Sixteen Feet of Steel Chapter 28

*Before...Gracia

She nods. “There will be lessons.”
“There will be?”
She smiles and she nods. “I would be a poor hostess and protector if I did not share things with you while we do other things.”
“Things with this whole getting a champion for my family.”
She looks at me.
“Things in line with teaching you how to be a champion Grace.”
“Me a champion, I’m just a girl and I’m no knight.”
She looks at me. “There are many more ways of fighting in the world Grace than just those taught by the men that train knights and soldiers. You don’t have to fight like them Grace you just have to win.”
………………..

I follow my nose to where I might find food and there’s a kitchen like place but it’s partly outside and on the edge of one of the courtyards they have up here and there’s a silk islander there and he looks old and he’s making food and he smiles when he sees me and he nods.
His voice is gravelly and full of light humor. “I will make you tea; tea is good after such an ordeal and a slumber.”
I nod and put my hands together and bow as I think I saw my mother do with one of their traders.
“I would love a cup of tea, and the food smells amazing.”
Lady Aliantha is there with some others and they are all around her and they are dancing and it seems strange.
Oh they’re not dancing they’re getting into position.
They they’re fighting and it’s all hand to hand but it’s acrobatic and it’s amazing and she is pure poetry.
The old man sets tea beside me and it’s foamy and green but it smells amazing. “Thank you Sir.”
He shakes his head and a finger. “No, no I am not a sir; I am not of noble birth.”
“Then what would you have me call you?”
He smiles at me and drinks his own tea. “You can call me sensei.”

*And Now...Gracia.

The Elves and the Silk Islander drug me.

The first day I’m given teas to help me relax and to keep me calm but not calm?

I cry.

I cry for the things that I’ve lost and I cry for the things that have happened to me and all the things that i can or could cry over.

I do that in between more tea and meals.

The oddest of meals.

I’m not sure I hate it or like it.

Chaikanese food is odd, really odd and messy looking but it’s good too in a lot of ways.

I generally like soup, and they have soup but they have these amazing dumplings with soup inside of them.

And then there’s other things that I’m very not sure of.

I am still trying to wrap my thoughts around this Tawfoo.

Bean cheese?

I will say the elves have a fairer hand with it compared to the old sage.

Sensei Kinsano.

He and Aliantha, Lady Aliantha are close...very good friends and possibly lovers or ex-lovers turned to friends.

My first day or the remainder of it was crying, eating, crying, sleeping and then after it was dark a walk.

Lady Alianatha, Sensei, Myself and several other elves as I’m show other places in the embassy glade.

This place is starlight is stunning or I should just say the they have flowers here that shed off their own starlight.

We all walk and I see things that I don’t understand.

They have arts and so much lore and understanding of things.

And they slowly help me get through the pain of my losses, of the anger too and start teaching me to be stronger.

To harness my determination.

To get physically stronger to with exercises, battle dancing, kata...wearing weights and then there’s the herbs, the drugs that shift my body towards not being the soft girl that I was.

Running every morning before I even get to do anything. The glade has trails and there’s streams and banks and little hills and there are even ramps to these upper levels and platforms that go up and up and up into the massive trees here that have look out posts.

Up and up and to ring the chimes there.

And Sensei Kinsano times me.

Did I mention wearing weights?

Endless push ups and sit ups and poses mixed with learning to throw punches and kicks and to block and throw people to the ground using their power against them.

Exercise after little tiny exercise all for specific parts of me to train them.

Hauling water in large buckets over and over despite there being running water.

Cutting wood, and not firewood but with a bow saw and slice after slice, chunk after chunk for the lathe workers that make plates, platters and everything else. Sometimes with just one arm.

Hauling logs and not just hauling the logs either but taking the from the pile they have there and these are big logs wider than my body and I have to muscle them to where I can flip them off the pile and let gravity do the work for me.

Of course there’s lessons in that of force and leverage.

And then there’s hauling them to where they need to be which for me is rolling them.

Which takes to long so it’s me figuring out to roll one end ahead at an angle and then catch the other end up. Then it’s flipping the log onto the cutting frame.

Did I mention all while wearing weights?

The days slip by fast as I am trained so hard that I cry in the baths as my body screams in protest.

Sensei is kind as a man but hard as a master.

Elven healing, massage, potions that heal me faster.

And some of those drugs and potions make me hungry and other things.

Things that have me watching elves and their intimacy.

And then there’s what I’m learning of people and sexuality and gender.

Some people are just not who they are born like.

The elves are very softer looking and very androgynous but in the baths there are women with manhood parts some of varying sizes and there are men with womanhood parts.

They call it Journeying.

Or Journeyed if referring to the person.

And then there’s those that love like the ones they are.

But that doesn’t have a name for that it’s just whoever being with whoever with no stigma to that.

It was...well watching two women together was just.

Maia...Maia was my first.

I was crying in the bath waiting for the drugs to slow the pain when she came over swimming and held me.

“What is wrong Gracia?”

“I hurt, I hurt and everything is so strange here and it’s so hard. I don’t know if I was made for this...I don’t and I...There are all of these feelings that are so confusing.”

“Confusing?”

“The Journeyed, the lovers that are like with like.”

“Ah humans do not have this?”

“We...we do but it’s hidden, it’s considered shameful and we don’t have Journeyed folk at all.”

“So you are fighting shame?”

I nod wiping tears away. “Yes...and pain, everything hurts so much by the light.”

Maia looked at me with these big exotic eyes that her kind have, almond shaped sort of like Sensei but wider eyes, literally bigger and Maia’s eyes were like these pools of jade.

“There is no shame here Gracia.”

“But I’m not from here.”

“But you are here and there is no shame for love in our glade.” Then she turned my head and she kissed me.

She kissed me and touched me, my breasts at first and there was this...this like know what like wants, needs. Many a young man has had my breasts free of my stays in my life and I’ve not gone further despite the rumors save to milk their lances.

No man has touched me like that.

And whatever I was given had side effects past making me hungry as sin and ready to work and fight and train.

Randy as any man I’d wager.

Maia’s touches, kisses, her knowing how to touch me in ways that….

I have Thimbled before, what young woman hasn’t in the baths or the privacy of her bedchambers and this was like that only ten times as potent.

To have someone that knows how you feel and what you need is just….it’s powerful.

And when her hand sank under the water and between my things to my maidenhood and touches and teases and then enters me and she touches things and this one...well she found my thimble with ease and I was driven half mad.

I screamed, and not anger or fear but these passionate beastly womanly screams that I’ve only ever read about in those erotic forbidden fanning stories.

She made me thunder inside as I have an orgasm.

Yes, yes I know what those are. Like I said I have read about them.

And she brought me to many of those.

And I learned how to do the same for her.

I learned just how much it makes my passion burn to have a woman call my name. To have her say it as she holds onto me with us pressed breasts to breasts and she has that shuddering breath in my ear as she said. “Grace…”

Maia turned things around for me.

We were not a couple a pairing and she made sure that I knew that. It was different with her kind. Elves might have a short relationship with someone of another race but deeper bonds for them are for life. And with our lives being so short as humans it’s a very painful thing for them sometimes when we pass.

Maia says we’re to them with all of our passions and how we grown so fast and change so fast to them like we’re falling stars that they manage to catch.

Utterly beautiful to them but we burn out and die and since they caught us and held us and fell in love with us...they get burned too.

That was a little hard to sort of take until speaking with Sensei Kinsano he admitted that he and Aliantha has such a relationship like Maia and myself and this casual relationship for him lasted thirty eight years before she left The Silk islands to return to her homeland.

So in that way but not a way Maia and I became a thing that happened fairly often.

Which was nice. It was more than nice really she was a good healer as well as a lover and she soothed many a hurt on the nights she came to share my room.

And spent nights.

Learning of fingers and lips and of touches and strokes of having someone...a woman touching deep inside me and returning the favors.

I changed.

There’s a hunger that was woken for women, a desire for those moans and cries and to be the one making that happen.

Sleeping with an intimate partner is life changing too.

There’s not just the comfort that’s there and the support but there’s this whole other dynamic thing where you lose boundaries that you didn’t know that you had.

And then there’s the culture divide.

Maia knows, just simply knows so much more about life and living than me. Which makes things sort of frustrating sometimes because she at first seemed like she knew everything.

Which was a blow to my ego that I needed.

I mean despite everything that happened I was still the popular girl inside. The one out of my sisters that was the most dazzling and the same for the other noble girls. I was the social one out of the three of us and always had something to say.

And it’s hard to stay that person when you’re sleeping with someone that literally, literally knows more than you do on just about anything.

It took a while for me not to feel out of sorts about things with that. It also took a talk with Sensei Kinsano with his relationship with Aliantha to help.

“They’re Elves, they’re immortal barring violent death or accident Gracia san. This comes with much knowledge it also comes with tests of patient for them who are old enough to have learned it and for us.”

“It’s just so frustrating Sensei.”

“Hai, yes...very but heed me grasshopper. Take advantage of this, take advantage of having one that cares about you so much that you will be added to her memories. Maia knows so very much and she wishes to pass this on to you, let her show you, let her teach you.”

“That’s it?”

He took a pull off his pipe looking at me. “Do you love her?”

“Yes, I think so….I mean there still things that are just reality but…”

He raised a hand and cut me off. “Calm, calm, calm...the answer needed to only be yes or no.”

“Well then yes.”

“Then listen to her, because truly listening it one of the greatest ways to love someone.”

