Yet Another Barclay

[GoodGuyMatt 7064]

 YET ANOTHER BARCLAY

 

 

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Spoiler

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Sharp sun rays engulfed the land around the Duchy of Reinmar. The weather here felt somewhat warmer than that of Karosgrad, granted the Reinmaren land stretched south of the capital. The castle of Whileburg stood high and proud as always, overlooking the surrounding countryside. Horses within the stables neighed occasionally, the chicken clucked, and the sheep bleated constantly. The noises of the animals surrounded the area similarly to how the sun did, they stretched far and wide, rather intensely so every now and then. Yet, it felt peaceful, not many a man would anger or be irritated by such ambience, despite the sounds, which were faintly heard all the way inside the castle.

 

Whileburg remained quiet as usual during the day, children played and servants served, all following the natural order of the day. Prince Johann’s children would occasionally sit and converse within the dining hall, or so had Leon noticed. He was still young, though as Barclay-looking as any Barclay has ever been. He was just another Reinmaren noble. The characteristic blonde hair rested on his head rather lazily, mostly a bowl-cut, his bangs pointed forward, the traditional fade ever present. Despite being Emil’s son, his hair adorned a noticeably more saturated shade of yellow, his eyes reflecting a dampened emerald color. He was neither chubby or skinny, a feature that could be, surprisingly so, distinguished by the noise of his footsteps. They carried a distinctive pattern and noise, not loud, but still noticeable.

 

Leon was an observer, since he was born, he barely made any noise or sound. His eyes simply widened and looked, trying to make the most out of what was going on around him. So quiet was he, in fact, that he didn’t begin talking until the age of two and a half. Even when acquiring such basic skill, it felt as if he didn’t use it much. Although to his own writing, he could only talk in Waldenian. Though able to understand most of Common speech, he could only speak a few words. “Knight” was one of his favorites. He used the word when asking for one of his first toys, and then again when asked about his father’s and grandfather’s occupations. He was rather fascinated by the prospect of Knighthood, or at least what his very young mind could make out of it. Leon’s fascination persisted for most of his early years, despite his ancestors having close ties to knighthood, the lad was awed by it as much as a peasant child would be. He was taught about the tales of Ser Wilheim, the first Barclay knight and baron, and Ser Brandt, the progenitor of the Brandtian line within the vast noble house, in which he was the firstborn.

 

With such youthful fascinations, the life and prospect of a knight began growing stronger and stronger in Leon’s mind. Much like he was an observer, he was also an imaginer. It took a few sentences from a story to draw him in, leading his mind through vivid imagination. Perhaps such features in his character lead to yet another trait, shyness. By all means, Leon was an energetic child. He ran and jumped, sang and laughed, however, he’d mostly do so when alone. Whenever he was in the presence of anyone but his younger brother or parents, his posture would visibly change. It was as though he’d become a new child completely. He’d become slouched and his eyes would be fixed on either the ground or his fidgeting fingers, he’d smile awkwardly and only reply briefly, if at all. This was upheld for even his cousins, with whom Leon would rarely have much conversation. In fairness, they were just about twice his age by now, most of them in their 15th year.

 

Despite having few to no friends, he didn’t feel lonely. He read and played, sometimes with the servants, though mostly on his own. Every now and then he’d leave the Duchy to visit the capital up north, a servant always accompanying him. Or so he’d like his family to think. It was not uncommon for the young Brandtian to go on his own explorations and travels, sneaking out of the castle in ways he’d have figured out. It was rather unusual for his age, being only 6 and sneaking out. Many would wonder what drove him to do such. It was the thrill. He imagined he was a knight, departing from his castle alone to pursue a quest. Fortunately, Reinmar was but an hour or so away from Karosgrad, and, in the few times he’d snuck out, no harm came to him.

 

The land encompassing the Duchy of Reinmar

 

He had done it again yesterday, and it was his proudest achievement. When he went to Karosgrad, he came by a white armored figure. As if being a giant in comparison to the Barclay youth, the warrior stood at 6’7”, his bright armor reflecting the dim sunshine here in the capital. So Leon approached, shy as ever, awed by the man’s appearance.

 

 The figure would note Leon's existence, by now he'd recognize a Barclay from a mile away. “Another Barclay?” were probably the thoughts traveling through his mind. Who could blame him? They all looked the same. Leon’s brows widened as he tried to make sense of the tall giant he was seeing “Was bist du?” he inquired in Waldenian.

 

“I’m just an adventurer.” replied the white armored man.

 

“Adventurer?” echoed the Barclay, he was still unable to speak Common, but he could understand it.

 

“Yes, I visit places, far and wide.” as they conversed, the sounds of Karosgrad surrounded the two, the overlapping dialogues of merchants and customers, children strolling around, footsteps galore. It was just another day at the capital, but Leon’s attention was purely focused on the adventurer.

 

“O-outside…” the Waldenian replied in the little common he knew, though it was rather broken. He then paused a bit, and pointed a finger towards the city gates “Outside des Königreichs?"

 

“Yes, outside the city,” admitted the adventurer, and then offered “I could share some adventures with you if you like.” Leon’s fascination was just that obvious.

