The Templar

2 Passing through the Gates

When a Duke has sons, the first born becomes a Templar, no matter if he is an only child or not, and the second one, if there isa second son, will succeed his father. But when the first born is a daughter... the matter is completely different. Daughters never do anything apart from staying safe in their father's castle and learning things such as manners, dance or embroidery. But Mat's life never resembled that of a "lady." She had been raised as a boy ever since the Duke took her in. Reckless, fearless, sharp-tongued, proud, cocky and skilled at combat, she had the duchy as her playground... and loved it. Her delicate traits, soft hair, slender body and attractive curves contrasted immensely with her personality which was only revealed by the wild and vivid emerald flames animating her darker-than-night eyes.

Mat knew that she will be firstly judged on her appearance and that the first weeks she will spend among the trainees won't be the most pleasant of her life. She had to prove her abilities as soon as she had the chance. She couldn't care less about standing out. A girl in the middle of the Temple would stand out more than anything anyway.

She kept thinking about the best way to prove herself while she followed the Duke down a few flights of stairs and entered the stables where a foot man had already prepared their horses. They both mounted solemnly, without a word, and galloped in empty the streets of the Marble Fortress. They passed the heavy gates right before the drawbridge was raised and engaged on the large paved road leading to the Temple, their capes rolling such as black and crimson waves behind them.

Mat's mind was incredibly numb from the whirlwind of thoughts which span like a tornado in her head. The only thing she could distinguish with certainty was the loud sound of their horses' hooves hitting the pavement. She tried to brace herself, to make the numbness wear off, to clear her thoughts, but here desperate efforts didn't bare any fruit. She kept trying to put some order in her mind until the Temple finally came in sight, about half an hour later.

Nothing but the grandeur of the gate was enough to throw her slightly off balance. It was a massive metal gate, forged solidly, with the Temple's symbol on both sides and the values they praised written in bold metal letters arranged in an elegant arc above it: Loyalty, Camaraderie, Respect, Skill, Heart.

Mat was so entranced by the closed gates before her that she did not notice immediately the many nobles in the Templars' ceremonial attire who waited alongside their heirs for the gates to open. She quickly hid her face with the dark hood which had been attached to her cape on her request. Only one hundred trainees of noble linage were accepted among the trainees every year while the rest of the trainees were accepted among the people. But by the Gods, there must have been over three hundred heirs present before the gates. Mat knew that it was close to impossible for her to be accepted and would have given in to panic if she wasn't sure that her deeds were greater than those of many of the others aspiring to become trainees.

The chatter grew as the Duke and the heir of Ravenclaw approached the gates, many of the younger nobles pointing the old duke to their sons and mocking him in low tones. Mat boiled with rage interiorly and tightened her grip on her horse's reins until her nails dug in her palms but she grinded her teeth and kept her head down. The lose nothing for waiting. The duke had retired from all public matters once he adopted her so she had an advantage: no one present here tonight knew her or anything related to her. Soon enough, she will watch in satisfaction as these snob, rich, boys will walk out of the Temple, shame clouding their faces and curving their backs.

The Duke brought his horse closer to hers without a glance in her direction, facing forward proudly and with more seriousness in his eyes than Mat had ever seen. "Do not worry, I have no doubt that you shall be accepted tonight," he said louder than necessary. Mat assumed that this might have been what her father was like as a Templar. Confident, proud, shameless and with the skills necessary to back up every single one of his affirmations.

A few nobles laughed in their short beards while others were less discrete about their amusement and disbelief. A couple nobles who might have fought alongside the Duke in his days as a Templar - given their obvious age - even shot them both venomous glares.

After a few more minutes, once the sun had completely disappeared and the warm orange lights of dusk were replaced by the night sky and the cold light of millions of stars as well as the silver full moon, the gates stirred open. The chatter died down and the prestigious assembly entered the grounds of the Temple.

Mat slightly raised her head once she had passed the arc and officially entered the grounds of the Templars. This was going to be her new home, at least for a while. Five towers and the defense walls formed a wide pentagon. Only a few steps away were the massive double doors of the Temple which looked more like a fortified castle than the mansion she had been expecting. Solid walls, towers, archers posted everywhere, the emblem of the Templars carved on the doors and white columns with black and green trimmed banners - exactly like the Duke's cape – formed a perfect demi-circle in front of the entrance.

A noble vibe emanated from the Temple and from the thirteen Templars in full ceremonial attire who sternly awaited the trainee aspirants and their fathers. Mat's eyes widened and grew round when she was hit by the pride, power and confidence of the thirteen men standing in a perfectly straight line. She felt it like a shockwave traversing her body. A shockwave which inspired submission to the noble assembly. All the nobles, as proud, snob and cocky as they were moments earlier now lowered their heads in front of the Templars.

Everyone except Mat.

She certainly admired them but she did not feel the need to submit. Instead, she felt the need to defy them, to show them what she's made of. She straightened her back and raised her head, her fighting spirit animating the emerald flames of her eyes and being the only thing visible in the darkness of the shade provided by her hood.

The man in the middle stepped forward. He must have been in his late twenties with an imposing stature and extremely broad and muscular shoulders. His traits were rough, severe and angular, highlighted by a black beard and rather long jay colored hair. A scar ran across the left side of his face, from the forehead to his upper lip, permanently closing his left eye while the right one, as dark as his hair, analyzed the crowd before him.

"Welcome, dukes and heirs," he said in an incredibly deep voice which transpierced Mat like the shockwaves of an earthquake. "I am Laggard, a member of the council of thirteen. You are here tonight because you consider yourselves worthy of becoming Templars and serving the people of Teak. You may have received special treatment and were spared from long hours of standing in line with the common fellow of your duchies but your privileges will not go beyond that. You chose the Temple as your next home, the Templars as your new family and the people of Teak as your fellow and the ones under your protection and responsibility. But this responsibility is great and not just anyone can serve the people properly in these times of darkness." The Templar paused and gave a circular look over the crowd and many heirs' nervousness showed under Laggard's merciless gaze. "You chose us. Now we shall choose you.  You shall now dismount and follow us inside. It is time for the Selection to begin."

AN:

I'm really sorry for being so late. A lot of things happened lately so my publishing is completely off sync and the part is extremely short... Hope you can forgive me and keep voting, everyone.