"I don't really understand, Your Majesty. He became your thirty-third what? It must have taken great courage for him to walk among the Knighthood, an ancient enemy of his people. Even if he is a priest of Kiri-Jolith." He pauses and then continues, "There is something else, if you will permit me, Sire. It is a minot thing, I am sure. A dream, no more. But it has the feel of a prophesy, and I feel that I must unravel the message behind it." Marcus explains the dream, giving every detail and feeling that he can recall. "Does any of this mean anything to you, Sire? And if not, then how would you interpret it? I know that it is a trivial thing to bring to the High Clerist, but it has a powerful call to me, and I lack the wisdom to explain what I saw. Can you help me?"

The King smiled. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “If it matters, you will understand it in time.”


“It did,” the King replied. “But Galdar has much courage, as I’m sure you’re already aware of.”



“An interesting dream indeed,” the King said.
“And more than a dream.”
“More than a minor thing.”
“More than the feel of prophecy.”
“But prophecy itself.”
“A vision of the future.”

“And its meaning is clear.”
“The message unraveled in my eyes.”
“But Paladine has spoken,” the King said with compassion. “You have to unravel the message for yourself.”

And then the King paused, before continuing.

“Are you mine?”

Marcus looked disappointed that the King could tell him no more, though he also appeared curious that Paladine Himself was ordering the High Clerist to keep the matter secret. He decided that he must rely on his elven patience to put the matter aside until the prophecy started to occur. He is shaken from his contemplation by the King's unexpected question. Trying to keep surprise from his voice, he immediately answers, "Of course, Your Majesty. My mind, body and soul belong to you, the Knighthood and to Paladine. Do you have doubts about my loyalty?" he asks in concern.

“No,” the King said. “I have no doubt. But I had to ask.”

Shortly thereafter one of the Gold Guards entered and nodded at the King.

“Our visit is over for now,” the King told Marcus. And as Marcus rose the bodyguard left and the two new guests entered. It was Galdar and the knight from Marcus’ dream. Both of them bowed to the King.

“One last thing,” the King said to the half elf page. “I grant you the level of squire.” But the King left out the part of who he was assigning Marcus to, which really only could mean one thing.

“I think the new squire will take a trip to Pashin soon,” the King told the knight.

“Of course your Majesty,” the knight said.

“We will speak more of this later Marcus, but you are excused for now. And Galdar, I have to exchange a few words with Lord Brightblade before our game. But if you escort our newest squire back to his quarters, I think he has some questions for you.”

“As you wish your Majesty.”

And Marcus and Galdar left together.

[You may add anything Marcus said before he left with Galdar to the post and we can bring that up too.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:59, Sat 25 Aug 2007.

Marcus is greatly relieved that the King has not lost trust in him. He stirs and rises as the Gold Guard ushers him away. He is so caught up in this question that he barely notices the entrance of Galdar and the knight until he nearly walks into the giant priest. He apologises,, blushing at his lack of awareness, then looks in shock at the knight accompanying Galdar. This is broken by the fated words from the King. Squire! After so many years, he had finally been accepted into the Order. He was now no longer a boy in training. To the Knighthood he was a Brother, albeit a very junior one. He bows silently, too stunned to speak, then allows himself to be guided out by Galdar's mighty hand on his shoulder. He closes the door behind them, then leans against the wall for a moment. "Who is that Knight you came in with, Galdar?  I have seen him in my dreams. And His Majesty believes that it is a true prophecy straight from Lord Paladine himself."

"That is Lord Brightblade," Galdar said. "And as one of the highest ranking Knights of the Rose here, I thought you knew who he is."

"And his Majesty said that the dream you had with Lord Brightblade in it was a prophecy from Paladine?"

Marcus blushes at not realising who the powerful knight is. "I must have seen him at times, but I never pay much attention to the more senior knights. I usually only deal with more junior knights, not Lord Knights. Of course, His Majesty teaches me when he is able, but otherwise I have never really paid much direct attention to the mighty. His Majesty would not reveal anything much about my dreams, because he said that they are a divine prophesy and that Paladine forbids him from telling me more. But the Knight I saw in the dream was definitely Lord Brightblade. I could never forget anything from the dream."

”It is still wise to know who they are,” Galdar said.

“So if your dream is a prophecy and Paladine has prohibited his Majesty from sharing its meaning with you. Does that mean that the prophecy also comes from Paladine or could it come from another source?

"I know that I should know someone as powerful as Lord Brightblade. But he is rarely in attendance at the Keep. Our paths would have crossed only rarely, and I simply did not pay attention, as every Knight is my senior. His Majesty said that the dream was more even than a prophecy. He said it is a vision of how the future will be. He understood what it meant, but said that Lord Paladine prevented him from telling me. I assume from that that Paladine himself must have sent me the dreams. If it were not, then I could not see why His Majesty would be prevented from revealing it's meaning."

"That is interesting," Galdar said. "But as I am a servant of the Emperor, I cannot claim to know why Paladine would do anything. But I do know this about his Majesty. If he hasn't specifically said something about a subject, he has said nothing about the subject. No matter what appearances might indicate."