We talked a lot about that these relationships and in very grown up adult ways that I’d never had with anyone. I mean I had talks and lectures from mt parents of things and how they worked but this was not sex talks this was relationships and what that means and the differences between our races and even his people the Chaikanese.

Then there’s the philosophy of Zen he teaches me which is all about letting go because sort of nothing matters. It’s much more than that a lot more than that but I’m not going to be a monk or a nun.

But there’s this sort of odd logic in things will be what will be and we can do everything about it but nothing about it.

Sounds confusing but...it’s exactly what is going on with me.

There was no way that I could have predicted or stopped the attack.

Then there’s the fact that I am actively training to win battles in noble challenges. Winning challenges means either winning a vote for what I’m supporting or opposing in court and that may or may not affect other voting lords and nobility.

Which is me doing things and will be me doing things.

But again it does not mean that any outcome that I desire is guaranteed or any failure is guaranteed.

Zen as I’m being taught is to not let the things that I cannot control or do waste my energy.

And energy….by the light the more I learn of that the more that makes sense as well.

Mental and emotional energy, we use that all the time and stressing breaks that up like catching a cold does things to your body. When I can let go of the things that I can’t change and let go of fretting and worrying about what has happened or things I’ve done or what might come at me in the future I can live in the now.

He drugs me into where the mental teaching of things like this is easier...following his teaching is trance like and I’m pretty damned high too as these are drugs like what I’d been warned of not to partake in at noble parties.

And it’s just that start, just to get me doing it without all of being Gracia and all of my frenetic self.

And then learning of physical energy.

It’s like really learning how your body works and moves and really learning about momentum and balance like never before because of having that in the moment awareness applied to all of it.

Even learning it is far from mastering it. There is so much to all of this Zen that is unmasterable to me. Sensei Kinsano says he will spend his whole life seeking this and the mastery of the energy he calls “chi”.

But it helps, it helps me get over things, it helps me clear my head and to not worry about things to come.

It helps me be far more focussed a person that I ever was.

Which helps me learn, being in the present so much helps me learn so much more as Sensei Kinsano uses more and more Chaikanese and I’m learning and speaking more Elven and I’m learning Far Northern and Southlander as well. Then there’s chess, and go, making good tea, and cooking as well with some things of both and even gardening as that’s part of my chores.

And my martial arts, the battle dancing.

Oh...oh… when I am sparring and these kata and the drills work and I block then counter and then we’re fighting with all of these things like dance steps to learn and like chess. You do this to counter this and it’s all tied within a system and muscle memory.

That making sense, seeing myself doing things that have these results makes my focus get even more driven.

It made me push myself even harder.

Which brings me to now.

Weapons drill came right after I turned that corner and with Sensei Kinsano that was with Chaikanese weapons and some of our own that overlap. The staff and the spear mostly, and he teaches me of hardened fans that I can use in court and carry with me as concealed weapons.

Lady Aliantha teaches me weapons of our kingdoms with short swords used by the infantry and soldiers and others as well but her main focus is a longsword and a broadsword and the rapier dueling blades and shields as well as learning armor.

All of it and modeling for it as well for both my training suits and for my real armor.

Including platemail.

And Jousting platemail.

Then it’s learning riding as part of my routine.

Warhorses.

Oy...ouch, so much ouch.

You know that Elven warhorses are smart?

I mean they’re not like people smart but with the elven way of doing things and breeding lines from a race of immortal lived folks that have magic in speaking with beasts and even plants...ouch.

Ouch because Elven Warhorses don’t mess around and you will learn that when they dump you over and over and push you and nip at you for messing up.

And lances...just… wearing steel coated lead weights on my arms all the time now. Holding a lance as I run, as I ride.

And then the lessons.

Sensei Kinsano is there too teaching me to feel the energy of my horse.

And sitting with tea on a log or a part of the fence.

Adding Wise sage say comments.

“Wise sage says that glory is not in never falling but rising like a phoenix as you get back up grasshopper.”

I taught him the judicious use of a middle finger.

But Lady Aliantha is just hard.

She’s been even harder on me that he is with training setting me with foes after foe in training and getting quite honestly beaten up.

“There are men that have numbers and mercenaries and that are looking to harm you. This Gorgon he and the other nobles that have been saying things of you they’re going to play dirty, they’re going to do this like send killers for you.”

Weeks ago? Weeks ago that would have pushed me into a panic.

Instead, instead the way that he came at us, like some thief, like some assassin in the dead of the night has me angry and not like wild angry but determined angry.

I will stop them and I will stop whatever they are plotting and I will avenge my brothers, my parents, my people.

Then next step was far different that I imagined.

Hair dye with me leaving become a fire haired vixen and then Elven magic with drops to change the color of my eyes to a vivid green.

A dress and a corset with a bodice that I’m almost falling out of and then I leave, outside the embassy glade with Tyloren one of Lady Aliantha’s men who is off to do errands.

I look around while on the carriage wagon combination with him.

“I thought there’d be watchers for me.” I’m looking and I am seeing nobody waiting or loitering or looking suspicious even remotely around.

He smiles saying in Elven. “Oh there were but they ran afoul of Elven magic.”

“How so? I know that you don’t cast spells per say.” I say back switching to Elven from Kingdom common.

“Well we have a glade, and with that of course comes many insects. One of our gifted spoke with them and guided them towards our watchers and each time one was sent we sent them out making it unbearable for them even when they moved further back and sought to watch us from a distance.”

“What if they are indoors?”

“Oh the current one’s are doing that right now but they are further away and they are looking for Gracia whole is smaller than you are in build now and a now of red hair.”

“And that means?”

“It means that they will have to choose to follow us and you might not be who they are looking for at all being so different. And it means that we have a very good head start.”

“Good because I’ve never done anything like this.”

And the something like this was shopping, Tyloren was getting things for the embassy that they didn’t hold in stock there and while he was doing that he was gathering the daily sheets that the literate and the educated read with news from away and stories and other things all do on a printer press.

Then there’s the banking and the markets all these places where he talks to people and charms them with just normal elven grace and manners and just...he’s able to talk to folks so very easily because this has been his assignment for a long time here.

He’s a fixture of the embassy and of Valhalla the city where he’s been here so long that he knows the grandfathers of grandfathers here.

And there are as many folks that respect Elves as there are those that hate and fear them.

I learn that there’s racism in the city too.

In the realms, that the nobles I’m used to, the white peoples like myself have factions that hate others not like them...Southlanders, Deep Southlanders, Silk Islanders, Elves...the same folks that hate educated commoners and women that “don’t know their places.”

Not all but there seems a theme, certain houses, certain nobles like Lord Byron Dempsey and that bent cleric Quintain Solemn and others.

And each place we go we listen to gossip and learn the news and find out who is allied to who.

Who’s voting, trying to get to me and have me charged and killed.

I find out other things too.

They’re seeking to pass votes to put the king to question over me, over the alliances with other folks.

That they’re seeking to limit women’s rights to tie them to men, to husbands or brothers or whomever but save a woman.

But there’s more.

Elizabetha lives and she has inherited Grandfather’s position and title.

The High King acknowledged that this was true and she was ratified by the temple of Sea and Stars.

It’s still new enough that Lord Dempsey has had fits as well as his cleric.

And rumors that Lyonnes had truly fallen and that much more than the castle was razed.

Rumors that Auron Kingsland is fighting heathens out with my neighbors and that the witches summoned forth demons and that fell creatures raid and stalk The Middle Kingdoms now.

We return to the glade wagon’s full but being followed.

I don’t think they’re hired men-at-arms they look too poor for that. Not poor in a bad way or like street people but like working class folk and while they can’t keep up with us they do try.

Some looked angry.

Some looked armed with knives and other things.

We left them behind us as we re-entered The Grove but it was still very much a thing.

I help unload because it’s just expected of me but soon after I’m changed and I’m meeting with Tyloren and Aliantha and Sensei Kinsano to discuss the intelligence we uncovered.

A lot of it is to help me learn and know who is who and what is going on here in the city and more importantly in court. Who is here determines who casts votes in the courts and that’s important.

There’s even a teacher’s giant slate on an independent frame and we do it out like a chart much like a family tree but instead who is who and who is who to who.

Thank the Gods and The Light for having to study heraldry and genealogy.

Somewhere in the heavens my mother is chuckling it up over tea with my tutors.

I miss her, I miss everybody.

We go over that a lot and we go over the schedule for the courts and their dockets.

That was new for me learning all of this but also learning courtly jargon as used by the courts as I was starting to study and look into the laws.

Lady Aliantha invited others into meet me and to see us and both see me train and spar and ride and tilt. Some of them are foreign lords and some ladies from nations that I don’t remotely know about some are sandy brown hues and others deep shades like coffee and others look like an combination of southlander and silk islander and there’s even some blonde man with a neatly trimmed beard with this suit that is like nobles clothes but you can openly see that it’s very heavy cloth armor with several layers thick all held together by the nicest embroidered steel threads….there’s even rings of metal and medal like decorations sewn into it like the fanciest ring and quilt mail that I’ve ever seen.

He is Laird Hollen of the nation of Roan...a place that I’ve barely seen on maps but a human realm far up the eastern coast of The Riverlands and The Eastern Kingdoms and they are warriors and horse folks of these great plains and steppes.

A Laird in like a lord here.

Most of them are allies of hers and some like Laird Hollen are friends of my father in the sense that they fought with him against Rory Blackhand.

According to the stories The Roanish fought in the foot lands below the Braithe mountains as Blackhands troops and minions had tried to stop The Assembled. They skirmished constantly with Wargs and Goblins that kept coming through the depths of the ground in tunnels made by Blackhand’s spells.

