A/N: These sections about the initiation are a little long but they are essential to allowing Veronica to find her way back to Logan in any meaningful way if they are to have any hope of a healthy relationship.
Crucibles are excellent vessels for exposing their contents to extreme pressures, intermixing them, and thereby making them stronger for having endured.
Chapter 12: Rights of Passage
Once the squires - as the Castle pledges were known – had been prepared, they were lead into a large gathering room. Inside they were directed to kneel and remain silent. The ground was cold and hard beneath their knees. Veronica wondered if they were kneeling on stone. Her mind was racing, trying to figure out exactly where they had been taken and what was going to happen next. She felt so exposed, almost betrayed, by her near nudity. She tried to figure out how many people were in this room - how many men were getting their jollies ogling their new female pledges. It was unsettling but more than shame, anger was rising inside of her. She kept reminding herself that she was doing this for Logan, to keep him safe. She also tried to believe that Jake had been telling her the truth that this wasn't about sex.
Squeezing her eyes shut, even though she couldn't see anything under the black hood Veronica telepathically apologized for getting the other women into this mess. She had no idea that nudity and humiliation were part of the deal.
"You are the newest squires of the Castle," an unidentified male voice broke the eerie silence. "Squires are uneducated servants - vile creatures who need to be built into strong knights. Only the best and brightest endure. You will be tested and if you are deemed worthy, you will be reborn as Knights of the Castle, bound by blood and brotherhood to each other and the Castle itself. Thirteen of you have been called. We'll see how many complete the challenge that lies before you. Our traditions run deep and the riches of the kingdom will be yours for the taking . . . if you survive this night." Veronica did not like that sound of that.
"Throw down the gauntlet. Throw down the gauntlet," a number of voices chanted softly in unison.
The single voice continued, "Before you can go into battle you need to be properly armored."
The strong hands that had been holding her shoulders released and Veronica felt something being placed over head. It was cool and heavy where it rested on her shoulders. Instinctively Veronica reached out her hand to touch the garment where it lay draped over her midsection hanging from her shoulders. It was metallic but it moved. Her mind raced as she worked to identify her new garment. Realization dawned suddenly. These guys really took the idea of a castle and knights seriously; she correctly surmised she was wearing a chain mail tunic. Oddly Veronica was comforted by fact that it did a good job covering her otherwise half naked body, even though it was open on the sides. She could feel the hem of the garment pooling at her knees but assumed it would have only come to the thighs of a larger male. She was also pleasantly surprise when hands gently lifted her hair out from underneath the heavy garment so that it was no longer pulling on her tresses. She found herself deriving strength and comfort from her new armor.
"Squires, you may remove your hoods and look upon your king," the voice directed while the group again chanted, "Throw down the gauntlet. Throw down the gauntlet."
Frustrated with being deprived of sight, Veronica ripped the black hood from her head to find herself kneeling in a circle with her fellow squires. Dozens o hooded men stood against the walls. Their faces could not be seen in the low candle light that provided the only illumination in the dungeon like room. She still had no idea where she was.
In front of her stood the King. He was tall man, wearing an ankle length purple velvet cape trimmed in white fur held together by a series of gold clasps and chains. His outfit was straight out a Hollywood production of a fairytale. His pants and shirt were non-descript black but clearly made in this century. The rivets at the corners of his jeans pockets were noticeable upon careful scrutiny. He had on an ornate gold crown and a gold Lone Ranger style mask which was big enough to conceal his other features. He carried a gold scepter topped with a three dimensional replica of Hearst's crest. The King began walking around the circle, inspecting each squire.
When Veronica turned her head to follow the King's movement, the strong hands from earlier jerked her head back. "Eyes forward," the owner of the hands commanded.
In response the hooded masses again chanted, "Throw down the gauntlet. Throw down the gauntlet."
