The Pawn

Chapter Two

The next day I awoke to find Ranin has already proceeded trough his morning routine, he has already left the house. Usually he would wake me and let me know to do my usual chores but today I'm of age 18, he has let it known on multiple occasions that that is the age where I become a man and I have to make my own decisions. It's also the age I have to enroll in the military, all males have to it's mandatory. After all the kingdom we reside in is the smallest of ten, what we lack in military numbers we make up for with the best trained solider of the other kingdoms. It is said that one of our soldiers is equal to five of another kingdom.

I dress myself and head out the door closing it behind me I start to realize that this day is so far not different than any other day, wondering if anyone else is as excited for this moment as I am, I head north towards the castle coming from the side path my house sides upon connecting to the main pathway leading toward the castle. In the far distance I can make out what looks to be a line forming at the gate of the castle. I hear another person behind me telling their family goodbye and giving their best wishes. Then footsteps hurriedly heading in my direction "heading for your rank and post assignment right? It's my first day too!"

I turn to face the individual to see a young man taller than I by a couple inches with red hair like fair and freckles on his cheeks, you could see his breath coming from his mouth when he spoke. I replied with a yes I was more focused on my excitement than anything else, I wasn't trying to be rude but the individual could see that I was excited for what was to come and he pressed the issue. "I'm pretty excited about it too, I'm Kane" I look over at the individual breaking my daydreaming thoughts to see that Kane is extending his hand for a greeting. I reach out and grasp his hand tight squeezing it firmly "I'm Faron nice to meet you Kane".

I could tell that Kane was the type of individual who was going to talk to me wether I wanted him to or not, "Yup I hear that we are going to have to wait in line up ahead and state our name, and get dressed in military attire in the barracks then each of us will see the king and the top generals for where we will be posted" he was just as excited as me I could tell by how he told me this. "It feels like I have been waiting for this moment my whole life" I replied noticing we are approaching the gate where the line was forming

As we get closer I see other individuals our age in the line and can start to make out facial features that's when I heard someone shout out "hey look who it is" in a not so pleasing manner when I heard this I almost hesitated and stopped walking, this was all Kane needed to get a couple of steps ahead of me I never stopped walking and was following close behind "I wanted to get here before them" I muttered under my breath Kane somehow heard this and replied "friends of yours?" In a kind of joking sarcastic tone. "Not so, these guys always like to pick at me I usually ignore them I don't want to get in fights and bring shame to my caretaker". I noticed that they left they're place in line and was heading in my direction, "caretaker? Are you parents busy folks or something, you must be loaded!" Kane said still excited about the prospect of what was going on "not exactly I'm well off yes, but I don't have par-" before I could finish my statement I was cut off

"So your really joining huh? With your luck I wouldn't even say you would last the first day" this person who gets in my face says as he almost is chest to chest with me. "You would like that huh? I'm actually prepared for this I wouldn't be surprised if I got a higher posting than you" I replied with I usually don't reply but today was a special day I no longer needed to worry about brining shame to Ranin, I was old enough to make my own decisions now, as long as I was prepared to take on any consequences of that.

"Hey Vandermell lets just go already the guards are already eyeing us" one of two lackeys with Vandermell stated, he turned around and stared at his two minions he was taller and more muscular than both, "We are highborns the worst that will happen is a slap on the wrist, but he isn't" I look at his finger it's pointing in my direction. "This maggot has been given a golden ticket a free pass! He isn't one of us, there is nothing special about him, I mean look at him he's shorter than almost everyone here! I think he should maybe be taken down a level starting now he needs to be shown his place!" At this point I wasn't even looking at Vandermell staring at the mountains to the west over looking out city, the only thing I could draw my eyes to, but purposely as a sign of disrespect I then feel a hard shove and I fall to the ground unexpectedly Vandermell had given me a hard shove and I fell completely my back in the mud. Kane angry at this clinched his fists I saw him about to draw his arm back for swing at Vandermell as I was starting to get up.

"Alright, Alright! Break it up you guys" someone shouted a pair of guards were heading in our direction one of them pulling Vandermell and his group way from our area and placing them in exactly in the spot they had left before leaving to provoke us. The guard who stayed ignoring me, his eyes brought to Kane, as sharp as an dagger his glare fixated upon the young red headed male he spoke "Best not to be causing any problems on your first day huh? I'll be keeping an eye on you" I turn to look at Kane who has his hands relaxed at this point and in a more or less calm demeanor than before "yes sir he replied".

"He hasn't done anything why should you scold him?" I shouted out as the guard started to turn and walk away he stopped upon hearing my words and stood in place. The guard looking down on me replies with "You had best watch out as well, Ranin is no longer going to come to your aide you have a clean slate, your are your on man now so watch it". With that he turned around and walked away the line already started moving and Kane and I were pretty close to being at the end with only a handful of people that fell in behind us.

"Whoa! Ranin is your caretaker you were talking about before? He's the grand marshal!" Kane seemed to be back to his outgoing self "Yeah I know" I replied with an annoying tone not necessarily directed at Kane but about the situation that just happened "Vandermell's father is the highest aide to the king, it seems that he is still riding on that and the guards have noticed that as well probably because he's directly related to him, they think that he will always have a place here, however I'm no related to Ranin, so they don't think I can ride upon that as leverage, which was never my intent in the first place honestly" I let out a sigh of relief that the situation was over finally and we kept in line moving towards the castle gate.

Every so often Kane would turn around and we would have a small chit chat about things while waiting in line until finally since he was ahead of me he arrived at the gate "state your name please, we will write it on the list then proceed to the barracks take a military uniform and proceed to the line leading to the castle doors". Kane and I stated our names and headed towards the castle, the mood changed I could tell he was getting nervous. As we were in the barracks getting ready to move to the final line after getting dressed in the proper attire, I thought to myself I don't know if I would ever get the chance to see Kane again who knows how fast the line will move once we get in it, I'm sure he will want to mentally prepare his self for his greeting to the king as do I with those thoughts I spoke up "hey Kane good luck out there man, and if we don't get assigned the same station then it was nice to meet you" he looked over and said with a smile "thanks likewise man"

For the most part while waiting in line to see the king was mostly quiet no one really spoke, the line to seem to move rather fast, I noticed when Vandermell entered the castle the line stalled for a bit, after this the line started picking up pace once again. The closer I got to the castle to more nervous I became I felt my heart pounding in my chest as well as jittery until finally it was Kane's turn to enter the castle.