Chapter Three:
When You Look at this Stranger, I hope to God you can see My Face
Dmitri
The following morning, as I made my way into school, almost everyone at the academy was congregated around the window of the main office. I wiggled through the crowd to see what the commotion was about, only to find there were six lists present. Three lists were dedicated to kids who were offered positions as second command for the Five Cavalry, which Arthur had been placed on for The East kingdom. Caleb was pretty upset he wasn’t chosen, but Arthur welcomed his offer with incredible relief that he had still gained such a reputable position.
The other three lists were the kids chosen to become one of the Five Cavalry.
For the East Kingdom Calvary, Samantha and Cassidy had been chosen, which made angry snarls echo through the crowd that Gerard had only picked two kids. The South had chosen Poppy, who was ecstatic that she was going to the kingdom she was begging for. But on the sixth list, The North Kingdom’s Cavalry, was one name, printed clearly in beautiful cursive.
Alexander Michael Morgan - Cavalry Number Four – Nomination: Swordsman
My fingers trailed the writing on the list, and though it wasn’t my real name on there, I still felt the gravity of my selection as if were the same. A soft gasp escaped my lips that it really was true, and made everyone turn to me in one single motion. “You got on the list…” Caleb breathed in shock, his eyes wide as he stared at me, “I… You’re The Fourth Calvary. You lucky son of a bitch, I can’t believe you actually did it.”
It took a moment, but everyone erupted in loud cheers and converged to throw their arms around me. I jumped wildly but took the embraces with a small laugh, desperately trying to wiggle out of the enormous hugs and tear-filled wishes I was receiving from each and every classmate. It was incredibly jarring to be the center of attention like this, but the joyous celebration made pride course through my veins. “Congratulations, Alex!” Arthur screamed, slapping my back as he shoveled through bodies.
“Congratulations to you, too!” I echoed as we hugged tenderly.
“Yes, congratulations…” Caleb bitterly hissed, standing off to the side with a sour frown.
I hesitantly slid an arm around his shoulders, which made him blink in shock as I shook him rapidly, “I'm sure you’ll make it into the army; you’re an excellent fighter, and I’m eager to join you on the battlefield. Alexei won’t know what hit him!” I said encouragingly. He slowly looked away from me, a slight blush forming as I let go with a smile.
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The courtyard of the East Cavalry Academy was filled to the brink with excited families. Chairs were set up to cover the entire area, and the fountain bubbled beautifully in the morning light. All of the families were dressed in their best clothes and conversed excitedly about their graduating children. The royal families from the North, South, and East were seated in the back, smiling ear to ear as they waited for the ceremony to begin. Though numerous soldiers were present to protect them, they all were quite casual about their appearance, and conversed excitedly with one another with a few shared laughs.
At first, no one really understood why all three countries were present, as they usually did not come together for each graduation. It took a moment for me to piece together that they were there for me, just as Andrew had stated in his letter. The flush that consumed me at the thought was so intense that it made me dizzy, and I was incredibly honored. No one knew that they were all my aunts and uncles of course, but that made it even more special to me. Them coming was important on another level as well; maybe they were beginning to look past their grievances. Obviously The North and East had, but for The South to come as well… it filled me with such a deep gratefulness that nothing could steal the smile I wore the entire morning.
In the gymnasium, all of the students were seated in various spots, finishing their hair and patting their graduation gowns straight. Samantha and Harley had me sitting crisscross on one of the bleachers, trying to help me tame my messy waves, and laughing at the pout on my face. “Jesus, it never ends! How thick is your hair?” Harley exclaimed as she combed through the locks.
“I'm an ugly monster, I know!” I whimpered, which made them laugh louder.
“Ugly monster? You got voted the hottest boy in the senior class!” Samantha teased.
I rolled my eyes heavily, “Ugh, whatever. You know that stuff doesn’t matter to me.”
“At least you’re humble…” she and Harley stepped back with proud smiles, “Well, Mr. Valedictorian, I think we have made you perfect.”
“Thanks, girls, really. I'm pretty hopeless when it comes to dressing up.”
“That’s obvious,” Harley snorted, flicking my cheek with a wink as they went to finish getting ready themselves. I turned the mirror beside me over and peered over my image, smirking softly. They had gelled through my medium length blob of hair so that it sat in crisp and even waves around my face, taming the ungodly mess that seemed to be the bane of my existence. My eyes didn’t look so boring now that they had their place to shine, but I still missed their original color as I looked at my reflection.
