Cambrian
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The Soul Engine Ch. 38 (Original Fantasy)
🕑 Added 2023-10-18 22:00:03 +0000 UTCA/N: Thayla POV! Funnily enough, she's more worried about Mikael than Nathaniel, pfft.
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As she faces off with Nathaniel, Thayla is very careful not to look in Mikael’s direction. She doesn’t need the distraction that seeing his no doubt betrayed expression would bring. Not right now. Thayla is well aware that she probably should have told Mikael and the others about her relation to the Order of the Rose’s Knight-Superior ahead of time. But she’d been too much of an irrational coward. And now they were finding out here and now, in this impossibly shitty situation.
Thayla’s lips thin out, even as the other knights all make a space and she finishes securing her gauntlet to her arm once more. Seeing this, Nathaniel seems to take it as a sign of her reluctance to fight him, a smirk spreading across the Chevalier’s face.
“You sure you want to do this, Thayla? You know it won’t end well for you.”
Thayla ignores him, hefting her sword and shield and staring at him expectantly, waiting for him to make the first move. He just raises an eyebrow in response, but when she stays quiet he huffs out a laugh, shaking his head.
“The silent treatment never won you a bout against me before, Thayla. Don’t think it will now.”
Then, he takes a quick three steps forward and attacks. Thayla blocks him with her shield and counterattacks right back, and with that the battle starts.
It’s true that she’s never won a single spar against the man. Chevalier Nathaniel Ironshield. They were of an age with each other, meaning they’d pretty much grown up together side by side. And he’d been an insufferable ass the entire fucking time. From a very early age, Nathaniel seemed to have gotten it into his head that they were meant to be together. That they belonged with one another.
Needless to say, Thayla had never agreed with that. Ducking under a powerful swing, Thayla bends her knees before springing up, her blade flashing towards Nathaniel’s face. His eyes widen in surprise at her speed, but he quickly gets his shield up in time to deflect her to the side, breaking off and making some distance as they circle one another for a brief moment.
“Hmph. Learned some new tricks, did you Thayla? No matter. It won’t help.”
Their ‘relationship’ had always been rather one-sided. His advances had never been appreciated. Unfortunately, he had never quite stepped beyond the bounds of propriety. He had merely been there, a constant presence in her life, reminding her of her inadequacies and failures. And all the while, it felt more like he was interested in her for her family name than anything else.
The Order of the Rose did not have inherited positions, to be clear. It did not overtly favor family ties either. It was, first and foremost, a meritocracy. That was what the Hero who had originally started it all those centuries ago had wanted. And it was the ideal that the Knightly Order had tried to stay true to, all this time.
So in actuality, Thayla’s parentage didn’t matter all that much, at least as far as her companions were concerned. Just because she was the daughter of the current Knight-Superior didn’t mean he would listen to them any more closely than he would otherwise. Family and duty were two very separate things within the Order of the Rose.
Nathaniel had never understood that. Thayla might never have been able to defeat HIM, but she had still risen as high as she had purely on her own merits. She was Dame Dawnguard, not because her father was Knight-Superior, but in spite of it. Or at least, that’s what Thayla had always told herself. Still, it was clear to her that the Chevalier thought he could rise higher in the Order if he had her at his side.
They exchange another series of blows, each flash of their blades faster than the last. Thayla keeps her breathing as slow as she can, but as the pace of battle picks up, so does her heartbeat. It’s unavoidable, in the end. Still, when Nathaniel flashes her a smirk, she doesn’t rise to the provocation. She doesn’t let him bother her at all.
Part of the reason Thayla had left the Citadel in the first place was to get away from Nathaniel. Even now, she doesn’t think the pigheaded man realizes that funnily enough. But it’s true. As much as she’d wanted to get to the bottom of things regarding those rumors about Alether, she’d also needed to be away from the Citadel, away from him. She’d needed room to breathe.
Of course, look at how that had turned out. Her ‘room to breathe’ had resulted in her killing an innocent man at the behest of the very criminal she’d gone to Alether to try and arrest. Though… Thayla isn’t sure what she would have done anyways if Zadicus Quinn had come right out and admitted to his crimes the moment she showed up in his city. Gone to the Council of Lords, perhaps? Been silenced by his goons? By Bula herself, even?
In the end, everything had worked out for the best. Not because of her though. Because of Mikael. Because he wasn’t just a Summoned Hero, he was more than that. Even if he himself didn’t realize it, Mikael was a good man. He was a man worth following, worth swearing herself to. Thayla wasn’t the same woman that had left the Citadel all those months ago. She doesn’t think Nathaniel really realizes that.
The Chevalier begins to get frustrated. His confident smirks are replaced by small frowns and an increasingly furrowed brow as their duel continues. It’s not the easy win he was expecting.
He just doesn’t get it. He doesn’t understand that people can change. It’s been several months since Thayla left the Citadel. And in those several months, Thayla has not stood still.
