Chapter (1): Honor

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The sky of Riva was pouring. This small town of Greenwood rarely was found interesting.

In the forest at the edge of the small town, the sound of a hammer hitting the hot iron was echoing around and made a harmony with the sky's roar that could seep into ears. Even the noise could warm the heart in the rough and wild cold of winter's first days. Tensed and strong muscles of a smith man were playing with fire and iron.

Two younglings were fighting with swords inside the courtyard, showing off their skills. One girl, one boy!

Ouch!

The girl slipped on the mud. Her fine white dress was already painted with unpleasant colors that could only be found in such a dirty yard on the floor of the forest. Who would believe that the James baronial mansion was just in the middle of the forest?

Another girl who was a bit older was watching them standing by the doorway. Not more than twelve springs she had met. She smiled gently. She was wearing an excellent long white dress as her sister. Her blue eyes sparked out stars. The gust clawed her blond hair back and the teasing cold made her keep the shawl tighter. Solemnly, her eyes were following the other two.

They were the daughters of Lord Lucas James who came a long way to spend their dead mother's memorial day with their uncle.

Luna was wondering how her sister, Elizabeth, was held by this cold to smash down their cousin, Ryan. It was foolish to beat him when their uncle trained him well enough to kick down a grown man. Elizabeth was pride and such a fall could tease her for days.

"Kid me not, Elizabeth! Get up, clean your face. My father wouldn't like this."

Ryan was uttering the words with a mocking tone. He thought that he had become a man but to Elizabeth, he was still a young bleating goat, feeding on breasts in his dreams, yet. He was trying to hide that the steel sword of his father was heavy, pretending to have guts not to harm his own ass.

His sneer got expanded, Elizabeth bit her downward lip while he leaned onward, his chin on the sword's hilt, she clenched her fist, holding a full hand of mud among her black fingers. Her pale skill was wholly concealed under the slit. She raised her head from the ground, spat out the mud from her mouth, tending to move ahead and throwing the rest that she kept in her fist.

Luna read her sister's expression and frowned but remained mute, to see how much her sister can go further. It was the dark side of Elizabeth and Luna but she couldn't harm people even in games while Elizabeth didn't mind and just wanted to win.

Elizabeth splashed the silt into Ryan's face. He stepped backward, dropped the sword to clean his face, especially his eyes that now were burning by dirt not the speed of raindrops.

"You are cheating!" He cried out.

She made a face and slipped on the mud, hitting Ryan's ankle. He slipped and hit the forest floor by the back. He roared.

"You are fighting out of honor." He nagged.

Elizabeth grinned, shifting on her feet, she kept the sword's tip on his neck. The disgusting taste of slit was strolling in her mouth, glued between her teeth. She had no worries if a man never dared to kiss her one day because of being messy.

"And you fight with a big bloated head, cousin."

Her brown eyes glinted. Baring her teeth, she rubbed Ryan's sword away with a kick. Putting back her sword into the sheath, she extended her dirty hand to Ryan. He smacked her hand back and narrowed his eyebrows. His blue eyes sharpened in a threatening manner.

"No need of a girl's aid."

He was getting to his feet and not yet prepared for the next position.

Elizabeth smirked archly while stepping back to the smithery, blurted, "perhaps uncle would prize me for beating you! I crave a dagger!"

It was always pleasing her to tease him this way and would earn a new weapon to add it to her luxury collection. She ran to the smithery before Ryan was able to stop her.

Luna sighed and lazily left her lean off the wall, walking after them, yet she was enjoying the roof of the doorway which was stretching overhead and protecting her from drenching.

Inside the smithery, Elizabeth was gasping when she halted near their uncle, a bulky man with wavy dark blond hair that was tied up his head. Sweat was dripping down his forehead when he was hitting the molten steel. The drop fell on the lash of flaring steel and steamed up. The sound of the hammer, hitting the sword and anvil both devoured every coming sound from outside.

She had no words to describe how she praised him. He was the strongest one in her mind.

Uncle Miguel was even better than her Lord father who spent life in the court among some proud Peacock courtiers that even didn't bother to brush their hairs with their own useless soft hands.

She heaved out a breath, shoving the gasp down. Her uncle was continuing his job.

"What else do you want, you, wicked princess?"

She made her sword leaning back to the table which was full of tools that were neatly placed on it.

She wrung her fingers behind her. Mischievously, she shuffled beside him, keeping distance not to disturb him but eyeing how he did beat the steel.

"I gained another triumph!"

Her uncle gripped the tong tightly and tossed the piece inside the bucket of water.

He peeked at her, then took the raw sword out again, putting it on the anvil.

"Why do you always cheat on my poor son! Should not have you gained it with honor, blade kissing blade?"

He began hitting it again.

"Yes, but I use my brain to evaluate the situation and win. He can do so!" She shrugged.

The answer was satisfying to her uncle. He smiled and stopped.

Looking at her, he pointed to a shelf on the wall where the amazing well-forged daggers were placed on it.

"Be careful, they are the new ones, extremely sharp. I made only three of them. They can tear the thickest skin."

Her face flourished.

"For all of us?" She didn't wait for the answer and flashed to the wall that her uncle pointed out. Just calculating them to be assured they were made for three of them.

Uncle Miguel gazed outside where Luna and Ryan were talking.

"Come in son, I saw everything."

Miguel was assured that his son felt disgraceful and it was hard for him to step inside that place and face his father. The dignity of his little man that moments before got broken.

They followed the rough voice that summoned them inside. Luna smiled at her uncle. Miguel's blue eyes glinted, this time hadn't the hard look that he was wearing a while before when he hit the steel, now very soft and smooth.

"Kids, watch this! We have three daggers with the badge of our kin, carved on the end of hilts, Heads of Griffins." Elizabeth shouted out excitedly.

Luna's eyes drew teary, it was saying that he spent days and nights making such arts, she rushed forward and hugged him.

"Gods' sake, darling! I smell like a pig!"

She shook her head. The twelve years old girl had the same idea as her younger sister but she had no fear of showing her emotions, unlike Ell.

She released him and gazed up into his eyes, "this scent comes out of the God of art and perseverance. The filthy court of Belingtone didn't deserve a man like you."

He wanted to caress her head but loathed to cause this muse any dirt.

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