“What's wrong with you now?”
Duxton glared down at Sybil. She was sitting with her back against the wall and her head was bobbing back and forth. Sleep was pawing at her eyes, dragging them shut whenever she fought to keep them open. And as unfortunate as her situation seemed, Duxton was the unlucky one who had been paired off with her.
They were idling at the top of a tall tower, one of two in the area. If the defending general was successfully kidnapped or their satchel taken, they were to be brought here. Another point had been made for the defensive team on the opposite side of the test field. That was where they would bring the satchel once the attacking team appeared. Alton was waiting there with Mila, and he, like Sybil, was fighting off sleep.
Sybil rubbed at her eyes at let out a yawn. “Sorry... There was a lot of last minute work or, I don’t know, some other excuse that sounds real.”
Shaw raised up a spyglass and looked through it. “I am certain that that is exactly what you were doing. Working,” he muttered under his breath. “Lady Marjoram and Beat have entered the fort.” They would be acting as the interior observers for the duration of the exam. “We still have a half-hour before the test officially begins.” And, much to his dread, seven hours left in their shift.
“At least the tower has some shade built above it. We did pack food?” Duxton looked up eagerly at Shaw, who nodded. Gwyn had helped him prepare the food late last night. “Then at least I have something to look forward to. Isn’t that- Ah, we’ve lost her.”
Duxton shifted his leg off to the side as Sybil slumped over. Her head thudded against his thigh. She wouldn’t have been so tired if Henry hadn’t woken their squad up before dawn. He had insisted that the exams weren’t an excuse to fall behind on their weapons training.
“Why did we volunteer for this?” Shaw scowled at the pair.
“Because it was either this or receive yet another Till lecture about how lazy we’ve been.” Duxton began to dig his fingers through Sybil’s hair like she was a cat. “I prefer this,” he said softly. “Who is your little boy toy, hmm?”
Sybil began to quietly whisper to herself. “You are, my little fishy face…”
Shaw’s face immediately twisted with disgust. “... What.”
“She mistakes me for Alton whenever she passes out,” answered Duxton.
Shaw scoffed with disgust. “Don’t take advantage of her,” he growled between his breath.
“... But she’s so adorable when she drops her guard. It’s like a little child.”
“A child that is going to stab you when she wakes up.”
“And that's why I'm wearing a pendant, you idiot,” said Duxton as he pointed to his neck. “Added protection. I'm no fool. And besides, the situation she's in right now is her own fault. She's the one who didn't bother to sleep.” Duxton frowned. “... Why is she so useless when it comes to defending herself?”
Shaw plopped down next to Sybil. He lifted her up and rested her against his shoulder. Duxton was right about one thing. She did flop around rather helplessly as though she were in a coma.
“What are you doing?” Duxton was appalled by Shaw’s behavior.
“Defending her,” replied Shaw. He draped his cloak around her.
Duxton reached out towards Sybil’s hair and Shaw’s shield appeared between them. “Treason,” he hissed.
“Stop using that as an excuse for everything,” scolded Shaw. “You were the one who volunteered us for watch. Fulfill your duties and examine the surroundings. I will ensure that Sybil remains safe from the likes of you.”
“You’re supposed to be my guard,” muttered Duxton.
“And I tell you time and time again to consider the consequences before you do something stupid, my lord,” replied Shaw apathetically. He was immune to Duxton’s scowls.
Now it as Duxton’s turn to scoff. He stood up and leaned against the edge of the wall. The sky was a dull blue, with not a single cloud to add some color. It seemed like they were in for another blistering day. His eyes closed as a weak breeze blew against his cheeks. What he wouldn’t give for the fresh days of spring to return.
A few hours passed and the heat was what woke Sybil up. Her first sensation was that of Shaw’s cheek resting against the top of her head. She pried herself loose from his grasp, realized what had happened, and let out a loud shriek. Shaw was then rudely awoken by a sharp slap to the face.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” Sybil exclaimed.
“He was attempting to do it first!” Shaw pointed to Duxton, who was in the middle of nibbling a mutton sandwich.
And that was a perfectly reasonable and believable excuse. Sybil immediately began to rub at his cheek apologetically. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t know what was going on and I just assumed… Sorry!”
Shaw looked off to the side. “... Mistakes happen,” he muttered.
“Don’t baby her,” muttered Duxton with disdain. “She’ll never learn if you blindly accept her apologies.”
