was waiting. Agrias strode ahead, finding herself quickly buffeted by praise and questions from her knights. The Divine Knight, however, found merely quiet stares and a few smiles from the knights that had once fought for the same cause. The Temple Knights had quickly disbursed back to their regular training, still weary of the woman. Though she noticed a good number of them walked along with her, keeping a very clear distance, and never taking their eyes off of her. Their fear of the church's reach was quite justified, as word had it that any deserters were being quickly and efficiently killed. Meliadoul was wondering if that would be added to her already long list of crimes against the church, when an unfamiliar voice summoned her attention.

"Lady Tingel."

Meliadoul turned, preparing to answer whomever was addressing her, when she found she had to jerk both of her hands up, and catch the sheathed sword that was thrown to her. It was a regular knights sword, one issued to Hyrallian soldiers. Meliadoul gripped it by the scabbard and pommel by instinct, which was a good thing, because she would need to draw it quickly as two of the Divine Knights rushed at her, blades bared.

Fourteen

What frustrated Alex the most was that no matter how precise his attacks were, or how fast he was, Damien was always a step ahead. Their blades chimed together in the waning light of day, the amber glow of the setting sun giving both of swords a golden sheen. They were regular swords, a long sword for Damien and a much shorter weapon for the younger boy. For just under an hour, they had been working on techniques and forms for fencing. Ninety percent of the sparring was for the good of the boy, to build up the skill with a sword he had began to hone under his father's tutelage. Neither wore armor, and neither needed it. Even with bare blades, Damien and Alex were confident enough in themselves that there was little danger for a unintended cut. That was why all that was worn were leathers, enough protection from perhaps a knick.

Damien darted at the boy, snapping his sword around quickly. Alex parried and sidestepped, working his way in a tight circle, as he had little room to maneuver atop the three story roof. It was one of the taller buildings on that particular street in Zaland, and that was one of the reasons Damien chose that inn as a place to spend the night. He wanted to get the young squire used to any condition for fighting, which was why he would attack the boy at random, without warning, and expect him to be prepared. Alex, to his credit, always was. Zaland, though controlled by the church, was one of the perfect places for Damien and Alex. It was right along the front lines of the war, meaning they weren't far from the action. It was also a well-fortified battle zone, meaning that Damien could get the kid in hiding if the war came too close to home. He doubted that King Hyral would bring the fight to his doorstep, but Damien didn't take any chances. That was why he had several plans for escape already in motion.

Alex forced Damien back toward the center of the roof, striking erratically. Each attack came a little closer to its mark, though Damien managed to avoid or parry every one. To counter this, the much smaller boy moved in close, knowing that it would be a weak point for someone who was taller. It worked, to an extent. He managed to get the handle of his sword into Damien's stomach, before he felt a hand roughly grasp the collar of his tunic. Alex was picked up in the same instant the pommel struck his trainer, taking most of the force out of it. He was thrown casually, landing hard and rolling to a crouch. The knight was on him in a second, gleaming silver and gold blade coming down at him. Alex parried, the force driving him down further. The boy waited for another strike before rolling to the side, letting Damien's sword smash into the roof as he darted to safety. Damien stood to full, turning toward the boy. Alex was panting lightly, trying to catch his breath from hitting the stone so hard. Damien smiled, as the sun slowly finished setting in the sky.

"Ready for a break kid?" He said, leaning casually on his sword.

"No, just need a breath and I'm fine." Alex said, taking a few more deep breaths before lifting his weapon once more. That's when he realized that there were now three men on the roof. He and Damien turned as one to the stairs, as the man finished ascending up to meet them. He wore a suit of finely crafted armor, a kind that Alex had never seen before. The man carried no visible weapon, though it was doubtful he was unarmed. Long brown hair fell back behind his ears, small strands falling across his face as the man approached casually. Damien sheathed his blade, glancing at Alex.

"We're done for the night. Go ahead and go to bed."

Alex nodded, putting his own weapon away, and walking off toward the stairs. He wiped a bit of beaded sweat from his brow, eyes shifting to the mysterious man as he walked past. Alex was wary of strangers, especially ones that had such an effect on Damien's disposition. It was never good when Alex wasn't allowed in his mentor's adult conversations. Which was why Alex went down a few steps, opened a door, and closed it again without leaving. He slowly crept back up the stairs, careful not to make a single sound, so he could listen in to what was so important to interrupt training. Before he had even reached the top step, he heard their voices.

"What brings you all the way up here to see me?"

"The church is moving a good number of their troops, trying to push themselves along the Zirekile River, toward Dorter."