Veronica wished she knew what gauntlet they were talking about. None of this made sense. Without moving her head, Veronica surveyed as much of the room as she could with only her eyes. He brain was working overtime trying to figure where she was, who else was here and what was going to happen next. She didn't know if Wallace was in the room. She also couldn't find Jake Kane but she knew he had to be here somewhere. The women on either side of her were also wearing chain mail tunics over their underwear but she didn't know exactly who they were. Although she and Nish had given the Castle a list of qualified women, the final agreement was that the Castle got to select the first women members and they were not restricted to the list in making their selections.
What looked like a court jester, the Devil and a wizard passed in front of her. They were circling the squires, equidistant from each other, presumably matching the pace set by the King. If she wasn't so off balance, this might actually be comical. Somehow the absurdity served to calm her. Little boys playing dress up could hardly be considered potentially deadly rapists, could they?
The King invited the new Squires to introduce themselves and briefly explain why they thought there were tapped to be part of such an illustrious group.
Wallace was up first. "I'm Wallace Fennel, number 13 on the Hearst Basketball Team. I was tapped because I'm the best point guard this school has had in recent history and you all have some freaky weird ass affection for the number 13."
A fat woman with glasses and bad acne scars was next. "I'm Amanda Moss. I guess I'm here because I got a perfect score on my SATs and hope to be Valedictorian of my class one day."
A dark haired woman with porcelain skin spoke next. "I'm Brigit Kennedy-Smythe. My grandfather was a Supreme Court Justice."
"My name is Xi May Quon," a small oriental woman said. "I am an engineering student and the youngest person to ever be accepted into NASA's astronaut training program."
"I'm Nish Sweeny, President of the Lillith House, past editor of the Hearst Free Press, a founding member of the Hearst Chapter of Take Back the Night and one of the reasons you are all here." Shyness and modesty were not in Nish's vocabulary.
Mac was up next. "I'm Cindy MacKenzie. I guess I'm here because I'm Veronica's friend – the Q to her Bond. I'm a whiz at computers." Although she suspected that her hacking of the encrypted data file was why she and every other woman was being initiated, unlike Nish, Mac didn't feel the need to brag.
A perky blonde introduced herself as Jennifer Johnson. "I'm here because I'm captain of the cheerleading team."
The editor of Hearst's yearbook, the Tapestry was up next. "I'm Maria Alvarado."
It was no surprise when the tallest women in the group said, "I'm Tamisha Jones, center for the women's basketball team."
A redhead said "I'm Patsy Cheyknee. My dad, Rudolph Cheyknee III, the CEO of Calibarton Enterprises, was a King of this Castle. My brother Kevin was also a member. Someday he and I will run my father's empire." Somebody had clearly been coached about the inner workings of this group.
The hooded figures around the room broke out into a chorus of "Legacy; leg-a-cy; leg-a-cy," accompanied by stomping and clapping which seemed to shake the walls.
When the chanting died down, the Jester pointed to the next Squire. "I'm Emmy Nishibashi. I am a botanist here on campus and last years winner of the American Pharmaceutical industry's research grant." [A/N: this is the other scientist in Show Me the Monkey.]
Veronica was somewhat awed by the level of accomplishment and poise many of these women achieved. "I'm Veronica Mars. I'm here because I will always make someone pay who has wronged me." She figured starting strong would be a good plan plus she assumed Gory was in this room somewhere hidden behind a cloak and a mask. She wanted him to know that she would never forget what he had done; it broken her but rather emboldened her.
"I'm Daphne Lancaster," the most beautiful woman in the room drawled; she had a full figure and a cascade of honey blonde hair dripping down her back. "I was Miss Tennessee two years ago and Second Runner up in last year's Miss United States Pageant. I'm currently the spokes-model for Bootylicious Hair Care Products but I want to break into acting."
The stockiest and most athletic of the women was the last to be introduced. "I'm Lisa Phelps. I won bronze in the women's 200 meter fly at the Olympics in Athens but I'm hoping for gold in Bejing."
After all the squires had been introduced the costumed leaders continued to circle the squires. After they walked around twice the Devil stopped in front of Veronica. The King, the jester and the wizard all took their places before other members.
