Chapter 229: Countess Enide |
Erec was primed for a lesson in humanity over the next couple of days. It was rather simple and conclusive. When you jam a bunch of people together for an eventual competition, they will get antsy. This is especially amplified when those people are from a wide, diverse group of backgrounds.
Adding in the fact that all of those people were then staying together in a tiny village in a place that isn't home, certain problems are bound to arise. Conflicts. Arguments… But really, those were symptoms of the main issue: restlessness. When people get restless, they start to cause problems. Even the most principled individuals can succumb to restlessness.
The Knights knew it would be an issue. How could it not? It just happened to be a bit sooner than initially planned. So it was that only four days after the arrival of the outsiders within their gate, the fifth day brought on a sudden and early miniature tournament. It wasn't a fight with weapons.
That would be too much for now. So, instead, the fifth day was planned with two distinct and different types of tournaments. The first, Erec had no interest in. The second?
Well, it was more than he could hope for.
The first day's plans were a rather innocuous affair. Not a tournament of strength or power, but a tournament of art. This had been easier to arrange. And though it wasn't nearly as decisive or impactful for the bystanders as the second game of the day, it was, nonetheless, a major draw.
Everyone crammed into the village, calling for something to keep their attention. One could only drink and socialize for so long with the hanging anticipation of a grand fight and many other games. And so, naturally, the art competition drew a lot of competitors.
It was also an opportunity for the Academy to open up to the wider Initiates of the Orders, having pulled together a meeting on the second day and issued orders to all the would-be Knights about interacting in the presence of outsiders. The rules for the vast auditorium visit had been boring, merely reiterating what Dame Robin had told them before, with some additional reminders and advice. They weren't Verdant Oak Knights, but they could visit in their capacity as citizens of the Kingdom...
Regardless, Erec was excited about the second half of the day. The Knights knew that the more physical people, who had been most of the competitors showing up for this tournament, were eager for a test, so they threw them a bone.
Diligent outsiders and Cindrus people carefully put together their pieces… Equally, there was a section off the side where a whole line of people worked on paintings.
Many of the participants were from Vega, a place that touted a superior culture, which meant they liked to display gaudy things everywhere.
It was hard to be excited, even though Enide made many comments and hemmed and hawed at the various pieces as they morphed from nothing into something.
No, the tournament Erec was looking for came after this: Wrestling. It was a pure tournament where one wouldn't be allowed to use any sort of magic or weapons. The rules would be simple, but it would let him get a taste for the fight he was eager for.
Still, it was nice to stroll through the art projects with Enide on his arm. He just wished time would pass quickly.
It was just a waiting game. For the art contest to end, the first half of the day would give way to judging in the afternoon, and to end the day, the wrestling tournament.
It had been divided into age brackets, which was a loose and easy way to try to prevent someone like a grand master from slamming down an initiate. That wasn't the type of fight that anyone was looking for. No, that would be a boring steamroll, and therefore definitely not the goal of this stress relief. People wanted to see action, people wanted to compete.
As Erec sighed, Enide fawned over a particular metal sculpture representing what looked to be a flightless bird.
Maybe he had to hand it to this… It wasn't his thing, but it was not the worst way for people to blow off steam and amp up the eventual actual tournament. He eyed the people walking through the art galleries, less observant of the unnatural beauty on display, and more focused on the people pacing here. He saw those like him, less interested in what they were seeing and more interested in the prospects of spending their day doing something rather than the drinking and music they'd spent the last few days on.
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For him, this kind of artistic beauty wrought by the hands of others was never really the true height of what beauty could be. Stunning natural landscapes, the vista of greenery and live plants, which far surpassed anything he saw here. What was made by man could only replicate a portion of the beauty that came from the natural world.
But, the sculpture made of ice—someone was using magic to keep it going—that resembled a mother feeding her baby his first spoonful of food… Did have a certain cuteness to it.
Erec enjoyed the sculptures fine enough, and more than that, he could appreciate their efforts. Developing these skills in a world like this, with monsters thriving and harsh conditions, was a testament in itself to their love of their arts. If nothing else, too, he enjoyed the feeling of wandering around and taking in the efforts of others with an eye. It brought a lightness to everything, a happiness that elevated the day, and finally, as the sculptures began to come closer to the finish line, time passed quickly.
