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DRAGONMOUNT

A WHEEL OF TIME COMMUNITY

Kyle's Annoitation (Attn: Kronos)


Sherper

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Tan looked down at the list given to him by the Captain at Arms. Another anointment, then. It had been six months since the last one had passed. Recruitment for the Children seemed down from last quarter, but why should he really care? He was just a servant – to be used by the officers in carrying their wine and parchment. He scurried down the corridor, past finely hung tapestries and polished marble walls, until he reached a section of the fortress that was not as highly decorated as the others. The recruit barracks.
     The things appeared quite empty these days, though Tan suspected it had something to do with it being the weekend. He really should consider using up the long term leave he had saved up and get away from this place for a while. He stopped in front of a door made from stout oak then knocked, not glancing up as a figure came to answer the call.
      “Kyle Kirnan, you’ve been ordered to report to the Fortress at Eighteen-hundred.” He said in a loud and crisp enough voice. “In order to take your Oaths and be admitted into the Children of the Light. Please be prepared and on time.”
The recruit hesitated at the door, then even more hesitantly took the sheet of parchment from Tan’s hand, which outlined the requirements for the ceremony.
He bid the lad well, then quickly retreated from the doorway, leaving the recruit to his own thoughts. He had another eight of these to deliver, and he was looking forward to getting off work for the day.

 

~ Tan
Master-Servant in Service to the Children of the Light

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Kyle was on a break.  They didn't come often, so he utilized the time well, relaxing and practicing his reading.  He had come a long way since joining the Children of the Light - not able to even recognize letters to attempting to read The Way of the Light.  It was a difficult read and Kyle had trouble deciphering some of the harder words.  He would have to ask Roudal about them the next time he saw him.  Kyle had also killed his first man.  He mistakenly ended up in part of a mission when he ran into Hundredman Ackley Carnel.  He had almost messed up the operation, but Carnel had helped him in the end.  Kyle hadn't taken well to killing someone and he had been recommended for psychological evaluation.  In time, Kyle had dealt with the issue and had moved on in his training.

 

A knock came to his door, and Kyle place a small sheet of paper into the book to mark his place for later.  He stood, stretching the muscles that had tightened as he had been reading and opened the door. He opened the door to find one of the servants at the door.  Kyle didn't recognize him, and the servant didn't look up as Kyle opened the door.  He held a parchment and read from it in a loud voice.

 

"Kyle Kirnan, you've been ordered to report to the Fortress at Eighteen-hundred in order to take your Oaths and be admitted to the Children of the Light.  Please be prepared and on time."

 

Kyle hesitated, the words not quite having meaning yet.  He took the parchment and read it, furrowing his brows a couple of times before offering the servant a thank you.  The servant bid him farewell and moved quickly to deliver the rest of his notices.  Kyle turned and shut the door, rereading the parchment a couple of times.  He had gotten decent enough at reading, but it still took him awhile sometimes.  He had read through the note twice before it really hit him.

 

I've made it...I'm going to be a Child of the Light!

 

He had worked harder for this moment than he had for anything else.  For the first time, Kyle felt really proud of himself.  He opened his closet and check his armor.  He had several hours to clean up, and he wanted everything to be pristine for this moment.  When he was satisfied with his armor, he moved to his wash basin to clean himself, feeling elated at seeing his clean face again.  He dressed, making sure every seam was in place and everything was fitted properly.

 

He left his room, a new spring in his step and met eight other recruits outside.  He expected talking, but all of the recruits recognized the solemnity of what was about to occur.  They remained silent, waiting for the ceremony to begin.  Kyle thought back to his days as a recruit, and thought of how quickly it had seemed to have gone.  It seemed like only yesterday he was a dirty thief that had approached the soldiers talking about the "Tar Valon Witches."

 

The doors opened, and Kyle entered the Fortress, feeling an excitement he had not felt since he arrived at the Fortress on that first day so long ago.

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Jeor stood quietly by himself in the dome of truth, hands clasped behind his back, contemplating. He often did this when he needed time to think – to ponder about his life – the decisions he’s been forced to make. The fortress was always a drone of activity and noise, the recruits sparing in the practise yard, the soldiers drinking and laughing in their barracks. Not the Dome of Truth though. This, was one place where a man could actually hear himself think.
     It had been over twenty years since he joined the ranks of the Children. Twenty years of his life he had given away to the Order. By the Light, for it seemed a long time to him. The only regret he had was he probably didn’t have twenty more to give. The Children was his home. Would be, and always will be. Though at times the call of Malkier would also ring strongly in his ears. Maybe he would retire one day; pack up and finally seek the peace, and the Blight with its Shadowspawn. To die a true Malkierie death.
     His thoughts were interrupted suddenly by the opening of the main entrance to the Dome. A line of fresh faced recruits entered, their breastplates gleaming brightly against the late afternoon sun. They had obviously polished them thoroughly before coming here. Their expressions looked eager, though a few produced worried looks as they glanced about. Jeor smiled to himself, though his facial expression remained the same – the placid indifference of the Master at Arms.
     Without even having to give a word of instruction, the eight soon would be Children stood facing him in a line. They were no longer wet behind the ears, for they had trained long and hard for this moment. Jeor certainly remembered how eager he had been to prove himself as one who worthy of taking the oath. He began to perform the ritualised lines, and though he only spoke at a normal volume, the shape of the domed chamber made his voice echo as it rollicked into every corner and space.
     “You all have been summoned to take the Firth Oath of the Children of the Light.” He said, and the line of recruits stood instantly to attention, their eyes wide with excitement. “If you have any reservations about joining, now is the time to leave. For this is your last chance to do so before swearing.” He paused, and waited the necessary amount of time before continuing. In all his years serving with the Children, Jeor had never seen anyone back out on the night of being sworn in. The initiation process usually weeded out the unsuitable candidates long before they got this far.
     “Now, since you’re all still here. We meet at days end and night begins to seal your commitment to the Light. Repeat after me:
By the Light and my hope of Salvation and rebirth, I swear fealty to the Children of the Light. I vow to serve, respect, and grant obedience to the high command. In the name of the Creator, I swear it.”
    
