Journey for the Chosen

Chapter 2

Thomas the Little had finished his first day of riding without event, not slowing from his fast pace until he was in sight of a toll house. On his slowed approach he began thinking which Named Knight would have been awake to receive him, one was an old and relished such an easy post the other was a younger knight that Thomas had learned was Named at the same large ceremony as him. Upon entering the toll house Thomas saw the squires before either Knight. Two of the squires upon closer examination, were boys, brought directly into the High and Holy Order. Thomas asked the squires for the whereabouts of the knights, knowing they were responsible among other things for their Knight's whereabouts. In the humblest of knightly raiment, he needed to wait for the other Knights to verify his titles and grant him free room and passage. A minute after one squire left, he returned from the gate with a knight, the older knight. Who quickly recognized Thomas and greeted him as Thomas the Traveler.

The night went on quite uneventfully, with the group sharing only a round of drinks. The morning was more eventful, opening with a round of drinks and a hearty breakfast. In the morning before finishing his shift the old Knight said to the assembled men that they should remember their time with a knight so high as Thomas the Traveler. Thomas the Little mounted a fresh horse from the toll house and continued on the Righteous Road to the capital and Holy Hill. The morning had ended shortly after Thomas had passed the first crossroad and second tollhouse of his journey. The second day of travel would end after two more crossroads and three more tollhouses, Thomas' lodging the second day was an inn at a small town. Thomas seemed to be the only knight in town that day, but Thomas was asked if he was part of a group of knights that some said were coming in the same week. Thomas thought it possible there were other knights summoned by the lord commander, he also thought it strange due to him arriving earlier to a place two days along his ride when he would likely be last to receive his summons.

On the third day Thomas arrived at the capital city. The city was in its busiest at mid-day when he arrived, due to the crowd it took him about three hours to navigate from the main gate of the city wall and the gate at the wall around Holy Hill. Holy Hill was the heart of the city and the heart of the High and Holy Order of Knights. The castle upon the hill was in the shape of a chevron pointing away from the gate of the outer wall. It had two halls and was referred to depending on one's standing. Commoners called it Holy Hall for the hall on the left which they had limited access to, and Honor Hall which knights had access too. Leading up the hill were switch back stairs with battlements all along the stairways, a truly impregnable castle in an already formidable city.

"Well told Yatwenn. Listen closely to the next part, it is most important to mastering the story."

The Lord Commander of the High and Holy Order of Knights had expected Thomas the Little to arrive that day and awaited him. The Lord Commander was in the Commander's Seat in full battle regalia. His armor was a brilliantly polished steel, the trimmings were gold. Beneath all of this armor was ring mail of even higher quality and make, its color was a shining silvery white. Etched into the breast of the plate armor was a passage often recited by soldiers in war. The passage extended almost to the bottom of the breastplate's right side, on the left side only three lines over the heart, a prayer. The helm was like the armor shining steel and golden trim, instead of a visor, a veil of the shining silver white chainmail. Etched onto the cheeks of the helm was and angel holding a sword pointed down, on the left was a man with a spear crossed over a shield.

"Before I continue who among you ladies can name the passage?"

"It is the Dance of Falling Soldiers."

"Good Mornah. Yatwenn, I will let you name the armor."

"The Maidens Trappings, should one of the girls say the prayer."

"Harden my armor, sharpen my sword, point my lance."

"Good Conah, now let's continue."

Thomas the Little approached the Lord Commander to ask the reason of his summons, before he could speak a word the Lord Commander stood. Thomas held in his words and knelt waiting for the Lord Commander. The Lord Commander moved deliberately as he was in full harness, picking up a sheathed sword from above the Commander's Seat. The sword had many names and Thomas knew them all, every person in the kingdom knew the swords name. The Lord Commander approached Thomas with High Honor. Thomas noticed another man in the hall not one of the stewards that always attended the Honor Hall, another knight of the High and Holy Order also in full battle regalia. This man's armor was black and dark, swirling with flashes of blinding light even from the candlelight, that armor named Light's Defiance. One knight to witness and one Knight to name, Thomas had expected this of the summons as he had avoided it for years now. After saying the sacred words to Thomas, the Lord Commander invited him to stand and his name was then changed in the sight of the fallen and those above

After the ceremony Thomas the Traveler asked what new duty was needed of him at Holy Hill. Before answering Thomas, the Lord Commander continued with a second ceremony a far less official and important ceremony, but another blow to Thomas' patience. Leaving the main hall, the Lord Commander showed Thomas into a chamber of one of the towers and hanging in front of Thomas was a familiar set of armor. It was Thomas' own armor which he wore at the corner it crossed the channel unnamed and returned as The Muddy Raiment. This armor famously never shined and had no trimming of any color it never served next to any other set of armor, and only ever saw service in one company. To Thomas the helm was altogether wrong, it should have been painted with deep and rich greens and veins of brown. The disembodied armor was the deepest dullest grey steel could produce, the only shine on the breast plate was from the etching of a single word, Patience. Memories came back from his battle at the corner, his mind settled when he realized he wasn't the only in his company to survive. He finally spoke to compliment the Lord Commander for remembering his style. After Thomas' comment the two began to speak and behave more relaxed.

The Lord Commander told Thomas where he could finally receive his mission. The Lord Commander then gave Thomas a dressed horse and they were joined by the second Knight. They rode out of the main gate and down the Horse Way, an unpaved road connecting the palace and the Holy Hill. When the small cavalcade arrived at dusk they were quickly sent to the King of the Righteous Crown. The mission was finally revealed by the King of the Holy Kingdom himself; Thomas the Traveler was to lead the procession to Rage with a suitor for The Princess of the Kingdom of the Highland Crown. The rest of the Knights would assemble over the night and the following day, the party would leave in two days.

The first other knight to arrive was Ryker Son of Three Towers, with Boris the Herdsman and Lake the Watcher. The last group to arrive was Yorik Son of First Light, Jacob Son of First Light, Shinay Son of First Light, and Horace the Centurion. The total count was twenty "sons of this or that place" and nine others.