#sir jakob aurand

[the-raven-who-writes]

Medieval Adventures: A Tale of Kingdoms and Knights

Genre: Slice-of-life, Fantasy, Magic, Self-Insert

Trigger Warnings: Thunderstorm mentions, food mentions, cursing, one brief war mention

Word Count: 1672 (keeps on increasing lol)

Chapter 3: A Change of Plans

I gave up on keeping a wet piece of cloth on my head and it lay on the round oak table like some sort of napkin.

My chair was much closer to the knights’ table than it was before as I heard their tales of chivalry. Something I want to mention, chivalry is not keeping a door open for lady. But I already knew that. Chivalry is more of a religious, ethical and moral code.

Ser Sequin seemed to quite enjoy talking about knighthood to a strange peasant girl.

Dame Kyda had a question to ask.

“You’ve been talking with us all this time, yet we haven’t got your name?”

“Oh, how rude of us!” Sir Jakob gasped.

“My apologies, dear lady,” Ser Sequin said, scratching their head. “What is your name?”

My name? I could go by Jo, but I kinda wanna use it as something… else. These guys are really nice. I don’t remember the last time I’ve taken a role in a fantasy world. Or met nice people that aren’t family. Shit, what do I say?

“Brenna,” I end up answering. The old Gaelic word for ‘raven’. Of course.

“My name is Brenna Cadieux. I’m glad I met the four of you.”

“Ah, now we have a name to the face,” Chevalier responded, smiling.

Kyda rolled her eyes. “You sure took your time with that, Brenna.”

The slight smile on her face meant she wasn’t really annoyed anymore so that was a good thing.

—————————————————————————

The storm had been reduced to steady rain pattering down on the roof and the occasional howling of the wind.

Most of the customers had left the tavern by now. How am I still here? This has to be the longest I’ve spoke to people for a while, albeit fictional.

I guess I’ll have to go before a caught a cold from my wet clothes.

I stood up from my seat, picking up my head-rail from the table. The fire was dying out.

Sellanddatter lifted her head.

“Are you going home?”

I sighed, adjusting the cloth on my head.

“Unfortunately. It was a good night with you knights, but it’s getting late.”

“The lady’s right,” Sir William agreed as he checked his pocket watch. “It’s half-past eleven.”

“I forgot to mention how flattering it is of you knights to even consider me a lady,” I admitted, crossing my arms.

A lady does not fall flat on her face the way I did. I touched my cheek which was starting to bruise a bit from that fall on the street.

“Au revoir, and bonne nuit!” I exclaim before walking to the barkeeper and paying for my meal with five jetons and two grains (currency units; jetons – Jeh – tuhons; grains – GRA - ns)

As I turned to leave, Woolf stopped me.

“Oui?” I asked.

He was bent over behind the counter, reaching for something. He got up with a folded piece of slate-grey fabric.

“A cloak for you, Fräulein Brenna. It is still raining outside.”

“But what about you?”

“Nein, I have plenty here. All stocked up for the winters.”

I hesitated for a second. He did say I could have it. Oh well.

“ Uh… Danke.”

“You speak Deutsch, Brenna?”

“Not really,” I reply, pulling the cloak over my shoulders. “I know bits and bobs of a few languages, really. Comes in handy.”

Now warmed both on the outside and the inside, I took leave of the Nimble Hawk’s Tavern. I walk a few steps before realizing what my heart wanted.

I had a change of plans.

—————————————————————————

“All in a day’s work, Em.”

The tired group of college-aged students and one high-schooler finally had a chance to rest after most of their work. The person who spoke was Nancy Molchalskaya, who had bleached hair with baby-pink ends in cornrows. She had just finished pouring everyone some watermelon juice.

“Thank you, Nancy,” smiled the tallest, whose name was Alexis Edler. He was seated on the ground, leaning back on the couch to give room for everyone.

Emerald Ross sipped on some of her iced drink. Her fiery-red hair was tied up in twin braids.

Elisa Leferve-Chang and Avery Reis both had dye their hair as well. Aegean-blue and mauve respectively. They were both sprawled at both ends of the couch.

“Welcome,” Nancy replied, seated between Avery and Elisa.

Emerald sat in thought. “Have any of you seen Jo this week?”

Elisa furrowed her brow. “No, not really.”

“She did say she was busy with something on Tuesday,” added Avery, clinking the ice cubes in his drink.

A sudden rip of a portal takes them by surprise.

“What the-”

Out walks a figure in a worn-out slate-grey cloak, with the hood pulled over their face. Though the cloudy composition of portal blocked any visual of the other World, the sound of heavy rain can be heard, which is further proven by the fact the stranger was dripping wet.

Avery squinted. “Jo? Is that you?”

The portal snaps shut and of course the stranger was Jo.

—————————————————————————

I’m not the only person who can make portals. Sure, it’s rare, like only one in a whole World but hey; Avery’s one. A portal is unique to a person and my signature parakeet-green cloudy portal is bound to be recognized by the rest of the squad.

Avery squinted before realizing it was me.

“Jo? Is that you?”

I pulled back my hood, grinning from ear-to-ear. I just couldn’t help it.

“Of course it is, silly! You guys had a good day?”

“A tiring day,” Lizzy sighed.

“But a good day nonetheless!” Nancy added, crossing her legs.

“Where the hell did you come from?” Avery asked as I took my cloak off, hanging it on the coat rack to let it dry. Compared to Equinox, I think the Australian Outback was warm enough to let it dry.

“Medievalish European kingdom,” I replied.

Alex tilted his head. “That explains the outfit.”

“You seem excited,” Emerald gushed, standing up.

“And cold. Were you walking in the rain?” Lizzy questioned firmly.

“There was a thunderstorm,” I explained, taking off my head-rail. “But there’s more to it, I promise. You won’t believe what happened!”

“You can tell us all about it,” Avery offered. “After you change into something warm. And dry.”

“Fair enough.”

—————————————————————————

“You went to a freaking tavern?!” Nancy exclaimed, unable to hold back her surprise.

“And met an actual group of knights?!” Alex piped up.

“Yes, and yes!” I cried, throwing my arms in the air. I had changed into a T-shirt and shorts long back as I told the tale.

