The blade sliced through the air in a perfect arc, coming down to meet the wooden dummy standing before him with a satisfying thwack. The sun beat down on him, his messy brown hair sticking to his forehead. He did a few more rounds with the dummy, then returned the longsword to the practice racks. “Jaxon.” A voice rang through the training yard, one that bled power and importance. Jax turned around, his eyes meeting his father’s emerald ones. “Come with me.” Jax followed his father through the winding corridors of the palace, keeping up with his long strides until they went through a bronze door. A stunning gold throne waited behind a wooden desk. His father sat on his throne, every bit the imposing king he was made to be. “Sit.” The prince sat on the luxurious armchair opposite the throne, looking his father in the eyes. “I suppose you know what I’ve called you here for,” the king demanded. Jax nodded. Of course he knew. The time for the Ceremony was approaching, and until now, Jax had been able to blissfully ignore its existence. But now that he was 17, the thought of it followed him everywhere. “Good. Then I trust you’ve met your Requirements?” the king asked. In preparation for the Ceremony, 17-year olds had to meet a set of chosen Requirements that determined if they were fit to stay in the kingdom. Jax hadn’t started preparing yet. “Yes, Father.” The lie escaped him easily. The Ceremony wasn’t until another three months. He had time to work on his Requirements. Right? *** Jax woke up to the sound of dull knocking. He strode up to the door and opened it. A lanky woman was on the other side, dressed in the uniform of the king’s Reformers. She handed Jax a letter and walked off without a word. Jax opened the letter and scanned its contents, his heart speeding up with every word. The day of the Ceremony had caught up to him. And he wasn’t ready. ** An announcer confidently strode up to the stage, dressed in a smart three-piece suit. He acknowledged the audience with the customary greeting, then walked up to the podium to begin his speech. “On this day of every year…” Jax tuned out the announcer’s voice, lost in his own thoughts. A cheer from the audience brought him back to the present. “As for those who have not yet met their Requirements...” He gave a pointed look to a boxed off section, where Jax and a few others waited. An Unexpected Consequence by Carolina Fernandez ’30 67
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