“You’re the one who put him in that position,” hissed Sybil.
Duxton shrugged. He then pointed over the edge of the wall. “The offense team has begun to scout around the perimeter. There’s plenty of food for a meal and show.”
Both Sybil and Shaw stood up and looked over the edge of the wall. Gideon was hidden within a grove. Two of his scouts were giving him their report. All three cloaked figures appeared to be in the fort. Their priority was to set a trap for them first, then they could safely move into their assigned positions.
He began to point at the map while giving out his orders. “There are two obvious points of entry, but they might be expecting us there. Tycho, I would like for you to go here.” He pointed to a wooded section. “There are four possibly places where their runner has been ordered to drop off the satchel. Statistically, they will need to cross this open field. That’s where I want you to prepare your ambush.”
“Sounds like a plan,” replied Tycho.
“We'll give you ten minutes to get into position and then we're moving in.” The rest of the group nodded.
As soon as Gideon felt like he had given the scout enough time, he and the others headed to the fort. His raised up a stick that had a handkerchief tied to it. It was a plain-looking gray thing with the Starsons insignia embroidered on it. Gideon didn't have anything more appropriate to use as a flag.
The sharp sound of a whistle blew through the air. One of the outer sentries had blown it the moment they caught sight of them. Gideon didn't feel concerned. He merely held up his other hand and gave them a wave.
“I would like to speak to your general, please.” He and his group were armed, but they hadn’t drawn their weapons. They had been instructed to keep a calm composure as Gideon led their discussions. The majority of them were unhappy with this plan.
“This is how we fail,” muttered one of the boys behind him.
“We should have refused to accept him as our captain. He only got that position because that squire knew him,” growled the girl from Petalmist.
Though they were suspicious, the sentry gave a nod. “Give me a moment.” They disappeared within the fort, then reappeared at the top of the building. Standing with them were both the teens wearing black and blue cloaks. The general and their guard.
“Greetings! I'm Gideon Toval!” He lowered his makeshift flag and smiled in a friendly fashion.
“Deacon Yarrow,” said the one in the blue cloak. He was a plain-looking teen with blonde hair and dark eyes. He didn't have a school uniform under his cloak like most of the other applicants. Instead, he had simple cloth armor.
“I'd like to negotiate the terms of your surrender,” shouted back Gideon. He ignored the fact that the teen in the black cloak had started to laugh.
Duxton focused the spyglass. “Why is it that whenever I think I’m in to witness a good fight, absolutely nothing happens? What a horrifying trend.”
“The metal girl is on the move,” replied Shaw.
Hayden had been waiting in a nearby tree. The whistle was her signal to get moving. She dropped down was now running at full speed towards the drop off point. Then she slowed down and looked behind her.
She hadn’t noticed the sounds of combat. Was she supposed to run off if combat hadn’t yet started? Then again, she was told to deliver the satchel once the enemy had approached. With a shake of her head, Hayden continued running. It was possible that her team had gotten silently taken out, and the whistle was a desperate plea for her to flee. No matter what, she was going to make it to the hut.
Lady Featherby had other plans. The field was covered in tall grass, leaving the lynx completely hidden. A breeze blew through the field, and Tycho tapped her back. She made a mad dash towards Hayden, snatched the satchel in her teeth, and gave a hard yank.
It was enough force to make Hayden stumble. She went to smack the cat with her quarterstaff, but Tycho had leapt out of the grass and knocked her to the ground. He sliced through the satchel’s strap and let Featherby run off with it.
Hayden shoved him off of her. The satchel was the priority. She began to serpentine as she chased the lynx, dodging right and left as Tycho shot out a spree of arrows. He was forced to duck down as Hayden launched a handful of throwing knives at him, and continued to fire back once she continued her chase.
“Does the cat have a pendant too?” Shaw looked over to Sybil.
Sybil spoke between bites of her meat pie. “Chi made a collar for her yesterday. Hopefully it works... Neither of us saw a reason why it wouldn't.”
She then stared at her meat pie. This wasn’t one of the normal one from the kitchens. It had a combination of lamb, mint, white wine, sour cherries, mushrooms, and some herbs she couldn’t identify. Gwyn must have made it. Now she felt guilty, because it was likely meant for Shaw to eat and baked with love.
