Chapter III, Part II – The Sacred Oath
"Hello?" The young Avice Esclair's voice was mixed between fear and confusion. Then again, who could blame her? She'd been through a lot these past days. Her single word seemed to echo off the otherwise silent room, and that was enough for the man in the chair to turn to look at her.
Two deep brown eyes looked down at her, lined by unkempt eyebrows. The man's blonde hair was greying, and it was complemented by a thick bushy beard that had streaks of grey. His face, though starting to wrinkle, was defined and well chiseled from years of experience and war.
"Ah, you're awake." The man said, his voice as friendly as ever. "Come, sit and eat. You must be famished, for you have been sleeping for almost two days."
He motioned to the seat nearest to him on the adjacent side of the table. Avice climbed onto the cushioned chair and sat back in it. The man signaled to the older woman that escorted the young girl to him to fetch some food and drink. As she left, his eyes landed on the young Avice.
"I don't think we've properly introduced." He said warmly with a toothy smile. "I am Vincent Leonis."
He dropped the title, as he wanted to come off as a friend, not a master. Avice cocked her head, probably thinking the same thing. Her eyes looking over the man's features, she was tentative to talk.
"My name's Avice…" She whispered, her voice being barely heard by Leonis.
"A beautiful name." He said reassuringly, for he did not want to intimidate or scare the young girl. As he said this, a door across the room opened slowly. A young blonde-haired boy with the bright green eyes walked into the room. He was perhaps of about the age of twelve, only four years older than Avice.
"Ah, Crane, my boy!" Leonis said, drawing the attention of the boy. He motioned for him to come to the table where the two were sitting. "I want you to meet Miss Avice. She's going to be staying here for the foreseeable future."
The boy, Crane, walked over to them. He cocked his head and drew in the sight of the peasant girl. She was certainly different than all the other more privileged that surrounded him throughout his life. Avice did not dare to look at him, keeping her eyes to the ground.
"Nice to meet you!" Crane said cheerily with a large grin plastered on his face. He stuck out his hand, but he was promptly denied when all the girl did was shift in her seat. He lowered his hand, and his grin began to leave his face.
"Why don't you go see Sir Alber?" Leonis suggested to the young boy, who promptly shrugged before running off. The Warden turned his attention back to Avice. "Don't worry, Avice. You're safe now."
It was a simple phrase, but it did a lot for the young girl. All she needed was friendliness and reassurance of her safety. She would grow into her new life in this place. Years later, Avice was almost as happy as she was before the Vikings attacked her old home. In fact, she'd almost forgotten about that. As she grew older, she began to seem like a kid more comfortable in their own skin, though there was something about her that made her seem… different.
Avice's bright blue eyes stared intensely at the armored man before her. Sweat dripping from her brow and her hands clutching the hilt of her blade tightly, the only thing on her mind was winning this little skirmish. She was clad in steel armor, and her trusty longsword was sharpened to a deadly point. Breathing heavily through her mask, Avice stepped carefully to the side as her opponent mirrored her position.
Her opponent—a Lawbringer clad in his thick and sturdy armor with a poleaxe tall and deadly—waited for her to make the first move, which she indeed did. Avice pushed herself off the ground, charging towards her enemy in an attempt to knock him to the ground using her armored shoulder. However, the Lawbringer dodged to the side and retaliated by taking his poleaxe and smashing her body with the long metal rod, knocking her back as she hadn't yet recovered from the missed shoulder bash.
Avice stumbled back, dazed by her opponent's counterattack. The Lawbringer followed up the stun with a quick swing of his poleaxe straight down onto her. She quickly dodged to the side, diving onto the muddy ground to the right of her enemy. Since he missed his attack, the man's weapon's blade sunk into the dirt, lodging itself in between the mud and rock. He tugged on it but to no avail.
