Nastasia was awake long before dawn. How could she sleep, knowing what she was about to face? She'd heard Lord Anton describe the first competition the night prior, and what little sleep she had was plagued by dreams of forgotten corpses and malicious spirits. She'd seen one of the Saints as well.

In her dream, Saint Daniil had been running through a forest while leaves of blood rained down upon him. Haunting wails followed his every footstep and starlight paved a glistening trail in his wake.

She never saw the spirits that were chasing the Saint, though he periodically looked back, pupil-less eyes wide with fear. Towards the end of the dream, Saint Daniil finally ceased running and held his ground. He'd sent forth a burst of starlight, and the wails ended.

Nastasia was certain the dream meant something, but what, she couldn't decipher. She recalled the fact that Saint Daniil's own martyrdom had taken place in the Rodt Woods, but the details surrounding it had always been murky.

    Most scholars and historians believed the Saint had been trying to rid the forest of the spirits condemning it, and that he'd been torn apart by them before he could succeed. Others thought he'd been killed by wolves or other creatures.

    The only thing known for certain was that from the bloody pile of remains that were found, one of Saint Daniil's unmistakable pupil-less eyes had been recovered.

    I suppose I'll have plenty of time to think about all of that while I'm in the forest, Nastasia thought. What else will I have to do while I wait for evil spirits to find me?

She tugged a chainmail tunic over her cloth one and began strapping down the many pieces of her lamellar armor. Her hair remained hidden by a scarf, which she was determined to wear even beneath her helmet. She wasn't going to risk any Nyctolian seeing her hair, especially not her parents.

Despite the glamour applied to her eyes, she knew her parents would piece together who she was if they received news that she was missing and then saw a silent Knight with white hair amidst their ranks.

Nastasia grabbed Morana and sheathed the sword at her hip. Another dagger was buckled to the back of her belt just in case. She would have to be careful using magic to defend herself. No one could spot her doing so, or she'd be found out for sure.

Nastasia lifted a dome shaped helmet and settled it over her scarf. She secured a veil of chainmail over the lower half of her face so that only her eyes were visible, and stepped out of the tent.

Knights were already gathering before the doors of Kobmand Hall, but Nastasia didn't join them right away. She hurried to the stable where Moxie was being kept. Like the grounds of the Hall, the stable was bursting with activity. Stablehands were saddling horses and leading them out to awaiting Knights.

Nastasia slipped into Moxie's spacious stall without hindrance and set to work. All of Moxie's tack had been stored at the back of her stall in a narrow area portioned off by a low wall. The mare held still while Nastasia buckled her tack in place one piece at a time.

At last, Nastasia lifted the saddle onto her blanketed back and cinched it beneath Moxie's belly. The mare snorted and Nastasia patted her neck. "There we go, Girl," she murmured. "You're all set." She took Moxie by the reins and led her out of the stable.

Nastasia was careful to hang near the outskirts of the crowd when they reached the other Knights. She clutched Moxie's reins tighter, knuckles whitening. Her breath caught when shadows appeared around her wrists. Nastasia willed them away, but they persisted. She bit back a groan and hid one hand beneath Moxie's mane, hoping no one would look too closely at the other.

The minutes dragged by until, at last, the rulers appeared. Lord Anton stepped forward to address the gathering. "Knights, this morning, you ride north to the Rodt Woods, where the tournament for the hand of Princess Nastasia will begin. I need not remind you of the rules or the goal of this competition. I'm sure you all remember what I said last night."

He lifted a hand towards the great wall in the distance. "You will remain in the Rodt Woods until you hear the horns of the city sound. Then, and only then, are you allowed to leave the Woods and return. Scouts will be monitoring the land surrounding the Woods to make sure this rule is obeyed."

"You have free rein to travel to the edge of Lake Pontus which reaches into the Woods, and to our border with Eldon, but you may not cross the border. It is unmistakable, for it is there that our red land ends and Eldon's green land begins. You may travel as close to the coast as the outskirts of the forest, but you may not pass onto the grasslands or the beaches. Scouts will be positioned there too."

"However, we encourage you to remain in the central part of the Woods, as that is where you will be challenged the most. Only the bravest of you will be able to withstand the entirety of the challenge in the center of the forest, and those who do are certainly worthy of competing for the Moon Blessed Saint."

"May the Two-Faced Goddess guide you all. May the spirits of the Saints bless you. May the strength of the Strix protect you. Now go, and good luck." The Lord's hand fell and instantly, a deep, booming sound resonated through the city. Nastasia winced as the volume increased, rattling her very skull beneath her helmet.

She hoisted herself onto Moxie's back and guided her towards the city's main road as the other Knights began to ride out. Anxiety washed through her, but with it came a sense of excitement and anticipation. The tournament was finally beginning, and she was now a part of it.

•༻᯽༺•

Nikolai rode as far away from Volya as possible. He found himself in between an Andrian and another Nyctolian Knight, though he didn't recognize the man. Only his eyes were visible, and he was smaller than most of the other Knights Nikolai had seen.

