I put on my great helm. Even with vision extremely diminished, I can still feel around me quite well through my partner of bond, the great wolf Feraleo. Even with both of us almost fully armored, I do really mind the weight and am quite confident in my victory in the incoming joust. On the other side of the arena is a man on a horse, a human.

As the signal is given, both of us charge. Each one aiming to dismount the other, it takes the eternity of but a moment and we are almost upon each other. I feel each step that Feraleo takes and I feel as he slightly twists his body in order to give me a clearer shot. I point and thrust my lance, while barely feeling his attack glance off my shoulder. I throw my body back in order to lessen the impact on my body as the lance shatters in my hand. I hear the loud noise of my opponent falling to the ground behind me, then I hear the crowd erupting in cheers. It is something that has repeated throughout this whole tournament, as I defeat one opponent after the other.

Back in my tent, as a young human squire helps me off my armor, my father shows up to congratulate me.

“Well done Joseph, you really are among the best this kingdom has to offer, whether they are human or orc. With this, you have through the entire tournament undefeated, yes?”

Charles Orcgram, that's my father's name. Currently, he is one of the leading nobles of the Kingdom of Meridia. I do not know what we were called back then, but the Orcgrams were the first family of orcs to, more than a hundred years before accept the plead of the king of Meridia. As the kingdom crumbled, falling further into the hands of the Tyrant Teldarion, the king threw pride and prejudice to the wind in order to obtain salvation, which came in the form of orcs that would assimilate into the country's nobility.

With nothing else to offer, the king offered lands, titles, prestige, influence and respect to any orcs that helped save the kingdom. The Orcgrams were the spearhead that finally shattered the advance of Teldarion.

“Please, father, if you compliment my abilities so much, I might end up believing it, and forget that above all, if was Virtue's hand and Grace's inspiration that allowed me to take these victories.”

Humility and piety are among the most laudable characteristics for a knight to have and thus, in order to completely shed the image of the barbaric orc that for so long had pervaded literature in this country, those of the Orcgram family are educated from a very young age to have these in spades.

“Hmm, you are right. But you know very well that it is only through your rigorous training and devotion that Virtue allows your triumphs.”

And yet, what is a knight? That is a question I often ask myself. Perhaps even more than that, what is an orc knight? That is what I am after all, but what does it mean? I fear to ask these question to my father, as he is too rigid and might misinterpret my intentions behind them.

“Of course, which is why I will keep up with them, for the prosperity of the kingdom and our family.”

I merely ask these questions because I feel that having properly answered them, I will become the best of knights and bring even more honor to my family.

I suppose that first of all I should discover what is an orc. However, when I read history books of this kingdom, when I hear stories, all that I see is a barbarian. I see barbarians that, without a home of their own, wander and pillage the world, without direction, without meaning. Whether it be taking gold from a killed enemy or gold from a third party to kill an enemy, it seems to me that orcs are creatures that are motivated primarily by violence and greed. And yet, that is not what I see when I look in the mirror.

“Grace's blessing on the Orcgrams!”

When I look around at the people under my father, I see content people. When I look at the lands under the rule of my father I see order. When I look at my father, I see the model knight. How can I reconcile that with the stories about orcs?

The one time I had the courage to ask my father about that, he answered me in quite a tense manner. This is our antithesis, it is the history that we must strive to forget if we are to become the mighty knights that we should be. And yet, I can't help but feel that this might not be entirely right, after all we had the capacity to become what we are today. Is traditional orc culture just... evil?

Unfortunately, it seems that this is a question that I might never find the answers for in Meridia. So suppose the next best thing is to ask what might a knight be. Is it just a noble that rides horses? The most simplistic answer is that, but is it the truest answer?

My father is among those that believe orcs, with their unique ability of bonding with another animal, have the potential of being the ultimate knights in every respect. At least in a martial sense, I don't think he is wrong. No matter how well trained the horse or how experienced at riding it a human is, nothing beats the kind of power a orc mounting his partner of bond possesses. No other cavalry can beat orcish cavalry.

But I know that a knight is more than an accomplished warrior and rider. A knight strives for honor, respect, order and many more things. However, that is just an ideal, as I have seen, heard and read of many knights that, flawed beings that they are, did not completely embody these virtues. That doesn't make them not-knights though.

So I seek an answer, without really knowing if I can even ever find it. Perhaps, as is written in the Scriptures of Grace, the devotion is in the act of striving to live up to the ideal. I may not ever find a satisfactory answer, but perhaps the act of seeking it might not be a loss by itself.

“Father, you think it would be good if I journeyed to find the answers to my questions?”

The question slipped unbidden from my lips are we rode back to our castle.

“Hmm, these must be some very important and difficult questions if you haven't found answers by now. I can see how much you study.”

Of course he does. I might try to hide my doubts from my father, but I guess he just knows.

“Virtue says that a journey, especially one of devotion, is the best way to purify one's spirits and find the true answer to any real question.”

To be honest I am not even sure if I have all of the questions that I need, but perhaps that you will also become clearer if I find my way.

“You do have a point. Well, it's not like I am old or dying, so it's not like our lands will be defenseless if you leave. However, is it really okay to leave on a whim, my son? Perhaps you might want to wait for a sign.”

A sign? That's a way of putting it. Perhaps I might. I can be patient, after all, patience is one of the important virtues that a knight must posses.