Dust drifts away from the chalk rings. King Nazareth steps through the haze, ignoring the two fallen veterans and the bent pride of the guard. His gaze fixes on Princess Eden Siranteos as if the yard itself were a ledger, and she is the only figure that matters.
Captain Vaelorin stays near the edge of the circle, blade lowered, jaw tight. Queen Araneidan watches without blinking, her posture sharp with expectation, as though waiting for a verdict only Eden can provide.
King Nazareth
Your strength is plain. The question now is whether the royal guard can be made to match it.
Princess Eden Siranteos
They are measuring the yard, not the duel.
Queen Araneidan
If Siranteos is to stand secure, then the shield around her must be worthy of her sword arm.
Vaelorin’s grip tightens on his hilt, but he does not lift it. The defeated soldiers lie where they fell, a silent proof that the guard has been found wanting.
King Nazareth
Begin the reform at once. I want drills, new standards, and a guard that can endure Eden’s pace, not merely survive it.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the royal guard’s reform
“I bow to my father in respect, aswell as to shiw i accept his mission to improve the sorry excuses for soldiers he has supplied to me.”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled +1)
Princess Eden Siranteos lowers herself into a formal bow, halberd held steady as the glowing runes on her face tilt toward the stone. The motion is controlled, respectful, and sharp enough to feel like obedience forged in steel.
King Nazareth
Good. A warrior who can kneel without breaking is fit to command others to rise.
His stern expression eases by a fraction, not into warmth, but into acceptance. The king studies Eden’s posture, then the battered guard behind her, as if measuring both the wound and the cure.
Queen Araneidan
Then let the lesson hold. Pride is cheap, but discipline is what keeps a throne from cracking.
Captain Vaelorin
We will drill until we can stand where she stood.
Vaelorin says it with a humbled edge, yet he does not look away. One hand tightens on his lowered sword, and the line of the fallen guard seems to absorb the order like a blow.
King Nazareth
Then you have my leave to begin. Eden’s victory is not a decoration, Captain, it is your new standard.
“I turn to face the soldiers and begin commanding them through an incredibly intense training routine that will separate the worthy from the unworthy by breaking the weak and strengthening the powerful.”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled +0)
The king’s command lands like iron on stone, and the yard answers with a charged silence. Princess Eden Siranteos straightens from her bow and turns toward the rank of battered soldiers.
Princess Eden Siranteos
Take positions. Again.
At her order, the surviving guard scramble into a line, shoulders squared and breaths hard. Eden paces before them with her halberd like a judge’s rod, the bandaged forearm held tight and steady.
She drives them through lunges, blocks, and forced recoveries in brutal rhythm, correcting stance with a sharp tap of steel or a barked gesture. Weak footing breaks first, then fear, then excuses.
Those who keep pace begin to move as one, not graceful, but obedient and harder to break. The yard fills with the sound of boots, breath, and clashing practice blades.
Captain Vaelorin
Hold the line. Match her pace, or fall out.
Vaelorin repeats her discipline instead of resisting it, and the king watches the change take root without interrupting. Eden’s standard is no longer a verdict, it is the drill itself.
Quest Complete
Secure the royal guard’s reform
Attribute Upgrade: Willpower Good→Great