"The lord of Arsida is arriving? I remember you saying it would be in the twentieth?" said Eluard. He looked at the wall across his seat. Aeneas did the same.
Placed on the wall is a big wooden board. It has papers, the top of which has writings on it. A calendar with six rows and columns with the top row having the labels of the days. In order, the labels on the top row are as follows; Moonday, Earthday, Seaday, Winday, Fireday, and Sunday. On the uppermost part of the paper, 'The month of Taurus' (May), was written. The Nusterran calendar has twelve months with every month having an exact thirty days.
Arsen took a bite off the slice of the blue strawberry cake Crisa served him. He nods, approving the taste of the cake, "Well, I received a letter a day ago that the Chiliarch wanted to move earlier," he pauses and takes another bite, "He decided on the sixteenth."
Aeneas sighed, "Do I have to come? I wanted to train early," he said.
"It's your duty as a Caspius," Arsen paused, "Besides, he's the guardian of Arsida, don't you want to meet him?"
Aeneas looked at his brother who now has a stern expression, "I do want to meet him but," Aeneas paused he felt that he didn't deserve to meet a knight of such rank, "I would just stand there when I could be training."
"Aeneas Caspius," said Arsen in a monotone, "You will be there with me and greet the Chiliarch and his family."
The young Caspius sighed, he didn't argue anymore and just continued eating his dessert. In his mind, he imagined being ridiculed by the guardian of their region for being Zeal-less.
A Chiliarch is a titled rank given to knights of great valor. The rank is further divided into three; Chiliarch of Bronze, Chiliarch of Silver, and Chiliarch of Gold. Those that have the titled rank of Chiliarch of Bronze are commanders of exactly a thousand knights and are granted the chance to serve as a town's lord. There are around a hundred knights of this rank. Chiliarch of Silver has thirty positions. Each led tens of thousands of knights and could serve as the lord of a city or town. Above this rank, is the Chiliarch of Gold, only given to six knights that serve as the guardians and feudal lords of each of the six regions in Pantera. And the highest rank of knighthood, the Polemarch, is given only to three great knights. They are the pinnacle of knighthood that serves different purposes. One of them acts as the right hand and guard of the king together with a special unit of his own. While the two other Polemarchs lead the entirety of the knights in Pantera.
The king, three Polemarchs, and one Chiliarch of Gold reside in the sixth and capital region, Nyros. Known as the safest, and secure region even though it's the biggest because of their presence.
A couple of millennia ago, when all of Nusterra was still at war, this Panteran ranking system was followed to its core. All knights must submit to someone, for there would be a time when their strength would be needed in battle. In the current times, although knights must still adhere to the call of those that have higher ranks than them, most of the time they are grouped only by squads led by a captain. Forming a unit with a number of a thousand for fighting has never happened for centuries. The only time thousands of knights would gather was when there was a knighting ceremony, when the enthronement ceremony for a new king began, or when an expedition to the great Verdant forest was held.
Silence filled the halls of the dining area. Even the knights who were almost always bickering with each other turned quiet as they gulped the desserts.
Arsen sighed, "You just need to meet them and offer some pleasantries. After that, I'll come up with something to excuse you," he said.
Aeneas forced a smile. He was still reluctant, but he agreed and thanked his older brother.
Crisa stood up at the same time Aeneas finished eating, "Are you going for a bath, young lord?"
The boy smiled, "I would love to."
"I'll prepare it," said Yri as she finished her dessert in one bite. She is the other servant of the house Caspius. Her long brown wavy hair falls past her shoulder, she has hazel eyes and fair skin. Yri's face has a few freckles which were only visible up close.
If Yri hadn't rushed to finish her food, Aeneas would've told her that he would wait for her to enjoy it. Nevertheless, the young Caspius smiled at Yri and thanked her. Before going, Aeneas stopped, he looked at his brother and the other male knights, "Is anyone going for a bath as well?" he asked.
Arsen told him that he had already taken one. The other knights smiled and said that they would go later.
Aeneas turned to Eluard, "Elu?" he asked.
"I'll bath later," Eluard looked at Donos, "With the other knights."
"Okay."
There are two bathrooms in the Caspius Manor. One is for the men, and the second for the women. Although Arsen, together with his mother and siblings, doesn't care about taking baths with other people in the manor, the servants and knights living with them make it so that they use the bathroom first before they do, out of respect. But, there are also times they go with them since Arsen and the others would be persuasive and say that they're 'family'.
