Royalty
The Fidellis Fiefdom was fairly isolated from the rest of the world, 'most' of its land was infertile and with it being known as being an impenetrable fortress it holds the responsibility to safeguard the royalty should the Capital be compromised. Resting on a large stone protruding from the earth, as if a piece of the 'Inner World' itself…surrounded by mountains this land had become a home for many of the kingdom's strongest and loyal, despite only being a Viscount due to some issues having to do with his brother. Reynold stood on very good ground with the king, they had fought on the battlefield many times before…
The number of either of them who had saved each other's lives were uncountable and something Reynold never used to his advantage, something the King enjoyed about him. So, despite the Fidellis family having the rank of a Viscount and heavy taxes due to this rank… Reynold was pretty much given free reign as long as it didn't go against the Royal Family or the Kingdom…
Due to this isolation, news of the Fiefdom rarely leaves the mountains, but news always travels in from various sources making this 'unnoticeable' and 'barren' land governed by a Viscount veiled in mystery and rumors…
Many were still alive to vividly remember the 'Fall of Fidellis' and that blurred their sight to the truth…
With all the hidden benefits of the Fidellis Fiefdom, the strong had gathered under one roof… and they all happened to be fairly protective of one Little Lady and although the King wasn't present, they all had something to protect…
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Lela had run past everyone on her way to her room, Anna was left stunned at the door of the classroom. She could hear Lela's door slam all the way down the hall… her head twisted towards the classroom, her eyes narrowing in on the teacher who sat in her chair with a smug smile smeared across her face, "Trash…" her tone was low, and she was furious… No one had dared to make the Little Lady cry, to feel like she had to hide her face…
Storming into the room she tightly grabbed Lillian by the arm, resisting the urge to beat the woman to a pulp she dragged her along, speaking through her clenched teeth, "You will explain this to Lord Fidellis…"
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Balled up in her bed clutching a pillow soaked in tears, she muffled her sobs. Her hair was a mess, just barely passing her shoulders which were trembling, her breathing was all over the place and she couldn't catch her breath… She just didn't understand what she did wrong, why Miss Lillian didn't like her… she thought the people papa brought were nice, she had to be the one in the wrong but she didn't know what she did…
Lela wracked her mind searching for an answer that wasn't there, crying until her throat hurt, until her tears dried up… and once everything seemed to be at its lowest the door opened, looking up from her pillow with half her face still stuffed in it she let out a mumbling whine, "Papa…~!"
Reynold felt as if his heart had been crushed at the sight of Lela, her eyes were red and swollen, streaks ran down her face from her tears… a small stream of snot ran down her lip, "I'm sorry, Papa wasn't there to help you… I got rid of the mean lady, you won't have to worry about her ever again okay?"
Reynold pulled her into a hug and let her cuddle into his arms, as she stuffed her face into his chest her muffled voice reached his ears, "Y-your not mad at me…?" Her voice was trembling and it roused anger from Reynold, anger at the one who hurt his adorable daughter… "Of Course not, how could I ever be mad at you?"
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Somewhere else…
"I-I-I'm S-s-sorwy, I prawmis to do better," Anna looked down upon Lillian, or her unrecognizable blood covered form… Lord Fidellis had given her full reign to do as she pleased and Anna was going to do just that…
"Rot in hell…" With a light kick Anna sent Lillian flying over the edge of the cliff face to the jagged shore below, she didn't even turn around to check before she walked away, simply taking a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe the blood off her face…
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Time slowly passed and before she knew it 6 months had passed, in these past months Lela had dedicated herself to the sword. Switching from a short sword to a long sword, she had trouble lifting a long sword but she preserved, at first her swings were lackluster and all over the place, but as time passed she grew used to having her balance thrown with every swing and making progress difficult.
Sir Clifton had spent the majority of his time in the past months working with Lela, he never expected her to be able to swing a sword taller than her but as with most children she had a determination that overshadowed many of the knights.
However, soon it would be time for the enrollment of Stolan's Magic Academy, and the Little Lady would leave them behind… Sir Clifton would be lying if he said he wouldn't miss her, all the knights have grown close with Lela over these past months and many of the knights have grown.
With the 'threat' of Lela on their heels they pushed themselves harder than they thought they could, although this put strain on their patrols due to pushing past their limits none of them slacked behind in their duty or training.
