Chapter 26 – Jean A2

Jean's ears cringed as he resisted the impulse to cover them as he shook the man's bear like paws. His eyes flitted to his mother, both with irritation at the prank and questioning as to why he was speaking so loud. The woman quickly lifted her fingers to her ears, oh. Darting back to the man, he could see the flesh of his ears had been ripped off, leaving only a torn up mess; He knew that he shouldn't stare, but he couldn't help it, it was just so intriguing; What had happened to this man to damage his body so?

"I see you noticed the ear" Came a much softer tone than the one that had filled the room moments before "Sorry if I spoke a bit loud, sometimes lose track of it ya see"

He quickly set his shoulders to face Jean head on

"I know that look, you're after knowing what happened aye?"

Jean's mouth was slightly parted as his head slowly dipped into a nod, causing the man to spin his tale

"Well there ain't much to it lad;" He stated bluntly "There was a fight in a tavern, went to break it up, things got rough and I lost me eye, a tooth and the ear. Pretty much the whole story."

The boy's eyebrows raised in curiosity, the question bit at him until the words left his tongue,

"Why'd you go to break it up? A fight that rough, you should've steered clear from, much safer"

A small huff of air left the man before he opened his mouth but froze, as if re considering his actions. Closing it once more, he quickly moved his arm to the sleeve of his tunic; Grabbing the cuff, he slowly rolled it up, his sleeve rising as Jean's jaw dropped at the image on the skin. The Green Scales. The boy couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes as they quickly met the older man's, seeking approval for a closer look. As Farit dipped his head, he spoke quietly, but with the pride of a Grizzly Bear,

"Because I'm a soldier of Peace and Order. When this mark was put on my skin, I, alongside all of our order was given authority from the Chief himself to fight chaos wherever it may be in these walls; Ensure the laws of the land are upheld like the pillars of the Great all itself, the peace held like sand in our palms, it's preservation in our hands and most importantly" As Jean's hand reached to touched the mark "We are to protect the people. We have to guide them. Help them. Teach them."

The boy couldn't help but hold his excitement in as Farit spoke the last line of his seemingly rehearsed speech,

"That, is what it means to be a Scale. And from what I hear from your mother here, that could be you in the future."

Jean froze up as the words hit him. He had always had a secret want to be a Scale, but his mother needed him here in the shop, so he gave up on the dream, never letting her know, lest she be upset at losing him. Or so he thought.

He turned to his mother "How did you know?" he asked, still stunned.

She smiled as she answered, "Oh please my boy, I was the one who taught you to notice the look in someone's eye when they're interested in a product in the shop, you think I never saw that same fire in yours's every time we were near the Scales Hall?"

"But… Don't you need me to help around here? I mean with all the heavy barrels and crates and -"

"Jean boy" His mother's voice calm and soft as she spoke "I will be fine here. I can hire a hand or two if I struggle later on" A slight pause filled the air. "But I won't have you shackle yourself to this place if the Scales is your passion. The reason I brought Farit here over, is that he's now a recruitment officer for the Military and he's promised, if you can get into the top ten of your year, he'll guarantee you a position"

The silence filled the room with greater weight as Jean contemplated, could he really leave his mother all alone here? Yes, it was his dream to bear the mark of the Scales and bring order to the city he called home, wealth to the home he called his, happiness to his mother but…

"Jean." Farit's gruff voice cutting through the silence. "I know this is a difficult decision to make, and it is not without danger. The life of Military training is hard. Brutal. Unrelenting. But if you can withstand it, I believe you have the potential to be a great Scale."

The uncertainty in his eyes now clearing as determination filled them, a smug smirk growing on his face.

"When do we start?"

2 YEARS LATER

As Jean sat on the edge of his bunk in the training grounds, the first day of training already hitting him straight in the face (Well, it had actually been Drillmaster Shadis Helmet but he tried not to focus on that right now) he tenderly ran his hand over Dante's soft crimson wings, still surprised they let him bring his dragon to the bunkhouse. Even if it was only for a while before he had to be returned to the stables, he still cherished it. The dragon wasn't small enough to be a Tiny tooth, nor quite a Short Wing, leaving his companion to be around the size of a sheep as he curled up in his lap. He remembered back to how he had gotten his dragon, the little baby Monstrous Nightmare he would come to call his best friend.

The bustling street as Farit led him through the market place to the local hatchery.

The smell of smoked wood hitting him as they walked down the torch lit tunnel.

The rough texture of the Nightmare's egg shell under his soft palms.

Days and nights spent sat waiting beside the fire pit, the egg nestled in it's embers.

The first moment they met eyes.

The first moment that the hatchling became his Dante.

It was a strange name, and he knew it, but he had always remembered a story his mother used to tell him of a brave knight who led his people to victory against the monsters, his horse named Dante. And whilst yes, he was wrong to think that the dragon would just be a tool for him to use, he had since come to love and respect Dante as a separate person. Whilst, the outbursts of angry self-ignition were irritating, he wouldn't trade it for anything else.

As the evening bell tolled throughout the air, he quickly walked to the stables, resting Dante in the stony nest he had made, watching as the Nightmare shortly lit himself aflame to make the sleeping spot a bit cosier for himself. As the dragon closed its eyes, Jean turned and returned to his bunk, eyes closed as he let sleep embrace him before he had to get through the first day of training tomorrow.