Epilogue: Shield of the Crown
The claiming ceremony for the new Shields of the Crown took place outside, per its long, celebrated, and currently very cold tradition. Tarquin stood apart with Prea, Edonay, and the other nonmilitary members of the court. Faladir and Ainya were with the shields, all intermingled together regardless of rank or duty.
The Shields of the Crown were the most elite of the gathered soldiers, but they all trained, ate, and lived together in the barracks. The only appreciable differences were the Shields of the Crown had to train harder and more often, and their tabards were fancier for formal occasions. Ainya liked to joke “elite” meant “bored and exhausted.”
None of that changed how coveted a position it was, or Tarquin’s quiet pride and elation for Yehan as Quee
