I walk into the schoolhouse with my golden scale proudly present for all to see on my chest. The racous noise suddenly ended. It was so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop as everyone got a glimpse of my new medallion.
"She has got to be the youngest general in history," someone whispered.
"Who will be taking her place as Captain?" Asked another.
I slowly walked to the front of the room amid all the whispers with Captain Mitchell right behind me.
"Before we start the choosing ceremony, I have some announcements to make." I said to the silent room. "I will first state the obvious. Early this morning I received a messenger directly from King Ronald II..."
"Long live the king!!!" Many shouted. It was obvious that he was much beloved among the people.
"As I was saying, I received a messenger directly from the king. He has appointed me as the new General of the 7th Quadrant. I have his declaration as well for all to see if anyone wants to question this appointment." I continue.
No one stepped forward. Nobody wanted to question the king's appointment, for doing so can be traitorous to the king's authority. It could also mean disaster for the family of the person that questioned it. For the king was a much beloved figure in every household.
"So mote it be, and forever hold your peace." I say the ceremonial words. "Along with the message came the appointment of my successor as Captain of the dragon warriors of Susanna. I welcome Captain Curtis Mitchell." I announce and turn to the captain and hand over the red scale with all ceremony.
The door to the schoolhouse suddenly slammed open with such force that the room became dead silent. The person in the doorway was Mr. John Pillard, one of the wealthiest men in the Quadrant. He owned many businesses throughout the kingdom along with trade routes. He was a portly man with an overly large nose and small beady eyes set in a toad like face. He was not well liked because many believed he was behind some of the takeovers on many small businesses throughout the quadrant. He pushed his way through the crowd and came up to the podium.
"General, I must congradulate you on your new appointment." He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He believed that only men should be chosen as dragon warriors and that women should remain in the kitchen and only be seen and not heard."But I must object to the appointment of captain to this no name upstart. I must request that my son Johnathan should be named Captain, not him."
I wanted to sigh in displeasure at his bold statement, but held my ground. The son he spoke of was a worthless miscreant. I sometimes wonder why his partner Helena even choose him. There were far better choices when he had his choosing ceremony five years ago. He always found ways to get out of doing patrol duty and I feared that if he were appointed captain, his father would make him his puppet and try to gain more power and influence in the kingdom than he already had.
"I am sorry Mr. Pillard, but the appointment of Captain to Curtis Mitchell also came directly from the king. I have the letter of confirmation right here." I say, handing him the all important letter with the king's official seal.
He held the letter up to the light to see the watermark that would also show the king's coat of arms, confirming that it was the king's official stationary. He squinted his beady little eyes at the writting of the letter. He then put the letter down with a look of disgust on his frog like face.
"General, even though this comes directly from the King, it has been tradition that a captain is usually chosen from among the dragon warriors that have served for a period of time."
"As you have said, it is a tradition, not the rule Mr. Pillard. And he has served, just not as a dragon warriors." I said, then turned to Captain Mitchell. "Care to explain more on the subject, Captain?"
"Most certainly, General." He replies. "It is true that I was only just recently chosen by my partner Jessalinda. But before that, I was a brigade leader in the king's foot army. As most of you know, the foot soldiers serve many purposes such as supporting the dragon warriors on the ground with supplies and medical aid. We also bring the battle into areas where it may be difficult for the dragons to maneuver such as forests and such. I was injured in such a battle in the recent past and was recovering. Jessalinda was nearby to bring messages to and from the frontlines when we met. Suddenly we got word that some of my men were caught behind enemy lines in the forest nearby. Jessalinda, because she had no rider at the time, volunteered to go help rescue them, since she did not have to worry about a rider on her back and could maneuver much easier in the leafy canopy."
"I myself grew up exploring the very woods where some of my men were trapped. Against doctors orders, I offered to help her find the vantage points in the area where she could catch the enemy unaware. As she went off, she started her battle song and against all odds, I heard it." He said, a little weepy in rememberence. "We successfully saved my men by working together and when the battle was over she made me the offer to become her dragon warrior."
It was rare for a warrior to be chosen outside of the choosing ceremony, but not unheard of in the heat of battle, I thought to myself as I got everyone's attention.
" The king has also advised me that I may choose to reside in Susanna as my base of operations since we are centrally located in the Quadrant. So I will be available to the new Captain and anyone else who may have questions or concerns." I inform them. "Is that enough of a background for you Mr. Pillard?"
"Yes, General." John said begrudingly. He then made his way to the door and left.
"Does anyone else have any questions or concerns they wish to bring forward?" My question was met with dead silence. "Then lets move forward to the main event."