Their weapons were simple: a shield and a sword.
Lord Keith's shield carried the elegant sigil of his house, while Adrian's was merely a standard issue.
Although he didn't know Lord Keith's exact age, judging by his face, he seemed only a few years older than Adrian. Still, the Lord was only a good inch or so taller, and his frame suggested a man who trained rigorously. But Adrian wasn't deterred.
Lord Keith maintained an easy smile. "Don't hold back now, Lord Harrow..."
Adrian merely smiled back. "Then, if you'll forgive me, Lord Keith..."
Adrian lunged, hard.
Seemingly expecting it, Lord Keith stepped forward with his shield and a swing of his sword. However, Adrian met the advance with a powerful shield bash. As their wood and steel clashed, Keith was visibly surprised, he nearly stumbled to the side, his sword swing interrupted.
Adrian followed up immediately, stabbing toward his opponent's legs. This forced Keith to sidestep uncertainly as he struggled to regain his footing.
Before he could recover, Adrian lunged again, putting his full body weight into another bash. Keith managed to raise his shield just in time, but Adrian had expected the impact. The force, combined with Keith's unstable stance, sent the Lord tumbling onto his back.
In a fit of desperation, Lord Keith swung his sword wildly from the ground, preventing Adrian from approaching to end the fight. It was then that Adrian remembered Keith was the son of a Viscount, offending him too deeply would be unwise.
'Well, it's not like our territories are close.' Adrian thought, before relenting and stepping back to allow the Lord to find his feet.
Keith's smile now seemed forced, his expression borderline angry, though he fought to maintain his composure. The battle resumed quickly. This time, Lord Keith lunged with a stab.
Adrian stepped back and blocked with his shield, but the stab transitioned into a swipe and then a shield bash of Keith's own. Adrian took several steps back, deflecting and blocking the onslaught. Just before he was pushed out of the ring, he retaliated.
Steel and wood clashed. Adrian twisted his head to dodge the sharp edge of a blade, for a brief second, he saw a drop of his own sweat sliced in mid-air by the passing steel.
He swung his sword, deflecting the opponent's blade away, then widened his stance and bashed his opponent back.
Lord Keith was more prepared this time and only took a single step back. Sweat beaded on his flushed face as he panted, though he tried to hide his exhaustion. Adrian unleashed a flurry of stabs that sent his opponent back-pedaling. Suddenly, Adrian brought his sword down low in a wide swipe. The flat side of the blade caught the Lord's legs, Keith yelped, though he managed to keep his feet.
Keith responded with a stab of his own. Adrian stepped forward, minutely twisting his body to dodge the blow. He trapped the man's outstretched arm under his own armpit and wrenched it, forcing Keith to yelp and drop his sword.
Adrian finished the maneuver with a bash to the Lord's chest. With his arm numb and unable to block, Lord Keith fell to the ground with a groan.
As the Lord tried to rise, he felt cold steel against his neck. He looked up to find Adrian standing over him.
"Do you yield?" Adrian asked simply.
Indignation flashed across Lord Keith's face. He took a long, tense moment to respond before muttering, "...I yield."
Adrian nodded and fought the urge to smile. He offered a hand, but the Lord ignored it, pushing himself up and trying to regain his dignity. Keith gestured to the sidelines, and two attendants immediately rushed over to brush the dust from his fine clothes.
"Lord Harrow is quite skilled! Despite the outcome, Lord Keith, you showed remarkable form." Lord Cenroy spoke up suddenly.
Adrian was startled, he had momentarily forgotten they had an audience. Lord Cenroy approached Keith, talking animatedly, while Lord Hardinge and Sir Cordell walked toward Adrian.
"You fought well, and so young, too." Lord Hardinge said. "No wonder you managed to carve through enemies more than thrice your number before." Despite having bet on Lord Keith, Hardinge didn't seem bothered by the loss.
"Thank you, Lord Hardinge. Lord Keith was a formidable opponent, I'm sure he would give any enemy great trouble," Adrian praised, breathing steadily.
Lord Keiths skills didn't seem to move beyond sparring, although he was also green in this matters, Lord Keith seemed like he hadn't participated in real life or death battle before.
But he wasn't going to voice that out.
"Your skills are... commendable," Lord Keith finally said, though he refused to meet Adrian's eyes. "I will have my men deliver your winnings."
