Kratz

11

"Sleep well my love"...

 Diamond Guard duels were already being spoken about with great eagerness. Unlike the boys dueling each other, these duels did depend on wins. Wins and notes would be made by their much larger audience. It was guaranteed that many people would show up to see them fight. It was a highly anticipated event by Commoners.

But the Diamond Guard duels became temporarily unimportant during the winter months. Much of the people's attention would be focused on something else happening in the village. General Heart had passed away. Naturally and asleep, thankfully. Their regions beloved leader was gone, and they required somebody new to take his place. Only a commoner could lead a state or mass of citizens and slaves alike. The decision reached the very associates of King Liam himself. He eventually decided to base Lady Cleo there. She herself was a noble commoner and a second cousin to Liam. Being distant family didn't mean much and they certainly weren't very close. But Cleo had wanted a position over a village after her own husband's death, the Earl of Hamby. She felt it her role to go on and continue to work to better the kingdom. And, perhaps, distract herself in her times of sorrow.

Lady Cleo was a large woman, and always appeared stoic and proud. This noticeable pride was largely thanks to her strong personality. She was fearless, smart, and usually agreeable. Sometimes she felt others were in a poorer state of mind than her. Advisors to the King even commented she seemed a particularly good fit for the town. Hopefully, she would fix it up and better run it. That was her very attitude as she arrived at the small village. It was her chance to make a difference.

She arrived on carriage as the last of the winters snow was melting away. She was greeted by Captain Anderson and Captain Sheeran, leader of the town's commoner battalion, who gave her a tour around the town.

Much of the tour she spent speaking only to Sheeran. But towards the end she began to talk more with Anderson. Cleo respected Anderson, despite him being a Leponese. She felt indifferent over the Leponese unlike a lot of commoners who simply hated them. Cleo knew of Anderson though and knew him to be an extremely important figure. He was also notoriously known for the bodies he left behind in his many years of service. Mostly Leponese but even a handful of out of line commoners. His body count made him much more horrifying than the calm personality he presented. It was fear that kept her from speaking to him much. His reputation had already given her all the information she needed. The Diamond Guard in the town was under great leadership. Jarin and Anderson both were straight arrows. Instead Cleo would center more of her attention on repairing the Commoner Army and raising harvest production.

Once shown her estate Cleo began unpacking and getting dug in. It was a fine house, the same home that General Heart had lived in for many years. Two stories, wood and stone, a large chimney, and five rooms in total. That was many rooms for a single building. It was very comfortable, and Cleo enjoyed its sheer size.

She settled herself in less than a week. Immediately pointing her attention to the work that laid ahead. Commanding so many people while being a woman in those times were hard. It was also quite frowned upon. That is why Cleo maintained a hard almost male exterior. Very brute and strong. Acting much like her counterpart officers made her appear a worthy leader. She stood out among the ranks everywhere she traveled. Liam had noticed her dedication. When she requested an official position in the state, he was still hesitant. Finally, she had been given a chance to prove herself.

Her first act was to attend the spring duels. The opening duels themselves were an event everyone attended. Throughout the summer less people watched since the remaining boys were the last to pass. Some did not pass. But for the opening duels the leader of the class would select the best performing boys to fight on the first day. Each one, four in total for opening day, were sent to battle two graduated Diamond Guard patrolmen. Taking on two opponents was nearly impossible, but necessary to graduate. Being able to be skilled enough to even take on two of your own kind. It was a big demand for the boys, but each went in with great confidence and a will to graduate. They knew the consequences of losing by that age. Death.

Cleo, along with any other ranking officer, attended. Including Sheeran, Anderson, Josef, and of course Jarin. Other commoner soldiers, Diamond Guards, and citizens attended as well. Even a couple of visiting Diamond Guards. Most famous of the attendees was Royal Guard Patrolmen Michael. He was a member of King Liam's personal Diamond Guard patrol. Altogether they made for a considerable crowd of roughly one hundred people. Leponese slaves were not allowed to attend.

Jarin had taken his time selecting the boys to compete on the first day. His final roster included, in his opinion, the most skilled boys. He rather kept it to himself than sharing who he thought was among the strongest. By that spring it was already obvious. Bas was on the list alongside Ellis, Viktor, and another boy named Lewis. Each had proven themselves both in duels and in practice. All of them were extremely dedicated, and very skilled. Jarin hoped that they would at least do well during their first duels against actual patrolmen. These were men that fought similarly to Jarin. Perhaps not as good, but dangerously close.