KFN A1C9 - The king who shall conquer all
I"m on a rollll! That, or because my heart aches to play Fire Emblem Fates Conquest. It hurts that after completing Birthright, I am hurting my Hoshido family by choosing Nohr. If you have absolutely no idea what I"m rambling about, please ignore this... *sobs*
It is a new day.
The first morning rays of a summer day. None of that scalding afternoon sun, nor the lonesome sunset. Only the comforting and gentle stretch of land. (TL: Basically the author is trying to say, what a nice, cooling morning.) Merlin stroked the horse"s nape as he gently leads it on. His smile ever plastered on his face, yet this time, it is wider than usual. His wide smile more brighter and brilliant than the sunshine rays now beaming onto the courtyard.
"Today, I will be teaching all of you how to ride a horse. It is the most simple and basic of knighthood skills. Master this, and you shall have the upper hand in most duels."
As Merlin droned on, Lin Ling stared into the sky. Something horse riding... Something dueling... All of these are incomprehensible words, words that she can not relate to as a person from a modern world.
Under Merlin"s guidance, Arthur and Kay carefully got on their respective horses with no problems. As soon as it is Lin Ling"s turn, she can only brace herself. She does not know that even horses are aware of strangers, and chose a chestnut coloured horse. (TL: The Chinese says "red horse" lmao. How red would you like your horse?!) At her approach, her mount hissed loudly, causing her to take a step backwards.
"What"s wrong? You aren"t even afraid of Ah Hua, now you are scared witless of a horse?"
Merlin chuckled from the sides.
Lin Ling gritted her teeth at his comment, and slowly approached the cautious horse again. Clearly, her chosen mount wants nothing to do with her as he neighed even louder, his tail swished back and fro with increasing momentum.
"Useless girl."
Arthur coldly commented from the sides.
"You can do it, Lin Ling!"
Kay on the other hand, encouraged our heroine.
"Okay..."
His encouragement filled her heart with warmth and courage. She then continued her approach till she reached next to the horse. Before she can even touch it, she flew with a "biu" sound. The horse kicked her with no hesitation.
"Ow ow ow..."
She bit her handkerchief in frustration.
The next day.
Merlin, once again, smiled at the company of pages.
"Today, we learn the basics of swordmanship. Slash the wooden stakes and cut it down with your sword. This practice also serves to train your arm strength."
TL: It says flat side of the blade... What? Not a pro in sword terminology... 默林笑眯眯的看着他们，“今天，我们来学习用剑的基本技巧，先用平头的钝剑劈斩木桩，来锻炼手臂的肌肉力量。”
Both Arthur and Kay deftly swing the sword and sliced the wooden stakes in two. Merlin studied the cut, before nodding appreciatively at how clean the slice is before moving onto Lin Ling.
"... Why aren"t you swinging your sword?"
"I... I can"t hold it up... It"s so heavy!" (TL: Even kids can do it! Shame on you!)
Lin Ling"s expression is a teary one as she struggled to raise the sword. Unable to hold it up any longer, her fingers let the hilt slipped. With a loud bang, the sword dropped onto her feet.
She screamed in pain. Arthur and Kay covered their ears from the painful shrieking.
"T_T..." She continued her habit of biting her own handkerchief.
The day after, the fourth day, then the fifth day...
She lost count on how many ruined handkerchief she has bitten into due to frustration. She drew countless circles on the ground just to relieve her vexation...
Oh please, she is just a high school student... Why should I learn these skills?
Why... *sobs*
On the sixth day...
Merlin smiled his usual smile, and began the very same word for the sixth day.
"Today..."
He glanced a sympathetic look at Lin Ling.
"I will tell a simple story of a knight."
Hearing this, Lin Ling breathed a sigh of relief. At last, there"s no need to worry about getting injured today...
Arthur and Kay breathe a sigh of relief as well. At last, there"s no need to worry about getting their eardrums ruptured...
TL: The knight"s name is Ge Wen. No idea man, I just played Google and just chose a name...
"Once upon a time, there was a knight whose name was Gwynn. To save his lord and master, he promised to wed an ugly witch. She is hunchbacked, her set of teeth hideous, her breath reeks and occa.s.sionally laughed salaciously. The wedding guests who saw her disgusting behaviour and manners are offended. Nevertheless, being an upstanding knight, he overlooked her manners, introduced her to the guests, and completed the wedding ceremony. On the wedding night, Gwynn was surprised to find the ugly bride of his transformed into a beautiful, graceful woman."
Merlin stopped, looked to judge the expression on their faces before continuing.
