When I discovered I’d been the subject of a disciplinary hearing, I was shocked and incensed. I’m always well-behaved. Being good is in my DNA. The idea that the masters had been forced to discuss my conduct was bad enough, but the fact that they’d come to the conclusion that I needed to be punished was almost incomprehensible. What had I done? Every time I think I’ve got a handle on my apprenticeship here, I get blindsided. It never gets any easier.

I’ve been here for just over a year now, but it feels like forever. To be honest, I look back on my life before my apprenticeship and it all seems a little listless and grey. I had no purpose. There was very little excitement in my life…

As I stood in front of the mirror making sure my tie-knot was just so, I realized that my stomach was fluttering, filled to the brim with butterflies of excitement. Today was my ordination. My apprenticeship was about to end and I was on the cusp of starting a new chapter in my life. At times, my training has been brutal beyond words. The very fact that I’m still here and still standing, however, is something which makes me incredibly proud. I have been pushed to the very limits both physically and mentally, but every challenge has made me stronger, and, as I become a man, I do so knowing exactly what a man should be.

I was pretty far along in my apprenticeship and was certainly well aware of the rules I was meant to abide by. Of course I wanted to remain in good standing with the leaders of The Order, so I knew better than to test their patience when it came to me pushing the boundaries that were already set in place.