A Knight's Reunion

“Welcome back!”

The sudden chorus erupted through the air as Medrauta opened the door, startling both her and Viviane. Standing before her was Melindra, Esmeralda, and Brigitte along with their nobles, their faces all brimming with mirth and cheer. Even from just their expressions, Medrauta could tell how much her friends missed her.

And she too had missed the warmth of their company and the frivolous moments of casual banter that they had once shared on a daily basis as nothing more than mere students at Avalyne Academy. Such days were long past, but that did not mean they could not return.

Tears of joy filled Medrauta’s eyes despite her best efforts to fight them back. She made to step forward, but hesitated to leave Viviane’s side until she felt a gentle push against her back from both her lady and Leticia, the two of them urging her to partake in the reunion she deserved.

With a tearful smile, Medrauta sniffed and nodded, stepping forward. The three lady-knights advanced in tandem, bringing Medrauta close into a tight group hug where they all began bawling their eyes out. Honestly, the sight of the academy’s strongest and most respected knights standing huddled in a group and crying was rather strange, but no one could fault them after all they had been through.

Still inside the room, Eirlys smiled, glancing fondly at the sight of her students sharing a rare moment of pure emotion. To her, this sort of messy and tearful reunion was the epitome of knighthood and camaraderie, and such scenes always warmed her heart and reminded her of her own moments in the past.

Beside her, Bradley certainly didn’t seem to share the same sentiments as he attempted to conduct a serious conversation with Rosette and Estelle in the midst of all the crying that echoed through the building’s halls. He briskly strode toward the door and shooed Viviane, Rosaline, and Leticia out before closing it behind them.

“Lady Viviane,” Jocelyn carefully stepped around the group of bawling knights as she approached the blonde noblewoman, offering Viviane a curtsy. “Or would you prefer being addressed as ‘Duchess Castellia’ given our current situation?”

Viviane nearly recoiled before she realized that Jocelyn was merely joking. Instead, she shook her head vehemently, offering Jocelyn a curtsy in return. “Perish the thought, Lady Jocelyn. It’s not a title I wish to hold for long anytime soon.”

Jocelyn nodded, smiling. “I would think not. How have you fared? I hear your quest was quite arduous.”

“It was... difficult, that’s for sure.” Viviane replied. “But I had Medrauta by my side, so I suppose it wasn’t too terrible. How about you? I haven’t had the chance to hear much about the defense of the academy, but seeing as Dame Melindra was involved, you must have been quite busy yourself.”

“Yes, I was quite overwhelmed by the amount of work I had to do at first, but I quickly managed to acclimate to my new workload. As did Lady Shallie.” Jocelyn added, knowing that Viviane was worried about the other noblewoman as well. “In fact, she’s been rather taken by her work as of late. I do believe she’s helping the logistics officers as we speak, preparing for tomorrow’s final attack.”

Viviane nodded, relieved to hear that her friends were doing well. As she went to respond, the sound of footsteps against the floorboards made their way toward her ears, drawing her attention to Levant’s approach. Following closely behind him was Nicholas, Esmeralda’s lord.

Viviane offered the two of them a curtsy. “It’s been a while, Lord Levant. Lord Nicholas.”

“That it has,” Levant nodded. “You certainly look a lot stronger than before.”

“I daresay she might even be able to beat me in an arm wrestling match,” Nicholas joked.

“Of course not,” Viviane laughed. “My talents lie in archery and archery alone.”

Despite her words, Viviane knew very well she could have trounced the nobleman easily in a bout of strength. Her build was still small and lithe despite the elegant muscle that she’d built up over the trials and tribulations that she’d experienced, but the ki that circulated through her body granted her strength that only a knight could match.

“You’re much too humble, Lady Viviane. Shall we perhaps converse in the cafe, though? I imagine Lady Shallie’s shift will be ending soon, allowing her to join us and...” Nicholas cast a glance to the still-bawling knights beside them. It didn’t look like they were going to stop anytime soon, and the sound of crying was now being intermittently punctuated by very loud and heavy back-slapping that rang through the hallway.

