The next day Ryo and Mokuba set off for parts unknown. It took them two days but they finally found the castle in the next kingdom, the kingdom of Breena Carr, home of King Ryuzaki and Princess Tea.
They arrived just in time for tryouts to see who would be chosen as guards and who as knights. If you could not prove yourself a skilled fighter or at least one with potential, you were turned away!
Ryo tied his horse up and found a good wall that you could see everything from. He put Mokuba up on top of the wall. "Okay kiddo, I need you to promise no matter what happens you wont get down from here until I come back for you! I want you out of harm's way and someplace I know where you'll be where you wont get hurt or lost."
"I p-promise to s-stay here." Mokuba said, still holding his doll.
Ryo ruffled his hair. "Good boy."
Ryo went to sign up and then got into line. The tests were mostly the same even in Seto's kingdom. You get 4 tries on each test.
One: A one on one battle with one of the top knights in the castle; the best and most highly skilled swordsman in the castle.
Two: Two riding towards a target and hitting it with your sword on target before it's moved away.
Three: a horse javelin duel
Four: a horse sword duel
Five: Bow and arrow target shooting at both still and moving targets.
Six: marksman shooting, both at still and at moving targets.
Ryo and the other potentials were going through each step; they had been divided into groups, each group working on a different trial.
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While all this was happening Mokuba watched and hoped Ryo would make it.
"Hello there little one. You must be new around here. I'd remember a cutie like you." A lady said, walking over and standing next to Mokuba. "My name's Nosaka, what's yours?"
Mokuba wasn't sure if he should talk to her but then a lot of the rules he used to live by had been changed when he went to live with Seto. Ryo never seemed to change the rules and never said he wasn't allowed to speak but still was a little nervous about it.
"Come on little one I won't bite I promise. All I want to know is your name."
"M-M-Mokuba." he said, deciding to answer her.
"Mokuba, that's a nice name. So how did a little kid like you get on this big wall?"
"M-m-my b-big b-brother p-put m-me h-here." Mokuba said, stuttering a bit more than normal due to being so nervous.
"So is your brother trying out over there?"
Mokuba nodded yes.
"Well you must be new to the kingdom cause I'm the local school teacher and I'd definitely remember you. As a matter of fact, my brother Tristan is also trying out today. So, what number is your brother? Mines number 17."
Mokuba saw Ryo but the number wasn't one he knew. Ryo had been teaching him numbers but the highest number Ryo ever taught him was 25. "I d-don't k-know."
Nosaka thought it was odd that the boy didn't know the number.
"Well which one is he?"
Just as she asked, Ryo was getting on a horse for a horse duel. Mokuba pointed to Ryo on the horse.
"The white haired guy on horse number 51?"
"I c-can't r-read t-the n-number."
Nosaka was really suspicious now. She had been to the library to pick up a couple of books for the younger kids in her school she promised to read to them outside while the older kids did their school work. You see, it was a simple one-room schoolhouse. She taught all grade levels, which sometimes wasn't easy.
Nosaka took out a book, which for a normal kid Mokuba's age should be too easy to read. She then handed the book to Mokuba. "Mokuba, what is this book's title?" Nosaka asked, beginning to wonder if the child could read. If he couldn't read a number then he either needed glasses or couldn't read numbers. Her feeling was if he couldn't read numbers then he might not be able to read at all. She'd traveled a lot before settling down in this town. She'd learned that sometimes parents felt farming was more important than learning.
Mokuba studied the title and sounded out each letter in his head.
When Mokuba didn't just blurt out the title right away, Nosaka was positive her theory that the child couldn't read was correct.
"T-the u-unicorns l-last s-stand!" Mokuba said proudly. Unicorn, he remembered from the book Ryo bought for him and reads to him at night.
Nosaka was surprised to find that he could read at least some. "Can you read more or is that all?"
"I c-can r-read a l-little m-more."
"Really and who has been teaching you how?"
"M-my b-brother's b-been t-teaching m-me."
"That must be a smart brother then. Has he taught you how to write too?"
Mokuba shook his head no. "H-he s-said h-he w-was g-going t-to p-put m-me into s-school."
