The Thief's Crusader Part 3

Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of A New Crusade IF! And whew is it tricky juggling four stories. Anyway, we'll be continuing Felt and Ulric's IF story with the introduction of a few other members of the Astrea household today, plus a couple of other tidbits. And, as per the demands of obligatory advertisement, don't forget to check out my book, Plains Riders, on Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited! Now then, with no Guest Review questions to answer this week, let's dive on in!

The Astrea Estate

It was a beautiful day outside with the sun high in the sky and a few clouds drifting along thanks to a gentle breeze. Birds tweeted and flew through the air by the windows on the second floor of the Astrea Manor. Their movement attracted the attention of a blond-haired, red-eyed girl who looked up, quickly noting once again how agreeable the weather was before pulling her gaze back towards the book she'd been reading. The problem was said book kept failing to hold her attention as the minutes ticked by at an agonizingly slow pace.

This had been going on for close to an hour now and there was still another hour left. Just the thought of it made the girl slightly more irritable. Eventually, it was too much and she practically dropped the book on the table in front of her with a groan of frustration. "Getting mad at it won't help you learn the content any more quickly, Lady Felt," said a young knight sitting across from her with dark hair and a scar on his face. He was currently dressed in a blue tunic and black pants, of sorts, as opposed to his usual knight's armor. The Crusader had also been reading and hadn't even bothered to glance up at the sound of Felt's book hitting the table.

"I can't help it, Ulric," groaned Felt, "there are a lot more rules to running a kingdom than I thought. According to the last thing I read an entire war could break out just because someone took a comment wrong."

"Some royals and lords are easily insulted," replied Ulric, "the trick is learning to tell them apart from all the rest."

"I mean if it's like finding marks for pickpocketing I can do that," said Felt, "work at a job like I was doing for a while and you get a real feel for who the more gullible people are."

"There's a bit of a difference between that and pickpocketing," said Ulric, "you'll need to learn how to read people's intentions and whether or not they're truly being sincere."

"Believe me I've learned a little bit about spotting liars, too," said Felt, "but unlike the slums I can't just turn and run for it when they're not being straight with me."

"Fear not," assured Ulric, "you have many capable knights here to help in such an endeavor. And if you can learn to stand your ground in the presence of someone like Reinhard, then I doubt there will be a single person in this kingdom who will be capable of intimidating you."

"You know what would really motivate me," said Felt as she indicated her current attire, "promise I won't have to keep wearing these dresses when I'm not training outdoors. I feel like this giant skirt is gonna snag on the first thing that sticks out too far and let's not even talk about running in these shoes."

"Lady Carol assured us that a new outfit had been ordered for you," Ulric pointed out, "you need only endure that for a little while longer."

"I've endured it for the last week!" Exclaimed Felt, "Reinhard said it was part of training to be more 'ladylike' but how does that translate to absolutely uncomfortable?!" Ulric would've given an answer to this except it was at that moment he noticed movement at the door. It opened shortly after to admit an older woman in a black maid's uniform with a large apron on the front.

"Ah, Lady Carol," said Ulric as he stood and bowed, "how goes the day?"

"I am quite well, Sir Ulric," she replied, "though I can't help but notice that Lady Felt seems full of energy. Has she managed to finish her studies already?"

"I mean I read all of the stuff that you told me to read," said Felt innocently.

"Most of it," corrected Ulric, getting an annoyed look from his blond companion for ratting her out.

"Not technically surprising, though still slightly disappointing," said Carol with a sigh. To the untrained eye one might have believed her to just be a straight-laced old woman. But to one who's seen and fought many opponents in battle, the taut skin on her face and the strong jawline she possessed all pointed to one fact: she was a fighter and had been for a long time. Reinhard had confirmed it as well upon Ulric's inquiry and the knight had made it a policy of his not to anger the woman if she was anything like the other members of her family.

"Hey this is the most reading I've done in my entire life," said Felt, "being able to read helps when you're in the slums but all this stuff about how the kingdom works wouldn't have done me any good on the streets."

"And as I've told you before you are in a different arena now," Carol pointed out, "but since you seem to think you can't sit still for the time being I suppose we might as well move on to the next set of combat training for the day."

"Hah, that's more like it," said Felt, "I'm certain I'll be able to take down those grandkids of yours today."

"I'd hope so," said Carol, "it wouldn't do for one in the house of Astrea to not have at least a fair degree of skill. Flam and Grassis should already be on their way down there. So get changed and met us there."