As Lela's lessons came to a close she joined Reynold at the dinner table, she was happy to find him not nearly as tired as usual. As she entered he had a soft proud smile, the report he had received about her training had eased his heart.
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In an exquisite carriage dressed in gold, and the crest of the King, three people sat around. Whilst the youngest slept the other two talked, "Aleeya, why are we visiting a viscounts fiefdom? The Duke's Lands are much more enjoyable…"
Aleeya Stolan; the first princess chided, "Darrel, there are many things you don't know… if Eric was here you would have been smacked upside the head for your words."
Darrel Stolan; the fifth prince grunted, the o' so wonderful crown prince Eric Stolan was probably his favorite brother but that didn't mean they don't have issues, "All Eric cares about is receiving the throne after Father steps down."
Aleeya looked down towards Elena Stolan, their youngest sibling… how Father managed to have a child at 80 years old eludes her but she wouldn't trade it for the world as she ran her fingers through Elena's bronze-colored hair.
Some of the more 'cocky' nobles would pick on her because she was the child of a castle maid, but Aleeya always had a soft spot for her… "Daren, send notice to Viscount Fidellis… Inform him that we will arrive within a fortnight…"
Outside the carriage an aged voice replied, "Your will, will be down your highness…"
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A week passed quickly, Lela stuck to her schedule like always while the maids and butlers ran around vigorously cleaning every inch of the castle, the Stolan crest was cut into the grass, the best wine was pulled from the cellars and the knights that were free began hunting with vigor.
While Lela was curious what was happening she didn't allow it to pull her focus from her training, and it was working until Anna pulled her from the training grounds, "Milady, you need to get changed the First Princess, 5th Prince, and 3rd princess will be arriving shortly."
"Huh?!" Lela was shocked but didn't let that slow her down, seeing that there was no reason to 'pull' her along Anna let out a sigh of relief, "Your bath is already drawn and your dress is set out, now please excuse me I still have much work to do," turning down one of the various halls Anna disappeared into the castle as Lela's voice reached her ears, "Okay, bye!"
It didn't take long for Lela to meet Reynold at the castle gates alongside all the servants of the castle, they all stood in orderly lines on either side of the gates making a path directly towards the castle doors where Lela and Reynold stood, Lela was becoming anxious… she hadn't met any Royalty and it's been a while since she sat down with nobility…
Resting his large hands on her shoulder, Reynold calmly spoke, "Don't worry, you'll be wonderful…" Lela's fearful-looking eyes looked up towards Reynold, the blinding confidence they usually held was overshadowed by uncertainty…
Lela jumped in fright as the castle gates let out a thunderous 'boom' before they began to 'creak' open; she pouted as Reynold chuckled. Everytime the gates open she seems to forget that the ballasts must be dropped, it worked as a locking mechanism that when the ballasts are raised the gates would be immovable due to their weight…
Slowly the ornate carriage came into view, there were two sets of beautiful white horses pulling the carriage along, a squad of knights dressed in full plate followed behind on warhorses considerably larger than those pulling the carriage and much less elegant.
All the servants knelt at the sight of the carriage, as the doors opened a young girl bounded out of the carriage and looked around, her eyes were wide as she took in the large castle, the 10m tall walls surrounding the castle seemed small compared to the ones she saw when they passed the mountains, soon after a young man stepped out before offering his hand to the women who followed… her graceful steps seemed to pull attention towards her as the wind tugged her light brown, almost blonde hair…
The young girl pouted as she felt Aleeya stealing all her attention but soon her eyes landed on Lela, the young girl; Elena waved towards Lela with a large smile, but her smile became cramped as she saw Lela's hair compared to Reynold's dark chestnut colored hair. That cramp-ness faded as she felt that the young girl was the same as herself…
Seeing the young princess waving, Lela smiled as she waved back but her eyes were trained on the knights behind Elena. They held an air incomparable to the Fidellis Knights, she didn't understand the difference but she knew they were strong… really strong…
Reynold had a small frown marring his face, the king's knights dared to show such intent in front of him, his servants… in front of his daughter… he ground his teeth but kept his 'intent' in check, Aleeya; the first princess glanced at him before glaring at the Knight Commander's back from the corner of her eye…
Sir Reyes; the Knight Commander felt a chill run down his back, his knees instantly became weak and his skin became a shade lighter as he gulped… he didn't know what he had done, but sadly he would know later…
Letting her hand fall as the young princess' attention fell elsewhere, Lela looked at the First Princess as she approached holding the hand of Elena; whose large eyes were focused on the large 'ancient' castle, with a nice smile, behind her walked the Fifth Prince dressed in a dull grey vest traced with gold embroidery on top of a black shirt. His hair was done neat and a 'nice' smile was plastered on his face as he looked at the 'old' and 'rundown' castle, you couldn't hide the age… he was surprised the walls still stood…
Reynold gave a sincere bow, "Fidellis Fiefdom greets the First Princess, Fifth Princess, and Thrid Princess," while Lela gave a cute but brief curtsy, Aleeya smiled at the young girl while the Elena mimicked her with a smile, her eyes trained on Lela as if she found a new toy.
