The Apathetic Knight

Chapter 10.2 - Cinder

"Do you know how to knight someone?" I asked her. She nodded. "What is your name?" I asked the man.

"My name is Sebastian Caron," he said.

She unsheathed my sword, and tapped him once on each shoulder. "In the name of the Crowned Princess of the Ashland empire, Kynareth Renna Severing Ashland, I name you Sir Sebastian Ren Caron, and appoint you the title of 'Baron'," she smiled down at him. "Congratulations, Sir."

He gaped at her, stunned. "You...you even gave me a middle name..." He whispered, a blush on his young face. He looked to be in his early twenties.

Middle names were reserved for nobility, and only someone who had supremely impressed a noble could earn a middle name with a title.

She smiled. "I was very impressed by your jousting skill, sir. You had pinpoint accuracy and rode your horse well." She glanced at me. "Is that alright?"

I gave a nod. "Yes, princess." I glanced to the newly appointed knight. "If you get up with my attendant, I can grant you a small piece of land to begin homesteading on."

He burst into a smile, bowing further. "Many thanks and blessings to you, your highnesses!" He said.

"I hope to see you at nobility banquets from now on, Sir Caron," my wife said.

"It would be an honor, your highness!" He smiled, and with a final bow of gratitude, he stepped out of the box to speak to my attendant who was seated nearby.

The announcer stepped back onto the field as the last of the cheering quieted.

"For our next competition, we shall see who is superior-man or beast! In this competition, each competitor will have to see how long they can last on the back of a bucking bull! The man who stays on the longest will then, through fatigue and exhaustion, have to fight against a special imported beast-a bear! If he wins, he will win a year's supply of proteins for his household, and a chest of gold!"

Most of the riders didn't last more than a minute, but two of the riders hit the two-minute mark and the final rider hit the three-minute mark, which was very impressive.

Tired and panting, he struggled against the bear. The bear got in a good swipe to his leg, and Kynareth gasped, covering her eyes and trembling, peeking from between her fingers as she saw the man continue to battle the enraged bear...

Finally, he got the beast put down, and kneeled, dedicating the pelt of the beast to the Crowned princess, as was tradition, before he was taken to be treated for his injuries and to have his prize arranged.

We all adjourned to attend a marvelous feast, before we returned back to the stadium, ready to get back to the competition.

When the announcer returned, all of the warriors for the next event joined him.

"For this two-part competition, the first part will consist of the commoners who wish to earn a knighthood! There will be ten battles, with ten victors, and each winner will receive a knighthood after delivering the Oath of Fealty!"

The common soldiers faced the king and queen, bowing and calling out praises, before they did the same to us.

Each pair of warriors prepared themselves, waiting, and Kynareth hesitated before she clapped her hands.

The battles began, and Kynareth and I watched with baited breath as each battle concluded with its winner.

All of the winners stepped up to our box, and I gave them each a knighthood.

Finally, it was the final event, and the announcer appeared yet again.

"Finally, the event we've all been anticipating the most! The battle among the nobility! We shall see which nobles are better skilled in battle, a great opportunity to show off and win points with the royals!" He said, making it sound like such an honor. "The battle will take place in a bracket-style fashion, starting with a one-on-one battle between two nobles. Once each pair has battled and had a victor, each victor will pair up with another victor and battle them! So on and so on, until we reach the final battle, and then our final victor will go head-to-head with our very own Crowned Prince for a chance to win the favor of his bride!"

The stadium erupted into cheer, before we watched each battle pair get set up.

Kynareth's father was set to fight a count, her brother was set to fight a marquess, and her knight was set to fight a baron. Her knight's family had the rank of a duke, so he was a high-leveled noble as it were.

Upon her clap, each battle commenced and I had to admit that her men were each impressive, ending their fights with less than a handful of moves.

They were each very skilled.

It was to be expected of a prodigy, a war hero and a war hero's son, I supposed.

We were only five battles from the end, when her father lost a match. He laughed it off, shaking the hand of the duke he'd went against, going to sit down and relaxing. He had done exceptionally well, considering how many fighters had been there at the start. He had a high amount of stamina.

Three fights from the finish, Astaroth was defeated by the son of a marquess that had also been a war hero, so it had been an interesting bout indeed.

We finally came to the last match, which was the son of a marquess against Seryn.

I scoffed, crossing my arms. I already knew who would win.

My prediction was not wrong, as Seryn got the sword away from his opponent in only nine moves.

As the announcer gave an introduction to me, I gave my bride a slight bow. "I ask for your blessing, my bride," I said softly.

She stood, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to my cheek. "Good luck, my prince," she said, her cheeks pink as she looked away, unable to meet my eyes.

I chuckled before I stepped down the stands, making my way down the stairway and out to the field.

When I got there, Seryn kneeled, but he smirked up at me with a grin.

"I believe I shall earn the favor of the princess yet again, your highness," he snickered, holding up his sword, which still-even to this day-held the tassel on the end of the hilt that he had won from her at the hunt the year prior.

"You sound quite sure," I laughed, unsheathing my own sword, a ribbon on the hilt. "How about we find out?"

"That sounds like fun, your highness," he smiled.

We glanced up to the box where Kynareth stood, hands clasped in front of her, before she lifted her hands, pulling them apart, before she gave a hard clap.

Seryn and I dashed at one another, swords drawn, and it seemed that we were fairly matched.

He was stronger than I had anticipated. His sword pushed against mine with powerful force, shoving, almost knocking me over a few times.