That magic couldn’t get them through the stone of the mountains but close enough they could and did try to climb up and into Braithe to stop the battleknighters from gathering and raising crusade.

He stays with us, stays and he tells of old tales of that war while he teaches me to ride harder, better, tricks of muscle and weight and legs and more lance work and sword work with Lady Aliantha and Sensei Kinsano.

And I’m fitted for armor.

Elven made armor which is fitted and molded with Elvish steel which isn’t steel at all but a stronger thinner alloy that has it’s own secrets of smithing and tempering.

It’s in my colors white like home but enameled and clear coated? Edged in faux gold that looks real enough and a deep wheat yellow brown cloak.

My shields match with a distaff border and I have a lioness in gold that is rampant on those as my own device and my father’s device of the Lion rampant clutching a sword.

I’m looking at it. “One problem I’m not a knight?”

Aliantha looks at me. “You’re a princess, royalty is royalty any prince can bear a shield and ride in the lists. There are no laws that forswear you from bearing knightly arms as princess.”

I look at her and the others who are nodding. “Okay then, okay we are doing this then?”

She nods. “It’s the only way, while we have some supporters without victories you will not have enough victories to sway the voters in court or the people.”

“And I’ll just anger them and be silenced if I just resort to arguing in court.”

She nods. “Human men in these lands would argue of your very sanity and then bring up your reproductive humors to bear.”

I roll my eyes. “Yes I’ve already run into that is it your time of the month sort of thing.”

She nods. “Now you need a sword.”

I hear an unfamiliar voice. “She has a sword lady if that’s permissible?”

I look and I do not know the man who’s there with an escort but i do recognize him.

He looks like an older version of Sir Shane.

My eyes well with tears and I drop a knee to him. “Lord Winterbrook, it’s an honor sir….”

He walks over to me and he squats in front of me and he gives me a hug.

“You do not have to bow to me princess I’m just a country lord no where near the rank of Lyonnes.”

(Sniffle.) “You raised a fine man sir, a man that saved my very life with his own and his blade even defended me after that...happened.”

He’s crying too and yet he’s smiling. “No father wants to lose a child but to hear such kind things about him and you returning to us what you could Gracia that was...it was the gods kindness coming from you.”

I hug him back a little harder and he gives me a fatherly squeeze that I’ve missed so very much. “You are more than welcome Lord Winterbrook.”

“Dale please Princess.”

“Then the same for me...Gracia or just Grace is fine.”

He nods and wipes at his eyes and he looks at me then holds up Sir Shane’s sword and sword belt. “We’d be honored and we’d be further honored still if you took us in.”

“Took you in?”

“I spoke at length of this with my wife and family and even some of my folk and we wish to swear to you Princess Gracia, Lioness of Lyonnes.”

“What?”

“Swear to you. You have not been legally dispossessed of your title and with this you can’t be as you as princess will have subjects of your own and your own lands.”

“I...I can’t.”

He looks at me. “You will, you will and you have to if you hope to salvage anything from Lyonnes and keep it out of the hands of The Gorgon.”

I…

I look to Aliantha who shrugs. “It’s a simple truth Grace, you need allies and you two will have literally have shared blood.”

I nod and sigh hard. “You signed onto a penniless princess Dale.”

Sensei says. “Write Marshall Elizabetha your sister tell her your need she does have at least some resources.”

Aliantha nods. “Wise and I can send birds to her.”

I look to Dale. “I accept.”

Aliantha nods. “Now...to do it in public.”

I swallow. “When?”

“According to the calendar of the courts Lord Killian Hardgrove is seeking to pass a law through vote that is yet another version of the male guardianship vote that was struck down. That’s a good as place as any. Lord Winterbrook we’ll swear you in there officially but we’ll get started on the tabards and devices and such right now.”

I sew his own things myself, sew good uniforms myself and make sure that everything is pressed and perfect including my own. Yes a uniform and there is one with a dress like fitting and another with a skirt like fitting and several with trousers.

And I get my eyes returned to their normal blue and my hair back to it’s brown but done so there’s still a little of the red and they call it highlighting.

The Elves are making my coach and wagon, Dale has gone and come back with what men-at-arms he could spare and Aliantha sent an eagle to Elizabetha with her ambassadorial seals and support as well as from Laird Hollen of Roan and other things like letters.

We get letters back saying that she is having her own troubles with Rosetta's governor and some of the nobles there that want to pick the bones of House Petrel.

But we officially have her support with copies for myself, the high king and the courts and with that she send money and some of it is coin and some of it is in fine jewelry that we might be able to resell that might have been grandmother’s.

It took very little time for those two days to pass. I swear Dale and his two knights with him into my service and we have them signed and witnessed and we leave with Dale and his two knights and two fists of men-at-arms and Laird Hollen and a dozen of his knights and Lady Aliantha who proceeds to the palace first and we head to do early morning business.

First to The Kingdom’s bank where I open an account with the funds Elizabetha gave me and I get a book of notes of marque and get my seal register with the bank at least and we present and get the noble contracts signed between myself and Lord Winterbrook and his two knights and the manager of the bank watches me pay them for their services to my personal house and signs as witness to them with Laird Hollen.

Then it’s off to one of the best jewelers in the city for the things Elizabetha had sent me and I know the value of the pieces and the work so that helps with the dickering and I get a fair price for all of that and then it’s back to the bank for another deposit and while we are doing that we have followers.

And not just followers but I see Quintain Solemn there with several holy knights with him and I have them pull my carriage close to where they are and they are all glaring at me.

“Cleric Solemn how are you today?”

“Surprised you crawled out of that nest of creature you witch.”

“Now brother, you and I and your men were there when I godswore to my not being a witch. You owe me an apology.”

“I owe you nothing woman, you’re a brazen whore and an ally of that witch Blackhand.”

“Aurora Blackhand was a heroine to this kingdom and mine who died fighting for it. I demand satisfaction.”

He drew himself up. “Fine, my men will meet yours.”

I look to my knights and they nod.

Cleric Quintain chuckles at me. “You’re a knight short.”

“No I have my champion. Now that’s the three of them now what about you?”

“I’m a commoner, I’m no knight.”

“You are a man of power and authority and you have insulted me several times and my house and my family. By my right as you being a commoner I could have you horsewhipped for your disrespect but I’m not that kind of woman, I’m not that kind of noble.”

“See you can do nothing wench.”

“That’s fine I’m just amused that you’re being a coward towards me a woman right here in front of your men and all of these other witnesses.”

He changes colors going almost purple with rage and I can see it burning in him that no one speaks to him like this and no one has for a very long time especially a woman.

“YOU FUCKING BITCH!”

He points a small crossbow at me and steel is drawn on both sides and the elves with us and several of the Roan have bows drawn as well.

I stare right at him. “Go ahead, go ahead of revered man...go ahead and commit murder right here in front of everyone. You won’t go to the lord of light, you won’t life past right here and now and everyone will hear the tale of you pulling on me...and a cleric with such a weapon too. Absolutely sinful, and really brother where’s the faith?”

He glares absolute hatred at me. “What do you want bitch?”

“Your miter, if my knights and champion wins then you renounce everything that you said out of misspent pride and you retire to a silent monastery.”

“And if you lose?”

“I give myself over to the temple and you and you can do with me as you wish.”

“Hah! like you would bitch.”

“I have sworn by the gods themselves before you before Quintain, I’m not scared to do it again if you will as well.”

He lowers the crossbow. “I’ll not swear and lower myself with the likes of you.”

“Then you’re faithless in the might and backing of your god then and in him championing you?” I give him mother’s best you’re a fool and I’m sipping tea look.

He turns all ragey colors again.

“I have the fullest of faith in the might and powers of the Lord of Light!”

“Then accept my challenge to you.”

He stares at me and then he looks at one of his holy knights as he sheaths his sword and is looking toward the cleric.

Quintain’s gaze returns my way and I smile at him and bat my lashes over and over exaggeratingly.

“Fine whore...I Quintain Solemn, Cleric of The Lord of Light hereby swear before he who is the light and all of the gods that should my holy knights be defeated in the lists that I will renounce my position within the church and take my vows at a silent monastery...So mote it be.” he cuts the palm of his hand with a small dagger he had on him and the cut flares and heals by the power of the gods.

I take a dagger from Dale and I slice carefully into the top of my hand until there is blood. “I Gracia of Lyonnes, Princess of The Principality of Lyonnes hereby swear by my own blood and honor that if my knights and my champion do not win the contest in the lists between the men here today of Quintain Solemn that I will turn myself over to him and the mercies of the church of The Lord of Light...So mote it be.”

My blood flares to life and heals making it’s scar and mark on me and sealing the bargain between us.

Quintain is staring at me.

“Princess of the Principality of Lyonnes? What manner of lies is that?”

“Not lies Quintain the gods witnessed that. But come and see.”

I nod to the holy knights. “Sirs a pleasure, moreso this afternoon.”

One says. “This afternoon?”

“We meet then, I already have the lists booked for other challenges.”

They look surprised and I give the order to take us away to the courts.

I’m not surprised when they are following us.

Lord Dale Winterbrook looks at me. “We were expecting to deal with those at court and not these fellows you might have bit off more that what you can chew princess.”

“I couldn’t stop Dale, he’s a treasonous slug that accosted not just me but the king as well when he sought to take me. If he’s backed by a proper god of light then I’ll eat my horse.”

“I could ride.”

“And you will but not today I need your guidance in the lists and to watch our backs.”