The Fifth Prince seemed impatient as the greetings went on before they were brought into the castle, the large gate-like doors opened up into a large room. The Knights were lined up on either side of the dark blue carpet, the Royal Knights hand fallen in line with Sir Clifton, and the Captain of the Knights.
Slowly various things were talked out and everyone was excused, maids showed everyone their rooms and explained the daily schedule for meals. The Knights and Royal Knights all went to the Training Grounds to exchange pointers, none of the noticed the young girl following behind them with a big smile. While they all congregated on the field, Lela ran off into a 'small' building built off to the side. This building was originally a storehouse for the knights gear but Reynold moved it so Lela could have some privacy if she wanted it when she went to train.
Some Knights circled around and exchanged stories while some watched the various spars going on, others fell into line and went through their movements next to each other. One of the Royal Knights nearly choked on his drink as he saw a oddly familiar young girl dragging a sword towards the training grounds, her eyes were like a predator's who found their prey and with her wild smile he was at a lost for words when one of the Fidellis Knights yelled out, "Little Lady! Come here I'll help you!"
"Don't listen to him Little Lady, he's gone rusty come over here and I'll help you train your footwork!"
"Little Lady…"
"Come over here Little Lady…"
The Royal Knight were shocked and confused as they heard the Fidellis Knights, until Sor Clifton stepped forward his voice booming through the masses, "Let Lady Fidellis pick for herself!"
Some of the Fidellis Knights chuckled, others punched the person next to them for either getting in trouble or getting them in trouble, but all patiently waited for Lela to choose. Lela stood still on her spot, a line coming from the small building she came out of from the sword she dragged behind her, she put her hand on her chin as she arched an eyebrow, furrowed them, or shook her head while eyeing each Knight until her eyes landed on the Knight Commander…
A smile rose to her lips as she took in a long breath heaving the long sword behind her to point at the man, Sir Reyes felt there was something wrong with a girl no older than 6 and no taller than 107cm raising a sword that had a blade no longer then 110cm, the handle itself had to be atleast 33cm from cross guard to pommel.
There were some upset Knights, confused Knights, and Knights that were anticipating what was to come… however in the distance Darrel came out of the castle, intent on furthering his practice, he was close to incorporating magic into his swordsmanship and he was going to use this chance away from all the nobility trying to curry favor in the Capital to get some extra training in… seeing the Knights all huddled into a circle he hurried his steps as he quickly finished buckling his sheath to his belt.
Inside the encirclement, Sir Reyes defended the strikes from Lela, even after 3 minutes he had yet to break a sweat but he was surprised to see Lela still with a calm breath. Her strikes were continuous, as she swung the sword with a single hand, her footwork while sloppy compared to his own benefited her greatly, allowing her to bring that long sword around time and time again. Feeling confident enough that she would be able to evade a slow slash he parried her downward slash before following through with an exaggeratedly slow slash.
Lela frowned as she burst forward with a sudden burst of speed, flipping her sword into reverse grip, she sharply inhaled, Sir Reyes could hear the air 'whistling' through her teeth as he back peddled. Surprised at her burst of speed he reacted too late, the pummel of Lela's sword dug into his unprotected ribs forcing the air out of his lungs.
