I shuffle my legs nervously, both eagerly awaiting and dreading the point I would have to go up on stage. Today was a monumental day for me, and my brothers in arms. This would be the day we would be formally recognized as royal guardsmen. Hundred and twenty of us had enlisted earlier. Only about half made it past all the training and brutal testing, with the jungle claiming a full tenth of us. Fortunately, my squad made it through with decent results and no casualties. Throughout the training, we got to know each other deeper, forming bonds of steel with people I would be proud to call friends.

The brief reminiscence of our shared training time together ends itself as my thoughts shift to how we are going to be separated. I'd much prefer to be posted along with anyone with my squad, but I would be particularly happy to get either Gunther or Abdul. Even that was a pipe dream, as across 4 military academies, we only had about 300 graduates, to be distributed all across the country. Some wished to have a posting in a noble's guard regiment, and others preferred more active roles in high-security areas, but a good number were ambivalent. For me, though, I knew I would get a royalty related posting, to give my life in the protections of someone more 'useful'. A bitter thought, if any.

I wrest myself from going down the road of self-pity and destructive anger, instead of recalling the plans I had made. When I joined the guardsmen, my plan was literally "get a bunch of shops" with only the barest amount of foresight put into it. After so many months, I've been able to come up with a far more comprehensive plan.

I'd already heard rumours of how the warrior Darius was up and coming among the ranks of the Army's soldiers, of how his rare attunement and dogged perseverance were making him a favourite of the grunts and leaders alike. I know my brother loved me, and I know I treated him coldly once it became clear I was to be exiled. I will ask him for forgiveness, and also for help, and pray that the clan has not sunk its claws too deeply into him. I also briefly entertained the thought of enlisting my younger sister but decided to allow her to enjoy her innocence a little longer.

I planned to go with the mercantile beginning, but I understood two things; one, that a small shop or even a few shops would not do much unless it evolved into a significant merchant corps. Second, was that talented merchant corps were only allowed to grow if they belonged to a noble. My brother was my best bet for that, given his birthright and talent. I need to figure out a way to get him on my ship without letting out the idea that I wished to wrest control of the economy. I imagine as a proud royal, he wouldn't like that very much, trusting the inhuman royals to somehow prioritize the ordinary people's needs. They were no worse than the nobles I saw, exploiting people for personal use. I'd seen the slave corps, armies of people so burdened with servitude that they were incapable of individual thought.

There was no denying that some of these inhuman methods might work, but I can't help but think that it might backfire at some point. If no royal is willing to question these practices, let me be the first. But I have absolutely no clout, so my first step is to increase my political power. For one, I had already made friends with many royal guardsmen, which I could perhaps leverage as a political information source. Either way, a big part of my plans involve talking to my brother, so I'll have to get that done with as soon as possible.

Movement on the stage in front of me brought my attention out of my musings. Before us was the knight adjutant of the western front, the overall commander for all guard and royal guard activities in the west side of the kingdom. He was escorted onto the stage by one of the commanders who I'd seen around the camp. He stood in the middle, hands behind his back. The whispering among the seats was already starting to die down, now that the event was beginning. Perhaps because it was a private event with only the royal guards-to-be in attendance, that the knight adjutant decided to silence the crowd with a burst of his power. We knew he had the aspect of a mountain as his power, but it was another thing to feel the pressure of his aspect.

The crowd was silenced instantly. Most of us were in awe of his power, never having seen anything like it before. I had, once. I'd seen the King do the same during the appointing of the Knight commander himself. His power had manifested a dragon made of flame, plated with gold armour. The Knight adjutant did not manifest his aspect, likely because he had yet to reach that milestone. Still, I respected his strength, having gone further than most in this kingdom ever will.

"Morning royal guards-to-be. This will be the last time I address you as such, after this you will be a royal guard. Getting this far required a lot of determination and perseverance, but those same aspects will be tested in the future. No matter what role you get posted to, remember our duty to protect the royals and to help our fellow guards out. Don't neglect your own strength, as the best way you can carry out your duty is by becoming stronger and more capable. Nevertheless, today is a day of celebration, and I wish all of you the best of luck and congratulations on how far you have come."

A deafening cheer greeted the end of the speech. It was honestly starting to set in that we were done with training. It hadn't been easy, and people had died. But now that we were at the end, it seemed to all be worth it. I knew for most of my commoner friends that this was a dream position, they would literally be elevating their family's status in society through this job. I could feel the bile at the back of my throat at the thought of having to serve some royal brat who got lucky with his powers. Which meant that they were welcomed and embraced by their family instead of disowned as I had been.

