As day broke the horizon, there was bustling noise in the various camps and tents pitched outside of the kingdom. Hundreds if not thousands of men and women were rising up and preparing for today's events. Warriors sharpening swords, merchants checking their wares, servants making meals, and slaves cleaning. Today was not an ordinary day: it was a celebration and a competition. Not of war, but of unity. In a large tent that may as well be a palace of fur and canvas, a dark-haired young man stirred. Despite his regal duties and discipline as a warrior, the one known as Ntaj was not a morning person. Though he could quite clearly hear the hammering of metal and the blaring of the morning horn, he opted to ignore them to remain in his cot.

Or at least he would, if his old friend didn't flip his bed over and made Ntaj fall onto the ground. [color=firebrick]"Get up! Can't have the prince rest his head while his subjects are hard at work!"[/color] The gruff yet refined voice was none other then Mordekai, Ntaj's close friend, adviser, and bodyguard. A large orc who looked like he too had just gotten out of bed. Unlike Ntaj however, he could accept when it was time to rise and shine. [color=forestgreen]"Urg... Ten more minutes..."[/color] Ntaj tried to resume comfort on the floor, only for Mordekai to walk over and remove Ntaj from his pillows and blankets. [color=firebrick]"Up!"[/color] Groaning, Ntaj stood up and went to ready himself for the day.

Groggy awakening aside, all it took for Ntaj to awaken was a warm drink and his morning exercise: one hundred pushups, one hundred sit ups, and one hundred squats, and swinging his mace one hundred times. Once he had done this he went straight to washing himself down. [color=forestgreen]"Mordekai, what is our plan today?"[/color] Ntaj said in orcish. [color=firebrick]"You are to head to the arena and make an appearance for today's tournament. Today's battles will be hosted in your honor, so many of our warriors will be battling today."[/color] Letting water slip between his fingers, the young prince sank deeper into his tub. [color=forestgreen]"I see. Will I get to fight this time?"[/color] When Ntaj was told that there will be a grand tourney between various kingdoms, Ntaj had hoped to attend to fight warriors from outside the Empire of Keratia. But so far he hasn't gotten to fight in any! He was a guest of honor and thus he was suppose to merely watch the battles, not participate. For his own safety they say.

[color=forestgreen]"Bah! If they wanted me to be safe, they should not have let me leave the empire. You don't attend a tourney to never lift a blade. Yesterday's battles were hardly anything of interest anyways. Knights beating each other with sticks isn't a battle, that's practice. Where's the blood, where's the visceral? If my empire is hosting today's battle, then I demand that the warriors may use their actual weapons!"[/color] Ntaj's statement was noted down by Mordekai, who was in the middle of donning his armor. [color=firebrick]"Because it is your people, this can happen. But my prince, you must understand that other kingdoms may not participate if their knights may die in the tourney. They would think you're trying to exert your power over them."[/color] Strapping himself into his armor Ntaj smirked, right before putting on his helmet. [color=forestgreen]"Good. You know my ideals when it comes to these things. I care very little for appearances. Armor isn't just a dress one wears to court ladies, but a uniform for war. Those who would wear armor should best be ready to do battle, not swagger about trying to win the affections of whores and wrenches. Let's be off!"[/color]

Stepping out of their tents, [url=http://i.imgur.com/pG0iD45.jpg]Ntaj[/url] and [url=http://i.imgur.com/YrYEznO.jpg]Mordekai[/url] were indeed a sight to behold. Their armor did not shine, but it had it's own gleam. Their armor was marked with scars, scratches, and signs of repair: their armor weren't merely ornate suits, but battle-tested garments of war. As they walked through the camp others around them dropped what they were doing to bend knee and give their prince due respect. As Ntaj walked to the center of the camp he received a message. Apparently today he'll be meeting one of the Princesses of the kingdom, the Kingdom of Soir. [color=forestgreen]"Ah... I'm not too eager to meet her. Soir doesn't seem like the type of kingdom who'd appreciate the likes of me. I doubt their princess could stomach my personality."[/color] Most don't. Many kingdoms spoke and wished of peace, and they would often made grandiose speeches hammering the point that they are an understanding and accepting people. That they only wish to bring harmony among themselves and their neighbors.

But if one asked Ntaj about his nation, he would not pretend that the Empire of Keratia was a nation of peace. They were hardly even a kingdom; that would imply that they were led by a king who was chosen by others to lead them. Ntaj's father was very not [i]not[/i] a king in that regard: he led his armies against other worthy leaders and defeated them in battle. Those he didn't kill had to either follow him or die by his blade. They had no other choice. And it was by the blade that Ntaj's father had united the lands and freed them of the barrier that separated Keratia from the outside world. They didn't break this barrier made by the gods to live in peace. They wanted more. Whether or not they gained more by the sword or by words, didn't really matter to Ntaj. He just wanted to fight.

Mounting their horses Ntaj and Mordekai rode from their camp towards the tourney. They'll first arrive to a small village that served as a sort of entry point to the tournament grounds, and the village was also where most of the merchants had set up shop. Even if Ntaj doesn't get to fight today, he'd at least get to see all sorts of exotic goods and foreign things today. Keratia was already rich in diverse culture, and Ntaj was always eager to see more.