The following events went by fast.
“Ruby!” Aurelia exclaimed.
There was no time nor space to make a scene right there in the temple, so Xanis without a word just grabbed Ruby by the arm and dragged her away, not giving her time to argue. The siblings followed, but said nothing, Theo’s head clearly somewhere else.
While the ceremony continued, both brother and sister made their way to a fort. The structure was big, maybe just as big as the temple and was also made of white stone. It was located on the opposite edge of the ‘guilders’ area, near where the nobles and the rich lived.
Ruby wanted to talk, but the second she opened her mouth Xanis gave her a stare strong enough she immediately closed it. She wasn’t dumb enough to now know what happened, it was obvious Theo hadn’t gotten his Guard glass and now they were blaming her. Was it really her fault? It couldn’t be. All she had done so far since the moment she picked up those knitting needles was to try and be in everyone's good graces.
Quicker than expected, however, they were inside what seemed like an administrative building. There weren't many people around, just a few clerks and a few guards here and there doing paperwork. Soon enough, they were led to a room upstairs.
The crude hallway had a few purple rugs of simple craftsmanship, but besides a barred window, there was nothing else that made it stand out and not remind her of a prison. Was she going to jail now?
“Wait here.” It was an order.
Xanis knocked on the door and after a faint reply, he got inside.
Ruby could barely hear them talking, but there was too much of a distortion she couldn’t understand anything. Not being able to distract herself, her attention fell on her brother. Her eyes landed on him, but again he refused to even look back, clearly distracted on purpose by the suddenly interesting floor.
Should she say anything? Xanis had made it clear no word should be said yet, but should she anyway? Make her case? Maybe Theo wasn’t saying anything yet because he was looking for words. Whatever the case was, it didn’t matter. The whole situation was making her nervous. She just hoped it didn’t end up with her being kicked out of the orphanage.
“I’ll need to find shelter first…” She thought as a million horrible scenarios went through her mind. They were not new though, as before the competition back as Amy she had been in a similar situation.
Fortunately, before her thoughts turned darker, Xanis came out from the room and signaled both of them to go inside. Quickly closing the door again once they sat.
The room was an office, sparsely decorated with a few other purple flags, rugs, and a shelf containing a few knick-knacks she could only see happening in a fantasy novel. Behind the big desk full of scrolls and a bottle of ink, was a young man with very dark green hair. He didn’t seem to be older than Xanis, even younger she would say, but he held himself differently.
While Xanis stood by the door, the young man kept quiet, his hand moving quite fast as he wrote on a piece of parchment. His hair was relatively short and his looks were slightly rugged, but still attractive and full of life. As his hand was reaching the end of the line, the tilting of his head showed long ears. Ruby decided she would ask about that one day, but not now as the man finished writing his letter.
“I’m sorry for making you wait.” He said after clearing his throat. His hands, however, were still occupied, finishing the last details and preparing the envelope for the letter.
“Theodore, welcome, I’ve heard a lot about you from Xanis. You, on the other hand, must be Ruby, as I’m told.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Jade.” Theo answered without hesitation, right palm by his heart.
Ruby just stared wide-eyed for a second and then copied her brother.
Sir Jade Allacaster Redthorn turned out to be the Commanding Officer of the Ronzés Guard, meaning he was the boss of the bosses in this place. He took the introductions in stride and was quite polite to both Ruby and Theo, talking in a very smooth, eloquent and overall slow cadence.
“Now, let’s go to the heart of the problem, for there’s a reason you’re both here. My understanding is that tonight, being awakening night, Theodore here was meant to get the Guard class, but that wasn’t the case. Correct?”
Theo gulped, finally staring at Ruby for at least a split second. “Correct, sir.”
“Would you be willing to disclose your Class with us?”
Theo inhaled before answering. “I-I got the Detective Class, sir.”
“I see, it’s clearly not a Class we’ve heard of nor a path we can help you guide from the get-go. Do you, Miss Ruby, happen to know what a ‘Detective’ is?”