He nods. “Nice point in your swearing to the gods with the men he had here thing. I saw his eyes get narrowed when you did that he was going to swap them out with different knights.”

“I figured...he’s bent I wanted to head that off at the pass.”

We arrive at the courts and that’s attached to the palace and we disembark and we check our weapons at the doors with the knights that are sworn there to the courts and there’s a murmur as we all head inside and we take seats.

I’m literally the only woman here save for Aliantha.

Who is sitting with High King Boen.

Things start and for the first part it is normal business as per usual with Lords debating laws and taxes and tariffs all for their peoples and some for the guilds that they have connections to and I’m taking notes.

Then Lord Killian Hardgrove is called upon and he rises and starts talking.

“Good lords of the realm and masters of the court…”

I interrupt. “Objection!”

Lord Killian stares at me like he forgot that I was there and that there might be a possibility that I might say anything.

The Master Judgement asks. “On what grounds?”

“On the grounds that I be recognized by the courts your Judgement.”

Lord Dale Winterbrook says. “Seconded!”

His two knights being actual knights and men of title say. “And here, and here!”

And High King Boen says. “And Here as well. Princess Gracia still has legal title under the laws of the land and the courts as of this day under kingdom law.”

The Master Judgement looks to me and nods.

“Objection!” Lord Killian Hardgrove calls out.

The Master Judgement asks him. “On what grounds?”

“The princess of Lyonnes is not the heir of Lyonnes, she is also landless and has no actual land to back her title. Are we to let every dispossessed noble here have a voice and a vote here in these honored halls?”

I stand. “With the approval of your judgement this can easily be resolved.”

“How so princess?” he asks.

“I am now the oath holder and sovereign princess over Lord Dale Winterbrook and the knights that serves under him as well and all of their dues and responsibilities are signed to me now.”

He looks to Lord Winterbrook. “Is this truth Lord Winterbrook.”

He stands. “It is Master Judgement.”

I take my papers in hand. “If I might approach the dais lord Judgement? I have all of the papers here that are needed for this to be recognized and registered by the court.”

He waves me up and I start passing him them in order.

He’s looking over them and he starts nodding and signing them there and then.

Lord Killian Hardgrove sputters. “Your Judgement this is most irregular!”

“On the contrary my Lord Hardgrove everything is very regular. This is still the court of the kingdom and as such with her own vassal the princess has taken as her right under the laws and has reciept of her payment upon then for the year to come and their signed and twice witnessed contracts she is their liege lady.”

Lord Killian looks very non-plussed with me.

I add in. “There is also copies for the High king there as well and copies made for the courts and you will find that even the clerking fees have been paid in advance.”

Lady Aliantha did that while I was doing my things and court nobles have accounts that they can pay such things with right here in the courts.

He nods. “All is in order, please take your seats. Lady do you yield the floor back to Lord Hardgrove?”

“Of course your judgement.”

We settle back in and I’m getting glares and I wait as he starts up again.

“Lords, Lady and masters of the court. I put for that we look to our wives and our daughters and provide those precious resources with guidance and judgement so that we can let them do the works of women and run the households and to raise our families. We are behoved to call upon ourselves as men to make sure that the affairs of property and monies not have to fall heavy on their slight shoulders. I move that we set in stone a law that places the governance of property and finance upon the closest male relative or one such as appointed by their sovereign lord.”

I stand. “Challenge and objection!”

He’s staring at me. “Challenge by who?”

“By whoever I need to call on from my champion to my knights. My objection is that there is no proof of a woman being incompetent in any of these matters under the law as it stands.”

“Men are better with money! These are men’s matters!”

“Again objection! Lord Killian do you have any documentation, any legal proof of these claims?”

He blusters. “Everyone knows that women would lose it all and fripper it all away.”

“Again objection! The person or persons known as everyone has no legal standing in these courts from my understanding and I personally take umbrage at the slander of half the population of the entire planet in it’s ability to take care of property or their own finances.”

That actually got a few chuckles from people in the court which earned a banging of the Judgment's gavel.

“Enough, enough we will vote on this officially after the challenge if Lord Killian is willing to defend his claims and position?”

Lord Killian stares at me hard. “Gladly! Name the day!”

“Today I’ve registered to the lists this whole afternoon from fading first glass until the hour before supper. I am sure that we can resolve this in four hours my Lord.”

He nearly chokes but recovers. “You planned to challenge?”

“Come now Lord Hardgrove you’re no stranger to this court you do know that Challenges are planned all the time in advance.”

He frowns and he heads to his seat and his group. “Fine accepted!”

The Master Judgement bangs his gavel. “Heard and witnessed!”

“Now onto other business.”

I get up with all those around me and I head up to join The High King who takes my hand and he smiles and kisses it and we’re all getting looks.

“You look well and healthy, it’s amazing how much two months can change you.”

“It’s been a lot of hard work and lessons My King.”

“You’ve made quite the stir. Those are bold moves Grace.”

“Do I really have anything else but those moves?”

“No, no you don’t not right now.”

I sigh. “I should get ready I think I’ve bitten off more than I could chew.”

He nods. “I’ve heard, good luck and I will see you after the jousts.”

“You will?”

“Of course I will be attending, I look forward to seeing you joust.”

“I hope to not appall you with my lack of training and experience.”

He chuckles at that and I ask. “Any word from my sisters?”

“I’ve heard from both and you are as up to date as I am with things with your little sister Elizabetha though I am sending one of my fives of battleknights and a lancer company to see things through and her safe.”

“And Angeline?”

“She is firmly ensconced in Braithehold and in the care of Lord Wyatt Braith the heir and lord there. I hear they are going ahead with the arranged marriage.”

I nod. “She would she’s very honorable sire. Even if it’s not what she wanted.”

“From the rumors she is happy with things. Wyatt is sending some of his people south to us or has and they will be here sometime hopefully to help with things here as his knights and nobles are still members of this court.”

I nod. “Well I hope so to. Now I should be off and getting ready to defend my honor and my claims today.”

He nods and we do the cheek and cheek kiss and that draws notice and it draws stares.

I get a lot of baleful stares as we’re leaving.

I also notice a lot of their pages and runners are gone as well.

It’s definitely starting.

It does take the rest of my morning to get things done and ready. Riding home and getting everything packed and ready and then out and with everyone that wants to come and see me try and pull off a miracle.

Two months of getting built up and scant training in just about everything honestly I’m greener than The Grove honestly.

The place...the place is packed...I knew there would be more and more nobles out here than usual but with High King Boen here there’s more and I see Tyloren smiling.

“What do you find amusing enough to slip through that jaded calm of yours?”

“Your High King, he or someone else has brought out just about every noblewoman of title here that likely could be had.”

“Oh...and that means.”

He’s actually grinning wider and his eyes are dancing.

“It means when it comes time for your matches with Lord Killian’s men that you need a herald to say why you are here and jousting...those women are here because it’s very likely they’ve been told why the challenge has been issued...some are here likely in what will quickly be seen as defiance of their fathers or families but they likely will vote...and then there’s every woman and girl in the crowd, it looks like a lot of common folks found out word very fast.”

“Was that the Elven gossip used as a weapon?”

“No, not by me.”

I nod. “Maybe just maybe the right man is actually sitting on the throne.”

“Boen is a fine man, Lady Tatiana taught him well as her squire.”

“Lady Tatiana? I never heard of her?”

“Most here wouldn’t she’s Lord Marshall of The Free Kingdoms in the west past the mountains and under the employ of King Wayland of the Dwarves.”

“Dwarves! She’s a Dwarf?”

He shook his head. “No...no she’s a Titan.”

“A Titan?”

“The once rulers and original inhabitants of this world before the gate wars.”

“Oh...I never heard of them?”

“They’re very nearly extinct as far as even we know.”

“Oh so him being trained by her is a good thing?”

“It’s a matter of the gods and the light actually.”

“Why?”

“Lady Marshal Tatiana is not just his knight master but she is also a paladin, a free paladin.”

“A holy knight but what’s a free paladin.”

“One that speaks to the gods all on their own...all the gods and spirits of light and some say even the world’s voice itself. She literally had the paladenic call for her to travel all the way to this side of things and take him under her tutelage.”

I stare at where High King Boen is sitting. “So he’s chosen then, like holy chosen?”

“In effect yes. He’s the first person to ever have had this happen on this side of the mountains.”

“So she trains more than just him?”

“Of course she is a noble of sorts and she holds her own lands as well as holds those of the west together in peace.”

“But none like him.”

He looks at me. “I would say that everyone that she personally trains is special.”

“She sounds interesting.”

He nods. “Beyond interesting I would love to meet her someday.”

“Me as well.”

All of the things that I’ve learned just now has me distracted in a good way as we get set up and our personal area is covered and concealed with quilts with my device on them and once I’m in my armor and ready it’s time.

Quintain and his men are first and I’m nervous as it gets.

Sir Tanley of Derbyshire one of my knights is up against his foe a Sir Padar Lightsmith.

A moneyed family for sure Lightsmith sounds like someone in close ties to the illuminators and those that work with making light with electric.

Tanley is a country knight and I’m worried, it’s city, capital training against country steel.

It wasn’t as bad as I feared with Tanley winning three lances to one.

I look to Lord Dale who’s nodding and smiling. “We’re poor country knights and folks princess when we’re not working or keeping the peace we’re going to country tourneys when we can and trying to earn coin to help keep our folks well enough.”

I nod.

That’s what Shane was doing down home. Small tourneys and horseracing is sort of a hard chance sort of way of betting and making coin. When you lose you lose your horse and your armor, your weapons, and your sword or you have to pay a ransom for them.

