Chương 95: Book 3; Chapter 94; Take your stand, General

"Until one day he did," Old John confirmed.

"And you will still not tell me what happened to him and where he went?" Anniet probed again with a secret hope that maybe something had changed and she would be rewarded with this piece of information for being persistent and daring to ask.

"It is very admirable that you are very brave and try so hard," Old John laughed at her, "but headbutting a wall in the same place with more effort will more likely give you a headache instead of breaking the wall. I will not say what happened to him because it is not my story to tell, and I was told directly not to interfere."

"But you told so many things about him!"

"Because Rainee asked me to share with you all that she knows if you ask. All that I told you about Blake is what Rainee knew about him at the time, so even my talking about Blake is still telling her story, as this story without Blake in it would be very strange. Blake asked me not to share what I know about him, but he never countered Rainee's request to share all that she knows."

"But Rainee knows what happened to him!"

"Now she knows."

"Isn't it you telling what she knows?"

"Very smart attempt," Old John praised again.

"Never restrain yourself from these attempts, even if they prove fruitless ever so often; it widens your perspective. But no, it is not the same. What she knows comes from Blake telling her in private conversations that were never disclosed to anyone else. It might not be a secret, but it is not public either. It is not Rainee's story, as she didn't live through or experience it. Blake's sharing didn't develop into any events that would become a part of Rainee's life experience, except for hearing it from Blake.

It was never spoken in an open circle where this knowledge could have been either ignored, forgotten, or twisted. It simply was never shared. So, no, it is still entirely Blake's story, Blake's life experience, and to find out about it, you will have to exercise your bravery in a different direction. Either by asking him directly, or asking people who have participated in this part of his life and weren't directly asked not to disclose it, or by asking someone who knows about it, let's say Rainee herself.""

Failed," Anniet laughed inwardly. Oh, never mind, at least she tried and wasn't even scolded for it. God knows when she would dare to ask Blake about it directly, if ever at all. There were so many different things floating between them now that conversation about where he had been seemed very unlikely for the foreseeable future. When she didn't know who he was, asking such a thing would have been so simple, and she wondered if this simplicity would ever return to their relationship.

The possibility of it ever happening didn't seem very realistic; at least, she could not see it. But she will try. She will have to speak with him when he comes back to find out where their relationship stands now. The mere thought of it gave her goosebumps and sent shivers down her spine. Not knowing was so tempting, as when you don't know, you can still hold on to the hope. What hope? She didn't know; she didn't dare or want even to think about it.

"And then he returned," Anniet said aloud, returning to the story. It was the third time that she asked Old John to tell it. She knew that she should be using this opportunity to learn something new from such a teacher in a slightly different way than asking him to retell the same stories over and over again. But she couldn't help it.

Even today, she came to this place full of the intention to ask and learn something sensible, something wise, but all these good intentions were gone with dust, and she ended up listening to the very same story that fascinated her so much. And instead of laughing at her or schooling her, John actually reworded it by adding some extra small details, small events to it that he didn't speak about before. Like pulling Rainee by her ponytail while she was sleeping! How cheeky was that!

It made Anniet smile just thinking about it.

"And then he returned," Old John confirmed.

"Can you tell me about that again?"

"There is not much to tell."

"You always say that! But still, I would like to hear it."

"Very well," Old John didn't argue.

"As you already know, Rainee's inauguration brought enormous turmoil and excitement. Nobody knew what had happened, nobody could understand if there were some new rules unknown to them, or whether that was how commanding positions were going to be appointed from then on. King didn't explain anything. At that time, he was less active than he is now and not overly interested in what was going on around him." Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

"Why was King less active?" Anniet interrupted. That was something new that she hadn't heard before.

"Who knows what is going on in King's head," John replied.

"Personally, I think he was simply bored. He had left the ruling of the country to his ministers and generals and would seldom interfere with their decisions. So, people presumed that maybe he just didn't want to appoint officers by himself any more and had come up with a new strategy."

"Was it true?"

"No, it wasn't, and soon everyone understood that their presumptions were wrong. But at that time, it wasn't clear, and the rules of inauguration were instantly adapted to the situation. New recruits were divided into two sections: worthy and average. And those who were considered to be worthy were called forward one by one in the hope of seeing something similar to what had happened when Rainee stepped forward."

"And King didn't mind?"

"One day, you will find that King doesn't mind many things."

"I always thought that he was almighty and his word was final," Anniet wondered.

"Yes, indeed. But those who are truly powerful don't need to prove their power regularly, so they are not afraid to let others do what they want, as it doesn't present any threat or disorder. Only those who have no power unless others agree and obey them would try to hold everything and everyone in a firm grip, in fear and with the realisation that as soon as someone slips out of this grip, the power they have will decrease."

"I see," Anniet tried bravely to face something that she didn't understand completely, "so King is not afraid to lose power over others."

"Not in the slightest," Old John confirmed with a smile.

"So on that day, he didn't interfere either. Nobody asked him anything directly, so he allowed others to work things out by themselves."

"And then?"