The rooms are huge. If necessary, it could fit fifty people inside. Both have a big square-shaped shallow pool at the center. Around it are smaller cubicles with tubs made of metal.
Yri came inside the men's room with Aeneas since no other people were there. She went into one of the cubicles and stood beside the metal tub. She then raised her right hand showing her palm. A blemish on the back of her hand glows. It forms a symbol that resembles the number 'sixty-nine' but is turned sideways. The Zeal of the Unbreakable, Cancer.
Water forms in front of Yri's hand. It fell into the tub, filling it within seconds. Aeneas touched the water. It was a bit warmer than he wanted it.
"How's the temperature, Aenie?" Yri asked.
Aeneas smiled, he looked at Yri with a smile, "It's perfect. Thank you."
After that, Yri asked him if he needed help in removing his clothes. The boy felt a bit embarrassed. He stuttered as he rejected the offer.
Chuckling, "How cute, I was just jesting," Yri said. She then prepared Aeneas a change of clothes and stayed outside of the cubicle.
"Sister?" asked Aeneas. Yri has a similar case with Eluard. She was brought by the late lord Caspius to the manor after her family was slaughtered by beasts who had gone mad. Adrian Caspius who was in one of his travels as a merchant stumbled upon a broken carriage attacked by an enraged group of gronkeys. These monkey-like creatures are as big as an adolescent human. Their strong tails are longer than their body. They used it to help them stand upright.
A gronkey's hands and feet are much bigger than humans. Although these animals could be vicious and have the strength to crush a normal person's skull with ease, if possible, they try to avoid contact with people and would always run unless trapped. And like all creatures of Nusterra, they could use magic. Gronkeys are known to manipulate the earth. They have evolved to make armor out of rocks, covering their weak spots.
Adrian's hired knights, including Donos, managed to defeat the group of gronkeys. But, Yri was the sole survivor. She's the only one who can harden her skin because of Cancer's Zeal. Her parents and younger brother were crushed to their deaths.
Although her story wasn't brought up to Aeneas and his siblings, they welcomed Yri and thought of her as their own. Most of the servants of the Caspius manor left when Adrian died since they couldn't pay them the same amount any longer. As a way of repaying their kindness, Yri offered to help as a servant. Even so, they still treat her as their sibling, and Yri thought of them as her family.
"Yes, Aenie?"
Aeneas thanked her again, "You could leave now, I am fine on my own."
Yri insisted on staying so that she could help Aeneas if he needed anything, "I'll leave if some of the men enter the room," she said.
Since the warmth of the water may fade, Aeneas started to clean himself before jumping inside the tub.
"Say Yri…" Aeneas said.
"What is it, Aenie?"
"How come you have the Unbreakable's Zeal when you were from Nesmos."
Yri told him that her grandparents were from Kankavi, the kingdom where most people follow the God, Cancer. They moved to Nesmos, a neighboring kingdom, when they were still young and hadn't conceived her father.
"So, your father was Kankavic," Aeneas paused, "your mother?"
"She's Nesmosian."
"What happened—" Without thought, Aeneas was about to ask Yri about her parents. It was a topic that made Yri shiver in fear even with just the mention of it. But, it was years since the last time it was brought up.
"They were murdered by a group of enraged beasts," Yri answered. Aeneas couldn't see her shaking and a drop of tears falling from her eyes. But, he could feel the fear in her quivering voice as she answered.
"Forgive me," Aeneas said.
Yri wiped her tears, forced her shaking hands to a halt, and started chuckling, "There's nothing to forgive, little Aenie," she said.
Aeneas soaked his entire body in the tub for the last time. He wore his underpants and went outside for the change of clothes Yri was holding. She helped him dry before giving him the clothes.
When they were outside Aeneas's room, "Rest well," Yri said while patting the boy's head.
"You too."
Aeneas's room is located on the second floor of the manor and was quite spacious. Even though that was the case, all it had were shelves of books, a table and seat near the window, and his bed. As he lays on his bed, Aeneas falls asleep rather quickly, given the fact that he was asleep for hours after his match.
"Aeny… wake up," a soft voice calls to him.
Aeneas opened his eyes to see the young face of Issa staring at her.
"Lord Arsen and his knights were prepared to visit the Chiliarch."