The Apprentice Page 24

  They had almost reached Rowan. Erik stood a short distance away, observing Rowan as he practiced. At least he isn’t being mean to Rowan, Eliza thought.

  “Rowan!”

  Eliza called out to the boy and waved, trying to be nice. Their relationship hadn’t begun well, and the princess was able to admit that it was mostly her fault. So now she was trying to make up for that.

  Rowan turned around and Eliza saw a look of surprise on his face, which quickly shifted into a slight smile as he took the trio in.

  “Hello, Rowan,” the young princess said.

  “Hello, Princess Eliza,” Rowan said. “Baird, Trainer Darius,” he acknowledged them both by name with a slight nod.

  “I thought that you might enjoy the company of these two,” Darius said to Rowan.

  “How have you been doing, Rowan?” Baird asked.

  “Everything is well.”

  “That’s good,” Baird responded.

  The three of them knew that everything wasn’t alright, but none of them wanted to press the issue if Rowan wasn’t willing to talk. He could deal with his own problems and he would ask for help when it was needed.

  A noise off to the side drew Eliza’s attention. Erik had started practicing with one of the dulled blades. He was glancing their way when she looked, as if he was listening to their conversation. He turned away and continued to hack and slash at the wooden training post. Darius had been right to make Erik practice the blade, Eliza thought. Compared to Rowan, the blonde boy looked as if he was simply trying to pummel the post with brute force.

  “You haven’t been around to practice with me recently,” Rowan said, drawing Eliza’s focus back to the conversation.

  “I’ve been occupied with some things that have required my full attention.” A strange look passed over Baird’s face and he seemed to lose focus for a moment.

  “What kinds of things?” Eliza asked. She had seen Baird several times over the past couple of days and he had never seemed to be doing anything too unusual. He was talking with her father more often, but that wasn’t necessarily strange. She was never allowed to be around when they discussed important matters. Though she had heard them mentioning Gannon’s name when she accidentally walked in on them once.

  “Nothing that you need to concern yourself with, Elizabeth,” Baird said.

  Eliza stomped her heel directly on Baird’s foot. She hated it when he used her full name, and she knew that he did it on purpose. He was usually too quick for her, but he had been watching Rowan and hadn’t noticed her move.

  Baird let out a yelp of pain when her foot connected with his and he hopped on one foot for a moment, playing up the dramatics. Darius watched the knight with a grin.

  “You can stop dancing around now, Baird,” Eliza said. “You’re making a fool out of yourself. I didn’t kick you that hard.”

  Baird chuckled, but he also stopped hopping.

  “I hope you haven’t missed my presence too much,” Baird said to Rowan.

  “It’s bearable,” Rowan said. “Though I miss sparring with you.”

  “Even though you always get covered with bruises?”

  “Despite that, I have still missed the training sessions. It’s been several days now since you last came by.”

  Eliza watched as the two began a back and forth exchange that couldn’t include her or Darius. Baird and Rowan had formed a bond as master and apprentice while they travelled and it was something that she would never experience or understand. She used to be very close with Baird. She still was, but it was difficult to get used to the idea that someone else—Rowan—shared something unique with the man who was like her second father.

  “I have some free time,” Baird said. “Why don’t we practice now?”

  “Now?” Rowan pointedly glanced at the sweat that covered his body. “As in right this moment?”

  “I see no reason not to. It will still be light for quite a while and we’re already on the practice fields.”

  Rowan shrugged. “Alright,” he said.

  “Can I come too?” Eliza asked, suddenly excited. “I could watch and you could show me how?”

  She had never been taught to use any weapon other than a bow. Her father had forbidden her from learning to use weapons because he said it was dangerous and not something that she should ever need to know. Although this only increased her desire to learn some of the crafts of war.

  “No. I need to spar with Rowan,” Baird said. “I can’t be responsible for teaching you too.”

  “But I could just come and watch the two of you,” Eliza protested. “I won’t be a bother, I promise.”

  “I don’t mind if she comes,” Rowan said apathetically.

  “She cannot come,” Darius said. “Eliza, you know how your father feels about you learning such things. Besides, it’s about time for you to be off and do your studies.

  “And now, if the three of you will excuse me, I will take my leave so that I can go and assist some of the others.”

  “Of course,” Rowan and Baird said together while Eliza remained quiet. Darius bowed and left, heading towards the other side of the practice field where a group of boys were mulling about.

  Eliza turned to face Baird.

  “Are you going to let me come with you?” She put her hands on her hips to make it clear that she wasn’t going to be happy if his answer was no.

  “Eliza, I don’t want to deal with this right now,” Baird sighed.

  “Why am I not allowed to come? I have to learn everything else in order to be proper royalty, but I can’t try the one thing that I actually want to?”

  “I taught you archery.”

  “That was fun, but I don’t care about that. I had to learn archery anyway, so it wasn’t a choice that I got to make.”

  “Eliza, I need to go and spar with Rowan. Your father has forbidden you from learning how to wield weapons and I will follow his orders. Now please go and study.”

