The knight commanders led the group through the halls, passing the knight order compound before heading to a unique building with a structure similar to a fort. The place was deep within the kingdom's territory and Emery recognized the place, as this was the same place Emery sneaked out to from before.
Emery and the other nine knights walked inside. They stopped in a huge room together with two dozen gold knights along with the knight commanders. The room was sparse aside from chairs and banners adorned with the symbol of the order hung on both sides of the room.
Among the official knights of the order, there were also two knights. They both appear to be silver knights and from the look of it, they were not normal knights at all, a veteran among all the other silver knights.
There was no one else allowed to join, there weren't even any guards. For today's occasion, not even Kings and Princes are allowed to join.
The room had many chairs and the knight commanders took the main seats, while the golden knights took one of the 50 seats. Looking closer, the backs of each seat were carved with the golden knights' name in cursive letters.
There were more than 20 golden knights attending the ceremony and they all took the seats designated for them. Emery glanced at the golden knights and looked at the person he sort of recognized.
This was truly a gathering of the most famous knights of the lands. Other than Sir Yvain, there were Sir Gawain, Sir Elyan, Sir Leon, and many other veteran golden knights. Among all of them, the most famous was Arthur Pendragon, the golden prince, and the youngest golden knight among the group.
Each of them were recognized as the heroes of the seven kingdoms.
Although all the golden knights were seated, there were still empty seats among them. They belong to the golden knights unable to join the yearly gathering, after all most knights are on active duty for their kingdoms, hence the current situation mandated them to put their responsibility first.
After every knight was seated, one of the knight commanders called for Lanzo and the other nine knights. They were all asked to stand in the center.
"Brothers of the order, today we welcome ten new knights, each ready to be rewarded with the silver knight title."
"Hear, hear!" The golden knights cheered. They also banged the tables with their hands as an answer.
The knight commander gestured and the knights instantly quieted.
"First of all, congratulations, you have sacrificed so much to be able to reach this far. But remember, your duties are yet to end. Even though there are privileges from your new title, the responsibility you bear also increases. First of all, you have to remember that some information are not supposed to be shared beyond these walls."
The knights nodded solemnly, including Emery.
"Now, come, accept this proof. From today onwards, you are officially silver knights of the Divine Order."
Each of them came forward, as the knight commander called their names. Emery was called last and the moment he received his medal, the golden knights stood up and applauded.
Emery looked at both sides of the medal. The carving on it looked exquisite, depicting the symbols of the seven kingdoms all around the circle and the symbol of the Divine Knights order in the center. The medal was tied with a short, red ribbon made of a soft yet sturdy fabric.
"Congratulations silver knight and welcome to the brotherhood."
"Hear, hear!" The golden knights applauded for several seconds. With these, now all the 10 had officially become silver knights of the divine orders.
The knight commander made a gesture with his hand and all 10, including Emery, moved away from the center and stood together on one side of the wall.
Afterward, the two veteran silver knights who were invited now approached the center, and The Knight commander continued.
"Last year, we lost two of our brothers in active duty and now, it is time for two new chosen golden knights to replace them." The knight commander stood and started introducing the two knights and explaining their achievements.
Emery looked at the first knight. He had short, unruly hair and was a head taller than the other knights. Considering the size of his armor, he seems to be muscular. The outlines of jagged white scars peek out from the edges of his armor. His expression looked strict and intimidating and his face seemed to be locked in a permanent frown.
His name was Percival and according to the knight commander, he had been serving as a silver knight from the Iceni Kingdom for seven years. During active duty, he had proven his merit by defending the eastern shores of Briton from hundreds of barbarian raiders from across the sea. From the expressions of the other knight commanders, it seemed Sir Percival was held in high esteem.
The second knight, on the other hand, looked quite ordinary. His looks were nothing to write home about and, other than his long hair, he looked quite forgettable.
But when Emery heard his name, he looked at the knight in shock.
His name was Sir Maleagant of the Norgales Kingdom. He was recommended due to the show of bravery he displayed during the battle against northern barbarian tribes, but what surprised Emery was not his deeds, but the fact that Sir Maleagant was originally born in Lioness.
In fact, Sir Maleagant was the son of the old Knight of Anvil, Sir Bagdemagus.
It was a well-known fact Sir Bagdemagus did not have the best relationship with his son, but still, Emery felt a little pang of worry in his heart. No matter their relationship, he did kill the knight's father, after all.
After finishing introducing the two knights, The knight commanders stood up, followed by the golden knights.
"Let us now proceed to the divine chamber."
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Written by Avans, Published exclusively by W.e.b.n.o.v.e.l,