Ah, it was a familiar face. Fanilly had known Lord Velbrance when the both of them were younger, having met a few times at functions arranged between his family and her own. She recalled him being a fairly polite boy, and while she had been rather shy at the time they hadn't gotten along terribly. Even if it had been quite some time since they'd last spoken, it was nice to see someone she knew even rather distantly now. Since they hadn't spoken in so long, while it was slightly discomforting to hear him forget her title she didn't truly blame him for it.

"Ah, Lord Velbrance, it's been a long time," she said, bowing her head with a smile on her face as she spoke. "I-"

She faltered when he continued to speak, breath hitching as Velbrance mentioned the death of Sir Rickert. His family... Fanilly knew he was a father. The news was surely devastating for his wife and child. She'd barely even known him, but Sir Ricket had swiftly proven himself to be an honorable and just knight even in her short experience with him as his Knight-Captain.

"... I wish I could take his death back," she said, finally, her tone considerably more morose, "He shouldn't have died."

She recalled Sir Renar's words from the previous night. While she wanted to prevent anyone under her command from dying, at the very least he had died fighting for Thaln's people. In the name of bravery and compassion. It didn't make it any less painful that he had died under her command, but at least he had died for what he believed in.

"I... I made the arrangements for his family as soon as I could," she continued, fingers clenching slightly at her sides, gaze downcast, "I must, I must make sure they are given the honors they deserve, as the family of a brave knight. It's all I can do."

@Raineh Daze

@Raineh Daze

---

"Pfft, ahah." Well, she shouldn't laugh but she was just so cute! She could tease the elf, but on the other hand, that might make her die from embarrassment, and that would be something she would reserve for if they were alone. "And here I was thinking you'd be taking the lead from how confident you were." She'd start with, taking Lilia's hand and placing it on her own shoulder. "Don't worry, just try and follow my lead, yea?"

She hadn't danced formally at a ball in a long time, but it should be fine.

"So, Lilia. You seemed awfully eager to dance with me."

@Crimson Paladin@Psyker Landshark

---

Felix's smile grew more and more strained the more Renar spoke. He clutched the glass in his hand hard enough to turn his knuckles white. If he had been alone, not here in public, he probably would have just snapped already and drew his sword. This upstart little halfwit, thinking the Iron Roses were even half as good as the Crown knights! Infurating, and his sheer arrogance! He would have rebuffed him further, had he not been interrupted by someone he really was hoping hadn't overheard all of this.

"Ah, Sir Adeforth." Felix greeted him with a salute. "This man was dishonoring our order and I merely thought it was appropriate to reprimand him." He could have left this here. Now that Adeforth was present he shouldn't really run his mouth. But at the same time, now that he was here...perhaps he could take advantage of this. "However, if you are here and you would allow it. Brother. You and me. Duel. Now."

"There's not much call for dancing on the road," Lilia mumbled, doing a remarkably good job of following despite her seeming lack of knowledge--although, for how fast she could clearly move, each step was notably shaky, the tall girl obviously focusing on correcting the movements as much as possible, "And people out in the countryside don't do this sort of formal stuff."

The blush showed no sign of going away, as the elf made a remarkable effort of looking anywhere but at Cecilia's eyes, "W-Well, you seem nice, and you're one of the Iron Roses. I've always wanted to meet one! N-Not at a party, really, some sort of tournament would be better... apart from the crowds..."

She trailed off, absent-mindedly adding, "One that's not mum, I mean."

@Rune_Alchemist

Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri wasn't surprised to hear Lein addressing him, remarking on the conversation between Renar and Felix. Sir Adeforth, the senior Crown Knight, had entered the conversation and wasted no time reprimanding his subordinate for arguing with his half-brother. However, when he looked over and glanced at the Hundi knight, the sight of Lein's choice of attire was so thoroughly unexpected it almost caused him to spit out his wine.

If he hadn't known better, he might have been fooled into believing that that he was looking at a lovely Hundi noblewoman.

Judging by his rather flirtatious words to Fleuri, his atrocious attempt at an Ithillin accent, the fact that he had never before presented himself as a woman, and the simple fact that this was Lein, it was quite clear that he was messing around, taking advantage of his youthful, androgynous appearance to pose as a noblewoman.

He couldn't deny Lein wore the look well, however.

After a moment of hesitation as to how to react, Fleuri's attention was turned to the conversation between Renar and Felix, which had just escalated to the point of Felix challenging his brother to a duel. It should be a rather worrisome development, but he found the bold audacity of it- for a Crown Knight to challenge his half-brother to a duel in the middle of a royal ball- quite inspiring. So inspiring, in fact, that it moved him to go along with Lein's game.

"Yes, those two brothers are quite a pair, would you think, lady...I don't think I've caught your name," he said, taking Lein's prosthetic, gloved hand, as if to offer some subtle confirmation of both his understanding of the Hundi's game and his willingness to play along.