He waited as each and every recruit repeated the first vow spoken by all members of the Children ever since its foundation.

 

~ Jeor Alroel
Captain in the Army of the Light, and Master at Arms.

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Kyle entered the Dome of Truth with the other recruits and quickly fell into a line formation.  The recruits were silent, recognizing the importance of this occasion; however, Kyle couldn’t keep the excitement of the moment from showing on his face.   Kyle kept his eyes on the man at the front of the room, waiting patiently for instructions.  The man’s face belayed the seriousness of what was about to happen.  Kyle recognized him as Jeor Alroel, the Master at Arms in the Army of the Light.  He had worked with Kyle during some of their weapons training sessions.

 

The room remained silent, Jeor allowing the silence to add to the somberness of the moment before speaking, his voice echoing dramatically in the Dome of Truth. “You all have been summoned to take the Firth Oath of the Children of the Light. If you have any reservations about joining, now is the time to leave. For this is your last chance to do so before swearing.”

 

He paused and silence once again reigned in the Dome of Truth.  It seemed as if even the birds had quit their singing in recognition of the event.  The silence meant one very important thing; none of the recruits were leaving.  Kyle knew in this moment, that he couldn’t leave.  The Children of the Light were his family and for once he felt a true pride in himself.  He stayed at attention, his eyes focused on the wall in front of him and his ears waiting to hear the words spoken by the Master at Arms.

 

“Now, since you’re all still here. We meet at days end and night begins to seal your commitment to the Light. Repeat after me: By the Light and my hope of Salvation and rebirth, I swear fealty to the Children of the Light. I vow to serve, respect, and grant obedience to the high command. In the name of the Creator, I swear it.”

 

This was it.  In a few short moments, he would really be a Child of the Light!  All that hard work was for this moment.  Despite all the training, Kyle couldn’t keep the smile from his face as he spoke the words.

 

“By the Light and my hope of Salvation and rebirth, I swear fealty to the Children of the Light. I vow to serve, respect, and grant obedience to the high command. In the name of the Creator, I swear it.”

 

Kyle remembered to put his smile aside as he finished the words.  The pride still swelled within him.  He could feel warmth in his chest that he had seldom felt throughout his life.  Silence once more prevailed in the room as the echoes of the Oath faded away.  Kyle stood at attention waiting for the next set of directions.

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Jeor waited as each recruit had said the oath. “Now for the final step.” He said, once the words had been given sufficient time to settle in. “As recruits, you’ve learnt about our three divisions – the Army of the Light, the Hand, and the Eyes.” He noticed the expression turn from uncertain weariness to open eagerness at the prospect of finally being emitted into a division. In essence, each branch of the Children were a separate family. These new recruits were soon going home to their families. “Now is the time to choose.”
     At that, the doors to the Dome of Truth swung open to admit three clerks, each carrying cloaks of different colour and symbol. “You’ve all earned these, you’ve done well. Now step forward and bear this weight of responsibility proudly upon your shoulders.”
There was no need for any more instructions. The Children each donned the respective cloaks of their profession that were handed to them.
“Well done. I formally acknowledge you as members of the Children of the Light. Welcome home, Brothers and Sisters. May the Light forever shine true in your hearts, whatever your calling may be.”

 

~ Jeor Alroel
Captain in the Army of the Light, and Master at Arms

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“Now for the final step.” Jeor said, breaking the silence once more. “As recruits, you’ve learnt about our three divisions – the Army of the Light, the Hand, and the Eyes. Now is the time to choose."

 

The doors opened and three clerks entered carrying several cloaks.  Most of the recruits already had their eyes locked on the clerk they would need to head to.  Their decisions were made, this was just a formality.  Kyle like the other recruits had already chosen his path.  Among the recruits, he was one of few who had real combat experience.  The ordeal had left him traumatized and he had to see counselors for awhile, but doing so had forced Kyle to face his past in a way he never had before.  He had come to acceptance of what had happened so long ago and despite his past, he had still been accepted into the ranks of Children.  His experience however, drew him to the Army of the Light.

 

Of the eight recruits, Kyle and three others, two men and one woman,  approached the Army of the Light Clerk.  Three men headed to the Hand of the Light and one woman went to the Eyes.  Kyle quickly donned his new cloak, unable to hide his pride any longer.  He felt like a new man and in many ways he was.  He only hoped that he would continue to become a better person as his life continued to unfold.

 

“Well done. I formally acknowledge you as members of the Children of the Light. Welcome home, Brothers and Sisters. May the Light forever shine true in your hearts, whatever your calling may be.” Jeor said loudly, dismissing the group.

 

As one, the eight snapped to attention and saluted him.  They had come here as boys and girls, ignorant and alone, and left the Dome of Truth that night as Brothers and Sisters in the Children of the Light.  The eight of them stepped out of the Dome of Truth and the excitement they had been holding in for so long finally was allowed an outlet.  They jumped into each others arms and congratulated each other before heading as one to the mess tent to have some Kaf to celebrate.  They were no longer recruits; they were Children of the Light!

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