There was a brief pause, before Damien responded.

"It's suicide, don't they know that?"

"I'm sure the High Priest is well aware of the fact, but he doesn't care. The troops are totally involved with the cause, and would try to walk on water if he asked. It's easy to gather support when you're hunting blasphemous mongrels, as you can see."

"What about your knights? How do they feel?"

Alex peered around the corner of the stairs, hoping to get a better glimpse of the stranger. He and Damien stood near the edge of the roof, staring out across the city. They didn't seem to see a need to be quiet, not knowing that they had a spy in their midst. The armored man shrugged.

"They don't like the idea of working with Dark Knights, even if those men do work under God." He said casually, to which Damien only laughed.

"So when do you want to move out?"

"Well," The stranger replied. "I was thinking about the three of us leaving tomorrow, if your squire is up for the trip."

Damien nodded, which made Alex smile from his hiding place at the confidence his mentor had in him.

"The order for your Holy Knights was made at the same time as the Toutens, right?" Damien asked.

"Yes, my men left by boat toward the abandoned fort south of Mandalia Plains two days ago, they should arrive tomorrow. The Toutens are heading out too, I suspect?"

Damien nodded, eyes scanning the city.

"The last of the Dark Knights left yesterday. I hope this plan works."

"Have faith in God Damien. He's with us, even is the High Priest is no better than the Beoulve."

"I have hope, that's enough for me my friend."

Neither men spoke for several minutes, after which Alex snuck silently back down the stairs, slipped through the door, and went to the room they had purchased for the night. He needed to sleep, because Damien would have him up before the rise of the sun.

Fifteen

The last thing Meliadoul had been expecting was to be attacked by Divine Knights. She was so taken aback, in fact, that she drew the sword and parried both attacks without even knowing it. Her training immediately took over, as the two knights tried for killing blows. She deflected a few more strikes, backing toward the only way she thought would be clear, toward Agrias. The Divine Knight chanced a glance back, noticing that the Temple Knights that had been keeping a wary eye on her had all drawn their weapons, directing them at the crowd of knights and civilians. They had made a complete circle around Meliadoul, keeping any man from interfering. They couldn't stop the woman, however. As Meliadoul leapt back from a flashing silver blade, she saw Agrias move quickly from the corner of her eye. The Holy Knight smashed her forearm into one of the Temple Knights, wrenching his sword away and shoving him to the earth. She sprinted toward Meliadoul, as two more of the Divine Knights drew their own weapons. Meliadoul parried another slash at her head, turning to see Agrias was next to her, attacking the other knight that had besieged them. The Holy Knight pushed him back, as the other man and woman knight joined the fray. The women switched stances, moving back-to-back and circling inside of their enemies. Meliadoul scanned the crowd, noticing that a good number more Temple Knights had arrived, and we shouting at the crowd of Hyrallian knights that looked like they were about to explode. The men and women under the king hadn't been so inclined to leap to action when the strange woman was attacked, but the fact that Agrias had involved herself had moved the crowd almost to an uproar. The only thing stopping them was the line of swords and pole arms that were pointed at men, women, and children alike. No knight would risk harm to these innocents, even if their commander happened to be in danger. But they soon found out that Agrias and Meliadoul could handle themselves.

It was one thing to watch the erratic spar between the two women, as they tried new and outrageous ideas to win the upper hand. It was a completely different experience to watch them work in tandem. The women had fought together at the end of the Lion War, and like every other member of their small army, they knew each other's fighting abilities. The outrage seemed to die down as everyone saw the women play off each other's skills.

The women switched back and forth from fighting two Divine Knights, switching targets without a word or a pause. They were like water, fluid and swift. Agrias parried one blow and struck out, finding her blow deflected. Without a pause she shifted, rolling her back along Meliadoul's, to take her opponents as the Divine Knight attacked opposite. Back to back the women moved, keeping every single attack at bay, and attacking back at every opportunity. It seemed like a stalemate for the longest time, before Meliadoul got a hit in. She managed to hit the flat of her blade against one of the knight's head, knocking him stunned to the ground. In that same moment she found herself separated from the Holy Knight, as all three Divine Knights brought the fight to Agrias. Meliadoul turned, seeing Agrias fend off all three swords as best she could. The Divine Knight was about to dive back into the fight, when a large sword swung at her head from the side. She blocked it, diving to the ground and rolling back to her feet. The leader of the small squad stood about five feet away, sword pointed at the dirt. For a moment they just stood, as silence seemed to take over the whole city. That was when Meliadoul realized Agrias was no longer fighting. She darted her gaze back, seeing that the three Divine Knights had disarmed her, holding the blonde woman tightly, though she struggled to break free. They had not harmed her, which Meliadoul knew they wouldn't. Knights only fought to kill their target; all others would be detained if possible. She turned her eyes back to the leader, not recognizing him from her father's soldiers. He had black hair, speckled with the gray of age. He was an older knight, one with a good deal of experience and piercing dark eyes. It looked as though it would come down to her and him, and Meliadoul was determined not to be the loser.

