I stand in the corner with other personal guards of the royalties of different Kingdoms. Darius is standing on my left, straight and unmoving. I try to mimic him, but I don’t have his discipline. So, I content myself with listening to the conversation. Sometimes, I hop on different feet. When I did it again, I almost fall if not for Darius who catches my arms to steady me.

Ashamed, I look up at him and mouth a thanks. He leans forward and whispers, “Rather than being a guard, you should have your own guard instead.”

I wince and withdraw from his grasp. I shift my attention back to the...