The Black Swan

Chapter 6: Ember

Yoonie puts on her freshly-ironed robes, straightening the seams as she looked into the mirror. Compared to her previous apricot-coloured attire, the robes of the Queen's Shield were pristine and a clean white, with frills that showcased their graduated status. The emblem was a massive outline of a shield over the King's castle. Her rank was sewn on her right sleeve. As they rise higher in the ranks, the graduates' ranks grow more intense in colour - signifying their power. This power, is seen as how brightly their fire burns for the Kingdom - how capable they are of serving it.

"Yoonie! Are you ready to go?" Someone rapped on her door while she was changing. Having heard the familiar voice for the past year, she answers the door, knowing that it was just Onda. The girl greets her with a flamboyant pose, accentuating her small waist. Her hair was a matching royal orange, tied in neat braids that allowed for ease in combat.

"I'm ready! Are you done packing up?" Yoonie asked, locking her room before they headed towards the headquarters of their newly allocated faction. In a couple more days, the graduates would have to vacate their rooms in Sotia and move in to stay in the quarters of their new factions.

"Not yet...There's just too many things!!!" She exclaimed, sighing dramatically in a pretend-panicked state.

"I'll help you if you want-"

"That'll be great!" Onda threw her arms around Yoonie, hugging her out of nowhere. Taken aback, Yoonie freezes in place, her eyes enlarged like grapes. If Onda could hear her mind, she would probably be listening to an elder girl screaming internally.

"-if you get me a custard bun from the Glowing Bakehouse." Yoonie demanded. It was a sweet and fluffy bun that Onda had initially recommended to Yoonie. The pâtissier would pipe a hefty amount of golden cream inside a hollow puff pastry, making it a giant custard bun of a flaky shell encasing a ball of cream.

"A WHOLE BUN? But they're like 20,000 roels each..."

Yoonie shrugs Onda off from her, huffing as she walked further ahead slowly. "Nevermind then, have fun packing~"

"OKAY, FINE!" Onda conceded.

"Yay! You're the best."

------

"Names?"

"Kim Yoonie."

"Jo Onda."

"239th Graduates of Sotia," The knight guarding the front of the building acknowledged, "right this way." He leads them inside the building. The main doors looked heavy, and high enough to touch the ceiling of the massive building. It was like an assembly place, with the floors covered with a high-quality, crimson, silk carpet. The stairwells were well-ornate with the banners of the faction, and the craftsmanship of the marble pillars was impeccable. He stops at the centre of the room, bowing before a large statue of the Shield - making the two girls follow him out of formality. He continues away, bringing them to the office of the faction's leader.

"Come in." It was a deep and alluring voice.

"High Lady Eunbi, the new graduates are here."

"Thank you Sejun. Kindly call for the two mentors to be on standby. You may leave." Removing her glasses, she sets a stack of papers aside on her desk.

The guard that brought Onda and Yoonie bows to her, then leaves the two girls in the room with Eunbi.

The two girls performed a customary salute to the leader, placing their right hand over their hearts. Of the five factions, Yoonie had been taught that The Queen's Shield was the only one of militaristic nature. This meant that the importance of rankings is accentuated in the faction - where they emphasised respect for elders and superiors with stringency. For a faction that is responsible for protecting the Kingdom, this was part and parcel of being in the faction.