The King's Guard

16

SO here we stand, nine recruits in the training yard of the palace. Lucio and Fernando stand beside me.

The morning sun beats down on our scalps as Interim Lord-Commander Mandrano enters the yard.

“Lord-Commander Enrico has been given a new assignment,” he says. “So I’ve been instructed to start the recruiting season over from scratch. I will oversee your training until the king appoints a new lord-commander.”

I’m sure Miria has something to do with how everything has played out, but if I were a gambling man, I’d lay odds that Miria and I will never speak of it.

“The only thing a recruit gets for free is the opportunity to prove himself,” Mandrano continues. “Anything you get after that, you earn. Are you ready to earn the title of Royal Guard?”

“Yes, my lord!” we shout in unison.

Mandrano twitches at the word “lord,” but he doesn’t protest. He walks down the line, asking the recruits about the items they’ve brought with them. When he comes to me, he discovers that my hands are empty.

“Did you bring three personal items, recruit?” he asks.

“Yes, my lord!” I say.

“What are they?”

“Love for my kingdom, love for my king, and love for my queen, my lord!”

He pauses for a long time before he nods. “I can work with that,” he says finally.

It’s all a Royal Guard, a true Royal Guard, will ever need.