Meanwhile, at the fort, Deacon was trying to get a read on Gideon. All he was doing there was standing there peacefully… It was confusing.“Continue,” he said.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Without going over the specific details, let's just say that we were given a mission that didn’t suit our particular set of skills. Stealth and tact are best left to others. However, we are good at fighting. The duels yesterday were enough to prove that. I know for a fact that your group is also skilled at combat.” Gideon shrugged.
“What is your point?”
“We were told to treat this as a real mission. With that in mind, both of our goals should be focused on minimizing risk of death. Right now, your fort is surrounded. The future is an unpredictable one. We have no way of calculating the victor nor do we know who will be surviving this.”
“There is a time limit,” replied Deacon. “We only have to hold until your time is up.”
“You’re bluffing,” said Gideon. “Six soldiers is hardly enough to hold a fort. Certainly, you have traps in place. We have magic. Again, there is a factor of unpredictability, which is why I am here to negotiate for a different solution.
All I want is for you and the black cloak to come with us. An army will be willing to exchange prisoners of war in order to assure your safe return. Your life will be spared. The lives of your men will also be spared. Statistically, it is better that we both take the option that guarantees that we live to fight another day.”
Deacon narrowed his eyes as he folded his arms. He made a show of himself thinking, but it was all an act to buy Hayden more time. “Agreed.” They were told to prioritize his life and the delivery of the satchel. At a moment like this, Deacon was going to trust his instincts.
“You can't be serious. We have the advantage,” argued the one in the black cloak.
“He’s right. We were told to treat this with as much realism as possible, and Toval has taken that into consideration. He isn’t lying to us. We live if we surrender, and Hayden will succeed in delivering the package,” replied Deacon calmly. “I consider this to be a win.”
“Our only goal is to pass the exams. We have to prove ourselves in action if we’re going to be squires,” spat out the black cloak.
“Inaction is a valid choice in this scenario,” replied Deacon.
“Inaction will only succeed in sending us home!” The black cloak drew out his sword, and immediately vanished in a wash of gold light as an arrow pierced his neck.
Gideon turned around as the girl from Petalmist lowered her bow. “What are you doing?!”
“Winning,” she replied. “Our orders were to kill him, and he had a point. I don't think I'm going to pass if the only thing I do is let you talk.”
“I was given the position of command and I told all of you to stand down!” Gideon shouted back. The sound of a soft bell chimed through the air, and he turned again to see that Bryn had protected him with his shield. Their opponents had started the counter-attack. “... T-thanks.”
“Stand down!” Deacon's voice called out. He may have been willing to talk, but the rest of his squad had begun to go on the offensive.
Gideon slashed his arm through the air. “Pull back!” It had been a mistake to bring them here. He didn’t have a choice though. If he didn’t show up with as many as he could, he would’ve made it appear as though he were setting up an ambush.
Bryn grabbed onto his hand and started to pull him away. “They’re not going to listen! Looks like we'll have to go forward if we’re going to stand a chance!” He made it to the wall and braced himself next to the door.
Spells and arrows were already flying through the air. The melee defenders rushed out to meet their attackers, and Bryn and Gideon snuck inside. They made their way to the second floor, where Deacon had ducked behind the war. He had a hand pressed against the side of his head. Things hadn’t well.
“I really wasn't planning this,” blurted out Gideon.
“The lot of them had been arguing with each other and me since yesterday,” replied Deacon. “I assume your orders were to keep me alive as a war prisoner?” Gideon nodded. “And yet they somehow let you walk right in without resistance.”
Bryn shrugged. “It's four on four out there. Hard to say who the winner is going to be.” He eyed Deacon suspiciously. “Would you mind if we tied you up? We could use you as a hostage if your side ends up winning the fight.”
“Go ahead. I was fine with surrendering. We weren’t given a mage, so it was only a matter of time before a spell allowed you to break in. Honestly, I would’ve preferred the outcome you proposed.” Deacon's sound reasoning made Gideon sigh with relief.
Lady Marjoram had been listening in.. She thought this was as good of a time as any to speak up. “Mister Alder, please break up the fight. I am calling an end to the exam.”
“Did Lieth make it to the extraction point?” Deacon hadn’t expected them to end the exam so soon after the fighting started.
“I'm uncertain,” replied Marjoram. “Gather your belongings and prepare to move out. The outposts should be reporting in soon to see where the satchel ended up.”