The Citadel is great at teaching fundamentals, but Thayla is finally starting to understand a lesson that her father tried to drill into her head while she was growing up. There are two types of Knights within the Order of the Rose. There are those who guard the Citadel and keep their skills sharp in the training yard… and then there are those who venture forth into the wider world to fight evil and injustice wherever it might be found.
Don’t get her wrong. Thayla had the utmost respect for those who stayed close to the Citadel. The Citadel was a bastion of hope and justice, not just in the Zuverian Empire, but across the entire continent. So long as the Citadel stood strong, so too did the Order of the Rose. And so long as the Order of the Rose stood strong, so too did its ideals and the ideals of its Heroic Founder.
But… Thayla knows Nathaniel has never left the Citadel. He has never ranged afar, not even on a mission within the borders of the Empire. He has not fought the orcs of the Savage Lands or sussed out evil in far away swamps and dark forests. He has lived his entire life in the Citadel, gaining the title of Chevalier solely based off his contributions to the Order through guarding its most hallowed ground and training the next generation of squires.
It shows… in his stagnation.
“You-!”
Thayla huffs as Nathaniel starts to growl something out, only to have to cut himself off as she starts up a new offensive, forcing him to backpedal rapidly. He’s so much… slower. So much weaker. Not compared to her, mind you. But rather… compared to the people she’s been fighting for weeks now. Mikael. Bula. He doesn’t measure up to either of them.
Now, in all fairness, Thayla doesn’t measure up to Mikael or Bula’s monstrous strength at this point either. But frankly, Nathaniel doesn’t measure up to her either. Compared to the life she’s lived for months, traveling the roads of Zuveria, surviving off the wilderness, assisting the towns she’d passed through on the way to Alether with all sorts of tasks… Nathaniel’s life has not been hard. Perhaps it has not been easy, but the man is soft in a way Thayla doesn’t think he realizes.
The Citadel matters. This Thayla will never stop believing. The Citadel must continue standing strong, to usher in the next generation of the Order of the Rose. But… only now does Thayla have perspective that Nathaniel Ironshield lacks. Only now does she truly realize that the Citadel does not stand simply for the sake of standing. The Order of the Rose does not exist simply for the sake of existing.
No, there’s a great big world out there, and it’s up to the Knights of the Rose to make it a safer place for innocents. The Citadel stands tall… but it only deserves to stand tall for as long as it continues to give more than it takes.
Thayla doesn’t think Chevalier Ironshield understands that. Which is why in the end, he inevitably loses. Between one moment and the next, Nathaniel is suddenly on his back with Thayla’s sword at his throat. He freezes up as her cold steel touches his neck, threatening to split open his soft throat and end his life right then and there.
“Thalya… you…”
She’d done it. She’d finally won against him. And the funny thing was? It didn’t even really matter. Much like she’d come to realize the Citadel had more of a purpose than simply existing, she’d also come to realize that Nathaniel Ironshield simply wasn’t that big of a deal. Beating him like this used to consume her every waking moment, but only now that she’s finally done it does Thayla realize how… small a matter it truly was.
“Yield, Chevalier Ironshield. This is my victory.”
Nathaniel grimaces, his throat bobbing beneath her blade. She doesn’t want to kill him, truth be told. She never has. He’s not an evil man… just a complete and total ass. Maybe this defeat will be the wake up call he needs? Maybe he can grow and evolve, just as she did. Maybe-
The Chevalier’s face twists into something ugly as he looks around at all of the other knights standing around them. The knights he’d assembled in order to arrest Thayla’s party the moment they came through the front gate.
“What are you all waiting for?! Take them! And take the Dame too! Her father will decide what to do with her!”
Thayla’s eyes widen at that, even as the other Knights of the Rose all tense up. They look uncertain, but also ready to obey. Not surprising… Nathaniel is of a high rank, his authority unquestionable. And yet… and yet, the lack of honor makes Thayla stiffen. Truly? They had just fought a duel over this. And she had won. Was he really going to… just ignore that?
Letting out a growl, Thayla digs her blade in just a bit, making a droplet of blood well up from the Chevalier’s neck.
“Nobody moves a muscle! This was a duel of honor! A duel that I won! Whatever lies you believe you have been told about my companions, I have PROVEN them falsehoods through the strength of my steel!”
The other knights look uncertain. Technically, Nathaniel is a higher rank than even she is. That was a point of no small amount of soreness, once upon a time. Now though? Now Thayla doesn’t care. All she cares about is getting that audience with her father. The Order of the Rose might not put much stock in family ties, but damn it all, Thayla knows that if she can just speak to the Knight-Superior and explain things, she’ll be able to convince him.
“Tch. Kill me and you will have truly lost your way, Thayla. Stand down.”
Thayla snarls at that, her eyes flint-like as she glares down at Nathaniel.
“I am not the one dishonoring myself, Nathaniel!”
Then, to give the others something to do so they don’t decide to attack, Thayla calls out.
