The afternoon sun bathed the interior gardens of the royal palace in a golden glow. The leaves danced to the rhythm of a gentle breeze, and echoes of impact from sword training echoed in the courtyard.
On a palace training ground, two silhouettes clashed intensely: Lucas and Aelrin opposed each other in a training duel.
Since the Duke's departure, the young prince often trained alone with a mannequin, but as Daniel, Aelrin's instructor, had gone north with Dayvon, the prince had proposed to Aelrin a duel to warm up.
Their wooden swords clashed at an irregular rate. Despite the sweat that bead on his forehead, Aelrin held on to the prince's continuous assaults, his blue eyes giving off a sincere desire to learn and give the best of himself. Lucas, for his part, performed simple and controlled movements, preferring to observe Aelrin's reflexes and reactions.
"Pan, Pan."
The dry sound of a wooden sword falling to the ground resounded again.
Aelrin had just lost, once again.
"Well done, Aelrin. This time, you lasted twenty seconds," said Lucas with a cornered smile, his wooden sword in his hand.
Aelrin, sitting on the floor and out of breath, replied:
"Thank You, Your Highness. But compared to you, I'm still far away... I can't even hold out for thirty seconds, and in addition, I can see that you don't give yourself against me," he said with a slight smile, accompanied by a sigh.
Lucas approached and held out his hand with a smile on his lips.
"Don't worry. This may be our first training together, but with your talent, you are sure to progress quickly. "
Aelrin grabbed the prince's hand and got up, a discreet smile on her lips.
"Don't worry, Your Highness. I will still progress... I want to be worthy of becoming your first knight. "
Lucas smiled slightly and said:
"Perfect. So I too will give more effort. As a prince, I can't let my knight overtake me. "
Aelrin burst into a small laugh
"If so, then I will apply myself not to be left behind... and become able to protect you," he says in a calm voice and a slight smile.
Lucas toot a few steps back, a relaxed and determined look on his face.
"Perfect. So let's do our best, together. "
"Do you want to do a duel again? He asked with a defiant smile.
Aelrin nodded, motivated, and got back into position.
"With pleasure, Your Highness. "
A few minutes later:
In a carriage, Arya, accompanied by Draven, his companion and close friend, took the road towards the royal palace.
Draven, dressed in his military uniform decorated with silver epaulettes and a red cape, asked in a calm tone:
"What do you think of the list of participants in the second part of the Ardéal des Épées? "He said while holding a list in his hands.
Arya, looking at the city through the window, replied:
"Apart from the boy from the Brisen house and the girl Dreeks, no one else caught my attention," she said in a calm tone.
"You're right, General. But I can't wait to see young Brisen at work. They say he has an imposing aura." Draven replied in a calm tone.
Arya resumed, always calmly:
"Of Course. But don't forget that we won't be the only ones at the Ardéal des Épées. The other orders have surely already spotted some promising students. We must remain attentive to those whose potential has not yet been fully revealed. "
Draven nodded and said:
"Understood, General. "
THE ARDÉAL OF SWORDS:
It is an annual competition that brings together all the generals of the orders of knights in the capital, accompanied by their best elements. Friendly duels are organized there to demonstrate the strength of each order, under the eyes of the crown, but also of the finalists of the Ingriss Academy. The latter attend in order to choose the order they wish to integrate. And on the second day, it is the turn of the students to fight under the attentive eyes of recruiters.
Arriving at the royal palace, Arya got off the carriage. She wore her general outfit, adorned with medals and golden epaulettes. Her black cape lined with red floated behind her. A sword hung from his hip, and his black gloves and his officer's cap gave him an imposing and charismatic look.
Accompanied by Draven, she went to the throne room for a royal audience. As they crossed the courtyard, metallic noises caught their attention.
They approached and saw the second prince training with a young boy.
Arya stopped at the edge of the training ground, observing the scene for a moment. She sketched a slight smile.
"He hasn't changed. Her talent is still exceptional," she whispered when she saw Lucas put Aelrin down again in a few moments.
But when she turned her head to make a remark to Draven, she noticed that he was frozen. He gave off a slightly murderous aura, his eyes burning with a poorly contained rage.
He slowly advanced his hand towards the handle of his sword. Arya then put his hand on his shoulder, firmly.
"What do you intend to do? Do you want me to cut off your arms so that you can never hold a sword again? She said in a threatening and icy tone, her gaze capable of freezing the blood in the veins.
Draven clenched his teeth
"Arven d'Estherion" he said in a threatening voice
Arya began to stare at him in a tense silence, and finally left the edges of the training ground.
"We're going," she said in a dry tone.
Draven hesitated for a few moments, but ended up following her without a word.
