It didn't take long for the whole town to find out.

"You're really going?! Man, I'm so jealous!"

"Good luck Thanren!"

"Wow! Thanren's actually going!"

It wasn't hard though to decipher what they were really trying to say.

"Why couldn't it have been me?!"

"I hope he dies!"

"I can't believe he's going, he's too weak."

It wasn't hard at all. Although, there were only a few like those that felt fake. Most of them, to my surprise, were genuine. Genuine congratulations, genuine surprise, genuine pleasantries and genuine faces. And most importantly, genuine smiles.

"It's going to be a lot less lonely with you coming along Ren. I didn't know what I'd do being stuck with Mr. Muscle-Brains over here for a couple weeks." Aquila said.

"Like I couldn't say anything about you! Oh my! Being forced to put up with your childish antics and ramblings. My poor ears!" Bren retorted, a cheeky smile on his face.

"You fuc-, idiot!" Aquila shouted, remembering that she was in fact, in front of an 8 year old. With the amount of times I've heard her swear accidentally, however, one more time wouldn't do much harm.

"Thanks a lot, Ren. If you didn't accept the other, we might've been stuck with a dusty old guard the whole journey." Sebas said, uncharacteristically blunt.

Unlike the other two, Bren did not say much in way of thanks after all, but I knew that he was probably too focused on training to think of anything else. It's tough going practising swordsmanship, and its even tougher for Bren. And soon enough, the Royal Guard had arrived a day before the passage.

Their arrival was accompanied by a glorious trumpet flourish and the rhythmic stamping of marching. And when the three prodigies notified the head guard of their chaperone, it seemed they weren't happy, despite their encouragement a few years prior. Yet in the same rite, they couldn't exactly stop me from going either. And in spite of the fact that the guard troupe would be marching a day behind us just in case, in spite of the fact the trail was deemed safe, in spite of the fact we had enough supplies, I couldn't help but be scared.

Oh, was I scared. Even with all those precautions and even the knowledge that I'd be protected by the three prodigies, I was terrified. So terrified that I spent the entire day cooped up in my room, just thinking about what was to come. I couldn't keep those pesky thoughts about betrayal out of my mind nor could I accept them. I just had to be brave. I had to be scared too.

But being scared doesn't mean you're not brave. Being brave is facing adversity, and knowing when to stand up for something. Of course you can still be scared. And of course will I be brave.

[]

"Ren-Ren?" My sister squeaked, opening the door to my room. "You need to come to dinner. You've been here all day."

"I have?!" I couldn't help but exclaim, jumping out of my bed. "Sorry, Lin, just lost track of the time."

"Are you okay?"

Me, okay? "I'm conflicted to say the least, Lin."

"Confited? What does that mean?"

"Con-flic-ted. It means I'm having a hard time with deciding what to do."

"But aren't you just going on a trip? What's there to be confit-flicted about?"

Ah, the wisdom of the childish. If only it was that simple. In a way though, it could be that simple. It truly could be just a trip. And then I'll go back, and get stronger once more. Yes, just a trip.

"Yeah, it's just a trip. Come on, let's go downstairs. What's for dinner?"

"We've got meat today!"

"Ooh! I can't wait!"

* * *

It was the day. Numerous troupes of soldiers sat near the outskirts of Aldfield. A few trumpeters also sat with the soldiers on the side-lines, waiting for the time to sound a flourish. Sebas' father, the town mayor, had fitted us all out in fancy clothes by the town's greatest artisans. Though these clothes were only ceremonial and we would change to proper adventuring gear once we got on our way, it was a nice change to wear such fine clothing. I stood idle, waiting around in a small tent for last minute preparations, allowing some of the suitors to make small adjustments before it would be too late.

Compared to the three prodigies, who had gotten changed with me in another tent, I had looked ridiculous standing next to them, the height difference between me and them becoming all the more apparent. Sadly, being in my suit attracted the attention of my father, just arriving at the tent.