If you win that’s a goodly sum of monies as platearmor, shields, lances and horses are dear in cost.

My Sir Winslet of Cherry Bridge does a little less than Tanley did with him winning three lances to two with Sir Randal Penningshire.

These are city knights and they’ve scarcely had little to do with jousting or training by the look of things.

Then it’s my turn.

They announce Sir Salvador Vaine as my opponent and then I ride out.

It’s loud as I come out my armor drawing attention as is my shield.

Tyloren comes out as my herald and I think he’s enjoying this.

“Majesty and Majesties, Lords, Lady’s, Knights and onlookers I present to you the Champion of the principality of Lyonnes! Accused of witchcraft and cleared before the gods themselves these holy knights here today by sworn gods oath! A champion trained by many people from my own to the masters of silk island battle dancing to the knight lords of Roan! Here for her first time! Yes her first time jousting to defend her honor and to defend being smeared as a good woman from sheer hubris and arrogance! I give you all! Princess Gracia of Lyonnes!”

I almost want to hide my face in my hands because that was way over what was called for and there is a huge buzz of reactions and some applause...some.

There hasn’t been a lady knight in a long time as far as I know and I’m not a knight so there’s...never been a jousting princess.

I see Sir Salvador definitely having issues with jousting me and he’s talking to the other holy knights and the herald and I ride up to the starting post and wait as Tyloren went over to them and spoke.

I could guess that he’s reminding them that this whole thing is godsworn.

And legally there’s no way for him not to face me without me winning.

Oh yes, that’s definitely it as Quintain Solemn is down there now and so red faced that I can see it from here and it ends shortly after that with Sir Salvador riding up to his post and taking his lance from his squire.

The pages swing the flags down and we’re off and I’m riding as fast as we can and he’s coming at me and so is that lance of his and even blunted it’s scary.

But I don’t have a choice in this...I cannot lose if I lose then justice is lost, then my sisters are in even more danger without me...at least here, at least here I can be a target.

Make the one’s that hated father hate me more...be the rebellious woman that they can’t shut up and they can’t hold down!

We crash!

I hit him! I actually hit him!

And faster than I can think I’m feeling the impact of him striking me or rather my shield and the force hammers through the metal and everything shaking me hard and right to my core.

I ride to the end of the line and pivot my horse and see that my lance is shattered and so is his and we both took points.

We ride back and passed each other and salute.

The eyes behind his visor look surprised.

We line up again and are passed fresh lances.

Again we race, hooves digging in the loam made for getting traction and we’re both exploding down the line lances raised and again lance and lance both meet shield and shatter sending wood shards and fragments everywhere.

Another point each.

This time there’s applause.

Last pass.

This time, this time is different, this time I’ve been struck twice and I’m not dead and I’m not shattered.

I’m not as afraid or as nervous because I’ve faced this now.

Light I’ve not just faced it but I’ve done it.

I’ve landed two solid strikes.

And this is the final pass, all rides on this even these future matches this afternoon.

I breathe as I finish the run...I breathe and feel it all the rhythmic movement of the war horse and me, my body and breathing that energy called chi that feeling and flow and momentum.

It feels like time slows down almost.

I make the turn and feel it all out the whole ride back to my post and take my offered lance.

The pages snap the flags down and run to be clear of us as we charge down the line towards each other and I’m calm...just breathing and it’s like I know exactly what I need to do and I focus everything I have into keeping my line until the last moment then shift my lance tip outwards further past his shield and striking Sir Salvador’s helm.

It’s two points for breaking a lance off of an opponent’s helmet and it’s considered high skill to do that because you have to take the lance off of the line of striking at a shield or off of a body.

A miss is likely if you are not skilled enough.

A lot of skill does equal being calm enough to do what you have to do when you need to do it.

The rest is practice to actually hit targets like that when you need to.

I got lucky, I needed to get lucky.

I don’t get hit either my lance shatters off of his helm and that throws him totally off his track and he still hits my body but the blow is glancing and his lance stays whole.

It still hit me very hard though, harder than I thought that it would. It’s so not the same as the lance hitting my shield.

I breathe through it and stay mounted and Sir Salvador is reeling in the saddle but stays seated and as I make the turn I stare at Quitain Solemn who is ashen faced and he’s staring at his hand where he made the god bound oath.

He looks at me and he looks scared and he looks like he’s going to be sick at the same time a washed out pale sort of green around the gills look.

I salute him with my broken lance.

He vomits all over one of his little retinue and I ride away passing Sir Salvador who seems to have recovered some and he has his helmet off and he’s staring at me.

“You cheated, you used magic.”

“I did not are you actually going to go and do this again when I have made blood oath to the gods that I am no witch?”

“But you beat me?”

“I did, and I did it as a woman and guess what you chauvinistic twit women can do anything that we have to do, any thing that we want to do….continue to be this kind of an ass and I’ll do more than take your horse and armor.”

“You can’t, you can’t you’re a woman...that’s an agreement between men.”

“It’s the law.”

“It’s against the will of the gods.”

“Really in which text?”

“.............................”

“Yes I’ve been reading, there’s actually no proclamations in your faith against women, there’s no prescriptions against us written….now shut up and let it go and shake my hand before I beat you so bad the order will have to get involved.”

We hold each other’s eyes for a time and he looks down and away after a few moments and he offers me his hand and we shake.

He’s putting all his strength into it and he’s staring at me wide eyed as I’m not just taking it and smiling even though it doesn’t feel very comfortable at all him doing that and I squeeze back.

I might not be anywhere close to him in strength as he is still a knight and wears armor and does all those things that make him stronger.

But I’m not the weak girl that he was expecting.

He let’s go abruptly and rides away.

There’s cheers still not a roaring crowd but there’s definite cheers for me as I ride back to the stables where we’re all set up.

I’m out of my armor and washed roughly and in a soft tunic while waiting for Lord Hardgrove’s people to arrive and be ready when we receive the warhorses and the gear of the holy knights that we bested.

I keep the armor but return to them and the temple their tabards and shields free of ransom and restoring them their honor and send a letter well more of a note thanking both the temple for all that they do and thanking them for sending me knights that tested me and taught me and will have been instrumental in returning the kingdom of Lyonnes to it’s rightful place under the sun and the guiding hand of the gods.

I sign it and have Dale Winterborn and Tyloren sign as witnesses.

I don’t know if the whole church of the Lord of Light has gone like Quintain but this way they know that there were witnesses to what I wrote.

I’m not going to go down for witchcraft nor heresy either.

I am keeping the horses and the armor I need the money, Lyonnes both Kingdoms of it need the money.

You can buy a score of young cattle easy with the price of one of those horses.

The armor I can sell that for good golds as well.

“Dale?”

“Yes Highness?”

“Speak to our knights and work up a list of what we need to make things better at Lyonnes.”

“Highness?”

“Winter stores, things we need to build, things we need to fix, anything and everything that you can think of and that your folk have been all a bother over.”

He grins. “That confident Princess?”

“That determined.”

Lord Hardgrove arrives with five knights and a whole retinue of folks that are taking seats and he and the knights and the judges come to us.

The judge. “It’s five to three chose who you would face in the lists.”

Dale says. “It’s five to four.”

I look at him. “Are you sure?”

He chuckles. “I might be an old man my liege but I’m still a knight and seeing you victorious has made my bones ache for breaking a lance or three off of these young lads.”

I shrug and look at the knights and I ask. “Who has the least experience?”

One raises his hand.

“Then it will be you.”

He nods and doesn’t look pleased.

We all agree and shake to it and then it’s getting ready as jesters hired likely by the king keep the crowd busy.

I’m getting into my armor when we’re rushed.

Seven men in white rough cut cloth tabards and white sack hoods come rushing in at us with long daggers and swords.

I pull mine even though I’m not in amor as of yet and grab my shield and they come for me.

All of them are coming for me and Dale is between them and me and block a cudgel from breaking his face with my shield and we’re fighting together and it’s really not that much of a fight.

Dale yells. “Don’t kill all of them we want prisoners to interrogate and for the watch!”

Knives and clubs against swordsmen is a bad idea if you don’t know what you are doing. I move and I block and I dodge through the clumsy blows and swings and strike with the guard and pommel as best as I can to disable when I can.

They didn’t know what they were doing and it’s over in moments.

We killed five...I ran one through with my sword right through his head.

It’s a mess, it’s all a mess.

But he was going to knife me.

And then it’s over and someone ran for the watchmen and they come and I’m cleaning off my sword as they are and then there are other that are looking to me.

I should me worse off than this but I’m not.

This was nothing compared to what happened at Lyonnes, at home.

The Sergeant of the watchmen comes over to me. “Princess we must get you to safety.”

I look at him. “I’m perfectly safe here.”

“You were attacked they were trying to kill you.”

“Seems like that’s getting to be fair to normal Sergeant.”

“You need protection Princess.”

“And I’m going to do just that. Look sergeant I truly appreciate that you want to do this but I’m staying and jousting. My long term protection depends on it as does that of the rights of the women of the realm. Now you can stay and guard us and watch our backs and then you can seek to protect me but you can’t order it.”

Dale has cleaned his armor of spatter and his sword and he’s bringing me my armor.

“I’d wager that they wanted to force you into protection. That way you can’t ride or they think that you can’t ride.”

The sergeant looks at me. “This will cause trouble princess.”

“It already has sir.” I say as Dale’s tightening my straps and I’m snugging on my gauntlets. “Just make sure we’re not surprised by any more of these assassins.”

