Maxis Gambria was the current captain of the royal guard, and he was nothing short of a legend. Towering above six feet or fifteen jars of lard stacked on top of one another, the man was impressionable and intimidating at the very least. The captain distinctly wore his dark hair in tiny braids that he pinned to the base of his skull. Maxis' blue eyes which were dubbed by some lieutenants as bottomless ice shards that shone with cold fury were noticeably streaked by scars and weather toughened brown skin. Maxis had already lived to forty-three seasons and had seen his fair share of skirmishes.
As for the captain's lineage, Maxis' parents had hailed from a southern country close to the base of Kallondona. However, due to civil war and the threat of the legal slave trade located in their native country, they had fled north to Einroch, one of the main cities established in the heart of Kallondona. Maxis was born two years into their tenure in Einroch. The Gambria family eventually established roots and created an iron smithy that became well-known for its spectacular ironwork and craftmanship on its weaponry. At the tender age of twelve, Maxis took part of the combat trials and won a place in the service of the castle guard where he moved to the heart and royal city of Kallondona, Eden. After running errands and fulfilling his duties to the guardsman that trained him for five years, Maxis was able to pursue higher training where he returned to those same combat trials. He earned a coveted spot in the Royal Guard which was unheard of due to the fact that the youngest Royal Guard in Kallondona's history had been twenty seasons. Maxis was near eighteen seasons when he took on the navy blue and black mantle with the silver bracers that formed a distinct crisscrossing pattern from the bottom of his wrist to the top of his forearm.
He was elevated to Captain Gambria of the Royal Guard after twenty years of active service. Captain Gambria became well known for his inconceivable talents in destroying a man's sense of identity and body within a few minutes, his severe displeasure with alcohol and all forms of indulgence, and especially his profound distaste for his inept sovereign. Captain Gambria could often be found "schooling" the king in self-defense and basic sword movements that all men, sovereign or not, were required to master.
"Keep your wrist straight, Your Majesty!" the captain spat. He was tired of drilling his noticeably drunk king in basic maneuvers that he as a boy had mastered.
"I would, if my wrist would stop flopping!" the king huffed in exertion. The king's long black hair which had been braided tightly in the beginning of the session had begun to unravel due to his being struck numerous times by the captain's offending wooden sword. The captain and his trainee were using wooden swords as the trainee had not shown enough skill not to impale himself or others by happenstance.
"Your Majesty, could it be the ale muddling your grip?"
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"Really, Captain! Are you even allowed to ask me that?" the king's amber eyed eyes widened as he pondered in idiotic bewilderment.
The captain, who really had tried to follow through with the teaching, was beginning to redden slightly at his ears in frustration, exasperation, possibly a dash of hating the king's guts, and self-chastisement for even getting himself into this mess as the king's weapons instructor.
"I think we are finished for the day, Your Majesty." The captain released his combat stance and began to reach for the wooden sword that was swinging in his sovereign's hand like a damned toy.
"If you insist, Captain Gambria. Your desire is my command" the king said cheekily. He pushed a long black strand out of his eyes and proceeded to toss the sword into the captain's unexpecting arms.
Captain Gambria hissed a little at the mistreatment of a weapon, albeit a wooden one. If the king really wanted to honor my wishes, I would not even be in this situation. That man waves a sword around like a white flag upon surrender. I do not think I have ever had such a mediocre pupil in my life or seen such horrible swordplay. The gods must have found my character lacking and decided to send the scourge of the earth to test me.
After handing the weapons to his two senior officers in the Royal Guard, the Captain spun back around to face the king. After a minute of indecision, the captain made a stiff bow to his king. The king accepted the bow with a leer and almost managed to stumble backward due to his clumsy limbs. The two senior officers standing to the side of the captain barely managed to contain their laughter after seeing this ridiculous display. Captain Gambria shot them a pointed look to keep their mouths shut. It was not their place to mock or correct their sovereign, no matter how much they desired to and no matter how much his behavior needed the added correction.
The king after stretching his long limbs, strode clumsily away to eat his breakfast since dawn had come. As his leather tooled boots clacked down the cobblestone path that led to a side entrance in the castle courtyard, the captain addressed his subordinates.
"Lieutenant Tauron and Lieutenant Ronan, you are to maintain decorum at all times" the captain spoke sharply.
Tauron and Ronan appeared aggrieved at this statement.
"Yes, Captain" they replied in unison.
"See that it does not happen again. I will allow for a few lapses in judgement in containing emotions, but only a few. While our king is a damned fool, he also holds the place of our sovereign. If we do not honor that title, Kallondona will crumble in on itself. That means no matter how disgustingly childish our king acts, we must act the part of the Royal Guard. Return to your barracks. We have much to prepare for today" the captain said.
Tauron and Ronan saluted their captain and quickly hustled to eat their morning meal before the old cook threw the porridge into the trough for the pigs.
What a king!