The woman took advantage of this opportunity by clutching her blade and taking a wide arc, splitting the air but stopping just before hitting the man's torso. His heart beating severely, the Lawbringer brought his hands up, signifying that Avice had won this little scuffle.
"I concede." The man said, breathing heavily and his heart beating too quickly for his liking. He lowered his hands and groaned, shaking his head. "You're getting too good at this, Avice."
"Hah." The to-be Warden responded sarcastically, returning her blade back to its scabbard. "You can never get too good when it comes to fighting."
"Perhaps, but maybe you should let me win a few." He jested, almost chuckling at his own joke. "Besides, I am the older brother."
"Then maybe you should act it." Avice shot back to the man she considered her brother. "I need to practice as much as possible, for I am coming up on my seventeenth birthday. That's the day I can finally take the Oath if I am qualified, and I plan on it."
"I suppose." Crane shrugged, returning his attention to his weapon lodged into the ground. "You'll be qualified, don't worry about it."
"I'm not." Avice said confidently. "It's just that, when that day comes, I'll be on an entirely new path of my life."
"Let's hope that you choose a just one." Crane responded, wrapping his hands around the handle of his poleaxe before tugging with all his might. "Are you going to stay with the Royal Legion?"
"I don't know." She replied, gazing down at her blade. It was a relatively simple one with a wooden hilt and a steel blade with no engravings on it. "I may just wander across the three regions, or maybe I'll join a different legion."
"I wouldn't blame you." Her brother said, finally getting his poleaxe to wiggle in the ground, though it was far from coming out. "The Royal Legion's been losing influence more and more. In fact, father has been talking with the leaders of other legions in Ashfeld. He's been trying to annex them into it."
"Oh?" Avice responded quizzically. "That's strange. Although I never heard of it when I was younger, the Royal Legion used to be one of the more prominent legions in Ashfeld. Then again, you were the one that told me this."
"Fair enough." Crane said with a sarcastic laugh. He finally freed his poleaxe of its muddy bondage with a strong tug. He let out a sigh of relief and turned his full attention to Avice. "Still, I'm sure father would appreciate it if you stayed in the Royal Legion."
"Like you?" She said sternly, making the question less of a question and more of a statement. "I'm not sure if I want to be anything like you."
"Very funny." Crane shot back. He motioned for them to start walking back to the manor. They were standing inside a small pit about two or three feet dug into the ground. It was used for skirmishes and training for anyone trying to practice the sword. A ladder rested against one of the walls of the pit, and after Crane had reached the top, Avice soon followed, both by way of the ladder.
"I will be leaving later tonight." Crane mentioned as the pair walked down the dirt path towards the manor. "Father told me to go talk to Holden Cross of the Blackstone Legion about annexation."
"Blackstone Legion?" Avice asked with genuine curiosity in her voice. Unlike the Iron Legion or Regal Legion, this Blackstone Legion was not one of the legions that she had heard of. "Never heard of it."
"Nor have I until not too long ago." He responded, his eyes gazing over the horizon as the sun was lowering itself behind the landscape, giving off its final orangish glow of the day. "Apparently they control the area just below Mount Ignis, which is a strange and dangerous area of Ashfeld to take control of."
"They must be psychopaths." Avice joked sarcastically. "Anyway, I do wish you luck in your venture."
"I thank you graciously, and I do apologize for not being able to make it to your indoctrination." The Lawbringer said, flashing a rare white smile.
"Don't worry about it." She assured, returning his smile with her own, though hers lasted much shorter than his.
The pair made the rest of the journey in complete silence, neither one breaking it, and when they did reach the manor, Crane said his farewells as he walked off to the stables in order to begin his ride to Mount Ignis. Night had begun to fall by this time, so the bright circular moon shone in the darkened sky. Avice sat silently in her bedroom in the manor, which was the same room she had woken up in as a young girl when she first arrived.