“Ah... Yes. Perhaps that may be a good idea. Please do give me a moment to inform my knight that I shall be departing though.”

Viviane made her way to Medrauta, taking care to ensure her steps were gentle and disturbed the knights’ reunion as little as possible. The knights had collapsed into a blubbering heap, all of them speaking gibberish that only they could understand. From the little coherent words being passed along, Viviane assumed they were all complimenting each other on a job well done, but everything else was lost from comprehension.

Gently, she tapped Medrauta on the shoulder, grabbing her knight’s attention for a fleeting moment. Though the knight’s tears did not cease, she was aware of her lady’s presence at the very least.

“Medrauta, we’ll be heading to the cafe, okay? Come find us when you’re... finished catching up.”

Medrauta managed to nod, prompting Viviane to smile and pat her knight’s back before stepping away. She had a feeling a lot was being said between the knights despite their incoherent speech, but then again, she couldn’t understand any of it and attempting to make her knight translate for her would likely detract from the moment. After all, knights didn’t need to exchange many words to communicate.

Reuniting with Jocelyn and the two noblemen, Viviane headed off to fetch Shallie while Medrauta remained with her friends, their reunion continuing to be a rather loud affair in the hallways. Meanwhile, Rosaline and Leticia stood side by side, watching the nobles depart and the knights remain sobbing in the middle of the hallway.

“...Aren’t you going to join them?” Rosaline said to Leticia, a wry smile dancing on her dainty lips.

“I think I’d be more of a distraction than anything. They’re... my friends, but I was only really that close with Medrauta. The two of us had our exchange already.”

“I see. Perhaps the two of us should relocate, then?”

“You aren’t going to join Lady Viviane?”

Rosaline shrugged. “I would not dare to invite myself to another’s gathering. Besides, Lady Jocelyn is not exactly fond of me, and I am not familiar with Lady Shallie nor the noblemen with them. Should I go, I am sure Lady Viviane would be glad to have me, but I would be nothing more than someone who she must cater to.”

“I see... You’re quite popular, but you actually don’t have many friends, Rosie.”

“Well... All I need is you, isn’t that right, Lettie?” Rosaline grinned, pinching Leticia’s cheek.

“As much as I’d like to keep you to myself, I feel like that wouldn’t be a good idea, Rosie.” Leticia laughed, tugging her lady toward the other end of the hallway. “Let’s go see what Lady Scarlet and Dame Eris are up to, shall we? I’m fairly certain they were planning on doing something with the artifact weapons.”

Rosaline nodded in response. “Yes, I do recall discussing that with Scarlet some time ago when the civil war was still raging. If we are to grasp victory tomorrow, then we must prepare properly at all costs.”

Only an hour after the pair departed did the group of knights finally run out of tears. They remained close, embracing one another tightly, none wishing to let go. Medrauta, Esmeralda, and Melindra had been close friends ever since their days as mere squires, and though Brigitte had only met them later in life, her bond with the others remained just as strong.

Their tears were not simply a product of the trials they had all suffered through, but an expression of their platonic love for one another. Comrades in arms and sisters of the blade, there had been no need for words to express their feelings. The strength in their sword arms spoke volumes of what they had each been through, and the sturdiness of their muscles told stories that speech could never convey.

When the knights finally fell silent, they all looked each other in the eye and smiled. There was no experience they had not already shared through their round of tears. No emotion or doubt left unsaid. There was no need for a grand speech or an expensive toast. The only thing that Medrauta had yet to say was simple.

It was no grand phrase, but that single sentence was more than enough for all of her friends to tighten their embrace. For despite their brevity, Medrauta’s next words were enough to reinforce their bonds now and forevermore.

“...Thanks for waiting, everyone.”