A month had passed. Brina was now standing at the outskirts of a forest, a forest where memories of a painful past had formed. It was the forest where her parents sacrificed themselves so that she and Ren would survive.
But now she is back. Her hands trembled for a little bit before she found her composure. The knight in charge of her, Sir Deen the Lion, and six other followers came to watch and also make sure that this wouldn't go poorly. They wanted a knight to return with them, not a dead body. The six weren't knights themselves, more like retinues of the knights. So even though they had seniority over Brina for now, once she becomes a full-pledged knight then she would be above them in rank.
And yes, knights could have their own retinue of their own choosing as long as those retinues would also serve the lord that the knights serve. There were also wandering knights or hedge knights, usually lordless knights who are recognized for their honorable and noble deeds. They are knighted by another knight and not a lord.
Usually they won't have any followers because it's not like they could pay them regularly. Well, they could if they have the money or some form of agreement for their followers compensation, but that wasn't unrealistic so most hedge knights remain alone. Meanwhile a knight pledged with a lord has the support of that lord, so the knight's own men will also be paid regularly, although it is at the knight's own discretion to pay his own men.
So that was why there weren't many hedge knights. Back to the present situation, Brina was being instructed by her master one final time.
"Your growth, my apprentice, has been joyous to watch. I know you are capable, strong, and courageous, but also an airhead sometimes." He smiled slightly at that. "This test signifies your ascension to the order. Now prove me right. And above all things, be wise before you are strong, for only then will you be capable. Be courageous in front of death, for only then will your blade be true. And honor above all is the sign of a great knight. Good luck."
Brina only nodded her head. She was currently wearing brigandine and chainmail armor, a helmet, a shield in her hand, mace on her waist and a dagger, then she had her standard-issue arming sword. On her left arm was her band from her recruitment days, which she still wore on her arm. She was allowed to do so after winning a bet.
She breathed in and out. She was the vanguard while the rest stayed a few steps behind her.
They moved forward, inching closer and closer to the deeper parts of the forest. Her head was full of thoughts and memories of that night. The "what ifs" ran through her mind. Though she knew even if she had the strength she had now back then, it wouldn't have mattered. They were surrounded before. Well, at least for now this battle with a Lywolf would be a one on one while the others behind her would keep the other pack members at bay until she had slain her own enemy.
The further they went, the eerier the place became. It wasn't silent. The forest was alive with noises of the critters that lived here and the squawking of the birds, eyeing the intruders who entered the forest floor. The trees swayed and the leaves rustled. The wind blew cold air down their necks.
Then the growling sound came from their right. A pair of eyes and teeth showed, its saliva pouring out of its mouth, salivating at the potential prey and meal. Then more came out.
Deen shouted, "Prepare for battle! Take formation! Let Brina have her own duel!"
And the others lured the pack away. Brina, on the other hand, locked eyes with the first Lywolf. It was six feet high while standing on all fours. She gulped, her mouth dry from her nervous state. It was big, bigger and heavier than she was and stronger too.
Then she yelled to gain back her courage. "Raaaaaaahhhhhhhh! Come at me!" She roared and charged forward, bravery in her heart strengthening her waning resolve. She had to amp herself up, thinking of that scenario from that night, so that she would be able to go through with her thoughts to kill the beast that was prowling right in front of her.
The wolf didn't move and watched her with intelligent eyes. When the Lywolf saw that Brina was charging toward its direction, it also charged forward to meet its potential meal for today.
Brina parried with her shield against the wolf's massive paws and claws, delivering her own strike. But the wolf was agile and it dodged, Brina's sword only managing to cut a few strands of its fur. The wolf growled, angered at the audacity of its prey managing to land even a glancing hit.
An egotistical thing, considering this was a beast. It seems it had its own pride and a discrimination against this two-legged prey. And yes, humans to them are prey.
Their battle went on for two minutes without gaining a significant advantage against each other.
The wolf had its wounded ego, and Brina was already starting to feel the fatigue. It set in faster due to her being nervous, the weight of her armor and weapons, the swings that missed, and her holding her ground against a being much bigger than her, was now starting to show the toll on her stamina and endurance.
