A Royal Welcome and a Call to Train

As we made our way to our apartments, a man in elaborate knight's armor approached from the far end of the corridor. His light-blue hair brushed his neck, and he wore a cape bearing the symbol of the Knights of the Azure Cross. His gleaming armor was identical to that of the other knights, save for the three-star insignia emblazoned on each shoulder. A silver sword with a golden hilt was sheathed at his waist, and he appeared to be about Cutter's age.

"Your Highness," the man said, bowing as he reached the Princess. "The senators and generals await you in the meeting chamber. They say the matter is urgent."

Princess Aurelia nodded. "Very well, I will see them at once. But first, Commander Cortez, could you please show these gentlemen to the guest rooms? They are in need of rest."

The man, now identified as Cortez, gave us a brief, assessing glance and nodded. "As you wish, Your Highness," he said with another bow.

As the Princess departed, I asked, "Are you Knight Commander Julio Cortez?"

A grin touched his lips. "I am. And who might you be?"

"My name is Arc," I said, offering my hand. "I'm a friend of Brielle's."

He accepted it with a firm grip. "Julio Cortez, Commander of the Azure Cross Knights. Please, call me Julio." He shook each of our hands in turn before gesturing down the hall. "This way, gentlemen."

After a few minutes' walk, we stopped before a heavy oak door. "This will be your room, Arc, Bard," Julio announced, pushing it open.

We had expected modest accommodations—a shared room, perhaps, with three meals a day. What we received instead was the most exquisite and opulent suite any of us had ever laid eyes on.

The room was breathtaking. Two large beds, draped with fine curtains, looked so plush one might sink right through them. The floor was made of polished, glazed wood, and a rich, crimson carpet that looked like velvet promised a massage for bare feet. A door in the corner, I presumed, led to a private washroom.

Cutter and Bard dropped their assault packs to the floor with loud thuds, their mouths agape. My own jaw hung open, my astonishment plain to see.

"I know it may not be as luxurious as what you are accustomed to," Julio said, "but I hope you will find this humble room acceptable for your stay."

I stared at him, stunned. Did he genuinely believe this was a step down for us? If this is how lieutenants live, I thought, I might just have to defect.

Stepping into the room, I glanced back at Julio and offered a bow of my own. "This is more than enough. Thank you."

He gave me an odd look before attempting to imitate the gesture. I placed my assault rifle and my Getsuei katana on one of the beds, beside which Bard had just dumped his pack. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, I watched Julio and Cutter converse.

"Now, let me show you to your ro—"

"MASTER THORNE! MASTER CORTEZ!" a voice cried out from down the hallway.

I moved to the doorway and saw a girl in a maid's uniform sprinting toward us. She had wavy, chestnut hair from which a pair of cat ears protruded, and a tail swished anxiously behind her. She was significantly shorter than even Brielle. She came to a skidding halt before the Captain, breathing heavily. Straightening up, she looked at Cutter. "Master Thorne! Master Cortez!" she announced, her voice having a distinctly feline lilt. "The Princess requires your presence in the meeting room immediately, nyan!" I couldn't tell if the affectation was natural.

Julio nodded. "Very well, we will be there at once. Please look after Bard and Arc in our absence."

"Nyan!" she replied with a cheerful smile.

After Cutter and Julio departed, Bard and I began to unpack with the assistance of the catgirl maid. I took out a small whetstone and began honing the edge of my Getsuei while Bard neatly arranged his tools. The maid, whose name we learned was Tama, was struggling to slide Bard's heavy assault pack into the large chest where I had already stowed mine. She grunted with the effort.

"Uuugghhh... this... is... so... heavy, nyan," she strained.

"Need a hand with that?" Bard asked, having just finished dusting off his plate carrier.

Shaking her head, the maid gave one final heave, managing to cram the massive bag into the chest and slam the lid shut. She took a long, deep breath, slumping to the floor to sit beside the chest. "Fuh, that was very heavy, nyan," she said.

"By the way, miss, what's your name?" Bard asked nonchalantly from his perch on the side of his bed.

She cleared her throat before answering. "My name is Tama, nyan."

"Tama, huh? I'm Bard, and that's Arc. It's a pleasure to meet you."

I saw Tama stifle a chuckle. "What's so funny?" Bard asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tama cleared her throat again. "Nothin'. It's just... that's the first guild I've ever heard of where all the members have such strange names, nyan."

A guild? Well, that was certainly preferable to them thinking we were a military black ops unit.

"So, what is your guild called, nyan?" she asked.

Damn it, what was he going to say now?

"Our guild," Bard said with surprising nonchalance, "is called the Knights in Green."

"Well, that name certainly fits you, nyan," she mused. "Your clothes are mostly green, and you wear armor and helmets like knights, even if they are a bit unusual-looking." Once we had finished unpacking, Tama prepared to leave. "Master Bard, Master Arc, please excuse me. I have other duties to attend to, nyan."

She bowed, shut the door, and we were alone.

Bard fell back onto his bed, linking his hands behind his head. "Sorry, man," he admitted. "I know I suck at naming things. To be fair, I thought G.A.I.A. was a pretty weird name, too."

I actually thought the name was cool—almost prophetic. Bard lay with his sapphire-blue eyes closed.

"This whole thing feels like a dream," he said. "I joined the Sea Dragons to follow my convictions. Not for pride, or honor, or any of that bullshit." He gave a short, humorless laugh. "And now here we are, in some strange new world, about to become the cool-looking knights destined to save it. What a joke."

I sat on my own bed, facing away from him. "Me too, Bard," I said, looking up at the ornate ceiling. "But I had another reason."

He glanced over at me. "Your old man, right?"

I remembered my father's words and nodded, a small smile on my lips. "He wanted me to be of service. A nameless patriot. A man who sacrifices much for the good of the many, whose name will never be written in the history books."

Even though it sounded ironic given our current circumstances, I knew I could die with that pride in my heart.

"If we really are the knights from Princess Aurelia's prophecy," I declared, "then I'll sacrifice anything to save this continent. No matter the cost."

Bard flashed me a toothy grin. "I know the feeling, bro."

"Of course you do," I replied with a faint smile of my own.

"OI! ARC!" a voice yelled from outside.

I opened the window and looked out. Down in the courtyard, a familiar figure with pink hair was waving up at me. It was Brielle.

"Let's go train! You're still weak!" she called up, her voice as cheerful as ever.

I heard Bard laugh behind me. "If you want to be that patriot your father talked about, you'd better get started."

A grin spread across my face as I thought, YOSH! I picked up my Getsuei and strode to the open window. Hopping onto the sill, I glanced back at Bard. "Tell the Captain I'll be occupied for a while."

He gave me a thumbs-up. "Crystal clear!"

I leaped from the window, landing softly on the grass near Brielle. She smiled, drawing her rapier from its sheath.

"Let's begin!" she declared.

I returned the smile, sinking into a fighting stance as my own hand went to the hilt of my sword. The sun shone brightly overhead, glinting off the steel of my Getsuei and Brielle's rapier.