A Few Minutes Later: The Astrea Training Yard

The familiar sound of clashing wooden swords and the now familiar sound of yelping were the noises that currently characterized the training grounds of the Astrea family. Though what one might not suspect is the cause for all of the yelping was a girl with peach-colored hair who was even shorter than Felt. The reason being was that she and her near identical twin sister were only twelve years old. And yet, as was apparently tradition among the members of the Astrea household, they possessed speed, strength and skill far surpassing that of any twelve year old Ulric had ever seen. They spun and flipped with incredible ease, even from a standing position, and their understanding and mastery of the sword was greater than many regular adult knights.

Ulric was personally glad he'd gotten a demonstration of their abilities beforehand, otherwise his first defeat against them would've been absolutely bewildering. Since then he and Felt both had been beaten repeatedly in single combat by the two youths. Thankfully, each time had been informative and the lessons learned were taken and used in the next bout. In the case of the Crusader, he'd taken special note of how his current opponent, Grassis, moved and struck.

It was thanks to his ability to observe that their current match was actually dragging on into several minutes. "Your grasp of wielding mana has improved," noted Grassis without a hint of strain or worry in her voice as she and Ulric continued to clash wooden sword blades, "and you've adjusted your technique like we showed you. So far, I can say your skill has grown."

"That is fantastic news," grunted Ulric as he just managed to block a strike aimed at his ribs, "with so many powerful fighters here, I was beginning to wonder if there was any need for my presence."

"It is not always a mighty presence that is needed," said Grassis as they clashed blades again before separating, "sometimes a more ordinary presence can prove just as assuring."

"But an ordinary knight such as myself has no chance in a world like this," Ulric pointed out as he began striking faster, "especially if I intend to protect the future ruler of the kingdom. For that I must become better, become more skilled!" He let his mana flow then, summoning some of the magic he learned around his body. It was still very much a work in progress and Ulric could already feel the strain it was putting on him.

All he needed, though, was a few seconds as he pushed back a surprised Grassis with his newfound strength and speed before lashing out with a kick that knocked her to the ground. The Crusader, breathing heavily, held his sword to her throat then while placing his foot on her weapon. "Well if that's your wish," said Grassis in her same monotone voice, "then it appears you're on your way." Ulric nodded before offering a hand to help the twelve-year old up off the ground. "And for the record, I won't go so easy next time."

"I'd be disappointed if you did," the Knight nearly laughed before looking over to see how Felt was progressing. The answer, as he watched her get flipped over by Grassis's twin, Flam, was slightly.

"Ow," groaned Felt as she rose to a sitting position, "I thought I had you that time."

"You would have," said Flam with a nod, "if you hadn't let your guard down at the last second. Remember, don't assume your enemy is defeated until you know for a fact that they've been dealt with."

"Like you said before," grunted Felt before getting to her feet and dusting herself off, "what I don't get is how I keep missing when I'm using my wind magic?"

"Your divine protection from the wind deity does have its uses," said Flam, "but it is best utilized when your opponent is off-balance or to knock them off-balance. Charging straight in is a fairly easy move to evade or counter unless you've got a way around their defenses. I also noticed that you let your attention wander. Was Sir Ulric's victory such a surprise to you?"

"What makes you think I was looking at Ulric," said Felt as she crossed her arms and turned her nose up.

"Was there something else happening in the direction you were glancing?" Asked Flam.

"There was a bird," said Felt, "it was one I'd never seen before so I was a bit surprised."

"Your lie would be quite convincing to one who's unfamiliar with you," said Flam, "but you and I both know you have no interest in birds." Felt simply grumbled in response to this and turned her head to look down.

"You should not feel ashamed at your current progress," said Ulric, "I couldn't move near as well as you on my best day when I was your age. Even after I was knighted there was still much I needed to learn."

"When you were my age?" Said Felt with a raised eyebrow, "just how old are you, exactly."

"I turned the age of nineteen hardly three months ago," informed Ulric, "by all accounts I'm a man but in comparison to the rest of the Astrea family I may as well be back at my first day as a squire."

"Nineteen, you're that old!" Exclaimed Felt, somehow surprised by this.

"You make it sound like I'm ancient," said Ulric with a sweat drop, "I'm only four years older than you."

"Yeah but you're shorter than Reinhard," said Felt, "I thought that meant you were younger too."

