The Bastion

Reality came at Marco with the force of a cannon shot. The bright sunlight was the first thing to hit him, and he actually had to close his eyes immediately after opening them. Once he had adjusted, he opened his eyes again to see a luxurious room. It took him a second to recognize it as "his" room in the palace, and that he was in bed.

When he sat up, he heard hasty movement. A girl he hadn't noticed before was frantically getting up from a chair at the side of his bed.

"Sir Marco!" she said, standing at attention as if she were a soldier. "My name is Terri, Princess Reina has instructed me to see to your activities today."

Reina...it was coming back to him. She shoved the Everlasting Flame into him, making him see that dream play. It was obviously some sort of test from the flame, but did he pass?

He didn't get time to ruminate on it as Terri continued. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions. Sorry, Sir Marco, but I can't answer them. Her highness said she will explain in time, in terms even you can understand."

"What?"

"I'm sorry," she winced. "That was what the princess said, I was using her words. I meant no insult."

"Of course," he replied flatly. "No worries, Terri."

"Right," Terri took a deep breath and then resumed her more formal posture. "The princess said your training will begin this evening, and you will have your answers then. At the moment, she is otherwise occupied with a private concern. As such, I will accompany you as you get settled into your new role as a Hero."

"Okay…"

With that, Terri immediately began consulting a scroll, no doubt Reina's orders for the day. Marco studied the girl, wondering how someone so tightly-wound managed to survive working for the capricious Reina.

Terri certainly didn't dress like the typical servant. In a well-fitted bright blue dress and brown hair tied back in braids similar to Reina's, she didn't seem suited to cooking or cleaning. She also had a fair, youthful face, unblemished by the stress of hard labor. Everything about her gave off the impression of a doll, one that would shatter if subjected to the slightest trauma.

He got out of bed. "What did Reina say to do first?"

Terri immediately gestured to a changing partition. "First we get you dressed and fed. Then, you will claim your Hero Seal."

"Hero Seal? It's already ready?"

"You have been asleep for a full day, sir Marco."

"What?"

"The princess said it is quite common. The magic of the Everlasting Flame is a product of the gods, so people like us need time to absorb it. Not that you're like me! You're a Hero. I just meant average humans. Not that you're average–"

"Don't worry! Thank you for explaining, I know what you meant."

She smiled. "Yes sir! Now to get you changed."

Marco went behind the partition and took off his shirt. After he did, he turned around to find Terri right next to him, holding up a new one.

"I can dress myself!"

"Oh!" She dashed to the other side of the partition. "I'm so sorry, I just always help the princess get dressed. Sorry to intrude!"

He sighed. "It's fine, Terri."

Marco had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

****

Breakfast was also quite a project. Terri arranged for food to be specially brought to Marco's room, and she didn't stop there. She wanted to cut his fruit, butter his bread, and refill his cup whenever it threatened to get below half empty. Marco was able to get her to ease up by talking about herself. She spoke highly of Reina, how the princess specifically chose her as a handmaiden despite her being from an insignificant noble house out in the boonies. This was Terri's chance to bring honor to her family, and she was going to give it her all.

It explained a lot.

Marco didn't even have time to digest his food before Terri whisked him away. Off they went, through sunlight halls, twisting staircases, and past all sorts of unfamiliar faces. Terri managed to guide the way while keeping her attention fixed on the scroll of Reina's instructions. Marco tried to strut as though he belonged, dressed in the fancy red doublet he wore when he met the king. Eventually they descended down a long staircase and arrived in front of a big metal door.

"Here we are, sir Marco, The Bastion."

They opened the door to reveal a stone fortress sitting on a cliff that overlooked the sea.

"What...is this?"

Marco had lived his whole life in Sunheight, looked at the palace from afar for years, and yet still never knew of this odd little fortress that hid behind it.

Terri beckoned him to follow her down a cobblestone path.

"Princess Reina said 'even that history nerd wouldn't know of this place' so to tell you that this fortress was built long ago, as a last resort to guard the royal family in case of invasion. But now it has a different purpose. It's alright though, sir Marco! Even I didn't know about it until I started serving the princess." She blushed at that last part.

"A secret fort behind the palace?" he thought out loud. "So why are we here?"

He got his answer when they passed through an open gate and went inside. Immediately before them was an open field surrounded by four walls and four towers. People were out in full force on the field, kicking up the dusty land with their movements. In one area, a mage seemed to be practicing their magic on a moving target. Jets of fire scorched the earth, but a figure dressed in leather armor twisted around in all manner of nimble ways to dodge each one.