As they walked through the corridors of the palace, Arya and Draven's footsteps echoed in heavy silence. Their boots hit the ground regularly, but not a word came to break the tension.
Arya finally stopped abruptly and turned her head towards Draven, her gaze piercing.
"Hey... if you still care about your two arms, you'd better explain to me your reaction from earlier," she said, her sharp, almost threatening tone.
Draven looked away for a moment, his face closed. He knew he had crossed a line. He sighed, ran a hand through his hair and slightly lifted the white locks that hid his left eye.
"Do you see this scar, General? He said calmly.
Arya narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Obviously. I know this scar. But I don't see the relationship yet. "
"I know this scar, when it is the relationship between it and your reaction earlier? " replied Arya
Draven took a deep breath and replied in a serious tone:
"I had it thirteen years ago, during the Vastal campaign. At the time, I was a young knight who had just joined the order. We had been sent to take a ducal city. We were about twenty knights with a thousand soldiers. "
His gaze darkens, the memories rising.
"The capture of the city was going well... until he appeared. Only one man. The locals called him the Ice Knight. Upon his arrival, he mowed down six knights and a hundred soldiers in a few minutes. He gave off an inhuman aura, leaving me speechless. "
He clenched his teeth.
"To allow the rest of our forces to flee and prevent the command, we decided to hold the position. Eight knights, myself included, and three hundred soldiers. We lasted a week. A week to fight against him and his allies. "
"They had an archer in their ranks, she prevented us from performing our movements perfectly and decimated our troops from a distance. "
He shew his scar again.
"It was he who cut my eye. I thought I was going to die that day. We barely survived thanks to the arrival of reinforcements, led by the former General. She inflicted a fatal wound on this knight, forcing him and his allies to retreat. "
Arya remained silent for a moment, arms crossed.
"A touching story, really. But it still doesn't answer my question," she said with a tired sigh, almost yawning.
Draven remained mixed at Arya's reaction, hoping for a little compassion from him.
He sighed slightly and said in a serious tone:
"I learned later that this knight was called Arven of Estherion. And that he died just a year after his fight against the former General. But the boy who is currently training with the prince... he has exactly the same eyes as him. Crystal blue eyes that I have never forgotten. "
Arya raised an eyebrow, a slight doubt crossing his gaze.
"You're sure what you're saying? Given his age, it is hardly possible. "
Draven nodded slowly.
"I'm not saying it's his son. But these eyes... I would recognize them among a thousand. "
"I will never forget the contemptuous look I saw that day," he said, lightly pinching his lips.
Arya was silent for a moment. Her arms crossed, she seemed lost in her thoughts. Finally, she resumed the march, Draven by her side.
"Maybe this kid has nothing to do with Arven. Or maybe. But one thing is certain... if my nephew trains with this kid, it's because he has something. I want us to keep an eye on him. "
Draven nodded.
"At your command. But how do you want us to keep an eye on him? "
"You may be able to take it under your wing, but let's not rush things. Let's first observe his progress before making a decision, and if he shows a real talent, you will take him on your wing and we will drag him with us." replied Arya in a calm voice.
After a few moments they arrived in front of the king's office, but to their surprise, someone they knew had just left the king's office.
Was a woman wearing the armor of the order of the White Lions. His black hair was knotted in impeccable braid, and his golden eyes shone with an almost royal assurance.
She tilted her head slightly.
"General Arya. Commander Draven. It's been a long time." she said in a soft voice
Arya recognized her immediately.
"Eloria Ventarn. Master of arms of the order of the White Lions... and nicknamed the purifier »
Eloria smiles politely.
"It is an honor to be recognized by the great General Arya, especially you who are described as "the ruthless general of the battlefields," she said in a calm voice.
Arya then sketched a forced smile and said:
"What can bring you here Commander Eloria"
"At the base I came here at the request of the knight Daniel. He asked me to find a young boy with crystal blue eyes, because according to him he has enormous potential and I must try to convince him to join our order." says Eloria in a calm and relaxed tone.
"But I haven't yet managed to find the boy he's talking about. If only he had introduced him to us before leaving," she added, sighing slightly.
Following his words, Draven exchanged a quick look with Arya.
Eloria having noticed their look said:
"Have you ever seen it by chance?" She asked in a serious tone.
Arya made a hand gesture and said:
"I'll let you manage this between you. I have to go see the king," she said as she moved away.
After Arya had entered the king's office.
Eloria advanced in front of Draven and said:
"So Sir Draven, will you tell me if you met this child yes or no." she said in a threatening tone, forcing a smile.
Draven also stared at her intensively with an impassive air and said...
TO FOLLOW...