“What surprises me more is how long you’ve been talking to them; didn’t you say you were an introvert?” Avery jested.

“Look, quarantine got to me, ok? I am not a full-blown introvert.”

Lizzy asked, “Do you have plans to visit the place again? With the number of Sub-Heroes around S-UIN, you’re not so busy as Green Raven anymore.”

“Oh,” I replied wryly, raising my brow. “I’m not planning on just visiting as Brenna.”

“Sounds like you have something up your sleeve, Jo,” Avery suggested.

“I’m going to be a knight.”

Silence filled the room.

“Just because you met a good bunch of them?” Lizzy grimaced.

I scoffed, folding my arms. “C’mon guys, have some faith! I’ll do research-“

“Just research won’t help you with this,” Emerald insisted seriously. “You’ll need to do some training.”

“Emerald’s right, Jo,” agreed Nancy.

I sighed. “I know. But first, two things;” I gestured with two fingers.

“One, my green crystal pendant enhances my strength and endurance and heals wounds.” I pull out the shamrock-green pendant from my pocket, where I had earlier kept it.

“And two, as the Green Raven, I’ve got the basics figured out.”

I know they’re worried about me. But I’m not going head-first into this! Really, I’m not!

“There’s more to it than that,” Lizzy countered. “First off, are knights allowed to use magic?”

“I, um…” I trailed off, leaning forward. I looked back at Lizzy. “Most knights don’t have magic.”

“Do you know how to fight with a sword?”

“No.”

“Can you follow a military drill?”

“Maybe?”

“And can you move around in iron mail, padding and armor plates?”

“Oh my g- I don’t know yet!” I snapped, exasperated.

Lizzy went silent, staring at the floor.

I took a deep breath. Gotta be patient about this. Remember their reaction to becoming a full-time Hero?

“No, I don’t.”

Was this really a good idea? I just ruined their good day at this point. But they would’ve been madder if I never told them; if they needed me for an emergency.

“I trust you.”

I glance up at Avery, who had spoken. Avery trusts me? Avery who is more worried about our well-being even though I don’t get hurt in an actual physical sense in S-UIN?

As if he read my thoughts, he nodded and placed his hand on mine.

“As long you’re not a fucking idiot out there; and you know what you’re doing. I can trust you out there.”

Everyone else seems to be just as surprised as I was.

“Alright,” Alex added, looking up at us. “If he trusts you, then so do I.”

Nancy put an arm over my shoulder. “Give it a hurl, Jo!”

Emerald chuckled, “I think you can take care of yourself out there; it’s not like you’ve never done it before!”

Lizzy stood up. She looked down with an unreadable expression.

She stated calmly, “Medieval military isn’t full-time. But there is great demand of soldiers during a war.”

She turned to me with a look of concern.

“If a war starts, you are not fighting it.”

She was thinking that far ahead?

“Please. You have enough problems.”

I stood up and walked toward Elisa. Then, I gave her a hug.

“Don’t worry Li. I’ll try not to get myself hurt.”

I gave her little pat on the back before letting go.

She stared at the ground again.

“Okay. You can go,” she agreed.

“When you’re ready.”

—————————————————————————

A/N: Alright.

This only took me a day to make which is- WOW HOW THE HELL DID I DO THAT-

You may have recognised the Green Banana Squad here, but if you haven’t these guys are the GBS members. Including moi~

I actually had to do plenty of research for my stories lol. If some things aren’t historically accurate, keep in mind that this is a fantasy World. Some are intentionally kept that way yo. I haven’t worked on anything this hard that I would be sharing online and the fact that only two other people are reading this is humbling.

I’m pretty sure more people will find this eventually tho~

Lil’ spoiler: There are 4 volumes for these ‘chapters’. Volume One is A Tale of Kingdoms and Knights. Volumes Two and Three are all planned out in here (points to head)

Anyway, if you’re reading, I’d love if you’d reblog this so more people can read. And I’m about people other than @transgender-er.

Thank you for reading!

[the-raven-who-writes]

Medieval Adventures: A Tale of Kingdoms and Knights

Genre: Slice-of-life, Fantasy, Magic, Self-Insert

Trigger Warnings: Bandaging wounds, food mentions and a touch of anxiety

Word Count: 1718

Chapter 6: Would you like a seat?

“He what?!”

I flinch as Lizzy stands up, enraged. (Loud..) Why did I think it was a good idea to tell her about this? Just because she and Avery were awake?

Besides, they asked.

Other than the table lamp in the living room, and the cluster of stars, there wasn’t much light. Three textbooks were laid open on the table, along with a notebook. The digital alarm clock revealed it to be 4:56 a.m. on the 7th of November, 2021.

Lizzy was probably studying for a test or something. She had her hair tied in a bun which was already falling apart. Both she and Avery had zipped up hoodies on their night-wear.

“Sorry.” she apologizes, pausing. She pulls her lips tight. “But how else should I react to the fact that a man who is in charge of leading a whole regiment, is that petty?”

“Oh God, that’s fucked up,” Avery agreed, eyes wide. He stops wrapping my arm with gauze.

Apparently, the cut is big enough to need stitches, but it would heal much quicker thanks to the pendant so they were redundant. I don’t know why he’s awake but oh well. He didn’t even bother tying his hair up, so it’s in his face.

“That bitch.”

He looks at me. “Couldn’t you have been a bit more careful? And keep your guard up, idiot!”

I sigh, pulling my legs up onto the couch, crossing them. “I know, I know. But I didn’t duel someone who hates me before, though. Never.” I admit impatiently.

“Then how am I supposed to know he was gonna pull that ish on me? He cheated!”

Lizzy sits back down at my left. “That’s a common thing that happens in sword-fighting, and you know that.”

I bite my lip and sit still as Avery finishes dressing my wound. It’s on my right arm, and I’m sure as hell not left-handed.

“Done,” he says, with an unsuccessful attempt to push his bangs to the side. “Look, we don’t want you getting hurt alright?”

“I know.”

I stare at the carpeted floor, not knowing what else to say. Or how else to say it. This isn’t even a bad injury, compared to the ones I’ve gotten in the past few years. In INS-U, obviously. So, I’m fine. But I’m not? Argh!