Arthur and Caleb walked up behind me in the mirror’s reflection, both dressed incredibly handsome in their suits and graduation robes. Arthur had numerous student council badges fastened to his gown, and made sure to clasp my own into place so they would sparkle just right in the light. We commended one another’s outfits with a few chuckles, awkward enough, but a bit more lighthearted than we had been the past few days. Arthur grabbed my cap and slapped it on my hair as we talked, which Harley screamed at him because she had to fix it again. “Ready to go? We’re about to line up?” He asked after Harley had beat him with the back of her makeup palette.
“Yes, I'm ready.” I sighed, clutching my speech with shaking hands as I followed him and Caleb to the waiting line. We arranged ourselves by last name before the trumpets blew, signaling the march was about to begin. Once the doors to the main hall opened, excited chatter filled the air. Parents snapped photos wildly as the hundred and thirty of us walked out to our seats, where we all bowed to the crowd before turning to the main stage. Our headmaster led the national anthem for The East quickly before asking us all to be seated. Samantha grabbed my hand once we were in place, squealing excitedly as she tried to sneak a peek at my speech. I chuckled as she fixed another strand of my hair that the wind had pulled loose when we walked outside.
“Hello everyone, and welcome to The Class of 1999’s Graduation,” the headmaster began, her eyes sparkling in the morning sun, “I am very honored to be here with all of you and your families. Throughout my years as a headmaster, I have seen many young adults come and go through the halls of this academy, but this years’ graduating class has truly been one of my favorites. Each and every one of you has an incredible amount of potential. You have all worked extremely hard and have more than earned your right to walk across this stage today…” she smiled to all of us before pulling the itinerary loose, “Let’s kick things off with our salutatorian speech; Hannah McAllister, please join me on stage!”
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Everyone clapped wildly as Hannah stood, trudging up the steps in her thin heels that she had practiced walking in for hours at this point. She set her speech on the podium, cleared her throat, then powerfully began to address the crowd. Everyone listened closely to her words of encouragement, and her parents flashed a million photos of the event. I clung to my battered notebook with shaking hands, trying to level my breathing and absorb some of her confidence as she spoke. She finished her speech with a bow, and the crowd clapped to congratulate her.
The headmaster took the microphone back and turned to me with a warm smile, though her smile made me more nauseous than I already was. “And now, we’ll have our Valedictorian give his speech; Alexander, if you’d please?” I shakily pulled myself upright and received a few encouraging claps to my back before I stumbled up the steps. Having this many eyes on me was incredibly daunting and made me slightly drunk from the intimidation. I fumbled with my notebook for a moment before I took the microphone and adjusted it to match my height. “You can do it, Alex!” Arthur yelled, which made the crowd laugh hysterically.
“Thanks, Arthur,” I joked, cringing at the sound of my voice through the stage speakers before clearing my throat and standing proudly, “June 21st, 1999, is nothing but a normal day to most…” I began, which caught the crowds’ attention thankfully, “But to the East Cavalry Academy’s Graduating Class, it is the day we all become the men and women that our teachers had hoped for these past four years. It is, of course, a day for celebration; we did it. We can finally spread our wings and make the impact on the world that we are destined to make. But that isn’t the only reason to celebrate today…”
In the background, I saw my aunts and uncles all holding proud smiles. Andrew even held a small camera, and his excitement beamed from the back row all the way up to me. My heart squeezed at the sight, and my breathing leveled out as my confidence grew. “We are celebrating the closing of a chapter. Behind us are the days of adolescence, and ahead are years of wisdom we are yet to inherit. Our belief system has been shaped by individuals who were born to breed heroes, which we all are. We are heroes, just, in the making. Every single one of us has the strength, courage, and knowledge to do more than succeed in life, and these skills took four years of constant love and support from our teachers, our parents, and our rulers to flourish.”
I turned the page carefully, and flattened the coffee-stained sheets down so the wind wouldn’t carry them away. “We all came to this academy with one thing in mind; ‘I want to be a Calvary.’ It’s the dream most children in England have every waking moment of their lives. To us, though, it is a reality, and though not all of us were able to become a Cavalry, I believe that we have become something even better; we have become companions.”
Arthur was sobbing into Caleb’s chest, which made him roll his eyes as he patted his arm, “Whether you end up a Cavalry, a soldier, or a normal citizen, everyone that walks away from this school today leaves with the strength of not only their kingdom, but their friends behind them. I know for me, personally, I would not be here today had it not been for the support and care everyone has given me through my time at the academy. From the top of the ladder, being King Gerard and Queen Julia, who came to our school constantly to oversee training and remind us how well we were doing, all the way down to Margaret in the dining hall, who always slipped everyone an extra chicken nugget on Mondays…”
“Go Margaret!” Samantha cried to make everyone laugh and allow me a second to release some pent-up anxiety that was beginning to make my voice rattle.