"Oh, look at how cute our son is!" My father exclaimed, lifting me up in his arms and showing me to my mother, following close behind.

"Come on now, Alex, you're embarrassing him!" My mother said, smugly.

And me, embarrassed? No, that redness on my face was nothing at all. I will never admit to being embarrassed.

[]

With a coy laugh, my father put me back down on the floor to find myself looking down on Thanlin, who was hiding behind her mother's leg.

"Is brother going to go away for good?" Thanlin said, surprisingly coherent.

"Not for good Lin, just for a couple of weeks or so." I said, trying to comfort her. From the bagginess of her eyes it seems that she had been crying.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"But bro-"

Drowning out my sister was the long awaited fanfare of trumpets, signalling the arrival of the Royal Guard and His Majesty himself. The last time His Majesty had come for the three prodigies, I was too short to get a good look at the ceremony through the small crowd. Now today I would come face to face with the king himself!

Peaking through the tent covers I caught a glimpse of the parade of horses marching through the town entrance. Next to the Royal Guard Captain I recognised, was the man I was waiting for. Riding a beautiful horse, covered in small plates of armour, was the king, taller than my father and bigger than the town's strongman. His face was covered in scars, a hard glare piercing all who dared meet his gaze. A small gold crown sat atop his head of hair, the gold of his own hair drowning out that of the crown. Only the various gems of the crown helped distinguish it from the rest of his head.

Who I now know as Miguel, the Royal Guard Captain rode his horse ahead of the king meeting Sebas' father waiting for the parade near the town square where the ceremony would occur. The small crowd that was already there steadily grew larger in size as more people came out of their homes once the trumpets were sounded.

"We welcome His Majesty to this here town of Aldfield, with honour and grace." Sebas' father said rigidly, before taking a low bow. At his bowing, the rest of the crowd also bowed, some even taking a knee, and a few kowtowing too.

"His Majesty accepts your honour and grace, Mayor Aldfield." Miguel replied with a smile.

"There is no greater honour, Your Majesty. May you enter our abode, for rest?"

"His Majesty accepts your offer, Mayor Aldfield. Lead on." Miguel grinned, not hiding the fact that he would most likely accept the rest. Even the king had a slight smile on his face!

Miguel and the king dismounted from their horses, passing them onto some handlers before following Sebas' father into the town hall. And just like that, it was over. The crowd dispersed slowly, as if waiting for the king to come back out again, but they soon realised that his return wouldn't be any time soon. The Royal Guard and other soldiers began to unpack some supplies from their wagons, setting up the ceremony proper.

"Come on, Thanren, its time for you to get ready proper now." My mother said, a sad look in her eyes, before shooing me out of the tent and towards where the rest of the prodigies were.

"But, Ma... "

"It's alright Thanren, just go along." My father interrupted, putting a hand on mother's shoulder. With a quick nod, I went along towards the large tent behind where the soldiers where setting up, trying to keep the wetness from my eyes.

[]

For a moment, I thought I heard something, someone saying something very far away. No, it must be my imagination. You need to keep it together, Ren, you have to. Before I knew it, I passed through the tents flaps and found the three prodigies, all teasing each other about their outfits. They all looked so... silly.

"Ren! You're here!" Bren exclaimed, seeming to have gotten over his sad spell the last couple days. Did he have a breakthrough with his training?

"We were beginning to wonder when you would get here. There's not much time left until the ceremony starts after all." Sebas said, taking a look at the setting up going on outside through the tent flaps.

"Don't want to miss it, after all." Aquila grinned. "As Sebas said, it should be ready in a few minutes. In the mean time... What the hell are you wearing, Ren?!"

The group burst out laughing with her, revelling in how ridiculous I looked. Gods dammit, why am I cursed to be in such a small body? Couldn't I have been born earlier? The banter dragged on, however, and Sebas couldn't stop howling in laughter, which only sent the others into fits too, forming some kind of dreadful loop. I admit, though, I laughed too.