I feel a hand on my back. I know it’s a hand; I can feel the fingers. “What’re you thinking of mate?” Lizzy asked patiently.

I wring my hands. “I’m going to be honest with you two,” I say.

“Yeah?”

“I’m not doing this to prove him I’m better,” I disclose quietly.

“I’m going to do this because I want to prove myself that I’m better. Better than that.”

Avery leaned forward. “Do what, Jo?”

I pause, and look at both of them. They seem concerned – concerned and intrigued. They know I can take care of myself out there, obviously. I’m the Green Raven. I’m a Hero. I can do it. But why is the question.

“I technically still have a chance at becoming a squire.”

—————————————————————————

“But aren’t you have supposed to be trained for your whole life?” Lizzy questioned. “You do know that, right?”

I chuckle, before pulling out another panel. Going to the rules and constitution of Equinox, I change up one with a few simple commands.

“Oohh…” Avery realizes. “You sneaky little girl.”

Lizzy facepalms lightheartedly. “Really? Just because you have the power doesn’t mean you have to use it you know,” she smiles.

“Then what do I have it for, blueberry?”

“Who are you calling blueberry?”

“Does anyone else in this room have blue hair? Or a cute, round face like yours?”

“… You little!”

I poke my tongue out teasingly as her cheeks turn rosy.

“Very funny,” she mumbles, embarrassed.

“Oh boy,” Avery chuckles. “So you are going back?”

“Yep,” I hum matter-of-factly.

“Not because I want to impress the thunderfucker.”

“Thunderfucker?” Avery snorts.

I pull my sleeve down, looking away. “I meant it like, he’s loud as fuck. You know, like the thunder from that storm.” I add with a satisfied smile, “That came out wrong.”

—————————————————————————

“Not to prove him wrong, then?” Lizzy adjusts her glasses.

I roll my eyes, “Maybe just a little. I want to see his jaw drop at my success,” I smirk.

“Oh really?”

“Yes really.”

“After you take a break, dumbass. You’re not going there just yet,” Avery adds, hugging his knees.

I cross my arms in mock offense. Tilting my head up dramatically; I say, “Is this what I get for waking you up?”

“No, it’s because you’re human.”

“Fair enough.”

—————————————————————————

I did not expect it to feel this freezing. As soon as I walk out the portal, I shiver at the icy gust of wind. Yeesh, too cold! I’m behind the apothecary, or whatever it’s called. So no one can see me.

It still amazes me how my breath can turn into mist. My poor lungs…

Things haven’t really changed in the past few seconds here, but then again, what was I supposed to expect?

I take a few brisk steps. But wouldn’t it be weird if I went back right now? Should I go now or risk it by coming back in the evening? They could get suspicious on how fast I got here, and I still don’t have an excuse for the feint.

I pull my cloak tighter. Wait..

I glance at my worn-out, slate-grey hooded cloak. It had round clasps around the neck. But this isn’t mine. And it smells a lot like this place…

I clap my hands. The tavern! How did I forget? It’s where I took the identity of Brenna Cadieux, a troubadour. Although I didn’t mention it in chapter two. Maybe....

—————————————————————————

I step into the Nimble Hawk’s tavern, closing the slightly rusty iron door behind me. Admittedly, there are more people here, and they’re getting started on lunch. There’s plenty more meat than last time.

I completely forgot about my coif at the Hall, so I was freezing my ears off! Which is why I pulled my hood down long back, even though it wasn’t that helpful for them.

Again, everyone was busy with their own things, which is completely okay by my standards. Oh, and looky-looky; the long tables are again occupied by the knightsies! Why’d I say that.. And it feels like there’s more long tables today.

Maybe I could join them….

But I need a meal before that! I luckily didn’t forget to bring more money this time; last time I spent all I had.

I tread on to the barkeeper. Wait, the cloak! I quickly pull it off me, wrapping it around my right arm like a shawl. Hopefully he doesn’t recognize me! I sound one of the stupid, naive protagonists from a bad story.

Mr. Woolf stopped in his tracks when he saw me. Well, shit. He splutters, “Do I know you?”

I stand dumbly. No, make a move dummy!

Clearing my throat, I answer, “No, you don’t.”

He does not look very convinced. Woolf raises an eyebrow. “Jein..” (‘Maaaybe..’ in German)

“What is your name, then?”

I gulp. How the fuck am I gonna tell him that we have the same first name? Ugh, fine; I’ll risk it.

“Jonas Raven. I came to Equinox to become a knight. And yours is?” I answer smoothly. (Or was it? I can’t give myself that credit yet.) After all, I ‘don’t’ know him.

“Jonas Woolf,” he replies, bemused. “Are you sure we haven’t met?”

What do I- Oh! I know!

“You mean you’ve met my cousin, Brenna.”

“Ah, that explains it. You two look very…. alike,” he says.

I chuckle, “Yeah, we get that a lot.” I.. really hope I sold it.

He wipes the spill on his counter with a tablecloth. “So what would you like, squire Raven?”

“Well..”

—————————————————————————

It just hit me like a train.

I was going to be sitting with them for lunch! What was I thinking?! Like, what if they found that stupid and laughed at me? Since I’m a nobody to them? Then they’re gonna tell me to-

“Hey Raven! Where have you-“

I snap my head at the voice before I even realize what was going on. It’s coming from the.. table? The knight with the long penny-brown hair. Sir William?

“-been? The commander said you chickened out!”

They weren’t annoyed. They’re not looking annoyed. More.. neutral. Sir William sounded curious. They’re curious?

I stood very still, processing what just happened.

Jeez, shut up brain! Just ‘cause it happened in real life doesn’t mean it’ll happen here, dumb-dumb. Definitely not. Nope. No.

“Hello?” I answer loudly.

“Yes you!” Dame Kyda called out. “Come here!”

Well. I guess my food will take a while to get ready anyway.

I tread over to the long table by the fire place. The same knights from last time are seated: Schuyler, Sellanddatter, Aurand and Chevalier. There seem to be more knights on the other side of the table. They’re also seeing if I would come or not. Hold the fuck on, knight cliques?! ….. Nah. They aren’t cliques.

I exhale, standing in front of the knights.

