The following day had arrived. It was held inside the lord's castle at Windspire Heights. Brina was to be knighted by Lord Jouse. There were only a few people invited, mainly Ren and some of her guard friends. She invited auntie Marta to attend, but unfortunately she couldn't leave their house. Her husband was dying, and she was needed beside him.
Currently Brina was wearing full plate armor, almost all her equipment now made from the irons mined in Helwind itself. It was custom crafted, fitting for junior grade knights. She was still the lowest among their ranks, but it was a step forward.
The knight rankings were clear in her mind now after four years of training.
Senior Grade Knights held the highest positions:
Captain Commander of the Knight Orders of the Kingdom, Commander of the Chapter Order, Knight Captain, Lieutenant Class 2, and Lieutenant Class 1.
Junior Grade Knights came next: Sergeant Knight Captain, Knight Sergeant, 1st Class, 2nd Class, Probie 2, and Probie 1, which would be her rank.
Below them were Knights in Training: Squire 4, Squire 3, Squire 2, and Squire 1, which she'd finally graduated from.
Then there were pages who assisted knights, and their retinues: the men-at-arms, crossbowmen, and archers.
Brina began walking down the hallways of the castle. She was resolute and seemed to have a solemn face, brimming with confidence in each of her strides. Of course it was because she'd earned it. And more than that, she had resolved the lingering emotions that wrought her heart with guilt, sadness, and anger. She was free from her pain.
She reached the steps below the lord's seat. Flanking the lord was Knight Captain Adam, and to the other side the Commander of the Helwind Order of Knights, who at the time of the war had been doing business at the capital. The name of that man was Hegswith von Drako, a veteran who had risen to his position not just through skill, bravery, honor, and justice, but through his unwavering loyalty to the cause.
Then the other senior knights, including her master Deen the Lion, and the other junior knights with their own retinues stood to witness a new knight ascend to their ranks. She was, at this point, the only woman in the order.
She bowed, knelt on one knee, and she gripped her sword with both hands, as Lord Jouse took his sword and tapped on both her shoulders.
"Loyalty, honor, courage, and a noble cause. I knight thee Sir Brina Feldwyn, to become a pillar of strength to Helwind, to serve me is to serve the crown, and to serve the crown is to serve the people. I, Earl Herman Jouse, the first of my name, bestow upon you the title of Brina the Thornrose Knight and the rank of Junior Grade Knight, Probie 1. May you be the light upon the darkness."
In synchronized voice, the hall erupted with the brotherhood, now sisterhood, with one voice.
"Strength and Honor! Bravery and Courage!"
The words echoed through the stone hall, and Brina felt them resonate in her chest. She was a knight now. Not a recruit. Not a squire. A knight.
The knighting ceremony had ended, and everyone began to mingle for a small banquet for their new knight. Of course Brina didn't forget to thank her friends and brother for attending.
Ren hugged her tightly. "I'm so proud of you, sister. Mom and Dad would be too."
"I know," Brina said, her voice thick with emotion. "I did it for them. And for me."
Elena, Mira, Sophia, and Jen all crowded around her, congratulating and teasing in equal measure.
"Look at you, all shiny in your plate armor!" Jen laughed. "You look like you could take on a dragon."
"Please don't give her ideas," Ren groaned. "She'll actually try."
They all laughed.
And then there was her lover. Well, more like frenemies. Himdal Hainz. Their story started three years ago. It seems the guy took a liking to Brina's character as a person, even when they were still recruits. But his approach was that of an annoyance to her. The guy couldn't talk about his own damn worth to save his crumbling image before her.
But time passed, and their feelings developed. At least until she found out, or well, misread the situation as Himdal was talking to another woman. Although they weren't official at that time, Brina felt betrayed. Himdal explained, but Brina was stubborn and didn't give him a chance. Now they had an awkward atmosphere between them.
Himdal, of course, was first to be knighted. The guy was undoubtedly talented in most things, but of course there is always a chink in a person's well-crafted armor. And Himdal's weakness was his inability to talk to women properly.
Anyways, the guy approached Brina and congratulated her. It was curt, his voice formal and distant. "Congratulations, Sir Feldwyn. You've earned it."
Then he moved away before she could respond.
Brina felt a bit of sting in her heart. Though she knew Himdal was a bit of a klutz, and maybe what she saw that day was exactly what Himdal told her it was. But she didn't know why she was being stubborn about it.
Before she could even say anything, Himdal was no longer there, already on the other side of the room talking with some senior knights.
Her friends, on the other hand, had a smirk and a teasing gaze that would fuel a conversation for later.
"So," Elena said, drawing out the word. "Are you going to talk to him or just keep staring?"
"I'm not staring," Brina protested.
"You're totally staring," Mira said.
"He came over to congratulate you," Sophia pointed out. "That's something."
"He was being polite," Brina said stubbornly. "Any knight would do the same."
"Any knight you say? No way, they wouldn't look like a kicked puppy while doing it," Jen added.
Brina wanted to argue, but she knew they were right. There was something between her and Himdal. Something unresolved. But she wasn't ready to deal with it yet. Not today. Today was about her achievement, her knighthood, her new beginning.
They did know there was something between the two, but it didn't progress. But they hoped it would, well, at least at some point. But not today.
The banquet continued with food, drink, and stories. Knight Captain Adam approached Brina at one point.
"You've come a long way, Sir Feldwyn," he said. "From the recruit who saved my life to a full knight. I'm honored to serve alongside you."
"Thank you, sir," Brina said, feeling the weight of his words. "I wouldn't be here without that moment. Without all of it."
"Perhaps," Adam said. "But you're the one who chose to keep going. That's what matters."
Commander Hegswith also made a point to speak with her, his gruff voice carrying authority and experience.
"You're the first woman in our order in a hundred years," he said. "That comes with scrutiny. Some will doubt you. Some will test you. Prove them wrong, not with words, but with deeds."
"I will, sir," Brina promised.
"I believe you will," Hegswith said. "Deen speaks highly of you. And Adam owes you his life. That's a good foundation. Now build on it."
After the ceremony, Brina and Ren went home. They still lived in Lowwinds, but they now owned the home outright, purchased with Brina's earnings and rewards over the years. She was smiling all the way home and even when she slept.
That night, lying in her bed in her new house, wearing her nightclothes but with her knight's sword propped against the wall where she could see it, Brina thought about everything that had led to this moment.
From Wynstead's destruction to Helwind's salvation. From that terrified girl who fled Wynstead to now a trained full-pledged knight. From loss to purpose.
Tomorrow, her real adventures will begin. No more training. No more tests. Just the work of being a knight, protecting people, facing threats, and maybe, finally, living the adventure she'd always dreamed of.
She smiled in the darkness.
For the day ahead would be filled with adventure.