The rest of the ceremony went by quickly, and Cedric was more than a little careful around the crowd. He couldn’t adjust to it, and his new strength didn’t seem to help. If anything, it made him more anxious as he knew that he needed to be careful. Even the slightest mistake from him could seriously hurt someone now. So, with extreme awkwardness, he shook the hands of those that had approached him. A countless number of names and faces, and he remembered none of them. They all blended together into a mass of eyes and flesh. Once the crowd had died down, Cedric made his way to Sir L. He wanted to ask about the medal as he actually hadn’t been able to listen to what had been said at the time.
Sir L was still by the stage, though he stood alone for some reason. He often seemed a bit of a loner, but Cedric liked the man. He was kind and gave advice for more than just fighting. The general and other knights treated him like a soldier, but Sir L treated him like a person. It meant a lot for him and was also the reason he managed to get through the battles. The reason he didn’t feel so overwhelmed from the experiences.
“Hello again.”
Cedric spoke as he stopped beside him. Sir L’s normally unkempt grey hair was combed back and tied into a small tail. He wore the normal uniform, though it had obviously been cleaned for the occasion.
“Hello, Cedric. Did you enjoy the celebrations?”
The old man sounded tired. The question was not what Cedric was expecting, and he considered the past couple of hours. Honestly, the celebration hadn’t been enjoyable.
‘No, it feels wrong. I don’t know why, but I feel like I don’t deserve it.”
He hoped that Sir L would tell him that he was overthinking things, but all the man did was nod and didn’t say anything more about it. The silence lingered for a bit as they stood and watched the churning crowd. Cedric found his gaze drifting downwards, unconsciously returning to how he used to act in the past. It had been an effort to look forward thus far, and he wouldn’t let himself slip now. Forcing the bad memories aside he continued to stare at the crowd and realized that he missed what Sir L had just said.
“I’m sorry, could you say that again?”
Cedric was embarrassed, but he knew that Sir L didn’t mind repeating things. His patience was one of the reason’s why Cedric felt comfortable around the man.
“I said that war will always be something dishonorable. No matter what anyone, and I mean anyone, says, remember to never take pleasure in violence. There is a reason the king refuses to harm another person.”
Hearing the man’s words actually made Cedric more set on his course. The king had always been someone to look up to, and Sir L’s high appraisal only solidified his image in his mind. There was something else that Cedric wanted to ask, something that had been bugging him since the end of the battle. A few things had actually bothered him, and he wanted to understand more. He was no longer as incompetent as in the past and wanted to make better decisions.
“Why are chanters so desperate? I saw them kill people and themselves without concern. I just can’t understand them.”
There was another pause after he spoke, but eventually, the response came.
“Do you know why we don’t check if people have the ability to chant, even among the cities we conquer?”
Cedric shook his head. Honestly, he hadn’t even realized that they could check, let alone chose not to. Both revelations were new to him, and he was eager to know the answer.
“Simply having the ability doesn’t make someone evil or deadly. It is only those that broke the commandments and learned to use the ability that deserves punishment. Those people had gone against the words of our God and king, purely acting out of a desperation for power. Only one of the councilors was part of the group that first broke the commandments. At least, that is what it was like in the past.”
It shocked Cedric how the man sounded like he was reminiscing on a memory. That would be impossible though, as that was over a hundred years ago. Only the king had been alive at the time. Sir L wasn’t done and ignored Cedric’s expression.
“Even now we refuse to harm those who have the ability but never explore it. I know that you have memorized the commandments.”
Cedric nodded a bit sheepishly. He could remember the words of the code if he thought about it, but actually understanding them fundamentally was a bit trickier. Steven had helped him understand the most important parts. To prove that he knew them he recited the basic five principles that all people would know by heart.
“To pursue progress and peace is the goal of the righteous.
Violence is only meant for protection, both of yourself and others.
To live for personal gain is to live for nothing.
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Never take the life of a child under 10 moons old.
All people born in the image of God are equal.”
Those five phrases were ones that he would always remember. There were many more, and he knew the one pertaining to battle, but many of the others were lost on him. Even that fifth one seemed cruel to him. It had been that commandment that had created his past. He was born misshapen; a corruption of the form God gave all men. It was for that reason that he suffered, that he had begun to give up on his life. However, he knew the truth now. He was perhaps the closest to God, even if one arm was still longer than the other. The elixir proved that he was truly connected to God, and the power he had was a testament to it.
“I am glad to see that you have remembered some of them, at least. Children will all be spared, regardless of their abilities, even if they could become a threat to the kingdom. Even now, the king is considering sparing chanters who have never learned to fight. Soon the healers of Elpis will be exempt, and I’m certain some others will join the group.”
