Davina felt beads of sweat slowly rolling down her forehead, and she stood in line rigidly, enduring the relentless heat of the sun. Despite trying to calm her mind, the anxiety kept creeping back, as she realized that the outcome of this moment would determine whether she would leave with her life intact.
"You there!" The squad leader pointed his cane at her, the scowl on his face broadcasting his no-nonsense attitude to everyone on the court.
"Sir!" Davina replied in the manliest tone she could muster.
The court fell into an uneasy hush as the leader of the squad carefully scrutinized every detail of Davina's face and figure. Despite the tension, Davina remained steadfast, refusing to avert her gaze. She knew that this was a test of her composure, and she was determined not to show any sign of weakness. Having witnessed others being dismissed for either avoiding eye contact or displaying disrespect, she was resolute in her determination to avoid their mistakes.
"I see you have guts." He gave her a slight nod of approval before returning to his stoic expression. "What is a small boy like you doing joining the army? With your small build and soft features, if I didn't know any better, I'd mistake you for a girl"
Davina froze in her place, feeling as if the weight of the whole world was lying on her chest. She couldn't tell whether it was fear of the bandages hiding her breasts but either way, she felt suffocated.
'Did he figure it out already?' She thought to herself.
Her hands began shaking as she feared for the worst; Getting killed for lying and trying to get into the royal army. Watching the squad leader walk closer to where she stood, Davina nearly burst into tears, fearing for her life.
"Name!" The squad leader demanded.
"Dimitri, sir." She blurted out the first name that came to mind.
Despite the turmoil she was going through inside, Davina managed to appear calm and collected on the outside, showing no hints of the fear that was holding her hostage.
"Well, Dimitri, with your build, I can't tell whether you're smart or incredibly foolish for joining the army but I will say, you have guts, kid." He straightened Davina's coat with his wooden cane. "If you die here today, that's on you."
His eyes lingered on her face for a few more seconds, as if he could see through her mask, decoding her lies, but soon after he walked back to his position.
Davina heaved a sigh of relief the moment he walked away. His presence felt like a thick fog that was suffocating her.
'Thank the gods.' She exclaimed inwardly, nearly collapsing from the relief of not getting caught in her lies. Despite being a fraud, she wasn't one of the unlucky men who got eliminated even before they had a chance to showcase their skills.
Her happiness, however, was short-lived once she heard the next words that came out of the squad leader's mouth.
"Welcome, young lads." His face bore no signs of warmth as he welcomed them, his voice even harsher. "You might think you're lucky for still standing here but at the same time tomorrow, we'll be having a test to see if you're truly worthy of being royal guards."
Davina couldn't help but feel the squad leader was looking right at her while saying those words like he was challenging her to see whether she deserved to be there.
"You will all refer to me as Sir Martius as long as you're serving under my squad, is that clear."
"Yes, Sir Martius." They all said in unison.
Davina noticed the subtle glint of pride in Sir Martius's eyes as everyone respectfully addressed him by his title. While others might have missed that fleeting moment of emotion, she caught it. It was evident that he took great pride in his accomplishments and felt honored to hold the esteemed position of the Kingdom's finest knight.
As she observed the numerous scars crisscrossing his toned arms and the striking line extending across his left eye, it was evident that he had endured significant hardships to reach his current position. She couldn't help but feel a deep connection to him. Both of them had fought relentlessly to stay alive.
"This place isn't for wimps and crybabies. You will get injured, lose limbs, loved ones, or even yourself." He gestured toward the scar on his eye as he spoke. "I may be strictly business but I'm not willing to raise wimps and watch them die so if you think you're not cut out for this, feel free to walk away now with your body still in one piece."
Silence fell upon the court once more as the men shared looks, trying to see who would be brave enough to back down.
"S-sir." A weak voice called out from the end of the line.
They all turned to see a shy young man shaking in his boots as he took slow steps forward to show himself. "I- I would like to walk away."
Gasps of shock filled the court, the men all held their breaths in anticipation of what Martius would do. Although he gave them the option to back out, they all knew it was probably some sort of sick test he came up with at the last minute.
"If you want to walk away, put some strength into your spine and confidently look me in the eye and say it."
By that point, most of the men were already feeling pity for the young man, others even went as far as to say their final prayers for him. They all thought him to be a goner, but to their surprise, he straightened his posture, looked Martius in the eye, and confidently said. "I would like to walk away, Sir."
"You idiot!" Someone from the line muttered.
Even Davina couldn't help but feel pity for the man, she could still see his hands tremble even as he tried to look brave before Martius.
"Why do you want to back down after coming here of your own free will?" Martius crossed his arms above his chest, taking on an intimidating stance.
"I came here hoping to make some money to take care of my sick mother but if I end up dying in battle, I'll be of no use to her in any way. I also don't think I'm brave enough to be part of the royal army, Sir."
"Is that so?" Martius raised a brow, staring at the man intently.
The rest of them watched the silent altercation play out between the two, waiting to see what move Martius would make next.
"Yes, Sir." The man replied, still not breaking eye contact with Martius.
"Evan, right?" Martius asked no one in particular. "Do you know the greatest form of bravery?"
"N-no, Sir." Evan vigorously shook his head.
"Does anyone one of you know the answer?" Martius turned to the rest and asked them.
No one knew the right answer to the question or even the answer Martius wanted. Even if they did, none of them were willing to speak up and risk offending Martius so they all kept silent and avoided looking at him.
"The greatest form of bravery..." Martius turned back to Evan, building up more suspense."...Is Honesty. Not everyone can be honest enough to admit their flaws and shortcomings, but you, young man, did so without question. You might think you're not suited for the royal army, but I beg to differ."
He turned to the others, "Being a royal guard isn't all muscles and brute strength." Facing Evan again, Martius continued. "Sometimes people with courage and a good sense of direction, like you are needed here in a place where most of us are blinded by power... So I'll ask you again, do you want to walk away or will you give yourself a chance to reach your highest potential?"
Evan looked stunned by Martius's words, of all the things he expected him to say, words of encouragement weren't anywhere on the list. "I-" He started, "I'll give it a chance, Sir." He gave his answer after much thought.
"And what about your sick mother?" Martius asked.
"I'll stay alive for her- I must stay alive for her."
Martius gave an approving nod at Evan, meant to be as comforting as a smile.
Everyone was shocked by the turn of events but Davina was the most shocked by what she had just seen. All the rumors she heard about Sir Martius paled in comparison to who he truly was. He was strict, harsh, and straight to the point but also caring in his own way which came as a surprise to her. She expected him to lash out at Evan for being weak but instead, he directed him in the right way and gave him advice without any judgement.
'The greatest from of bravery is courage.' Those words kept ringing in her mind as she watched Evan return to his post on the line.