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The Armour of Honour

To register our names,
We had to leave the comfort of our secluded corner.
And go back to the main ground for the first ceremony of this event called, ‘The Armour of Honour’.

As one may guess,
By it’s name.
It was no child’s play,
But a bitter and deadly game.

The people who got elected,
Were given a shield and a sword.
They were considered the protecter of their family and the kingdom,
Armour of honour, thus, the winner was called.

The ‘Young Blades’ were elected,
By an (unlucky) draw.
Participation was compulsory if the name comes out,
No matter whether you desired to be a soldier or pursue law.

Every four years,
People who fell in the age group of 13-16.
Were made to give their names for the event and used to slaughter other people,
Leaving behind their every peace-loving dream.

An individual could participate,
As a lone warrior, with some partner or as a team.
The killer of friends,
Is now all their life would ever mean.

Individual people always gave
Their real name.
Whereas every duo and team chose some common name for themselves,
Even if it sounded weird and lame.

Out of 200-250 teens,
6 solo contestants were elected.
With 11 duos and 3 teams, each of 4,
40 lives were totally neglected.

The stage looked beautiful,
And decorated wisely.
Who could expect that it was the centre an event where the fate of innocent lives,
Was being fixed blindly.

The emperor moved up to the stage,
And thoroughly mixed the names kept in the glass bowl.
It was just like any game of luck for him but ask people standing there on the ground,
No misery could have been greater for their soul.

I looked at his son,
Standing in a corner of the stage.
At just 14, he was tall and muscular with a big and pleasant face,
All of which made him look much more than his age.

It was said that his name,
Was registered for the event too.
But the people were quite sure that it was a lie,
And knew that the monarch and his ministers were no fool.

The elected duo names,
Were to be taken out first.
Since this group had the most number of participants,
They wanted to remove the dust.

Yes, after every round,
The lucky people were sent back home.
And the rest were allowed to come a bit closer so that the king and his advisors,
Could get the satisfaction of seeing them mourn.

The first name “The Daggers” was picked up,
And read aloud.
After a little commotion,
They were found.

They went up the stage,
Regretting their fate.
Couldn’t stop their constant shudders,
And looked like brothers.

2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th pairs,
Were now standing behind the king.
They all looked scared to death,
And did not have the courage even to blink.

The 6th name was now read,
‘A New Surprise’.
For a moment, no one came forward,
Then, the king had to call out the real names, “Natalie and Dyce”.

He choked on the 2nd one,
And the prince came down.
He picked up Nat from the crowd and took her back to the stage,
While she was unable to even generate a sound.

The prince did not show surprise or shock all along,
Although he was just selected for the competition.
And what about Nat and Pat,
Who deserved a genuine and detailed explanation?

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