Right after the speech was the awarding of ranks. It was two black strips of cloth with a gold arrow on each, signifying our induction as a private in the royal guards. Those would be worn on our shoulders when we wore our uniforms. Despite my overall distaste at the situation, I was still proud of how far I'd managed to come, both physically and mentally. When the Knight adjutant handed my rank to me and shook my hands, I could not help but puff my chest up with pride. I had now taken my first step on my journey, only a thousand steps to go.

As the presentation ended, we were gathered into a group around instructors from our camp and given our appointments. As expected, I was assigned to be a royal bodyguard, along with four others. Three of those were from other guard academies, with the last being my camp's strongest trainee, someone called Malav.

I was disappointed that I would not be working with either Abdul or Gunther, but it was to be expected with their lack of connections and powers. They were both put into the same noble's retinue, a particular well to do viscount in charge of the well-to-do Hayes province. It was not in the inner circle of territories around the capital, but with Abdul's leadership and Gunther's strength, I'm sure the two of them would do well.

The rest of today was a rest day, and we would be moving to our postings tomorrow. We actually had the whole day to travel, since some of us had assignments across the kingdom. As I pocketed my ranks and the posting notice, I waved goodbye to the many friends I made in the camp, attempting to remember where everyone stayed. I knew where to find Abdul and Gunther for sure, but the rest? I'll just ask Abdul later, I'm sure he knows where everyone lives. But the conversation brought up an important fact. I did not have anywhere to live.

I ran through my options, immediately crossing out sneaking into the royal complex and staying at camp longer. In the end, I also decided not to stay with Bert, even though I planned to check-in and discuss my future plans with him. We had been given an allowance during our time in the guards, and I'd saved most of it. Eventually, I decided that since I'd have to talk to Darius, I might as well make my way to the royal training grounds and find him there. Not to mention that the preparatory course for royal bodyguards was at the capital too. Two birds with one stone.

I considered finding Malav, since he would be travelling to the capital as well, but decided against it since I would be conducting much personal business along the way. Commissioning a simple carriage as cheap as I could get for the quality I wanted, I soon left Larandris Guard academy behind. As we moved, I could not help but think about the same carriage that brought me here. Being a carriage commissioned by the royal family, it was brilliant, opulent and commanded enough respect on the road that people moved out of the way. Though I had been in no mind to appreciate any of that, preoccupied with loathing the royals who had disowned me.

Time after it all, especially with all the royal guard training that we went through helped me work out most of the frustration and despair I felt. It was funny how I thought then that it was the end of it all, of the excessive amount of respect I had for my family and the King. I hadn't even appreciated that beautifully cushioned carriage then, but I was grateful for the bumpy carriage and the driver I had now. Although it felt like my back might bruise. Some time passed by as I thought about my surroundings. I didn't know this when I arrived, but Larandris was actually one of the border counties of the kingdom and boasted a highly militarized city. The benefit of that was that trainees and troops were always stationed near the border in case of emergencies. The downside was that it was a long way to the capital, and without the express speed afforded by a royal carriage, it would take almost a full day to reach.

Eventually, as we neared the county of Larad, still some distance away from the city of Larad, noises began to filter through. Curiously though, the sounds I were hearing weren't the kind that I could pass off as those of a crowded city outskirt. There were screams and shouts, pained yells accompanied by the clang of blades. I looked out of the carriage, opening the shuttered wooden window only to be accompanied by a scene of bloodshed. Just my luck, the first time I take a regular carriage we run across bandits. They were occupied with a merchant caravan, but the path forward was blocked by them.

People were being killed out there, and there was no chance we'd get past peacefully if the driver's whispered prayers were of any indications. Not to mention the fact that the bandit's thirst for blood had been stoked by the resisting caravan. I was unwilling to have all my grand ambitions snuffed out by mere bandits. I didn't have any weapons, those were to be issued when the appointment was officially accepted, yet I knew I would have to fight. Not a fight like the savage animals outside in the forest, but against fellow humans.

I knocked on the door separating the body of the carriage from the driver, and the quivering hand of an old man opened it. I could see the tears almost brimming in his eyes, and his horse fidgeting in discomfort. I nodded to him, slipping a large silver in his hand. It was worth double the entire carriage ride, but no point in letting my wealth languish if I were to die.

"I'll try and take them out. If you see a chance, make a run for it. I'll handle myself."

"Oh bless you, lad. I fear this'll be my grave, but if I do make it out, you will have my eternal thanks. The name's Rokum, if you ever want to find me. Blessings of the world and winds speed to you, lad."

Nodding grimly to Rokum, I step out, unnoticed by the preoccupied combatants. I could hear Rokum trying to quietly urge his horse to turn around, a manoeuvre that the unwieldy carriage was not made for. It would take time, time I would buy by fighting off any bandits that came towards him. I did not really have a clue of what I would do, but I felt it worth to help this old man out. Besides, there were people in the caravan that looked like they need saving, and who better to do that than a newly minted royal guard?