6
Slayn sighed in relief and walked over to Parn. He knew Elm from his time at the Academy, though they had only overlapped for a few years. They were more than a decade apart in age, but Slayn had been accepted at the Academy when he was still a child.
Elm was a prodigy, similar in strength to Wagnard, and a passionate devotee of Pharis. It seemed natural that he was quickly welcomed as Valis’s court wizard.
Slayn bowed deep to the middle-aged wizard leading the knights. “It’s been a while, Lord Elm,” he said. “Do you remember me? Slayn Starseeker?”
The knights were wary, but Lord Elm took one look at the robe, staff, and Slayn’s thin face—and smiled. “I do remember you—you have a distinctive face and voice. You’ve grown up.”
“Thank you.”
“I must ask—what are you doing here? Did you leave on a journey after the Academy closed?”
“Something like that,” Slayn said, sidestepping the question. “Are you searching for Princess Fianna?”
“We’ve been chasing after a group of merchants that took her. But how did you know? Have you seen her?”
Slayn nodded. “It’s a long story, but she is with us. The wizard we were fighting had kidnapped her, but we rescued her.”
As if on cue, the princess emerged from behind Slayn’s wall of darkness—she’d chosen not to escape by herself after all. The knights cheered in relief and delight, and several quickly dismounted and rushed over to her.
“Looks like we’re the ones who should bow to you,” Elm said. “Slayn, I can’t thank you enough. I had no idea you’d grown to be such a fine wizard. By the way—have you found your star yet?”
“Not yet.” Slayn answered. “But don’t just thank me. We were only able to rescue the princess thanks to this young man.” He gestured at Parn. “Without his skills and willpower, we never would have gotten her here safely.”
“I see,” said Elm, nimbly swinging down from his horse. “Then I must thank you as well. What’s your name?”
“I’m Parn,” he said with a knight’s salute—but he was distracted by the Holy Knights’ white suits of armor. His thoughts from the day before swam through his head as he continued, “I am the son of Tessius, a Valis Holy Knight.” Parn himself was surprised as he blurted it out, though once it was said, he watched them intently for their reaction. Valis knights should know why his father died.
“Tessius the Holy Knight?” Elm said more sharply than Parn had expected. It made him uneasy. “Is that true? Are you truly Tessius’s son?”
“Yes. This armor is proof—it may be dirty, but it’s still the official armor of the Valis Order of Knights.”
“It does look like it,” Elm said, looking him over.
“There’s no mistake, Lord Elm,” said one of the Holy Knights. “His armor is the same as ours.”
“It must be true,” said another. “No one would bother claiming to be Tessius’s son.”
“What do you mean?” Parn cut in. “Please tell me—how did my father die? My mother wouldn’t tell me anything, just said to have faith in him. But rumors say he died a coward’s death…”
Elm approached Parn and warmly placed a hand on his shoulder. “Your father did indeed disobey orders, but he was never a coward. Lord Tessius’s duty was to patrol the northern border with another young knight and report the discovery of any enemies he saw. But when he learned that a small village was in danger of being raided, Tessius sent the other knight to make the report and stayed behind to fight the savages alone.
“Your father went to the village by himself, warned them of the danger, and bought the residents time to escape by fighting the savages alone. There were too many of them—he had no chance. Still, he didn’t hesitate. And because of what he did, damage to the village was minor.”
“Is that true?” Parn’s voice was hoarse.
“It is. His bravery should have been praised. But the laws of chivalry are absolute, no exceptions—so the King had to strip him of his knighthood for disobeying his orders. Anyone who knows the truth, though, can’t help but admire his courage.”
“Among the Holy Knights, Lord Tessius’s actions were honorable,” a young knight said. “There are twisted rumors about his death because we can’t openly tell the truth…but do you really think rumors such as those could keep one knight’s name alive for so long?” The young knight seemed almost jealous of Tessius’s son.
“I’m happy for you,” Deedlit said, gently taking Parn’s arm.
“And Lord Tessius brought us yet more honor today,” the young knight went on. “For among those who rescued our kidnapped princess is none other than his son! This must be Pharis’s divine guidance!”
“So Dad’s death wasn’t dishonorable after all…” For the first time, Parn felt a surge of pride that the armor he wore came from his father, who had made the right choice—the very same one Parn would have made. It was further proof that his father’s blood ran in his veins.
Parn looked up into the brilliant sky and said a prayer. “I thank you for the blood of my father, which runs in my veins.”
In return, he could feel his father’s spirit looking down upon him.