@PigeonOfAstora

Gerard Segremors

@VahkiDane@VitaVitaAR

He remained silent as Tenessa regaled them with the tale of the Witch-Queen upon Sergio's request, nursing his half-emptied glass as the old myth washed over his mind anew— one he could have sworn he remembered differently. Wasn't it a Veltan lordling who freed her head from her shoulders in the end?

He blinked, a flash of confusion sparking forth from behind the eyes. He'd heard something to that effect growing up, he was sure. Another instance of the tale getting mangled as it passed on through wayward ears, then? He wasn't entirely sure himself, but had to admit— there was a lot of heavy lifting being done by the presence of an actual name in the case presented by Ithillin. The Veltic retellings just seemed to relay some vague "a Silvered Lord" title... And usually came with the caveat of trying to steal some of the prestige by associating with the legend they were claiming credit for.

He chuffed at that. Classic. Trust a Veltan lordling to puff himself up like an ass. She was probably more right than them, at the very least.

All this happened in undercurrent as he listened, nodding along to the excitable retelling. The Witch-Queen herself had a more familiar tale, if at least regarding her acts and many misdeeds to earn the moniker. That much at least seemed universal— an arcane ability of seemingly otherworldly power and method, surrounding herself with a coven of sorceresses she trained in these alien arts, before a shining hero brought her low. All well and good.

But when Tenessa leaned in further, as if sharing a guarded secret, Gerard found his posture mirroring hers, a slight tilt of the waist to bring his ear closer to the hushed tones.

His coal-black brows rose a little as he took in the claim, before furrowing for a moment as he sped through his memories. It wasn't a phenomenon he'd ever seen... but the battlefield was hardly ever lonely, in fairness. Anything but. Loud, cramped, and thick with chaos, any mysterious waifs would be liable to get their clock cleaned in the confusion. Surely even a remnant of the Witch-Queen would think twice.

"I should hope he's no fallen divine, then—"

Though a thought did occur, moments later, as he pulled back to his regular height.

"His last act was to try and take me with him after I ran him through. If it weren't for the Captain, he probably would have— Not the type of guy I'd want to be anything like her, if she's still appearing after death."

As his gesture with the free hand swept the floor to point her out to his semi-captive audience, he only found himself time to blink and squint upon spotting the unfamiliar nobleman she seemed to be speaking with. His back was turned, but he could spot the downcast eyes and clenched fists at the Knight-Captain's sides a mile off.

Who the hell's tha—

"Presenting First Princess Elisandre Tanetha Falisse, and Second Princess Maletha Hirenz Falisse!"

And then, he stood at attention, gaze all but commanded over to the incoming Royal family. Those in line for the Crown of Thaln... in the flesh. People he'd never dared dream of meeting, not even half a year ago. The culmination of all he'd been through.

They were as though painted, the delicate touch of a master artist bringing form from the aether.

He didn't know much about them beyond what one picked up as an Iron Rose, to start— for instance, he knew that Princess Elisandre was pretty much The Captain and Dame Serenity's age, somewhere around that. He knew that royalty were effectively expected to be every bit as prim and proper as the nobility, if not moreso. Yet, even knowing the pair of them as a reference point...

It was remarkable to behold the grace and elegance with which she carried herself. Her famed beauty played a role in that, doubtless, but it also showed in her eyes above that beaming smile, sweeping across the hall from on high. The light step, the straightness of her spine, not a hair of spun sunlight out of place— proper and assured. Her dress shimmered like a shattered window with each stride— how much could such craftsmanship cost? The whole of his village, twice over? More? The mind boggled, even when guessing blindly.

For all he might have never met royalty in his twenty-one years, he knew when someone looked the part.

Hearing her bell-like voice ring out as though calling forth her sworn warriors that were their Order, Gerard exchanged a glance with Sir Sergio, as if looking to gauge his intent on answering.

@Rune_Alchemist @VitaVitaAR @Raineh Daze

And there it was. Despite the last moment setbacks from Felix's well-meaning superior officer, not to mention the presence of Paladin Tyaethe watching over proceedings, his imbecile of a brother had finally taken the bait.

"A duel, brother?" Renar tilted his head in thought, as if seriously considering the matter. "I accept, of course. Just like old times on the training grounds, eh?" The bastard chortled, one hand moving down to rest on the hilt of his sword. "Considering we're both bearing arms already, it seems rather pointless to send for tourney blades. Live steel to first blood, then? Fear not, Felix. I wouldn't dare aim for a killing stroke, of course. Only a colossal fool would slay his own kin in view of so many esteemed onlookers." Instill doubt in his mind. Remind Felix that he'd have to hold back, lest he commit fratricide in public. Renar didn't need the crutch of mind games with Felix, course. Not if his trueborn brother had continued at his usual pace of improvement. But it didn't hurt to hedge his bets. "Outside, then? Lead on. Any among you in the audience are welcome to join us, of course." He started to saunter off with Felix leading the way.

