Adelaide Greywater's Story

xxxxx"When old man Talar introduced you to me six years ago, all I saw was a sissy boy who couldn't even pick up a stick." A tall, white-haired man wearing a long, cyan coat with several medallions on the left side of his chest and a long, silver rapier donned on the side of his waist smiled to Valerys. As he patted his shoulder, one could see a sense of pride clearly visible on his face. "Now look at you... It's incredible how fast time flies, hmm?"

"This was nothing, really, Uncle. It puts me at ease to see that you are here, too." He nodded back to his uncle -- Sir Vaharys Kargaryen, once a Guardian himself two cycles prior and now a High Commander within the ranks of the Eden Imperial Army. "The lessons you've taught me, I promise that I'll put them to good use."

"Don't mention it, Val." Vaharys moved to put his hand on his nephew's shoulder. "From now on, you will see for yourself whether or not what I've told you before is true. You've always learned well enough, so I needn't explain to you anymore. Listen to me, there is still a great deal of things ahead of you to be bestowed upon you. Just be ready when they come, like you've always been. It's a completely different world from this moment on."

"I understand, Uncle. That's why I'm here, isn't it?" Valerys nodded to his uncle before he continued. "Though, it's not like we're not going to see each other much. In fact, I imagine it'll be the opposite, so I hope you will still have my back."

His uncle laughed. "You know I don't have time to sit here and babysit you like before, so don't count on that much. You're a man of your own league now, give yourself more credit and lose the naivety. Show 'em what the blessing of our family is worth." Vaharys smiled, and Valerys nodded back at his uncle's word of encouragement in appreciation. He knew what was awaiting him was not going to be like anything he'd ever faced before. He was there for a reason, and no obstacles were going to keep him down until all of his ends were met.

It all felt like every moment, ever since he was born, had lead to this instance. As if Fate was finally allowing him to achieve what he had been looking for his whole life. He remembered back to when he got a chance to stand there watching the meeting between the Divines and their then newest Guardians for the first time. It was when he realized that this is the best -- and arguably the only -- way for him to finally reach the truth. The zenith of all that was wise in the whole wide world.

In the past seventy-five cycles, there had always been at least one member from his family and its three branches among the ranks of the Guardians. Even then, there were but very rare instances where something truly odd had happened, so there was no real foundation for Valerys to think that this time was going to be any different. He was certain that he wasn't going to have any regrets.

"High Commander, Lord Valerys." A servant walked up, bowing as he approached. "Please excuse me, but the Divines will be here soon and His Majesty is requesting every piece in its proper place, please kindly return to your positions."

The both of them nodded as he took his leave just as promptly as he had arrived.

"Well, it's time. You nervous?"

"I suppose that I would be lying if I said that I wasn't."

"It's time to man up, kiddo. Go and face your destiny, or however they say it in those you books you used to read. I'll see you around -- soon, and you'd better be in your top shape by then." Vaharys patted his shoulder before he returned to his post at the Priestess' side, while Valerys moved to his own at the center of the audience room, joining his fellow Guardians.

His thoughts wandered back to the day of the Induction Ceremony -- which was a very long and asphyxiating day, filled with seemingly endless rituals, all of which seemed rather pointless from Valerys' point of view. Judging from the looks of his colleagues who are standing in tandem with him back then, it occurred to him that he was not the only one feeling that way. Of course, he had memorized every facet of every detail of the Ceremony, but to have read about it and to actually experience it were two completely different things. The praying and the fasting weren't so bad, but it had truly been a bore having to read all the scrolls about the history of Eden again, scrolls he had already committed to heart by the age of five. Not that he had let it show, he actually cared about his image more than other people may have thought.

After moving into the Temple, he had soon expected that there was going to be a summon like this but was pretty willing to comply to any orders there were. It was simply how he had been taught to live. For Valerys, any place where he could elude the presence of his cynical grandfather was the place to be. Not to mention that -- as with any other new environments he was placed into -- there was a great deal that he had learned. Yet for him, it was more of a warm up than anything.

If what Valerys had anticipated became reality, then this would soon be the moment where his journey to uncovering true wisdom disembarked.

As he calmly awaited for the arrival of the Divines, he glanced around the audience room looking for something worth observing. There was nothing of great significance as he eventually reverted his gaze back to his fellow Guardians. For the three weeks prior, he had tried to get acquainted with them -- some of them more willing than others -- and came to the conclusion that it would be interesting to work with them indeed.

Standing to the left of him was Her Royal Highness, the third child of the royal family -- Princess Adelaide Greywater. Prior to her bestowal of the title they certainly had known each other before, for consultations with the Royal family were always in order for the Astraryens, but he had never had a chance to have a full conversation with her before the past three weeks. As expected from someone of royal blood, her skills in diplomacy and impressive knowledge about politics were admirable. They had also tested each other out with the sword, which really opened Valerys' eyes about how differing the image of a Princess could really be. Adelaide would certainly be an asset he would be looking out to in the future.

On his right side was Junichi, a man who also had a family member that was a former Guardian, much like Valerys himself. He couldn't help but notice that people seemed to consider him an extension of his brother, seeing as servants and officials kept regarding him as the '74th Guardian's brother' and similar things of that nature. If he was to make assumptions, he would guess that this was the reason why the man decided to put his name on the roster. A determination to overcome one's shadow and the diligence necessary to achieve said goal. Such were the traits he found in Junichi that were truly respectable. However, his rather rash and abrasive manner would be a problem if they were to work together in the future.

The last of the four was Galaya, the quiet and unassuming girl. She certainly did not look like a person one would expect to look like when they pictured a Guardian. The fact that she made it here was the proof of her strength, however, and Valerys wished that she would open herself up more because she seemed rather wary of him anytime he tried to approach her. Probably due to the fact that the gap of status was still present. Valerys honestly found Galaya's frugality a breath of fresh air among all the extravagances he was surrounded with since the bestowal, and noticed that she was a lot more observant than her timid demeanor would suggest.

Setting his gaze back to the large doors at the end of the room, Valerys unconsciously touched the left side of his chest where the symbol of his Divine was lying. Whether for better or worse, his instincts told him that everything he had ever known would never be the same again the moment those doors were sprung open.