Hayden hadn't made it back. Although it was difficult, since Gideon had told Tycho not to kill her, she had been subdued. Tycho had cut through the leather ties that kept her legs on and took them with him. This angered Hayden. She glared at him with all the fury of the core in her eyes as Tycho ran away.
The applicants made their way back to the barracks and waited in the mess hall while Till met with Buttonweed and Marjoram. One by one, they were called away. There was a growing worry when none of them returned, leading Gideon to tap the fingers of one hand nervously on the table as though he were playing the piano.
Rowan and Elm were present at the meeting, as were both Alton and Duxton. They were asked to come so that they could voice their opinions. Duxton's opinion was that he was happy that the exams ended with an all out brawl, but he chose not to say that out loud.
“That was certainly an interesting challenge. As I recall, this was based on one of Sir Stonetoe’s missions from the war.” Marjoram was looking through a stack of papers. Each of the fourteen applicants had been forced to write out a full report of the incident and explain the actions behind their decisions.
Lady Till nodded. “I am considering running the third year class through a similar trial later. This scenario has several elements to it that should provide them with enough of a challenge.” Though she also considered the fact that they'd all do what Prince Duxton told them to do, no matter what side they were on.
Buttonweed didn't bother to look through anything. “I do not desire any of the fools who couldn't follow simple orders. Those who cause failure in order to achieve personal glory have no place in the king’s army. I will take the cleric. No one else.”
“I must agree with Paladin Buttonweed,” added Marjoram. “We can't expect perfection from applicants, however, they chose to disobey what appeared to be a logical plan. Potential can be polished, stupidity is more difficult to fix.” Marjoram separated the piles into two stacks. “These are my pass and fail suggestions.”
Beat flipped through the pass pile. He gave a nod of agreement and pulled out a set of reports. “I will take these two.”
Till looked over at Marjoram's suggestions and gave a nod. “I agree. I am assigning Miss Cully to Bronzescale until we receive news from Sir Trewarne. The rest of the members, aside from Mister Saxifrage, will be assigned to Spiced Tusk. Are we all in agreement?”
Marjoram handed the student profiles to Rowan so could also look them over. “I do believe we have finally new first year class, Lady Till,” she replied with a nod.
The meeting was adjourned, squires were summoned, and only five remained in the mess hall. If Hayden could shoot daggers out of her eyes, Tycho would be full of them. She did not like it when people messed with her legs. Removing them was one insult, but stealing them was something she couldn’t ignore. Now she was was nothing more than a sulken torso while Chickadee worked on repairing the leg straps. This time, he would use much tougher leather.
Tycho kept a nervous grin and looked over to Deacon in hopes of interrupting his conversation with Bryn. The pair had a mutual interest in military tactics, and were discussing different ways the scenario could have been handled. Gideon was moping in the corner, certain he had doomed himself and everyone else that was in his squad. Not seeing anyone to talk to, Tycho settled for scratching at his cat's chin and telling her that she was a good girl.
After a time, Alton walked into the building. He walked to the corner to where a large object had been hidden beneath a tablecloth. He yanked the cloth away and revealed a piano. Then he pulled the bench out from underneath it and sat down so he could begin playing. Lifting up his head, Gideon stared for a moment before he got up. Sitting down next to Alton, he joined in playing the familiar song, taking care of the higher notes while Alton handled the lower ones.
“Someone told me that someone was trying to throw this away in Tiey,” he explained to his younger brother. Zynn had sent a message when he saw the instrument abandoned at the side of a street. “I rushed over and snuck it back on a cart.”
“That was a lucky find,” remarked Gideon. It didn’t sound as well as the piano they had at home, but there was merit in that.
“Eh. I needed to fix up a few things and tune it. Most of my free time lately has been spent either training or planning the exams, but it was nice to have a few minutes each day to work a project I'm passionate about... The only problem is that the barracks workers insisted that I keep it in the mess hall so they could watch me when I play.” Alton smirked at Gideon. “I hope you like an audience.”
“There's not a lot of people here now. I can handle it.” He had never tried to be a professional musician like Alton. Performing for others made him nervous and Alton's prestigious reputation made him moreso. However, this wasn't so bad. After so many weeks of traveling and training for the exams, he was glad to see a piano again. Even if some of the keys were loose and it had some dents.
