World Without Song

Chapter 3: The burden of sin

It has been a week since Yhidawach had won his duel against Roben of the Crowned Men. Now he had turned sixteen and was waiting for his full plate armor to be made.

All this time and Mary still didn't speak, she had been holding out on her needs, rather, her wants. Yhidawach seems reluctant in engaging with her in that way unless he has sin built up. It frustrated her, but she could handle it. He was a knight, after all.

For the entire week he had stayed at the castle doing menial task for the Slash Emperor. They even sparred.

It was a rough fight but the emperor won.

And now it finally came, the call from the Slash Emperor.

The official knighting of Yhidawach as a true knight of the Empire.

Other knights of the Empire were called to be witnesses; that was fine... The many fertile women that came to claim stakes on him weren't.

In the cold throne room, Mary had stood beside the Slash Emperor after dressing Yhidawach up.

He was stunning.

The armor gleamed with a dark silvery light; his cloak was white and bore the three swords of the Slash Emperor upon them.

His gauntlets were adorned with blades too, the swords pointing towards his fists, starting at his forearm and ending before the wrists.

His helmet was unique, but it kept the Slash Emperor's motif.

Horns, starting from the temples faced forward and curved slightly upwards.

The horns were blades; said blades made it harder for the enemy interfere with his visor and made it harder to dent them from the extra metal that was used to make them.

The third blade on his helmet ran down the face and ended at his eye level.

And of course, there was a sword going down his chest that bore the design of the Slash Emperor's personal weapon.

Save for the helmets, the other knights wore the same plate armor.

She knew their names but couldn't place the face with name. Rather, she couldn't place the helmet to the name.

Sir Moritz, Sir Vayne, Sir Cedrick and Sir Thorn... Wait that wasn't right... there should be one more.

"Where is Sir Ebron?" The Slash Emperor roared.

A knight with the simplest design on his helmet, which was three swords going across the top half of his helmet stepped up.

"He fell."

"He died!?"

"No sir. He fell to the burden of sin."

"Why was I not told of this before!?" That clear voice spoke with a fierce rage.

"We had only received word before we arrived. Our scout barely came back alive."

"I see... Sir Yhidawach. Travel to the north. Go to Gesten Keep... And kill Sir Ebron. He is no knight of mine if he has disgraced himself in such a way! Strike him from the Book of Swords!"

The noble ladies and knights all stood silently, in fear.

Yhidawach stood up and walked up to Mary, he took her hand and began leading her out of the throne-room.

...

"What are you all standing around for!? Leave this room before I strike more names from that book."