She would often open the large glass windows and sit on the windowsill, her legs dangling over the side of the building. Like many nights before this, Avice did this same thing, though it seemed much colder this night than those before. Regardless, she sat there, her eyes gazing over the horizon beyond the walls. In just a few days, she would be an official Warden, and those lands would be hers to protect and uphold justice and hope.
What am I going to do? Avice thought, her mind wandering to the unknown future of her Wardenship. I can only hope that I choose the right path for me, for if I don't, then who knows what will become of me. She sat there at a loss of what to do. Should she truly abandon her "family" and the Royal Legion for something new? What if this new thing was not what she should have chosen? Only time could tell however.
Avice stood there in the small dressing chamber alone and naked. She looked at the piece of polished metal that reflected her figure onto it. She stared at her reflection and sighed. She was muscular with rotund, well-sized breasts. Her lean shoulders blended into a strong torso that then merged seamlessly into a thin waist, and her fairly wide hips rested just above a pair of strong legs.
She raised a hand to her head, resting her fingers on her forehead. It was not her body that made her uncomfortable. It was, in fact, was stood strong and tall behind her. Turning to look around the room, her eyes settled onto an armor stand that donned her Warden's armor, and it certainly was a piece of art that was to be envied by all her allies and enemies that would set eyes on it.
It was made of some of the strongest steel in Ashfeld. The armor was thick enough to stop even the sharpest of katanas wielded by the Samurai. And even though it was adequately heavy to stop a Raider in their tracks, it was extremely lightweight, allowing Avice to maneuver quickly and relatively silently throughout the hazardous regions. The cloth that hung from the back and hips were colored the purple and gold signature colors of the Royal Legion.
Avice looked at the armor with a kind of longing. A longing for purpose. She did not feel as though she had any, so she kind of felt uncomfortable about taking the Warden's Oath this sacred day. She was about to be indoctrinated into the Warden's Order, and she wasn't sure if she was worthy. She tried to feel confident in this moment in time, but she still could not help but feel like she didn't belong. Regardless, Avice went forward with this oath, hoping that it would bring purpose to her seemingly worthless life.
The to-be Warden took a step forward to the armor, her bright blue eyes locking with the emptiness behind the helmet. Two slits intersected at the front of the helm, making a kind of T-shape, and few extra holes to let in air were dotted sporadically in the front. It made her shift on her bare feet, but she stood strong, taking the helmet from the stand. As she did this, a person knocked on the thick wooden door from beyond the entrance way.
"May I help you?" Avice called to the unknown person. She instinctively covered her exposed breasts and groin, though she could hardly cover all of herself.
"It is me and Elisabeth." An older woman called. The voice was distinctively Agatha, the older woman that took care of Avice when she was much younger and first arrived at the Royal Legion. Hearing that voice, the young woman relaxed, allowing her arms to fall to her sides, even though she still clutched onto the helmet.
"Come in." She said only loud enough for the pair behind the door to hear. The wooden entranceway creaked open slowly, revealing an old woman of about fifty to sixty years and a younger woman more of Avice's age.
Agatha was slightly shorter than the younger woman, and her short hair was greying, being followed by her eyes which began to lose their effectivity. Elisabeth, however, was as bubbly and full of life as possible. Her hair was a luscious brown, falling down to her midback region, and her eyes were a deep brown that was filled with emotion. A large grin plastered her face as she stood there.
"We are here to fit you with your armor!" Elisabeth said cheerily. Perhaps a little too cheerily for Avice in that moment.
"Ah." Avice responded as she returned the helmet to the armor stand. Afterwards, she returned her attention to the pair of servants. "Let us begin then."
"The warm bath is prepared for you." Agatha reported to Avice, motioning for the young woman to follow her. The older woman walked into another door that led to the tub, and Avice followed behind with Elisabeth. The bathing room seemed even more cramped than the dressing room, even though that was a hard thing to do. There were no windows, and the only light came from a single, two-pronged candelabra that sat on a desk next to the shallow pool.