“Not assassins princess but Whitefists.”

“Whitefists?”

“A gang princess, a mob really they hate of women and all of the other so called impure races.”

I nod. “A recent problem sergeant?”

“Yes princess.”

I stew and stew as I have to wait as each one of my knights rides out and jousts. The results are mixed...Tanley loses three lances to two and Winslet wins his in the same scoring and Dale wins outright feeding his opponent a lance to his helm and while not enough of a win right off it rattled the knight enough that he was flinching from that sudden blow to the head and the mental shake it gave him of Dale’s skill.

Then it’s my turn and before the sergeant can stop me I grab and pull the white hoods off of each man there and then mount up and ride out as I put my helmet on and snap it into place.

There’s some murmurs and one of the pages moves to cover my device and I shake my head no.

I stand in the saddle and one by one I drop the white hoods onto the earth of the jousting arena and some of them have blood on them.

There are murmurs and whispers like a sweeping rush of dry leaves going through the arena and I gesture to the page with my lance and he runs over with it.

Then there’s some applause from the crowd.

From the city folks that are here, from the folks that likely have been made victims by these white hooded cowards.

My opponent Sir Gerald Summerset rides out and takes his lance and there was no order of who was going to joust whom and they saved their biggest knight for me with his biggest horse.

My horse is angry.

Seriously he’s mad as hell I can tell because he’s a war horse and there was a fight right there in his stable and his blood’s up and well so is mine.

I hang on and I let him rear twice and let him curvette in a circle and then prance and dig as he wants this.

My flagging page is nervous as he and the other waves them down and I yell the elvish command to “charge!”

Hooves dig in and he explodes from where we were and I ride with him feeling every hoofbeat, all that power and force and momentum that runs through his body and I breathe...breathe...don’t let the anger control me...let it focus me...breathe...time slows down and Sir Geralds lance is right on point and I put faith in my armor, in the elves that forged it and I take the hit.

I take the hit because I concentrate on hitting his body and just pushing, pushing all of the power from my horse’s rear legs shoving against the earth...and all that power from his weight moving forward and then my own legs pushing against my stirrups and I let all of that flow through me and down my lance as I strike him hard.

This!

This is what the Elves were teaching me for, all the working out and all that training to focus and the Chaikanese things and the Chi training.

I’m reeling in the saddle and have to reach down and hang on for dear life with my shield hand to stay in the saddle and my chest hurts...it feel like the breath was shocked right out on me and the world flashes away with darkness and flames and someone screaming “Trebuchet!”

I feel like I was hit by a massive stone.

I’m hanging on as my horse is dancing and prancing and looking for more and I see Sir Gerald off his horse and flat on his back in the dirt covered by shards of my lance.

I get a hold of myself and my horse and I canter in front of where Lord Hardgrove is seated and I raise my visor.

“You still have a knight M’lord and yourself if you wish to compete I still have two lances one for each of you.”

He blanches and the knight with him that didn’t joust just nods to me. “Nicely done princess, nicely done.”

“Sir Gerald as well I felt like he hit me with the fist of a battleknight. Tell him that. Tell him if I never scored a hit like that he would have won for certain.”

I ride off and the place is cheering, the place is boiling with cheers and I wave with the remains of my lance and head back into our stabling area.

The watch sergeant in less than pleased.

“You did it now princess these Whitefist bastards will be up in arms for sure after this...they’ll want your head.”

“Then maybe if they come at me and leave others alone.”

“And you’ll get killed unless you get taken into the High King’s palace.”

“I wasn’t intending to stay in Whitehall Castle I haven’t been invited yet.”

I hear High King Boen’s voice. “Well the invitation is sincerely extended Princess Gracia.”

I bow, I actually kneel and bow on one knee like a knight for him. Especially after the things I learned about him today. “Majesty.”

We all bow and High King Boen’s looking the prisoners over.

“Well that’s good work there princess, this bunch have been getting more and more brazen all the time lately.”

“Well Majesty it was a group effort.” I grin looking at him.

“Well for what it’s worth there is a bounty on the capture of proven members of these murderers.”

“I’m a little empty for coin my lands were raided by a coward and a brigand so I’ll take that coin if that’s alright.”

“That’s perfectly fine. I do insist that you do move into Whitehall though it will be a lot closer to the courts.”

“Will I have places for my men?”

“My dear you are the daughter of Lyonnes your father was a fellow king you have ambassadorial quarters.”

“Well in that case I accept and will hang my colors there.”

There’s some serious handshakes that go on after that and we’re taking our wins and trading off our loss which is how that works sometimes and Sir Gerald’s armor and shield arrive with his squire and some other things.

I look at the squire who is waiting.

“Squire?”

“My master sends his regrets princess as he’s is still being unbent from his armor. He bade me to tell you that while new to the lists he is an experienced knight and that he was well and truly struck. To this effect he in his own honor and tradition has sent not just the ransom for his shield and colors but monies for the care of your steeds and his as well as the animal’s lineage and training notes.”

“It was an honor tilting with his, as I said it was like being struck by a battleknight.”

I don’t refuse the ransom money he sent it’s here now and it’s in hand. I didn’t ask for it but I do need whatever it is.

We exchange goods and he marches proudly back to where his party is at.

I look at the High King.

“Once we’re packed I will need time to get things from The Glade.”

“Understandable please be careful, I will send a guard with you.”

“That will be greatly appreciated.”

I’m not going to take any chances since they have tried this much here.

It is a bit of a mess getting things settled and ready and with the extra horse wagon trailers that I had to rent and then us waiting for our escort and then making our way through the crowds.

And there were too crowds one with folks booing and throwing things and then once we’re further out and into the streets there were people shouting good things and cheers and this was again more from those that the Whitefists have been victimizing.

We stop at Regalliant Arms and Armor and sell off the things that we need to with our wins. Regalliant is exactly for that it’s a resale and auction house for things from the lists and the jousts.

The owner is more than enthusiastic to see me and he begs for a flash portrait.

Exceedingly rare the flash exposes glass slides covered in a film of stuff that captures your image then a flash portrait artist presses those chemicals to paper making “photographic image.”

It took some time for it to dry but by the time my eyes were cleared i was able to add my signature to several items he wanted and I sold him one of my pennants after signing it and my broken lance from my joust with Sir Gerald.

It sounds strange but jousting has a huge following, not all of Titan is won or lost on Battleknights. In fact most fiefdoms do not have them only one in five perhaps outside of the richest kingdoms and such.

My jousting things with this being my debut and everything is going to have a special place in the market.

More if I keep it up, even more if I end up dead.

And another stop to the bank for another deposit or well deposits as I have Lord Dale Winterbrook given more funds as well as our two knights who needed in the Capital accounts and to get their books

They look surprised when they’re paid again and the horse they get to keep as well as all of that but I spread the wealth around some.

“Remember we need a list of what we can get for home. I want to pick things up as cheap as we can while we’re here.”

Then it’s to The Glade Embassy where I take the time to get out of my armor and to get into a healing bath.

Maia joins me.

It’s a celebration and it’s sort of a goodbye as well.

Sort of a goodbye, I know I’m welcome here but I’m starting a different journey.

And so is she, she’s heading East to Rosetta.

They have someone there not her but the Elves do and they’re out from hiding and tied up with my sister apparently.

There’s gifts from those I’ve met and those I’ve known better than just meeting them and most of it is clothing and some of it are artful gifts like bedding and quilts but there’s salves and dishware too and a good bow and some arrows plus there’s a lovely crate of preserves and some wine.

I do ask to use the kitchens and true to my word I bake Lord Charles Bonham a cake with vanilla in the butter cream icing and two layers with skinned and pitted date puree in between them.

The Elves being curious asked and were delighted enough that they helped me with the decorations of how the icing went on and then using another icing they showed me how to use a bag to pipe out his device on the top of it.

And even gave me a pretty box to put it into.

I ask and have another messenger eagle sent to Elizabetha with news in letters and descriptions of things and how they had gone so far and what I have done and where I will be at now.

Tyloren sends her a gift of a tome of kingdom common to elvish with definitions and the broken up how to pronounce things for her.

She’ll be right in her glory.

We say our farewells and when it was time to leave Sensei Kinsano was sitting in my carriage.

“Sensei?”

“You will still need training Princess, and I have heard many things about Whitehall castle that I wish to see up close with my old eyes.”

I smile. “You are most welcome to guest with the Principality of Lyonnes.”

I bow to him before getting back inside and we make haste off to Whitehall Castle and the palace grounds.

There’s a lot more things to do really as we’re moving into my family’s quarters.

There’s a lot of swallowing and tears as I can pretty much tell that there are things here from home. That there are things here that are picked out from my mother and my father’s hands and even before that with likely my grandparents.

Some of mothers clothes and fathers clothes are here as well as other things.

The quarters are nice and they are big as well with rooms not just for mother and father but my brothers and us as well even though there are no things in those rooms except for Stephen’s.

He lived here for a little while when he was learning his trade...my second oldest brother was a knight.

I look around and the more I see the more I cry because there’s things that I never knew about from these little tokens, to awards and these things that just...Stephen had a life here...I think he might have been meaning to leave home and come back here to it.

It makes sense here really.

Home was home and unless he was going to inherit he was the second son, the backup...he’d be running the knights and the guard, touring with our men-at-arms and all the things that a country knight does or should do. After being here and a prince even here and in peace time I’ll wager he had a life here, friends...lovers?

I end up looking for correspondences and journals and find a small organizing chest box of them and ended up falling asleep reading on his bed.

Someone covered me up.