"Oh, one last thing." Renar said as they passed Adeforth and Tyaethe, with him turning to give both a formal salute. "Sir Adeforth. My brother is...well, let's be generous. Embellishing the truth. I spoke no slander against your esteemed order. In fact, I spoke no slander against Felix. Only pointed out a few holes in his, shall we say, creative fiction. Hopefully, this will create no tensions between our orders, yes? Anything of the sort was never my intent as all. Merely a sibling feud. We fight not as Iron Rose or Crown Knights, but as brothers." With that out of the way, Renar started to walk off again, but not before speaking to Tyaethe.

"Care to observe, or are we beneath your notice, Paladin Tyaethe?"

Admittedly, Sergio was more entertaining the girls than he was particularly interested in the tales of folk lore, although he noted Gerard's openness in knowing the Captain probably saved his life. The humility was perhaps, again, something Lucas could learn from, even if the frankness worried him, ever so slight.

And then, as the story concluded, the moment of the night occurred. The two princesses arrived, notably without the prince in tow - perhaps he was of ill health? And yet the absence, by his view, was negligible, as the two's presence drew the attention of most everybody in the room (besides a few straggling Knights he'd been paying little notice to). The elder's shimmering dress was magnificent - he'd heard previous of its rumoured Elven origins but to see it in the stitch was something else. His thoughts aligned with Gerard's - it was unlikely there was anyone in the room whose attitude was more suited to their role.

As Gerard glanced to him, he grinned back. He was remiss not to avoid being too brash, but his duty as a landed Knight was to make a strong, warm impression - the others certainly weren't doing so. The Knight of the Harvest Moon warmly and politely nodded without word to the girls they'd been conjugating with prior - he'd have offered a kiss on the hand but to keep the princesses waiting would be poor form. He strode across the hall, somewhat boldly, past the others, though not so close as to be tackled by a royal guard (that would be the metric for "too bold")

He brushed a strand of hair out of his face with his hand, making eye contact with the elder princess.

"With respect...ah...your grace, our eagerness likely outweighs your own. It is a priceless honour - and a pleasure - to see and speak to you both, I'm sure my comrades would agree." His words came out like smooth honey - secretly practiced for days.

@HereComesTheSnow @VitaVitaAR

"I'm pleased to see you well, Dame Tyaethe," Sir Adeforth paused in reprimanding the knight of his order to greet his unlikely senior for a moment, returning her gesture with a salute of his own, "Whoever may have started this, I am perfectly willing to bring it to an end. There's no excuse for knights belonging to the two most honored orders in the land to be feuding like children."

He let out a heavy sigh as Sir Felix began his explanation, intense blue eyes narrowing as the much younger man spoke.

"'This man' is a Knight of the Iron Roses," his voice was more level now, but he made no effort to hide his irritation at the sight of a knight under his command behaving in such a childish manner.

His irritation only began to mount further as it became clear what the outcome of the squabble would be. A duel, in the middle of the Princess's ball. After the Princess herself had arrived.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled heavily.

"A duel, then? Surely, surely, it would be an embarrassment to both our orders if two of our knights broke into a petty squabble during a royal ball," he began, "Which is why this is an exhibition fight between two fine young knights for the benefit of her highness and the guests."

The tone of his voice made it clear the elder knight was not merely making a suggestion.

@Rune_Alchemist@Psyker Landshark@Raineh Daze

Lein

---

Location: The Royal Ball
Interactions: Fleuri @Crimson Paladin

---

Lein's tail wagged happily as he recognized Fleuri's gesture. Someone to play along. If Lein had known that Fleuri wasn't as stuffy as he looked, he'd have bought him more drinks last night. He'd just have to make the best of it now. "We're far past formalities, aren't we? Just call me Cteline."

Lein was in part disappointed that the adults in the room stepped into break up what was sure to be a cascade of insults, but in part excited to see the duel. If he was free, Lein would have a mind to put a finger on the scales to make it more exciting, but he was had a much more interesting development right in front of him for now.

"I hear that those two had bad blood brewing all across their lives. A duel of the Crown Knight against a Rose Knight amidst the royal court? How fantastical." Lein turned to Fleuri, looking at him with intense ambiguity. Given the it was a good time to make 'her' move. "Now, are you familiar with Hundi customs, my good knight? We have quite the appetite for battle, so much so that love of the blade and love of one's dearest is conjoined. A duel between the Hundi is the same as asking the other's fancy. Whomever wins the contest earns the right to ask the other for their everlasting love. So if ever an adorable Hundi noblewoman catches your eye, then do ask her at the dueling grounds. After all, any decent lady would be ecstatic to hear such from a dashing figure."

