A Knight in Rusty Armor (and in love)

[2] To See the Light

Most of the Knights don't wander too far into town once they're dismissed. Instead, they stay on the castle grounds, where only "official" merchants and high-ranking people are allowed. The area is a bustle and the chatter of excited locals is constant.

Elias is presented a portrait of himself painted by a really impressive artist. He's going on and on about how incredible it is and how proud he'll be to hang it in his family home, and the painter is so overwhelmed with happiness that she looks like she could pass out. Victor, of the House of Thorncloak, buys some ominous-looking items from a local witch. Knowing witches, though, they could just be good luck charms... they're pretty committed to their aesthetic. The Wormwood boy, Samuel, peruses weaponry and seems very interested in acquiring a small bow. I'm abysmal with long-range weapons, so I won't even bother going over there.

Besides all the shopping and gift-giving, there's a decent bard playing for tips that a couple of the Knights have decided to watch, and a few kids have been allowed into the castle walls because they have dignified families. To my surprise, dignified and rich aren't synonymous here. One of the kids, for instance, seems to be the son of a fisherman in town that feeds all of his scraps to stray animals despite not having enough money to adopt any pets. It's a refreshing change.

I managed, somehow, to "befriend" another guy that looks to be about my age. He seems less invested in this than the people like Victor and Samuel.

"It's not that I hate being a Knight or anything. And my family's not especially traditional," he explains. "It's just not my full-time plan, y'know? As soon as I've competed in a few good tournaments and made my father proud, I'll step down to focus on what I really want to do."

Must be nice, I think with a flare of jealousy.

"And what is it that you want to do?"

"I want to be a scribe, actually. My great-uncle— Uncle Obadiah— is the current one. It's why my family seems to know so much about everything. He gets to see and hear all the good stuff, and he has access to all the records."

I nod along. It makes sense. And that would explain why the scribe smiled at him— because Ezekiel is his nephew and he's proud of him.

"...Your family supports you in that?"

"Why wouldn't they?"

"...Just asking."

I keep my frown to myself. There no use in dragging Ezekiel down with me.

Ezekiel is from the House of Cromwell. They're another intellectual family, but they're more business-minded and practical than snooty and condescending like the Wormwoods. Cromwells typically attend good colleges and go into the medical field or become historians when they're finished with their Knighthood careers. They're not the best at winning tournaments and rarely survive the early rounds, but they're respectable enough to make up for that. I'm glad to have a Cromwell on my side.

"Tell me more about the other Knights," I manage to say after an awkward silence. "I know plenty about the local families, but not much about the contestants themselves or the other families."

"Well..." He looks around to make sure that no one can hear him, and then he decides where he should begin. He gestures at Victor Thorncloak. "The first thing you should know about Victor is that he's exactly what you think he is. He's a brute. His family often gets paid to take certain people out. They left the code of chivalry behind ages ago in favor of money and power, and rumor has it that they're well-versed in the dark arts and secretive assassination techniques. So be on your guard around him."

"Got it." I'd expected as much.

"The same applies to Samuel in that he's what his family wants him to be. He's cunning. If he ever offers you help or guidance, don't listen. He's probably trying to set you up so that you get yourself taken out of the running. He'll lay traps where you least expect them, and he won't feel bad about it."