 

His eyes widened and his mouth formed an “o” shape, his interest highly piqued. So piqued that his posture changed, some of the shyness leaving him. He smiled widely at that, and nodded readily. “Ja, ja, bitte. Du bist wie ein Ritter!” he exclaimed “Ein knight!”

 

“I'm not a knight. But what adventures would you like to hear? The one when I went to the dangerous volcanic mountains? Or my first trip to Haelun'or?”

 

With a cheeky smile on his face, Leon put out his index finger, asking to hear the first story. He was visibly excited, as if offered candy, and some good candy at that.

 

“Alright then, would you want to go somewhere to sit?” offered the storyteller. Leon nodded, and at that, they sat on the newly constructed tavern. They sat by the fireplace, and the youth put out his hands to warm them up. The white figure lost no time to start his narration. He spoke of his travels, starting from Norland, his curiosity telling him to explore the scorched mountains of the South. He spoke of increasing temperatures as he got higher, and Leon listened intently. So intently in fact, that his imagination had already started working. He visualized himself in the same situation, and suddenly, the hands he was warming on the fireplace backed away, the temperature around him increasing, similarly to how it did in the story.

 

So they talked and talked, and the man explained his travels. Little action accompanied him through his journey, he had encountered no enemies and had fought no foes, despite coming across a crumbling fortress. “I did not approach there since there were… things that weren't human, maybe they were dragon people, not sure…” Now communicating mostly with fingers and gesturing, Leon had asked why.
 

Leon's visualization of the crumbling fortress.

 

“Well… I did not have my armor at the time I found them, and I was alone,” he'd nod, “I may be big, but I am still human.” The Barclay accepted the explanation and nodded. He was not one to judge, despite the Knightly ideologies of honor and bravery he was raised with. The man then spoke of more locations he had visited, the one that stuck with his listener was that of an island platform, chained above lava. At that, the listener’s jaw dropped, his mind wandering to GOD knows where.

 

“It was floating, and would easily be as big at this tavern. It was hotter than ever when climbing up the chain that was connecting it to the ground, but when I reached its top I only found an empty platform and some dried blood, so I assumed that it was an abandoned ritual site…”

 

Leon did not waver at the words, he was not scared, on the contrary, his wanderlust had reached its climax. He wanted to see such for himself, he wanted to travel and explore, fight and quest, have stories to tell and achievements to be proud of. “Kein dragon?” he inquired.

 

The stranger would shake his head, “If there was, I don't think I'd be here telling you this story.” an explanation that the Barclay accepted once again.

 

“And that's the end of my story, so little one, what do you plan on doing in the future?” He'd ask the little Barclay, who was caught by surprise at the question. His eyes averted back to the table, his posture changed now, his shyness coming back as he crouched lightly. The lad started playing with his fingers and hummed. “Ein Ritter!” He replied with a surprising amount of confidence. He seemed quite set at it “Wie mein Vater und Grossvater!” and indeed both his father, Ser Emil and his grandfather, Ser Reinhardt wished the same for him.

 

The figure, who had not revealed his name, simply nodded. Soon, the two greeted one another and departed. Yet, for the rest of the day Leon’s mind was still wandering around the stories he was told. The next day he sat on the landscape of Reinmar, looking at the crops, sky, and the castle. The animal noises surrounding him, peaceful and calming as ever. He dipped his head, and with a wide smile, he confirmed his resolve. “Ja!” he exclaimed lightly to no one “Ein Ritter!”
 

Spoiler

Thought I'd try my hand at creative writing based on the RP I'll go through on my character. Any feedback is much appreciated, and I hope the writing is pleasant to read :)

PS: Thanks to @AlexMKPXfor the fun first RP on Leon (his character was the adventurer)

 

[Eryane 3629]

Spoiler

super well written! these kinds of posts are the best 

 

[GoodGuyMatt 7064]

3 hours ago, Eryane said:

  Reveal hidden contents

super well written! these kinds of posts are the best 

 

 

Spoiler

Thanks Eryane :) glad you enjoyed it!

 

[Liokv 167]

"Boys-- Herman? Leon?" Emil Barclay rose his fist once more to lay a few knocks on the door, and at getting no response, finally pried the door open. The room his two sons shared was completely devoid of said boys, with the only evidence of their presence the scattered mess of maps, clothes, and books draped about the floor and shelves. The boy's father breathed a small sigh at this, though his lips ticked up in a slight smile as he backed out of the room and shut the door with a quiet click.

[AlexMKPX 49]

Spoiler

Bravo, amazing writing, and I'm happy to help with rp. :D

 

[Capt_Chief26 1205]

Ser Reinhardt Barclay, Knight Paramount of the Knightly Orders of Hanseti-Ruska, strode along the cobblestone streets of the Royal city of Karosgrad in his usual attire of full knightly battle plate. As he walked the symphony sounds and smells of the city washed over the middle age knight, he passed through the city square with a subtle smile on his face as he noticed a group of children playing. The youngest two were waving wooden swords at one another no doubt pretending to be soldiers or knights of this great Koengzem, and his thoughts drifted to his grandchildren. “This ist why ich fight” he thought to himself “so kinder like them can grow up to fulfill their dreams… to protect those who are unable to defend themselves”  He kept on walking back to his family keep within the Duchy of Reinmar. 
 

 

 

 

OOC: Nice post, Matt!!