Cedric reeled at the words, and Sir L’s pleasure in explaining it to him. His mentor sounded like he agreed with the king. Cedric’s mind turned the words over, and for the moment he found himself unable to get distracted. The mere thought of sparing chanters felt oddly wrong, and hearing Sir L’s agreement was even more jarring.
“Remember that every city we conquest is filled with our own people. They are not foreigners or invaders, but our own who fell for the temptation of power. Not all are to be blamed either, as it had only been a few that began the insurrection. That means to revolt.”
The question died on his lips, as Sir L answered Cedric’s question preemptively. He thought about what he could even say to that but found his mouth feeling strangely dry.
“Never forget that we have never been a nation of cruelty and violence. This is a war to reclaim our home and return our people to the right path. Those that have strayed from the path may be too far gone, but there are still many that remember the old virtues of God. Remember that we fight for them and hold your head high for the people you have saved. “
Sir L’s hand fell on Cedric's shoulder by the end of his statement. The elixir had made Cedric grow, and the gesture was a little awkward. It still filled him pride though and couldn’t help but feel better. He had been hoping for those words even if, he hadn’t known it. They would act as a reminder a beacon for him to look to when in the next fight.
He would fight for them and hold his head high for the people he would save.
The words held his mind while he looked over the still celebrating crowd. He felt a twinge of panic, but it was quickly consumed by another feeling. It had been a while since he last felt it but looking at them now, he understood the feeling. It was a genuine desire to protect them. For the first time in his life, he was in a position to protect others.
Unable to contain his thoughts he spoke, sharing with Sir L his desire for the war and what would come after.
“I want to become a guard for the king. I want to protect this, once the war is over.”
He couldn’t make the statement as solid as he wanted and gestured to the crowd when indicating what he meant. Sir L looked like he understood, and he nodded his head in acknowledgment. They took a moment to just appreciate the scene.
“Well, I guess that means we will have to double your training. Protecting the king will be no easy goal. To truly protect him, you must have the strength to do so.”
There was a somewhat wicked thrum in Sir L’s tone, but he was mostly joking. Not about the training, but in the tone itself. No amount of training could truly push Cedric, his body was far too strong for that now. Smiling stupidly, Cedric wanted to start training immediately, however, Sir L had something else in mind.
“Well then, let's go meet the people you want to protect.”
Those words wiped the smile off Cedric’s face, and his eyebrows rose as high as they could. He wanted to ask if Sir L was being serious but couldn’t manage to speak.
“Yes, I do mean the king, however, I think that will have to be later. For right now let’s go speak to his children.”
As he spoke, he began pushing Cedric towards the two aforementioned people. They were standing off by themselves, none in the crowd dared to approach them. Cedric himself was hesitating but reluctantly followed Sir L anyways. He trusted the man and believed that he would know what to do in this situation.
Once they managed to break away from the crowd and enter the space that had been made for those two, Sir L spoke a quiet greeting.
“Hello, Prince and Princess, it has been a while since we last spoke.”
Cedric flinched at the casual greeting, but the two seemed uncaring of it. If anything, they looked relieved for some reason. The princess started speaking but was interrupted by Sir L.
“Hi, u- “
“Sir L”
The color on Cedric’s face was gone now, and he was making his best effort to not squirm like an insect. Honestly, he just wanted to run away and had grown far more aware of the eyes that were on him now.
“Hello, Sir L and I think your name is Cedric, right?”
The prince’s voice wasn’t as deep as it had seemed during the awards. He had only spoken a little though, and Cedric guessed that he must have heard wrong earlier. Focusing on the conversation took effort, but he wouldn’t let himself slip up here.
“Yes, I am Cedric.”
All three people other than Cedric himself looked very amused by his response. Cedric was furiously trying to remember the proper way to address royalty. Although he couldn’t think straight, and just stopped speaking.
“That is no way to introduce yourself. This boy here said that he wishes to protect the king. So, you will probably start seeing him more frequently.”
Sir L’s tone was serious, but Cedric felt like he was being mocked. He knew that Sir L wouldn’t do that, and the prince’s indignation told him that he understood that it wasn’t a lie.
“My father does not need any protection.”
Cedric wanted to tell him that he was right, that he would never dare to think otherwise but couldn’t bring the words out. He had power now and would get more. He could finally strive to do something great, couldn’t he? Sir L replied for him.
“Even if he can’t, he will just protect the rest of you. That would save your father quite a deal of trouble.”
“I do not need protection either. Do you seriously think he is capable of protecting me?”
Despite the prince's rising anger, Sir L continued the discussion unfazed by the prince's pointed look. Cedric almost moved behind his mentor, but he managed to restrain his movements.
“Yes, he could. He is far stronger than you and your siblings. Honestly, I expect many of the chosen to be assigned to guard duty once the war is over. They are stronger, even when comparing them to someone such as yourself. This boy here stands at the top of them.”