Spirit Shadows: Fealty

Fealty is a part of Spirit Shadows' Act 2.

Story
It was a few minutes past midnight, but the torches in Myricea’s courtyard were still lit, and the inside of the old meeting hall was lit by candles. For it was the occasion of Zerkah’s ascent to a position of Lordship. Not simply because he was a noble of the House of Kihanu - for if that were the extent of it this ceremony would only have taken place at the death of the existing Lord - but also that he had taken a place in the Burning Order, a coalition of rulers and nobles formed for the purposes of combining their efforts towards cleansing their world of the Malevolent.

While some were still feasting and merrymaking with the new Lord and his father in the meeting hall, in another room his peers among the Vihagu - still young by the standards of Matoran - were close to retiring for the night. The female Toa had already all retired, and Shaju, silver-clad Toa of Water, had succumbed to sleep on a row of metal chairs. In the same room, Drainu played a game with some of the stones he always carried with him, while Jetera watched over his shoulder. He felt no real desire to sleep, although the ceremonies would continue on the morrow and the day after.

Such was the position they were in when the wooden door creaked open, and in stepped Zerkah, now official Lord of the Burning Order and co-lord of the House of Kihanu. Yet not much appeared to have changed on him, save the addition of a black-coated cape.

“Oh.. good evening, your majesty! Erm, not majesty… lordship? Yes, your lordship!” Drainu stammered.

“No need for that, Drainu,” Zerkah responded. "There is no need for formality when we are meeting each other as friends.”

“But you are even so our leader in battle, your lordsh- er, Lord Zerkah.”

“Leadership is not the same as lordship, Drainu. You are still my elder both in age and in experience as a Toa.”

Drainu nodded his head in agreement. For, although Zerkah was chosen as the leader of the Vihagu, Drainu was the first one to become a Toa, as well as the eldest of the nine.

“So we are not considered to be ‘in your service’, per se?” He questioned.

“Unless you’re Shaju, then no,” Zerkah answered, for unlike the other Vihagu, Shaju was a servant specifically of House Kihanu, and since his become a Toa served Zerkah specifically as his knight.

“Speaking of,” Drainu said. He turned around and tapped the sleeping Master of Water on the head. Shaju turned his head, and the whole row of metal chairs, which had creaked forebodingly as he rested himself on them, all as one collapsed under the weight of the knight’s armor. Jetera and Zerkah winced, and traded glances between themselves and the broken furniture.

“Kneeling for your lord much?” Drainu responded, followed by a brief laugh. Zerkah and Jetera again traded glances.

“Oh. Right,” Shaju said. He pulled himself up against the wait of his armor. “At your service, milord.”

“Ready as ever, Shaju,” Zerkah laughed. “I suppose, for those of you who feel an obligation to serve me,” he said, glancing at Drainu. “This night is but the forging of the ties between Erkelon and the neighboring islands. I need men next to me to protect my person and the interests of my house, to represent the people of Erkelon with me abroad, and be prepared to fight for liberty even when the battle is not pitched. Will you swear fealty to this?

After some consideration, Drainu knelt down, and recited the ancient oath of fealty: “I, Drainu, of the house of Scobrus, do swear my fealty to Zerkah, Lord of the Burning Order and of the House of Kihanu, to protect him and his house, to represent with truth and with honor the people and interests of Erkelon, and to be ready to fight at all times for justice and liberty. This is the oath upon the blood of my house.”

“So be it,” Zerkah said. "And as my first command… you should get some sleep, for your duties begin tomorrow.” Watching him leave through the hallway to the male Vihagu’s chamber, he was surprised to look back to see Jetera on his knee in front of him.

“Jetera?” he questioned.

“Milord”, Jetera responded.

“I would not expect you, the wanderer and self-proclaimed rogue, to swear fealty to me, a noble blood.”

“It is not simply to you,” the black-clad Toa responded. “Rather, it is before you because, since your arrival, you have shown me what it means more than anyone to fight for what is right, and the one to hold me to this oath. So I, of no name but called Jetera, of no house but called a Master of Storms, do swear my fealty… to the cause of all free people, as represented by the Burning Order and the House of Kihanu. Through serving them, protecting them, representing with truth and honor the people and interests of Erkelon, and being ready to fight at all times for justice and liberty, inasmuch as they are in alignment with the cause of all free people, I shall apply the oath which I swear; this is the oath upon myself and my own blood."

Cast

 * Jetera
 * Zerkah
 * Drainu
 * Shaju