I was the holder of an official noble title. Barons and bellow were not landed titles. It was mostly ceremonial. The main function was basically for well to do members of the court and officers. A lowborn could never order a highborn. You could be the best tax collector, but nobles would just ignore you. Why would the king be assisted by anyone who was not a noble? Maids and servants could be lowborn. The people making decisions that would affect him and his family could not be. A lot of the nobles we ran into were the sons and grandsons of barons. You really had to worry when you got to the counts and viscounts. That was not the case for me though. I had a big reputation for being an insane warrior. People gave me a pass for not being proper and totally respectful. Now that I was a noble myself, I was untouchable to anyone without a landed noble title. Johna was recognized as my heir and already had the royal assent to inherit the title on my death. I made sure to put all of this in writing. All true authority came from the king. Once he could affix his royal seal, it would be set in stone.
Personally, Molly was left in the lurch. I did not want to push my luck though. She had a job to take care of herself. Len had a job too. Now that he was a baron, he did not even need to be knighted. Being a noble bodyguard was not out of the question. Many mercenaries wanted to achieve nobility through prowess and favors. That did not keep them from fighting. Len woke up and looked confused. "Did I win?" he asked. I smooshed his face and smiled at him. "Unfortunately, you lost. Sir Betan won, but it was a very close match. I saw everything and I am so proud of you." I said. His tail wagged behind him. "I did my best. I'm glad you got to see me fight, Father." he said. I was so happy that he never lost his faith in me. That meant something to me. It showed me that I really did do the right thing while raising him. We explained his reward to him next. Len could not believe it. That was until the king himself told us to kneel. We knelt before him and were raised as nobles. Betan was a much humbler man. All he desired was a royal proclamation stating their king witnessed him win. It had the royal seal.
Quietly, he held it to his chest. That would be a family heirloom for generations. It was a symbol of recognition from his king. Betan and I had entered this big tournament in the name of Count Swifthunt. By doing so well here, his name would be spread all throughout the capital. Molly and the hybrids joined us. They got to compete for themselves. This made them have a bit of fame. If Molly kept competing when not with her noble charge, she could easily become famous. Being unmarried, she carried the Rhombus Family name just as much as Len and I. Eventually, the pleasantries were over and it was time to go. We got to speak to the king. Now it was time to collect the prize money. It was a nice sum. Betan and I had to take our winnings back to Count Swiftheart. Barat and Len could keep all their money. Len and Molly were going to stay here. Barat and his twin were going back to their home in Huntston. Betan, Alane and I would all accompany them. Both noble charges were in the crowds waiting for them after the tournament. I hugged them goodbye one last time before leaving them.