"Reinhard and I are the same age, though," said Ulric, "I'm sorry if my age doesn't fit your preferences but there's nothing I can do about it."

"Oh you're age isn't an issue," said Felt with a laugh, "I actually like older men and-wait a minute why are we talking about this?!"

"You're the one who brought it up," Grassis pointed out, "though it is good to know. Once we announce your status as a royal candidate to the throne there will no doubt be an abundance of suitors asking for your hand. Many of whom will be older men."

"Ah, I don't want to hear this!" Exclaimed Felt, "older guys like Ulric and Reinhard are fine but I don't want them to be old enough to be my father or grandfather!"

"Hmmm," came a raspy voice as a man wearing a suit with a white beard and sharp eyes stepped onto the training ground. His most noteworthy feature, however, was the large scar on his throat.

"Grandfather Grimm!" Said the two Remendis Twins happily as they went over to hug the man's legs. His response was a smile and a few hand motions which made the two girls smile even wider.

"Sir Grimm," said Ulric with a bow, "we were just about to resume training. Is there anything we can help you with?" The Older man looked down at his grandchildren and made a few more signs while also making the occasional raspy noise, the only sound he could produce thanks to his throat injury.

"He says a very important order has arrived," translated Grassis.

"And that Lady Felt should come and see it right away," finished Flam.

"I hope it's that new outfit I was promised," said Felt, "jumping back and forth between those dresses is really starting to get old." Grimm narrowed his eyes at the blond girl slightly.

"Not that I won't wear them when I need to or anything like that," said Felt while laughing nervously. Grimm might've been a kind man but he was of a serious mind about many things, including presentability.

"Either way we won't know what it is until we go and see it," said Ulric before standing aside slightly and holding out his arm, "shall we, your ladyship?"

"Yeah let's go see what it is," said Felt as they all started heading inside, "and you don't have to call me 'lady' or 'ladyship' or anything like that while we're not in public. Just 'Felt' is fine."

"As you've mentioned before," replied the Crusader, "and as I've mentioned before, chivalry demands I address you properly as denoted by your station."

"Chivalry also demands that you do as your lady instructs," Felt pointed out, "and right now your lady wishes to simply be called Felt. I'm not gonna have to make you kneel and swear to only use my title during public outings, am I?"

"That won't be necessary," said Ulric as the group entered the mansion and made their way towards one of the front rooms, "if it truly is your wish then I shall abide by it." Felt simply rolled her eyes, knowing that the Knight was simply poking a little fun at here. It probably was still a little hard to take her seriously as an actual royal candidate right now. A lot of times she found it hard to take it seriously herself.

"Ah, perfect timing," said Reinhard who was already in the front room, this time without his large cape, "I just finished checking to make sure there is no form of curse or trap on the box or its contents. It should be safe to open it."

"Are you sure you should even be worrying about that," asked Felt with a raised eyebrow, "you said you haven't announced that I'm a royal candidate yet, so why would someone be trying to assassinate me?"

"You'll recall that it was because of an assassin that you and I met in the first place," Reinhard reminded her, "and it's not a stretch to say that she would try to take vengeance on you for ruining her previous job. Even if this is the Astrea mansion, there have been those who've tried to attack this place."

"It seems even the title of Sword Saint can't deter everyone," noted Ulric, "though either way we'd need to keep our guard up in order to fulfill our roles as knights."

"Indeed," said Reinhard with a nod before stepping back a little, "now then, Lady Felt, would you like to open this parcel?"

"I guess if you're insisting," replied Felt as she moved forward and quickly tore at the wrapping paper. Despite her tone of voice sounding nonchalant, it was clear how excited she was by the way her hands moved to tear off the packaging. The Blond-haired girl then grabbed a hold of what was inside and lifted it up. It was a black, long-sleeved shirt with the midriff cut very short along with a new brown vest and some new black leggings. What really caught Felt's attention, though, was the presence of a new belt with some pouches on it and a blue scarf-like cape which resembled her previous red one.

"You mentioned wanting a new outfit that was light like your previous one," explained Reinhard, "so I had this made. If nothing else, you'll be able to go out on the streets looking at least slightly more professional than you did before."

"This material is great," noted Felt with actual excitement in her eyes, "and you got all my measurements right…..how did you get all my measurements right?"

