With the speech concluded, Varre left the building and joined the rest of his troops outside. It was time to begin the parade around the city. The troops arranged themselves into a familiar marching formation and started following their leader down the cobblestone streets. Many of the citizens followed behind. Others were already ahead, lining the boulevards and welcoming their heroes with cheers. But they didn’t get very far.

  Just five minutes later, the parade arrived at the temple of Zyvan. The king had visited this cathedral several months, during Mikkel’s funeral. Now, it was time to visit the gods one more time, to thank them for their assistance in bringing victory to the people of Westbridge.

  Archpriest Tymerius himself stood in front of the altar and welcomed Varre personally. The two men had met once before, but during the chaos of preparations for the military campaign, there was little time for additional social visits. The former earthling wasn’t particularly interested in the religion of this world, and as a monarch, there was no need for him to travel all the way here. The castle contained a separate, royal chapel, so it was socially acceptable to pray there instead.

  Fortunately, the king still remembered the elderly man, wearing striking red robes, and shook his hand. Then, he took his seat at the front. The rest of the entourage settled alongside him, while nobles filled in the other seats further back.

  Most of the commoners remained outside. Only the most wealthy and influential traders, invited by Head Merchant Lester, or those soldiers who performed truly extraordinary feats of bravery during the recent battles were allowed into the building. Even then, most of those feats involved saving the lives of other knights, or performing particularly dangerous scouting tasks. None of the truly important people watched the individual peasants during combat, no matter how extraordinary they may have been.

  Tymerius began the ceremony. He lit a massive brazier behind the altar, as drums beat loudly in the background. Other priests surrounded the flame, as they chanted, throwing various powders and herbs into the fire, spreading an otherworldly scent throughout the entire chamber.

  The last time Varre watched a similar ceremony, the colorful smoke was controlled by magic, molding it into a humanoid shape of the fire god. This time, it was allowed to freely float up and escape into the air through an opening in the ceiling.

  The archpriest began the ceremony, with a long speech about honor, bravery, and Zyvan’s power. The audience simply watched in silence, occasionally interrupted by chanting clerics. Then, Steward Marna urged the king to join Tymerius’s side.

  Fortunately, Varre didn’t have to give any more speeches. He did however need to start knighting some of the peasantry.

  Holding a ceremonial sword in his right hand, he stretched out his left to each supplicant. Slowly, they recited their oaths, while touching his palm, and he gently touched their shoulders with the side of the blade. From now on, they and their descendants would be nobles.

  This was a rare occurrence, but it was deemed necessary. Distinguishing oneself in war was one of the only opportunities for a commoner to achieve the lofty status of a knight. And the best part was that the title was hereditary. From now on, each of these lucky men would create a new house. They’d enjoy additional rights and privileges that could be passed down to future generations and help them secure the country.

  Existing aristocrats didn’t particularly like creating more competition for themselves, but everyone understood that such a terrible sacrifice was necessary. It bolstered morale among the peasantry and encouraged them to fight harder. Besides, many good knights died in the recent battles. Some could be replaced by sons or brothers, but not all. Some of the families died out completely, others had left only widows and daughters. They’d need to marry, to ensure the continuation of their lines and new candidates were about to appear.

  The lands that would soon be confiscated from the rebels could be redistributed to these new members of the noble class. One of Nilo’s first tasks as the new Alderman would be to decide which lands could be taken, and which should remain.

  Generally, poorer knights, who only owned a single hamlet, or perhaps even just a portion of one, would get to keep theirs. Unless they were particularly vocal rebels, too dangerous to be left in charge. Some of the wealthier ones, including Charles himself, owned dozens of villages. If they were spread out across the nation, the furthest ones would be taken as punishment.

  Since Nilo inherited all of Clement’s properties, most could remain in his loyal hands. But even then some consolidation wouldn’t hurt. Hamlets belonging to nearby rebels could be given to him, while he gave up some of his further villages to these newly knighted men.

  All these issues would be dealt with over the coming weeks. Fortunately, while well over one hundred knights perished in the various battles across the war, just two dozen commoners received noble titles. There would be enough properties to go around, with enough left over to reward other aristocrats.

  With the ceremony out of the way, the parade continued. Again, they didn’t make it very far. Just a few minutes later they stopped at another temple, this one belonging to Tycho, the god of knowledge and learning. Zyvan may have been the patron god of the city, but others were worshiped here too.

  Tycho’s temple contained a large library. Here, the priests wore long, white robes instead, and led the guests past several large reading rooms. Normally, they’d be filled with worshipers, but today they had been emptied. The main chamber was smaller than the one in Zyvan’s cathedral, so only the highest ranking nobles could participate in the ceremony directly. Others, waited in the reading rooms.

  After a short praying session, in which the clerics read multiple long passages out of the books placed on several pedestals, the parade moved on. No more commoners were knighted here. That process was reserved for Tymerius’ cathedral.

  Next, the procession visited the temple of Kastel, the god of war, and in particular, fortifications. It was placed right by one of the city gates, built directly against the wall. Apparently, the priests here doubled up as guards, watching over the passage.

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  By the afternoon, the parade visited three more temples, each dedicated to yet another, even less popular deity. Others were worshipped as well, in even smaller chapels, but only these six most prominent were visited as part of today’s ceremony.

  Marna designed this route personally. Varre needed to meet with the high priests of each god and participate in a short prayer. Thanking the deities for achieving victory would be seen as the right think to do by many of the influential people throughout the city. And even more so citizens of other towns. The steward specifically selected the most popular gods, who watch over the large cities spread out across the entire kingdom. They’d appreciate the gesture.

