We sat down around the table and said grace. To think this might be my last meal at home for a while. Every new trainee must travel to the capital to learn from the elders about how best to work together with our new partners. Since my mother is the squadron leader for the local dragon and human pairs, I have learned a lot of what I will need to know from how to stay on a dragon's back to scale care. Bellisama and her mate Solvan, along with Solvan's human family, have been fundamental to my education in the subjects.
"Will Solvan be at the ceremony?" I ask, thinking of the ginormous dragon with his pewter-colored scales. He was like a second father to me, just like Bellisama was like a second mother to me. Both were very involved in my uprising. And my parents, along with Solvan's human family, were just as involved in their dragon offspring.
"How could I miss what could be a monumental day in our families?" A deep, earthy voice answered my question. I looked out the window and saw Solvan himself sitting in our courtyard next to Bellisama. "For you to think I would miss today's ceremony, I thought we raised you better than that."
"Please forgive me, Papa Sol. I guess I am a little nervous," I say. "Are Penny and her family on their way over here or are they meeting us at the schoolhouse?"
Penny is one of Solvan's human children, who is only a few months younger than me. We have been attached at the hip since birth and as close as sisters. Unfortunately, she has a few more months before she can participate in the ceremony. But she promised me that she would be there to support me.
"They informed me to tell you that they will meet you all at the schoolhouse," he replied. He and Bellisama started to dig in to the pile of fresh fruit that was nearby. Dragons can sometimes go days without food or water if needed. Along with meat, dragons enjoy fruit as well. "Now finish up your breakfast, so we can get going."
The schoolhouse, where all the village children received lessons in reading, writing, and arithmetic, was the biggest building in the village. So most often, it is used for big gatherings around the village, including the choosing ceremony. Not only were there people going to be there that have just become of age for the ceremony, but also others that have participated in the past years and have not been chosen, will often still participate with the hope of being chosen. Penny had an older brother, Benjamin, who has participated the last three years. The first two years, he had heard at least one of the dragon's song, but he was not chosen. Last year was the hardest for him. For he never heard a dragon's song that year. Though he has persisted and lost, he now has a promising career raising horses and is engaged to be married. He especially specializes in training horses to be able to work around dragons without fear. It took a lot of work to get horses to the degree needed for the horses to work confidently, especially in a battlefield.
As we finished up breakfast, I started to do the dishes. Ma always says that a clean house is a happy house. The choosing ceremony was always a celebration, so many craftsmen would set up booths on the path leading up to the schoolhouse. It is more like a fair than a ceremony, and it leaves many in good spirits, even if someone doesn't get chosen.
My mother, Captain Berkshire, leads the local forces of dragons and warriors. Before he passed, my grandfather was the general of our quadrant. A quadrant consists of several villages and towns. Each town and village has a local captain who directly reports to the quadrant general. We had no quadrant general at the moment, but were expecting news any day now on who will be chosen.
Not a general rule, but many times a new general will be appointed from the captains of the quadrant which would make a promotion and a new captain would be appointed for the town and village. The general is appointed by the king himself, since all generals report directly to him. I have high hopes that my mother will be chosen, but there are many to choose from.
As I finished the dishes and put them away, there was a knock at the door.
"Missy, can you get that? I am still getting ready." My mother hollers. Since this is a ceremony, my mother will be in her dress uniform with all of her finery on display. I know that Mama Bell and Papa Sol spent time down at the local beach rolling around in the sand to polish their scales to a high finish.
"Got it!" I holler back as I finish putting the last dish away and head down the hall to the front door. It piques my interest as I glance outside and see a third dragon in the courtyard. I open the door to a messenger in the king's finery holding out an official-looking envelope.
"I have a message for Captain Berkshire," he says in a gruff voice. "Is she here?"
"She is but is getting ready for the choosing ceremony," I reply.
"I was told to give this to her in person, so please fetch her."
I invited him into the foyer, for my mother raised me to be polite, and went to my mother, who was putting the finishing touches on her hair.
"There is a king's messenger here for you, and he says he is supposed to hand you a letter in person." I say as I help her put the last pin into her hair.
"Must be important if he is to hand-deliver it directly to the person it goes to,"she replies. She gives me a grateful smile as thanks for my help and heads out of the bedroom to meet with the visitor.
"Captain Berkshire, I presume?" the messenger says with reverence.
"Yes I am." My mother presents her red scale that all captains receive upon being promoted to captain. The scale is also engraved with the name of the town or village that they are assigned to oversee and protect. It is the only true way to prove that you are who you say you are. A quadrant general would provide a golden scale.
Dragon scales are so impervious to damage that the only substance hard enough to engrave the insigias into dragon scales are diamonds. And since only noble and royalty could afford such a costly substance, it stands to reason that the scales confirming rank are genuine.
"I have this message for you directly from His Majesty King Ronald for you," He says with pride.
"Thank you," my mother replies, accepting the letter. She breaks the wax seal that holds the king's insignia. As she opens the letter, something glittery falls to the floor. I look and gasp.
It's a golden scale!