"I did not measure you in your sleep if that is what you're asking," replied Reinhard with a hand over his heart, "Grassis and Flam told me after fitting you for your first couple of dresses. It did not take them long to memorize the necessary numbers." The twins nodded in unison at this, their eyes closed in what might've been pride.

"And they'll just give out my measurements to whoever'll ask?" Questioned Felt with a slightly twisted frown on her face.

"Of course not, Lady Felt," replied Grassis, "such information is only privy to those within the household and those who need to know it."

"Should you desire someone else besides those in the household," said Flam, "simply point them out."

"A bit late for that, don't 'cha think," said Felt with a sigh, "whatever. I'll be trying these on now." The Blond headed towards the nearest bathroom with Flam right on her tail. As a royal candidate, it was considered wise to keep an eye on her during most hours of the day. Something Felt had expressed frustration with more than once already.

Thankfully, she didn't take too much issue with it this time as the quick switch into her new outfit took only a couple of minutes and before long she was back in the room with everyone else. "Well, how does it feel, Lady Felt," asked Reinhard.

"It's light like you promised," said the Former Thief as she moved around and did a few turns while shifting her arms and legs, "and I can move around in it with no problem. And yes, I am happy that you didn't get me something else with a skirt or long dress on it."

"It is my hope that you'll eventually grow accustomed to those in time," said Reinhard, "for now, though, this is a good first step." Grimm then put his hand on the red-haired Swordsman's shoulder and made a few motions with his other hand. "Of course, I haven't forgotten that. Rom should be here any time now." As if on cue, a knock on the door was heard.

"Hey I'm here," said the gravelly voice of Rom, "not runnin' late, am I?"

"Not in the slightest," assured Reinhard as Flam went over and opened the door for Rom, "we were just handing out Felt's gifts."

"Then I got here just in time," he said as he held up a bag of sorts which Felt accepted. The blond girl reached in then and pulled out what appeared to be a type of scepter with a diamond on the end.

"What in the world is this supposed to be for?" Asked the Royal Candidate as she examined the item.

"It's a metia that was given to me by an old friend, Doltero Amule," explained Rom.

"Isn't that the name of an underworld figure?" Questioned Reinhard with a raised eyebrow.

"You get to know a lot of people like that when you spend your life in the slums and the dark underbelly of the city," replied Rom matter-of-factly, "but I can guarantee there's nothin' wrong with this metia."

"Old Man Rom would know," added Felt, "he's been appraising items like this for years. If he says it's good, then it's good."

"That's reassuring to hear," said Ulric, "but what does this 'metia' do, exactly?" The Knight had gone over metias at least once during his magic lessons and could remember the bare bones of what they were if nothing else. If he recalled correctly, they were basically items with some kind of magical ability imbued within them. They were handy to have for the common person because they didn't require one to have a fully functional gate to use but they weren't terribly common themselves, or cheap.

"It'd be best if we stepped out to the trainin' yard for that," said Rom, "this ain't somethin' you want to be messin' with indoors." The group glanced among each other before shrugging and following the giant of a man back out to the training yard where they'd been not too long ago. This time, though, they went towards the archery range instead of the sparring rings. Rom had them set up at one of the larger targets.

"Now it's pretty simple," said Rom, "you just concentrate like you're manipulatin' your gate, aim and fire."

"Sounds simple enough," said Felt as she held up the metia for a moment. Her magic lessons had been going better than her study sessions, in most cases. It was to be expected, given that she'd mainly relied on instinct when she'd first discovered her divine protection of wind. She had no problem visualizing her gate and letting the magic flow through her body but the real problem came when she needed to do something more complex like a specific formation for her mana. But that's probably why Rom got her something like this, because it was a simple on and off tool.

"Alright, here goes," said the Former Thief as she aimed the metia at the target and began building up mana in it. The response was almost immediate as a bright light began emanating from the jewel. Felt then willed the weapon to fire and it responded with a bright, burning blast of light that everyone else nearly had to shield their eyes from as it impacted against the target. When the light faded, all that was left of the target was a blackened scorch mark on the ground surrounded by smoldering debris. The back wall was in a similar state.

"Very good!" Exclaimed Rom while clapping his hands, "and the best part about this metia is that it's even more effective in a real fight. That metia actually functions by locking on to someone's gate and tracking them down until it hits them, making it practically undodgeable!" His explanation was met with the sound of groaning as the large man looked down to see Felt had collapsed onto her face. "Though there is the drawback of it draining nearly all of the user's mana for the attack."