“No, I did not give up. I simply had to get my wound treated.”

Sir Jakob smirks. “That’s the spirit, le fiston.” (‘le fiston’ means ‘son’ or sonny’)

“Good then,” Dame Kyda nods.

“Well,” Sir William asks. “What are you doing here?”

“It was cold, I was hungry and the tavern was near-by,” I answer promptly. “What other reason do I need?”

“Ah,” Ser Sequin responded. “Not much else. Clever response. Would you like a seat?”

“I know it…” I blink, realizing. “Wait, what?”

“I said, would you like a seat?”

“A… seat?”

Sellanddatter narrowed her eyes. “What, do you not understand what they’re saying?”

I blink quickly, attempting at a proper answer. “Oh no- I understand- obviously- but um- well… okay.” (Fuck they’re all looking at me weird what do I do)

I quickly seat myself in in the empty chair at the corner of the table to spare myself more embarrassment.

Why- why does it feel so strange to sit with people for lunch? It’s completely normal. I shouldn’t…. act so weird. I wanted to sit with them anyway. I wanted this.

I look down at my legs.

[the-raven-who-writes]

Medieval Adventures: A Tale of Kingdoms and Knights

Genre: Slice-of-life, Fantasy, Magic, Self-Insert

Trigger Warnings: Detailed fight scene with swords, blood, duels

Word Count: 1640 (210 for the A/N)

Chapter 5: Two Negatives Make a Positive

“What do you mean he’s busy?” the commander grunts.

Traver looks down at his feet. “He is n-not in Equinox today, Commander.”

Well, that’s a relief! But that probably means I’d have to duel someone else.

Let me bring you back to speed. The tall, dark man with the build of a warrior is Commander Laurens. I assume the soldiers here are part of a regiment. Laurens is also a knight, but his uniform has a few alterations of badges, and is made of more expensive material.

The other guy’s name is Traver. He looks awfully similarly similar to the commander, but they don’t sound related. His tunic’s also a similar combination of cobalt-blue and basil-green. It’s none of my business at the moment, however. It looks like everyone’s itching for a fight.

The commander’s deathly silent.

“Very well then.”

He draws out an arming sword from its sheath attached to his belt. He has a glint in his eyes, something that doesn’t feel like excitement. He points it at me.

“I shall take his place.”

They say be careful for what you wish for, and I should’ve been! Sir Samson was trained under a commander, if I remember correctly. Knowing my luck, it was definitely him.

I hear a few gasps and then almost immediately cheers ensue. No turning back. My first serious fight. I am so doomed.

I raise my brow, and walk towards him. At least he’s not exactly a behemoth.

“Well Commander, I do suppose I need a sword.”

I try to smirk, “Don’t you think?”

“Right. Traver!” he calls, snapping his head to his right.

“Yes, my lord?”

“Get the runt a sword.”

He pulled Traver closer and whispered something in his ear.

Traver hurried out of the room, leaving me with despair. God, what do I do now?

——————————���——————————————

My handmaidens rush to the L'entraînement Hall that lies in front of us. Just as Madame Hortense was leaving, I stop her. “Why are all of you leaving so quickly?”

“Je suis désolé, Your Highness. I couldn’t stop myself.”

I smile at her. She is very polite. “It is alright, Madame. But why are all of you rushing to go see the soldiers?”

“Well princesse, I’ve heard that a duel is about to take place,” she answers. “It has been so long since I’ve seen one.”

A duel? It must be between the knights, I think.

“I have never seen one,” I admit. “Can I join you?”

Hortense gasped, “But, Your Majesté-”

“S'il te plaîîît?” I beg, pursing my lips.

Hortense sighs, giving in.

“Oh alright.”

We make our way inside the Hall. I wonder who will win? I wonder what technique they would use?

—————————————————————————

Shifting my weight from one foot to another, I try not to make it so obvious. The freezing air did not help, making it harder to breathe. I can hear some other people, maids, come in. Really? This isn’t enough for ya?

“Good luck!” a voice booms.

I turn around quickly, almost too quickly. There’s Sir William waving his hand to grab my attention.

Ser Sequin just as nervous as I am, which helps strangely. Dame Kyda was looking down, as if regretting getting me into this, which she should be! Sir Jakob gives me an encouraging smile as well.

I try giving one back before Traver returned, with a blunt arming sword. He hands it over to me, mumbling something that sounds a bit like;

“Good luck..”

I am so doomed. I sigh softly to my self for getting me tangled up with this before assuming high guard.

—————————————————————————

“Ready?” Laurens jeered.

I swallow. “Just warming up first.”

I hold my sword with both hands in the ready position. Jesus, it’s heavy! My hands are slipping a bit, which absolutely cannot happen. I steady my grip, then cut in all eight angles of attack. Top to bottom, bottom to top, left to right, right to left, and the diagonals.

“I’m ready,” I announce. “ At first blood.”

Laurens nods once, then we both assume the high guard.

I land a cut to his shoulder. Foolish move.

He doesn’t parry against it, instead he turns it into a moulinet and cuts at my face. I parry quickly, the tip of his sword frighteningly close to my eye. I side-step back and cut from the other side, and he parries.

He raises his arms above his head, and I parry with my forte, and attempt to kick him hard in the abdomen. However, he’s quick and pushes hard on the sword, forcing me back. I spin, and step forward. He throws an underhand cut, I push it away from the side and parry.

We move back and forth, the crowd cheering as I cut, thrust and parry. Or they were probably cheering for Comman- Parry! He’s so fast! He just landed an overhand cut, and he almost got me!

I’m out of breath, and the freezing air’s only making it worse. I’m sweating under all these layers now. I step forward with a cut. He pulls me closer to him and pulls the sword to my neck. Can’t.. breathe! He’s squeezing the life outta me! I attempt at thrusting my sword to his thigh, only for him to let me go, dropping me on the ground. I get to my feet, a little too fast.

I’m really dizzy right now.. can’t pay… attention.. No! I shake my head, and thrust again.

He dodges, then lands a cut on my arm. The crowd cheers. Loud…

Through all those layers? I wince, gritting my teeth.

“Hhhhgh… hah..”

The code duello states… that I should call ‘Good’ now..