Lein paused at the last sentence to let the dramatics sink in, before leading Fleuri towards the open space at the center of the floor. "Now, we forget ourselves, don't we? A ball needs its dancers just the knights need their qualms. Might I be the first to ask for your hand in a dance? I'm terribly afraid I might lose you in the rabble."

As movements relaxed, their spins and steps became ever more graceful, the two dancers in a world of blurred firelight and shadows, swirling disdain and admiration in the gravity of their art. Confidence and enjoyment mattered just as much to impressions as actual skill, and Serenity guided her fair lady through musical phrases with a conviction unshakeable. A conviction that right now, they were the best couple on the floor, elves and archers be damned.

But while beliefs could be held long into the future, music itself waned, quieted, ended, and the true stars of the night made themselves known. Princess Elisandre and Maletha, twinned suns radiating the beauty that made one the obsession of all who dreamed of royalty and another the subject of ten thousand patriotic oaths. Their skin like marble, their eyes inset gems. The Arcedeens had long made the separation between the noble soul and the noble blood, but with individuals like the Falisse siblings, mayhaps such antiquated beliefs still held some truth.

It was no time for such ruminations on the nature of one's soul though. The dance had ended, the princess has spoken, and so, Serenity herself bowed towards Lady Veilena, offering the younger lady her hand. She would take it, of course, and with that, Dame Serenity escorted her charge to where the two Princesses stood. Sir Sergio, that handsome redhead, had already presented himself, and Serenity herself followed suit.

"The pleasure is entirely ours, Princess Elisandre, Princess Maletha. It is but our duty to raise our swords in the defense of the people, and to be recognized for it is more than we can ask." It was no dragon, after all, no death-scouring witch whom they had vanquished. Merely bandits cornered by decisions made years past. "I am Lady Serenity Arcedeen, and my companion here..."

A tilt of the head, towards the Canzt matriarch. It was as good an opportunity as any for Veilena to make herself known.

Fleuri Jodeau

"I am indeed familiar with your people's courtship customs, Lady Cteline," Fleuri gave his reply to Lein. "Perhaps this duel will help Sir Renar and Sir Felix obtain some mutual familial love, although I fear their enmity goes deeper than skepticism for each other's martial skill."

"Truly, it is a shame," he said as he watched the duel be announced. "They are both prestigious knights in service to the same crown. On the same side, as it were. The bonds of friendly rivalry are one thing, but it is rather tragic that they cannot feel joy at their brother's success."

Fleuri didn't mean to judge Renar for his anger at Felix. Given what he knew of the Bastard of Brias, it wasn't surprising. To be denied a noble title, to be raised alongside siblings who were afforded that privilege, to have such an unequal social dynamic through no fault of his own, it was no wonder that Renar clearly had a chip on his shoulder. And if Felix took after his father, a man who refused to grant a title to his own son simply because that son was the result of his own philandering, Fleuri wouldn't be surprised if the Crown Knight harbored a grudge against Renar for obtaining noble status through other means.

Fleuri liked a good duel, but he found nothing uplifting about watching two brothers seeking to spill one another's blood.

"Of course, Lady Cteline," Fleuri answered Lein's request. "I always have time to have a dance with an elegant stranger." To the rest of the ball, it'd appear to be the Flower of the North dancing with an exotic newcomer. To those who knew what was going on, it was two knights playing a silly, harmless game under a façade of courtly elegance. As for Fleuri's own part in it, just because he had rediscovered his faith in Reon and sought to move away from his irresponsible, selfish past didn't mean he had to be a stuffy stick in the mud.

@PigeonOfAstora

---

@PigeonOfAstora@Raineh Daze@VitaVitaAR@VahkiDane@HereComesTheSnow

---

"I'll make an attempt," Fionn replied, somewhat dubiously, to Tyaethe, before the trio fully split apart after re-entering the hall. He quickly made his way back to his prior table, his glass of wine retrieved and promptly drained. If he was going to be rubbing elbows with some of the others around this ball, he'd at least need to be properly prepared for it; lacking any real experience interacting with the upper classes anywhere other than among his fellow knights, the best preparation he could really get at the current time was something to help himself relax.

Unwind.

Just don't overdo it. That would be bad.

He didn't have long to dwell on how best to not embarrass himself before the princesses made their entrance; the elder was suitably radiant, as any well-raised and prepared princess should be, her clear voice ringing out into the hall with only slightly more effort needed than the herald was using. The splendor of her dress clearly outshone all the others as well, the divide between the royalty and the mere nobility made clearly evident with one garment that could likely pay the yearly salary of the entire mercenary company he used to serve with.