Eying her cagily the Devil waited. From somewhere else in the room Veronica heard the King's voice. "The Knights of the Castle are clever. Prove your worthiness by answering the questions posed to you. If your intelligence proves false, you will be flogged!"
On cue the masses chanted, "Throw down the gauntlet. Throw down the gauntlet."
Staring at Veronica the Devil queried, "On the day appointed for the sacred cherub who allowed his arrow to pierce two hearts binding them forever, the King walked on water. How could that be?" Around her, Veronica could hear other inane questions being posed to different squires. It was a riddle. She liked puzzles. She could do this.
"Tick Tock. Tick Tock," the chorus chanted.
She took a breath and started to think. The sacred cherub had to be Cupid. The appointed day would be Valentine's Day, February 14. It was usually cold in February so . . . . "The water was frozen," she answered triumphantly. The Devil nodded, pleased that she had answered correctly.
Behind her, Veronica heard a male voice angrily shout, "No, you fool." She guessed one of the other squires didn't answer the question correctly.
"Throw down the gauntlet. Throw down the gauntlet." Veronica was already annoyed by this insipid, meaningless chant.
"The Castle is only as strong as its weakest link. Your ignorance has damaged your fellow squires," the leader admonished.
Veronica was struggling not to turn and look. The man behind her must have read her thoughts. "Eyes forward," he hissed roughly.
"To restore their strength and honor you must be flogged."
Veronica started to get up. She desperately wished she had Mr. Sparky with her. She was not about to let some over privileged jerk strike a defenseless, half-naked woman, at least not without putting up a fight. Strong hands pushed her back down. "Stay," her captor commanded. More softly he whispered in her ear, "It won't be that bad."
"Squires, turn and face each other in the sacred crucible."
Each person in the circle stood up and turned around. It was the first time Veronica was seeing the other squires. She finally found Wallace and Nish. Mac caught her eye with an expression that said, "what the [bleep] did you get me into?"
The captain of the cheerleading team, Jennifer Johnson, was being led into the circle. It figured that the cheerleader would be the weak intellectual link.
"Kneel," the King commanded. Hands pushed each of the squires back down. Veronica had seen red marks on everyone's knees from the marble floor.
The King addressed the cheerleader. "By your error you have shamed your fellow Squires. You are not worthy to enter the Castle. You will be flogged."
Jennifer was absolutely terrified and on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again. Don't hurt me," she wailed.
Veronica couldn't take anymore. She dashed forward before her assigned captor had a chance to grab her. Wallace moved to join her but was restrained. Using herself as a shield, Veronica faced the King. "You are not going to flog her, you barbarian!"
Behind her she did not see the handler whisper to the cheerleader.
The room grew eerily quiet; then a soft chant began, "Throw down the gauntlet. Throw down the gauntlet."
As Veronica was focused on trying to protect the other women, she didn't notice the wooden bowls being placed on the floor by the squires.
The King appraised Veronica. The mask was successfully hiding his pride at her courage. "As you wish. You can be flogged in her place."
The cheerleader's escort grabbed Veronica by the arms and held her tight. She began thrashing, kicking and screaming with all her might but barefoot she was no match for the six foot plus 220 pound wall of muscle who had her in his unyielding grasp. She had tried stepping on the inside of his foot but he had on shoes so her stomp had no effect. Her short legs could not reach back to take him down by kicking out his knees and she didn't have the upper arm strength to break his gasp or elbow him in the groin. She knew it was only a matter of time before he relaxed and gave her an opening. She just had to remain calm and remember her F.B.I. defense training from this summer.
Unexpectedly, the cheerleader she had been trying to protect reached in and placed her hands on Veronica's shoulders. Leaning in the cheerleader whispered, "It's OK. That's Brian, my boyfriend. He promised it wouldn't hurt. Just go with it."
Veronica stopped struggling. The guy holding her was Brian Washington, Hearst's all American defensive tackle destined for the NFL? That made sense because Veronica knew the captain of the football team was a member but after screaming and carrying on why was Jennifer now assuring Veronica that this wasn't going to hurt.