I barely say it, before he thrusts at my abdomen. With all the force he could muster. I fall to my knees, my arms falling slack as I drop my sword.

—————————————————————————

Did he just?.. The crowd’s more silent now. I’m still out of breath.

“He said first blood!” someone screams. Dame Kyda?

Wait a minute. I don’t taste any blood. If I’m bleeding, even if it is a minor wound, I always taste blood.

I feel the wound. There.. isn’t any?! There’s a slight tear at the seams of my corset, but nothing hit me! I thought I couldn’t feel it because of the adrenaline rush. I’m ok!

I look up.

There’s a woman with golden hair, dressed in furs and satin. She looks pissed, I can see it in her grey-green eyes. Was she the one who yelled? No, that was definitely Dame Kyda; I can see her.

“Your Majesty!” Commander Laurens blurted, assuming a quick bow.

Majesty? Was this the princess character I made. Belle, Bella…. No, Bianca!

“Where’s the use in that, Commander?” she questioned. Her voice was light yet fierce, just the way I imagined it.

She stepped in my direction and helped me up. I cleverly clutched at the rip so she couldn’t realize I wasn’t actually hurt by herself.

“Are you alright?”

I answered with a slight nod, standing up. I’m bending over a little.

“My apologies, young boy. I suppose I got lost in the moment.”

Excuse me?! ‘Lost’ isn’t going to do you justice! I saw the intent in your narrow eyes when you stabbed me! He clearly meant it! Son of a-

“I.. refuse to believe it,” I retort, glaring at him.

The commander stares at me, poorly masking his fury that I said anything. I can see it furrow of his brow and his stance.

“However,” I continue. “If you give me a chance to be a squire; I will accept it.”

He barks, “Who do you think you’re-”

“Commander!” the princess interrupts, crossing her arms.

He stands silent. Not in fear, though.

“Even if he hasn’t fulfilled the condition of winning the duel, you went against one; the duel ends at first blood.”

The room’s gone silent. I… I am damn glad that allowed women access to education. She’s spitting facts! I try my best not to smile.

“She has a point, Commander.”

Kyda steps forward, staring daggers at him.

“You broke a rule in the name of honor. It may not be outlawed, but you broke a rule.”

The crowd seemed to agree, and soon they get a bit loud.

“Silence!” Laurens roared.

The room quieted down. He looked back at me.

“Two negatives make a positive, Commander,” I counter.

Princess Bianca looks around. “Handmaids! I need your help.”

Four women wearing simpler, layered clothing come to us.

“Can you please assist… erm..”

“Raven,” I completed. “Jonas Raven.”

“Can you please assist Raven to a medic?”

“Oui, L' altesse.” (Yes, Your Highness)

—————————————————————————

And with that, they walked me out of the Hall, while I was still faking a wound! Well, my arm probably needs some disinfecting, stitching and bandaging. I’m going to be skipping that second thing; I’m not get thread stuck in my arm with a needle!

Oh, it stings. It’s still cold. Dark clouds float overhead as flakes of snow fall continuously.

The ladies kept asking me questions, like where I’m from and my training… Oh, and one of the younger one’s asked if I was taken! No I’m not, but I’m not interested! She said it was ‘worth a try’. Good lord…

After they brought me there, I luckily managed to send them away and made a portal to UGW. Now, I stopped time over there in a way. If I went anywhere from here and stayed there a while then return by coming here again, mere seconds would have passed.

First, I’ll heal this cut. Second, I’ll have to get a change of clothes. The corset saved me, really.

I flop onto the gelatin bed. Petrichor again, and the smell of chicken puff pastries. I’ve had a lot of them these two weeks.

“I’m tiiiiiiiiiiirred!”

I sigh. That was over, I guess.

—————————————————————————

A/N: I didn’t make up the code duello or ‘at first blood’ or the sword fighting moves or how a corset can save you from getting stabbed. They’re all real things. Granted, you can’t trust your corset to save you all the time, but it does a neat job.

Writing that sword fight was fun, but that Commander Laurens wasn’t! He’s that kind of antagonist who can appear in your real life honestly. You’ll understand after reading the later chapters. I wrote this in a few hours, and I think I’m a bloody fast writer! I didn’t know that!

I wonder why Traver looks like the commander…

Princess Bianca, on the other hand, is that type of friend I want irl. Again, you’ll see~

I’m going to my aunt’s AGAIN. Check out these photos I took of my cousin Allie’s toys (yeah I got rlly bored lol)

I’m freezing my fingers off!

I also helped my Mom to get some sweaters from the top cabinet (I’m an inch taller than her) Hard, yes, but it was worth it cuz I have a red sweater and a black fur-lined one! (polyester fur)

Lost my beret at my aunt’s but found it yesterday! Now I can complete the look!

Thank you for reading!

[the-raven-who-writes]

Medieval Adventures: A Tale of Kingdoms and Knights

Genre: Slice-of-life, Fantasy, Magic, Self-Insert

Trigger Warnings: Cursing, (but you know that), duel mention, and blood mention

Word Count: 1622 (and 360 for the A/N)

Chapter 4: Show Them

And to think it started all the way back in mid-July.

It’s been three months now. No, four. Four months of practicing sword fighting techniques with a bamboo stick and all the sort. But there was something else I had to do.

Like Ser Sequin said, it was difficult for a woman to become a knight albeit being completely legal. And I’ve always wanted short hair. And I even thought of a name; Joseph Raven. Yeah ‘Joseph’ isn’t the best combo with ‘Raven’ but I guess Sir Jo sounds right

In those three months I also got accustomed to wearing a corset in both normal settings and while exercising. Trust me, this is key. You have to get used to it. I don’t know what’ll happen next. The rest of this story therefore, will be written in the present tense.

With the help of Ms. Simmons, I picked a set of warmer clothing. A cedar-brown long-sleeved tunic over a few under-shirts conveniently hid the shape the corset gave me, with a leather jerkin on top. Woolen stockings, woolen gloves, some nice leather boots, a woolen coif and a belt completed the look.

I waved good-bye to Ms. Simmons, Irene, Lizzy, Avery, Alex, Nancy and Emerald. They’re rooting for me.

