This is the first chapter of my book, The Guardian, please be brutally honest!

Chapter One

The men entered the massive ceremonial room in single file, as they entered, their eyes quickly scanned everything.  Each one knew the layout of the room in seconds.  They moved like well-oiled machines, their grace of movement unconsciously acknowledging their fitness.  Each had a silent fluid step, independent of the others, reminding a watcher of predatory animals hunting.  If they hadn’t been expected their arrival could have gone un-noticed.

They didn’t know why they had been summoned at such short notice, but to be called here, to the Great Hall, meant something big was about to happen.

At the top of the room sat a double throne, surrounded by Wisemen of differing ages, not one of them as young as those who had just entered the room.  They were the advisors to the couple who sat on the massive throne itself.  No one was as old as the couple that sat upon in it though. 

The seventeen new arrivals shared a quick glance between themselves.  This had to be it, what they had been working their whole lives towards, this was their graduation!  But it wasn’t due for another two years!

The ceiling was glass domed, and the sound of lashing rain suddenly echoed through the hall, making some look up quickly in surprise.  It had been bright sunshine less than half an hour ago.  The bad weather outside was not enough to hold anyone’s attention for long though, there were far more important things happening below that ornate ceiling.

It was the couple who sat on the throne who commanded the attention of everyone present.  The man had grey hair and skin wrinkled with age, yet he still had a handsome ruggedness that could draw women of all ages to him, if he had so wished, but his eyes were only for the elderly woman who sat beside him.

He looked down tenderly at her and smiled.  She looked up as if feeling the touch of his gaze and smiled back.  Leaning towards each other they shared the briefest of kisses and she held out her hand, which he took and held gently in his.  Then they turned their attention to their waiting audience, not one of whom had minded this personal moment between the elderly couple. 

In fact, some had even envied it.  A few had averted their eyes to provide them with some privacy, but all eyes were fixed firmly on the aged couple once more as the sound of her voice cut through the melee of the storm above their heads.

“Our time has come.  My husband and I are about to move on in our journey.  We are going to choose the next Guardian, and he will bring the new Chosen One among you.”  The woman spoke softly, yet her words caused a shock to run through her audience.

With long white hair curled neatly into a bun, and her face lined with the cares of the world, she still gave the impression of beauty.  It was a beauty not gone, but moved on, matured, far beyond the beauty of youth.  She raised her hand, and the skin glowed almost transparent, the fine bones and arteries that fed it clearly visible beneath its surface.  Her skin did not look dried and wrinkled, but ethereal, almost as if she was of the fabled elfin race.  Though all knew that she was not, she was something completely different. 

Her husband sitting beside her now glowed with the same inner-light she had, indicating that the Orb was about to appear.  This was a rare occurrence even among the Wisemen and there were little movements of anticipation around the throne.

An iridescent ball of light appeared in her empty hand, for she still held her husband’s hand firmly in the grasp of the other. Few had experienced the honour of witnessing this spectacle first hand, and some of the younger men gasped in wonder at the beauty of the Orb.  They knew there was nothing to fear here, except perhaps what lay inside their own hearts.  They had been trained most of their lives for this moment and they were well prepared. 

The glowing ball had colours swirling across its milky surface, blues curled around the palest pinks.  Shimmering greens rolled over and under the blues and pinks.  The colours all swirled over a background of a pearl white glow with a flowing movement that gave the impression of the Orb having a life of its own.  The Orb was said to be the most beautiful jewel in the world, and there were none watching who would have contested that.  For it truly was a miraculous sight.

The woman and her husband had watched the young men intently when they had entered the room, and now, without conferring she pointed to one of the seventeen.

“You showed fear when you entered the room, what did you fear?”  Her voice was gentle and soft, encouraging him to speak in confidence, yet it dimmed out the sound of the rain above them.

The man she had singled out flinched, but bowed, straightened, then answered. 

“I realised what was happening and didn’t want it to.”  His face said that he had answered truly, yet the couple frowned in unison.

“What you mean is, that you didn’t want to be chosen as Guardian.”  The old man stated for him in a kindly voice.  “You already know what you want to do when you graduate.”

The man bowed again, trying to hide the colour that had risen in his cheeks. 

“Yes Sir.”

“Then go.  You have graduated.  You can carry on with your plans.  There is no dishonour in not wanting to be Guardian.  It is a thankless task.”  The woman said gently, squeezing her husband’s hand lightly. 

“Oh, I don’t know, it has it’s own rewards.”  He whispered in her ear, making her blush.

A Wiseman stepped forward and handed the graduated man a scroll.  The graduate saluted, accepted the scroll, bowed to the throne, turned and strode from the room without another word.