"Stay," Brian ordered her, walking Jennifer back to her place in the circle. Veronica obeyed but swallowed visibly still trying to find a way out. Wallace and Mac were both being held back and both looked terrified for her. She moved her hands up and down as though patting the air, trying to signal them to calm down. She had to believe that she wasn't in physical danger.
With order restored, the King continued. "The flogging will commence. Twenty lashes for you." Veronica squeaked with a sharp intake of breath steeling herself for the expected pain. ". . . twenty lashes with a wet noodle." She visibly relaxed and almost smiled until she saw the warning glare from the King and the wizard silently telling her to take this seriously so she gritted her teeth to bite back a laugh. This was so absurd.
The peanut gallery launched into another chorus of "Thrown down the gauntlet."
That's when Veronica realized that each of the costumed characters had a strand of what looked to be fettuccine in his hand. Each threw a piece of pasta at her and counted as he did so: "one", "two", "three", "four". Each squire was instructed to throw a noodle at Veronica while she stood unrestrained in the circle. The hooded man who had been holding her also tossed some pasta at her. Finally the King and the Pope each threw one more noodle at her for a total of twenty lashes. When they were finished, Veronica walked back to her place in the circle. The riddles and the lashings continued until each squire had correctly solved a riddle or been pelted with pasta.
The Devil stepped into the crucible to address the group. "It's not always easy to stand up for your principles but oftentimes it's necessary. Do not give into the temptation to hide. A sin of omission is still a sin and the biggest sin in our castle is to bear witness to the struggles of a fellow knight but fail to act. Courage will always be rewarded."
He strode over to Veronica and handed her a large decorative key. "For standing up for your fellow squire, you are hereby awarded one free pass. You may use it at any time during your Castle membership at your discretion."
The squires were then instructed to turn around and face outward. Purple pillows trimmed in gold braid had been set out on the floor before them. When they were again instructed to kneel, Veronica knelt on the pillow. Other squires knelt on the hard marble floor.
This time the wizard spoke as the costumed figures continue to circle the group. "To those of you who knelt on the pillow, well done. You know in this life when an opportunity to make your own path easier is presented, you must seize it. You cannot wait for it to be offered to you or your suffering will endure too long and perhaps worsen over time." The handlers for those squires who knelt on the floor picked up the pillows and bonked their charges over the head with them. Then they placed the pillows back on the ground. No squire had to be told twice. They all placed the pillows under their grateful knees.
The naming ceremony was next. The Jester explained through exaggerated giggles, "Within these walls you will be reborn. You shed your old world and are rendered anew. A new name, for a new life."
Nish became "Eve" because the mother of all mankind was the first to succumb to evil and temptation. She just had to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of all knowledge and so had caused humanity to be cast out of the paradise that was the Garden of Eden. Nish's curiosity had caused women to come into the Castle. Wallace was Trent, a play on the number thirteen. Mac became Apple based on her affinity for computers. The biologist was Ivy, for Poison Ivy. Amanda was renamed Pencil because you take the SATs with a number two pencil. The justice's granddaughter called Sandra after the first women Supreme Court Justice. The Olympic swimmer was dubbed not surprisingly Fish. The cheerleader got stuck with Bounce. Sally after Sally Ride became the new name for the budding astronaut. The yearbook editor became Scribe. As a play on words because of Dick Cheney's former job, the industrialist's daughter got stuck with Swee' Pea which rhymes with Vee Pee. Given her impressive playing record, the basketball player was renamed Dunk. Finally Veronica was christened Marta which was short for Mata Hari, the infamous spy.
The King praised the Squires for their performance so far. "You have all done well. You have met the challenges set before you but your tasks are not complete."
The wizard continued. "As squires you must trust the Knights whom you serve and they in turn must trust you. As we all trust in the gods of old and our King, we must trust one another. Rise. Now, turn and face the crucible."
The squires complied.
Once they were all facing each other again the wizard instructed the handlers to take one step to the right; in effect each handler was now behind another squire.