“Are you sure your corset isn’t laced too tight?” Avery asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“You have everything you need?” Lizzy asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“Then show them who you are!” they said.

I will. I’ll try at least.

—————————————————————————

I wonder why it’s winter. Well, it is November, so…

I tread carefully on the snowy road, careful not to slip again. Even with all those layers, I still feel a bit cold. I am not built for this weather, am I?

Not many people were outdoors, other than the merchants and the sparse passers-by. I think I blended in. Mostly. Some townsfolk are staring at me.

The smell of mist overwhelmed me in the beginning, but now it’s just plain annoying and freezing.

Everyone’s still smiling, however. Some are hard at work, while others are resting. Children are playing near the doors of houses either with little cloth dolls or wooden blocks.

‘Hey Monsieur!”

I look down at whatever was tugging at my knee. Which was a little boy. He couldn’t have been older than seven.

He's glaring at me for some reason. “Are you new here?”

I laugh, unlatching his little hands from my leg.

“Ouais, petit garçon.” (Yes, little boy.)

Before he could say anything more, a woman’s rough voice called.

“Pierre! Where are you?!”

He quickly looks around then runs away, holding onto his woolen hat.

“Arrivant, maman!” (Coming, mom!)

I smile and continue searching for the training hall for the soldiers.

—————————————————————————

I arrived at a large establishment. Stacked stones and marble pillars made up the exterior of it. From here I can hear the clashing of swords and voices.

The sign outside does say “L'entraînement Hall”.

Might as well go in.

The walls were mostly bare and unpainted, large torches on the higher ends of the walls. There were many soldiers dressed in tuscan sun-yellow and grey. Black tricorn hats with gold thread were worn on top.

The Order’s here too, with surcotes furlined at the edges.

One man seems to be monitoring them, with a similar uniform to the knights. He seems to be a knight as well, actually.

I stand dumbly, trying to observe what exactly’s going on over here. I look back at the knights, only to realize some of them were looking at me. A knight with long chestnut hair and blue-grey eyes and another one with black messy- wait are those the knights from the tavern!?

That’s Sir Will and Dame Kyda! They better not recognize me, or I’m toast! I should’ve thought this through.

….

Ok, I have to make a move, even some of the soldiers are staring at me. I take off my coif and stuff it into my pockets because I look stupid in that, like a baby. Not to say babies are stupid.

I marched towards the man in charge, whose build was of a warrior’s.

Jet black, ear-length hair and sharp mocha eyes that took notice of me with a look I could only describe as some sort of contempt. He clears his throat.

“Are you lost, boy?”

I shake my head firmly, standing straight. First impression’s the best impression.

“I am not lost, sir. I have come to become a knight,” I answer, having to look up at him.

He guffaws at that, waving his hand dismissively. In response to that, the soldiers too started to laugh. Now that’s amazing. My eyes are burning… no, not going to cry!

I keep standing with a defiant expression on my face, waiting for those idiots to stop laughing.

“I meant it. I want to become a knight.”

He doesn’t find it so funny now. He’s scowling at me.

“Go home, boy. This is for real men. Understood?”

—————————————————————————

Real men? I can’t stand this drittsekk! There are women and others as well in our army! Just that send him away already! He’s what, 20 something? If Commander Laurens wants to be a ‘real man’ or whatever he calls himself, he should drop that macho act!

—————————————————————————

Well, I’m not a man! But I can’t go ahead and tell him that, can I? I guess being persistent will have to work.

“I’m not going home. Did you not hear me, General?”

“General?! I am a commander, morveux!” he spits, now angry.

“It’s Commander Laurens to you,” he barks, towering over me.

“Did you hear me?”

I hesitated, taking a step back. This guy wasn't just intimidating, he meant to be. He clearly isn't someone I can mess with.

"Excusez-moi!"

Dame Kyda raised her hand from the group of knights. She steps forward.

"Whatever you want to say, Sellanddatter, it better be good."

"Well," she responded nonchalantly.

"He is already here. Why not test his strength with a duel?"

The commander raises an eyebrow, intrigued.

"A duel, you say?" he questions, looking at her.

Murmurs emerged from the curious crowd. They're excited by the chance a duel could take place. This wasn't supposed to happen… I'm not ready for this!

Commander Lauren's grins. Which isn't exactly comforting. In fact, I have a bad feeling about this….

"Traver!" the commander calls.

A young man with jet black hair styled in a taper fade, walks over. He's wearing something similar to the soldiers, but not quite. He has mocha brown eyes like…

He seems pretty submissive, with the way he's cowering. "Oui, C-commander?"

"Find Sir Samson, and bring him down here."

Laurens glances at me.

"Tell him he has a little runt to duel."

Traver pales. "A duel?! But Commander-"

"But Commander!" Laurens mocked in a singsong voice. "Go get him."

Traver gulped, and plodded out of the room.

Oh dear.

Oh no. No no no.

A duel?! I'm not that good! I remember Sir Samson… he was the concept of like a really strong knight. I can hope that he isn't that guy… no, I'm definitely screwed.

What was the dame thinking?! I'm going to have a word with her… if I'm alive..

"At first blood?" I say, mustering every ounce of courage I have. It wasn't a question.

"Of course," the commander agrees.

"Wouldn't want to hurt the little baby."

I'm the only one who could run into situations like this in an almost utopia. I gulp.

"The name's Jonas Raven. And I'll put on a fight."

"Really?" Laurens questions, lifting his head.

He turns to the crowd.

"We want a good duel, don't we?"

Shouts and cheers of agreement emerge from the soldiers and knights.

"So don't disappoint us. I'm sure you don't want to."

—————————————————————————

Dame Kyda begins to regret saying anything. Sir Samson was much bigger than the kid; and size difference was a landslide advantage to the former.

"He could crush him like a twig! Why is this kid accepting the duel?" Will exclaims in disbelief.

"Kyda, why did you even suggest that?" Jakob rebukes.

"It's Sellanddatter during work hours," Kyda countered.

"And do you think I asked him to hurt the 'kid'?"

Aurand pinches the bridge of his nose. "You know Laurens. He doesn't let things go so easy. You gave him the chance."

"Give her a break, Jakob," Sequin supported her. I-I can't watch this, I'm going."

