(Thando will be using she/her in this)
In the Queen’s elite guard there were twelve of them. Thando was the newest recruit and the youngest by several years, all of her markings hadn’t even come in all the way by the time she had found herself donning that uniform for the first time. She had traced the beadwork almost reverently, more in awe of what it represented than the quality.
How long had she wanted this? Recognition.
How recognizable was she now! In all the trappings of an elite guard, she got stares as she walked across the palace grounds. Children ran up to her and asked her if she was a hero, the kind they had heard of in stories. With her sword at her side, her composure spoke of strength and pride, she was one of a handful picked to keep the queen safe.
But in the end, her comrades still poked fun at her. A tall sapling indeed, they’d say, but a sapling regardless.
“Don’t be so eager to lose the freedom your youth gives you Thando!”
Well intentioned remarks that stung nonetheless. She had earned her place among them, and still she was treated like a child!
Her family was much the same. The day she had received confirmation of her new post she had cheered so loudly that her parents had rushed to her room.
They had hugged her, told her how proud they were.
Asked if she was sure this was what she wanted.
What else had she ever wanted? Recognition?
It took Thando four days and five of her new comrades in the elite guard to convince her siblings that she had really gotten the job. Hadn’t she been the fastest of them? The strongest? The bravest? What was so surprising? That someone had finally seen her potential?
The Queen looked at her one night, less sure of herself than she tended to be, rattled by a recent assassination attempt. Thando was the only guard with her by then, the others dispatched elsewhere or injured in the medical ward.
The guard rested in the window, ever watchful as the queen flipped through a book, though she seemed to barely notice the words on the page. She had met Thando’s eyes,
“I’m glad you’re here, I feel safest with you.”
If Thando hadn’t already sworn all she was to her queen, she would have done it then and there. She seriously considered it regardless. She didn’t realize she was crying until her queen was rushing to her side.
This was what it felt like to be seen and acknowledged. Recognized.