He barely managed to stay on his feet as Lela's body collided with his, the surroundings were quiet for a moment before a sudden uproar of cheers came from the Fidellis Knights with Sir Clifton yelling out, "The Little Lady takes down yet another!"
Lela climbed up off of Sir Reyes with a happy smile, she looked him in the eyes, "Thanks mister, that was fun," Sir Reyes could help but let out a self deprecating chuckle as he stood up, "No, thank you for your time Lady Fidellis," he gave a curt bow before mixing in with the surroundings, but froze when he saw the Fifth Prince but relaxed as Darrel sent a dismissal wave only to tense up when Darrel spoke, "My sister wishes to talk to you Sir Reyes…"
Sir Reyes hung his head as he ran off, it was time for his punishment it seemed… the Knights split as Darrel walked up to Lela, the Fidellis Knights watching him carefully… Fifth Prince or not, they had a duty, and that duty was to protect the Little Lady and her interests.
Standing before Lela the Fifth Pronce showed a beautiful smile as greeted, "It's nice to meet you once again, Lady Fidellis," Lela looked up into his eyes and showed an innocent smile with a small curtsy, "Many greetings to the Fifth Prince," Darrels smile grew slightly at the sight unnoticeable by the surrounding Knights, "My lady, would you like to join me for some tea?"
The surrounding Fidellis Knights grew tense, they all knew how the Little Lady was… once she stepped foot on the Training Grounds she rarely liked to leave, "Mhm, No I'd like to continue my training… sorry…" seemingly finished with the conversation Lela turned around scouting other Knights to train with, there were so many new knights and she wanted to fight them all…
The Fifth Prince's smile cramped as he stared at Lela's back, the sword she was dragging around kicked dirt up onto his pants, his eyes trailed down onto the mess she had made and he reached out.
Lela jumped as the hand landed on her shoulder, her head turned to see who it was but her head tilted when she saw Darrel, "Yes?" Her tone was filled with the innocence of a child, Darrel looked conflicted for a moment before letting out a sigh and a shake of his head, "Nevermind…"
The surrounding Knights were tense from the previous situation, but slowly their attention drifted as the Fifth Prince went off to the side and began swinging his sword. Lela continued to spar with a few knights, pulling the attention of Darrel every so often, he didn't understand why she continued to do such unladylike things but it only made him so much more curious.
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Inside the Castle the Third Princess; Elena enjoyed tea with the First Princess; Aleeya, although Aleeya had to leave the room to deal with something… Elena angrily sipped her tea before furiously biting down on a cookie, once she did however her eyes grew larger as she took another bite, squealing under her breath, "Soooo gooood," taking yet another angered sip as the door opened she snapped around glaring at Aleeya, "Hmmpf," turning back around she snapped down on the cookie again…
Aleeya let out a soft giggle as she took her seat, "Do you like the Castle?" Elena eyed Aleeya for a moment before vigorously nodding, "It's Soo big," her arms spread out as she talked, "Did you see the beautiful paintings on the ceiling in the main room?! It had colorful birds, and trees, and, and butterflies!"
Aleeya laughed as she picked up a cookie, "Calm down, we will be here for a week so you can see everything the castle has to offer, ok?"
Elena launched from her seat onto the table "Really?! Awesome!" She fell back into her seat causing it to rock slightly, her face puckered up in panic as her arms flailed.
Seeing Elena's chair fall back Aleeya caught a leg of the chair with her foot, "Now now, quit playing around… I don't want you getting hurt," Elena pouted as she sipped her tea, "Okay…"
Aleeya held a warm smile as they talked about random things, such as butterflies, different clothes, and played various games such as 'Boulder, Parchment, Sword' and other things…
After a while Elena asked, "Can we invite Lela?! She looks fun! Please…?~" Aleeya smiled brightly, "Of course, Let me send a maid," picking up a bell from the table she rung it three times. After a few moments a knock resounded on the door, "Your highness, you called?"
Raising her voice to speak through the door Aleeya replied, "Invite the Little Lady Fidellis to join us for tea,"
There was some hesitation before the maid spoke again, "Your Highness, Little Lady is currently training with the knights at the grounds…"
Aleeya stood up confused, stretching out her hand towards Elena she called out, "Show us to the grounds, I'd like to see for myself."
"Very well, your highness, right this way," With her head low she directed them towards the nearest butler before returning to her duties.