Having not been in the throne room before, Ethyn was not sure what to expect. But despite any notion he had of what was to come, he was unprepared for the splendor of the large hall.
Down the center of the long chamber, a deep amethyst carpet was unfurled, leading all the way to the king's elevated dais.
Banners lined the walls covered in gold and purple. Above them, huge tapestries reaching almost to the vaulted ceiling depicted the glories and grandeur of old.
From the top of the ceiling, large candle chandeliers hung with flames like stars against the dark wood of the rafters.
The people already in the throne room were also a sight to behold. Each member of the nobility which was present wore their finest velvets and silks to honor the occasion. The room looked like a glorious painting or perhaps one more tapestry to add to those hung around them.
But all of this paled in comparison to where the thrones sat. While Rhodri was not a man who cared for gaudy things, his great-grandfather, who had constructed the throne room, had a bit of a dramatic flare.
The larger throne was inlaid with gold jewels and amethyst velvet fabric which covered the seat. The back of the luminous chair flared out in a manner resembling the sun.
Next to it was a slightly smaller throne though no less grand. It was inlaid with gold that had been bleached a silvery white and inlaid with diamonds. If the first was the sun, the second was clearly the moon. Each powerful in their own right.
Behind them a set of windows adorned the wall. They were covered in stained glass and illuminated by a small opening in the roof behind them with a set of mirrors to direct the light inwards. Because of the near blinding light, the effect forced those who came to speak to the king to lower their eyes.
'Like a storybook,' Ethyn marveled.
After being escorted to a corded-off section near the front of the room, Ethyn and Cyneheard took their seats facing the thrones from the side. Because there were so many people crowded together, only the knights and their aspirants were afforded chairs beyond the two thrones. The redhead felt the weight of the honor that he was seated while nobility was not. And he was a nobody!
At last, King Rhodri and Princess Rose appeared flanked by Commander Borit and lady Caitlyn. A fanfare from an unknown location announced their arrival, and they took their places. Those seated rose to honor their monarchs, placing their fists on their hearts.
As usual, Ethyn felt his gaze being magnetically drawn to the alluring blonde princess. She was wearing an emerald dress, standing in contrast to the myriad of purple hues around her. Fortunately through his visor, she was none the wiser to his gawking.
Rhodri escorted Rose onto the dais and together they took their places on the sun and moon thrones. As soon as Borit and Caitlyn stood beside the thrones on the back of the dais, the king motioned for the guests of honor to be seated once more.
Another fanfare blared before he spoke.
"Princess Rose and I would like to welcome you to this most joyous occasion. Today we have the pleasure of witnessing eight valiant men join the ranks of the knights of Birle. These brave warriors have shown courage, strength and honor by passing each of the trials set before them. At this ceremony, they will receive the fruits of their labor..."
The speech continued to a respectable length before the two royals were finally seated. Then, with a flourish, the steward of the castle--and official herald--took over the proceedings.
He talked about the merits of each aspirant and gave their glorious families histories. The redhead gripped at his knees, knowing his family history was non-existent.
When the steward had requested a script for what to say, Ethyn had politely requested him to skip that part of the fanfare for him. The steward had eventually let the matter drop and assumed it was because the humble young man had simply not wanted to brag.
In truth, Ethyn thought he had nothing to brag about. The only people of notoriety he knew were Fate Hanna, Silver and Sage...none of which would go over well with the current audience.
The rest of Rynnlee was like family to him as well, but how in the world would he explain all that? And they weren't blood related to him anyway.
It seemed best to just keep silent. It wasn't until Ethyn heard all the auspicious family lineages of the other squires that Ethyn realized his error.
He thought by skipping over his heritage no one would notice, but instead the awkward absence would more likely bring him much attention and questions.
'I should have just made something up or just asked Sir Cyneheard if I could use his family tree. Maybe he wouldn't have minded...'
But it was too late. The green-eyed man only hoped the embarrassment would not be more than he could bear.
"And our final aspirant cleared the trials with the valor and strength of a lion. The council which recommended him said they had never seen such a dedicated warrior both in combat or in loyalty. No one has ever finished the trials without a single error against them before. His horsemanship alone..." The flowery compliments continued for another minute before Gilroy paused.
Next the herald was supposed to reveal the family crest and expound on the future knight's lineage. Gilroy cleared his throat.
"Under the crest of two saplings clothed in yellow and black, I present to you Aspirant Ethyn Samberg. Aspirant Samberg has elected not to..."
"Sir Hamberg," King Rhodri corrected his steward.
The room fell deadly silent as Gilroy tried to gain his composure after the interruption. He had not expected the King to speak again until later in the ceremony, and the interjection had thrown off his measured cadence.
"Sire?" Gilroy stuttered.
"His name is Hamberg," Rhodri said with confidence. The man's silver eyebrows were raised in challenge as the monarch's hands subtly gripped the throne .
'Did he forget to tell the king?!' Ethyn could not comprehend how the steward could make such an error. However it seemed in the hustle and bustle, the king had not been informed of the correction. Well, he would be now.
Gilroy looked down as his feet as he swallowed hard. "Excuse me, Your Highness, but it is Samberg."
The king, who had seemed annoyed before, now seemed perturbed. "Are you certain?"
"Yes, Sire. Beyond a shadow of a doubt." Gilroy bowed and wished desperately that Rhodri would let him finish.
But the man with the golden crown was not yet satisfied. He turned to his right and searched the men in armor for his query. "Ethyn, what is your surname?"
"Samberg," Ethyn answered without moving a muscle. The loudness of his voice echoed inside his helmet, but he hoped that no one in the crowd would know exactly who had spoken...at least not yet.
Rhodri sighed with a furrowed brow. The redheaded man hoped that the king was not upset with him for not correcting him sooner. Fixing it at the dinner party would have been far less embarrassing.
Waving his hand at the steward, the king nodded distractedly. "I stand corrected, Gilroy. Please proceed."
Happy for permission, Gilroy wrapped up his portion of the production. "Sir Samberg is the last of the aspirants. At the king's pleasure, we will bring each one forward to be knighted."
"It pleases me to do so now," Rhodri answered automatically.
The knights and their squires rose from their seats and were escorted to the back of the throne room. One by one, each applicant would come forward as a squire and leave as a knight.
This was the moment that Ethyn had dreamt about. It was finally coming true.