"We're here," Yesynore said, slowly exiting the carriage. He was awake for most of the ride.
Oscar rubbed his eyes, stepping out of the carriage. He yawned. But once he saw the sight in front of him, he was shocked.
Behind them, a large steel gate, painted in a silky white. In front of them, was a VERY large palace. It towered over the gates, the trees, and the other buildings in cities nearby.
"This is the biggest building I've ever seen."
Oscar's mouth agape.
"You'll have to get used to that," Yesynore spoke. "since you'll be all over the world at times."
The two of them walked closer. At the doors, two guards stood still, both of them holding javelins, sleek and polished. As if they had never been used.
"Aithlin? Good to see you again!" the guard on the left said as he opened the door, smiling.
The guard spoke with a very... different accent, in comparison to Oscar. This was because the palace was located in Trerinin, one of Anore's northern cities.
Yesynore nodded and smiled back. "Good to see you too, Breton."
Oscar entered with Aithlin. The building looked even better on the inside. There were several other people, all of them dressed nicely.
"W-Woah..."
Oscar was smitten by the interior appearance of the building.
"G-General Yesynore, what are we supposed to d-do now? There's so many people!" he stammered.
"It's like an award ceremony. We just have to wait until that part comes up. For now, go and socialize."
"Huh?"
Before Oscar knew it, Yesynore was gone.
Oscar wasn't told much about the event, and the only thing he knew was that he would be congratulated.
He sighed, finally realizing that he was all on his own in the meantime.
It was mostly aristocrats and old men who filled the building, accompanied by their wives. They all wore nice uniforms and jewelry.
Although what Oscar was wearing wasn't bad, it paled in comparison to everything else everyone was wearing.
"Mmh? I've never seen your face before." a voice could be heard from behind him.
A short boy (at least short in comparison to Oscar) stood in front of him. Medium-length black hair, with light green eyes, and pale skin. He wore a red scarf with a regular white dress shirt and a lime-colored coat over it.
He had jewelry all over, such as rings with beautiful gems placed on them, necklaces that shined, and even strings of silver hung across his coat.
"I'm here for the... ceremony."
"That accent... you're from the western peninsula, sir?" the boy said.
"I am... but sir? I believe we're the same age. No reason for honorifics."
He looked up. "Ah! Well then, it's nice to meet you. I'm Learco of the Mahaut family."
"I'm Oscar... from the Tolien family, I suppose."
"From the looks of it, you're in the military?"
Oscar nodded. Learco saluted, proudly and loudly. All of a sudden, Oscar got embarrassed.
"A-ah, thank you."
"Most of the people who are getting awards aren't even in uniform. You don't even have anything expensive on. You're too humble!"
To be honest, Oscar was only wearing the uniform because he expected everyone to be in their uniform. He didn't have anything expensive to wear, either.
"I'll take you to the place where all the younger people are," Learco said, gesturing at Oscar.
. . .
. .
.
There were much less people in the room Oscar was placed in. About 30 kids or so, all of them chatting. This place was where all the kids were put so that they wouldn't cause any disturbances.
"Did they send a guard for us? What's with the guy?" a voice said
Learco was quick to respond "He's our age mate…"
"There's no way that's a 13-year-old."
The voice that was speaking was a calm one, though slightly irritated. It came from a girl, with curly red hair and forest green eyes. She too, wore expensive jewelry and the attire that a royal would typically wear. Her expression, however, was not very royal-like.
"Everyone, this is Oscar. He's from the western peninsula, and he's only been in the military, so he's still adjusting! Make sure to treat him kindly!"
[Cast: Crystal Shard]
A tiny, but sharp, shiny crystal cut through the air at an alarming speed. It headed towards Oscar's neck.
[Cast: Rising Pillar]
In an instant, even faster than a moving crystal, ice rose from the ground, forming a pillar. The crystal crashed into this pillar, shattering.
"Well, the guys fast, for sure."
"What the hell was that for, Elisabeth?!" Learco yelled. Quickly, he turned back to Oscar.
"I apologize for that, Oscar. That girl… Elisabeth of the Savatier family. She's always been compared to her siblings, so she just… hates everything, I suppose."
Learco said all this with his eyes still on Elisabeth, a strong glare. Elisabeth glared right back.
Though, Oscar didn't mind it too much. It's not like he was being hurt.
"Everyone, the ceremony is starting soon!"