The wizard resumed his pontification. "As tonight's events have unfolded you squires have come to rely on the handlers assigned to you. They led you safely into our inner sanctum, even though you were blind folded and did not know the way. They dressed you in your armor, literally and symbolically protecting you from external threats. They guided you through this ritual. As each handler helped an individual squire, so each one helped the whole of the Castle. Now you are being asked to trust in a handler you don't know so that you learn to trust one is to trust all. On the count of 13 each squire will fall straight backwards into the arms of a Knight having faith that we will never let our members fall."
Veronica always hated this exercise. Trust was never something that came easy to her. Still she knew she had to trust but she didn't have the ability. Too many people in her life had let her down; in her short life she had seen too much. After several weeks at the Academy this summer she'd managed to do it – to allow herself to fall backwards trusting that someone would catch her. She had been amazed that every other member of her class had simply fallen backwards on command into the arms of an instructor simply because they were asked to do so. It was incomprehensible to her that trust could come so easily. Here in this room filled will silly pranks and goofy new nicknames she wasn't sure she would be able to just let go.
When the wizard's voice reached thirteen, thirteen dutiful squires fell backwards into the waiting arms of the handlers poised to catch them. Veronica remained upright.
As expected, the chanting was renewed, "Throw down the gauntlet. Throw down the gauntlet. Lash her. Lash her."
Veronica was fine with that and moved to stand in the middle of the circle so people could throw fettuccini on her again. She would much rather be pelted with pasta then risk falling onto the stone and cracking her head open because a stranger let her down.
The Devil was immediately in her face. "I see somebody has trust issues."
The King was quick to intercede. "But we also have a sense of responsibility and an understanding of the concept of the need to accept the consequences for one's actions . . . or in this case transgressions."
"Go ahead, lash me," Veronica conceded.
"No," declined the King. "This is your test. This is your weakness, your Achilles heel. You have to learn to trust."
Narrowing her eyes Veronica glared at her tormentor. "No really, I'm fine. Just throw some more pasta at me. I'll take my twenty lashes."
"You could use your free pass," the Devil reminded her glancing at the key which remained clutched in Veronica's hand. "But doing so would confirm that you are weak and afraid."
'Not much of a free pass', thought Veronica glumly as she moved to hand him the key.
Before she could place the key in the wizard's hand, the King declared, "No, you are going to do this. You are going to trust your fellow knights." He paused for a minute thinking then called, "Sir Knight Hoover, Sir Knight Polo, Sir Knight Valentino, Squire Trent and Squire Apple step forward."
Mac and Wallace dutifully moved closer, not knowing what to expect. Three hooded figures from the crowd entered the circle. Each hooded figure walked behind Veronica, embraced her under her arms and said, "Trust me . . . now sink." The first voice Veronica immediately recognized as belonging to Jake Kane. With his arms firmly grasping her much smaller frame she was able to let herself slide straight down into his arms while he held her weight. This she could do because she had more control. The second voice, Sir Knight Polo, she recognized as her equestrian from earlier. "My King commands thee, Milady. Trust me . . . now sink." Again, Veronica gave him her slight weight and he held her up. The third knight repeated the ritual. Veronica was sure she knew his familiar voice. For the first time since mounting the horse several hours earlier Veronica felt like she could trust someone in this room. She easily gave him her weight when he asked.
Looking at Mac and Wallace the King ordered them to repeat the ritual and they did. Veronica had been a bit concerned about sinking onto Mac but she knew that Mac was trustworthy. Wallace of course would never drop her. Her BFF was da bomb.
"Squires, step back," the Devil directed Mac and Wallace returned to their places in the circle.
The three knights encircled Veronica, interlocking their arms as they walked around her chanting, "Trust is earned."
They were out-shouted by the chorus, "Trust is given."
After a few rounds of this game the knights stopped moving then the Devil demanded. "Pick a Knight Squire Marta."
