Competition drove them to be their best. Even with a broken leg, he was able to break Leonardo's arm and several ribs. The match was called when Cody was knocked down. He was still conscious, but he was in no shape to continue. Leonardo was the winner. I was very proud of all my children. The king was there for the semifinals and finals. He got to see the mess firsthand. As his father, I was allowed to help Leonardo off the field. There was no way I would leave Cody. I slung them both over my shoulders. Brody was able to get them mostly healed with his magic. The king knew I was here, so he wanted an audience. I brought Molly and the hybrids with me. The king knew Molly, Leonardo, Lenard and Lennox. I was never ashamed of them. When the king came for hunts or sauna, all my children were around. Raolin kept Cody and Brody at home. All 7 of us bowed before the king and his 2 royal sons. "Collin Rhombus, you have brought strange fighters to my tournament." he said. I raised my head. "Yes. Were you entertained by all my children? All of them are loyal knights." I said.
Definite curiosity was on his face. "You still claim these demon children as yours? Isn't it madness to make them knights of the realm?" he asked. I shook my head. I just said "Molly, Leonardo, Lenard and Lennox are my lovely children and I am so proud of what they accomplished." The king frowned. "And the Swifthunt Family accepted such knights in their employ?" the king asked. "No. They saw no need. The knights currently living with them are sufficient right now." was my answer. "Ahh. I see." the king replied with a knowing nod. He looked us over once again. "I normally grant a trinket to a tournament winner. What would your son want from me?" I knew what to ask for. "My son would like you to pass a law that preserves the forests of Greene. No projects that would endanger the trees and wildlife should be permitted." I said. If I could make the forest preserved by the king, Leonardo could take the massive win back to Celosia. She would be very pleased with her son. "Consider it granted." he said. His eyes swept over to Molly's. "A female knight is a shame. Why do this?" he asked.
Eventually, this world was going to need to get with the program. "Molly made it to the round of 16. If her opponent was not wearing metal armor, she might have beat an unimpressive man like him." I said. "I saw the centaurs a couple of days ago. What should be done about them?" he asked me, ignoring what I said. I proposed that he could formalize a knightly order for them with a headquarters in Mansfield. The king had to think about it for a moment. "Yes. It would be good to make use of their bestial strength." he said at long last. We were dismissed soon after. The royal proclamations came the next day. 6 young knights were assigned to be founding members of the new Bronze Hooves Order. All the children of the Brownflank Tribe were also inducted as founding members. Their mission was to be trained to aid the king for defense of the realm when called on by the king. The forests were property of the king and could not be destroyed. It was a great success. That meant it was time to leave. We made our way home. We stopped in Huntston to talk to Celosia. She was very happy about it.
Figuring out how she would react to the news was not hard. Leonardo got to take most of the credit because he was the champion. Cody and Brody's dryad mother also appeared. She gave them both a magic item. It was a huge lamp. It could dispel illusion magic that the light shone on. Celosia did not seem pleased enough to reward a champion of the forest like Leonardo in that way. Instead, she gave him a hug and went on a walk with him. She was very temperamental. Celosia seemed to have very little interest in Lenard and Lennox. After that was done, we went to see Raolin. His fully human children were growing nicely. Cody and Brody had a brief conversation with their father. Raolin was no stranger to the tournament scene. He was actually proud of them for once. It was still not much of a surprise when they said they would be coming with us to Mansfield. Hopefully, they would get a bit more recognition and attention now that they were out of their father's cold shadow. When we got home, I let them stay with us until they were able to find a room in an inn for cheap. They could work.