  Eventually the parade came to an end. The army returned to the plaza in front of the town hall, where the soldiers officially lay down their flags in front of their monarch. A sign that the war was finally finished and the men could return home. The royal banner remained standing, as the other ones, belonging to each individual formation of infantry were lowered and placed inside of a wagon. The knights, of course, kept theirs.

  As Varre watched the commoners who helped him ensure victory, he was slowly coming up with new plans for the future. They made a serious difference, he thought to himself, perhaps having a trained corps of infantry could come in handy in the event of a future war. We’d need to arm them, equip them with some better gear… and then we could use them to stop a cavalry charge or two. They’d have come in handy back when we fought Langogne.

  They’ve been monstrously expensive so far. But the situation was extraordinary too. We needed to get them quickly. Now that peace reigns again, maybe we could offer lower salaries, or maybe decrease their numbers. It’s certainly something to discuss with the Council.

  I’m sure they’d complain at first. They’ve already complained when I wanted to expand the Crownlands instead of handing it out to all these nobles. It’s not like they really came to my aid either. Many sided with Charles and Clement. The ones who came did their jobs, but they were paid. And not cheaply. In the future, I should certainly try to rely on my own strength more. I need people I can trust, and the Council is the best thing I’ve got so far.

  With his mind made up, and the commoners relieved of their duty, the army separated. The infantry descended on the various taverns spread out across the city like a horde of locusts. Tonight, everyone drank and ate at the king’s expense. It wouldn’t be a massive cost in the grand scheme of things, and it would keep both the troops, and the tavern owners happy. A win, win situation for all. And since the siege was relieved quickly enough, there were more than enough supplies to go around.

  The knights though continued onwards towards the castle. For them, the ceremony was only just beginning.

  Many of the lower ranking citizens now moved towards the noble district. They lined the boulevard and watched the magnificent procession. Even after a whole day of parading across the city, there were some who haven’t had enough of the sights. It was a historic event after all. Wars like this occurred less than once a decade. And only victories ended in celebratory parades.

  Soon, the courtyard in front of the castle started filling with horses. The monarch went first of course, and his mount was taken to its honored spot in the stables. Even though the building was spacious, it couldn’t fit the hundreds of animals that were coming. Especially since military officers wouldn’t be the only guests.

  Influential people from all castes of society would be invited to the feast at the castle. Not every noble participated in the battle after all. Many were women, or children, who still expected a spot. Some commoners, including the wealthiest merchants and government officials, such as the Treasurer’s closest associates, as well as prominent guild members were welcomed. Even members of the Mage guild, despite Archmage Kadmos’ reluctance to support the crown during the war effort were to important to offend.

  As the servants busied themselves, moving the horses to spare stables located in the vicinity of the castle, or simply bringing them to other courtyards (such as the king’s personal training area), Varre moved to his quarters.

  With the parade over, the monarch could finally get rid of his plate armor. Many of the knights used this brief opportunity to leave the procession as well, visit their homes, and change into more comfortable outfits. Now, they had a wholly different crowd to impress.

  By the time he entered the dining hall, many of the guests were already seated. Everyone waited for the monarch, as tradition dictated, but they stood up as one, as soon as he crossed through the doors.

  The main table was set up on a small pedestal. Varre easily recognized his chair. It was the tallest and most decorated of them all. If he was married, his wife would receive a similar one, but for now, it was safely stored away.

  A seat at the royal table was one of the greatest honors a person could receive. Right now, the most prominent chairs were occupied by the councilors, with the exception of Captain Hakon, who would spend this important event working. Ensuring the security of every guest was vital. The war may be over and all of the immediate threats dealt with, but the risk of some lone assassin striking out was always there.

  No one wanted a repeat of the disastrous birthday dinner that ended in Mikkel’s demise. This time the food was carefully controlled and all ingredients kept under careful watch of multiple Royal Guard at all times. Elvira, a hopefully more trustworthy Court Mage than Tobias had been, had also tested all of the dishes at several points, to ensure their safety.

  While Mikkel’s death was tragic enough, if Varre died today along with the most powerful men in the kingdom, the power vacuum would be a pretty immediate and certain end to all of Logres.

  As the king walked towards his chair, he could take a closer look at his guests. He didn’t recognize most of the people gathered. A few were the commoners who were knighted earlier today, a few others were nobles who fought side by side him during the battles, but most were simply powerful people.

  Fortunately, the people at the table of honor were all familiar. Besides the council, he also spotted Jan, Gregory, Khoman, and a few of the other senior commanders. Their placement at the feast indicated their likelihood to receive some promotion in the days ahead. The details would need to be discussed with the king’s advisors, but it was all but assured. As they were well aware.

  As the monarch had promised, Perry and Jury were invited too, and they sat right next to Elvira. The twins beamed at Varre, happy to receive this reward. He winked back, happy to see his friends close by. He even spotted Zarkon, the old wizard, standing off to the side. His position was enough to invite him as one of the guests, though only his students received seats at the main table.

  Going to a proper feast like this had been the former earthling’s dreams for months now. While the soldiers celebrated their victories as soon as each battle was over and often drank deep into the nights, none of those were proper parties. Before that, Varre was busy planning the war. He hadn’t properly partied since his coronation. And going months in between parties was not just unacceptable for the former student. It was almost sinful. It hurt his soul.

  Now, he could finally relax and enjoy his position to the fullest. Feasts were the things he missed the most since taking the throne.

  It was finally time. He wiped a lone tear off his eye and stood between his companions. He looked, smiling, from one face to the next, and finally raised an already full goblet of wine. He smelled it. It was just as magnificent as he suspected.

  Then Varre cleared his throat. “Loyal subjects of Logres! I have just one thing to say. Let the feast, begin!” then he downed his glass in a single gulp.