She stared at Theo for a second, not clearly following, and then back at the commanding officer. His face was completely placid and did not show any specific emotion.
“Well, yeah, they-”
“So would I be correct when I say you had an influence over your brother’s current Class?” He interjected.
Ruby frowned, not liking where this was going. Flashes of how she had told Theo about a Guard skill and how he was training it came back to her immediately. She hadn’t known this would happen at the time. She didn’t know anything really.
“I-I- No, I mean-”
“Please, don’t lie to us, Miss Ruby. Let alone here, where falsehood has no room.”
“What? I’m not lying, I didn’t know-!”
“Let me stop you right there Miss Ruby. For this matter is simple, no matter how complicated one might think of it. Theo, Xanis, nor I, the commanding officer of this garrison, have ever heard of this Class, yet you have. So now, I need to know for certain. Did you have an influence over his Class? Yes, or no?”
She knew, no matter what she said, it would end up in a total shut-down. Her eyes went towards Theo one more time, but to her surprise, she found them watery, ready to burst. He had his head held high, however. “Oh god, what have I done?”
She gulped, and staring back at Jade, she relented. “I think so, yes.”
Jade just gave a heavy sigh, before he continued.
“Theodore, I will not ask of you to tell me your skills, but am I correct in assuming your Class still aligns with our Guard duties?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Very well, you’re dismissed then. You are to report tomorrow to Xanis at dawn, I’ll be sending word to your captain of your situation. It’ll take time to adjust to our parameters, but new Classes are always welcome.”
“Thank you, sir.” His voice seemed dry, and without further ado, he motioned to leave. He exchanged a few words with Xanis on his way out, but only at a whisper level.
Ruby still wasn’t sure what had happened. She knew a Detective would be great as a Guard in this whole fantasy setting, then why were they not letting her explain herself? So… she asked.
“Why wouldn’t you let me explain myself?”
“Because, Miss Ruby, you don’t seem to understand the problem.”
Ruby stared, knowing she had clearly fucked up by messing with her brother’s idea of what Guards did.
“I’m a Future Breaker. That’s it, right?” She’d heard it multiple times already. Layla seemed a fan of the nickname and her past-self had quite the infamy around her neighborhood.
“Is this what? The fourth time? The fifth? I think I lost count.” Interrupted Xanis from the back, sarcasm clear in his tone.
Jade gave him a look, quickly making him shut up.
“Allow me to explain, for I don’t think Xanis gave himself the trouble to do so. You must understand, Miss Ruby, that new Classes show up every winter solstice around these parts. It’s a fairly common occurrence I would even say. However, The Guard is a very old institution. With mentorship plans, correct instruction, and specific training, we have collected along the years a roster of all possible classes that are useful to us. We always make sure that every single trainee gets one of the classes within our list. Why? Because we know them like the back of our hands. A class we know is easier to train and to support, we know what skills they might get and how to accommodate them. Do you see what the problem is now?”
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
What the commanding officer said made things click. The class itself was not the problem. If it was useful for them, then great. It’s the lack of knowledge on how to make it grow.
Seeing Ruby make the connection, he continued.
“Xanis has taught many a student before, he’s no beginner in this. If he tells me Theo was meant to get the Guard class, and all of a sudden, he doesn’t get the Class he was tailored for, I can’t help but suspect foul-play. My understanding is that it was never on purpose, correct?”
She slowly nodded.
“Good, as I’m not a fan of punishing the unawakened.”
“But Sir!”
“Wait outside Xanis.”
The demon stopped himself short. Then, after a short pause, he left.
The fact that Ruby wasn’t going to be punished gave her hope. At least there was a way out, though she knew she wasn’t out of trouble completely. Theo hadn’t seemed angry, but… hurt. She never meant for things to happen this way, but she could understand now it did have to do with her own actions.