"Oh that figures," groaned Felt, "a crime boss wouldn't let something like this go unless it had an issue or two."

"Well it's not a complete loss," observed Ulric, "it would make for a good last resort weapon. And with some work we could probably find a way for it to be fired multiple times in a row without making everyone keel over afterwards."

"You get right on that," mumbled the exhausted Blond, "I think I'll take a nap for a while. Wake me when dinner's ready."

"I suppose we should call it a day for training," said Reinhard, "there's not much more we can do to prepare at this point."

"Does that mean the time has come?" Ulric more stated than asked.

"Indeed it has," said Reinhard with a nod, "the elders were starting to get impatient, so I had no choice but to inform them of our progress. We're ready for the Royal Selection to begin."

"How soon?" Asked the Crusader, not needing to add any more detail than that.

"The council of elders has sent word out to all of the royal candidates," replied the Sword Saint, "most of them have already arrived. So in two days' time, we'll be revealing Felt to the kingdom and the rest of the world."

"And what should I do during this time?" Inquired the Knight, "if you require me to look after the mansion-."

"The mansion is more than safe in the hands of Carol and Grimm," assured Reinhard with a raised hand, "and you needn't worry about asking to go to the capital. I was already planning on taking you along anyway. So begin preparations, Sir Ulric, because we'll be meeting our competition very soon."

Two Days Later: The Capital City of Lugnica

"Hard to believe," said Felt as she looked out the window of the carriage, "the last time I was here I was just a thief taking whatever I could get my hands on to survive. Now I'm back as a princess riding a carriage." And it was a nice carriage painted in white and gold and more than roomy enough to hold its five occupants. Felt was currently near the window seat with Flam and Grassis on her left side.

"I suppose 'princess' isn't an inaccurate term for your status as a member of the royal family," admitted Reinhard who was sitting across from Felt, "though it'd be best if you simply referred to yourself as a royal candidate. With the way things are now I'm afraid your royal heritage won't amount to much for the Selection."

"Why not," said Felt, "every story I've ever heard about the royals is that when one dies their next of kin or nearest relative inherits their stuff. Not that I actually want the throne, but you get what I'm saying."

"The problem is that not everyone is going to believe your lineage," explained Ulric, who was sitting next to Reinhard, "we have evidence, of course, that strongly points to you being a member of the royal family but your previous life as a thief from the slums will make more than a few nobles wary of you."

"Like I care what the nobility thinks," said Felt as she crossed her arms, "it's going to be the people who decide the successor to the throne in the end. And even if I don't win, there's still a new life ahead for me and Old Man Rom."

"That is true," agreed Reinhard with a smile, "though I should remind you, if you do succeed in becoming the ruler of the nation you'd be able to change all of the things you don't like. So please think about that while we're at the castle and look closely at your competition."

"That's a long list," said Felt, "I've hated the nobility and the way this whole kingdom operates. If I had my way-."

"We're here," said the driver from his seat on the front of the carriage, "best get moving. Everyone will be assembling very soon."

"Right away," said Reinhard as he moved to open the carriage door, "Flam, Grassis. Please show Lady Felt to her room in the castle to make final preparations. I'll send for you when the time is right. Ulric, you'll be coming with me."

"And just where in the world are you heading off too?" Asked Felt as they all climbed out of the carriage.

"The Knights have all been called to assemble in the throne room," explained Reinhard, "it's also where the other nobles, the council of elders and the other royal candidates shall be waiting. Ulric and I will be on the left side of the room. And most importantly, when you enter, show no fear."

"You don't have to worry about that," said Felt as she clenched a fist in front of her face, "after that crazy assassin bitch, I doubt anything is gonna scare me that easily."

"Wonderful to hear," said Reinhard before turning to the Crusader, "and you, Sir Ulric, do you feel prepared for this?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous," replied the Knight before putting a fist over his heart, "but I trust in God to give me strength. So I shall walk in there as you do, with my head held high."

"I couldn't ask for more than that," said the Sword Saint with a confident smile as they all turned to face the giant doors of the castle, "so let us go, and reveal ourselves to the world!"

At last the stage is set for Felt to be revealed to the world! But will the short amount of time she's had to prepare be enough? We'll soon find out, so in the meantime feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. And don't forget to check out my book, Plains Riders, on Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited! Lastly, be sure to stop in next time as our heroes finally meet their rivals for the throne of Lugnica! 'Til then.