The Emperor And The Knightess

When the emperor"s order came to go visit the Bikpa king and deliver a message, Sir Rabi began to get ready. He didn"t bring a personal help, but he asked some lower-ranking knights for help. He asked them to grab him his golden armor, which he wore only during special occasions. Sir Howe also offered to help get him ready.

In his full armor, Sir Rabi came out of his tent and yelled at the soldiers who were standing around outside, waiting to see him in his special gear.

"You lazy b.u.ms! Don"t you have more useful things to do than just standing around?!"

The men ran away quickly and Poliana thought to herself, "Sir Rabi is truly a great superior. A perfect knight."

The knights who helped Sir Rabi came out of the tent as well. Before putting on his helmet, Sir Rabi turned to them and asked, "If any of you want to follow me, you may do so."

"We will get ready right away!"

Many of the knights, including Sir Howe, bowed excitedly and ran off. When Sir Rabi spotted Poliana, he asked her, "Do you want to come too?"

"If you wish, I will follow you and provide you some protection."

"That won"t be necessary."

Sir Rabi finally put on his helmet. His armor was twice as thick as regular armor and it looked luxurious. He looked amazing.

A few of the soldiers, who didn"t run off when cheered for Sir Rabi. It wasn"t only because he looked das.h.i.+ng, but they also greatly admired the man himself.

"How beautiful."

The knights" knight, Sir Rabi Bika, Poliana could finally understand why so many men admired him and followed him around like lovesick puppies.

The fancy armor Sir Rabi wore wasn"t made to his taste. He only wore such flashy gear because he was the vanguard of this expedition. Because they couldn"t let the other kingdoms know, they didn"t hold a public ceremony. Instead, a small private ceremony took place in the Nanaba castle before they left Acreia. This golden armor was worn that day.

Its extravagant appearance didn"t take anything away from its strength. In fact, it was made with heavier metal and therefore was much stronger. Only a very robust man, such as Sir Rabi, could wear such heavy armor.

Sir Rabi ordered Poliana, "Come back in your armor."

His voice sounded m.u.f.fled because of his helmet. Poliana then replied, "I do not own a golden armor, Sir."

"What kind of an idiot doesn"t even bring an armor to a war? Wait… Forget what I just said."

Suddenly, Sir Rabi nodded. There was premade armor available for purchase, but any knight who came from a wealthy family always got a custom armor made for him. Poliana was able to receive a sword from the emperor, but she never got a set of armor from anyone.

Even if she had the money to get a set of armor made, they were in the middle of a war. She couldn"t stay in one place to wait for it to be made. On top of that, it was rare to find someone who could make an armor suited for a woman. A normal armor provided protection, but it was also very heavy. Poliana, who lacked a man"s strength and stamina, would not benefit from a set of armor in a battle. It would slow her down. Besides, a golden armor was only worn for special occasions, such as duels or tournaments.

But the lack of a proper full armor didn"t bother Poliana. All she needed was a helmet, a pair of military boots, and chainmail. She knew that she wouldn"t be able to wield a sword in full metal armor.

Just then, the other knights who wanted to follow Sir Rabi came running in their own armors. Sir Aeke and Sir Howe were among them. Sir Rabi checked their gears and announced, "Follow me!"

"Yes, sir!"

Sir Aeke had the same rank as Poliana. His brothers" names were Beke and Deke, and when she learned this, Poliana asked at the time, "Then where is Ceke?" It later turned out that there was Ceke, a nickname for her sister named Cekel back in Acreia.

Poliana followed Sir Rabi as well. Sir Beke and Sir Deke, who didn"t have armors, watched their older brother Sir Aeke enviously.

Sir Rabi left with the messenger and came back a few hours later. When he took off his helmet, Sir Rabi had a strange expression on his face. The messenger continued on to report back to Lucius the First. The other knights, curious about what had happened, gathered around Sir Rabi. They suspected something must"ve happened.

Sir Rabi scratched his head. He looked perplexed because he didn"t understand what the other king meant. Sir Rabi suspected that this was a trap.

Loudly, so everyone could hear him, Sir Rabi announced, "He suggested a tournament!"

***

When Lucius the First received the message, he felt the same way as Sir Rabi.

"This is a trap."

The knights who were in the tent as well had the same thoughts.

A trap.

Based on the events so far, it was likely Bikpa was going to win this battle. All it had to do was wait. So why would the king of Bikpa suggest a tournament? If he wanted a tournament to decide the fate of his kingdom, he would have suggested it before Lucius the First crossed the border.

"I don"t understand what he is trying to do," the Acreian emperor murmured.

Why did the Bikpa King, who abandoned and even plundered his own people suggest a tournament all of sudden? Lucius the First couldn"t understand it.

When he brooded, Sir Bentier replied, "Your highness, it only makes sense that an intelligent man such as yourself cannot understand an idiot"s reasoning."

"Hmm…"

"Will you be accepting this offer?"

The Bikpa King"s offer was as followed:

If Bikpa lost the tournament, it would surrender immediately. If it won the tourney, Acreia needed to leave the kingdom right away. It also promised that if Acreia attacked Oz or Mongsheim as it left, Bikpa would not go after the Acreian army from behind.

Of course, no one believed this promise.

Bikpa would not suggest a tournament if it thought that they were going to lose. The truth was, the knights from the northern kingdoms weren"t familiar with tournaments. The northern regions consisted of many mountains rather than flatlands and therefore, the northern men were more used to bows and arrows rather than the spears or swords.

On top of that, the northern kingdoms did not have recognizable orders of knights unlike the kingdoms in the middle and southern regions. The royal families of northern regions had knights for protection, but not an actual division that consisted of knights. It was the same case for Lucius the First. He had many knights in his army, but not a definite knights" group.

Was this why Bikpa suggested a tournament? Because of this advantage alone?

Lucius the First agonized over that idea.