Hutch was struggling to process what was happening when Cascel grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around, pushing him towards the exit of the room.
"Let us be the first to welcome you to the King's Guard," Cascel remarked over Hutch's shoulder.
"King's Guard?" he questioned, looking up from the paper just long enough to realize he was out in the hall.
"That's right," Cascel replied, setting his arm over Hutch's shoulder, and walking him down the hall. "As of a moment ago, you have been officially assigned to the King's Guard. Lucky for you, a position has opened in the First Division, directly under me, and Barhalis, here, is our General."
"He looks confused," Barhalis stated with a smirk and huff.
"Well, I am," Hutch replied, stopping in the middle of the hall, adding, "Sir," after a lengthy, awkward pause. "I'm a conscript. I've not even finished my training. How did this even happen?"
Cascel smiled and pat at Hutch's shoulder, when he turned to face him. "I saw your name on the list of conscripts. It has a way of sticking out. I asked that you be assigned to the King's Guard, because you aren't going to survive with basic training alone, and we both know it. That, and I happened to find working with you, oddly enjoyable. The King's Guard is the safest place for you, Hutch, and after your year of service, you will have all the same opportunities as the other conscripts, along with a few more."
"You shouldn't make it sound so easy," Barhalis chimed in. "Regardless of how he views you, I won't be treating you any different from any other recruit. If you don't meet the mark, I'll transfer you back without question. There will be no second chances here."
"Yes, well, that is true. I may have requested you, but that's as far as my influence can stretch. But before we get into all of that," Cascel remarked, motioning down the hallway towards the exit, "head to the barracks and pack up your belongings. You're being moved to the academy dorm."
"You have twenty minutes to meet us at the entrance. I suggest you run," Barhalis stated as he began to walk away.
"Don't I get a say in this?" Hutch questioned as Cascel turned and joined Barhalis in his departure.
"Only if you'd rather dig trenches and latrines. Good luck!" he replied, offering a dismissive wave over his shoulder.
"Nineteen minutes!" Barhalis shouted, spurring Hutch into action.
Still in shock over how this had happened to him, Hutch couldn't imagine what he had done to make someone as important as the king's strategist to remember him. He hadn't thought he'd done anything all that impressive or even worth thinking about. They'd known each other for less than three days, and during the time they'd spent together, a bit less than a year previous, he'd mostly followed Cascel around carrying his bag, showing him around the village, and helping where he could with his inspections.
Despite finding Cascel to be on the arrogant side, which Hutch chalked up to the importance of his position, he knew little else about him and saw no reason for him to have dropped this kind of opportunity in his lap. However, he had no reason to refuse it either.
The King's Guard was the elite force in Qor'laum, and it wasn't easy acquiring a position within one of the four divisions. They were known for being highly trained and acting separate from the country's army. Typically, they were the first to act, and each division was led by one of the king's most trusted generals, providing them a certain level of autonomy when necessary. And despite their name, the last thing they were known for was actually guarding the king. Normally, admittance into the King's Guard required a life-long commitment, specialized academy training, or friends in extremely high places; which, unbeknownst to Hutch, he apparently had.
It took less than five minutes for Hutch to gather his belongings, emptying his footlocker into his rucksack; the run to the barracks and back to the academy entrance taking up the majority of the twenty minutes he'd been given.
Barhalis had been the one to greet him at the entrance, the imposing wooden door was propped open by a stone behind him, while the King's crest hung proudly on the wall above it.
"And with time to spare," he remarked, as he looked Hutch up and down. "I do not know what he expects from you, but I will warn you now to not disappoint. Listen and learn. You are now one of us on paper, but do not mistake that for acceptance. You must earn your place here. Cascel's request, his vouching for you, will only gain you so much tolerance. The moment you walk through this door, all you have is what you carry and the tribe that you call home. You have nothing else, not even your name. Your tribe is Moahaba?"
"Yes, sir," Hutch replied, listening carefully to everything Barhalis was telling him.