“Considering that Theo now is holding a Class we are not familiar with, it’ll have to be added to the roster if it turns out useful. For which, he’ll require all of his training, duties, and his overall role within this garrison to be built from the ground up. This means that whatever idea he had prepared himself for with his mentorship and the future he had in mind now will be… different, and not necessarily pleasant I’m afraid. Now, my skill is leading me to the veracity of it all and I can see your regret, for it was unintentional from the beginning. Reason for which I plan on having you write all the information you can on what you know about this whole ‘Detective’ concept before you leave this room.”
His expression remained neutral, still composed as he gave her a piece of parchment and the feather he had been using so far to write.
Ruby didn’t know how to feel. On the one hand, she felt relieved she wasn’t getting kicked out and knew for a fact Theo could make it within the garrison and end up having a permanent position with them. On the other, she knew she had fucked up. She really had had good intentions and never meant to hurt him, but she could understand where she had made the mistake.
During the fashion competition, in one of the first few rounds, she had to work with another designer who was very different from her. The guy had made a mistake which put them near the bottom and barely scraped by to the next round. That mistake was never meant to happen, but it could have easily cost them the competition.
“Damn it all.”
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Ruby got home almost an hour later, after being escorted by Xanis. He had said no word during their walk, and she had no intention of harboring ill for that. She was more worried about what Theo had to say. She hadn’t been a sister for too long, but knowing she fucked up so fast made her feel pretty bad.
She tried to redeem herself by giving as much information as she could towards Sir Jade, though she had to be vague at times with certain details. Did Jade ask her how she knew that or came up with the information? No. For some reason he didn’t and she was thankful for that because she wouldn’t have answered. Sure, maybe Guards can tell she’s not lying, but she had seen enough sci-fi to know what happens when an otherworlder shows up. Doctors in the 16th century were no joke, she wasn’t going to let them get her.
“So it happened again.” Wasn’t a question, but a fact. Mrs. Sianna’s voice cut through the dead of night as Ruby opened the door.
The older woman had been waiting in a rocking chair, the candle at her side already half melted.
“It was never my intention, mistress.”
“So I’ve been told. Theo made quite the case despite your history.”
“I-”
She didn’t know what to say. Then, after a heavy sigh from Mrs. Sianna, she continued.
“He’s waiting for you in the other room. You’re the last one to arrive tonight so, I want lights out in thirty minutes, understood?”
Ruby gulped and just nodded, seeing how Mrs. Sianna left through the main door towards the city instead of going back to her office.
Then, after collecting herself, she went to the dining room. She found him covered in a blanket, staring at the ceiling in the half-lit little corner he was sitting at. He didn’t look at her, but she could tell he was looking for words, the right thing to say if there was any. She at least did have some in hand she felt like they needed to be said.
“I’m sorry Theo.”
He stared.
“I’m sorry too. I…”
“No. Theo I screwed up. You trusted me, I told you things I shouldn’t have right before today, and I screwed up.” Ruby sat before him, owning the mistake.
“Maybe, but I didn’t have to listen. I… I’ve known you for so long I just… I never thought-”
His eyes were watery now again. “I wanted to believe that what had happened hadn’t been a big deal, all things considered. He was going to get over it, hell, he was going to be a great detective and catch all of the bad guys once he learned how to be one. But, considering that Theo is just sixteen and has been in the orphanage for years, the real fuck-up was putting his future home at risk, even if it wasn’t on purpose.”
On a big technicality, she was the older sister. She was the one who had to look out for him and make sure he makes it in life, considering the lack of parents and all of that.
After the scarves, she thought she was on a really good track, a nice place to start over, but this was a big setback.
“I’m so, so sorry Theo. Truly. This was never meant to happen.”
He didn’t meet her gaze.
“Look, I know this feels horrible, but I promise you that your Class is going to be great, you are going to be an excellent guard and-”
“But I’m not a Guard, Ruby. Not capital G guard. I’ll be at the garrison but I’m not a Guard, that’s the whole point of this!” He was raising his voice, but calmed down when Ruby didn’t flinch and just stared him in the eye, owning her fault on the matter.
“I’m truly sorry Theo.” He avoided her gaze.
There was a slight pause in between them.