"His Majesty knows how to use words to his advantage. So from what you have said, the dream might have come from Paladine, but on the other hand it might not. As his Majesty hasn't specifically indicated which, I cannot add to that either."

Marcus nods his head slowly in understanding. "If it is harmful then I am sure His Majesty would have told me. Otherwise I will have to just wait until it starts to happen and be sure I recognise it." He stops and smiles in quiet pride. "His Majesty just made me a Squire. I am now a member of the Order. After so many years. But he did not assign me to a Knight. I am not sure what that means. I have never heard of a Squire not being assigned a mentor. Surely he could not be intending for me to be his own squire." A thought occurs to him. "Maybe that is where Lord Brightblade comes into things. Perhaps he is my Knight, and His Majesty wants to talk to him about things first. I suppose I will just have to wait and see," he says.

“Know this about us truly faithful,” Galdar said. “We do not do anything unless we feel it is in the service of the one we serve. That is the nature of our service. But his Majesty is my friend and I trust him with my life.”

“I was there, remember? I heard his Majesty make you a squire. And all squires do have a mentor, at least I haven’t heard of any exception to that rule. But I am not of the order and have not made it a point to study its intricacies.”

“But I do know this. If a master of knights inducts a squire and does not specifically assign him to one of them, he has assigned him to himself. Or in other words, yes his Majesty has assigned you as one of his personal squires. It is a great honor. But where much is given, much is also required. Congratulations to becoming a squire.”

“Lord Brightblade is a high ranking Knight of the Rose and he was there for at least two reasons and making him your master wasn’t one of them. By the Measure you need at least two witnesses when a man becomes a squire; usually they are of the order. And from what I have seen, his Majesty’s squires move through the Order of the Crown quickly before joining the Order of the Sword and there they stay. And going on this quest with Lord Brightblade will be an important first step for you on that journey.”

Marcus blushes. "Of course you were there, Galdar. I am sorry. I was so shocked at the sudden promotion that I entirely forgot." He looks the giant minotaur up and down then adds, "So you can obviously see just how surprised I was. So I am now a personal Squire to the High Clerist. That is truly an honour, though I suspect it will also prove a heavy burden at times. I dearly hope that His Majesty selected me for my promise and talent, and not because of who my parents are. I would like to progress through the orders. It would be an honour to join the Order of the Sword, but I serve Paladine as my father serves your Lord Kiri-Jolith. I suspect that eventually I may end up petitioning for entry to the Order of the Rose. But of course, that is many years away. First I need to actually complete my Squire training so that I may be Knighted."

Marcus looks up at Galdar and says, "Incidentally, thank you for your congratulations. They are most warmly welcomed. Do you have any suggestions on what I should do until I am needed? If I am to go on this mission with Lord Brightblade then I will need to speak to someone to request duties. But my first inclination is to go to the Temple and give thanks to Paladine. But I can only do that if I am not needed for now by the Order."

”I understand,” Galdar said. ”It is perfectly alright; especially considering the cavalier way in which his Majesty chose to promote you. I have never seen it done that way before. But then again, I’ve never been privy to such a meeting before either. I expect he will declare it officially in the morning.”

“His Majesty is practical about such things. So unless he was ordered to promote you, he wouldn’t have done so unless he was sure you were ready. You can find much honor in each order. But most clerics tend to join the Order of the Sword. And as that is his Majesty’s Order, I think you will find more possibilities there than in the other Orders while you are stationed here.”

“It is not yet time to awake,” Galdar said. “The temple is most likely empty and if your first inclination is to express your gratitude, then that is what you should do. No one will need you until morning. And if his Majesty didn’t give you your new duties, I’m sure you will find out tomorrow. And when you have time, find Lord Brightblade and ask him about the journey.”

"I suppose you are right. The Rose is Paladine's order, but the Sword is the order of the priesthood. It would seem to be the most appropriate order. And as a personal squire to the High Clerist himself, it would be foolish of me to move to another order. It may be Paladine's will that I am in this position, and who am I to defy the will of my god? Thank you Galdar. You have helped to clarify these matters for me. I should go and offer my thanks to Paladine. I hope to see you before we leave, but if I don't then I will visit with you when we return," Marcus says. He leaves Galdar and makes his way to the temple. He enters and finds his regular place in a pew near the back. He kneels and offers prayers of thanks to Paladine for his promotion and assignment to the mission. He also asks for guidance about the prophecy, though he gets the impression that no clarification will be forthcoming. However he does still feel great warmth and a sense of pleasure from the great god.

“You’re welcome my friend,” Galdar said. “But his majesty ordered me to escort you to your quarters and then return to him. With this new plan of yours, I will have to contact him before we proceed.”

The large minotaur touched an unadorned golden ring that he wore on his left hand.

“Your Majesty, it’s me Galdar.” He then waited for a few moments.

“Squire Marcus has decided to go to the temple of Paladine. What are your orders?” Galdar waited again.

“Of course your Majesty,” Galdar said and removed his hand from the ring.

