Chapitre 38: Gifts
The ceremony of the day of introduction was headed by the master of ceremonies inside of the great hall of castle Blackfyre. The hall was divided into two as the nobles were seated in the front and the commoners who were lined up from the gate of the castle stood up. Ezra was laid in an immobile crib with settings of silver as everyone ogled at him and the speeches came and went. Ezra was really uncomfortable at people looking at him and being the centre of attention. After the speeches of blessings headed by Reitz. The nobles lined up to each have a look at Ezra. First, of course, was the Rex himself, followed by the Primus Praetorian the last of which was a baron who was Reitz's vassal.
After that followed the presentation of gifts, the first to present was a baron. He gave a pendant to Ezra which was placed beside his crib. The next was a duke who gave a magic core ring. Ezra was seemingly happy as now he was in possession of a magic core. He subconsciously looked at Aerwyna who was frowning at him then he gulped. No one noticed this as everyone was looking at the presentation of the gifts. The next gift was a sword, after that, someone gave a set of armour which was the size for a young boy. Everyone who had given a gift said a speech or two about Ezra. Then the last three gave their gifts. It was Reitz, The Rex and the Duke of Pharae.
Ezra was relieved as he was very uncomfortable with his predicament. He could not move freely and he was gawked at by everyone, he was not accustomed to this, especially not in this body. He felt so weak and fragile. Though he did enjoy the presentation of the gifts as some of them did pique his curiosity.
"Ezra Blackfyre, May you have your mother's foresight and your father's strength. May the Great Omnipotence smile upon you and bless you with courage and power that your enemies may fall before you. With this, I give my gift of a simple magic crystal of Fire as a symbol of the strength of your house!"
The Duke of Pharae presented the gift as a servant brought it beside the crib. Ezra was now excited, he could not wait to use these things in his room. Aerwyna was now frowning uncontrollably and Reitz nudged her. She was getting odd stares from the nobles, they thought that she was not content with the gifts being presented to her son. Aerywna realized this and immediately bowed her head as her cheeks became flushed.
The next one to present was the Rex Imperia. " All of you lot say you bless him with strength, aye? Well, I don't mean to be rude but strength isn't everything."
Ezra tried as much to not give a reaction at this remark but he was intrigued, he had poorly judged the Rex, he thought that since the government advocated for strength, he thought that the head of state would naturally be strength buff of some sort. The Rex even looked like he could snap a guy in two with his physique.
"Knowledge is the real power. Knowledge can move mountains and rivers. Knowledge can raise up someone, and knowledge can put them down. Ezra Blackfyre son of Reitz may you possess knowledge that you can rise up and be a beacon to the Imperium. May you be the light to guide the path. And thus my gift to you Ezra is a book. Not one but three books."
Ezra was curious about it. What sort of books was it supposed to be especially that it was given by the Emperor himself? The first book was very intricated and seemed to be very expensive as it was encrusted with rubies and emeralds, but at the centre of it seemed to be a magic core. The book seemed to be gold-leafed and its materials alone would cost a hefty sum.
The second book was also comparable to the first but it did not have gems on its cover. The third one was something you could barely call a book. It did not have anything you could call a cover, it seemed that it was once bound in leather, it was tattered and stained all over.
Everyone's eyes were full of envy. They did not bother with the contents but the sheer price of the books. And the fact it was given by the Rex himself further increased the value of the objects, It could become a keepsake for generations to come. Ezra, however, did not care about how they looked but what was in them. He wanted to get out of his crib and read them immediately but he was not to be delivered back to his room until the ceremony ended. The banquet would start right after.
Now it was Reitz's turn to present his gift.
"Ezra, my son, my heir, my strength and progeny, may you be blest with a good heart. Strength without a conscience is weakness. Knowledge without goodwill is foolishness. A good heart will give you strength to persevere, and knowledge to choose what is right from what is easy. May you defend the weak and gain the trust of your comrades and always be on the side of justice, mercy and truth. From the spoils of war, I give you a sword, my son. May this sword be a remembrance that you should always defend the weak."
Everyone's gazes fell on Reitz, it seemed that it was an ordinary sword, but there were already gifts of daggers and swords by the other nobles it did not make sense that Reitz would gift another one. It did have sentimental value, but still, it did not look fancy or encrusted with jewels, even though it was a spoil of war it should have at least something special to it.
Reitz then made a stance as every eye was gazing upon the father of the star of the show but as he was about to slash he hesitated a bit. He then decided to call a knight.
"Sir Ecrix, I want you to display the sword's prowess," Reitz said as bewildered stares pierced through him.
'How special could a sword be?' everyone thought.
"But first tell the audience your primary element," Reitz continued.
"Yes milord, My primary element is water," the knight did as he was commanded.
"Prove to them that it is so."
The knight cast a [Water Ball] on the ground.
"Now hold the sword and condense your magic on the hand that is holding the sword," directed Reitz.
The knight was confused but he did as he was told.
"Now swing,"
As the knight swung the whole sword was ablaze. The blade of the sword had emanated fire and was drawing out the mana of the Knight. Everyone was startled and one of the Rex's eyebrows raised. It was what they called an enchanted item, a very rare item indeed.
The giving of gifts concluded with Reitz as the festivities continued. Ezra was sent to his room to rest but he was dismayed since he found out that the gifts were not to be given to him immediately. It would be the prerogative of the parents when they would actually let the child see the items so Ezra's mood dampened. He knew that his mother would not let him have the cores or crystals that he had been given but would surely beg for the books. He had a feeling that the books he had been given would be worth reading.
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
earldennison
earldennison Hi readers,
Thank you for the stream of comments and critiques. I really do appreciate them and go through all of them. We are now rank 13 as of this writing but it won't dampen my spirits as I know that I have plenty of twists and turns in store for the story. It has been a long road since I got my first power stone vote. But for Ezra's story, it is just beginning.
Thanks again for your patronage
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