I gasped as my arms gave way, but I dipped beneath the swing of his blade, and I ducked, rolling between his legs, turning and swinging toward the back of his neck.

He quickly reached back with his sword, blocking my attack quickly.

He was skilled, I would give him that.

He noticed my quick glance up to the stands, and his eyes widened a bit. "You actually care about her opinion..." He whispered. "You wish for her favor."

I met his eyes again, blocking another attack. Though I wanted to deny it, I strangely couldn't do it, and I realized with a sickening drop in my stomach that he was right.

Kynareth, the bride that I hated, the wife I didn't want, who had been forced to marry me against both of our wishes...for some sick, demented, unknown reason, I wanted her approval.

Why?

"Is it wrong for a groom to seek the favor of his bride?" I asked, soft.

He smiled at me. "Do you still hate her?"

I thought about that as we continued our battle. "I will concede that perhaps, maybe 'hate' isn't the right word. I strongly dislike her, but maybe I don't outright hate her anymore...?"

He smiled. "I'll do a favor for you, your highness. Since I don't need land or a title, and I don't need a life like that, I will give you an opening. You will see it right away. I have already won her favor many times...I can let you have it this time," he grinned at me.

Stunned, I saw him swing wide, swooping, and I saw an obvious gap. I turned my sword flat to him, striking in that spot, and slapped my sword to the armor there.

"And we have a winner!" The announcer called, coming and lifting my hand into the air. Seryn gave me a respectful bow, before he and I watched Kynareth come back into the stadium.

She pressed a kiss to my cheek, and tied her tassel to the end of the hilt of my sword.

I turned to Seryn, and had the servants bring his chest of gold, giving him a nod of thanks for letting me win, and he smiled at me.

Kynareth spent some time enjoying conversation with her family before they set out for home, and everyone began to clean up and head home after a long day of festivities.

As we all wrapped up the festival, we played a few more games and enjoyed a nice meal together by the vendors, before we headed back to the palace.

We didn't speak as we walked through the halls, and I remembered the fox doll that I had bought for my young bride.

I turned down a different turn than the hall that our chambers were set up on, and she gave me a confused expression.

I didn't explain, as I led her to the bridal chambers, and I led her inside wordlessly.

I led her to the bed, having her sit down, and I could see the panic flash across her face as she backed up quickly, hiding behind a couple of pillows she grabbed.

"P-please, not that!" She cried, her eyes filling with tears. "It's been a fairly nice day, but I'm just not ready-"

She startled and cried out in surprise when I tossed the fox doll at her, and she gaped at me, eyes wide.

"This..."

"This was your favorite, wasn't it?" I asked her. She nodded, and I smirked. "You need not worry yourself," I laughed, though my laugh held no humor or joy. It was a bleak sound. I sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out for her hand. She hesitantly gave her hand to me. "My father has informed me that, once a week, we will be obligated to spend a night together in this chamber. We do not have to be intimate, but we must 'bond'. I know that this must make you uncomfortable, but it is a direct command from the king, so I have no other choice."

"I see."

"You should also know that we are not obligated to bring forward any heirs until I have undergone the coronation and become the king."

She looked surprised. "R-really?"

I chuckled. "Yes, really. You can rest easy; I won't bother you."

She relaxed significantly, and looked away. "That makes me feel a bit more comfortable."

I gave a nod, taking notice of her gown.

She was still fully dressed, and I reached over to the nightgown.

"May I help you prepare for bed?" I asked her.

She hesitated, but whispered her permission. I undid the ties to her gown and corset, then handed her the nightgown.

She slipped it on as I was turned away, before she let me face her again.

I unbraided her hair, and brushed it out for her, letting my fingers linger over the silky soft strands.

No matter how I disliked her, she was undeniably beautiful. Her hair was like spider-silk, soft and stringy and strong.

"How are you feeling today? Have you been in pain?" I asked her.

She nodded. "A little bit, but I am alright, your highness."

I began taking off my armor, getting down to just my uniform, and I grabbed a night-tunic and night pants. She hid under the blankets as I changed my clothes.

Once I had changed, she and I got settled into bed together, lying on our backs and just staring at the ceiling, hearing the crickets chirping in the night outside the palace.

"Your highness...?" She asked, and I barely heard her.

"What?"

"Thank you...for not being hateful to me today. I appreciate that."

My heart thumped hard and my stomach dropped.

Had I really been so cruel that a single day's worth of acting civil owed me her gratitude...?

I suddenly felt a bit ashamed of myself. I had been raised to be respectful to all people, from my worst enemies to my closest people. I was raised to be kind to women. I had a mother, a younger sister...

What if this were my younger sister? Even though I disliked her, would I wish her to be treated the way that I had been treating Kynareth?

No, probably not.

The realization was like a ton of bricks on my head.

I may dislike her, but I could be civil. I could give her that much.

She didn't want to be here anymore than I wanted for her to be here.

After a while, I heard her breathing even out, and she let out a contented groan, rolling to her side away from me.

In that moment, I hesitated, but I allowed myself, after some time, to do something that I had always wanted to do with a woman. Not her, admittedly, but it wasn't like I had any alternatives.

I took a deep breath, allowing myself this single concession.

I cuddled closer to her, and, gently, wrapped my arm around her as I spooned her. She was much smaller than me, the short, small little thing.

One thing was certain, now...I had to admit it to myself, even in the silent stillness of this moment.

I no longer outright hated her, but...

I didn't like her, either.

I would settle for disliking her strongly...which was still, in truth, progress in our relationship.

I wondered where things would go from here, as I fell asleep with my unwanted bride in my arms.