Someone laughs. "And you call yourself a knight, Chevalier?

"Are you scared?" he sneers.

"Ta guele, Cartier," Kyda scorns, turning away from him. "He has a conscience. You don't. And that is the difference."

"Blablabla.."

Kyda sighs. Jonas, you better have something good up your sleeves.

—————————————————————————

Did I say Jonas? I meant Joseph! I wasn't even thinking of Mr. Woolf! Ugh, nevermind, it's not a big deal. No one's bound to notice.

None of the soldiers are sparring anymore. They're waiting for that duel they were promised. Placing bets already. Through the windows I can see the snow fall. Something I can't see where I live.

Oh, what I'd give to be walking in the snow with the rest of the squad! Then we could drink some hot chocolate and talk and play board games and word games…

Focus moron!

No turning back. I'm not turning back. I'm not even gonna think about turning back. Because then I'd be a coward, and that's one thing I'm not gonna be.

Okay, enough of this monologue. You're probably gonna get bored.

Maybe if I just proved to the commander that I'm decent, he'll won't be so annoyed? I don't know.

More importantly, I cannot make a fool of myself. No siree!

We'll have to wait and find out.

—————————————————————————

A/N: Yeah, present tense is hard to write. I keep writing my verbs in past tense!

[and this is me from a day later; actually lost half of what I wrote and recovered it today. That was a scare :’)]

Anyway, about the whole Joseph/Jonas thing… I planned while writing Chapter 2. It's based on something I've done irl lmao.

Basically, I had the opportunity of writing a skit for the morning assembly in school a few years back.

To those who don't know what that is every morning everyone in school goes down to the auditorium (we didn't have one, we had to stand outdoors TwT) and say prayers. I study at a catholic school so yeah. There's bible readings, thoughts of the day and the fore-mentioned skits.

It was something about anti-littering, and I was supposed to be Miss Caroline; teaching students on the effects of littering and what plastics to use and not to use. I didn't really get nerves on stage but for some reason I forgot what my character's name was. My brain automatically substituted it with 'Catherine' and the rest of my class went with the flow. (In my school each class got a weekly turn in the school assembly)

Apparently my lil sister's teacher was a Catherine and that her class and the teacher liked it very much that the educator was named Catherine as well. I ended up meeting her after and I'm sure remembers me even today. I saw her a few months ago too and she seemed happy to see me 😊

‘Ta guele’ means to ‘shut up’ in French, btw.

I've actually had to practice swordfighting with a bamboo stick haha. Props to my sister for helping me with this. Tho I think that she had the bamboo stick and I had a curtain rod lol-

I've got a decent amount of muscle, and I'm somewhat apple-shaped, and I feel if I tried I could pass as a boy. Except my thighs are 'womanly'...

With that out of the way, you'd be surprised to know that the commander was one of the oldest characters for this story, along with Princess Bianca. I'll explain that soon~

Thank you for reading!

[the-raven-who-writes]

Medieval Adventures: A Tale of Kingdoms and Knights

Genre: Slice-of-life, Fantasy, Magic, Self-Insert

Trigger Warnings: Alcohol mentions, food mentions, cursing yet again, thunderstorms

Word Count: 1647 (woo boy)

Chapter 2: The Nimble Hawk’s Tavern

“Great. And I don’t have an umbrella.”

If you’ve read the prologue, you know I love the rain! Really, I do!

But not when it’s this heavy and definitely not in Europe. I’m not built for such cold weather. I was hoping to see the bustling of the streets on a warm afternoon, not the hurrying of the townsfolk to any shelter they could find during a thunderstorm!

A bolt of lighting flashed somewhere in the corner of my eye. No sooner than it happened, I heard a rumble which slowly became a loud crack of thunder. Really loud.

Crrrrr-BANG!

I held on to my head-rail which almost flew right off my head. Great, now my hair was wet. The force of the torrential downpour was starting to hurt. My dress was also getting in the way. So damn loud! I don’t do loud.

People pushed past me and rushed out of the streets. I tried to run into the nearby bakery like an idiot, only to slip on the ground and fall face first on the wet, mucky ground.

—————————————————————————

From there I could see that there were already was too crowded. The warmth of the oven attracted people like a moth to a flame. I got to my feet and staggered to the nearby wall for some grip.

Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry...

As if the crackling of thunder wasn’t loud enough, the townsfolk were shouting something. Nothing really made sense in all the confusion.

I shivered as gust of wind blew in my direction, bringing along its fair share of rain with it. I decided it was best to move. Girding up my loins, I moved around the sides of the street. I’ve heard somewhere that you should always move in the direction of a crowd but I’m pretty sure I did the exact opposite.

At one point, a gosh darn wagon almost ran over me.

“Déplacer! Watch where you’re going!” the driver hollered.

Right. A population of a majority of French and Norwegians and a large minority of Italians. That’s why I didn’t understand half of what was being said.

Catching my breath, I find myself outside a tavern.

I could hear the chatter of many voices and the crackling of wood. Was there fire inside?

I turn around to realize that I had left what the locals called Serenità Piazza, or Sérénité Place as it was mostly called (I had seen on the name board) and that there were less people around.

I looked up and read the name board above the tavern’s door. It read, “The Nimble Hawk’s Tavern,” in faded letters.

Most of the building’s outer structure was of large and small stones and softwood pillars. I couldn’t make much through the curtained windows but through a gap a sliver of light shone.

My dress fell back to my knees, still tied in a loose knot.

Equinox Solaris, huh? More like Equinox Monsoonum or something.

Lightning struck somewhere behind me, briefly illuminating the tavern. Covering my ears, I braced for the thunderclap before heading inside.

—————————————————————————

There was, in fact a fire in there. And plenty of people.

Compared to the freezing weather outside, this was blissfully warm.

I entered through the old and used metal door. Not many people noticed me, which was good thing for since I’m pretty sure I looked miserable. I lowered my hands and closed the door.

Squared, wooden beams supported the upper floor and the torches attached to them. The walls were mostly bare, with exception of shelves and a few small paintings.

Several, long rectangular tables were occupied with people in some sort of uniform. Some of them had their hoods pulled on their heads, while others had hung them on their chairs. They seemed to be in a good mood.

