Beauty and Grace

"The knights that serve under your father live and train on the estate in an annex building on the other side of the grounds," Norman explains as the group walks around. "Our job is to guard the duke whenever he goes out as well as go on missions that the duke assigns to us."

Ruby carefully looks at everything that she passes by.

"My Lady, would you like to watch the knights practice?" Norman asks, pointing at a door.

"Yes, I would like that."

"Okay! Make sure you watch your step. The knights can be a bit rough during practice."

"You better watch your step because if the Young Lady gets hurt, I will personally see to your punishment," Raynold strongly advises as he glares at Norman.

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

Norman opens the door exposing a room bustling with the sound of swords clashing and men screaming. The group enter the room and stand off to the side, allowing Ruby to observe the knights practicing. Ruby stares in amazement at the site in front of her. She watches as the knights skillfully dance around their sparring partners in a fight for bragging rights. However, one by one, the knights begin to notice Ruby who openly shows her first emotion.

"Hey, Ray! Who's the kid?" one of the knights asks.

"Did you have your own child and not tell us?"

"You better get her out of here. The duke will get mad when he finds out that you brought a child to the estate."

Realizing that the knights have taken sight of Ruby, Raynold steps forward. "Show your respect, knights. The child in front of you is the lady of the house, Ruby Stoneborne."

Surprised, the knights don't know whether Raynold is joking or not, so they are unsure of what to do.

"Kneel before the Princess of Stoneborne, knights! Or would you rather be dead?" Raynold sends a chilling stare at the knights similar to that of Duke Nicholas which causes the knights to immediately kneel down before Ruby.

"We greet Lady Ruby, the Princess of Stoneborne," the knights announce.

"Good afternoon, knights of the Eternal Stone. It's a pleasure to meet you." Ruby does a small curtsy out of habit that she learned during the first portion of her estate tour when Norman quickly stands her back up.

"There is no need to bow to us knights, my Lady. We are not of high enough rank to receive such a greeting. A simple hello will be more than enough if it is coming from you."

"But I was taught to bow to everyone as a form of greeting."

"Lady Ruby, bowing in front of the workers is only needed during the first meeting. After that, like what Sir Norman says, a simple greeting will suffice," Professor Brian corrects. "You only have to bow during your meeting with other nobles and Their Majesties, the king and queen."

"Why?"

Raynold and Professor Brian exchange a quick look of confusion as this is the first time anyone has ever openly questioned the noble etiquette.

"My Lady, you are of noble birth," Raynold begins to explain. "The knights here along with the other workers and even myself are all of common birth. Those of us of common birth hold no significant power in the kingdom which is why it is not needed to bow to us during every meeting. However, those of noble birth hold a lot of power which is why they are treated better as to respect the position they hold."

"But I came out of a-"

Raynold quickly covers Ruby's lips with his finger. "You are of noble birth. You must remember that. The daughter of the duke will always be the most important woman in the kingdom, only second to the queen. Does that help explain the difference between common and noble birth?"

Ruby nods her head, so Raynold stands back up.

"Excuse me, my Lady," Norman interrupts. "I couldn't help but notice that you were very fascinated with the knights during their practice. Are you by chance interested in learning swordsmanship?"

"Norman! A Lady is too delicate for-"

"Can I?" Ruby asks, interrupting Raynold's complaint.

"But, Miss Ruby, swordsmanship is not an easy thing to learn and takes years and long hours of practice."

"Father says that I pick up things that are taught to me very quickly, so I should be able to wield a sword just as well as the knights."

"But you can get seriously injured, and the duke will be really sad."

"You said that Father would be happy if I learned new things, though."

-Miss Ruby! You're not making this easy for me, are you?- Raynold sighs to himself. -The duke will probably kill me if he heard that you wanted to learn swordsmanship.-

"How about when we go back to the mansion for your lunch with the duke, we ask him what he thinks about you learning swordsmanship?"

"That's fine with me."

"You really got your work cut out for you, huh?" Norman whispers to Raynold as Raynold takes hold of Ruby's hand.

"I just might," Raynold defeatedly agrees as the group starts to make their way out of the knights' ground.

---

"So how was your tour around the estate? Did you learn more about the work that the people here do?"

"The tour was nice. I got to meet the maids that take care of the mansion, the cooks who make our meals, and the gardeners who tend to the plants outside. I also got to meet the knights which was very fascinating."

Duke Stoneborne chuckles a bit. "Fascinating? What could those knights possibly be doing that is so fascinating? They are supposed to be practicing."

"The dance that they were doing as they practiced was incredibly graceful and beautiful to watch."

"Graceful and beautiful, you say? They are just a bunch of sweaty men who do their job when told."

Ruby looks down at her plate momentarily when the duke notices her silence.

-Normally, I would be enjoying the silence that a child brings when she closes her mouth- the duke thinks -but I have a feeling that she wants to say something but won't say it which is much more annoying.-

Duke Stoneborne puts his fork and knife down and looks over at Ruby.

"If there is something that you wish to say, say it now. I have very little patience for those who keep their thoughts inside while outwardly showing that something troubles them."

"After I watched the knights practice, I was wondering if I could learn swordsmanship, so I wanted to ask for your permission to do so."

"You wish to learn swordsmanship? You haven't even completed etiquette class let alone any of your other classes."

"I am able to pick up things quickly, so it should not be a problem. If you are worried that it will interfere with my studies, I will ensure that I keep a schedule that will allow me to equally focus on each one."

The duke stares at Ruby, dumbfounded at the sudden brashness compared to the extremely quiet morning. He gives off a light chuckle and shakes his head in disbelief.

"Ruby, you have made me laugh twice in one sitting due to your unpredictability. Not many people are able to make me even think of laughing. I will agree to your request since you assume that the knights are graceful and beautiful. I would like to see if you can keep that thought as you practice alongside them."

"Thank you, Father."

-No way- Raynold gasps as he stands behind the duke. -He really did agree to Miss Ruby's request. Wasn't he the one that said that he will have the professor's head if she gets hurt? Now, he's letting her practice with the knights where she will most definitely get injured? What on earth is he thinking?-

"We will meet with the knights tomorrow morning after breakfast. I will cancel your class for tomorrow as I also have to take you to get fitted for your clothes. I feel embarrassed as the duke when I see you wearing commoner's clothing. You will be representing the Duchy of Stoneborne as my daughter whenever you go out, so you must look the part."

"Yes, Father. I understand."

"Good. The rest of the afternoon today will be towards your other two classes."

---

"The Order of the Eternal Stone greets His Grace and the Princess!"

"Knights, I have a mission for you that will determine your adequacy and your position in the Order. My daughter wishes to learn swordsmanship. She claims that after watching your practice yesterday, the knights were, in her words, 'graceful and beautiful.' Your mission is to see that she is proficiently taught the basics in one month. If you deem that she has surpassed the basics before the one month mark, you may take it upon yourself to teach her more advanced skills. Do not be afraid to be rough with her. She has agreed to be treated as a knight apprentice during her training. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Your Grace!"

"Training will be every morning before breakfast and every evening before dinner," Duke Stoneborne reminds Ruby. "The day time is dedicated to your school and etiquette lessons. Do not let one interfere with the other."

"Yes, Father."

"Good."