“They have all been there to help us grow and prosper into the incredible young adults we have become…” The tone of the speech shifted, “Our country, is in the peak of collapse. With The West tormenting each kingdom, it is our job to ensure the safety of not only the royal families, but of our own future families. That is why we all applied to the academy, is it not? Of course we all want to be the shining heroes plastered on the cover of newspapers, and receive medals of honor and a sizable fortune. But at the end of the day, our love for our country is what brought us together.
That love stems from a set of individuals who have ensured our safety for many years, and now, it is our turn to return the favor. All of us have the greatness inside of us to make our country a beautiful place to live again. Yes, it is true; not all of us will make it to our ten-year reunion…” everyone looked at each other sadly at that, “but that doesn’t mean we won’t go down without a fight. I am ready to dedicate my life and soul to The North Kingdom, and I know all of you will do the same for The East in my absence. I have never been prouder than I am at this moment, of not only myself, but of all of you, and I am even more proud to say, finally; congratulations, Class of 1999. We did it.” I closed my notebook, and as I did, the courtyard erupted in joyous celebration.
Everyone was on their feet, screaming and clapping for me like I was a king myself. I bowed with a nervous grin before heading back to my seat, where I received more praise from my waiting classmates. “My, what a speech! As excepted from our future Calvary,” the headmaster joked, winking to me, as our teachers told us to stand.
All of us bubbled with excitement as the first row of students began their walk across the stage, their chests puffed and eyes shimmering. Gerard and his family, who had joined the headmaster on stage, took a stack of diplomas each. I watched each of my classmates proudly shake Gerard’s hand as he handed them their own officially signed diploma. Arthur and Caleb melted like ice when Gerard touched them, which was pretty funny to watch. When my turn came, he lovingly handed me the thick blue document holder and pulled me in slightly. “Congratulations, Mr. Mortimer,” he said, low enough for only me to hear.
Hearing my true name made my heart squeeze, and I shook his hand confidently, “Thank you, your highness,” I sang back. He winked as I moved to take my picture, where I was positioned in front of a blue background. The photographer snapped the photo, surveyed his work, then nodded before allowing me to return to my seat. When I opened the diploma, I gazed at the words on the thick parchment, which seemed to shine like heaven’s light was cast upon it.
This Diploma is presented to:
x Dmitri Michael Mortimer
In Recognition of his Completion and Success at The East Cavalry Academy.
I cupped the diploma to my chest, exhaling deeply to keep myself from choking up. Gerard was quite proud of himself and smiled with the same warmth that radiated through me as I held the diploma with my name so close. Arthur rocketed back to his seat like his life depended on it and wailed obnoxiously as he threw his arms around my neck, which made me laugh as I hugged him back. “You are so dramatic.” I chuckled light-heartedly.
“I'm, so, proud of you…!” He stammered, blowing his nose into a tissue violently.
“Can you hold it together for five more minutes?” Caleb snapped as he sat beside us.
“Can you take the stick out of your ass for five minutes?” Arthur shot back, which made Caleb growl before he turned to congratulate me pleasantly.
Everyone settled down as Gerard took the stage, which made the crowd fall dead quiet. “Graduates, please, stand with me.” We all automatically complied as he confidently addressed the lot of us, “I’ve given a graduation speech every year for nine years, but this year, I have never been prouder to give it. I have watched you all grow into wonderful men and women, and it breaks my heart that I have to hand you off to the world. At the same time, I am handing over the creators of tomorrow. I have full confidence that every single one of you will exceed our expectations and help make this country safe once more. Your greatness has only begun, and from this moment on, I expect to see it shine brighter and brighter every single day…” he motioned for us all to pull our caps off, which we did with eager smiles, “Now, show this world what you’ve got!”
We all threw our caps high into the sky, which was followed by pure celebration.
Everyone found someone to hug and sobbed about how happy they were to one another. Parents shoveled through the crowd to find their kids, who were strangled by proud mothers. Flashes of cameras blinded any passersby, and many people got caught in photos that would one day collect dust in an old, beat-up album. I watched the joy ooze out of my classmates, and that happiness filled me as well, even though I knew that I would celebrate this moment alone. I tried to shake the feeling away and opened my diploma one more time to smile over it. The words were generic and simple, but to me, they were the second greatest achievement of my entire life.
Tomorrow, I would be heading to my first greatest achievement: the North Kingdom.