In another, a crowd gathered around two people on horseback. The first rider brought his mount to full speed as he approached a row of targets. Then, he took out a bow fired rapidly, hitting all five targets with five perfect shots. The crowd cheered. All eyes then turned to the other rider. She also brought her horse to a gallop and readied her bow. But for some reason, she passed right by the first target without firing. At the second, she only casually took out some arrows. Then, so quickly that Marco could barely register it, she shot all five arrows in the same shot. They spread out evenly and struck all five targets simultaneously. The crowd erupted into thunderous applause.

Marco stood there stunned until Terri tugged at his sleeve.

"This is where Heroes live and train," she said as she led him to one of the towers on the wall. "The Bastion. You can train here too if you like, but only after we get finish everything on the princess' list."

Before going into the tower, Marco took one last look at the training Heroes. The mage was summoning a giant vortex of flame and the mounted archers were adding even more targets for the next run. Suddenly, he felt that he needed to train just to train with the other Heroes.

****

Despite being intimidated by the display outside, Marco was looking forward to getting his Hero Seal. Simply by showing the enchanted golden badge, a Hero could apprehend anyone as a criminal, get free passage on any ship, and even take immediate command over the kingdom's soldiers. In short, the Hero Seal was the ultimate symbol of authority.

So he was quite disappointed when this all-powerful symbol was lazily tossed to him by a bored guy sitting at a desk.

The first of The Bastion's four towers housed the office. Running a small army of righteous warriors required record-keeping like anything else. However, even the exploits of Heroes did not make paperwork any more exciting. So even though he would have liked more fanfare, Marco sympathized with the poor desk worker.

The sympathy didn't seem to earn him any extra courtesy. The man barely looked at him as he provided forms to fill out, his seal, and a bag of coins.

As they left the bored man behind, Marco looked into his bag of coins.

"This is mine?"

"Every Hero gets a starting allowance. But don't get too attached…"

With that warning, Terri took him to the market, the last of the towers. The other two were the barracks, where some Heroes chose to live. As Marco was quite comfortable in his palace room, he had no need for that.

What was called the market was more like a combination storage space, blacksmith, potion shop, tailor, and actual marketplace. In some ways it was even more frantic than the training grounds. Heroes constantly dashed up and down the stairs and in and out of rooms.

Marco soon realized that was because everything in the market was amazing. Blacksmiths forged weapons will all sorts of ornate handles, inlaying jewels that probably cost a small fortune. Potions he had only ever read about were being haggled over the way old ladies down at the docks would fight over fish. For the kingdom's Heroes, the merchants had brought their best.

Terri took him to the tailor, a small man with a wavy hairdo and expensive green-and-black robes. She handed the man a letter, and he started measuring Marco without warning. Some of the measurements got a little too close for comfort, but the process was over before Marco could fully understand what was going on. The man then took a good chunk of Marco's coins, left, came back with a box full of clothes, and shooed Marco and Terri away.

When Marco gave Terri a pout, she responded with "Princess Reina says you need more than one outfit."

He couldn't argue with that, so he grunted and followed her to a room that seemed to be filled with various plants and powders.

"Princess Reina says you must purchase ingredients for you-know-what."

Marco thought a moment before realizing she meant the Shaping Potion.

He was about to protest when Terri added "She also says you cannot keep taking them from the palace's stores or people will get suspicious."

"But why do I have to–"

"And you will be paying for them because without Princess Reina as your Patron you wouldn't even have that bag of coins in the first place."

Marco gave her an an angry glare as if Reina herself was in front of him. She immediately buckled and launched into a series of apologies. He sighed and comforted her, wondering the whole time if this was why Reina had chosen her for this task.

By the time he had purchased enough ingredients for another Shaping Potion, his bag was dangerously shrunken. Still, he wanted to visit the blacksmith. Perhaps he could get a new weapon befitting his new status. Unfortunately, Terri pushed him right past it.

"Princess Reina says you'll get your new sword in time."

"Princess Reina says a lot of things."

Terri giggled. "You can bring that to her attention if you like."

"Can I? She's stuck me with you all day."

Marco knew it as soon as he said it. He watched Terri immediately sink like a ship full of holes.

"No, Terri! You're great! I just meant that I wish Reina would stop sending me on errands and explain...well, everything!"

Terri shot him a hurt look. "Looks like you'll be getting your wish, Sir Marco."

Before he could ask what that meant, a voice rang out from behind him.

"Marco?"

He turned to face it. It couldn't be.

"So it's true," said the man when he saw Marco's face. "This is a sad day for the kingdom."

The man who spoke was none other than Leo Baldew. And standing next to him was Reina!

"Good work, Terri." Reina sported a smug grin. "You brought him here right on schedule."