Princess Elisandre didn't hold his attention for long, however, before his eyes fell to her younger sister. Maletha stared out at the guests much like he'd been doing, trailing along beside her elder sister. While she didn't exactly seem as uncomfortable as he felt, she certainly didn't seem to be as in-her-element as Elisandre or any of the others who were more successfully socializing. A kindred spirit, albeit closer in age to some of his siblings than to him.

But, if he was required to present himself, at least he could entertain the younger princess rather than embarrassing himself in front of the elder. It would help distract him from whatever fresh hell was to arise between Renar and his sibling, as well. He strode up to the center with a nod at Gerard, stopping behind Sergio and Serenity. As the pair presented themselves to Elisandre, Veilena Cazt given the opportunity to introduce herself, he knelt next to the younger princess.

"Your highnesses," he greeted, giving a nod to each alongside his kneeling down before the younger, though he'd wait for Veilena to introduce herself before giving his own name.

Of course, if Princess Maletha felt like extending a hand in greeting, that would be the perfect time to secretly pass over some of the sweets he'd nabbed on his way up.

"Kyaaa, it's Princess Elisandre!"

The voices of two of the three noble girls cried out their delight practically in unison, but Violette simply sighed at the dramatic exaltation of her companions. Still, even she was eyeing the princesses, admiring the manner in which the elder Princess's dress shimmered in a manner unlike fabric should be capable of.

"Have you heard? Have you heard? They say an elven seamstress made her dress," exclaimed Tenessa eagerly, "And her jewelry was from the horde of a dragon!"

One of those rumors was far more likely than the other. It was true that Thaln's crown had originated from the horde of a dragon, recovered long ago when the winged terror laid slain, it was unlikely that the same held true for the jewelry that adorned the First Princess. Still, its quality could not be ignored.

"I heard it was dwarves," commented Angenese, laughing slightly at her friend's fanciful proposal andreplying with a considerably more likely one, "They're not very pretty themselves, but they can make beautiful jewelry."

"Maybe it was the dwarves who made it, and it was found in a dragon's horde?! Ah, ah, Sir Knight, have you ever seen a dragon?!"

Violette merely sighed once more, though her eyes still remained on the elder Princess.

@HereComesTheSnow

---

"My, you flatter me, Sir Knight, Dame Serenity," the Princess replied, placing one hand to her chest, "But even royalty should respect the work of the brave souls who defend these lands."

Something about the way she spoke seemed almost pointed, but it was almost certainly not directed at anyone who was present.

"To be honest, I'm simply excited to meet the Iron Rose Knights," continued the Princess, "While you may be new to the Order, your history is storied to say the least! And you slew such a monstrous killer for the sake of our people so recently."

She paused a moment.

"Ah, forgive me," she commented, apologetically, catching herself before she became too excited, "It's simply that the last time I was in the presence of Knights of your order, I was quite small. Younger then dear Maletha is now."

She took another deep breath, in a bid to steady herself once again.

It was at this moment that Veilena took the opportunity given to her by Serenity to step forward.

"It's lovely to see you again, your highness," the young noblelady said, curtsying and bowing her head, "I was quite pleased when I received your invitation."

"Ah, Lady Cazt, I'm glad to hear it," the Princess smiled as she spoke, "I trust you haven't encountered any unpleasant behavior?"

"Of course not, your highness," Veilena replied, her voice growing just a little louder as she spoke, "After all, only cowards would simply stand by and whisper in hushed voices at the presence of a guest invited by a member of the royal family. Anyone with any self-respect would at least say such things to my face."

If the Princess understood the Cazt heir's intent, it didn't show on her features. But perhaps she simply intended as much.

The younger princess was far less talkative then her older sister, though she was peering up at the knights wordlessly as she stood by. The moment anyone looked in her direction, however, she was quick to avert her eyes. It was only when Sir Fionn knelt in front of her that she found herself looking directly at someone.

She was hesitant to respond for a few moments, glancing up towards her sister. But Maletha eventually slowly reached out with one hand.

"I-it's nice to meet you, Sir Knight," she said, speaking quite a bit more quietly then Elisandre, "My, there, um, certainly are a lot of guests tonight..."

@ERode@VahkiDane@The Otter

@Raineh Daze@Rune_Alchemist@Psyker Landshark@PigeonOfAstora@Crimson Paladin@Psychic Loser@Richard Horthy

---

@VitaVitaAR@VahkiDane@ERode

---

Fionn took the offered hand gently, bowing his head down respectfully.

"There are, aren't there?" he agreed. "Royal balls must be quite the occasion." He shifted his grip slightly, closing the younger princess's fingers around some of the candied fruits he'd been hiding in his grasp, before drawing his hand back with a sly wink. "But I dare say, between us and your crown knights in attendance, you've little to fret over and much to enjoy."