"And then? And then happened what you already know. Several most esteemed candidates to the King's Army came before the King to be inaugurated, and nothing special happened. The term "nothing special" is not very accurate here, as among these people were some truly outstanding personalities who got very high positions that, on any other day, would be highly valued and prized. However, that day was not any other day, and what everyone hoped for didn't happen.

No one else received uniforms out of nowhere, nor were they promoted to the very highest rank by a general's cape appearing on their shoulders out of nowhere."

"And then?" Anniet asked impatiently, paying no attention to the fact that she already knew what had happened next.

"Then the ceremony was about to move on to the rest of the candidates, who were all to be inaugurated at the same time, as nothing special was expected of them. But the ceremony was interrupted, as the great hall's doors suddenly opened, and a young man walked in, dressed in casual everyday clothes. He was accompanied by a large black shaggy dog.

It was an unheard-of event that someone would come like this, unexpectedly and unannounced, into the middle of such a ceremony, as in those days, only those who were selected and approved could attend this ceremony, whether you were watching or participating. No one had ever seen this man, so he definitely wasn't neither selected nor approved. While everyone was staring at him in shock, he looked around, examining the crowd with his black eyes.

These eyes slid by everyone, leaving the impression that he saw right through that person but found no reason to spare them another glance for any longer than a split second. His eyes stopped for a moment at the newly born Rainbow General and then landed on King, who was watching him with more interest than anyone had seen in King for many years. Without a single word, this man strolled straight to the King without paying any attention to anyone else any more.

King asked him if he had come because he wanted to serve under his command. And to everyone's outrage, he said that no, he neither wanted nor intended to serve under King; he came here to serve under Rainee's command. An uproar of dissatisfaction followed this reply, but King lifted his hand, and everyone went silent.

"Whether you can be General Rainee's subordinate, it will depend on the rank you will receive," King said in a calm and warm voice.

"Still, in any case, General Rainee is serving directly under my command, and anyone who wants to join her ranks will automatically be under my orders, whether you want it or not. Do these conditions suit you?"

"As there is no other option, they do suit me," Blake answered honestly, bringing a wide smile to King's face and horror to everyone else's. Since everyone else were completely dazed by this entrance and conversation, King had to keep questioning by himself.

"Do you agree that after joining my service, your life, time and effort will first belong to me and only then to you?"

"Yes," Blake answered firmly.

"Do you understand that if at any point in your life you choose to leave my servitude, all authority and benefits you will gain by joining it might be taken away, no matter if you agree or not?"

"Yes," Blake said without hesitation.

"Do you know that by joining my service, you are agreeing to unconditionally obey orders from anyone who is above you in rank, as well as mine?" A little shadow of displeasure crossed Blake's face upon hearing this condition, but he didn't hesitate even for a moment.

"Yes," was his firm answer.

"Do you want to receive King's gift upon joining this service?" King asked.

"No," Blake said without hesitation. All this questioning nearly made poor Chamberlain faint, as all of it was his part to ask, but by the time he recovered from the shock, it was already too late to take over.

"Very well," King said, standing up and putting his hand on Blake's shoulder in a friendly, welcoming gesture, "take your stand, general, and welcome to the family." Blake inclined his head slightly in agreement and walked to stand next to Rainee. Everyone parted in front of him, allowing plenty of respectful space. It was difficult to say why.

Was it because of the black, intimidating, oversized animal with red eyes walking at his side, or because of how King had treated him as an equal, or because of the black, powerful aura radiating from his very being. Or because of the general's cape that was covering his shoulders after appearing in the very same manner as, not so long ago, it had appeared on Rainee's shoulders. Different in colour, but nevertheless bringing to the person wearing it the same indisputable authority.

If, after Rainee got promoted to general in such a way, the whole place exploded with congratulations and awe, after Blake's inauguration, everyone got as silent as death itself.

"Should we continue?" King asked. He was sitting in his chair with his elbows on the armrests, his fingertips pressed together and his eyes shining, looking more like a child who had just got a present he badly desired than the ruler of the country. Even after this prompting, it took a long time until the ceremony was resumed. After the inauguration was over, a proper investigation was conducted to find out who this newly born general was and how he got here. But these efforts brought back very little results.

He didn't walk through the front door; in fact, he wasn't spotted by anyone at all and came directly to the heart of the palace. So he must have used extremely powerful magic to be able to perform such an entrance. Even with strong magic, one would have to conduct proper research and do a lot of planning to make such an unheard-of entrance. He must have done it to show his superiority over others. And the way he spoke to King! As if he were an equal.

He never even bowed to the King, neither before the inauguration nor after. All that made it plain and obvious that he had come to conquer, and lots of resistance started to build in people's hearts. He will have to be shown his place, no matter what rank he got! And the colour he had chosen for his cape! So intimidating! Anyone standing close to him blended into nothingness and becoming somehow invisible. Everyone but the Rainbow General.

Her colours radiated even stronger in his presence, like a bright rainbow in a very dark night. A sight that no one had ever seen before.