Second Lesson

"Yes. Let's go." Jessica looks at her desk. "Did we need notebooks for something for this?" She reviews the room. "Is there already notebooks here?"

"When you need notebooks, you'll be given them. If you wish to request, you are allowed to." Hydrangea smiles.

"The library offered." Ryan says. "I have one in my room that I'm filling with Sworenyx research."

"Any plan how to defeat it yet?" Jessica asks.

"Can't come up with a better plan than before." Ryan shrugs.

Hydrangea smirks. "Exactly. You'll be marked signing out anything. Once you are a knight, you can gain a lot just by being here. You do not receive any payments for actions done on grounds, though." She pauses for us to raise a question, but we don't. "You'll have daily chores. During trainee periods, you'll be required to follow our expectations for you. You'll move between every type until you graduate. Then you'll be allowed to pick and chose as you wish. Although suggestion is to join every cycle you can when you can."

"Meaning keep up the cycling." Jessica nods. "What chores will we start with?"

"Information desk is probably it." Hydrangea shrugs. "Out of the group who just applied, you three are the only ones qualified enough to do it. Some can handle library staff, but only you three know what the documents expected are like."

"Oh. So some chores won't be available." Jessica leans back. "We can't join medical if we're clueless there."

"Even if you're not qualified to heal someone, you do need to know the basics. You'll join those cycles after you finish a week in First Aid classes. Which won't be for later. Right now, we want you seeking knowledge while practicing your swords."

"Swords are the required weapon. Which do you suggest beside?" Jessica is controlling the dialogue. Which I'm glad for given she has questions that I probably would want to ask in like an hour.

"Bows. Bows are expected for a leader." Hydrangea looks at each of us. "Spear for Ryan. You'll end up preferring distance battles. I would think shield tactics is actually your best to learn, Jessica. As for Thomas..." She shrugs. "All of them."

"All of them?" I think of the massive list. "I can't wait that long before graduating. I don't mind taking more than four months, but it would takes years to learn all of them."

"Yes. You'll wish to keep training even after graduating." Hydrangea eyes me. "It will be for your benefit."

"Strange to suggest that. Only the king knows all the weapons." Ryan comments.

"My father did more than half when he was here. He regretted not learning more." Jessica glances to me. "No pressure."

I scoff. "No pressure."

"We can set up missions in the capital for you if you wish to continue your studies after graduating." Hydrangea scans each of us. "That's an option for all of you. Once you graduate, you get paid for actions beyond the halls. If you are here, you are on chore cycles."

"As if we'd not be on chore cycles beyond here." Jessica rolls her eyes. "Chores are expected everywhere."

"Your chores at your home made you able to skip many of the lessons here. Chores differ depending on where you are and what expectation there is." Hydrangea understands because this was her life too. "You know about your October monster influx, Ryan. If all of you manage to graduate by then, I'll let the three of you go." She focuses on Ryan. "If you wish for it. If you make any other friends here, the conditions can stay the same. Although everyone needs to agree."

"Yeah. That was my plan. Graduate so I can go help." Ryan ducks his head.

Hydrangea grins at him. "That's good. I'm glad you didn't try to run away from your responsibilities." Ryan looks aside. We all did that in a way. We're running away from other expectations. "There are more men knights than women knights. It's not because of 'weaker gender' nonsense several spout." Hydrangea motions to herself then Jessica. "It's because a mother shouldn't go to battle. So when a woman decides to put up her knights uniform, she doesn't return."

"But a man can." Jessica says.

"And normally do at some point. Although missions are normally close to home." Hydrangea relaxes before us. "Marriage in the noble ring normally left us leaving."

I think of the fact my mother also went through these lessons. She'd never get called, though. Once a mother, there would be no chance. If married, it was highly unlikely unless the situation was close to her home. "It would be something else if the queen just showed up."

Hydrangea chuckles. "That would be something. We never truly lose our rank, but there is an expectation we don't use it." It's why she never married. That's why Jessica was against marriage. Marriage would stop them from being a knight. "You'll definitely be on the cleaning and cooking cycles for chores. Your ID will give the alarm and flash the destination. You should know where everything is before the chore cycle starts up in two days."

"So we need to learn the hall." Jessica weighs that. "Shouldn't be too hard. And everyone has been kind about letting us know where everything is."

"No point not." Hydrangea taps a golden emblem she has on her chest. I'm the only trainee that has something. But knights end up with several. Hydrangea has more than just the golden emblem of the country. "The gold means I am connected to a noble house. If you see someone with silver, they are starting a new house. It's rare they'll stay here with a new name. They would need to establish their new house."

"So we'll get one." Jessica motions to us.

"Yes. When you graduate. The emblem is given to all knights. The copper that's seen on most means they are qualified as knights, but do not have a last name."

"So, the gold means we should defer to them." Jessica says.

"No. They cannot grade you, but that doesn't mean they aren't fully fledged and capable knights ahead of you. Always defer to any knight further along than you are." She taps at the three red stripes next to her emblem. "White, blue, and red are the colors of layers. Then gold, but that requires royal allowance. You can have up to five of a color. You cannot have different colors. You will have zero upon graduating. That means you cannot lead any other knights. One white means you are capable of training trainees in your fields. Once you reach four whites or blue, you'll be allowed to lead other knights on mission. Red means I can be the marked trainer for any trainee group."

I didn't know the specifics. I did know about the colors and possible number. I won't aim for four whites any time soon, then. "And when can we go on solo mission?"

"Three blues." Hydrangea nods. "Solo missions are dangerous. If you are gold marked, you may get specific missions because of that. But you will be guarded. You'll notice unmarked knights being added to where ever you will be."

"Because servants and guards for a noble is expectation." Ryan understood. "We should never go off on our own."

"Generally, no. Coppers need three blues for a solo mission, though. Silvers aren't normally offered until they are red striped. Gold have special treatment." Meaning nobles are treated differently even here. Although training is same. And we need to defer to all knights above us.

"So if we're a white stripe on our mission, we still need to defer to those above us?"

Hydrangea hisses. "Depends? You'll know the noble ring better. If there is no gold among your knights, trust your judgment at times. But, over all, yes." That makes sense. "Any further questions?"

"We'll have them. We'll ask when we do." Jessica looks around. "What's the lesson?"

"This. I'm giving you knowledge as to how things run here. You look to be readying to leave ASAP. That matters. If there are no more questions, I would like to separate the three of you more."

"Meaning?" Jessica looks at Ryan and me.

Hydrangea has her move to a distant chair. Ryan is treated the same. I get to stay still. "The test is meant to prove you do not need reading, writing, arithmetic, or history lessons. It is meant to be tough. You do not need a perfect score. Several who know you and your history were involved in making the test."

"All the tests are different, so... do we need to be separated?" Jessica asks.

"Yes. Because all questions may not be different. And the test itself may give you more information about each person than I think you should know." Hydrangea knows what she's doing. My test would make it clear I'm crown prince. I received specific lessons. Jessica grasps that. "Ready?"

We all agree to the terms. Shortly tests and pens show up for our use. I don't mind. I would rather one test to prove things than sit through multiple lessons on things I already know.