Space Knights: The Arrival, Gregory Samuelson [ready player one ebook .txt] 📗

the palace for a royal party with her family, a number of ruling families from Althora and a few from a couple of nearby planets.

Oh well, he thought, they would see each other for a few months before having to report for duty at training camp for the service. Then, he thought, when I’m established as a Golden Griffin I can ask for her hand in marriage. At least he prayed that was their future. Now he needed to get up and get ready.

He was almost completely dressed before Heather came past his door on her way to the restroom to shower. Her look of surprise that he had cleaned up and was almost dressed made him swallow his chuckle. “Good morning sis. What a great day. The shower is ready for you.”

Her eyebrows rose in slight surprise and then a small smile started to form. “Alright, thank you. By the way your shirt is buttoned wrong,” she said as she turned and disappeared the last few feet, turned into the bathroom and shut the door.

Trance looked down and to his surprise his shirt was buttoned one button off. He smiled and unbuttoned the shirt and buttoned it back up correctly. He then went to the living room and looked out, lost in thought. What would the future hold? What would it be like to be a Golden Griffin? In just a few months he would be away from his family at training. Suddenly loneliness caught up to him. Absorbed in these thoughts he did not notice the approach of his mother.

“Good morning,” she said as she put her arm around him and pulled him to her.

A tear slid down his cheek as he embraced her. Quickly he wiped it away and looked at her and did his best to smile. “Good morning. I’m just checking out the neighborhood.”

“It’s the same as it was since we moved in. It’ll still be this way when you get home from your first leave,” she smiled and pulled him close as her eyes watered. “Your dad and I are so proud of you. You’ve grown into a wonderful man. You’ll be fine as a knight or Golden Griffin, whatever they call them.” She took a moment to wipe another tear that had escaped his eyes. “This is your special day. Let’s enjoy it now. Tomorrow we can start to think of the future. Just focus on today. I love you so.” She crushed him to her. Eternity seemed to pass before she let him go and went to the kitchen to start breakfast and to call Sammy to get him up.

Trance stood there in the living room and wiped another tear as he heard his dad’s footsteps coming up the stairs. Evan looked disheveled and wonderful to Trance in his pajamas and slippers. He walked up to Trance and put his hand on his shoulder. “Good morning son. Are you ready?”

“Yeah dad, I think so. Wow, who would have thought we’d actually have a graduation?”

“I sure didn’t. But here we are.” Evan stood beside his son and both looked out the window and just took in the world they now lived in. For a few minutes both father and son looked lost in their thoughts. Strangely, or maybe not so strangely, they were both thinking of Trance leaving home. Mrs. Sonderson brought them out of their reverie as she declared that breakfast was almost ready.

Trance sat at the table ready to eat his favorite breakfast of flatcakes, eggs and sliced sager, bacon. Shortly before breakfast was served Heather came out of the shower and sat down in her bathrobe and her hair in a towel. Sammy stumbled to the table in his pajamas and quickly brightened up when he saw the table. Everyone was busy digging in when the doorbell rang. Mr. Sonderson answered the door and a moment later Kyle and the Markems walked in. Trance was so taken by surprise he didn’t know what to say or do. Many tears fell as Mrs. Markem and Mrs. Sonderson stood together and talked.

“Well, let’s see. I have more eggs and sliced sager,” Mrs. Sonderson finally said as she invited her guests in. Trance introduced everyone and played host as his mom and Mrs. Markem worked together to fix the best breakfast ever. Trance couldn’t help smiling as he noticed that Sammy seemed smitten by Margaretta. Martin smiled and talked to Heather as Kyle, looking ever the charming knight, talked pleasantly with Martina. Trance caught up on all that had happened to the Markems after the battle at the farm. He quickly learned that they were back home.

Half of the farm had been destroyed and it had taken them three-quarters of a year to repair the damage done. Martin and his sisters had gone back to school. Martin and Martina would be graduating next year. This was going to be a great day and his lonely thoughts were buried for now.

Trance couldn’t help but laugh at one point as Chorus and his dad talked about their different professions. Every few minutes he looked at the clock on the wall. After checking it for the ninth time Kyle stepped over and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and said, “It’ll be okay. We’ll get you there on time. Don’t worry and just relax. Enjoy this time. You’ll need to take this memory with you when you get to training.”

Trance settled down. Twenty minutes later everyone was heading to the carriages to go to the school. Trance had on his gown and pentagon-shaped cap. He rode in silence trying to relax. At the school he was let out so he could join his graduating classmates. They talked among themselves, laughing and in many cases crying, holding each other and praying this day would never end. Trance eagerly visited with Zam, Mandor, and Gracer as he kept his eye out for Corena. When she finally came into his sight she was all he could see for