The red double doors opened directly to the main hall, and at this hour, it was well-lit not only by the torches hanging on each pillar but also by streams of pale morning light diffused by the fog outside. The building was beginning to stir, staffed by a contingent of a dozen knights reverently standing guard around the empty judgment seat.
But the guard escorting Lidia instead took her down a long concrete hallway; the drop in temperature here indicated that one wall faced the outside. Its only adornment was a long line of small stained-glass windows rendered in bright colors. The guard kept a quick pace, but she caught a glimpse of the windows' subjects: one depicted Torm the True, another Helm the Watcher, another Tyr Grimjaws, another Bahamut the Platinum Dragon, another the Red Knight Lady of Strategy.
All of them were armored, stately, and martial forms: some stood above a pile of their fallen foes in battle, while others drove their weapons into the heart of monstrous beasts rendered in fragmented, mottled browns and greys.
After leaving this place and turning to the left, the guard led her into the Order's library.
It was a modestly sized room, warmed by a large, protected hearth and a large rug on the floor. The shelves lining the wall held mostly loose sheaves of parchment and paper, but rows filled with a couple hundred books were in the center. A couple of tables and chairs nearby served as a place to read.
It didn't compare to Candlekeep's library, but then again, no other library did. She felt much more at home here than in the main hall, in any case, and wondered if the choice of the room had been intentional or if it was simply the place with the most expectation of privacy as the High Hall awakened around them.
Three knights were around the fireplace: Prelate Wessalen, Sir Anarg, and Sir William. The Prelate greeted her solemnly and, after a few pleasantries, went straight to business:
"I assume you do not need to be reminded of the offer we made you yesterday. Do you intend to accept it?"
Lidia set her jaw. "A life for a life. I accept this honor and all the responsibility that goes with it, Prelate."
He said, "Then you shall continue under the guidance of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart. You could ask for no better a patron. Raise your right hand, and we will swear you in."
She did so, and the Prelate continued:
"Lidia, Gorion's ward, do you stand pledged to the service of justice and righteousness? If so, answer 'I do.'"
"I do."
"Do you forswear all previous earthly and secular allegiances?"
"I do."
"Do you place yourself under the leadership and guidance of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart and agree to submit to the Order's strictures?"
"I do."
"In the presence of these witnesses, repeat your confirmation vows."
She had not been asked to prepare this, but she had no need. In a moment, Lidia found herself thinking back to when she first spoke those words in front of a small gathering in the Candlekeep courtyard on a fine spring day two years ago. Already that place and time seemed an age and a continent away, but she had carried the words she had spoken then close to her heart, and she repeated them now:
"I solemnly pledge myself to the service of Ilmater, He Who Suffers, Lord on the Rack and the Crying God. I swear to uphold and preserve life where possible, defend the cause of the oppressed and the unjustly treated, and stand up for those who cannot do so for themselves. I call upon Ilmater to grant me the strength to carry out his will and persevere against all hardship and pain. As I have spoken, let it be done."
"Let it be done," the Prelate said, with an approving nod. "Welcome to the Order, Lidia. I feel it appropriate to detail our obligations to you here. As a paladin in the Radiant Heart Auxiliary, you are entitled to receive upkeep, either through a stipend or room and board. In addition, since you are not of Amn, and since we work in cooperation with the Council of Six, the government will also grant you provisional citizenship, which gives you some rights and privileges with your dealings in Athkatla.
"Sir William Reirrac will give you your assignments, which we expect you to treat with utmost urgency. Report to him at our keep by the end of the day tomorrow. We expect to resolve the matter of the Baron soon." The guard remained at the door, leaving her to find her way out as the Prelate, Sir Anarg, and Sir William left through the other side.
Despite walking into this with clear eyes and a calm heart, Lidia still wondered if she'd completely understood what she'd done, feeling somewhat dazed as she retraced her steps through the hall. She took a moment or two to compose herself in the cold concrete hallway, staring back at each serene face rendered in brilliant stained glass.
This image had caught her eye before, and she took a moment to examine it further. Three deities — Torm, Tyr, and Ilmater — were walking down the road together. Though Ilmater's body was bent, bright chips of red glass depicting the open wounds on his limbs, he was supporting blind Tyr as they walked together on the road, with Torm leading the way, tall and straight against sweeping, brilliant blues.
Despite everything, she still felt a little swell of pride. She'd anticipated more pomp and ceremony around joining a knightly order, true, but she'd learned to adjust her expectations a long time ago. Both Sister Herrad and Gorion, she thought, would have liked to have been here.
Jaheira was waiting outside and seemed somewhat surprised that Lidia emerged as soon as she did. "I take it that it has been done," Jaheira said.
"Yes, it has," Lidia replied, "but for me, the real work starts tomorrow. We've got plenty enough to do before then."
That work started in the Promenade, where Jaheira helped Lidia find a small dealer that gave her a bag full of danters for the shadow dragon's gems. The money came out to nearly three hundred gold pieces for each member of Gorion's Company — more than enough to repair their equipment and keep body and soul together for several months.
Jaheira got her share right away, against her protests. Lidia kept the rest to divide among everyone else. As was her custom, she would take her own share last; she retrieved only a few gold pieces from there to send a couple of messages from the Promenade to Imnesvale, paying extra to ensure that the letters would arrive there within a day or two.
They were simple enough and directed to three recipients: Mazzy, Valygar, and Lanka. She asked them to meet her at the keep at their earliest convenience. She wanted to deliver Mazzy and VValygar'smoney in person. As for Lanka — she knew that it might be hopeless, but perhaps a peaceful solution with the Baron was still possible. No one, in any case, would be able to accuse Lidia of not trying for one.