Jameson ran into The Pit to find everyone panicking. Food was thrown everywhere, people ducked under tables, and Doevm’s cake had fallen on the floor. He frowned and took a deep breath. “Attention!” His voice was so loud it broke through everyone’s minds and made them stand upright. “Do not panic, for now, we are not in danger! All guards report to the mansion’s front yard in twenty. Frey and Doevm, you two are with me. We’re going to meet with the lord. Disperse!” Frey followed Jameson and Doevm to the lord’s bedroom. A distressed maid waited on the outside. When she saw them, she burst into tears.

“I’m sorry sir, I don’t know what’s happening,” She apologized. “The lord ordered me to not let anyone inside, even if it’s the young master. I-I just want to see my family.”

“It’s OK.” Jameson hugged her. “I can take over from here. No harm will come to you. Go meet up with your family.” The maid thanked him and rushed away. Jameson tried the door handle, and found it locked. “Lord, please unlock the door.” The laughter inside died down, but there was no audible response. “Lord, please duck.” He raised his foot. A few wisps of grey mist rose from it. He kicked the door down and rushed inside with his spear at the ready.

The light crystals had been turned off. The few pieces of furniture all had pictures of Reginald with Thomas and his wife. In the center was a large bed with very relaxed noble lying on top of it. He stared at the intruders with eyes more alive than he had been in years. “Jameson, it happened.” He jumped off the bed and did a little dance. “Thomas is only thirteen, he can’t be drafted. Isn’t this wonderful?”

“It’s terrible.” Jameson punched the lord in the gut.

Frey stepped forward, but Doevm up a hand on his shoulder: “This is between them. If that punch was real, the lord would be dead.” Frey nodded and stood ready to intervene. Reginald coughed a few times and puked out a few strands of saliva.

“Pull yourself together, your son might be safe, but we’re about to send mine to war.” Jameson helped his lord up and sat him on the bed.

“I’m sorry, you’re right. Thank you for that.” Reginald sat up with the posture Doevm first saw him with, not bent, tired old man of these past couple years. “Frey and Doevm, you look like you have a lot of questions. We can’t give you everything, but we’ll fill you in for the most part. Don’t tell anyone what you may hear or see. This meeting did not happen. Is that clear?”

“Yes, my lord.” Doevm and Frey said in unison.

“Great,” Reginald coughed a few times. “Jameson, hold back a little more, will you? You nearly killed me.”

“Sorry, I’m stressed,” Jameson chuckled.

Thomas ran in: “Father, something has…” He noticed everyone standing around his father. “Happened.”

“Stand with Doevm and Frey.” Jameson said. “You need to hear this as well.” Thomas nodded and stood at attention.

Reginald cleared his throat, “Now that everyone’s here, I can begin. That earthquake just now was a signal to the world that a hero has been acknowledged. In history, whenever this has happened, there was a war between our kingdom and the next to control that hero. It’s unknown where the hero appeared, just that it has happened. The royals are going to draft anyone at fourteen years or older to participate. Doevm, it seems like the gods hate you, as you just turned of age.”

‘You have no idea,’ Doevm thought.

“What about me?” Thomas asked. “I’m about to turn fourteen in a few weeks. Can I join as well?”

“No,” Reginald leaned forward and smacked him. “My stupid son, this is what I have been fearing. War isn’t what you think it is. It’s not something fun or manly. It’s a slaughter of people, good or bad. I do not want you on the battlefield. I’ve been training you so much so you can defend yourself, not to go out and kill people.”

“But,” Thomas stammered. “It sounds like you knew this was coming. Why else would you put so much effort into training me? You never even let me talk to people.”

“I did know this was coming.” The light crystals flicked back on, displaying Reginald’s many wrinkles and graying hair. “Look at me. I’m in my forties. This isn’t supposed to happen, but stress has caused me to age faster. Haven’t you noticed we don’t need a hundred guards defending us? I was trying to train people to defend you in the war, but it seems like it was unnecessary.”