“Someone go and retrieve the Knight-Superior! NOW!”
“There is no need.”
Before anyone can move, however, a solid, strong voice fills the courtyard. Eyes dart in its direction, Thayla’s included. Her breath hitches as she beholds Knight-Superior Timothal Dawnguard coming down the steps into the courtyard. Clad in white-gold armor, with well-kept silver hair and beard, the Knight-Superior has his hands clasped behind his back as he takes in the scene.
He radiates a sense of strength that fills the courtyard. Along with it comes a sort of calmness seated deeply in the confidence that that strength instills. The other knights all relax now that they’re in the presence of their Order’s Grandmaster. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t ready for action all the same. No, rather, they’re more ready for action than ever before.
The chain of command is clear now. Whatever the Knight-Superior orders… will be done. No matter what.
“Remove your blade from the Chevalier’s throat, Dame Dawnguard. Your duel is won and your point is made.”
Even she is not immune to this feeling it would appear, because though Thayla bites her lower lip in consternation, she doesn’t hesitate to pull her sword back at the Knight-Superior’s order. Her father gives her a simple nod in response, even as Nathaniel scrambles to his feet.
“Knight-Superior Dawnguard! I was-!”
The older man doesn’t say a word. He simply looks at Nathaniel and the Chevalier cuts himself off all on his own. Thayla blinks at the exchange. Did it mean what she thought it meant? That Nathaniel had prepared this ambush without her father’s knowledge? That… bode well for them, right?”
As Nathaniel steps back, silent and head bowed in frustration, Timothal’s eyes sweep back over her… and her companions. He spends only a moment studying them all before looking back to Thayla in particular. Those icy blue eyes of hers had to come from somewhere, and their origin stares her right in the eye as the Knight-Superior lets out a huff that might have been amused or exasperated. Thayla can’t quite tell which.
“Follow, Thayla.”
She almost wishes he’d continued to use her title. To keep things… separate. But even if their ideal is one of meritocracy… it is impossible to completely ignore one’s family ties, isn’t it? Even still, Thayla hesitates for a moment. She isn’t sure she can obey this order. Not if it means leaving Mikael and the others in the hands of Nathaniel and his men. Especially when she’s not sure the Citadel would survive an attempt to take Mikael, Bula, and Avina into custody.
Fortunately, when Timothal sees her hesitance, he just scoffs and beckons with a hand.
“Bring your… allies as well. We have much to discuss.”
Thayla’s shoulder slump in relief at that, even as she and the others follow her father into the depths of the Citadel. The relief lasts all of a moment before its replaced by dread. Dread at eventually having to explain to Mikael why she’d never told him the truth about her parentage. And dread at what this upcoming meeting with her father might wind up being like.
She was finally home. Now she just had to survive it.
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A/N: Knight-Superior Timothal Dawnguard is introduced and boy is he INTENSE. Hope he doesn't turn out to be a maniacal monster like Foss! But hey, would I do that to you all? Just have Mikael and crew bouncing from old geezer to old geezer, with them all turning out to be sick and twisted bastards?
... Don't answer that :P
Leave a Like if you enjoyed please, and be sure to let me know what you think!
Comments
KOS 1100
Actually you know what I bet Bula got a super badass orc mum warlord instead of a dad.
KOS 1100
Thayla: "Dad this is my super cool undead/not undead Boyfriend Mikael, Boyfriend this is my super badass King Knight dad Timothal." (^～^;)ゞ Timothal: *Very very intense stare* Mikael: 'My girlfriends are definitely all princess...' Bula: 'I wonder how dad is doing on the frontline?' Avina: 'wtf' Bula is definitely a warlord daughter you can't tell me otherwise if not I call bullshit ┻┻︵ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ︵┻┻
Dogan
Well, worse comes to worst, Mikael will be walking out of this with a significant power increase to his Soul Engine... and a bit more disillusionment towards this world's powers' integrity than he already had.
Cambrian
Heh, could technically happen since Summoned Heroes CAN go back to their old world after they're done. So its entirely possible. Though I'll be honest, not in the plans. Maybe if I ever write a sequel book, it could be a revelation in that xD
Oliver Jenner
All this Talk of Parentage has given me a wild theory, what if Mikael turns out to be a descendant of a previous summoned Hero. Its a stretch for sure but not that much more than we currently already know we have. Great Chapter as always and I look forward to finding out more
Cambrian
That does sound like him, hmmm
Colin Love
“Knight-Superior Timothal Dawnguard is introduced and boy is he INTENSE. Hope he doesn't turn out to be a maniacal monster like Foss! But hey, would I do that to you all? Just have Mikael and crew bouncing from old geezer to old geezer, with them all turning out to be sick and twisted bastards?” Of course not that would be too easy. Now a whole other type of monster? Maybe a ridged old monster of a man stuck in his ways honor bound to uphold oaths to the letter … I mean well yeah isn’t that why we’re all here?
