Chapter Text
Ballister nervously picked at a frayed thread on his shirt with sweaty fingers. Anh, one of his foster mothers, gave him a reassuring smile, holding his hand tightly as they walked up the steps to the palace. She had dressed him in a crisp new shirt and slacks for the occasion, and Ballister felt a bit stuffy.
His other foster mother, Thao, followed behind them. They were on their way to see the Queen, who had wanted to meet Ballister, although he wasn't entirely sure why. Thao had told him that the Queen specifically requested a meeting with Ballister because he was very special, and did a very brave thing when he fought off a thief in the market a few weeks ago. So that morning, Ballister said goodbye to his foster siblings after breakfast, and he and his foster mothers made the three-hour trip from Dalat District to the palace. He had butterflies in his stomach the entire ride, and now that they had arrived, he felt like he might throw up.
"Chin up, Ballister," Anh said encouragingly, as they walked through the main doors. She paused, noticing that Ballister was staring in awe at the statues of knights surrounding them in the foyer. Smiling back at her wife, she bent down to straighten Ballister's collar, so that he could drink in the moment a bit longer.
Eventually, the squire in charge of leading them through the palace grounds cleared his throat. They continued through the foyer into the Great Hall, where the Queen would meet them.
Ballister focused on not tripping as he gazed at everything in awe. He had never seen anything so luxurious in his life.
As they entered the Great Hall, his breath caught as he spotted the Queen.
"Your majesty," said both his foster mothers as they walked up to the Queen, bowing politely before the dais. Ballister bowed hastily as well, mumbling "your majesty" under his breath. He hoped that Queen Valerin didn't notice how fidgety he felt.
To his right, he noticed a few dozen reporters recording videos and snapping pictures excitedly. He blinked dazedly at the flashes, while his foster mothers smiled nervously.
"Ballister Boldheart," said the Queen, walking down from the dais to take a better look at him. She had a powerful, but kindhearted voice. Bending down, she looked warmly into Ballister's eyes, and he felt less nervous all of a sudden.
"It is wonderful to finally meet you," the Queen said, smiling. She looked up at Ballister's foster mothers. "And you two as well, Anh and Thao Vuong. I've heard marvelous things about both of you."
"Thank you, your majesty," said Anh, blushing slightly. Thao smiled and grasped her hand.
The Queen turned back to Ballister. "You may be wondering why I invited you to the palace," she said.
"Y-Yes," Ballister stammered. "Your majesty," he remembered to add.
The Queen smiled. "I heard about your bravery in protecting your mother at the market," she continued, peering at the scar across his right eye.
"My foster mother," Ballister corrected. He looked at Anh and Thao, who smiled warmly at him.
"My apologies," said the Queen. "Yes, you are a foster child," she added softly, as if almost to herself.
Ballister nodded, unsure where this was going.
"Ballister," she said, after a pause, "I know you must love living with your foster mothers. After all, they are lovely individuals."
Ballister nodded again. He did love Anh and Thao.
"I would never want to take you away from them, Ballister," continued the Queen, and Ballister panicked slightly. "But I would like to offer you an opportunity. An opportunity to move here, to the palace."
He frowned. As beautiful as the palace was, he was perfectly happy living in Anh and Thao's home in Dalat. Plus, he didn't know anyone at the palace, but at home, he had four foster siblings that he could play with. But he wasn't sure how he was supposed to reject the queen of the entire kingdom. Was that even legal?
"If you decide to move here," the Queen continued, "you would enroll at the Institute. And begin training in order to become a knight."
Ballister gasped. A knight? Ballister had anyways dreamed of being a knight. But knights were all descended from noble blood, and Ballister was a commoner. There had never been a knight in history who was a commoner, like him.
"I know that you love your foster mothers, Ballister," the Queen said gently. "But unfortunately, they would not move with you to the palace. You have other foster siblings, who still need Anh and Thao back in Dalat District.
"But rest assured, I will appoint you another guardian while you are here with us. And you could still visit Anh and Thao if you wanted."
Ballister looked over at his foster mothers. Their eyes were shining, but they didn't look as surprised as Ballister felt. He suspected that they had already known that the Queen would be offering Ballister a spot at the Institute.
Ballister looked back up at the Queen. "I... I would be allowed to become a knight?" he breathed.
"Yes," said the Queen warmly. "Provided that you complete all the training. It would be a very long road ahead, should you choose to accept. But I see potential in you, Ballister Boldheart."
He looked back at his foster mothers again, who were both still smiling at him. Anh had tears in her eyes, and nodded at him encouragingly. Ballister stood a little taller.
"I accept," he said, smiling widely. "I want to be a knight."
"Excellent." The Queen smiled back at him. She walked back towards the dais, gesturing for Ballister to follow. He looked uncertainly up at Anh and Thao, who smiled excitedly as they each gave him a kiss on the cheek, pushing him gently up the stairs.
Then, the Queen turned to the reporters.
"Citizens of the kingdom," she said, looking into a camera. "Allow me to introduce the Institute's newest student, young Ballister Boldheart."
A glittering black sword appeared from out of nowhere, and she passed the hilt to Ballister carefully, resting the pointy end on the floor. Ballister's eyes were as wide as saucers.
"No, he doesn’t come from a noble bloodline," the Queen continued.
Ballister tried to lift the heavy sword, which thunked dully back onto the floor.
"But he might just have the heart of a hero."
At that, the reporters burst into a flurry of questions and camera flashes, and the sword was taken out of Ballister's hand as he was whisked away.