Enide seemed to be thrilled as they went sculpture by sculpture, picking out her favorites and chatting away as she was surprised by what they could accomplish.
Were it just him, he'd rather be in his dorm room or training to prepare himself for the wrestling tournament. There wasn't any sort of prize being given out. It was mostly for bragging rights, but those could be enough of a motivation in themselves. For him, it was the prospect of testing out his competition strength. There were many people he hoped to see there.
Bedwyr still hadn't relented over his desire to abstain from the tournament, citing that he saw it as an irresponsible use of his time.
But, after their long conversation the other day, his brother had decided to relent from his endless pursuit of power. He'd been going so far as to agree to a twice-weekly dinner with Erec and Enide.
They didn't bother to invite their father, knowing the way that he worked late in the bio-caverns and was hard to schedule around. As before, their father still remained locked into his life, working in those bio-caverns, despite Erec's offers for him to retire and spend the rest of his life in his new manor.
Erec instead focused on the things he could control, simply enjoying his day and passing his time with the person he began to love the most.
Enide hummed near his side as they walked through the sculptures, a smile on her bright face as the sun cast down on it.
"I wasn't expecting you to call Bedwyr your future brother-in-law," Erec said, deciding suddenly to tease her. The anticipation of the wrestling had been getting to him. It was starting to feel like it was taking an eternity again.
Enide laughed. And shook her head, "Anyway... It leads to the question… Where do you see this going?" She ran her thumb against his hand as she asked.
"Truthfully," Erec said, "I didn't see this starting to begin with. I just felt lucky that I could have you and that I could meet you to begin with. When we met, I barely knew that people existed outside of our walls… To think it could lead me this far," he shook his head. "It hadn't been that long. But I didn't know that with the added strain of the Kingdom and the conflicts that were bound to arrive here, it would make me appreciate life. All of these dangers could change things instantly, but I'm already finding it hard to imagine a life without you in it anymore, Enide. I just know I want you with me in the future."
She brought them to a stop, pressing close against him, looking up into his eyes. "So, where does that leave us? What future do we have? You realize you'll be part of the pack if we get hitched one day."
And he scoffed at her. "If we get married, you'll be part of my noble house. That would make you a noble. Countess Enide."
"Me, a countess?" Enide looked genuinely shocked. "What does that even mean? Your silly noble titles still don't make sense to me. I know your king is your king, and past that, I don't know why there's any difference at all."
"It's a good way of looking at it. Truthfully, they're just titles people give themselves to make themselves feel better. As if blood matters." He looked down at his hand and clenched it. "I think we're both in agreement that blood has nothing to do with your potential or who you are. When I was a landless noble, and everyone thought we were a family of traitors, it didn't change me. It just changed the way that people looked at me. Now that I'm a Count, it just changes how people look at us."
"So screw the kingdom.... We can just take a car and drive anywhere we want," Enide said, and then laughed.
Something about abandoning the kingdom didn't sit right with Erec. He was committed to these people, this place, and his friends. The wild idea of blazing out with Enide, leaving and coming and going like the wind, felt fulfilling. He had roots here and people who relied on him.
He frowned, which Enide picked up on, shook her head, and raised her hands defensively.
"It was just a joke. Listen, I'm not asking us to get married. I don't know if that's our path. I just know that I see a future with you. What I don't understand, though, is what shape that future will be. But, I'm very excited to see that future, Sir Audax, if you would have it."
"Me too… Just never call me Sir Audax again," Erec agreed, resting his head on hers as they stopped and looked at an earth-made sculpture of a castle.
It had been a wonderful day. And for that, Erec was grateful.
They wandered around longer, taking in more of the artwork. Shortly after, they got some food: fresh bread and hearty soup. Both tasted almost divine. The day passed, taking them from a peaceful, relaxing morning into the afternoon.
The art contest winner turned out to be a jagged limestone sculpture resembling a man holding a sword above his head—it even showed a floating stone, with glyphs carved on the surface to give it the appearance of a sun. With the final project finished, the day eventually led to the real event that Erec was looking forward to.
After the winner was announced, a circle was put up. Not the stadiums, as they were still nearing the final bits of construction, but a rather loose circle with earth-conjured stones outlining it. This would be where the first game took place.