thanks you.’
I felt my face get hot, and I felt quite embarrassed by the praise and attention I was getting. I glanced over at Garridan, who was once again wearing that proud smile.
King Baladir then turned his attention to Derrick. ‘Delmar also thanks you for your great service today, Derrick. You would be a great asset to any army, anywhere in the world.’
‘That would mean a lot more if it wasn’t spoken as an afterthought,’ was Derrick’s response.
When I spun around to look at him in disbelief, I saw that he was wearing a wide grin. I was really beginning to believe that he would crack a joke in any situation. Baladir, apparently, had been through this a time or two before; his young face widened into a smile of his own.
‘You should be satisfied with the knowledge that I mentioned it at all,’ the King retorted, good-naturedly. He then turned and walked across the platform where his throne stood. ‘In honor of your courage,’ Baladir said, his voice rising as if he was making an announcement to a courtroom full of people, ‘we shall have a grand reception tomorrow night, and the three of you shall be the guests of honor! Rest well tonight, for you have earned it.’
With that, King Baladir turned and exited the courtroom through a door behind his throne. Seconds later, the servant followed with his wine.
Derrick came bounding up the steps toward me. For a moment, I thought he would run me over (which, had this occurred, would certainly have resulted in my demise), but he stopped just as he reached me. His eyes were wide with elation, and his grin was wider than ever.
‘All right!’ he exclaimed. ‘A party in our honor! For one night, we will be treated like royalty!’
Garridan nodded, rolling his eyes a little. ‘Yes, yes… We have earned their respect for an evening.’ He looked down at me, and nodded. ‘Sleep well tonight, Aidan, with the knowledge that you have taken your first step toward becoming a knight.’
Just when I thought I couldn’t feel any more overwhelmed, I did. Try as I did to follow Garridan’s advice, I didn’t sleep well at all that night; I was too excited. The memories and images of that day flashing through my mind all night long.
The journey to my dream was just beginning.
CHAPTER 5
That fateful battle changed my life forever. Suddenly, my dream wasn’t just a dream anymore, it was on the path to becoming reality. I was officially taken into the White Army as a soldier, leaving my farm life behind.
Derrick got promoted to a knight as a result of that battle. We had become very close, and I was so happy for him. But even as I watched him, standing next to the king, soaking in the adulation of the people during his ceremony, I envisioned the day when I would be the one up there, reveling in the fact that my dream was finally accomplished.
Derrick, for his part, was rather melancholy about his promotion — he had confided in me that he had never wanted anything more than being a soldier. I needled him about being a lazy bum and not wanting the extra work, but he explained that he didn’t want the extra responsibility; he said he liked being given orders, and being expected to complete them. But Garridan had had a long talk with him, and promised to continue giving him plenty of orders. Usually, a soldier had to go through some sort of trial in order to claim his knighthood, but for Derrick, that battle was considered to be his trial — helping to lead a vastly outmanned army to victory.
For me, my trials were only just beginning. Life as a soldier was very difficult, disciplined, and arduous. However, I loved every moment of it — this is what I had been waiting for, and I wasn’t about to give up because it was starting to become a little difficult. It wasn’t supposed to be easy, and it sure lived up to this difficult reputation.
My first difficulty was moving into the city itself. One thing I had never even considered was the fact that, if I ever
I felt my face get hot, and I felt quite embarrassed by the praise and attention I was getting. I glanced over at Garridan, who was once again wearing that proud smile.
King Baladir then turned his attention to Derrick. ‘Delmar also thanks you for your great service today, Derrick. You would be a great asset to any army, anywhere in the world.’
‘That would mean a lot more if it wasn’t spoken as an afterthought,’ was Derrick’s response.
When I spun around to look at him in disbelief, I saw that he was wearing a wide grin. I was really beginning to believe that he would crack a joke in any situation. Baladir, apparently, had been through this a time or two before; his young face widened into a smile of his own.
‘You should be satisfied with the knowledge that I mentioned it at all,’ the King retorted, good-naturedly. He then turned and walked across the platform where his throne stood. ‘In honor of your courage,’ Baladir said, his voice rising as if he was making an announcement to a courtroom full of people, ‘we shall have a grand reception tomorrow night, and the three of you shall be the guests of honor! Rest well tonight, for you have earned it.’
With that, King Baladir turned and exited the courtroom through a door behind his throne. Seconds later, the servant followed with his wine.
Derrick came bounding up the steps toward me. For a moment, I thought he would run me over (which, had this occurred, would certainly have resulted in my demise), but he stopped just as he reached me. His eyes were wide with elation, and his grin was wider than ever.
‘All right!’ he exclaimed. ‘A party in our honor! For one night, we will be treated like royalty!’
Garridan nodded, rolling his eyes a little. ‘Yes, yes… We have earned their respect for an evening.’ He looked down at me, and nodded. ‘Sleep well tonight, Aidan, with the knowledge that you have taken your first step toward becoming a knight.’
Just when I thought I couldn’t feel any more overwhelmed, I did. Try as I did to follow Garridan’s advice, I didn’t sleep well at all that night; I was too excited. The memories and images of that day flashing through my mind all night long.
The journey to my dream was just beginning.
CHAPTER 5
That fateful battle changed my life forever. Suddenly, my dream wasn’t just a dream anymore, it was on the path to becoming reality. I was officially taken into the White Army as a soldier, leaving my farm life behind.
Derrick got promoted to a knight as a result of that battle. We had become very close, and I was so happy for him. But even as I watched him, standing next to the king, soaking in the adulation of the people during his ceremony, I envisioned the day when I would be the one up there, reveling in the fact that my dream was finally accomplished.
Derrick, for his part, was rather melancholy about his promotion — he had confided in me that he had never wanted anything more than being a soldier. I needled him about being a lazy bum and not wanting the extra work, but he explained that he didn’t want the extra responsibility; he said he liked being given orders, and being expected to complete them. But Garridan had had a long talk with him, and promised to continue giving him plenty of orders. Usually, a soldier had to go through some sort of trial in order to claim his knighthood, but for Derrick, that battle was considered to be his trial — helping to lead a vastly outmanned army to victory.
For me, my trials were only just beginning. Life as a soldier was very difficult, disciplined, and arduous. However, I loved every moment of it — this is what I had been waiting for, and I wasn’t about to give up because it was starting to become a little difficult. It wasn’t supposed to be easy, and it sure lived up to this difficult reputation.
My first difficulty was moving into the city itself. One thing I had never even considered was the fact that, if I ever
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