"Your brother plans to send you to school to learn to read and write?"
Mokuba nodded his head then looked up to see how Ryo was doing.
'Well the kid is smart if he can learn from someone with no experience in training kid's how to read. My brother's been yelling at me to take a break from school telling me I'm way over worked. Arianna and Juliana, my in-training teaching assistants, have been begging me to give them a chance to teach on their own. They've been with me for the past year and a half. I suppose now would be a good time to give them that chance. Take some time off and let them handle the school. I'm sure they could handle it and it's not like I'd be leaving town. I could take this one and a few of the others that are having major trouble learning to read and write and a few that are just having trouble and need some one on one attention and work with just those 10 kids. I'd be able to give them the one on one attention they need. That's what I'll do then. I'll talk to this kid's brother and if he agrees then I'll put him and my other in need of one-on-one training students together and work with them till they can handle keeping up with the rest of the kid's in the class.' Nosaka thought.
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Ryo's final scores:
Test 1: He held his own in the one on one match up. He still lost 2 rounds and won 2.
Test 2: He hit the target before it was pulled away 3 times dead center but just nipped it the last round.
Test 3: He had never been any good at horse javelin duels. He lost 3 out of 4.
Test 4: He held his own in the horse sword duel he won 3 out of 4.
Test 5: He hit dead center both with still and with moving targets. With the bow and arrow.
Test 6: He did perfect with marksman shooting. With the still targets, he hit center 2 out of 4 times and hit the target the other 2 times. With moving targets he hit center once, nipped the ends twice, missed all together once, and at least hit the target itself once.
In the end, both he and Nosaka's brother Tristan made it. However, their scores qualified them enough to be made guards-in-training. They would work and train with other guards and knights in the castle. Then at the end of 4 months they would be reviewed. The best would move on to be guards, get assignments and the opportunity if they wished to work and train to become a knight someday. If you failed you would be allowed to remain and train and wait another 6 months before getting another chance to be considered as a full-fledged guard. As a guard-in-training besides training with a guard assigned to work with you, you would work with this guard on their duty. Whether it's in the armory, the tower, patrolling the grounds or whatever their assignment is, your job is to work with them and learn from them!
Tristan approached Ryo after the tryouts were over and results were announced.
"Hey, that wasn't too bad. My name is Tristan, what's yours?" Tristan asked, holding out his hand.
Ryo gladly shook it. "You didn't do too bad yourself. My name is Ryo."
"Hey a few of us are going out for beers you want to come along?"
"I can't."
"Aw come on don't tell me you're the type that doesn't drink."
"Well I'm not really that big of a drinker. But that wasn't why I said I couldn't go."
"Oh then what is it then?"
"My little brother's waiting for me."
"Really where? Can I meet him?"
"He's over here, come on."
"Hey, maybe we could invite him to come along."
"I don't think so." Ryo said just a few feet from Mokuba.
"Come on don't tell me he doesn't drink either!"
"Is that all you can think of Tristan is Booze?" Nosaka asked.
"Well what else is there?" Tristan asked.
"You must be Mokuba's brother, I'm Nosaka Mutou."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Ryo Gwy…Ah I mean Ryo Donovan."
Nosaka looked at him funny.
"Oh, um, my parents left me to be raised by my aunt and I was raised with her last name but then I've had to use my birth name when it comes to legal stuff.
"Oh, I understand." Nosaka said.
'That was close. I don't know if anyone here knows Bakura. If they do, they might or might not know his last name; but no sense in taking a chance besides if we're going to start again we should start fresh.' Ryo thought then took Mokuba off the wall. "Tristan, this is my little brother Mokuba."
"Oh." Tristan said a bit disappointed. "I guess that cancels taking him with us."
"Sorry, maybe some other time." Ryo said as Tristan left.
"Ryo, I wanted to talk to you about Mokuba. Maybe we could discuss it and I could help you find a place to live at the same time. I know of a lot of places here around the castle if you wish to live just outside it. There are also small rooms that were made for the knights outside the normal bunks inside the castle that are rented out. If you'd prefer we might be able to get you one of those."
"Sure I'd like that." Ryo said, taking Mokuba's hand.