Sixteen

It was almost impossible for him to remain in the crowd as his friends were attacked, but he couldn't risk showing himself in front of every man in the city. Not unless they were in mortal danger, which he doubted they were. Plus he was unarmed, and even with extensive training with his hands, he doubted it would hold out against armed and armored knights. So he kept the hood up, standing at the edge of the crowd and watching the display. Meliadoul and Agrias fought with incredible skill, almost more than he expected. For a while it had looked good for the women, as they began to gain the upper hand. Until they became separated, and he almost intervened again as they teamed up on Agrias. It was almost impossible to fight down his emotions and remain with the civilians. The three knights managed to grab Agrias, snatching the sword from her hand and removing her from the fight. This left Meliadoul alone against the last man, as the one she injured slowly moved away from her, clutching his bruised head.

Meliadoul visibly tightened her grip on the weapon, slowly trying to even out her breath. She, as well as everyone else, was unaware of her heretic friend in the crowd, who was gradually making his way closer. If her life became endangered, even for a second, he would have to step in and end the fight in her favor. It wasn't something he wanted to do, simply because it would expose him completely. Meliadoul's opponent ran at her, sword flashing in his wake. She blocked it, sidestepping, and striking out. He jumped back, showing that the older Divine Knight wasn't yet too old for war. Their blades smashed together a couple more times, working both warriors back toward the crowd, where he stood. Meliadoul was focused, trying desperately to get a hit in before she completely tired. It was obvious the woman was beginning to seriously tire, and it didn't seem like she would last more than a few minutes before collapsing. She was dripping with sweat, panting, and getting slower. Even so, she held her own easily, keeping the other knight on his toes constantly. They kept up the constant back and forth attacks, moving across the already trampled grass. Feinting, striking, blocking, they fought roughly, with little form. Just when it seemed as though neither party would gain the upper hand, Meliadoul's sword was caught in an upswing, and knocked from her grasp. It flew through the air, landing blade first in the grass and becoming buried halfway down the blade. She backed away, as the Divine Knight closed in toward her, sword at the ready. Meliadoul looked for a weapon, as did the heretic in the crowd. He saw his closest opportunity not a few feet away. One of the Hyrallian Knights nearby held a six-foot long spear, leaning heavily on it and focusing on the battle. The heretic moved over next to him, slowly moving his hand toward the wooden shaft of the weapon.

He snatched it away roughly, aware that two Temple Knights nearby had seen the action, and were moving to intercept him. The knight he took it from didn't fight back, but leapt away in surprise, not sure if he should fight or take flight. The heretic turned to the first Temple Knight, rotating his grip quickly, and slamming the blunt end of the weapon into the knight's stomach. In response, the knight doubled over in pain, dropping his sword to the ground. The heretic darted forward, crouching to snatch up the sword by the hilt, rising quickly with a wary eye on the other approaching soldier.

"Here!" He shouted roughly, throwing the sword even as he finished shouting. It spun once, before the heretic had to turn his attention to the Temple Knight. A quick rotation, and he snapped the wooden shaft against the back of the man's knees. He fell hard, landing harshly on his chest and stomach. The heretic heard air being expelled from the knight's lung, even as he was dropping the spear, and leaping back. Several other knights were running over, giving him a good reason to become invisible. The heretic ran back into the crowd, quickly working his way past several people, as the knights tried to follow. His side was hurting again with the exertion he committed to, forcing him to clutch it and wince. Luckily for him, the crowd moved more willingly for he than they did for the knights who were threatening them. He just hoped that Meliadoul could handle herself now. A split second later, when he heard the tang of metal against metal, he felt sure she could.

Seventeen

As night finally settled on the city, Meliadoul's life seemed just as dark and bleak. She was unarmed, tired, and without a plan of escape. So she backed away, thinking of any possible method she could to get another weapon, anything, to defend herself. She didn't come all this way, risked so much to get here, to be killed by a jealous knight. Meliadoul didn't even know why he was after her, which only made her more frustrated. Did the church manage to get all of these soldiers into the kingdom? Was this all staged just to kill her off, and try to capture the other heretics? Meliadoul was confused and scared, for more than just her own life. The knight continued to approach, not rushing but not slowing. It seemed as though there was no way out, and Meliadoul's time was up.