Veronica selected Sir Knight Hoover without hesitation but she didn't know why. The logical choice would be Jake Kane, a known quantity and father figure, but she'd seen him let Duncan down and heaven knows he'd disappointed her mother. Truth be told after everything that happened, she could never again fully trust Lilly's father. Polo would have been an okay choice; he'd kept her safe during their earlier encounter but there was just something so compelling about Hoover. As he moved to stand behind her he entreated her to "trust me" once again.
In front of her Valentine and Polo bantered "trust is earned" – "trust is given" while the wizard counted to thirteen again. This time Veronica let herself fall straight backwards as expected. Hoover caught her. He whispered "Well done, Marta," helping her upright.
The hooded gallery all clapped and so did her fellow squires who recognized that something important had occurred even if they did not comprehend its full significance.
Veronica was then allowed to walk back to her place in the circle. The three hooded knights disappeared into the crowd.
The Jester began laughing. "We're almost done. We're almost done," he called gleefully in a falsetto sing song voice.
"In recognition of your new and unbreakable alliance and the strides you have made tonight, you must now all be bound by blood." The Devil's words were ominous, but based on the silliness of the other tests and punishments Veronica wasn't particularly worried. All in all this has been kind of fun, the trust business aside. She liked her new name. However, her merriment was soon replaced by fear when the Devil continued. "These sacred lances will enable you to mix your blood together with the blood of those who came before. Infused as one, this consecrated libation will strengthen the foundations of our fortress. In your combined potency lies our future."
Each handler grabbed the right hand of a squire and readied a needle. As the jester came before each squire with a gold chalice, the handlers pricked the squires' fingers and squeezed a drop of blood into the chalice. When it was Veronica's turn she was able to discern that there was other liquid already in the large gold cup. Sanitary and health issues included, this was truly gross and almost barbaric.
When each squire had made a contribution, the wizard stepped into the center of the circle to receive the chalice from the jester who moved away after the transfer. Alone in the crucible the wizard held the chalice above his head the way priests do at communion during a Catholic Mass, and made one full rotation showing the cup to the assembled group. "Now, our sanctified numbers have returned. We are again multiples of 13 – like the Knights Templar – slaughtered on Friday the 13th to protect the sacred mysteries. We have bonded in blood and forged in firelight. Our new members are eternally joined with those who came before whose hallowed essence filled this cup in bygone days. It is time for us to drink and solidify our unending loyalty to one another," the wizard intoned.
When the King stepped back into the circle, the wizard handed the chalice to him. The King drank deeply from the glass before returning it to the wizard who also drank. The jester, the Devil and one hooded figure joined them in the circle to share the cup.
Turning to Veronica the unknown hooded figure passed her the chalice. "Imbue yourself with the souls of your brethren. Inebriate yourself with their riches and vigor." Veronica looked at him like he'd just handed her a cup of poison. These boys were seriously deluded if they thought she was going to ingest whatever this unsanitary concoction was. Nevertheless she took the chalice with two hands and held it up to her face. Over the top of the rim she could see Mac's horrified expression. Hoping to buy a few more precious seconds to formulate a plan she sniffed the contents of the chalice. It smelled like Hawaiian punch. She'd been expecting at least wine. She placed her lips on the edge of the cup trying not to think about whose mouth had been there last or whether anybody ever washed this glass. Tilting, she pretended to take a small sip but never let the liquid touch her lips. The hooded figure was none the wiser. When he moved out of her line of sight, she mouthed to Mac and Wallace, "Don't swallow."
After everyone had partaken – or not – of the blood elixir the four costumed figures huddled together in the center of the crucible, back to back staring out at the squires. They turned a full circle making eye contact with each squire. When they returned to their original places, the King announced "The Castle has deemed you worthy. You have passed the time honored tests." Continuing to turn he addressed each new member by the new nickname in welcome starting with Veronica. "Welcome Sir Knight Marta." The Chorus of hooded Knights responded in mass, "All hail, Marta," with each person's name as they were introduced.
It was official. For better or worse, Veronica was now a member of the Castle. She wondered what Logan would think of her decision.