Thomas looked down at his calloused hands. His body was strong, stronger than almost anyone his age. Years of his life he was pushed and shoved around. He was a noble, but it was more like he was trapped. “That’s two.” Thomas sneered. “That’s two times you’ve kept the truth from me. You, my own father, lied to me. If it’s not about training, you’re always sulking about my mother, but you never tell me anything about her. I don’t even know how she died, just that she passed away.”

“Thomas,” Reginald’s wrinkles seemed to sink.

“No,” Thomas stepped back. “It should’ve been you that died instead of my mother. Maybe she would have at least raised me right.” he ran out of the room.

Reginald sighed: “Jameson, don’t let him go too far. I’ll fill Doevm and Frey in.” Jameson flashed in a silver streak out of the room. “Back to the war, you two need to accomplish something.” He reached under his pillow, pulled out two scrolls, and handed them to Doevm and Frey. “These are permission slips to join the war, but as a commoner from Petal Town, not a guard. From this point onward, you two are not part of the Virility household.”

“What?” Frey finally couldn’t hold back his protests anymore. “We’ve both slaved away for you for years now. We’ve risked our lives all so you can benefit and grow as a noble house, but you’re going to throw us away just like this?”

“No.” Reginald was weak and frail, but a single stare from his sunken eyes shut Frey up. “Thomas is out of danger for now, but I need him to grow. There’s an academy that trains knights to be the strongest in the kingdom. After this war is over, he’s going to enroll. There’s only one thing: the academy has a high death rate. I need him to be protected, and the best place to do that from, is by his side as students. So, I need both of you to enroll with him.”

“But the academy won’t just accept random commoners, no matter how good we are.” Doevm narrowed his eyes. “So what do we have to do to be eligible for enrollment?”

“Doevm, you’re correct, the academy is very picky. It does accept commoners, but they have to distinguish themselves. Luckily for us, the year-long war is a good place to distinguish oneself. The reason I enroll you not as guards, but as commoners, is because you’ll have a better chance at growth. Guards for a noble family like you two are drafted into positions they cannot grow in. That’s because the royals use this war to pick out candidates for the academy, and they don’t want noble families to grow. That’s why you two will be erased from our records as guards. You’ll be put on the front lines and not only live through this war but succeed.”

“But how much do we need to succeed?” Doevm asked. “And how do we succeed?”

“You need to kill a lot of people.” Reginald pulled out another scroll. “These are your requirements.”

Doevm read over his scroll while Frey laughed. “Just how many of the rumors about you were true? You’re Jameson’s son, you can read, what else can you do?”

“A lot.” Doevm said, trying to read. “We have to first become squad leaders by killing an enemy squad leader.” He read aloud for the illiterate Frey. “Then we need to kill fifteen squad leaders to become captains, at which point, we should not advance any further?” He looked to Reginald for an explanation.

“Captains are accepted into the academy, but if you grow any further beyond that, you’ll be stuck in the army. You’ll live the rest of your life serving under royals. You can’t refuse, or they’ll get suspicious. The option to serve the royals are too good for normal commoners to pass up. You can never let them know you’re not just commoners.”

Doevm rolled the scroll up. “It seems pretty simple. I understand everything, but I do have one more question – why are you doing all this for Thomas? I know he’s your son, but this seems a little farfetched just for some bodyguards.”

“I refuse to answer.” Reginald smiled. “You’re both fired. Leave the mansion at once.”

Frey crushed the scroll, “And what about my sister. I work as your guard for the extra pay to afford her treatment. She’ll die without me.”

“I’ll get her a servant.” Reginald waved them out. “Think of it as a bonus for your hard work.” He stopped them before they left. “And Doevm, this is for you.” Reginald handed him yet another scroll. “Happy birthday, open it when you leave.”

“Thank you.” Doevm bowed, then looked to Frey. “And what did you get me?”

Frey took out a couple of power stones and forked them over.