With that, Lord Keith left to clean up. Lord Cenroy, sporting a satisfied smile, approached Adrian.
"Lord Harrow, I won quite a bit of gold thanks to you. Would you join me for lunch? I would be sure to serve you what I've won."
Adrian wanted to decline but Knowing that making connections with Lords was essential, he finally nodded.
Besides, his stomach was beginning to growl.
"I would be honored to take you up on that offer."
--
Lunch with Lord Cenroy and Lord Hardinge, whom Cenroy had also invited, was more pleasant than Adrian had anticipated.
Previously, he had shared only scant meetings with them, exchanging words only when necessary. This meal, however, offered him a glimpse into who they truly were and, by contrast, who he was.
For one thing, they had both been raised as lords from birth. Some of their worldview was natural to them, yet strange to Adrian.
Their approach to raising an army, for instance, was telling, they never once questioned whether the common people would step up at their call. To them, it was simply the way of the world that the common folk should sacrifice their lives for their lords.
Adrian thought differently. While he certainly called upon men to fight, he didn't expect it for free. He provided a salary, discussed with his steward, and even offered modest compensation to the families of those who fell in his service.
He didn't harbor the illusion that his title of Baron alone would guarantee the people's loyalty. Being raised as a noble had clearly instilled in Cenroy and Hardinge the unshakable belief that they were inherently above the masses.
There was also the matter of wealth and land management. Their focus remained entirely on enriching their own Houses, seemingly oblivious or doesn't take it in importance to the fact that the prosperity of the people and the prosperity of the lord could be achieved at once.
Or maybe they were just not that good of a lord. Adrian kept that thought to himself.
The lunch concluded quickly as the scheduled meeting time approached. Before departing, Adrian took a moment to inspect the winnings delivered by Lord Keith's men, nearly two dozen fine bows and few chests overflowing with arrows.
Adrian nodded in satisfaction, relaying a few final instructions to Dexton and his steward. With his business concluded for the moment, he and his knight made their way toward the large, building, that seemed will be part of a larger building once it was finished, where the council of lords was set to begin.
--
Adrian leaned back in his chair. The meeting was organized in a hollow square arrangement, Adrian sat directly across from the Prince, who presided from the center of his own table.
"Our support will be pulled soon." one lord argued. "I suggest we poke at them now and then, bait some of them into a decisive battle. We cannot let this become a defensive war, that would only favor the enemy."
"Sending a small force that could easily be overwhelmed is suicide." another countered. "It simply gives the enemy the chance to pick us off little by little."
"Lord Hardinge is right, but we also shouldn't attack while they are holed up. We have numbers, but not enough to overwhelm their defenses. Our best hope is if they meet us in an open field."
"The enemy isn't foolish. They won't do that."
Adrian listened. Throughout the entire meeting, he had spoken fewer than two dozen words. He felt no need to step forward, lords much older than him were more than eager to voice their thoughts. As the debate continued, the Prince remained the only other person as silent as he was.
"I have listened to all your counsel, My Lords, and have formed a plan based on your words," Prince Cale said. He stood up, an easy smile on his face as he looked around the room. "We will attack the enemy on both fronts, sea and land, but first, we must fortify our forward camp. And we must do it quickly."
Lord Cenroy spoke immediately, sitting up straight to take the lead. "Your Grace, I will oversee this matter and ensure the rest of the army can arrive safely."
The Prince nodded. "I commend Lord Cenroy for taking the lead."
Adrian's thoughts raced, and he made a sudden decision. "I will join Lord Cenroy in this matter, Your Grace."
The other lords turned to look at him as he spoke.
"Ah, the young and fierce Lord Harrow. I thought you would prefer to stay with the fleet and fight through the enemy ships again." the Prince noted, acknowledging him with a nod. "The enemy certainly won't like it if you're there. Very well."
"I am sure Lord Wyatt has the sea well in hand," Adrian replied, nodding slightly toward Wyatt before turning back to the Prince. "I will not disappoint you, Your Grace."
"I am sure you will not."
Adrian let out a quiet breath, his mind made up. But then, a voice cut through the room, casting doubt on his decision. It was Lord Keith, his eyes narrowed as he leaned forward and voiced his doubts.