“Perhaps we should have held private meetings first rather than arranging this one big day. We could have picked up on these issues before now.”
Blu shook his head, “We are trying to do better than the old IDC, but we still have a lot to learn. Do not be so hard on us,” he smiled kindly at Dawn. “We will get it right.”
She knew Blu was correct. Still, there was one thing she could do to help right then and there; talk to her people. “Do you mind?” she asked her colleagues, gesturing to the crowd.
Blu smiled, “Not at all.”
Dawn stood up, noting the way Knox’s eyes tracked her every movement. She commanded her racing heart to calm down, reminding herself she would deal with the Knox dilemma later. Right now, she had facts to straighten out. “Who is here because they want to be here? Raise your hands,” she called out, figuring being direct was the best approach. When nobody moved, Dawn frowned in frustration. “It is not a trick question. Who wants to form an Order today, receive their coat of arms, and begin serving a liege?”
Finally, there was some movement. Simon, Patrick, and Vance stepped forward. “Uh, we sure do,” Simon said, raising his hand high.
Dawn smiled at them in thanks. That was a no-brainer, but it was enough to encourage other paladins to speak up too. After much shuffling and much mumbling, three of the chadens and only one of the wardens would be forming an Order that day. There simply wasn’t enough paladins who wanted to join. “What is your real fear?” Dawn asked a group of four female paladins who had stood in stony silence, glaring at the earth warden who had petitioned to have them in his Order. He was one of the wardens going home Orderless that day.
“He wants us to have sex with him,” one of the women finally admitted.
Hemp, the earth warden in question, raised his chin, “So? It’s a perfectly effective way to recharge.”
Dawn felt her anger spike, knowing exactly how these women felt. No, it was not the same for her because she could more easily decline all the inappropriate advances she had been met with over the years. Her status allowed her that. But the female paladins of their society had not been afforded the same rights. Dawn ignored Hemp, as well as his idiotic, sexist, misogynistic remark. Instead focusing on the women.
“Ladies, listen up. Your vagina is not a sheath for a cock.” Startled gasps met her statement and she wasn’t sure if it was because of her word usage or because of the meaning behind them. “You are in charge of your own bodies – including your vitality and what is between your legs. Your vagina is not a placeholder for a warden’s erect penis. You are not responsible for your liege’s sex life – unless you want to be of course. Do you understand?”
There was nothing but silence for several heartbeats before one person clapping their hands could be heard. Dawn’s head popped up, her eyes meeting those of Knox’s, to see great pride in his eyes. Knox was proud of her – and it made her feel like a Queen. Others quickly joined in with the applause and Dawn was left feeling well satisfied with her little pep-talk. She only hoped the message sank in, not only to the women, but also to men like Hemp. She saw Knox moving through the crowd and she walked to meet him. She was on a roll and her confidence was at an all-time high right then. Talking out their differences seemed like a good idea. Before she could so much as open her mouth, Knox was apologising.
“I wanted to apologise for the other day. For what I said and the way I acted. I was scared and defensive and I took it out on you. I just didn’t want to see you get hurt,” Knox apologised, looking contrite.
She wanted to accept his apology, could even understand where he had been coming from, but she needed to make sure he understood her first. “I am not without my own power. I am not an empty figurehead,” Dawn told him.
“I know. You were amazing. You are amazing,” Knox vowed. His words, spoken with such brutal honesty and awe, had Dawn blushing. “And that vagina speech? Awesome.” Dawn’s mouth dropped open and she whacked Knox on the arm. “What? I’m being serious. No truer words have ever been