Even if he couldn't take Tyaethe's advice to try and enjoy himself quite so easily, he could at least do his best to pass it on. In truth, even in his mercenary days, he'd rarely been comfortable carousing with the rest of his company, though they, at least, were of the same social standing he'd been born into. He much preferred to have something to do rather than just to socialize, and helping alleviate someone else's nerves seemed as good a task to assign himself as any.

"Fionn MacKerracher, at your service, your highness—at least for the length of the ball."

"No, he really shouldn't have died," Velbrance concurred, a note of sympathy injected into the young man's voice, "My good captain, you must take better care of your senior staff. Dame Tyaethe may be impervious to harm, but the other knights are quite mortal. Yet, to lose one to anything below war or treachery is very much a scandal to avoid."

With a charming smile pasted on, he offered an arm towards Fanilly, "I Believe the princess would like to be introduced to you. If you might give me the honour of being an escort?"

@VitaVitaAR

---

"I'm in both your orders," Tyaethe said drily, looking Renar in the eye, "Of course I'm going to watch. At least one of you is going to be a disappointment before the end of the night, even if we overlook using a royal ball to stage a duel in the first place."

Of course, her involvement with the Crown Knights was essentially nil, but as a hereditary position, it hadn't gone anywhere.

"I'll go fetch Lils, make sure we have a healer on hand," the vampire announced, swigging from one of the glasses and then strolling away across the ball to accost the aforementioned elf and badger her into helping. From the resigned expression Lilette was developing, that wouldn't take long at all.

Gerard Segremors

@VitaVitaAR

Two shrieked, one sighed, and the last subtly suppressed a wince as the excitement reached his ears, and shredded his moment of commoner's wonder at the upper crust. As grating as the noise could have been, he did in part have reason to thank the pair— would have been rude to gawk. His mother had taught him that much, at least.

Given that her summons was all but forthright beneath the subtle veneer of welcoming, Gerard found himself unable to begrudge Sergio's swift departure as much as he otherwise might've— if anything, not answering the call may have been the greater faux pas. Fionn was already floating up to greet them, though, and Gerard caught his acknowledging nod. Any more than three would be crowding.

As the Veltic man knelt low and extended his palm to greet the younger of the Royal pair, the rapid burst of questions pulled Gerard's gaze free from the arrivals, and back to the three that were already crowding him. His reply came quick, too quick, caught in the deluge of occurrences and information that washed over his careful attempt at a formal mask.

"Whoever did it probably earned enough to buy my hometown on the commission."

What peeked through beneath the cracks in that facade was a blunt, unassuming candor— his fellow knights would have found it familiar, provided they'd taken the time to speak at length. His fellow mercenaries, though they'd doubtless have been every bit as out of place here as he, wouldn't have spared a second thought.

"And, no, not yet. It's only been four months for me, knighthood. Even the griffin was on the other side of the field from where I'd ended up—"

For all he wanted to maintain appearances, to look like someone ready for the occasion, he wasn't ever going to tell them a lie.

He blinked, gaze dancing between the pair of eager questioners. He would have been wise to stop there, offer them an apology for his inexperience, and maybe send them on their way to Paladin Tyaethe, who had an undoubtably endless well of fantasy to have lived through, a legend in pale flesh.

But, just as he did when cloaked in steel, the linen clad knight kept going, come what may.

"All I've seen are the cruelties people inflict on eachother. Those are far worse. Slavery, conquest... A dragon would be a... nice change, thinking about it."

Amber furnaces burned, but he kept his timbre in check, and held his face somewhere neutral, if not a little serious.

The sword, leaned against the table since he'd first plucked a glass of wine, found a hand rest, consciously and gently, upon the pommel after it returned the empty crystal.

“The respect is a grace, your highness. I thank you for your gratitude. It isn’t, ah, expected, but it is appreciated, hmm. Dame Serenity will agree.” He smiled.

The respect was more appreciated than his performative manner let on, of course. Those who would wield power often would often find themselves taking those with loyalty for granted, maybe not even out of outright maliciousness all of the time. But the power can disconnect you - and those who rule well tended to circumvent that - they tended to keep themselves tethered to those under them.

This was knowledge not only gained from social insight - but just as much from blood spilled.

Sergio glanced to Serenity - his job was not to dominate the conversation as much as help make a memorable impression. The younger Knight should have her say.

@VitaVitaAR @The Otter @ERode

Lein

---

Location: The Royal Ball
Interactions: Fleuri @Crimson Paladin

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"Hmph, if you had the possession of such knowledge, then you should know better than to dawdle and make best use of it." Lein puffed out his cheeks in a pout, shooting a look of disappointed frustration. "It's rude to be so dense with a face like that."

