Jaymes and his five companions stood before the fire, back to it, while in front of them stood the Masters of the four orders of the Rose. To the east of them, the moon rose above the campfire, bathing the night in silvery-white.
“Jaymes son of Patryg, do you come of your own accord? With no forethought nor malice?” The Commander of the Crown inquired. “Do you swear a true oath to keep our secrets, and reveal to none our laws and edicts?”
Jaymes raised his right hand. “I do, and I do swear to reveal nothing, even on the pain of death.”
The Crown Knight stepped back and looked to his left, where the Grail Master was waiting her turn. She stepped forward and addressed Jaymes. “You are in combat, and a soldier in your squad has just been slashed across the thigh and is bleeding heavily. What do you do?”
“After making sure that the soldier is moved to a safe place, I would let the wound bleed, in order to keep dirt out it, then I would apply a tourniquet above the wound and use a stick to tighten it down. I would either watch him closely, or order one of my men to watch him, then loosen the tourniquet every fifteen minutes or so, and if continued to bleed, I'd re-tighten the tourniquet and call for a field medic to take care of it.” Jaymes answered without thinking. Such things were taught to all the novitiates.
“And if it started turning black?”
Jaymes paused, “That's a sign of gangrene and I would leave it up to the field medic to decide what to do. If I couldn't find a medic, I'd try some of the blackweed poultice, and if that didn't work, I'd have to amputate.”
The Grail Master nodded, “Very Good, Young Jaymes.” She stepped back and looked to her left, where the Shroud Master was casually watching the interplay. “The initiate is yours, Brother Borim.”
“Thank you, Sister Janys.” Borim stepped forward and examined Jaymes. “You are eighteen, correct?” When Jaymes nodded and answered in the affirmative, Borim continued, “You have completed your training, and are ready to join the order.”
“Yes, Master Borim, I have and I am.” Jaymes affirmed.
The Shroud Master took another step toward Jaymes, gauging his reaction. To his credit, Jaymes didn't move, though he did watch Brother Borim very closely.
Borim circled Jaymes, examining him from head to foot, then back up again. “Which order are you seeking entry into?”
“I am petitioning to enter into the order of the Crown.” Jaymes said, drawing a look of surprise from the Shroud Master. Did I just surprise the master of spies? He wondered.
As if he were trying to reorganize his thoughts, the Shroud knight then looked into the young man's eyes. “You are the true son of the founding Masters, your family have been Knights of the Holy Rose for at least three generations, your father is the Grand Master of the Order, and your beloved's father is a Knight of the Covenant.” Other than a faint blush, Jaymes' said nothing, although Samantha blushed, and Sir Garan's mouth was turned down in anger (not at Jaymes, but at the fact that private business had been brought into public light.) “You have every advantage, and yet you wish to join the lowest order.” One brow arched slightly. “May I ask why?”
I did surprise him, Jaymes thought, then took a few minutes to think about his reply. “I am eighteen, sir, and I am just beginning my life. I realize that I have much to learn, and much to experience. Even the most common soldier has more battlefield experience that I do, and noble blood cannot buy respect.” He paused a second, “Yes, I could request entry into the Order of the covenant, but I have not earned it.” The Shroud knight gestured for him to continue, which he did. “I want the respect of the men I may command, not because of my blood, but because I've fought beside them, suffered with them, and understand them.”
The Shroud Master considered his words, gauging them for truth and intent. There had been a few that didn't know why they wanted to be Knights, and some that had lied to get into the orders, but his intuition, and his gathered intelligence, had suggested that Jaymes wasn't either one, he knew what he wanted and the reasons were just. “Very well. You have reasoned this through and your answers reveal a clarity of thought.” He took a step back and looked over at Patryg, who nodded. “I have but one more question. Is there anything that you do not know?” It was a loaded question and had many answers.
To his credit, Jaymes answered with a wry grin. “There are many things I don't know. But for those things that I don't know, I have resources. I have the Order of Crown for Military knowledge. I have the Order of the Grail for all things medical and physical. I have the Order of the Shroud for all things mystic and material. I have the Order of the covenant for all things that encompass moral and familial. With all of these resources, I should never fail any test, and if I do, then it is only temporary and I will succeed on the next attempt.”
The Elder Shroud Knight mulled over the closing statement, then nodded, more to himself, than anyone else. “Very good.” He turned and looked at Patryg. “The Shroud Knights approve the nomination of this man to join the Knighthood. He shall make an excellent addition to our brotherhood.” With that, he stepped back into the darkness.
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