He did recognize the Knight's mount, however. Moxie was contentedly plodding along. Nikolai shifted his attention to the helmetless Andrian. He was the same man who had been riding alongside Emperor Kazimir when the Andrians and Nyctolians met on the road.

The man was tall and broad-shouldered. His pale skin was offset by thick locks of raven hair. His features were narrow in comparison to his build, and there was something cold within his narrow hazel eyes. An eerie feeling coiled in the pit of Nikolai's stomach.

"You ride in a place of honor beside the Emperor," he found himself saying.

The Knight blinked and slowly turned to look at him. "What a profound observation."

"I meant, why?"

"Perhaps you should say what you mean," the Knight grunted. "I serve as the Emperor's Hand. Have we not met before, Sir Arlov?"

Nikolai stiffened. "I'm sure, but it's been many years since Andrians and Nyctolians visited one another under the guise of friendship, and even longer since the Order of Knights gathered."

"Hm. I see your memory is as short as your attention span. Does the name Vadik Kamenev remind you of anything?"

Nikolai inclined his head. "Indeed it does."

He'd heard all about Vadik Kamenev, despite never seeing him in person. He had been brought up alongside Emperor Kazimir. There were rumors that he and Kazimir had even conspired together to arrange the death of Emperor Kiril, though no proof had ever been found.

"What are you hoping to achieve in this tournament?" He asked.

Vadik shot him an incredulous look. "The same thing we're all hoping to achieve. A marriage to Princess Nastasia."

"Why do you seek her? I'd think a powerful man like yourself wouldn't want a wife to contend with."

"Maybe not an ordinary wife, but this one is Moon Blessed. She is a living Saint. The things her reputation alone could do for me..." Vadik chuckled to himself. Nikolai set his jaw, swallowing a sharp retort. "And my Emperor has commanded me to win. He had hoped to gain the Princess for himself, but if he cannot have her, I am the next best choice."

Nikolai began to ask another question, but Vadik cut him off. "You've asked plenty of questions. It's my turn now. Why isn't the Princess traveling with her parents?"

Nikolai faced forward with a shrug. "I believe the King and Queen wanted to make sure she'd be safe from those who might be eliminated from the challenge and seek revenge." Among other things which the Hand of the Andrian Emperor didn't need to know.

"Will we see her when we arrive in Dimesa?"

"At some point, I'm sure."

"Have you ever seen the Princess?"

"A few times," Nikolai admitted.

Vadik glanced at him. "What does she look like? I hear she's pretty but has nothing notable in the way of womanly features."

From the corner of his eye, Nikolai saw the other Nyctolian Knight tense. "Beauty is subjective. I personally think she's beautiful, but she might not fit your taste if you like curvier women."

"Hm. I suppose it doesn't really matter if she fits my taste or not. I'm going to win the competition and marry her, or Kazimir will have my balls. A word of advice to you, Arlov. Don't get in my way." Vadik spurred his horse on ahead.

Nikolai watched him go, anger pricking at his gut. Oh, I will absolutely get in your way, he thought to himself. There's a reason Emperor Kazimir wants you to marry Nasi. I'll figure out why and make sure it never happens.

•༻᯽༺•

The Knights each went their separate ways as soon as they reached the Rodt Woods. Nikolai found himself alone with his horse. He walked beside the creature now, both to give Temnota a rest, and to avoid the horse throwing him off should something spook him. Generally, he'd found Temnota to be an even-tempered and well-trained stallion, but he was taking no chances.

The sun was setting by the time Nikolai reached a small clearing in the midst of the forest. He could see no signs of the other Knights or any animal activity. Nikolai set to work removing Temnota's bridle and saddle, but left his blanket alone.

He replaced the stallion's bridle with a halter that he'd brought along. Nikolai secured one end of the reins to the halter and tied the other end around a low hanging tree branch, making sure Temnota could still bring his head down to graze.

Once the horse was settled, Nikolai sat back against the gnarled trunk of a tree. He placed his sword, Toska, within easy reach and drew his poetry journal out of his satchel. He flipped to a blank page and lifted his pencil.

The words flowed freely, having been stuck inside his head for the past several hours. He found himself breathing a bit easier as he wrote, and slowly, Nikolai began to relax.

Your beauty is rare.
It is simple and astounding.
As delicate as a snowdrop.
As steadfast as a mountain.

Hair as white as snow.
Eyes so sweet and serene.
The features of a Moon Princess.
The face of my loveliest dream.

Temnota lifted his head and laid back his ears with a snort. Nikolai drew himself out of his thoughts as the sound reached him. A low, mournful wail, carried on the faint breeze. He put his notebook away and reached for Toska.

"It's going to be a very long night," Nikolai said aloud. "I'm going to need a few dozen rounds of bearkin stout after this." He smiled to himself, recalling the evening he and Nastasia had shared at The Dancing Bear.

If I can make sure she'll have more nights like that with someone else, this will all be worth it, he thought. I'll make it worth it. The wails grew closer and Nikolai readied himself for whatever he might soon face.