The Ro'meave Sister [MCD Fanfic] ✔︎

III: Trial One

Ivy and I sit alone in the training room with the rest of the possible inductees. We're all silent, and I can easily feel everyone's nerves accelerate once Chester comes out of the other room and calls a name. I'm waiting about a half hour before Chester calls Ivy's name, and I take a few deep breaths, knowing I will be next.

"Ivy! You're next. Bring your weapon and follow me," Chester says.

"Good luck," I tell her as she follows Chester. She flips her pink hair over her shoulder.

"This is easy, this is easy, this is easy." I hear her telling herself over and over again.

Waiting is agony, and the mysterious boy next to me, Jasper, isn't helping. He's sitting with his elbows on his knees staring at the ground.

"Are you alright?" I ask him.

"Why do you care?" Jasper asks angrily.

"You seem so uptight. You're trying out for the most elite guard force in all of Ru'aun!" I say.

Jasper scowls at me. "I didn't have a choice, okay?" he says. "I was hunting out in the woods for game, when Zane and his guards saw me with my daggers. Zane offered me a spot on the Jury of Nine, but I refused. Then he began threatening my family. My mother and little sister. I don't know how he knew I was related to them, but I had to accept. I know I'm already on the Jury, Zane's just making me 'try out' so other people think they've got a chance for my slot."

"Oh... I... I had no idea... I'm sorry, I—" I begin.

"You... I... don't worry about it. Your name is Cassie, right?" Jasper asks. His sudden change of attitude is unexpected, but I'm not about to question it.

"Yes. Being on the Jury has been a dream for me ever since I was a little kid. I didn't grow up here in O'khasis. I lived—" I catch myself. Do I really want Jasper to know my life story? After all, I barely know my own life story. All I know is Hyria is my adopted mother.

"—I lived close by," I finish.

"So what vill—" Jasper is cut off by Chester's voice.

"Cassie D'englo," he reads. "Follow me."

I have never been more thankful for Chester interrupting my conversations in my life. Jasper would've thought I was a freak if I'd told him I'd grown up in the Sacred Forest with a witch named Hyria.

I follow Chester into a room with three guards, one guarding Zane, who is seated in a red velvet chair.

"Here's your scenario. If you are to be accepted into the Jury, your only concern will be protecting the life of the High Priest. Pretend these guards are of an enemy village and are here to kill the Ro'meaves. And... GO!" Chester yells, stepping out of the way.

Two guard rush towards me, and I pull an arrow from my quiver (the tip is taken off because Chester said to remove all sharp objects) and 'shoot' a guard. He steps out of the way, pretending he is injured. The second guard is onto me, too fast to pull an arrow on him. I block his sword with my bow and bash it on his head. Still 'alive,' the guard whips around to pretend stab me, but I somersault out of the way, grab an arrow from my quiver, and 'shoot' him. This whole ordeal has taken less than a minute, and I turn around to face Zane and Chester. Zane seems impressed, and Chester's jaw is hanging open. I'm going to take that as a good sign.

"Excellent job, Lady Cassie," Zane says. His voice sounds so malicious, but I'm too happy to care. I just aced Trial One!

"That was, wow, that was," Chester begins, but Zane shoots him a glare.

"...Quite impressive, m'lady," Chester finishes, much more business-like.

"Thank you, sir," I say, more to Zane than Chester, and curtsy.

"I told you," Zane whispers to his guards. "She looks so much like Vylad, it's unreal. You should keep an eye on her. See where she's from. Not here, that's for sure. The O'khasian warriors are pathetic. All except for a few."

I pretend like I don't hear, but I'm not sure I want to have one of the High Priest's guards tracking my every move. I follow Chester out of the room.

"Jasper," Chester says. "Follow me." I can tell by Chester's tone that he's not fond of Jasper. Maybe Zane told Chester about how he had to force Jasper to be a Jury member.

Jasper is in the room for an incredibly long period of time. The inductees are beginning to feel uneasy, it's not hard to tell. There's only a girl and a boy after Jasper, the blue-haired girl who fights with her fists. The boy sitting next to her appears to be her friend, a handsome brunette guy with dark green eyes, darker than mine.

After about a half an hour, which feels like eternity, Jasper comes out, with an angry look on his face, his hatred for the High Priest looks like it's skyrocketed.

"Katelyn," Chester reads. "Let's go."

Katelyn and her friend look like they both hate Zane as much as Jasper does. Katelyn takes a breath before following Chester into the showroom.

Like Jasper, Katelyn is in there for a pretty long time, almost as long as Jasper was. Her face is completely emotionless when she comes out, but she hasn't put away her claws.

"Jeffory," Chester says, motioning to Katelyn's friend. "Last but not least. Ready?"

Jeffory gives Chester a grunt in response, so I'm pretty sure Jasper, Katelyn, and Jeffory have a Kill Zane Alliance (a/n: im in that alliance too!).

Jeffory's not in the room any longer than the rest of us, and certainly not any longer than Jasper and Katelyn. Jeffory comes out with his golden glaive sheathed, but a slightly annoyed expression on his face, like both Katelyn and Jeffory are trying to hide their hatred for Zane Ro'meave.

I'm beginning to think something about this High Priest isn't right.