Dale, Lord Winterbrook wakes me and it’s dark.

“Mmm…?”

“It’s morning, I figured to give you a few hours before court?”

“I missed the festivities last night?”

“I sent your apologies to the social courts given moving in. I made noises about your tiredness from the joust and finding things of your lost family and spent the evening in rekindled mourning.”

I look to the letters and things. “It’s the truth.”

He looks at me and sits on the edge of the bed. “Yes, yes it is.” Then he gives me a fatherly hug.

Which I needed.

I get up and check the clocks and there are a few hours before so I shower and then meet with Sensei who has cleared a room and we end up having a short but very intense set of sparring between open hand and foot techniques and swords until I’ve sweat drenched my practice clothes and then it’s another shower and the fancies of the day with perfume, powder and the trappings of getting ready in court and then I breakfast with Sensei over Chaikanese green tea and this custard sauce he made poured over the morning rice I’m getting used to now and some southern spices like a very odd take on the dessert rice pudding that our kitchens would make every once in awhile.

Rice, my people are going to need rice and get used to it. It’s very, very cheap here according to Sensei at the markets here and very versatile as well.

I have to think about food, supplies and new ways of doing things.

I have two bowls of rice and then once dressed I’m out with my men and we walk to the courts to be there as soon as their open.

I’ve my hair up and ribbons and hairpins and I’m wearing at the same time a sword belt and my sword to go with it and that’s causing a stir.

My dress shows the big bruise on my shoulder from Sir Gerald’s lance and I applied no make-up there...I let them see and that causes a stir too.

There are a lot more people here than before and a lot more women here that have title...even small titles seem to be here and many other close to them but not titled seen to be with them.

I’m...I’m getting quietly thanked.

Thanked for challenging this law, for defeating Whitefists and still jousting.

My heart hurts for the looks in some of these eyes here.

Just how long has this been going on or building up here?

I shake hands and get introductions as best as I can and I help them. I help them get registered the ladies with titles that can have votes in the courts and more than a few of them have no idea how to get themselves as registered voting members of the courts.

That takes most of the morning’s time before the morning business and as the lords are arriving there are a lot of looks and glances my way and to that of the ladies.

Some though, some are feisty older women and widows that have been stirred by these votes and attempts at changing their lives.

And more than one of them has said that they’ve been waiting for me.

It’s a lot of pressure but at the same time I’m in their same shoes.

Or was until I found a way out.

We all file inside and take seats and there’s a big change here from yesterday with there being several dozen more onlookers in the upper galleries and definitely more lords and other nobles that can vote and visitors as well.

Lady Aliantha and several Elves as well as nobles from other lands are here and High King Boen and his champion Lord Charles Bonham who actually smiles at me and gives me a wave.

I’m taking notes of things that I have going on in my head.

Lord Killian Hardgrove came in force not just with his knights but a bigger entourage as well and I can feel eyes on me and I see Lord Byron Dempsey there with his entourage which is pretty strongly represented with him and there’s a goodly amount of knights with him as well.

I take a breath...no time like the present.

“I issue challenge to Lord Byron Dempsey who has accused my good name of witchery and had that defeated under godsworn blood oath before clerics, the gods the elves and the High King Himself and had before that sought my unlawful arrest as well had stuck me without due cause.”

Lord Dempsey blanches and looks utterly shocked as does everyone in the place and even though Lord Charles Bonham was shocked as well he steps forward and he says loudly. “Heard and witnessed! I saw the blow struck with my own eyes!”

The Master Justice who was entering looked up. “Will you swear to that champion!”

“Yes Master Justice! On my shield and given time I can call upon staff as witnesses!”

“Challenge granted!” he bangs his gavel. “Lord Byron Dempsey do you question these charges and claims?”

“Not at all Master Justice I was doing as I thought right by the gods and by our United realms!”

“Will you meet the challenge?”

“I will not I will take the fines.”

“Noted and ruled! One thousand pieces of silver and two hundred golds to be paid to the princess of Lyonnes.”

I say. “I accept the ruling Master Justice.”

That’s a relief and it’s also monies that I’ll need and Lord Dempsey is looking at me and hurling hate my way but that’s alright...he hates me anyway.

I’m always going to have to be careful when it comes to anything with him.

We all get seated the clerk pages and squires do the announcing of the start of court and then things get up onto the docket.

Most I don’t have opinions on a lot of it is trade and taxes between member realms and fiefs and while I don’t have opinions on it all I take notes so I can get more familiar with things.

Then it comes up to the re-vote on the rights of women and holding of property and their guardianship under the closest male relative or appointed guardian and it gets voted down soundly.

Lord Hardgrove and Lord Dempsey had brought their noble allies in to pad the votes and we win with some unexpected votes changing sides from last time and the addition of all of the women of title voting as well.

We won quite handily too with sixteen votes more than our opposition.

This is settled for the year at least.

Any votes of law that are soundly made for yeay or nay cannot be voted on once settle for the span of one year and one day.

This was enacted to keep repeated versions of that proposed law or votes against it from clogging up the courts. Clogged courts mean nobles and rulers being too tied up with court to be back in their lands to care and manage and rule them effectively.

The men that wanted this are decidedly unpleased as our side breaks into applause.

We stay the whole time or at least I do as Lord Hardgrove leaves after four or five more cases and Lord Dempsey left with his entourage very upset right after the voting had decided the manner.

I learn a few things while I’m there about procedures and what you need to do and how to act in the legal courts and a court page brings me the receipt of the monies transferred into my accounts here.

Then I am met as we leave for lunch by several servants of those ladies that left and they have wished to meet with me I make arrangements to have them escorted or to meet me at my quarters here in the evening and I extend the offers to the ladies still with me.

For those ladies I go with them to the dining hall for the palace and for myself and others it is a first for many of us. Dale and out knights flank us and there are a few looks by some of the nobles and knights here and there like they want to strike me across the side of my face but to do so is to get past my men.

The dining hall isn’t high table here but where people come to eat during the day’s tasks and times here and it’s less than high table court but still busy all the same.

There’s sit down eating with servers and then a serve yourself line with trays and I head there.

Apparently the women with me were not expecting that and some had to turn themselves around to rejoin us.

Even home, even as a princess getting lunch was often a trip to the great hall where food was laid out.

And you served yourself unless we had company.

The food here is wide and varied with dishes from everywhere that have made it here and are popular.

I get a large bowl of a salad and heap extra tomatoes on them. I love tomatoes and they have the hard to ship smaller ones here and I get a mug of broth, a heaping bowl of rice done in a southern style called pilaf and several skewers of vegetables and grilled meats and a water glass.

Some of the women are staring at me. One says. “So much?”

“I’m in training and I’m learning a woman that’s not taking care of herself isn’t much good for herself or her people.”

“But...you’ll get fat?”

“Good, look you don’t see commoner girls obsessing over being dolls or trained to it. We’re groomed to be decorations far more than we’re not and this last bunch of laws reflect that. They want our titles or lands and monies they want our bodies for pleasure and children but do they want us? Do they want our opinions?”

There’s nods and some frowns and some of the older women are nodding and several of them are eating well with me. One says. “That’s precisely it and what’s been going on forever. It’s one thing for us to cleave to our natures and be mothers and such but to just be a tool for these men that are coming about now well that’s going to lead to women being cast aside when we’re all used up.”

We end up talking and talking about the plight of women and while we have it bad here we have it good compared to other places and how important it is to hold onto it.

We return to court and we spend time together learning.

We vote too that afternoon three times for the rights on guilds to set common prices for their works throughout the united realms and for the guilds to set rules as to the safety conditions of their trades and we vote for the allowance of guild banks to be started.

Guild banks mean that you can pay the guilds directly for their peoples works. Those opposed are part of the banking and money lending trade and have good reasons to fear people placing monies in trust of others as that earns them less coins.

It was argued that guilds with their own banks could keep trades aloft longer with loans and the like through hard times.

That was why I voted yea on that.

After court we were met and thanked by several guild representatives and I’m given cards...with names on them of who and what they do and their addresses of their places of work.

The other women are being spoken to as well and in talking I find out that there are some women strong guilds like Seamstress and Weavers as well as those for Healers nurses and Midwives.

I’m doing that when people are pushed aside having slipped through the crowds and I’m struck in my chest with a leather gauntlet. “Slattern! I challenge you to a duel at arms!”

He’s a young man and a knight and he has two fellows with him.

“I accept, lead on.”

“What?”

“Lead on where are the blade courts?”

“What now?” He looks confused.

“No, not now unless that’s allowed but at the weapon courts.”

He looks confused and angry. “You’re insulting me, belittling my intelligence! This way!”

“You dubbed me slattern and I don’t know you but yes let’s.”

We’re followed by my people and others as we’re drawing a crowd and the weapons courts are not far away and usually they’re for training and practicing but there are places here where challenges of arms are wrought here.

By tradition you lose your sword and ten silvers as it’s actually common for duels here, much more than the lists and there’s no votes involved.

There is a judge to take the notes and pages and the like.

He’s Sir Pellas Chime and he’s offended that I bear a sword in which women should not be able to do.

“That’s not a crime Judge and he dubbed me slattern I want satisfaction and an increased charge for his hubris and insult to my house, my men, my gender.”

The judge there nods. “Fairly sought, young knight you should keep your opinions on another’s virtue silent unless you have proof.”

He blusters. “She wearing a sword, she’s a woman!”

The judge says. “And not against the laws. Forty silvers if you lose.”

“And if she doesn’t win?” He says.

“Nothing you make your point, to revoke her blade rights you’ll have to take that up in kingdom courts.”

