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Chapter 14
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“And that is all for today, miss,” stated my Ersovian history tutor, Mr. Tabellion, as he closed his notes. “Do you have any questions for me?”
I thought for a moment before remembering something I had wanted to ask earlier. “Yes. My secretary—his name is Sir Wolfgang von Wolfgang XII. He tried to tell me the reason behind his title but was interrupted on the first day I came here. Something about the order of something.”
“Ah.” Mr. Tabellion wrapped his arms around himself and stroked his beard, something I had noticed he did a lot. “The Order of the Fallen Knights.”
“Yes, that is it.” I nodded. “What is that?”
“Ah, well, good question.” He grinned, and he reminded me of a professor. He enjoyed teaching. “About three hundred and twelve years ago, a faction in the military rose to overthrow the king and end the House of Monterey.”
“So, a coup?” I asked, and he nodded.
“Their plans for a coup d’état had gained some support of a few other nobles too. So, a scheme was hatched to massacre the royal family on Christmas night. One thousand soldiers stormed the palace gates, and most of the guards abandoned their posts, except for two dozen knights who refused to abandon their king.”
“They stormed this palace?”
He shook his head. “No, Marimier’s Palace, in the southern region of Chourmondeley.”
He must have seen the confusion on my face, so he lifted his tablet to show me a map of the country. “Remember, Ersovia has been divided administratively into twenty-two regions. This one is Chourmondeley, where the House of Monterey originates. Every other Christmas or New Year’s, they go back there.”
“Okay.” I nodded.
“As I was saying, the knights were able to hold off the traitors until dawn, allowing the king and his family to escape. The king returned with his navy and ten thousand men, crushing the rebellion to the ground. However, of the two dozen knights, only one survived long enough for the king to return. On his death bed, the king said he and the other men were noble and, therefore, should be made nobility. However, the knight said his greatest honor was to be a knight and serve and protect his king. The king created The Order of the Fallen Knights for the twenty-four men who died protecting him. He proclaimed that for as long as their bloodlines continued and they remained loyal, they and their descendants would always be considered knights and welcome into his palace.”
“So, for the last three hundred years, there has been a Wolfgang von Wolfgang working in the palace? So, Wolfgang—the current Wolfgang—is named after his ancestor, the first Wolfgang von Wolfgang?”
“Exactly, miss.” He nodded approvingly.
“Do all of the descendants pass down their names? So, Iskandar’s name is Iskandar Ruegg XV, then or something?”
“No, the first Ruegg knight was named Matevos. So, it is not a tradition of all their families.”
“They are knights. The modern-day would-be guard. So why is he a secretary and not a guard?”
“Another good question.” He stroked his beard again. “But I do not know. Personal preference? Or maybe he did not pass through the academy. I do not wish to speculate. It would be best if you asked him directly.”
“Of course, thank you, Mr. Tabellion,” I replied, rising to my feet and outstretching my hand.