“I… I was told not to talk to you anymore.” He added the last sentence in a very low sad tone.
That was… not a surprise all things considered, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt to hear. They were both brother and sister, and while she didn’t know him enough to really feel like a complete and utter brother, she did find him a nice friend to have around. An ally even, knowing he was the first he stood up for her, even putting a good word towards Mrs. Sianna.
Now, things didn’t feel right between them. She thought about arguing or asking for another chance, but she noticed how hurt Theo was.
She slowly nodded, sadness reflecting in her face. She had said she was sorry and that hadn’t changed. There was nothing more to be said. Ruby thought about leaving and made a motion to leave, but Theo stopped her, opening a little nook of his blanket. She stared for a second, but quickly sat by his side. Both sat in silence looking at the ceiling, staring at the grooves and little small circles in the wood. None did motion to move or leave, so they just stayed there contemplating life as the minutes went by slowly.
Both stayed there without uttering a word until the moment broke away when they heard the front door open, both scrambling for their lives, only leaving the little scent and smoke of a candle recently blown out in the room.
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After leaving Ruby at home, Sianna made her way towards the bridge. It was the middle of the night, but it was awakening night and there were still a lot of people middling the streets. At this point, the ceremony was already over, but she could hear several households celebrating the classes their children had received, hoping they could join their parents' business, join a guild, or just be happy about their future prospects.
The light of the moon was enough to light her way, though there were several Guards patrolling the streets, each pair holding a magical torch of some kind, illuminating the muddy passages and few cobbled roads.
Once at the bridge, she waited for a few minutes until a dark figure started to approach from an alley.
“Missa, thank you for coming.”
The dark figure was a dark-skinned elf, her body and most of her face hidden in dark heavy robes and a slight see-through umber veil.
“Sianna, it’s been a while.”
“I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused. I received your notice, but I just wanted to make sure so I arranged this meeting.”
“No, I understand. The Black Violet was interested in the rumor, so I came to check it out to put it at rest, for everyone’s sake mostly.”
“So she’s not an apparition of some kind? Not a monster, nor a doppelganger? I’m afraid those are the only creatures I can think of, but you would know better.” She asked once more, just like she had done in her letter a few nights ago. She had tried her best these days to act as normal as possible around her, but the nerves were still there.
“I’m afraid we can’t be sure about the doppelganger, for identifying that kind of creature goes beyond my own capabilities.”
Sianna’s expression turned hard.
“Oh Sianna, relax already. She’s no monstrous creature. I’ve told you so. I stand by my word and that of the Black Violet that your Ruby was properly scanned by several of us while she was at the temple. She’s human alright. Besides, if we were to bet on the doppelganger theory, I’m sure the evil twin is already gone, for she didn’t behave like the rabid child you spoke of.”
Sianna’s whole body seemed to lose quite the amount of tension in that moment, shoulders finally going down after what seemed ages.
“You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that. I trust in your word, Missa, and there are very few in this world who’ve ever heard me say that.”
“Haha, I know Si. Worry not, for the child is not a danger. Not more than what any child is to another at least.”
With another relieved sigh, Sianna was finally able to put most of her preoccupations regarding Ruby to rest. She still believed the young girl was a troublemaker, considering tonight’s events at least, but she could at least find peace in that there were no fists and kicks flying around. Theo was now an adult, so it was time for him to deal with his own problems.
After pleasant goodbyes, the woman started to make her way back home. Sadly, now that Ruby’s whole debacle had been put to rest, her mind couldn’t help but stray and think of the children that would be leaving her home.
“Eight kids this year.” She released a trembling sigh.
Eight was a big number. Not the highest, but a big number nonetheless.
As she kept on walking back, the celebrations continued. People drinking and the lights flickering inside the homes of both the rich and the poor. Everyone was absolutely happy.
Sianna, however, dreaded this day, for it was time for eight of her kids to go away now. While to most parents it usually happened once or twice in their lives, to Sianna it happened every year.
Every year she would see her children leave. A permanent reminder they were never truly her own.
Every. Single. Year.