Avice walked over to the bath on the strangely dry floor. She bent over and stuck her hand into the liquid. It was tepid and felt good, so she stood up straight, taking the two steps up on the small stairway that led up into the tub. Cautiously dipping her feet in one by one, right foot then left, she lowered herself into the relatively hot liquid. She felt a wave of comfort wash over her, but it was quickly interrupted when the two servants began to scrub her down with rags and soap.
As they scrubbed the woman down, Elisabeth and Agatha whispered to each other. However, the sound of the water splashing as Avice moved around covered up the words, making them almost inaudible to the inductee. Besides, Avice would not have spoken up, not wanting to disturb the silence that had been kept, save for the noises emanating from the water's dancing.
When the tub was filled with leftover soap and the water began to turn cold, Agatha directed Avice to pull herself from the bath, which she promptly did. The two servants walked around the bath, towels in hand. And after they dried Avice's naked body, they returned back to the dressing room. Elisabeth took a long piece of tannish cloth and wrapped it around Avice's chest, tying it in the back which allowed it to support her comparatively large breasts.
Agatha instructed Avice to pull up her undergarments after wrapping the cloth around her chest, which she did with haste. Elisabeth stretched out her arms that held a shirt and pair of pants, and Avice took them, quickly putting them on. The eldest woman in the room walked to the armor stand dressed in Warden's armor. However, Agatha reached for the chainmail that sat just below the plate armor.
Giving the chainmail to Avice, who then quickly clothed herself in it, Agatha took the breastplate from the armor stand. She put it on the to-be Warden's chest. Letting the inductee hold it to her own self, Agatha retrieved the back part of the chestplate and pushed it against the chainmail on Avice's back, connecting the latches that connected the front and back pieces of armor just a moment later. It took almost two hours to fully suit up Avice in the end, and perhaps it wasn't worth it.
Regardless, Avice stood there in a full suit of Warden's armor, save for the head. She looked once more into the reflective metal that acted as a kind of mirror. Her figure complimented the armor. It fit snug and tight enough to not move around but not enough to restrict her, as it was built for her. She held the helmet in her hand, and she was not sure if she wanted to wear it. However, she knew that she had no choice. It was the day that she had been looking forward to for years. Why should she back out now?
"They are waiting for you." Elisabeth mentioned, breaking Avice from her kind of hypnotic trance. She motioned to the wooden door opposite the bathing room door; however, it was not the entranceway that the two servants entered through. This door led to the grand hall where Avice was about to be indoctrinated into Wardenship—something that she'd wanted for most of her life.
"Let us go then."
The grand hall was expansive. Large pillars rose up on either side of the main aisle, and a carpet of a deep purple lined it. At the end of the lane, a large raised platform stood. On top of this platform there was a throne made of stone and ivory with gold engravings. The roof was raised up high, arching in the middle above the main aisle. Large windows let in a lot of natural light into the room, eliminating the need for chandeliers, even though there were a few at certain points in the ceiling.
The room was almost completely vacant. There was only one person in it, and his name was Lord Vincent Leonis of the Royal Legion. An uneasy quietness settled over the room when the doors to the hall opened. Avice Esclair walked into the grand hall clad in her Warden's armor. She walked with fake confidence down the room on the purple carpet. She seemed poise, but that was a façade, for inside she was scared and worried of this day and what would come after it.
Avice's mind was filled with many thoughts, some good but most bad. By the time she reached the throne where she was to be inducted, she had almost completely collapsed. However, she was able to keep her composure. When she reached the man she called father, Avice knelt down onto one knee, her heart beating speedily in her chest.
The man retrieved his longsword that rested inside his leather scabbard, its blade glimmering in the sunlight that pierced through the large glass windows. The blade was beautiful. Forged from the some of the strongest steel in Ashfeld and sharpened to a point that could seamlessly and effortlessly pierce the flesh of a man, it was a weapon of death, and it was a horror to any whose eyes laid upon it.