  Eliza fumed as she turned away and left. She knew that it was useless to continue arguing with Baird. He could be incredibly stubborn and she knew that she wasn’t going to change his mind.

  Why am I not allowed to participate in the things that I find interesting? I am the princess, Eliza thought. She shot an angry glance over her shoulder. Baird and Rowan were walking to a more open area and Erik was still hacking away at a practice post. Idiots.

  She wished more than anything that she could join them. She would have even settled for just watching them; that would have been interesting enough for her. But now she was stuck returning to the castle for lessons. Eliza hated lessons.

  Chapter 21

  Rowan was happy to have seen Baird. It had been several days since he had seen his master and although he would never admit it, he was quite lonely without him. Seeing his master and getting to spar with him was livening. Within the barracks, Rowan felt incredibly isolated. He was alone for the most part. Some of the boys would be willing to interact with him for short periods of time and others would tolerate him when they needed to work with him. But for the most part, Rowan was ignored and he did little to change that.

  It was Byron and his group that made life hard for Rowan. Far from ignoring him, Byron seemed to take pleasure in harassing Rowan. They tormented him often. Rowan would often return to his bunk to find that a mess had been made or things had gone missing. He was tripped when walking and things were thrown at him, always behind his back so that he could never see who did the throwing.

  There hadn’t been any actual violence or fighting since the first day, but Rowan did not trust Byron. The boy’s friends were quick to anger and not very bright, a terrible combination. Rowan knew it was only a matter of time before things escalated. So far he had prevented any further confrontation. Byron and his friends knew that he could fight most of the boys with a good chance of winning, but that was only in a fair fight. The problem was that Byron had many friends and Rowan did not.

  This was one of the things on Rowan�
��s mind as he walked back to the barracks. He wondered what might be missing this time. Or would they have dirtied his bed again? The last time, Rowan had found his bed damp. That night was incredibly uncomfortable, though he was able to take his anger out the next day when Darius paired him up with one of Byron’s close friends for a fencing lesson. After that, Darius had given him a stern lecture and temporary bedding to sleep on while his was cleaned. He decided not to worry about it until the problem presented itself. There were more pressing issues that he had to deal with.

  The sparring session with Baird had been a nice workout. Rowan found that he had improved during his time at the capitol. Though he still could not match Baird, he would get strikes in during every match. At least that was something to be proud of. Now that Rowan was becoming adept with a sword, he had a greater understanding of how skilled Baird truly was. He knew he had a long way to go before he reached that level of skill.

  It had been good to be with his master again, although Rowan couldn’t help but notice that Baird had seemed distracted. It was as if his mind wasn’t entirely focused because something was bothering him. Rowan wondered if it had something to do with what Baird was always working on. He had asked about it, but Baird had brushed him off without giving an answer.

  Instead, Baird had brought up the topic of the Revel, something that Rowan had been hoping to avoid. Baird wanted to know what events Rowan would be competing in. In a manner similar to his master, Rowan had avoided the question. In truth, he didn’t want to participate at all.

  The Revel was an interesting and appealing tradition, but not one that he wanted to be a part of. The other boys had been preparing for their desired events over the course of the year, and Rowan had only learned about the competition the previous week. His only true skill was the blade, though he figured he knew how to use a bow relatively well. But he just didn’t see the point of competing. If he lost, then he would be made fun of and humiliated. If he won, then those that he beat would be angry with him. Either way, he would not be making any friends. Under normal circumstances, Rowan wouldn’t care what others thought of him; he was competitive and strong. But he felt somewhat different now that he wasn’t in the constant presence of his master. What he wanted at the moment was to fit in. Byron was his enemy, but Rowan still hoped that some of the other boys might warm up to him eventually.

  As he entered the barracks, he thought about asking Darius if he could forego the competition and just watch, enjoying the festivities. That seemed like a very welcome idea to Rowan.

  He sat down on his bunk. It appeared to be just as he left it. The bed was still made and clean and nothing that he could see was missing. He smiled. Perhaps in a short while, he would go and ask Darius about the upcoming competition.

  * * *

  “Absolutely not,” Darius said. Rowan stood in the trainer’s quarters trying to convince Darius to let him forego competing in the Revel. “I’ve already stated that participation is mandatory. This is an event of honor and everyone must compete in at least one event, though I would prefer two or more.”

  “Every other person has known about this for a long time. They’ve all had time to plan and train. Some of the boys have competed before!” Rowan argued. “I had never heard of this tradition until I arrived at the capitol and began training with you.”

  “Don’t make excuses, Rowan. You are perfectly capable of competing in several of the trials. You could probably even be a strong contender in a few. I would suggest that you compete either in archery or swordsmanship, though I think there are a couple of other areas that you might do well in if you trained hard enough. I see no reason that you cannot participate and test yourself.”

  “But I’m not even a soldier in training,” Rowan said. Darius seemed to counter every argument Rowan could make. He could tell that he was fighting a losing battle with the instructor, but he was still trying his hardest.

  “As I said before Rowan, the Revel is an event of honor, courage, and strength. Even though you are not training to be a soldier, you are the apprentice of a great knight and you are training to become something more than you are now. To do that, you need to be able to test yourself and your growth. And remember that your own actions will reflect back on your master.”

