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Chapter 35
‘That can’t be right!’. Every fiber of Ezabel’s being wanted to shout that aloud. The clerk’s words lingered far too long and her eyes could not part from the sheet of paper that denoted her place in the Citadel. A 4th Line candidate? She was at the absolute bottom of the Order. Leonora was the only gauge by which Ezabel could measure the gap between ranks, so the concern on her face only grew from there.
Was she that far behind someone like Leonora? What of the other candidates? A burden began to mount across her shoulders, as if she felt like a family blunder. Without a doubt, she had the utmost confidence in the fact that neither Vance nor Xavier had been ranked that low from the beginning. There was no helping her sense of disappointment. Every feature upon her face meshed into a picture of distress.
“Miss Grover, do take the time to consider the fact that your rank will change throughout the course of the trials. If you do not agree with where you have been placed, then the power to change it rests within you alone.”
Distress became understanding. Dismay became belief. The clerk was right. And, surprisingly insightful. To be completely genuine, Ezabel had not thought much of him other than the simple fact that he was a keeper of the Citadel. So, she nodded and reaffirmed herself. None of this was final and all of it could change in an instant.
“If we can move on..”, the keeper continued. “..apart from your rank, the proctor of the year's selection trial has asked for all candidates to be divided into teams. You will remain a member of this team for the duration of the festivities”.
The sight at the other end of the Grand Hall made sense at that point. It was an amalgamation of candidates that moved about in search of the group they had been assigned to. It must have been an awkward walk. The thought of wandering through a crowd of already established circles was far from exciting. Ezabel did her best not to imagine all the eyes that could follow her there.
“You have been assigned to Group Eight, I believe most of its members have assembled near the south door. When we’re done here, that is where you will proceed.”
“R-right..”, Ezabel turned her head in an instant, as if she knew exactly which door the clerk referred to. But, it was all too muddy. Too many people moved about and blurred the line between that which was organized and that which was not. It was hopeless, she would have to wander around to find it, something she certainly did not want to do.
“Remain with your group until the rest of the hall has been readied. At that point, you will all be relocated to the main gate, from which the beginning of the opening ceremony will start.”
“You mean the parade, right?”
“Correct, be ready to present yourself well to the people of Gracewind. As part of the festival, you will be making your way down the Windroad until you’ve reached the city’s central amphitheater.”
“The amphitheater? What then?”, it was a hunch, but Ezabel felt that she had asked one question too many. Nevertheless, the more she learned about the evening’s itinerary, the more eager she felt. Looking past her rank and the idea of her supposed ‘group’ of candidates, tonight was an opportunity for her to see more of the capital. She had no idea where and in which part of Gracewind the amphitheater stood, but it already sounded like a grand place to be. She could hear the lifted cheers of an endless audience and the praises of every street.
“As a class, every candidate will be presented to the city in grand fashion. Per tradition, a great audience awaits you there. You need only follow the guides that have been put in place. You have no further responsibilities beyond being in attendance.”
The clerk nudged the paper across the countertop, close to Ezabel. As matter-of-fact as his tone was, there was a hidden sense of compassion that came from his delivery. She could see it in his eyes and from the nod that he gave soon after.
“There are many people in the realm, Miss Grover, and only a special set of individuals among them could ever become an Attendant Knight. Tonight, we celebrate you and your peers. Enjoy all that you can. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, congratulations on making it thus far.“
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Ezabel, with the piece of paper now between her fingers, smiled as bright as the day she first heard of the Attendant Knights. She would have to read the rest of its contents later. Excitement coursed through her veins and saw that her eyes glistened with tears. The clerk was absolutely right. Tonight was to be enjoyed. Tonight was to be relished.
°°
It was hard to believe that the noise of the Grand Hall could get any denser. It had already bound in every direction and lifted like an ever present cloud of chatter. It was not until Ezabel made her way to the far end of the hall that she was enveloped by it. The conversations around did not grow more clear. Instead, they were more numerous and meshed together to become an incoherent racket. It was to be understood, however. They were all candidates, just as she was, and all were deserving of the excitement that flooded the place.
While those around her had already begun acquainting themselves with their respective groups, Ezabel gave a searching glance across the width of the crowd before her. Even for a place as open as the Grand Hall, the space between everyone was beginning to shrink. The deeper she trekked, the closer she got to being shoulder to shoulder with those around. White uniforms spanned the place from every wall and her ability to discern separate souls was beginning to dwindle.