“His Majesty has asked that I accompany you to the temple and then escort you to your quarters. I hope this will not be an inconvenience for you?”

While Marcus took his place and prayed, Galdar remained vigilant close by, but not too close to disturb the new squire in his communion with Paladine. As he prayed, Marcus clearly felt that his assignment as squire and his place in the mission south was the will of Paladine. And as he had expected, Paladine did not explain the dream, but in the back of his mind Marcus felt the quiet reassurance that it would come to him with time.

"Of course, my friend. I would enjoy your conmpany. I did not realise that you had a Gold Guard communication ring," Marcus says, eyeing the ring. He performs his devotions, then returns to his room. Bidding Galdar good evening, he looks around the small room. He starts packing his few meagre possessions, leaving out only those items he would require in the morning. He then strips down to his underclothes and turns in, deciding that he would need all the sleep he could get. As he drifts off to sleep he wonders if the dream will be the same again tonight.

[The trip is few days away, or that was my intention anyway. So either we can do his first day as a squire, or parts of it, and then skip to the trip. Or I can summarize his first day as a squire and we can skip to Marcus’s final conversation with the King and then go on to the trip. The second will most likely be the easiest and we can pick up anything from the summary that you want to go into a little further, if there is any. Or just go on to the final conversation.]

“It isn’t really,” Galdar said. “His Majesty gave it to me and we can communicate through it, but I do not have access to the Gold Guard proprietary voices. It’s the same magic though. And I hope you’ll keep this secret for me.”

“Good night,” Galdar said and waited for Marcus to enter his quarters before he left.

That night the dream returned again. There was no variance from the previous night or the nights before that.

The next few days pass quickly. Marcus keeps Galdar's secret, and can understand the benefit to the King of having a secret agent like Galdar. He learns his new duties, and sets himself to work on them, though he is still often distracted by thoughts of the upcoming mission. He also receives the warm congratulations of the other inhabitants of the castle. Having been there for so many years he was known to almost everyone, and most were pleased to see him finally progress.

[Private to GM: Sorry about that. I thought it was set for the following day. Skipping ahead is probably easiest. ]

The next morning at breakfast, the guy that used to sit to Marcus’s left was now sitting in Marcus’s seat and when Marcus tried to bring that up, one of the pages told him that it wasn’t his seat anymore. The boy that used to sit at his right was also standing, even though his seat was empty. And from the pride on his face it was clear that he too was becoming a squire today.

And before breakfast, with suitable pomp and circumstance, the new squires were announced and inducted. The guy that had been standing nearby had the same seat he had previously had, but Marcus had to move several seats to the left and ended up near the start of the squire section at the table.

After breakfast Marcus’s new life began. He had a new combat instructor, a new horse master, a new teacher of the Oath and the Measure, as well as other knightly pursuits. And in each class he was now the only student. And something told Marcus that all of his new tutors were Gold Knights.

Most of his chores where now gone, or rather changed. He kept up his skill by taking care of his own equipment and his own horse. And sometimes, but now more rarely than before, the King’s.

Even his religious teacher had changed and Marcus suspected that he too was a Gold Knight.

The only thing that remained the same was Marcus’s visits with the King. They continued to with the same frequency as in the past. And though very little of what the two discussed had changed, there was also a feeling that everything had changed.

And so came the night before departure. Marcus had been told that they were expected to travel there, buy the horses, and then go to the High Clerist Tower where they were expected to arrive at Yule. And with that night, came the last conversation with the King. The one he had promised to have with Marcus before he left.

Most of what the King brought up was things Marcus could expect. They were things they talked about every day. But the last was something new.

“I want you to keep an eye on my granddaughter,” the King said. “I care for her deeply and would not want to lose her.”

Marcus learns his new duties quickly, always performing to the greatest of his ability. There is no way that he would allow anyone to pass a bad report to the High Clerist, as it would reflect badly on both him and his new master. He makes a point to learn all that he can from his Gold Knight instructors, consiering them to be the pinacle of knightly virtue.

The final conversation before the mission went as planned until the final sentence. Marcus is startled that the King would reveal his personal concerns. He tries to allay his fears, being completely honest, "Of course I will watch over her, Your Majesty. I will guard all those under my charge to the utmost of my ability. And Lady Gina has always struck me as highly capable. But to put your mind at ease, Your Majesty. I swear by Paladine that harm will come to Lady Gina only over my cold body."

"Good," the King said. "I will hold you to that promise. And if your honor is true, both I and Paladine will reward you for your service."

Marcus bows. "You may rely on me, Your Majesty." He stands to attention again and waits to hear if the King has more to say, or if he is dismissed. He looks at the powerful old knight, and for the first time he sees a worried grandfather, and not the High Clerist of the Knights of Solamnia. It is a revelation, but one which is quickly replaced. The man before him, for everything else he also is, is still the High Clerist and the King. He waits attentively for the King's next words.

The King dismisses Marcus.

Marcus bows and silently leaves. He stands outside the door for a short time considering the King's words. Then he shakes himself out of his revery and heads off to his next lesson, Theology with Brother Honorum in the Temple.