ONE STEP AT A TIME (2)

A thick forest separated the trio from Dagur Hill.

They had left Danoba at dawn and by the time they reached the forest the sun had set.

Darkness beckons. No one but Night, with tears on her dark face, watches over me in this dark place. Arial remembered the prayer from the Dark Book of the Dark God.

The moment the sun set, the light was sucked from the forest, although they were in no immediate danger; the training knights were regularly sent into the forest to kill any dangerous wild animals as part of their tests, so there were very few, if any, left.

Still, Arial knew better than to underestimate the dangers.

Night is watching. Darkness beckons. It is at night evils emerge and desires stir, so give light.

"We'll camp here," Arial said, commanding the siblings, and pulled his horse to a halt.

Lisa and Kyle bickered as they set up their tents, while Arial began preparing dinner.

"Not that way! That way Lisa" Kyle admonishing his sister on the position of her tents.

"Why do you care? It's my tent. So annoying, Brother"

"I'm your Brother. It is my sacred duty to be annoying. Now turn the tent"

"Fine!" Lisa said clearly doesn't like it when she is lectured by her brother.

Arial looked at this exchange and chuckles.

What should he whip up for dinner? There is onion and eggs and apples and a whole lot of other fruits and herbs.

Did their parents think they are going to go camping? He chuckled a bit.

He searched through the pile of food his parents had packed, and spotted a plump pumpkin.

"Hey guys, how about pumpkin soup?" Arial called to the squabbling siblings. Their faces instantly brightened.

"Do we have salt?" Lisa asked.

"Wait a minute," Arial tossed aside more packages.

"Yeah, I found it."

"That's perfect" Kyle shouted.

Sparking a fire, Arial began cooking.

He looks around him and his thought drifted a bit

Perhaps they would arrive at the Academy by the afternoon, he thought.

The soup was cooked as the tents were finally standing, and they all sat down to eat.

"How is it? Delicious?" Arial asked watching their reaction

"Superb" Kyle said.

"Good" Lisa reply

Then they chatted aimlessly around the campfire until the mood grew stale, and Arial pulled a box from his knapsack.

Kyle and Lisa stared at it blankly.

"I brought Chatur," said Arial cheerfully.

He was met with more blank stares.

"Chatur? What's that?" Kyle and Lisa both said in unison.

Arial remembered that Chatur was usually only played in noble houses.

He had learned to play the game during his lonely years at Vern Empire and had developed a fondness for it.

It is a game of kings and queens. Arial however like the various permutation, the infinite combination of moves and the strategical beauty of it

Arial showed them the pieces.

There was a set of white pieces and a set of dark pieces: The Tower, which depicted the face of Alan, Levitia the Gallant Knight, the Councilor Zhu Ar Zur, Alexander the King, Leliana as the Queen, Duvan Renasi the thief, there is the assassin depicted in the wood carvings as Shrouded Man, and Hippolia, holding a bow.

This is the strong pieces, the important pieces.

There were also four infantry soldiers and four cavalry soldiers to guard the other 8 of the pieces.

The dark pieces were similar, but in the King's place stood Mikael Mournstar, the Queen Selina Mournstar.

Instead of eight pieces of depiction of heroes like the white pieces the eight pieces represent the eight powerful races in the Dark Lands.

The Orcs, The Demon Lords, the fairies, the merman, The Giants, The Dwarves, the elves and the dragons.

Though dragons are no longer sighted in Human Continent. A group of Dragon Slayer during the Purge kills almost all the dragons that reside in Human Continent.

"It looks beautiful," said Lisa, gazing in awe at the carvings.

"Yes, it supposed to be" Arial said smiling

"So how do we play?" asked Kyle.

They spent the rest of their evening playing Chatur. Lisa was a fast learner and easily beat her brother five times.

"Again!" Kyle said fiercely.

"I'm tired, brother. Let's go to sleep, we have to wake early tomorrow." Kyle was incensed they couldn't go again but Lisa words are true.

"I'll take the first watch," said Arial.

Kyle sighed in frustration, but relented.

They both bid Arial goodnight and retreated to their tents.

Arial patrolled the campsite alone, contemplating the coming day. He also used his internal energy to stream energy to his senses to make it easier for him to detect any suspicious movement.

Tomorrow they would arrive at the Academy.

He had only heard about it before, and was excited about finally seeing it in person.

What would it look like?

He'd heard they had all kinds of weapons there. Considering the place's history, and the people that served there that wasn't really surprising.

Arial couldn't calm his fluttering heart.

He had taken the first step.

He need to quickly get acknowledged by the Knight Master and then he could return. Once he returns he will train the men, now surely they are willing to be train by a Knight.

They will then accompany him to the Bleeding Wall and be the vanguard against the Dark Lands.

That is the plan.

Mortal plans, but it is God that decides. Suddenly that passage comes to his mind.

'No, my plan will come to fruition' he muttered to himself

Arial thought once again about what knighthood would mean for his plans.

Gaining the title would not make a man a lord, although many knights eventually became lords.

It was considered a middle-step between noble-born lords and commoners.

A commoner can be knighted for valorous service in battle, but the title is not hereditary.

A knighted commoner would usually start out as a "hedge knight", a freelancer not bound in allegiance to a specific lord.

But training at the Academy would earn Arial a place in the Order of Alan, and an entirely different level than basic knights.

Low Lords and High Lords are always searching capable Knights to guard them from assassination attempts or danger in general.

Who is better than the Order of Alan Knights with their famed Knights of Olds?

The next step up for a prospective knight is to become a "sworn sword", sworn to the service of a particular lord.

This Arial would not do. His objectives have always been and will always be the protection of his city.

But he thought maybe Lisa and Kyle could become this if they are exceptional in Knight training. Maybe he tells them about this path if they show that they can handle the stress.

Governing is not easy.

Power corrupts and absolute power?

Absolute power corrupts absolutely

Beyond this step, a sworn sword may become a "landed knight" if his lord rewards him with land for his service, typically a smallholding, large farm or small manor with servants.

Well, Arial family has many lands all over Danoba. Maybe after the training he could persuade his father to grant Kyle or Lisa lands and in service of his family.

But there is a difference between a "landed knight" and a "minor lord".

The difference is often very subtle, as some landed knights may actually be wealthier and more powerful than minor lords whose families have fallen on hard times.

However, the vital distinction is that only a "lord" legally possesses the power of justice, which a landed knight does not.

Arial sat, and dreamed of his possibilities.

After three hours Arial woke Kyle for his turn to take watch.

Arial climbed into his own tent, lay his head on the pillow his mother had made for him the year before, and prayed again.

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