Once again, she was saved. She heard the sound of a struggle nearby, but didn't risk taking her eyes off of the knight for even a second. Perhaps the crowd was finally retaliating, and the Hyrallian soldiers were aware of the danger this posed for more than just the strange Divine Knight that had dropped out of nowhere not two days before.

"Here!"

Meliadoul snapped her head to the left, as a male voice preceded the gleaming silver of an airborne sword. She caught a glimpse of a dark cloak, set chin, and muscled features. He was holding a spear, which he used to trip up a knight as the flying sword made a second rotation, flying right at her. Time seemed to slow for Meliadoul, as the strange man ran back into the crowd and out of side, and the sword spun once more, the handle coming within reach. Meliadoul threw her right hand up and across her body, as her opponent raised his sword and came at her. She stood her ground, hoping and praying the sword would reach her before the man did. After what seemed like an eternity, the pommel of the weapon touched her hand, and Meliadoul wrapped her fingers tightly around it. As she did so, she dove forward, moving just as the Divine Knight's sword sliced the air where she had just been standing. Her body hit the ground, and Meliadoul rolled across the soft grass, rising immediately to her feet. Without giving a pause for the man, Meliadoul drove ahead, using her sword like a hammer against his weapon. Three rapid strikes, and she had knocked the sword from his grasp, causing it to fall to the ground, and putting the man off balance. She then cocked her arm back, aiming the tip of her blade at his chest, for the killing blow.

"I accept defeat, Lady Tingel."

His voice was hoarse, raspy with a deep tone. The man stood still, rubbing his right hand to relieve the pain from Meliadoul's attack. His wrist was most likely quite strained. Slowly, Meliadoul lowered her weapon, exhaustion finally catching up to her. She let the sword fall to her side, finding it hard to even hold it aloft anymore. After a beat, the knight began to walk back to his sword, breathing heavily himself. Meliadoul glanced over to see Agrias walk up next to her, after being released by the other Divine Knights. The courtyard was so silent, so absolutely still, that the only sound was her former enemies footfalls on the earth. He picked up his sword, and turned back to Meliadoul, walking slowly toward her and the Holy Knight. He stopped about six feet away, and Meliadoul silently hoped he wasn't going to attempt to resume their battle, because she didn't think she could take it. A moment later, he pointed the blade down, and dropped to a knee, a visible show of respect to the Divine Knight. He bowed his head low, eyes locked on the ground. It didn't take long for the rest of the Divine Knights to follow, and not long after that, Meliadoul noticed the Temple Knights following suit.

"Meliadoul Tingel," The Divine Knight began, raising his dark eyes to look directly at her. "My name is Dresmund Ellezar, and you have proven tonight that you are my better in battle. From now until you no longer require us, my knights and I stand in your service."

Meliadoul didn't know what to say, how to react. She simply stood and stared for a moment, lost. She had never been in charge of other soldiers, especially her peers, as her father had. She didn't know if she could handle it, if she had what it took to lead men. Her pause ended when she felt her friend's hand on her shoulder, lending strength to Meliadoul. Even if she couldn't handle it, she owed it to herself to try.

"Thank you. I will gladly accept your service, though I have no intention of taking your knights from you. You've earned their respect and trust, and that is something I shall not take from you."

The knight rose, as did the remaining knights under his service. He smiled warmly, sheathing his sword, and walking to her.

"Very well, we shall be partners then. My sister in arms, and I will protect you as I would my own blood." He said, extending his hand to Meliadoul.

She smiled back, taking his hand without hesitation and shaking it firmly. The Temple Knights erupted in cheering, every one rising to his or her feet and shouting. The Divine Knights gathered around, choosing to act in a more serious manner than the rest of the crowd, who had now begun to cheer along with the knights. It was a joyous night, for the soldiers who once served the church had themselves a leader. Meliadoul herself did not think of it like that, for she thought of herself as no captain. She was a knight; a soldier who served what she felt was just. Though Meliadoul didn't know the signifigance of her victory that evening, the Holy Knight next to her did.

"Congratulations commander." Agrias said, smiling.

"Commander? What?" Meliadoul replied, pitching her voice above the crowd as best she could.

"Never mind, I'm sure you're tired." Agrias said, wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulders.

"You have no idea." Meliadoul sighed, letting her head droop slightly.