"She then said, "Sir Knight, I am grateful for your chivalry and kindness you have showered me with. I wish to repay you of what you"ve done. I can change back to my beautiful appearance if you so wish. However, I can only do this for half the day. For the other half the day, I will return to my ugly witch appearance. My dear husband, for you, I will let you choose which appearance you want me to appear in whichever half the day you wish for.""
Merlin stopped at this point of the story, and asked his students.
"If you are Sir Knight Gwynn, what would you choose?"
To think that an ugly witch can transform into a beautiful woman. Although it happens for only half the day, it is still a pleasant surprise. Nevertheless, there is still the problem of the ugly witch appearance which undoubtedly, would trouble the greedy hearts of men. (TL: 但是女巫的问题却是两难选择，因为它勾起了人们心底深处的贪欲)
"I would choose to let her a.s.sume her beautiful appearance at night."
Kay spoke up.
"She"ll stay at home during the day. Only at night I would allow her to come out of the house. At the very least, doing this would make me feel at peace."
"Alright..."
Merlin turned to Arthur.
"What about you, Arthur?"
His pair of purple eyes flashed a cold stare.
"I would choose to let her a.s.sume her beautiful appearance during the day. At night, we"ll sleep in separate rooms."
(TL: You little brats =.=)
"Lin Ling, what do you think?"
Kay asked while tilting his head.
Arthur gave her a disdainful look.
"As if an idiot can have thoughts on this."
"If I am Gwynn..."
Lin Ling muttered her answer softly.
"I would let her choose. I believe herself is the most qualified to make this choice. Right?"
Merlin"s eyes gave an incomprehensible look as he gave the continuation of the story.
"The story goes on as such... Sir Knight Gwynn and Lin Ling gave the exact same answer. His ugly bride is content at his answer. She replied, "Only you, my dear husband, understood a woman"s heart greatest desire, and that is to be the master of their own life. To repay your kindness, I will a.s.sume my beautiful appearance all day long.""
Merlin smiled at the two children"s surprised looks.
"As a knight, you must not only be brave, generous, pious and elegant. A knight must also respect the fairer s.e.x"s dignity and rights. This is more important to a knight than his mastery over his swordmanship. Understand?"
After many days of failure, she finally one-upped her fellow peers. Lin Ling allowed herself a moment of glory. Before she can even gloat in it, Arthur"s mouth worked his way again.
"You stupid woman will never be able to dictate your own life."
Staring at the two children"s back as they leave the courtyard, she felt conflicted again.
It is at this moment, that Merlin spoke to her.
"Lin Ling, I will gift you a weapon."
His voice faded with the wind, and in his hand a lightweighted bow appeared.
The bow"s appearance can not be described in mere words. (TL: LMAO I agree. Incoming decorative text. 弓身上用许多细小的蓝宝石镶嵌成了某种蜿蜒的植物藤蔓，在阳光的照耀下反射出美丽的光芒，更令人惊奇的是，在这蓝光中还有一抹白色，散发着微微的银光，如同深夜中月亮的柔和光亮，如同湖面的粼粼波光……)
The bow is inlaid with miniature sapphire gems, a curvaceous vine-like embellished it"s limbs. Under the moonlight, it gave off a splendid shine. Even more surprising is the bluish coat on it"s silver sheen. The softness of that gleam is comparable to the night"s bright moon, and the soft sparkle of the lake.
Lin Ling"s pupil widened at the bow. It is the most beautiful thing her eyes had laid on.
"This... This is for me?"
Her steady voice betrayed a sense of disbelief at the gift.
"Together with the Moon Arrow, this bow will display the moon"s power. (TL: I will punish you in the name of the Moon!) This will be your most powerful weapon in the future. However, you will use normal arrows for now. Before you can use the Moon Arrows, you need to train to raise your level. Once you have reached a certain level, the Moon Arrows will possess a stronger force. Simply speaking, the higher your level is, the stronger your attacks with the Moon Arrows will be. Enemies struck by your arrows will turn to stars themselves. This weapon is perfect for you."
Merlin handed over the bow to Lin Ling.
"As for the Moon Arrows, I will keep it in my charge until the day you can use it."
"Merlin, I really am not suitable for this... Like Arthur said, I"m an idiot. How can I help him in his quest if I"m an idiot?"
Lin Ling spoke out her lack of self confidence.
"Not suitable?"
The wizard"s expression softens up.
"Aren"t you doing fine right now? Lin Ling, believe in me that believes in you yourself. One day, you will be most suitable person to stand with King Arthur. My eyes are never wrong." (TL: Merlin meant it like, you will be fit enough to join King Arthur"s camp.)
