[center][h3]~ Aimlenn ~[/h3][/center]

[center][i]Interacted with:[/i] [@VitaVitaAR][/center]

Replacing Jarde's horse was a simple matter. The bandits had plenty and they weren't going to be using them anytime soon. Sir Gerard helped too and he said that the replacement horse should not have a problem with Jarde since the young knight was similar in weight as the bandits, having little armor and all. The horse's apparent opinion made Jarde raise an eyebrow but he was not going to turn down a free ride.

The trip back to Aimlenn was uneventful. Still, Jarde was one of the knight keeping an eye on the prisoners although he could see that the captured bandits had no will to fight any longer. They knew they were defeated and had no intention to struggle against their captors. Jarde saw how crushed they were, how they surrendered to their fates. He wondered if the future had something like this in store for him. He hoped not. If he were to die, he'd like to die fighting and not sitting in a cage with a blank look on the face waiting for execution. Of course, he'd much prefer not dying at all.

At last they were back in Aimlenn, the capital of Thaln. The city was just as majestic as Jarde first saw it and when he joined the Iron Rose Knights. As a fortress-city, its white-stoned walls were high and its towers were sturdy and overlooked the rest of the capital. Its immense and wide gate was laid open for anyone to enter. There were guards, of course, but it was peacetime and Aimlenn was in no danger of a siege.

The arrival of the Iron Rose Knights and their captives caught everyone's attention, from commoner to noble. They glared at the bandits but they looked in awe at the knights. The shiny, flashy, famous ones at least. Especially the non-human knights like [u]Dame Maritza[/u]. Jarde, having no shiny armor and nothing to his name, was mostly ignored. The citizens probably thought he was just an auxiliary to the knightly order. He did not mind, though, and understood why.

After depositing the captive bandits at the garrison, [u]Captain Fanilly[/u] led the knights to their base, Candaeln. The headquarters was decorated with stained glass depicting roses with the entrance emblazoned with the symbol of the Iron Rose. Within, the walls were hung with portraits of notable figures of the Iron Rose Knights. Its previous Captains and famed members. Jarde was sure [u]Fanilly[/u] would end up there someday, but hopefully not very soon.

And then there were the weapons of these figures, sitting in display cases and immortalized like their owners. The most famed one was the Saint's Blade, the Starlight Sword and other names Jarde couldn't remember. The sword was silvery and had a crossguard in the shape of a star. Its tip was sharp and had an ethereal-like aura around it. It was as beautiful as it was deadly, but Jarde was no sword connoisseur so he did not fully appreciate the weapon.

[quote=Fanilly Danbalion]"Take the injured to the healers, For everyone else, I would take some rest. You've earned it."[/quote]

[u]The Captain[/u] ordered. The Iron Rose Knights began to walk away to their own businesses but Jarde really had nowhere to go but back to his room and rest. He was tired, but not that tired. The uneventful trip from the bandit camp serving as a break of sort. He could always train to hone his skills, maybe spar with someone. Or he could go outside and wander Aimlenn a bit. He hasn't exactly familiarized himself with the capital yet.

Jarde decided to do just that and went to the exit. Just as he got outside, though, a courier had appeared in front of Candaeln. "[color=yellow]Good news or bad news?[/color]" The young knight got down to it with a question.