Welcome back Readers
Before the next chapter drops tomorrow, there is a new phrase that gets used. One only a few of you may have read about in my previous works. This may seem a little insignificant at this point in the story, but it becomes a bigger deal toward the end. For this reason, I decided to do this update instead of a gardening update. So, here we go.
Royal Guard
This is both a title and a family name. Those of the family Royal Guard are the descendants of the Saith who defeated the Kai when they invaded their plant. At this point of the story, there are only seven members of this family, all springing from the current General of the Royal Guard. More on that later.
The title is bestowed to only 30 members of elite Saith warriors who are charged with the protection of the current rulers. When I started the Seeking series, there was only one ruler, Pakaz, but as of now, there are two who oversee the two planets of the Saith. The guard was doubled and split between them. Ironically enough, both are lead by the house of Royal Guard.
The positions of Royal Guard are so coveted, that an entire school is dedicated to raising youngsters as young as eight to reach the levels of power to protect their royalty.
For eight years the youngsters are trained in combat, history, as well as diplomacy and all the nitty gritty stuff that has to do with royalty and allies. At 16, they spend two years getting tutelage from other soldiers. Depending on the soldier who trains then, this can mean they can actively be called to war, or peace talks.
At 18 all the students get presented with a warrior name, but not all of them get placed within the Guard. If there's no place, they go to other companies, with a choice to join the Royal Guard if a spot opens. If they are allowed on the Guard, then they need to present the crown with a son, proof that their family name will be continued in case something happens to them. The recruits have about a year to achieve this. Afterwards, they spend two years in military service.
In the past, only boys were allowed into the school. However, during Seeking a Prince, a girl by the name of Saasha was accepted into the school and eventually made it to the guard. Together with her partner, they came up with a plan to circumvent the ruling that a son needed to be given to the crown by having a surrogate carry their son, so she could continue her training.
The Guard is unlike any other soldiering unit, as they are commanded by a Captain and a General, and nothing else. The Captain's job is to keep the General thinking straight and relieve them of duty when their judgement becomes compromised. After the one sitting on the throne, these are the two most powerful positions on any of the Saith planets.
And because I can't have a post without some kind of picture allow me to introduce to you Saasha Blood Dancer, the heroine of Seeking a Prince.
Full credit goes to my friend Jason, aka the_bored_giveth on Instagram. This guy is a legend, and as soon as I saw this art, I had to have it on a shirt, which is still in my cupboard today! Go look at the rest of his art here
We also need to give credit to @pixelhuntersam who is a long-time supporter of my work, and frequently does fan art for my books. This is still one of my favourite drawings of Saasha, both because it's awesome and it was a bday gift!
And that's it for now. Hopefully, you all understand the way the Saith think a little better. They'll start showing up more in the later parts of the book.
Don't forget, if this is the first time you have heard about Fell Dragon, book one can be found here and the start of book two here.
See you all for the update tomorrow!
Reader's List
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