"Then you will be identified as Moahaba. Do well, and perhaps someone, someday, may see fit to give your name back to you, and remember it. Be wise. You haven't earned the right to have them use your name. Understood?"
"Yes. Yes, sir," Hutch replied as Barhalis stared down at him.
"Then tell me, what is your name, cadet?"
"I have no name worth remembering sir," Hutch answered, his heart sinking as he said it out loud.
Barhalis gave him a satisfied nod. "Good. You understand well. Follow."
Turning around, Barhalis entered the Academy; a stone building, three stories high, west of the king's castle, and on the east side of the military training grounds. Hutch had never been inside the building and had only heard rumors of what went on inside from the other conscripts in the yard, but as he stood at the threshold, looking down a hallway, that stretched the entire length of the building, he could hear the sounds of a community coming from within. The voices were jovial, boisterous, and engaging. There was life, a future within, beckoning him to take that final step, to leave everything behind and become something more.
In a single moment, inexplicable from every other, his mind and heart settled, and for the first time in weeks, Hutch felt confident in his decision as he stepped beyond the door and saw Cascel waving at him from halfway down the hall.
"Join him," Barhalis remarked, directing him to Cascel, "and follow his orders."
Hastening himself, Hutch greeted Cascel with a bow, as was standard, before turning to his right, and taking his first look around at the inside of the academy.
"On this floor, you will find all the common areas. Gaming room, lounge, laundry and cleaning closet, baths, mess hall, and kitchen, and this here, is the heart of the Academy dorm," Cascel explained, as he directed his attention to the staircase behind him, and the large wooden desk beside it, where an older woman, dressed in a dark green robe and bonnet was sitting with a pleasant smile. "This is the Head Dorm Mother, Wolsiva. There are two other dorm mothers on staff, Purhiq and Daashibi. If you need anything, or have any questions, this is who you come and see."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Hutch replied, bowing to the woman.
"You may refer to any of us as Dorm mother. Keep your room clean, and adhere to the rules, and I believe the time you spend here will be most satisfactory," she replied, setting a woven reed basket onto the top of the desk for him. "You've been assigned the number 151. It corelates to your room number fifteen on the first floor, where you are located on the schedules, and the number you will use to get your mail. This is your shower bin. In it, you will find the keys to your room and closet, the schedules for the common rooms, laundry, kitchen, and the rule book. You have three days to study it. After that, you are allowed three infractions before penalties are applied. You will find a list of those on the last page. Welcome to the King's Guard, young one. Everyone here, expects good things of you."
"Thank you, Dorm mother," Hutch replied, taking the reed basket from the top of the desk.
"I believe, Strategist Cascel will now show you to your room," she replied with a pleasant smile.
"It's this way," he said, and began to climb the stairs, Hutch following quickly behind him.
Unlike the barracks for the regular army, where the conscripts and recruits lived in a common facility with little to no privacy, sharing bunks with only a locked footlocker to store belongings, the academy dorm was a huge step up with individual rooms. With the common spaces on the ground floor, the first and second floors were split into two halves by a central hallway; a staircase at either end.
"As you can see, each division has a sense of pride," Cascel remarked, motioning to the banners hanging along the walls of the hallway, between the archways that gave access to the living quarters. "To the right you have the second division, and to the left, you have us, the first division. The third and fourth are on the floor above. There are sixteen bedrooms in each section, one through eight are down the first hall, 9 through 16 down the second." Leading the way, Cascel entered the first divisions area through the second archway and passed the doors that lined the exterior wall, each decorated with a name and a banner, most having additional medals and ribbons attached. And along the interior wall, they passed by two larger openings. "Here we are. This is your room," Cascel told him, as he opened the door to room 15 and stepped inside. "You are free to decorate your room however you like, but as you may have noticed the doors are kept for bragging rights. You will have to earn everything here. From your armor, to your eranth, to the use of your name. Some things will be easier than others, but I give you my word, it will all be worth it."