Lein by no means was not a skilled dancer, certainly not one enough to emulate the complexities of a waltz from a perspective he had never interacted with. His footwork was solid, quick and eager to react to any leads, but most of what he knew of 'formal' dancing was square dancing at the bar where everyone was too brash to be precise and too drunk to care. What he lacked in skill, however, he made up for in confidence in his improvisation. Every maligned step or misinterpretation of Fleuri's movement was quickly translated with a fluid change of tempo or a quick twirl, a kind of exotic flair that onlookers may find a little peculiar but hesitate to question for fear of offending some obscure Hundi custom. Much of Lein's behavior was entirely divorced from his normality, but if nothing else, his enjoyment of the performance seemed genuine.

Lein followed Fleuri's gaze at the officiation of the duel, responding to his comments as they danced through the floor. "A tragedy of familial love? I think not to be privileged enough to judge. The blood that remains within our body may be as incontrovertible as the benevolence of the Sky, and no amount of denial may change that. Yet our loyalty to our antecedence is not native to the fabric of this earth and the gaze of our Goddesses that govern our fates, and the sieve through which we may pass ourselves and find our blood holy or vile is entirely up to us. The seeds of a dandelion may fly far to cultivate its own beauty amongst the flowers foreign - or grow wild to choke the very roots that had birthed it." Lein's expression remained coy, though a part of his expression agreed on Fleuri's remark. It served partially to engage Fleuri's sympathies, and partially to shield the fact that Lein had wholesale recited an old Hundi scripture. "We may see two brothers at the end of a tragedy within a soured family, but whatever bile unseen by our distance may just as well show them to be two incontrovertible thorns vying for the same soil. Though for both the Crown and the Roses, we should certainly pray for your conjecture."

Lein led the dance slowly away from the center of the floor, drawing close to close off other dancers from listening. "So how about you, dear Champion mine? You've certainly flown far from the birthplace of your epithet, taking residence within the House of our Goddesses. Have you a thorn you confide only within your heart?" Lein himself had his run-ins with working with folks of the Church, but never had he seen a man develop a faith of such fervor so quickly.

The more Renar spoke, the angrier he got. It was a miracle he still managed a smile. An irritated, smarmy smile, but a smile nonetheless that could simply be passed off as a polite gesture. With Sir Adeforth’s blessing, then, he had no reason not to follow through. He was assured of his victory after all. A crown Knight couldn’t be losing to the Iron Roses. Certainly they were worthy of some manner of respect, but if their organization was better than the Crown knights, it’d look bad on all of them.

“With Sir Adeforth’s blessing, very well. Those are acceptable terms.” Felix laughed. “I’d say I’d worry about such a thing myself, but lets face it, it’d be an improvement.” Felix would lead the two of them outside, his steps quick and forceful as the Crown Knight would soon reach their destination.

Outside, he’d turn to face his brother.

“Shall we then, Brother? Would be a shame to drag this out any longer than needed.”

"You call that a ‘blessing’?" Renar resisted the urge to snicker as best he could. "Truly, subtlety is wasted on you. But, very well. Let’s begin this exhibition." He sighed, reaching for his sword.

Really, who did Sir Adeforth think he was kidding? Only a complete imbecile would fall for the transparent excuse that this was some sort of planned exhibition match, and not two brothers tearing at the bit to cut each other to pieces.

"But I agree." Renar ripped his cape from his shoulders and hurled it away before he took his sword in both hands, raising it up level with his head and settling into an ox stance. "Come, Felix. Care to replicate how badly you’re beaten back home?"

“The only thing we’ll be showing here,” Felix drew his sword, quickly assuming his own ox stance as he stared down Renar. “Is why the Crown knights are clearly superior than the Iron Roses.” Felix wasted no time in closing the distance towards his brother, taking an aggressive posture, swiftly switching to a tail stance and bringing the blade into an upward strike.

From the first stroke, Renar knew Felix hadn’t changed much in his swordplay. All aggression, no thought. As Felix lowered his blade and started to bring it up, Renar quickly brought his own sword down, beating Felix’s into the ground. Before his brother could recover, Renar pinned the tip of Felix’s sword down with his foot and brought his blade up in his own upward cut, aiming to lightly gash Felix across the chest and bring the duel to a swift end.

Had it been so easy, then really he’d have no place being a crown knight. The blade was pinned under Renar’s weight, Felix knew that perhaps, he had messed up just slightly. Still holding onto the blade with one hand, he’d move the left half of his body away from the blow, narrowly avoiding being grazed by the blade as he’d yank his own out from under Renar’s foot.

Would that this wasn’t a formal duel. Had they been on the battlefield, Renar would have done any number of dirty tricks on Felix by this point. Still, he’d maneuvered both of them into this fight, and he’d have to live with it.

There were only a limited number of moves he could commit from this position that would be deemed acceptable by a noble audience. Even as Felix yanked himself out of the way of the cut, Renar didn’t stop, twisting his own body to the side as he rushed forward, aiming to shoulder check his brother. His arms didn’t stop moving either, readjusting his grip so that he could bring the pommel of his sword crashing down on Felix’s head as he was distracted adjusting to the shoulder bash.

