The Medallion of Asgar

3.

Reise

Reise navigated the labyrinthine halls of the castle quickly, passing servants and other knights who bowed slightly to him in respect. To this he would give a quick smile coupled with a nod of his head before moving on. The ornate tapestries lining the walls were enough to cause someone to stop in admiration, but the knight had no time for sightseeing halls which he passed through everyday. He nodded to the guards standing at the double doors leading outside, and paused in his step as they opened the way for him in a way similar to what was done with the throne room doors.

Stepping out into the courtyard, Reise allowed his eyes to skim over the area. The night did nothing to daunt the castle which seemed to never sleep. It was always brightly illuminated, the large torches hooked to the stone walls making sure of that. As a result, he could see the courtyard just as well as if it were the sun providing the light. It was a huge rectangular area, outlined by a stone balcony stretching around the area from above. Where Reise stood on the ground-level walkway, marble pillars were spread around at regular intervals to support the balcony. Moving down the three small steps separating the walkway from the gravel of the courtyard, the knight took note of the many guards moving along the balcony in quick patrol and the other knights exiting the castle on horseback with haste. Doubtlessly to search the castle town for anything suspicious.

Reise's eyes went to the center where the large statue of the first King of Asgar stood erect atop a layered fountain. The water shone clear and seemed to sparkle in the light of the flames as it trickled down like a waterfall from the feet of the kingdom's founder. Now, despite all tasks at hand, this was something worth pausing to admire. Reise slowly stepped toward it, a towering marble statue that one had to lean back slightly to properly see the top. It was carved with such detail that one could almost expect the statue to begin moving.

"Mi'lord, there you are!" A young teen's voice sounded from his right. Reise tore his gaze from the monument and turned to face the red-headed male who approached. He bowed deeply to Reise, who nodded and said, "Hewitt. Found anything?" The knight's young servant shook his head, giving him an apologetic stare. "None of the citizens seen nor heard nothing, mi'lord." Hewitt stepped forward and took the knight's helm from him with another bow before stepping away again, looking to him for further orders. Reise placed a hand to his own chin, looking once more to the knights who were leaving to do what he'd already sent his servant to do. Being a peasant of the town himself, he would be able to appeal to the townies better than a noble, but perhaps their upper-class status would intimidate them into talking if they were truly hiding something? At any rate, the town was covered by the others.

"Alright. Prepare Midnight," Reise turned to face one of the side doors. A short distance away, looming over the courtyard walls to the southwest, was the top of a large domed building. Hewitt followed his gaze before bowing. "Shall I prepare Soren as well?" The knight shook his head. "No, I will depart alone tonight." The servant paused, and Reise looked at him. He smiled and gave the teen a playful punch to his arm. "Don't worry. I'll return in one piece. If I don't, well, that means you're relieved of your duties. You should be excited," He mused. The culprit had been able to take out trained royal guards on patrol - it would be foolish to bring his servant along. Hewitt frowned at him before turning and heading across the yard toward the stables, obviously not finding amusement in the knight's words.

Reise watched him go before he returned his gaze to the door he'd been eying and stepped toward it. A plaque hung on the wall to the side of the door read *KNIGHTS' QUARTERS*. He entered and moved through the western wing, passing the knights' mess hall and a few barracks. Knights were roomed according to regime in order to allow the squads to become further acquainted with one another. However, Reise's room was at the end of the wing. He reached the end of the halls, and stepping through the door at the end, he found himself in the large domed building he'd seen before. The Chamber of the Elites.

He was standing in a semi-circular room, a series of five doors curving around the opposite wall. Four circular twelve-foot pillars stood in the room, surrounding a rounded table in the center. The high ceiling was curved to create the dome shape. Reise's eyes went to each individual door, from left to right: first was the room of Sir Jules Erdio, Knight Commandant. However, he was not in Asgar, on a mission for the King. What the mission entailed was of extreme confidentiality, so much that Reise himself did not know where the Commandant was. The second door belonged to Sir Verd Enali, the Stonewall Knight. He was captain of the 31st Regime and Siege Specialist; currently he was the acting Commandant. Third was Dame Taira Lutel, the Winged Knight. She was captain of the 29th Archer's Regime, and the first woman to achieve Elitist acknowledgement. Reise stopped glancing around and moved toward the fourth door, the entrance to his own room. He had no need to glance at the fifth door, nor did he want to look at it and be reminded of the man who once owned that room. It was currently an empty slot in the Elitists, and though there were many candidates for the position, King Jerid had yet to pick someone to run the Elitist Gauntlet. With the uproar of this missing medallion, the slot would likely remain empty for a while longer.

Reise entered his bedroom, a room befitting a noble with its ornate bedding and furniture, though he didn't glance around. He went toward one of the two armoires in the room and stood in front of it. He hesitated, lifting a hand but dropping it before he could touch the knob, shaking his head. Drawing his sword, he lifted it and held it vertically up with both hands at chest level, closing his eyes and uttering a quick prayer. After a moment of silence, he sheathed his sword and bowed. "Wish me luck, father," He murmured before straightening and spinning on his heel, exiting the room and retracing his steps to the courtyard. He had no need to report to Verd before he left, being that he was a knight independent of Regimes.

He was King Jerid's personal warrior to order directly and outside of the chain of command. It was an efficient but controversial position, and there was much opportunity to take advantage of it, but he did not. He remained loyal to his ruler and his kingdom even when corruption tempted him, because he held his moral code close. For that, he was trusted, though he knew that people were always watching him. Waiting for him to slip up, to become a repeat of the fifth Elitist. But Reise had his own person to report to; before departure on a mission, he always visited the armoire which held the portrait of his father within it. It was a ritual for him to remember who he was and re-establish his honor code so that he might leave with a clear, strong conscience.

Reise went toward the huge courtyard gates once he made it outside. He nodded to Hewitt who stood there next to a black stallion that was saddled up and ready to go. Mounting the silky-haired steed, Reise retrieved the helm from his servant. "Thank you, Hewitt. I'll be off; send your folks my regards, if you will." Hewitt nodded and stepped back, bowing as the knight pulled the helm over his head. He took up the reins, but paused when he heard a husky voice call his name. "Sir Welkin!" He looked over his shoulder to see the heavyset Stonewall Knight cross the courtyard toward him on horseback in full silver armor, followed by two other knights. "Going to search? Take these two with you, at least. This thief's not to be underestimated." Reise looked to the two knights who seemed to be of the lower ranks, for they looked tense as they were placed under the charge of the Charcoal Knight. He glanced at Verd and nodded. "Thank you, Sir Enali. I'll be heading to the surrounding villages. Send a scout if you need me."

With a grunt and an "Onwards, Midnight!", Reise willed the stallion forward. He did not take the main road, as the other knights were already swarming along it. Rather, he broke off and headed toward the likeliest place one might go to inconspicuously get away from the castle: the nearby forest. It would be dangerous to travel through the thicket at night, as one of the knights so-nervously reminded him, but they had to do whatever they could to retrieve that medallion. No stone should be left unturned, not even the most hazardous of stones.