The dark pall lasted for the briefest of moments before the Count crushed any trace of it aside with well-practiced ease. His grin grew even larger until I was beginning to wonder whether his lips would split from the effort. “The Black Bows finally destroyed for good, and another of Pelinal’s relics reclaimed in the name of the Nine. I had intended on holding another ceremony in the coming days but now is as good as a time as any.” Clicking his fingers, one of his attendants stepped forward with a scroll in one hand and a small box in the other. “Sir Desin, I believe that you have recovered the most relics of any being within Tamriel’s history, even surpassing those within the ancient Order of the Nine.”

  Feeling a sudden stab of trepidation right into the depths of my stomach, I tried not to show any of my unease and returned his smile with one of my own. “I haven’t been alone in my successes my Lord, I have had considerable help.”

  “Oh, I can see that.” His gaze briefly flickered to the others standing by my side and the way that Viconia surreptitiously moved closer to be by my side in a facsimile of him and the Countess. There was no way I could not notice the way he had to look up to meet Mazoga’s and Falid’s gazes the second before he raised his voice to carry it to every corner of the great hall. “It gives me immense pleasure to announce that the Elder Council has ratified the reformation of the Order of the Nine, decreeing that whomever retrieves the most relics shall lead the Holy Order in the reclamation, and protection of the arms and armour of Pelinal Whitestrake.”

  “My Lord, I…”

  “Oh for Shar’s sake Kaius,” Viconia said at my side. “You retrieved the Boots on your own and have been part of retrieving three other relics. You’re the only one who meets the criteria.”

  Count Caro nodded both to me and Viconia and my quick glance to the others in the party let me see that none of them were going to come to my rescue. It was galling that I could face off against daedric horrors, vampires and other assorted monsters infesting the lands without hesitation but finding myself the centre of attention and praise was giving me the shakes and leaving me nauseous.

  The scroll was unfurled in the Count’s hands and the courtier stepped forward and offered the tiny box to myself. It was large enough to sit comfortably in the palm of a hand but as I took it off the man and opened it I saw that inside was an immaculately made signet ring.

  “I took it upon myself to commission Leyawiin’s finest jeweller on your behalf even before the Council’s decree was formalised. With this ring and my authority, I declare you; Sir Kaius Trebanus Desin, as Knight Commander of the Order of the Nine.”

  Again the thunderous applause shook the air and could be felt through the very stones under our boots as I took the offered ring and Count Caro made a show of reading the scroll authorising my new rank and title. At that point I was far too overwhelmed to think or listen to what he was formally announcing, instead taking all of my concentration to remove my signet ring of the Order of the White Stallion and slip on the new signet bearing the Diamond Sigil of the Order of the Nine.

  Despite its size, the weight of authority attached to such a simple piece of jewellery made my hand and arm feel as solid and heavy as lead. I had never envisioned myself being the commander of any number of men beyond being a Praefect in the Legion, and if I had been honest with myself, during the weeks since Viconia and I had decided on re-establishing the Order of the Nine I had purposely not thought about the consequences. Now that I was standing before a Count, wearing a ring representing the authority granted by the Elder Council Itself I was struggling to believe or even understand it all.

  Sir Ramauld didn’t have a congratulatory handshake for me this time and instead I found myself smothered in a momentary warrior’s embrace and receiving a pat on the back that threatened to crack ribs. If he could have found a way to smile even more he would have done so, and as the noise once again died down he was nodding and gesturing to the crowd around us.

  Stolen story; please report.

  “We are equals now Kaius, but you will not truly be a Commander until you have Knights to lead. Thankfully for you I have already assisted you in this regard and several of the White Stallion have offered to swear fealty to you.” There was another rolling wave of amusement from the assembled crowd at his proclamation as a number of Knights and an equal number of Men-at-Arms stepped forward from the crowd and assembled behind our group. “To be honest I had to put a limit on the number allowed to leave the Order, otherwise I would have had to rename the Order of the White Stallion to the Order of the Nine.”

  Both Viconia, the rest of the party and I were astounded to look upon the three ranks of Knights standing proudly in their white surcoats and tabards and the band of Men-at-Arms standing behind them. Thirty of some of the most experienced looking Knights of the White Stallion had already made the decision to leave their parent Order to swear oaths of service to the Order of the Nine. It was becoming increasingly difficult not to succumb to the overwhelming nature of the situation.

  “I give you all my thanks. I…” words utterly failed me and I shrugged helplessly at the crowd around me, seeing little more than a sea of expectant gazes and smiling faces. “Thank you.”

  “They are ready to take their oaths of Service to you and the Nine,” Sir Ramauld continued. “Along with anyone else you deem suitable or willing to join. No doubt there is going to be quite a number seeking to join the Order once word spreads.”

  “I can think of a few already that might be interested.” I said, turning my own gaze to the handful who had fought and bled by Viconia’s and my side in our quest to retrieve the shield.

  “I will swear the oath.” Viconia said by my side, and I managed to keep the grimace of amusement off my face at the tone she had expertly hidden in her words. I knew her better than to think that she was doing so out of some misplaced piety or belief, even if she was capable of truly putting herself into someone’s else’s power. She had originally taken the oath to become a Knight of the White Stallion purely for the boons and prestige that it afforded and this situation was no different.

  There was a moment of unspoken questioning between Sir Ramauld and Alexi as they caught each other’s gaze and after some initial hesitation Alexi stepped forward as well. “I’ll join the Order of the Nine.”

  As the other two Knights within our party, Thedret and Falid were smiling but as I looked over them they shook their heads in alternative ways.

  “My Oaths to Talos are binding Sir Desin.” Falid rumbled. “I will continue on this journey alongside you but as a Black Knight.”

  “Thedret?” I asked the youngest Knight of our travelling band.

  With his hands still grasping the shield tightly as though he expected someone to come and steal it at a moment’s notice, the dark skinned Breton shook his head. “My place is with the Shield but you can rely on my support, and potentially that of the Knight’s Mentor.”

  Weebam-Na and Bejeen shook their heads so hard I was almost expecting them to fly off their shoulders. “Oh no. There isn’t enough gold in the world to get us to become Knights.” Weebam-Na hissed like a pot coming to boil and chittered in his own strange laugh through a fang filled maw. “Although if you ever need guides into Blackmarsh again we will certainly consider it.”

  My laugh was echoed by a majority of our group but as always there was one individual who managed to make every occasion look as appetising as chewing on a mouthful of lemon. When my gaze fixed on Detane he sneered with the same venomous potency, somehow appearing as though he had just spat at my feet without actually doing so.

  “I swore that you had my sword Sir Desin but there is no authority in the world capable of granting me Knighthood.” For the briefest of heartbeats there was a momentary waver in his voice and expression so minute that I struggled to identify it. “Therefore I must decline your offer.”

  “Very well.” Turning to the final and last member of the group I saw how Mazoga seemed more interested in the stained glass window that took up most of the wall on the far side of the hall than he occurrences within it. I wondered just how much of the situation she had been following which somehow amused me. “Mazoga?”

  “Eh?” she started at her name and blushed as she realised that I and everyone else present had focused their attentions exclusively on her. “What?”

  “I will not beholden you to any oaths of joining in service to the Nine, but there is something that is now within my power to grant you.” I nodded to the floor in front of her as the slow realisation dawned across her face. “You have shown the attributes worthy of honouring beyond those in battle, and it will be fitting for you to be recognised as such. Take a knee.”