RAY VAN CAMARO
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The Chariot is the seventh card of the Major Arcana in a Tarot deck. It represents moving forward through sheer hard work and commitment. One will come out victorious by moving forward in a positive direction.
Soon after I became a State Jynxist, Pops was promoted to Warden of the West and he and Czeslaw would be moving. Czeslaw would also be joining the military from there.
Not long after that, Gilead was struck with a plague. Unfortunately, Uncle Tristan and Aunt Alayne caught the disease and died, leaving Trisha by herself. It was a miracle that she even survived as I heard she went around the village healing the diseased.
She’s all alone now.
Because of my duties in the Capital, I wasn’t allowed to visit her. And even if I was, Gilead was quarantined for two years. But she wrote often and I was glad she befriended an adventurer who was quarantined in the village with her.
State Jynxists who were in the military were immediately promoted to colonel. So not only did I have experience from the pre-military program, I was already a higher-up too. Because of my age, I spent most of my time doing paperwork.
I proved myself during a State of Emergency and I was soon taken seriously. I was put on the City Watch which I took as an opportunity to lower the percentage of crime in the Capital.
When I turned twenty, higher-ups all over the Western and Northern regions began being systematically murdered by a serial terrorist. Nothing was known about him except that there was a scar across his left eye. He even killed the colonel of Gilead that replaced Pops.
I know it isn’t right to be thankful for a death, but I’m glad Pops got reassigned to the most secure military base in the West. I’m glad he wasn’t the one to get killed.
In a move I never saw coming, King Arthureus assigned me jurisdiction for Gilead. He said since I was from there and my Marching Dolls were strong, I was the perfect person to be in charge.
Before I was deployed, I was given the chance to assemble my unit.
Lieutenant Andrea Doria was my first pick. She protected a village from a band of bandits with only her pistol. We met in the City Watch and she became my right-hand man.
My second pick was Officer Maximus Kaiser. He was also part of the City Watch. We often worked together and I found his knowledge and broad skills very useful.
The third was Sergeant Hertog Hendrik. He and I often worked against each other as we were on opposite sides in court. We teamed up on a case once and the trial was over in two hours.
The last I picked was Corporal Latnik Rudolf. He used to deliver the things I asked for and would spy on others for me. Not to make fun of him, but without the uniform, he looked like a boring person.
Private Gama would join my unit five years into my jurisdiction of Gilead. He wasn’t anything special, but I enjoyed his chaotic energy. Sometimes, though, he was too much for me to handle.
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The last colonel in jurisdiction of Gilead was murdered, so I was more than afraid. But what if Scar were to attack again? I was given a duty to protect my village which meant I had to step up.
Besides, I think the lone Trisha would enjoy my company.
My unit and I got deployed as fast as possible that I didn’t even get to say goodbye to Heloise. Gilead was the same when we arrived, though some of the familiar faces I grew up with were gone.
The girls who were my age were shooting flirts at me. I knew from the letters Trisha wrote that I became fairly popular after I became a State Jynxist. I was regularly given stacks of love letters in the months after I passed.
Trisha changed a lot when I reunited with her. She was no longer the curious girl that loved to enjoy messing with me but was now a mature woman. After all, she was alone for so many years and lost her parents.
She got a doctor's certification and transformed a part of her house into a clinic. But the biggest surprise was her appearance—specifically her large belly.
“You’re pregnant?”
She looked at herself. “Really? Thanks for pointing it out. I didn’t notice.”
I gave her a hug. “It’s good to see you.”
“Nice to see you too, Ray,” she replied while hugging back.
“Wait, wait, wait. Who’s the father?”
“He’s not here. He left not too long ago.”
“Wait, did he break your heart—”
She shook her head. “I don’t know anything. He said he had to do something important and that he had to do it to protect me.”
“Who is he?”
“...”
“Okay, I’ll drop it.”
It was clear she didn’t want to talk about whoever the father was. I mean he left her all by herself to carry his child in her womb. But it was clear that even though she didn’t want to talk about him, she still harboured feelings for this man.
Trisha was due in a couple of weeks, so I wrote to Pops asking to send a temporary doctor to aid her in childbirth and take care of her clinic while she recovered. Apparently, King Arthureus was in Seraphim when my letter arrived and sent Dr Creed. He was a renowned doctor, so I was more than happy to let him come.
One day a green-haired elf baby appeared in front of Trisha’s doorstep with a note that read, Hello, my name is Jaime Fontoya. My father is an elf and my mother is a terran. Please take care of me.
Whoever dropped off Jaime clearly wanted Trisha to take care of the her, but Trisha was due soon and I didn’t want the extra burden on her. So I made an offer that I’d look after Jaime and give her back after she was strong enough to take care of two kids.
Little by little, I grew attached to Jaime and I ended up going against our deal and adopting her. News then reached us that her parents were higher-ups in a nearby town and they were murdered by Scar.
How did she get all the way here?
I decided to keep this information to myself.
Dr Creed arrived the day before Trisha went into labour. I stayed with her the entire time, holding her hand when she had contractions. After eight hours of labour, she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy with the same three moles she had under her left eye. His hair was a shade darker than hers. But his eyes were green, which was a completely different colour than her hazel.
“Congratulations, Trisha,” I said. “He looks like you.”
The boy only cried once. He was quiet the entire time as well.
Dr Creed handed the boy over to Trisha.
“Hello, there,” she said.
“Gah! Wah!”
During this, Lieutenant Doria came into the clinic with an opened letter. “Colonel, we just got a message from General Clegane. He’s coming to visit you and Dr Payne. He’ll be arriving on the morrow.”
“Then we’ve got to make preparations,” I groaned. “Why does he always try and surprise us? Damn that man and his old hide!”