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The choosing ceremony had always been a popular event, something everyone looked forward to. The plaza was crowded, it seemed as if the entire population of the city, as well as that of the outskirts, had gathered here. There was just one group of people that people stayed away from, the potential recruits. Most of them seemed anxious to know if they made the cut, because if their names were called today, they were official members of the legion's special forces. It was quite the honor, but the job wasn't for everyone. One had to be physically and mentally capable. The group had trained for weeks, trying to join the special forces. They had to, it was a dangerous world, and they were going to be tasked with the most dangerous missions out there. Such as retrieving magical artefacts, assassinating enemy leaders. The job description wasn't particularly clean of blood, but it had to be done. Someone had to make this world a less dangerous place. People didn't treat it like an ordinary profession, it was a duty, a duty that only the best of the best could fulfill. They weren't ordinary army soldiers, they were experts on combat, languages, espionage, masters of deception. From the moment on that their names would be called, they would be treated as heroes, perhaps legends, because the things they would have to do in order to save the people, would be remembered for centuries.

He could see himself in those young men and women, he was once one of them. He could call himself the youngest to ever be recruited by the legion, after all, he was only seventeen back then, and as nervous as they were. Now, eight years later, he would be mentoring one of them. It was a task necessary to complete their education, form them into proper soldiers. Each year, they would couple veterans with new recruits. They would show them the ropes, teach them all there was to know, perform missions together. That's how it had gone for years. 

He took another look at the young men and women. They were standing in neat lines, shoulders back, heads up, as if they were receiving a speech before battle, ready to end the enemy's reign. He could definitely see some that were definitely ready for the task. They seemed strong, capable. Some others, however, he did not understand. They seemed weak, both mentally and physically. They probably couldn't even lift a longsword, even if they tried.

The commander called their names one by one, paired with those of the veterans that would serve as their mentor. Everytime a name was called, someone would walk towards the steps and make their way towards the veteran that they were paired with. They all looked like strong young men, capable of defending theirselves and their kingdom. That was until a girl's name was called. "Laurelle Anastasia Hawthorne, she's to be paired with Elleon Stormcloak." Was he the only veteran paired with a girl? Which girl was it, because some seemed strong, while others didn't. If one of those girls even moved, he really had to ask if they made a mistake calling her. So he impatiently waited till she moved. Maybe there was still hope, there were plenty of strong young women.

And of course, the most fragile looking girl out of the bunch stepped forward. This had to be a mistake, a girl like that couldn't stand her ground in battle. Heck, she looked like she wouldn't even survive one night as a bar wench, the town drunks would probably scare the poor thing off within hours, if not minutes. He watched her make her way towards him. He despised the smile she wore. She seemed to be proud, full of herself. He knew that smile would soon fade away. She probably barely made the cut, if she made it at all. This had to be some kind of joke, it just had to be. She looked like she was assigned to scrub the floor instead of going on dangerous missions. He almost considered the idea that she was stepping in for her sister who had fallen ill that morning, but the smug smile on her face proved his theory wrong.

When she finally reached him, she held up her hand to him, probably expecting him to shake it. He took one short look at her hand, his expression filled with disdain. If she really expected him to act all friendly and shake her hand, she was in for a surprise. He rarely shook hands, he could barely remember the last time he had even done that. Besides, shaking hands usually was an action for commoners. Others would probably see it as an assassination atempt. Just stretching could be seen as an attack. People like him could be rather paranoid. They rarely accepted food or beverages from strangers, even friends were not to be trusted. Like most others, he wore a flask to avoid being tricked into drinking poison. Those things happened, not often, most members of the federation were wary of those tricks, but he'd seen it happen. "Keep your hands to yourself," he said, "unless you want to lose them." He wasn't being mean, he was telling her the harsh truth. She didn't join the federation to watch sunsets, run through fields of flowers and admire rainbows. This job was dangerous, she should've known that by now.

It seemed to take ages before the ceremony finally came to an end, he didn't remember it being so lengthy. The commander, mentors and trainees all entered the headquarters of the federation. With its marble pillars, high ceilings and brightly coloured tapestries, it was quite the view. He'd gotten used to it, however. Things lost their uniqueness with time. It was just another building to him. Everyone gathered in one of the many rooms the building harbored, but Elleon couldn't help but ask the commander if they could speak privately. When the commander agreed to his proposal, he practically dragged him to the hallways. "Commander, with all due respect, I am sure that there has been made a mistake. This girl, my trainee, I believe that she is not capable of holding er own in combat. She doesn't seem like an asset of any kind."
"Are you doubting my decision of allowing her to join us?"
"That is not the case here, she doesn't look like she could perform tasks on our level," he already knew that he couldn't convince the commander, but he still had to try to at least give his honest opinion on the commander's decision.
"Give her time and you shalll see. You looked just as scrawny when you joined us, remember?"
"I understand, commander." Of course the commander had to bring him down as well, as a small bit of revenge for questioning his authority. Yes, he had been young and hadn't been as strong as he was now back when he joined the federation, but he was good at his job, even back then. He hurriedly made his way back to the rest of the group, hoping that this small argument wouldn't affect the whole situation.