Before he had got half way across the floor the woman had turned to another and was asking the same question again.

“There is a woman, and I don’t think I could love any other as much as I love her.”  He replied honestly.

“No, I can see that you could not, and she is not the Chosen One. You can go to your love in the knowledge that you too have graduated with honours.”  The woman said to him with a smile before she turned to the next student Guardian.

Four more were asked in turn why they had been afraid when they entered, all four answered truly, were graduated and handed their scrolls.  The eleven remaining men stood patiently, waiting their turn.

The next one was identified with a nod.  “Why did you smile when you came in?”

He looked taken aback, as though he thought he had hidden his reaction well.  He took time with his bow so he could formulate an answer. 

“Chosen One, I too knew what was about to happen, and what you saw was a smile of anticipation.”

“Anticipation of what?”  The Guardian asked sharply.

The man bowed to his questioner, using the time to think of a reply that could bring him back into favour. 

“Stop bouncing around like that!  You’re making me sea sick!”  The woman snapped over a brilliant flash of lightning and an ear-splitting clap of thunder.

He jumped and almost bowed again.  “A thousand apologies Cho…”

“Just get on with it man, as you can see, my wife and I don’t have all day!”  The Guardian snapped.

“As you wish.”    He did not look happy as he gave a short bow of his head.  Things weren’t going the way he had expected.  “I was looking forward to the role I am to be given.” 

“And what did you think you were going to be assigned?”

The man shrugged uncomfortably.  “What ever it is that…”  His words were cut short by the Guardians next remark.

“Yes I think everyone here knows what you were after.  Your arrogance is not what we want in this court.  You may leave, now.”

“But…”

“You do NOT graduate!  Someone with your ambition and lust for power is not what is needed here.  You will find plenty of places where your hunger for power is an asset, but here it is not!  Now go!”  The glow from the Orb and the couple on the throne increased to such brilliance that the man had no option but to bow his head to shield his eyes.  He turned and stalked out without another word.

The couple shuddered together and their glow dimmed as he left the room.  A concerned Wiseman moved towards them, only to be shooed away again. 

“We do not have the time that we had hoped, so we will have to beg your forgiveness for cutting this short.”  The woman said quietly.  “You, you, you, you and you are graduated with honours.  Receive your scrolls and your orders for your stations.”

The chosen men bowed and grabbed their scrolls.  Quickly they left.  From what the Chosen One had said, they didn’t want to see what was going to happen next.

The Guardian nodded at four more.  “And you, you, you and you are graduated too, and free to do with your lives as you wish.  We know that you will do well in all your undertakings.”

Just one was left standing in front of the throne.  He watched his friends and life long companion’s leave with unsure eyes.  He felt positive that the couple had sensed something lacking in him that was going to have him kicked out in disgrace too.

When the last of the graduates had left the room, the woman smiled at him and he bowed in return.

“Congratulations.  You are the new Guardian.  Deliver the Orb and guard the Chosen One well until the Ceremony.  Until then, you will both have many enemies who could overcome you.  The Wisemen will give you some of the details, the Orb will do the rest.” 

The man blinked and bowed uncertainly.  This was un-heard of.  Nobody had been chosen Guardian for nearly a hundred years!  He was supposed to graduate and get assigned somewhere, not get chosen as Guardian! So many good men had been turned down in preference for him, it didn’t feel right.

He looked up to make sure there had been no mistake, just in time to see the Chosen One and Guardian sigh in unison and spoke no more.  They died as they had lived, together.

The young man stared in disbelief.  They couldn’t die just like that.  Why wasn’t someone calling a doctor?  He knew some first aid, but he couldn’t help both of them at the same time.  He looked around at the waiting Wisemen and realised they were all watching him.  He opened his mouth to demand that someone do something when a movement from the throne grabbed his attention.

The Orb lifted from the old and now very human hand and gently floated towards the new Guardian.  The colours that flowed through it seemed to be darker now, as though it was mourning the couples passing.  

The new Guardian stepped back from its path, unnerved.  This was not supposed to happen.  The Orb was just a symbol of power, it was not supposed to have a mind of its own and move around when there was no Chosen One to command it.

“Take it man!  It will tell you where to look for her!”  An order from one of the Wisemen jerked him into holding out his hand.  The Orb floated gently down to settle softly on the waiting out stretched palm, and man and Orb lit up with a brilliant inner glow to a collective sigh of relief from the Wisemen.  The right choice had been made.  Now the rest was up to God.

“Come, there is much for you to learn before you can even begin your quest for your lady.”  Someone said, though the new Guardian couldn’t have said who.