Triver could not look away from the sights of the obstacle course. His stomach turned and he could taste the last bits of his early breakfast in the back of his throat. The prince blinked back his tears; he had never seen such sights before. His life had been sheltered within the castle walls where it was safe and death was just something that he never had to deal with. Servant had died, yes, but he never attended their simple funerals and he had never seen a dead body before. 

He could tell that his father was enjoying the 'show' as he kept calling it. The king was sitting forward with his elbows resting on his knees, his amber eyes were glued to the bodies as they moved around the course. It had been designed to test not only their strength but their reaction times as well. If they were to serve the king they must be ready for anything. He would go on a campaign again soon and he needed able knights to serve him. 

The mages behind the two men simply faced forward where the sounds were coming from, those that could see simply watched with glassy eyes as the number of candidates was once again shaved down. No one needed to speak of the events that played out on the course and those that had summons out on the course knew what was happening. Ser'deni gave a soft, inaudible sigh as her vulture was kicked. Those that could summon animals shared a bond with them that went beyond the contracts that had been borne through their summoning. Inaris gave a light nudge to her hand, his own searched for hers and he tugged her a little closer. "Do not let the feelings get to you." In their younger years, Inaris and Ser'deni had been quite close to each other. They were the same age and had been the youngest of the mages up until they gained a few more. Triver had even been close to Inaris at one time and then things changed between the trio. Inaris no longer wanted to spend almost every hour with Triver and Ser'deni. He began to grow reclusive to the point that even the other mages began to worry about him. About six months ago, after Inaris had come back from his latest campaign he began to act like he did when they were kids. The change was welcomed by Triver and his sister but they had some suspicion of their friend. 

A simple break was called for so the king could be served wine and a simple snack. He had claimed that the events had "awoken his appetite" and he demanded food. This was the only time that the mages would be allowed off of the raised platform until the end of the trials and a knight or two was selected. They needed to repair the ground in order to make a simple arena for fighting. The king always liked to go grand when it came to a blood show. Thee ten black-clad figures walked in a perfect line and then branched out to stand shoulder to shoulder as they moved to fix the earth into its proper position, the bodies were removed and the summons returned to their masters. 

Triver had also found a small bit of time, claiming that he wanted to survey the knights personally. The king, already on his second goblet of wine, simply nodded his head as he pushed a roll glazed with honey into his mouth. The prince looked at the candidates with a frown. They were all too bloody and injured to continue. [color=004b80]"Administer medical treatment."[/color] He ordered; Triver disliked being in a position of authority and he rarely ordered anyone to do anything. The mages all turned curiously towards the prince before one spoke up. 

[color=aba000]"Medical treatment is withheld until the knights are chosen."[/color] 

Triver bristled, [color=004b80]"I do not care! You will-"[/color]

[color=aba000]"It is a custom that we cannot break." [/color]

[color=004b80]"To hell with the customs! Heal them."[/color] Triver's outburst had caught the attention of the king. The man had always noted that his son was too soft but perhaps he had doubted the boy too soon. The distance between father and son was too great for the king to hear what was being said. He pulled his goblet to his lips and he watched his son over the rim. 

Triver looked towards Ser'deni and Inaris. They had huddled around the body of the fried man and had been debating with each other on the topic of letting the vulture eat the man. [color=a0410d]"Give him a little snack..."[/color]

[color=a187be]"His family would not like that..."[/color]

They stopped talking when the prince approached them. [color=a187be]"You want us to heal them?"[/color] Inaris asked with a curious tone. [color=a187be]"You know that is against the rules."[/color]

Ser'deni sighed as the prince gave her a stern look. [color=a187be]"I cannot see what expression you are making, prince." [/color]

Triver gave a small grunt of irritation. [color=004b80]"Why won't anyone help them?"[/color] 

The king had grown bored of waiting, he had eaten his fill of snacks (eight glazed rolls, a handful of grapes and two goblets of wine) and he wanted to see the end of the trials. Triver gave one last look to the candidates, wishing them all a simple good luck before heading back to the platform. The mages followed along, those that had summons quickly called off the summoning spell and allowed their beasts to return home. They filed back into their proper places before the final stage of the trials were announced.