Alton shrugged. “You're going to have to get used to it. People learn you know how to play something and suddenly you're stuck doing performances for all sorts of events. Then Lady Till makes you do lessons while she lectures you about the importance of honoring the classics. You're also going to have to go into Tilrey and make sure you get heftier gloves for combat training. Don't want to damage your fingers during training or when you're doing chores.”
The music Gideon was playing came to a sudden halt. “What are you... I-I got in?!”
“I'm only repeating what's on your schedule. Make of that what you will.”
Gideon let out a cry of victory and he started to play in a more robust fashion. Both of them began to belt out a popular drunken shanty. Alton was obviously the talented one, but that didn't stop the younger brother from crowing just as loud as the older.
“Hayden!” Zaniyah ran in and nearly tackled the poor girl off the bench she was sitting on. “Congratulations! You got into creepy Bronzescale!” Sybil moved across the room and hugged her from the other side.
Hayden continued to fume. “I want my legs back,” she muttered.
“Chi is almost done with them. So, congratulations!” Sybil squeezed her harder. “Everyone here got in!”
In an instant, the room was full of joy as the other teens realized they passed. Tycho held Lady Featherby by the front paws and danced about with her, and Bryn started to swoon about in an odd manner while Deacon watched in a confused fashion. Zaniyah disappeared in the kitchen, and soon reappeared with a host of sweet treats.
It wasn't long before Zaniyah was dancing with Millie. Hayden joined them as soon as Chickadee finished helping her with her legs. Gideon and Alton continued to play. It didn’t matter if there was an audience or not, Gideon let his fingers fly against the keys as he scolded his brother.
“You bastard. Did you have to take so long in telling us what was happening because you were trying to set up a party?”
“You know I don’t do things small, Gideon. That’s my greatest talent. Let me have it,” replied Alton with an obnoxious grin.
Rowan had come to come to congratulate them, and couldn’t be more displeased by what he found. Elm was amused. His foot tapped against the floor as he leaned against the doorframe. Rowan frowned at him. Elm shrugged. Rowan scoffed loudly as he went back to watching the others be idiots.
“Five squires out of nearly a hundred applicants, and this is the lot they went with.” A total of eight squires. Rowan more than this. He was hoping to be the student head of a large group of potential soldiers, not the leader of a cluster of party animals.
Elm shrugged. “Not much we can do about a war. Plus I like who we got. Smaller groups end up feeling more like a family than a class... Or is this because you said you wanted to try to select new members of the Gilded Court from this group?” Rowan nodded sadly. “At least try to smile once in a while, baby duke, otherwise you’ll scare them off.”
“I swear I am banishing you if everyone starts calling me ‘baby duke’ again.”
Veximarl, who had been standing by them, offered a word of advice. “Pet names are likely to occur in small groups such as this. It happens, but it proves of how much they value you. I had never expected to be a squad captain myself, but it's an opportunity that I've come to cherish. I wouldn't trade it for anything.”
“Dancing on the tables is prohibited!” Beat walked past the trio and stepped on a bench long enough to grab Zaniyah by the waist and yanked her down. She started to giggle in an embarrassed manner as Hayden and Sybil jumped down.
Despite Beat’s protests, celebrations carried on partway into the night. Some squires had to be carried back to their squad rooms. Zaniyah was passed out on Veximarl's back, her head hanging over his shoulder as she snored loudly. He was partially amused by the situation. A year ago, she was the one who carried him about.
He wasn’t brave enough to try to toss her up in her bed. Instead, Sybil helped make a nest of her sitting pillows on top of Zaniyah's fur rug. A smile was given to Sybil after they tossed a sheet on her.
“Another week until you leave on your mission.”
Sybil beamed. “It’ll be nice to eat Miss Iofea’s cooking again.” Once the new first years had finished their week of orientation, she was going to return to Carapace with Alton.
Two whole weeks in Carapace, and she didn’t know how she was going to be able to cram so much fun in such little time. Plus, she’ll be able to come back with Hayden and Gideon. She absolutely couldn’t wait.
She woke up early the next morning so she could help Duxton with his orientation speech. Though, since there were only eight squires, he didn’t want to put any effort into it anymore. Probably just a hello then leave all the talking up to Rowan at that point. And after that, Sybil was free! Free from Duxton and ill responsibility!
“Miss Twist!” Till hastened her footsteps to catch up with her. “I regret to inform you that there has been a change in your schedule. Please prepare to leave for a mission by this afternoon.”