Of course, the Lywolf was shocked that the prey was actually managing against itself. It felt the humiliation, and that was all it took for it to make a fatal mistake. It was no longer caring if it delivered its precise attacks. While Brina was still mindful of her defense as much as her own offense, the wolf had abandoned its defense and had fully invested itself in just attacking Brina with all its might.
Of course it was overpowering, and Brina could feel her own hand holding her shield slowly giving up. But she gritted her teeth to fight the fatigue. Then she saw an opening. The wolf made an opening, a fatal one. It tried to bite off the annoying shield Brina had, but it failed to realize that it would also expose its own eyes and head to her.
Was it avoidable? Yes. Would the wolf have won if it just made sure its prey got tired? The answer was yes. But it was prideful, and Brina capitalized on that.
She took her smaller dagger and hid it behind her shield so that the wolf wouldn't see it coming the next time it lunges and tries to take her shield from her hands. Indeed the next time it attacked, lunging at her shield with teeth bared, she took a step to the side and quickly stabbed it in its right eye.
It had thick fur, yes. It wasn't easy to cut through and make it bleed, but the eyes? That was a weakness and a target.
Brina yelled a war cry of her own. While the Lywolf grimaced and yelped in painful agony as its right eye was blinded. The pain was overwhelming. It managed to jump back to gain distance and get away, and so Brina couldn't stab again to reach its brain.
But Brina regained her own second wind. She rushed toward the beast and took her mace. She bashed it with her shield first to make the beast lose its footing and she began pounding its skull with the mace. Of course she stayed on its blind side, making sure she wouldn't get hurt while delivering the death blows.
Blood began to splatter. It didn't matter if its fur was thick. A two-inch serrated round-head mace was perfect for bashing enemies with heavy armor, and Brina remembered that from her training. Hence why she bashed its head, then its front leg, and then the sides of its exposed body. Until the beast had completely fallen to the ground unable to rise once again. Then she bashed its head more, all while screaming her pain and anguish still at the thought of her parents' deaths. It was the final release of the unresolved emotions she had managed to bottle up all these years.
Then a gentle tap on her shoulder made her stop. It seems she didn't hear anyone call to her, but Knight Deen the Lion and his men had already secured their own victories against the other members of the pack.
They were obviously very skilled and in perfect synergy with each other's strengths and weaknesses. Hence why, despite the strength and size difference, they had the better tactical planning and experience, against these wild beasts. If they could say how many times they could win, they would say that they could win eight out of ten encounters.
"Feldwyn, that is enough. The beast is now dead."
Only then did she stop, and then her war cries formed into tears. She had avenged her parents. Though this may not be the same beast that killed them, she still thought of it as such.
Deen looked at her and let her be for a while. He whispered under his breath, "Just as I thought."
Yes, this was the thing he didn't tell Brina last time. The unresolved emotions within her heart. He wanted to see how bad it was and if it would become a hindrance to her from becoming a knight. And now he saw it and nodded in agreement with himself. She was past the pain before, but now the lingering emotions have been resolved, it gave her peace within. That is why he chose this particular beast, although it was harder than what most knights would have gone through in their own tests. But that is why he and his men were here.
After a few minutes, Brina composed herself. She stood, wiping her eyes with the back of her gauntlet, leaving streaks of dirt, blood and tears across her face.
"I'm sorry, sir," she said quietly. "I lost control."
"No," Deen said firmly. "You released what needed to be released. That is different. Come. Let us return home. You have passed your test, Squire Feldwyn. Or should I say, Knight Feldwyn."
Brina's eyes widened. "I... I passed?"
"Did you doubt it?" Deen smiled as he looked at the beast behind them. "You defeated a Lywolf in single combat. You showed courage, resourcefulness, and determination. You are ready."
The journey back was quieter than the journey there. Brina rode in silence, processing everything. The fight. The release of her grief. The fact that she was now, unofficially, a knight.
When they reached Helwind's gates as the sun was setting, Deen turned to her.
"Tomorrow, we will hold your knighting ceremony. Rest tonight. You've earned it."
That night, Brina sat in her courtyard and looked up at the stars. She thought about her parents, about Wynstead, about everything that had led her to this moment.
"I did it," she whispered to the night sky. "I became a knight. I hope you're proud."
Somewhere, she liked to think, they were.