“Fine!”

The judge looks at me. “Princess?”

“I accept your ruling Judge.”

We meet at the dueling court and he eschews padding and a buckler and pulls his sword and I do the same but stay in my dress and that angers him and when the page for the court gives signal he comes at me.

There’s three ways you win a duel first by points three touches that could draw blood or do draw blood wooden swords are used just as much as live steel. Two forcing your opponent offside equals points scored each time and a disarming is an automatic loss or a win if you do it to them.

I breathe as he’s coming at me and he seems so slow compared to the elves and Sensei. I sidestep his swing, his second swing his third I open hand slap the flat of his blade as it goes past and hard so it drops him off balance and I spin around his armed side and turn and take all that power from the turn, my legs, my hips and I punch him in the temple very, very hard as I was taught.

There’s a gasp as he crumples unconscious.

And silence until the page clues in an d rings the bell three times.

The judge says. “Princess it’s a dueling court next time perhaps draw your sword?”

“That was the plan Judge.”

Right there and then I’m challenged by both of his friends as I dishonoured their compatriot by not drawing steel.

I accept each one and those times I draw steel.

They’re longer duels with them being somewhat more careful and yet their footwork isn’t like mine, their training isn’t like mine and I’m faster.

It’s energy again...the sword will go where you aim it but every parry makes different energy and you don’t fight that force you use it as best as you can. You use the power the energy in your body with posture and movement as your sword is an extension of you...your strength sure affects things but so does body weight, balance, momentum and shifting that around...that’s fighting.

And all my trainers pretty much fought this way, some are masters of this like Sensei Kinsano or Elves who have trained in this too for the gods and light knows how long and have Elven strength and speed along with it.

Yes, a lot of folks would be scared but Elves are stronger than us and faster too….more lovely and long lived they’re better than us in a lot of ways.

But they have their own faults and weaknesses.

Five in total challenge me and they’re trying to wear me down and hurt me so I started using throws to take them out from the dueling floor and offside when they lock blades with me.

I use open hand blows in my free hand and drop the last one with a palm striking uppercut when he came with a diving hawk’s arc with his sword and used live steel to do it. That’s a fast two handed downward stroke that would have killed me or at the least had the intent of him overpowering me.

I blocked his sword with mine and he was building power to shove me off my feet and that’s when I tilted my wrist letting him push my blade off and down and I drove my palm up under his chin and I heard the crunch of jaws and teeth fell when he did spilling out on the floor.

I was mad enough and hot and sweaty and tired that I glared at those that might be there to challenge me.

There’s no other challengers.

I collect my monies and their swords and head to my quarters and got ready for my company to come ordering things for them from the kitchens.

Dale had been staring at me.

“What?”

“Shane was never that good with a sword. I’m not that good with a sword.”

“Two long months of training with Sensei Kinsano and Elves will do that to you.”

Sir Winslet says. “You’ll be challenged more once words gets round of today there’ll be those looking to school you on not using anything but blades no hands and such.”

Sir Tanley says. “You fight like Kingsguard, there’ll be some that’ll come for you for that maybe.”

Dale says. “Well I’ll be honored to fight and be trained by you Princess. Hell’s today...today was like me feeling like I was under a knight master again for the first time in a long time.”

Okay that has me blushing and I head off to wash and get cleaned up.

Sensei has things in my room setting them on my desk there. “You have mail. Many letters and boxes from people Princess.”

There is a lot of them and some of them are not very fancy.

Sensei looks at me. “You lost your temper there, control grasshopper control, you must have control.”

“Yes Sensei.”

“Come before you have guests get cleaned and we will do reiki.”

I go and wash using the shower and he performs reiki on me which is a form of laying on hands and energy medicine with pressure points that treat various humors throughout one’s body.

I’m no where close to doing these things at all but they certainly help as does the herbal ointments he rubs in to ease my aches and pains and tensions.

I slip into some of the very comfortable Elven clothing a nice thin strapped dress and brassiere along with their very comfortable underpants and I head out and meet the pages with the foods and my guests as they arrive.

My quarters fill up quite fast and we even move some furniture out of the way for more seating and we eat little nibbles and we talk.

I talk about Lyonnes what home was like, what happened there.

I openly tell them of Aunt Aurora and remind them of what she did to stop her tyrant father to side with all of us.

I talk of her accused “coven” of Haven Hill that was a sanctuary for women not just witches or hedge witches but just women and children hiding from abuse or from people that hated them for being independent women or learned women.

And they talk to me.

About the Whitefists, about their abuses and how things have been getting worse here in the capital but also with other realms.

There’s a lot to talk about like what guilds favor women, what guilds favor outsiders.

We talk about the poor and those that come here seeking better lives in the seat of the united realms and the home of knights, chivalry and the code.

We talk well past acceptable bedtimes and Past midnight and I ask for escorts home for my guests by castle guards and men-at-arms under the rules of hospitality and the code.

The Captain on the guard post closest to me nodded and smiled and after a message to the training master on the nights shift they rolled out pages and squires to do their chivalrous duty in the late hours as oft happened in real life.

I was leaving and he smiled. “I look forward to hopefully crossing blades or tilting with you Princess. I’d be honored with any matches. It’s been a long time since we’ve had anyone like you here but I remember watching Lady Oleander here as a page.”

“Who?”

“The last lady knight of the realms.”

“Oh...I will have to look into her. Was she respected?”

“She was, she was the only woman to carry a blade here with your father and the High King.”

“What happened to her?”

“She retired after all of that to her steading just north of the city.”

“Steading? Not estate?”

“Go find her princess and you’ll see.”

I thank him and head back to my rooms and after getting a few things cleaned up I fall asleep after reading some of the things sent to me.

The next day comes too fast as Sensei wakes us all before dawn and I have a mixture of his herbals and then stim-leaf tea mixed with green tea and a few leftovers.

Then it’s training with stretches then open hand training and sparring with Sensei very hard and fast while my men wake up.

A cool down and more meditation as my men get ready and then we head out into the dawn’s misty mornings to the training yards for a long run with myself wearing weights and seeing others there being serious and doing the same.

Then there’s a stint at the lifting bars and the weighted pulleys in that yard and then a half glass of sword drills and sparring with Dale, Winslet and Tanley as well as two other men that were respectful then we head off to the tilting yards and help exercise the horses there by running drills with the rings and the quintains.

By eighth glass we’ve eaten in the dining hall and are off and ready for the day sweeping down to the courts to check the dockets and the notes then it’s back to my quarters.

I spend time reading and writing back to those that sent me these things and they range from gifts and tokens to letters with stories and how seeing me helped them or made them feel like someone was looking out for them.

There’s even a little bit of money.

And there are pleas for help.

They’re not all monetary pleas either.

That has me thinking all of the day.

This becomes my week….train, spar, train, tilt training.

Going to the courts in the morning to check the dockets.

I don’t attend high table instead sending my regrets politely as I’m training as reading and studying.

Going through Stephen’s things and reading.

Sending out letters to his friends and former lovers of the attack and his passing and introducing myself. Some lovers and close friends I send them a few small things of his like handkerchiefs or his personal patches as keepsakes.

I write back some of those common folk that I can that wrote me.

I spend time in the archives and the library in the early afternoons by nights and evening it’s with the court ladies talking the things we want to change and even discussing the docket cases and laws to get informed.

Then on Fithday by lunch I’ve headed out to secure storage for my house through the royal storehouses and was surprised to see that we have a store room from my family and that father and mother had things stored here as well as Stephen.

My parents had well stored cloth and blank bound books and things for teaching and that school that Aliantha and High King Boen talked of with the Meritas and there was seeds here stored for the various gardens and grains that we might have started all from past trips here.

Stephan had things he won in jousts and tourneys here that he stored here ranging from shields and tabards of those he bested to swords and weapons, lances and saddles, barding, armor and all those things that a fairly successful lancer would have built up.

We clean things out to sell, we look through what we should keep then we head out with a wagon to sell the things that he had we don’t need and to return the items of honor to the houses of the knights he bested and some places are rude and some are friendly and sympathetic to my losses and his death.

We go through the poorer quarters of the city too and I buy things...bread, apples and hand out those and more coppers than was likely wise to those asking for alms.

I spend money there buying the things we need for my lands.

There’s a real difference in spending coin at a smithy for nails for example when a high street smith would charge you four times the prices for the novelty of the neighborhood and their sign.

I can get more and give my custom here.

Where it’s dearly needed.

And I buy as much as I can find that we need here….hire three lads and a girl about my age from the streets to lift and carry and watch our goods.

Get leather right from the tanners in person and get charcoal from the burners sons and daughters hard, hard work and it smells and I ignore that to meet the folks selling and making things.

Eat streetboil soup and sausages grilled on a pot of rough coals with my men and hires in the streets.

And give back my good turn of things by the light and the gods.

Food and coin...father said if you can food and coin.

Food can fill a belly so that little coin would buy just a little bit of dignity.

You can’t put a price on simple dignity.

It also took a long time before I find a young man dressed as a beggar looking a bit too fit for being a beggar.

I give him a bread loaf and a few coppers and lock eyes with him.

“Tell Him I need a meeting.”

He stares at me.

We lock eyes for a minute or three.

“I’m Jack.”

“I’m Grace.”

“Not your title?”

“Titles aren’t actually the people Jack.”

He smiles then kisses my hand then he walks away. “I’ll let Him know.”

Him… is The Rogue, the master of the thieves.

He and I need to make an accord.

I’m going to ask him into The Meritas.