The room is large and the sound of the large doors opening echoes off the stone walls. The sound gets the attention of the small group of people lined up at the front of the room. Inductions into the Silver Legion are held privately, with only the existing members of the Legion and the king present. This time, however, the king has invited Prince Caelum for an unknown reason.
There are about twenty people in the room all together. The members of the Silver Legion are lined up on either side of the throne. Each of them has a serious look on their face as they watch me walk towards them. I stop Prince Caelum standing at the shoulder of the throne, his face passive just like everyone else's. As I approach, his eyes meet mine and I see his lips turn up ever so slightly.
King Idris sits at his throne, his posture regal as he watches me stride through the room. The crown atop his head gleams in the light that comes through the stained glass windows that line the walls and his blonde hair, so similar to that of his two sons, is neatly pushed back. When I stop in front of him he gives me a proud smile, and I drop to my knees.
"Thalia Atwater," the king starts in a booming voice. "Today you kneel before me, King Idris of Brethen, to dedicate your life to the people of this kingdom as a member of the Silver Legion. If you accept your position as one of these elite soldiers, do you promise to dedicate your mind, body, and soul to the people of Brethen? Do you swear away wrongdoing against our people and promise to stand as a shield and sword for them? Will you uphold the standards of the Silver Legion, promising to keep these oaths for as long as you live?"
"I, Thalia Atwater, once a simple traveler passing through the kingdom that I now call home, promise to dedicate my mind, body, and soul to the people of Brethen. I swear away wrongdoing against the good people of this kingdom and I promise to stand and fight as a sword and shield for them. I will uphold the standards of the Silver Legion for as long as I shall live and dedicate my every action for this kingdom's wellbeing."
When the last words exit my mouth, I pull my polished sword from its sheath and hold it out towards the king as I say, "I dedicate my life to this kingdom and offer my sword to you, King Idris, as a symbol of my servitude to the people of Brethen."
King Idris takes the sword from my outstretched hands and raises it up above my head. He then gently brings it down towards each of my shoulders one at a time as he says, "From this day forward, you will be an active Legionnaire of the Silver Legion, Thalia Atwater. Go forth and serve this kingdom well."
I stand, take my sword from the king, and place it back in it's sheath. I give King Idris a beaming smile and bow deeply towards him. He smiles back at me, a proud look in his eyes. Everyone in the room stands quietly as we await for the king to give me my assignment as a Silver Legionnaire.
"Thalia, your assignment from now going forward, is to act as Prince Caelum's personal guard and general."
My heart suddenly drops at the king's words. He wants me to be a bodyguard? After everything, are my skills only worth that?
"Not only will you be in charge of the prince's personal safety, you will also act as his general and advisor. You will be Prince Caelum's right hand."
This isn't what I wanted, I think as King Idris continues. How can I serve the people when I'm stuck as the prince's personal bodyguard? How can I help anyone if I'm stuck following around someone who is confined to the castle nearly every day?
"Father, if I may, I don't see why Thalia couldn't be appointed to a less constraining assignment."
Prince Caelum speaks up, stopping his father from continuing. He looks just as surprised by this assignment as I am.
"This seems a waste of her expert skills. I'm sure she could be put to work in a much more valuable position."
The prince speaks politely, but there is the slightest hint of anger in his voice.
"I do not require a personal bodyguard. I've been trained in combat my whole life. I can defend myself."
"My orders are final," the king says with a commanding boom of his voice. "As a prince, your life is too valuable to be left unprotected. Extra guard is necessary for a man of your status, no matter how much you may dislike it. Thalia has the skill set needed to keep up with you and your lifestyle."
The room falls quiet as the king and the prince stare at one another for another moment before Prince Caelum bows his head.
"My apologies, father," he says in a quiet tone. His face still betrays anger as he reclaims his place next to the throne. After another short pause, the king motions Simon forward. Simon bows to him in respect before turning to me. I avoid his gaze as he presents to me the Silver Legion seal that I will wear every day to symbolize my status as one of the king's chosen elite soldiers.
"Welcome to the Silver Legion, Thalia Atwater," the king says once Simon has finished pinning the seal to my shirt.
I hold my head up and give the king a small smile as the rest of the Silver Legionnaires clap and celebrate.
I spend the rest of the day with Simon as he explains my duties as Prince Caelum's personal guard. My first and foremost job is to ensure the prince's safety at all times. I will be given the opportunity to choose and train soldiers for my own personal team. I will also be given the power of a military general.
Prince Caelum has his own small legion of soldiers that fight under his command in times of war. As time goes on, his legion has grown and so the king decided that I should act as Prince Caelum's second in command for his legion so that I can help manage everything.
Now that I've had more of an opportunity to understand this assignment from the king, I realize that this job will be more than just guarding the prince. Prince Caelum is known for sending out his men to assist the people of Brethen in times of need, whether that be when they are in times of distress from natural disasters, when there have been instances of internal conflicts, or when the people are under threat from outside parties. As his second in command, I have influence over who and when we help and I will be given the opportunity to assist in person to direct things as needed.
"I know you were disappointed at first, but this job comes with a lot of prestige and honor," Simon says when he finishes explaining everything. I just nod my head, still not entirely sure what to think.
"Starting tomorrow, you will need to start spending time with Prince Caelum and getting to know him. The closer you are to him, the better team you two will be."
I nod my head again as I stare out the window that overlooks the city below. I was so excited to become a member of the Silver Legion. The other Legionnaires all work out in the field, helping people and saving lives nearly everyday. They go out on missions for the king, sneak into other countries as spies to acquire needed information, and hunt down and arrest criminals that no one else can find, just to name a few of their tasks. I imagined I would be out in the kingdom carrying out assignments like these, but instead I'm stuck in the castle giving my unneeded and unwanted assistance and protection to someone who already has everything under control.
"Simon," I eventually say as I walk with him through the castle. "Did King Idris lose faith in me?"
"What makes you say that?" Simon asks with a frown.
"It's just that he's seen me in action many times before. He knows I can handle myself in even the most intense situations. Why did he put me in such a low risk position as a Legionnaire?"
"Don't be so quick to assume your's is a low-risk position, Thalia," Simon responds. "As you get used to your assignment, you'll quickly learn that being the right hand of a man like Prince Caelum is not as simple and low risk as you may think. The king loves his sons very much, if he didn't have complete faith in you, he never would have assigned you to Prince Caelum."
Before long we arrive at my door and stop before it. I stare at the ground for a moment before looking up at Simon again and saying, "I'll try my best to take your word for it, Simon. But I just can't shake the feeling that this assignment is one that will change my life in a direction I didn't anticipate it going. And that scares me."