  Rowan couldn’t think of anything else he could say in argument.

  “Unless you become physically injured or for some other reason are unable to compete, then your participation in the Revel is mandatory,” Darius said. “I expect to hear from you within the next couple of days regarding the event or events that you have chosen to enter.”

  “Yes, sir.” Rowan turned to leave, but Darius’s voice caught him just as he was walking out the door.

  “One more thing before you leave,” Darius said. Rowan turned around in the doorway to face the trainer. “I know that you will be able to do well in this competition, Rowan. You are quite skilled and your training with Baird has been very productive. This should go without saying, but I expect you to put forth your best effort. I will know if you do not try your hardest. And I will also be able to tell if you do anything to purposefully disqualify yourself in any way. Remember, your actions will reflect back onto Baird.” Rowan thought Darius was finished, but the trainer still had one more thing to say.

  “I know that you can do well, Rowan. You have a lot of potential and you also have the dedication to see that potential through. I believe that I am beginning to see why Baird chose you as his apprentice.”

  As soon as Darius finished, Rowan turned and left. He didn’t want to show any emotion to the trainer and he could tell his face had flushed with embarrassment at the praise. He still doubted himself sometimes.

  However, Darius’s comments had also annoyed him. He didn’t want to participate in the Revel, but the thought of intentionally forfeiting had never even crossed his mind. If he was going to compete, then he would do his best to win. His reservations were not about his skill or ideas that he would embarrass himself, Rowan just didn’t want to make more enemies than he already had. He had dignity, and it annoyed him that Darius couldn’t see that.

  Rowan was so wrapped up in his thoughts as he walked back to the barracks that he didn’t notice that he wasn’t alone until it was too late.

  “Where is the special boy off to now?” Byron’s voice seemed to come out of nowhere. Rowan jumped as he suddenly became aware of the presence of others. Byron stood blocking his path with a smug grin plastered on his face, and the boy wasn’t alone. Three other boys stood by Byron, and Rowan recognized them as his main lackeys.

  “Are you done sucking up to Darius for today, lolfar? Or perhaps you were with Baird this time,” Byron said, using his annoying nickname for Rowan. Rowan didn’t know what the word meant, but he could make a few guesses and none of them were very appealing. Byron and his friends laughed.

  “What do you want Byron?” Rowan asked. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with the bully and his friends right now. He quickly glanced behind him to make sure that none of Byron’s friends were hiding in his blind spots.

  Byron saw the glance and his grin widened.

  “Thinking of running away, eh? Probably a good idea,” Byron said. Rowan clenched his fists, struggling to contain his anger. “You’re a weakling compared to me. I don’t know how you got chosen to be Baird’s apprentice or why the princess seems to favor you, but that’s the only reason that I haven’t done anything serious to you yet. You don’t deserve to be special.”

  Anger had seeped into Byron’s voice, heightening the tension of the situation. But the bully caught himself at the end and regained his senses as he again led his friends in a chorus of laughter. He decided to taunt Rowan again.

  “What was it that you were talking to Darius about anyway? From what I’ve heard, it seems like you were trying to get out of competing in the Revel. Is it true? Are you actually that scared and weak?”

  “Why don’t you just leave, Byron? I don’t want to deal with you right now.”
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  Rowan knew that he shouldn’t have spoken. There were four of them, and while Rowan could probably take any one of them on individually, he wouldn’t stand a chance against all of them,

  “What was that, lolfar?” Byron said, taking a menacing step forward. “I don’t think I like the way you’re talking to me.”

  Rowan took a step back. It was hard to allow Byron to taunt him, but Rowan wanted to avoid physical conflict. He had been warned against fighting by both Baird and Darius. He was suddenly glad that he was not carrying Tenro. With the blade in hand, it would be impossible to defend himself without facing serious consequences. Rowan watched as Byron took another step towards him. He took a defensive stance, focusing on Byron as he prepared for the worst.

  He was momentarily conflicted over Darius’s orders against fighting, and Byron chose that unfortunate moment to strike. A heavy blow to the stomach sent Rowan stumbling backwards. Rowan quickly regained his balance before Byron had another chance to strike, cursing himself for dropping his guard.

  Byron’s followers erupted into laughter. Insults and jeers were hurled at him, and any thought of restraint left Rowan immediately. He lunged at Byron and barreled into him, knocking them both to the ground. Rowan used all of his weight to pin the larger boy to the ground while he returned the blow he had received earlier.

  Rowan heard shouts coming from Byron’s friends and he was quickly knocked aside before he could do too much damage. The blow disoriented him. He felt something behind his back which he used to steady himself as he stood up, tensing in preparation for the next blow, which came very quickly and knocked him back to the ground.

  He fell, dazed and disoriented. Something struck him in the gut as he tried to stand up. Several more blows followed, forcing Rowan to curl into a ball to protect himself. The blows seemed endless.

  Then, beyond the sound of pounding fists, Rowan heard shouting. The voice was vaguely recognizable, but he couldn’t tell who it belonged to.

  “Hey!”