1. Time certainly does fly, Ashe. Why, it's already been [cdb]a year and a half since you became a knight.
  2. Still, it must be difficult working in such unfamiliar [cdb]lands. Are you doing well?
  3. Yeah, I'm great! Everyone in the capital has been [cdb]really nice, honestly.
  4. If anything, I guess I'm still just unsure if I have what [cdb]it takes to be a knight.
  5. Do not give in to doubt. Remember, most knights [cdb]currently in the service of House Blaiddyd only [cdb]entered the castle after I became king.
  6. You have fought with me for much longer, [cdb]so in that sense, you have the advantage.
  7. Sure, but I'm not nobility. I don't even have a Crest.
  8. So I want to repay you for appointing me, [cdb]even if it costs me my life.
  9. I see. Tell me, Ashe, what exactly does knighthood [cdb]mean to you?
  10. Huh? I'd say knights are loyal to the king and willing [cdb]to give their lives to protect the crown and their [cdb]people! That's right, right?
  11. That is indeed what many claim a knight should be, [cdb]but reality is rarely so rosy.
  12. Put bluntly, it is the job of a knight to dispense death.
  13. The code of chivalry emphasizes loyalty, yes, [cdb]but this is only to ensure knights remain under [cdb]the complete control of their lords.
  14. Well, I mean...I guess that's true.
  15. I have no quarrel with your dedicating yourself to [cdb]such a code, but there is no need to stake your life [cdb]upon it.
  16. But...
  17. My closest friend was a knight who served [cdb]the royal family. He was near to my own age, [cdb]and I admired him greatly.
  18. But one day, I watched him die. He stood his ground [cdb]and fought bravely, but his life was snuffed out in the [cdb]blink of an eye all the same.
  19. You're talking about Felix's brother, right? I remember Lord Rodrigue mentioning him.
  20. His dying screams echo in my mind to this day.
  21. My point, Ashe, is that there may come a time when [cdb]you must decide between your loyalty and your life.
  22. And though I know this to be a selfish request, [cdb]when that day comes, I want you to choose life.
  23. Even if it means turning my bow against you?
  24. Especially then. If you find yourself unable to follow [cdb]through, I beg you to leave the battlefield quietly and [cdb]with all haste. I pray it never comes to that.
  25. Right... I have something to say, though.
  26. I don't think that friend who protected you threw his [cdb]life away because he was a knight.
  27. He just wanted to save his best friend.
  28. Even if it meant destroying futures that might have [cdb]come to pass had he but lived?
  29. Look, I don't know if what he did was right.
  30. So if you're asking me not to throw my life away, I promise that I won't.
  31. But I don't think it's wrong to fight to the end [cdb]for someone that you love.
  32. Well put. Perhaps you're right.
  33. In any case, I must be off. I have drills I must [cdb]attend to.
  34. After all, I must do everything in my power to be [cdb]the sort of ruler worthy of such loyalty.
  35. You've done more than enough, Your Majesty. We all respect you to the ends of Fódlan.