[]

* * *

"We are gathered here today to celebrate a great, wonderous thing." The king began his announcement, his voice deep and somehow soothing. "For too long have we been plagued by monsters and evildoers, and it is time for us to put a stop to that, and enter an era of peace. It is with great honour that I am spearheading this service today, a service endorsed by the entire continent, to bestow the title of 'Saviour' upon three young souls. These three will be our protectors, our hope."

I couldn't see much of the ceremony decorations near the end of the set-up, so that we couldn't be seen peeking out through the tent to preserve the ceremony mystique. The only reason that us four knew the ceremony had started was when the king began to speak, his voice projecting throughout the entire town from the sounds of it. Aquila thinks its magic, propagating his voice everywhere, whatever that means.

"First, we shall introduce their chaperone. A peculiar choice, if I may comment, but knowing one's roots is important to keep oneself grounded. And what better choice than a dear friend to the soon-to-be Saviours. Introducing, Chaperone Thanren of Aldfield!"

What? I'm being introduced first?! Wait, what?! I looked to some of the soldiers in the tent for help, but they only gave me a nod! A bloody nod! What assholes! What I was supposed to be doing though was revealed to me when two of the soldiers opened up the front of the tent, and beckoned me through. One step at a time, I tentatively approached the tent exit, before the 'soon-to-be Saviours' unceremoniously shoved me through. Assholes. I can hear you all snickering! Bloody-

In front of me was a stage, covered in beautifully embroidered silk, patterned with flowing floral designs on the edge. Stumbling onto the steps up from the prodigies' collective shove, I saw everything. The king giving me a full smile, bright white teeth showing and all. The crowd of all the townspeople looking at me with awe and jealousy. My family near the front of the crowd, tears in their eyes, with Thanlin giving me the brightest look I've ever seen. Unsure of what to do, and more than overwhelmed at it all, I gave my best - though arguably curt - bow to them all and shuffled past the king with my head down towards the side of the stage and stood tall. Tried to, anyways. The crowds cheering made it hard to think properly.

The king's eyes sharpened slightly when I walked past, whispering something to himself, with his smile dropping slightly. Oh no. What did I do wrong?! None of the soldiers had said anything about what I was supposed to do! What did you expect?!

"Next, we shall introduce the Saviour of the Sword. Training in the Path of the Gentle End, his skill in the sword eclipses even that of knights far older than him. Introducing, Swordsman Brenden of Aldfield!"

Ushered through the tent behind the stage, just as I was, Bren stepped through and only stopped for but a moment, eyes widening, before continuing one undisturbed onto the stage. He gave a deep bow to the crowd and continued on, going behind the king, and standing next to me. Oh, that's what I did wrong. I went in front of him. Crap.

Bren gave me a quick nudge and a smile, before staring straight on into the crowd at his own parents, which I found by following his gaze. Guess I'll try and do the same then.

"Now, we shall introduce the Saviour of the Staff. Showing deep insights into the mysteries of magic, from a young age she has displayed great skill and interest in the ways of a mage. Introducing, Wizard Aquila of Aldfield!"

Aquila stepped through and repeated what Bren had done, almost exactly, only taking a bit longer to step on the stage than he had done. The crowd had seemed louder with her, but the source of that louder cheering was found to be Aquila's sister, jumping up and down at the side of the gathering. She took a stand next to Bren and gave us both a quick nod, before breaking out into a warm look as she found her own family.

"And last, but by no means least, we shall introduce the Saviour of the Shroud. Displaying great faith in his chants, he has regularly impressed many a priest in his studies and power with his chants. Introducing, Priest Sebas Aldfield!"

Strutting confidently out of the tent, Sebas didn't even pause in his part of the ceremony, giving a bow not too deep or shallow to the crowd, and seamlessly joining the rest of us as we stood side by side.

"Though but children today, these three, no, these four shall arrive at the capital as adults! Our Saviours will honour us all!"

With one last cheer, the crowd exploded into noise, almost knocking me off my feet. This was really happening. I'm actually going with them. I'm going to be a Saviour!

[]