Felix grunted as Renar ran his shoulder into him, having freed his sword but lost any footing or momentum he had in the fight. Still, he wasn’t completely helpless. Gritting his teeth, Felix instead of trying to counter or deflect and recover in the middle of being assaulted, would instead move with the shoulder bash and take several steps backwards, avoiding the pommel of the blade and taking a defensive stance, holding the blade in front.

As the two brothers resumed a neutral position, Renar took up a similar stance to Felix’s, holding his blade out in front of him. Both knights were close enough for their blades to nearly cross, and Renar made his move. His left hand shot off his sword and moved to grip Felix’s wrists together, pinning them as he raised the pommel of his own sword and pushed hard against Felix’s blade, aiming to disarm the Crown Knight.

Felix, once more grit his teeth. He couldn’t twist his arms, or move his blade like this! In fact, what exactly could he do with his limited movement options? He had only seconds to figure something out as the pommel of Renar’s blade hurtled towards his own -

clang

“...What-?”

Too late.

Renar’s blade struck his with enough force to cause the Crown Knight to gasp in surprise as the blade would slip from his grip.

The Bastard of Brias leveled his blade against the side of Felix’s neck, scratching it just enough to draw blood.

"Disarmed, and blood drawn. I believe that’s unequivocally my victory, brother." Renar’s expression was placid enough, but his eyes gave off a hint of absolute glee at humiliating his half-brother in noble company. He drew back, picking Felix’s sword off the ground and returning it to the man before sheathing his own blade.

"My lords, ladies, and fellow knights!" Renar grinned as he retrieved his cape, hooking it back around his shoulders. "I do hope you’ve enjoyed this exhibition. This wouldn’t have been possible without the ever-so-charitable suggestion of my brother, of course." He chuckled as he returned next to Felix’s side, offering him a warrior’s handshake.

Of course, in this time and place, Felix would have no choice but to reciprocate, lest he breach protocol and decorum. So as they clasped wrists, Renar leaned in, whispering lowly enough so that no one else but Felix could hear him.

”Far more than you deserve, frankly. Be grateful I didn’t decide to maim you.” Renar hissed venomously in his brother’s ear.

Cold steel against his neck.

Warmth of blood slowly trickling down.

He had lost.

And so easily.

“Yes, quite well fought brother.” Felix exhaled, reciprocating the handshake. “I’m sure the noble lords and ladies enjoyed the match. I’m only a bit ashamed It couldn’t be drawn out longer.” He roughly, and somewhat abruptly ended the handshake, turning away from Renar as he’d sheathe his blade.

Drifting back to watch the fight, Tyaethe folded her arms and attempted to look excited. If this was a planned exhibition, then maybe she would have been... she knew a few ways to put on a good show, and Adeforth certainly did, although she had no idea if that knowledge had been passed on down through the years. A proper exhibition between the two groups of knights, either fielding their best (or second best, or third best, whatever the case may be) or matching based on talent or interesting dynamics? That would have been a good thing to see, or even more exciting to take part in. Instead, they were relying on the fact that the intended audience was a princess with no combat training at all.

If the fight had lasted a bit longer, she might have taken Felix to task for trying to assert the superiority of either group over the other. Did that boy have a brain? Sure, fraternal enmity blah blah blah, but he was nobility. How many times had he been hit over the head during training to think denigrating an entire order in front of its senior members (and in her case, his senior) was a good idea? On the other hand, Addie would probably do that for her.

"So, do you think we should give them a better show?" the vampire wondered, swapping to Elvish and following Lilette as she stepped in to administer to Felix's scratch... a matter that took mere seconds, the warm glow of magic fading away with nary a scratch, and the two senior knights promptly ignoring the humiliated scion.

"You know that I no longer fight."

"And? It's not like a little exhibition like this really counts," Tyaethe said, shrugging broadly, "It would be more like one of those games Flori and I used to play, where he'd try to copy me and see how long he could keep up."

"Neither of us brought a sword." It was a valid concern--obviously, the paladin wasn't going to bring a sword longer than she was tall to a ball, and Lilette was habitually disarmed.

"Your girl has one and I know you use the same style. I could just borrow something off one of the guards. Come on, it'd be fun, we could really remind people what it means to be a knight."

The elf continued to look down at her, a maternal look of disappointment on her face. "Did you think to bring a change of clothes?"

"No...? Why would that matter? It's not like we haven't fought in dresses before."

"You took the time to learn how to fight in that form? You always said it would be too uncomfortable..."

"Ah..." Tyaethe looked away, cheeks darkening, "No, no, I got too excited. Say... if we find another rapier, maybe your daughter would be up for it? Get the captain's interest."

Lilette could only sigh.