The smaller, round tables were sparsely occupied by townsfolk who were quieter yet occupied with each other.

The stools were taken by people who seemed pretty comfortable with chatting with the bartender; a tall, lean man with side burns. He was busy yet took the time to chat it up with who I assumed were either regular customers or friends. Maybe both.

I decided to get myself something warm.

I walked up to the bartender who had just finished serving a customer. He noticed me almost immediately.

“Na, what would you like? My name is Jonas Woolf, and I am the bartender.”

I smiled in spite of myself.

“Well, you’re friendly,” I replied.

“Do you have any warm drinks that don’t have any liquor?”

Woolf raised his eyebrows, taking a glance at the menu sheet on the counter.

“Ja, we have milk and brühe,” he answered.

“Take a look at de speisekarte.”

I blinked.

“Pardon?”

“The menu,” he explained. “On the wall.”

I read through the beverages column and decided on mutton broth (brühe in German) and deep-fried chicken strips with some sort of mustard sauce.

—————————————————————————

I sat at a small table which wasn’t occupied right next to a longer one near the fire place with my broth.

Now looking closer at the tables, I noticed the tankards and glasses on them. The uniformed citizens seemed to be soldiers of sorts, dressed in black, grey and green. On their sleeves were handstitched crests of Equinox.

Soldiers. No, knights? I don’t know.

I heard the thunder crackle again but it wasn’t as ear-splitting at least.

I took a sip of broth only to burn my mouth. Yeesh, really? Fresh off the fire, huh?

“Waouh! Quite the storm outside, oui Kyda?”

Out of curiosity, I glanced at the table again. The speaker was an older knight, who seemed a bit older than my father.

Ginger-grey locks of stiff hair fell to his shoulders and he wore a full beard. He held a tankard of what could’ve been ginger ale in his left hand. His cobalt-blue eyes had a slightly glazed look about them.

“D’accord, Jakob. I wouldn’t exactly call this summer rain.”

Kyda seemed much younger than Jakob, and had shorter black hair which seemed to stick in all directions, as if she herself had cut it. She had her elbows on the table and her chin cupped up in her hands. She had a bit of a serious look about her.

The thunder crackled again.

I drank some of my broth as a barmaid nipped over with my chicken strips. I didn’t really get a good look at her as she left as soon as she placed my order on the table.

Then I heard Kyda call someone in a not so friendly way.

“Hey, you!”

Funny, it sounded like she was calling me.

“Peasant girl, I’m talking to you!”

Well shit.

I looked to the knight who seemed slightly irritated at something. What did I do? I mean, I guess I looked at her a little.

I decided to answer. “Ouais?”

“What were you looking at?” she questioned, as if I had made some grave mistake. Seriously! People look at strangers all the time! These days it’s as if worst possible case scenarios actually happen.

“Um… your.. uniform!” I exclaimed, which technically wasn’t a lie.

A look of puzzlement went over her face.

“My uniform?”

“Yeah! I have absolutely no clue who you are! Ahaha..”

—————————————————————————

I had one rule. One rule. And that was to remain unnoticed. Really? What the fuck was that?

“Maybe she’s new to town, Ky. Can’t blame her if she doesn’t know who she’s looking at,” replied another knight, cloak still on. The knight wore fawn blond hair in a buzz cut.

“Did you come in from the storm, miss?”

“Yes,” I answered. “And I’ve never been here. Who are you?”

“My name is Ser Sequin Chevalier,”

“Do you mean ‘Sir’?”

“No, ‘Ser’. ��I do not identify as male or female,” the knight explained, putting away a glass.

“My pronouns are they/them. That aside, we’re some of the royal knights of Equinox.

I turn towards the table. “Oh, I see.”

Ser Sequin gestured to the knight to their right. “This is Sir Jakob Aurand, an expert swordman and has been in l’armée for about 30 years now.”

The man in question gave me a wave of his hand.

“Wait,” a once sleeping knight stirred groggily to Sir Jakob’s right.

“We’re doing introductions?”

Sir Jakob gently slapped the knight on the back.

“Yes, we are; now wake up Will!”

—————————————————————————

The knight rubbed at his eyes before sitting up at the table.

“That would be Sir William Schuyler, a very learned knight. He’s a jack-of-all-trades. His liege was Jakob, actually. He joined half a decade ago.” Ser Sequin continued nonchalantly.

Sir William yawned. “And a good evening to you too, milady.”

“Lat but not the east, we have Kyda Sellanddatter.” They gestured to the knight to Aurand’s left.

“Expert archer with perfect aim. One of our only girls in the Order of the Sun. Almost a decade since she joined.”

I swallowed my second chicken strip. ‘One of our only girls’? Didn’t I make women and non-binary people have equal rights here?

“I don’t understand,” I interjected. “I thought female knights were allowed here?”

Chevalier chuckled. “They are, mademoiselle. It’s just that it’s not something many girls are interested in,”

“Non, Sequin. It isn’t that-” Sellanddatter interrupted.

“Ababab- Let me finish! There are, of course, girls who want to join the order,” Chevalier explained cautiously.

“But you would know how difficult it is to become one, ouais Kyda?”

Right. It’s just the way it is in my day-to-day life. Military was definitely a male-dominated space.

Kyda nodded twice, drinking from her tankard.

Maybe that rule about going unnoticed could be broken. I can’t just leave. Not when that storm was still raging outside. Took me all my will power not to flinch at the occasional bursts of thunder.

“All of you seem very talented to me.”

Yeah. It could be broken.

—————————————————————————

A/N: So I’m going to start this by saying that the original story was that I saw a poster on the wall about the Order of the Sun on a sunny day. Why was there a storm and a tavern? Three reasons.

1.   The music I was listening to was a cozy tavern ambience on a rainy day by Blue Turtle.

2.   It’s raining a lot these days.

3.   And the thunder is the result of the awful number of fireworks bursted on Diwali yesterday! (Festival of lights)

I’m slightly phonophobic which means I’m afraid of loud noises. And Diwali is that time of year when bursting fireworks at any waking hour is acceptable. Which means fuck.

Anyway, I’m very happy with how this turned out. Barely took me two days!