"But I..."
"Soon, I will teach you simple magic only to you."
Two weeks pa.s.sed. The Countess has now returned to the castle. Just like Lin Ling expected, the Countess is a sophisticated and graceful lady. The next day, the Countess started cla.s.ses on manners, musical instruments, social rules and etiquettes.
Lin Ling is relieved at the Countess"s amity. Nevertheless, she can not give up her hopes to go home. What surprises her more is that after so many days, not a single egg was laid in the chicken coop, more so the Count has never expressed his interest to try an egg dish.
What should I do? Lin Ling is not familiar with the world"s surroundings and thus, for her own safety, she only kept to the castle area.
"Lin Ling, are you listening to me?"
The Countess seemed to notice Lin Ling"s daydream, and softly nudged her back to reality. Our heroine quickly nods and focused on the cla.s.s instead.
TL: G.o.d save me at this part below.
"An aristocrat, be it friend or foe, must greet one another in a respectful manner. For the men, if he is not in a full armor attire, should bring his left hand to his chest to salute, his right hand to remove his hat, and bow slightly before nodding. The women should lift her skirt slightly with both hands, and nod towards the other party. If both parties are on horseback, the men"s greeting remains the same, while the women only need to nod in courtesy."
The Countess"s voice is sweet and gentle, alluring listeners to stoop closer for more.
"But mother, what if the men is in full armor attire?"
Kay curiously raised a question.
The Countess looked at his son lovingly.
"Be patient, I was about to touch on that matter. If the men is wearing a full armor attire, he need not remove his helmet if he is on his mount. His left hand should be brought to his chest before nodding. He needs not bow, as long as he is riding a horse nor does he need to remove his helmet. A nod will do. Should both parties are mounted and a fellow aristocrat, as long as the other party is not of a higher status than him or a lady, he does not need to disembark from his horse, a simple nod will do. The same goes if the other rider is also fully armored."
This is so complicated! Lin Ling"s head is spinning as she tried to make sense of this. She looked up and saw Arthur, looking at the Countess with forlorn eyes.
Lin Ling remembered Merlin"s words. Arthur"s mother pa.s.sed away in his early years. Moreover, the Countess is Arthur"s aunt. It would not be weird if their visage is somewhat similar to the boy.
Arthur, that boy... Does he miss his mother?
The sun soon sets, and the sky is replaced with a dark sky, stars hanging and twinkling above heads. The night breeze brought the flower"s fragrance as it did, the moonlight shone on the scene, like a fairy tale-like dream. An olde European edifice, realistic iron swords and fragrant red roses... All of it adds up to a fantasy dream.
As Lin Ling paced slowly to the garden, she saw a small figure at the foot of the cherry tree. Arthur was quietly sitting, enveloped by the night surroundings. She discreetly approached the tree, and sat with her back leaning against the tree. Arthur did not notice her approach, only quietly watching the still night sky.
"You stupid woman. Still want to go home?"
He asked.
She blinked at the question.
"Of course! Although my mum is really naggy and always force me to do things that I hate, I still miss her. I noticed this as soon as I got here..."
Arthur was silent all the while.
"Once I noticed how much I miss her, she is already gone..."
He paused before asking.
"Why aren"t you going home yet?"
"Once I have completed my task, I can go home."
She replied.
"Task?"
Arthur raised his eyebrows at this.
"You mean the task that Master asked you to help with in the future?"
"I know I"m a coward. I"m timid and quiet... I once saw a thief stealing right in front of me, yet I kept quiet... I saw my cla.s.smates bullied, yet I kept quiet again... There"s even once I was hara.s.sed, yet that too, I kept quiet... I never tried to make the first initiative to know people either, I just kept to myself... Hoping that someone would do it to me first."
Lin Ling rattled on, only to stop halfway.
"... Why am I telling this to a rascal? You won"t understand anyway..."
"I am not a rascal."
His tone was displeased at her comment.
"But the you now, is not suited to be by my side. Quickly discard your idea of going home. Here, you"re on your own."
"Arthur, don"t you miss your parents at all?"
Lin Ling blurted out to sate her curiousity.
Arthur"s expression quickly changed, and he stood up. He wears a sneer on his face.
"The day I was sent here, I have already forgotten the past." (TL: He said it like, he discarded his past, like a whole new me or something.)
He stood under the moonlight, his bearings is that of regality and dignity as he softly spoke out his determination.
"I will be the king who shall conquers all. Work hard, and join me by my side."