Embellished with a golden skull where the blade met the handle, a piece of a ruby that was a blood red was in the middle of the skull's cranium. The handguard was complex, steel coming out of the sides of the skull in a kind of wave, and a semicircle of gold came out of that, joining together in the skull's jaw. A long strip of gold went halfway down the length of blade, changing into a degree of varying patterns along the way.
"Avice Leonis, daughter of Lord Vincent Leonis of the Royal Legion, you have wanted this moment from your earliest life." The Warden said, his voice echoing off the empty chamber that was the grand hall. "Do you swear to take the Warden's Oath and keep it in your heart, mind, and soul, never once forgetting it?"
"I swear." Avice whispered, only loud enough for the man to hear her. Her mind suddenly stopped. She could not believe, even in a million years, that this would be happening. Her quest, her wishes, her hopes to become a Warden was finally coming true.
"Do you swear to take the Warden's Oath to serve the innocent?" Leonis's eyes looked down at her from beyond the helmet, and she could feel his harsh gaze.
"I swear." The woman's closed her eyes, thinking of those words: "I swear." Did she truly swear, or was she just saying that to get this over with? She needed to confirm with herself that this was, in fact, was she wanted.
"Do you swear to take the Warden's Oath to uphold the fragility of peace and justice above all else, including pride, wealth, fame, and even love and friendships?" Leonis spoke, his voice harsher than it had been before this day.
"I swear." This time, she seemed a little more hesitant to respond. However, she plowed forward with the indoctrinations, regardless of her reservations.
"Then say it." The man ordered starkly. "Say the Warden's Oath to officiate yourself and join the ranks of many other Wardens that have also swore this sacred oath."
"For honor and valor, I shall fight, not for fame and fortune. Even in the face of death, I shall keep my faith in my ability and sword." Avice started, her voice growing stronger with each word. "My sword shall not be an instrument of pain and death, nor shall it be a vessel of hatred and prejudice. I shall keep peace and justice above all else in battle, and I shall not—not even for profit or reward—do anything that will break this oath, which all Wardens are subject to, for it is my duty as a Warden to serve Ashfeld with the utmost respect."
"Good." Leonis took his weapon and hovered the blade just above Avice's shoulders next to her head. "I, Lord Leonis, a Warden of Ashfeld, now declare you a keeper of peace, a vessel of hope, and an upholder of justice and valor. I declare you a Warden. Now you shall rise Dame Avice Esclair, Warden of Ashfeld."
The newly appointed Warden pushed herself off the ground as Leonis returned his sword to his scabbard. She suddenly pushed herself into the now shocked man, giving him a warm embrace. Tears began to fill her eyes, and she couldn't help but let them flow. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her after a few seconds of standing there in surprise. It was a kind of embrace that only a father could give. IT was comforting and supportive, and it was something that Avice needed in that moments. For minutes, they stood like that.
"Sorry." Avice whispered as she pushed away from the way, standing up straight after wiping the last of salty tears from her eyes.
"Oh, it's perfectly fine." Leonis assured, smiling after a short chuckle. "Though I must say that's the first time that's ever happened to me."
Avice giggled for a moment before returning back to being serious.
"It's just that I'm not sure what to do now." She unlatched her helmet and brought it off her head. She held it with both hands, and her now visible bright blue eyes looked down at it. Leonis's cheery face became replaced with a sterner one as soon as he saw the confusion in her face.
"Look." He said, grabbing the attention of the solemn Avice. "You'll find out when the time is right. Just know that you've accomplished something that not many others have done before."
A smile began to form on Avice's face. Perhaps those were the words she needed to hear in that instant, but she felt a wave of inner peace wash over her. He was right. She just needed to take a step back and accept the victory that she had in the moment. She sighed and thanked Leonis for his small piece of advice.
And ever since that day, Avice was a faithful Warden, sticking to the sacred oath that she had spoken.