On occasion, Ezabel would be nudged ever so slightly to one side, only to be nudged again onto her original path. Not that she had a path at all. She was roaming in every sense of the word. The ‘south door’ was her apparent destination and she could see its archway not too far from where she stood. But, it made little difference. There were still too many people at the foot of the threshold for it to be an easy walk.
Nevertheless, she carried on in its direction. Among the liveliness of the hall, one thing stood out to Ezabel. It was something that she pondered enough to momentarily forget her step. Despite the sea of white and gold regimentals, she did not see a single cloak. There were no Attendant Knights in the Grand Hall. Even for the few sponsored candidates she recognized, there were no Attendants around them. Only keepers and candidates. - It was long enough of a peculiar distraction to see Ezabel just about walk straight into the chest of a passing person.
Her legs crossed over one another, skipping off the to side to avoid bumping into the man. For that split second, her heart jumped and her breath froze. That was close. From her lips came a deep sigh. Fortunately, there was far too much going on for anyone around to give her even the slightest moment of consideration. Not even the man that had been nearly walked into paid her much attention.
“Ezabel!”, a familiar voice called out from the noise.
Her eyes darted upward and looked curiously in its direction. Many heads and many more faces littered her view. But, a single arm raised itself and stood just a bit higher than they. From it, a pair of glasses shone against the bright lights of the hall. Dani. Ezabel recognized her and smiled as soon as she could see her face.
They paced toward one another, stopping only when other candidates crossed their path. Though, it’s safe to say that the pair practically walked through most of them without much concern. Even though it had only been the better part of a day since they separated, it felt as though a week’s worth of things had happened. That became glaringly clear when Dani paced into the open wearing the same uniform in its entirety.
Admittedly, Ezabel felt it strange to see Dani in the Order’s garb, even if she thought that her friend deserved it. For some odd reason, it seemed as though Dani wore it brighter and fit the piece far better than she ever could. Was she jealous? No, not quite. But, it would be a lie to say that she was entirely comfortable with the idea that Leland chose to mentor Dani over her. Nevertheless, she shook the thought from her mind. It was a slippery train of thought and Ezabel knew better than to have anything of the sort associated with a friend.
“Dani!”, she called out with a bright smile. In the end, it was good to finally reunite with someone familiar. She had gone far too much time in an entirely new place. Dani was just the person she needed in order to find her footing again.
“Wow, you look amazing in that, Ezabel!”, Dani’s eyes practically glowed with admiration. Her hands were clasped together while she swung her head, glancing all across Ezabel’s shape.
“T-thanks! You as well!”
“You’re part of Group Eight, right?”
“Yeah, I am. How did you know?”, Ezabel tilted her head. Her eyes went wide with genuine surprise.
“Zo told me. We’re in the same Group! C’mon let me take you over there.”
Without a wasted second, Dani took Ezabel’s hand into her own and began to weave through the crowd. The abruptness saw Ezabel’s focus far more awake and her energy renewed. Her steps followed Dani through many turns and curls until they finally reached one side of the south door. There, against a towering wall of marble, Zo floated in plain sight.
His white fur stood out immediately, even if the golden aura around him was outshone by the light of the Grand Hall. While Ezabel was happy to see that he was there as well, she was puzzled by the look of worry on his face. Granted, Zo was not the most confident individual, judging from what Ezabel had seen earlier in the day. But, she had at least expected some sort of excitement on his end.
The night was a pillar of celebration that made even the dimmest of people look up. So, why then was Zo being so fidgety as he hovered there? - Ezabel lowered her gaze and soon found the answer. Sat on a bench directly beneath Zo was Hubert. He leaned forward in his seat, where his chin waited nervously atop his palms. Even the uniform that now found itself on his person did not do much to instill a sense of confidence, it seemed.
Though, how could Hubert feel any kind of conviction when, of all people, Gilford sat far off on the opposite end of the same bench? No longer was there excitement in Ezabel, only the feeling of awkward dread. She entirely understood Zo at that very moment. To think that Group Eight had within it, the same person she had started a quarrel with. On top of that, Hubert and Gilford had a contentious relationship between them already!
“O-oh! Hello, Ezabel. Welcome to Group Eight!”, Zo stated aloud with a shaky voice. Even as he greeted her, his eyes darted between Gilford and Hubert, as if something could start between them at any moment.
“Thanks, Zo!”, she replied whilst her arm stretched to rub the back of her neck. What could she do now? She had already introduced herself to ehm earlier in the training grounds. It may have not been the most traditional way to do so, but it still happened. Was there the need to do it again?
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