The Apprentice Page 36

  “The Revel.”

  “That is a common way, yes. Though hard work and skill are noticed whether a boy achieves a victory in the Revel or not. The competition can distinguish him and make him known, but each trainer knows what each boy is capable of.”

  Rowan knew that to be true. The trainers were responsible for all of the boys. They knew each one by name and worked with them daily, watching them improve and grow.

  Rowan’s original question, however, had not been answered. Baird had led their talk in a different yet related direction, but Rowan still wished to know why there was such a strong army, one that seemed to be growing in size, if the King was truly pushing for peace. Something told him that his question was important. It had to do with what Baird was focused on.

  “Can honor alone truly account for the number of soldiers and boys in training? And even if it does, what of the rest of the country? I have heard a little about Oscilliath, enough to know that it could house and train a full army.”

  Baird sighed. Rowan knew it was because of his own persistence, but he was not about to let the issue drop. He wanted an answer.

  “King Alden aims to achieve peace between the many countries, this is widely known. But Alden, even though he is the king, is not the only person with power and influence. He plays a very subtle game of politics and he must please the many important lords and officials. Some feel that he is foolish and idealistic, others agree with him. Peace would promote trade, which is good, but it would also foster competition, which many lords do not want. Money can be a powerful motivator, and most lords value wealth, especially their own wealth, over peace.

  “One of the main problems that Alden faces is trust. It would be foolish to diminish the size of your army and leave yourself vulnerable. So we continue to train soldiers, though Alden has begun to argue that our soldiers and armies should be used as a massive work force to provide assistance to our people and to keep the king’s peace, a job which it is already charged with.

  “Another issue is the fact that there are certain countries that will not accept peace. I doubt that we will ever be able to abandon Fort Brigg and the Southern Wall. There are dangers there which will be an ever present threat. In the North, the wildling clans of Terratreos are unlikely to stop raiding our people. And the high king of Lauratrea is a hard man. He has received King Alden’s proposals for a pact of peace and trade, but it is not his way to back down. The high princes would see him as weak and cause much trouble. So a sort of stand-off has happened, one which King Alden hopes to use to his advantage.”

  “If the king is the one who seeks peace, why does he not take the first step and stop enlarging his army? He could train soldiers and then send them home until they are needed to replenish the ranks.”

  Rowan felt that his solution was perfect, but Baird thought differently.

  “King Alden must consider the safety of his people above all else, even his desires for peace. Besides, if the king continued to train soldiers without taking them into service then no one would ever enlist. If it is unlikely that you will go on to become a soldier, then why train to be one? The skills are useful, but a person would have to leave home and travel for little gain. When their training is finished, they would have missed any chance they had at an apprenticeship.”

  “What about the boys who have no other place to go, the orphans and those living on the street? They would enlist simply for the food and shelter, and they would not be turned away as they are now.”

  “You sound like King Alden now, and I don’t know whether it is because you cling to your idea or because you are truly empathetic,” Baird mused. “I will admit that your suggestion has some merit. I’ll mention it to Alden. He would enjoy the notion of turning recruitment into a means of supporting the poor. But it won’t happen, it would be a drain on the crown to provide housing, food, and training for boys who will not continue on to serve in the army.”

  Rowan tried to protest, to argue his point further, but Baird stopped him.

  “I think you misunderstand, Rowan. The real reason that your idea would not work, the reason that King Alden is not able to move towards peace, is not because there is no feasible way. Alden would gladly be the first to begin repurposing his armies, but he alone cannot make a decision.

  “King Alden has the authority and the power of the crown, but he still needs the support of the people, who remain uninvolved in the political workings of the country, and the support of the nobility, who are incredibly stubborn. People like Gannon stand in opposition to our king and argue for maintaining a strong military force.”

  “Do they wish for war?” Rowan could not understand what reason there could be for opposing a move towards peace. Mistrust could only go so far.

  “If he had his way, Gannon would push to expand our borders through conquest. He believes we could solve our problems with the Terratrean Northmen by taking the land. Not all who oppose King Alden would go so far, though.”

  “I remember him,” Rowan said. “He was present when I first arrived in the capitol with you. And I have since seen him overseeing the training at the barracks.”

  Something else tugged at Rowan’s memory. He remembered overhearing Gannon in the woods during the Revel. He wondered if he should tell Baird. His master would likely know what to make of Gannon’s cryptic conversation, but he did not want to burden him with information and suspicion that was likely meaningless. There was no immediate danger and Rowan had no desire to trouble an already troubled mind.

  “Yes,” Baird said. “Gannon has tended to watch over the training of new soldiers as I do. He commands a large portion of the Atlean army and he likes to pick the very best to join his personal troop, though he is supposed to remain impartial. He also should not house any portion of his troop in the capitol, as he has begun to do. He oversteps the boundaries of his power, and the way he argues against Alden, it almost seems as if—”

  Baird stopped suddenly and looked at Rowan as though he had forgotten who he had been speaking with. When he continued, he made no further mention of Gannon.

  “In short,” Baird said, “King Alden cannot act without support. Even though he pushes for peace, it is still necessary to train soldiers and keep a strong army. Now, I think that we shall end our lesson for the day.”

  Rowan was about to ask Baird to continue, but his master shot him a look that silenced him.

  “Are we going to spar?”

  “Not this evening. There are things that I must attend to and I am sure that you will be glad to sup with your friends once again.”

  Rowan agreed. In truth, Baird's training often kept him quite late. It had been a while since he had dined with his group of friends. But he was still reluctant to leave. He had unanswered questions and today he had made some slight progress. He considered attempting to follow Baird after his master left, but he realized that perhaps he could use his time tonight to solve a different problem.

  Rowan bade his master farewell and left, walking towards the barracks. Even from a distance he could smell the scent of hot food, which set his stomach to rumbling. But food was not on his mind. Instead, he was thinking of a way to get word to the Eliza so that they might meet again.

  Chapter 38

  Rowan returned to the barracks, an idea already forming in his mind for how he might contact Eliza. There would be a slight risk, but nothing serious enough to prevent him from going. He entertained the idea of leaving immediately, but the temptation of a hot meal led him to the mess hall where many of the other boys were dining. He would grab a quick meal and then be gone. Hopefully if he left dinner early, he could sneak away from the camp while the others were still eating. That way his absence would not be noticed by those close to him.

  It was still early enough that the mess hall was not overly crowded. About a third of the boys had come to the hall to eat before they would return to their bunks for the night. The rest were just now ending their daily practices or lounging around, a luxury Rowan
had not enjoyed for some time.

  Rowan’s entrance was well met by those already gathered for dinner. Among them he spotted Erik, Andrew, Heath, Damien, and Soran. There were many others as well. Rowan gathered his nightly food rations and walked to where his friends sat, his food tray in hand.

  Across the room, in one of the far corners, Byron glared at him. The older boy no longer openly confronted him, but no animosity was lost between the two of them.

  Rowan’s friends were laughing when he sat down to join them. Several glanced his way, Erik among them.

  “What is so amusing?” Rowan asked around a mouthful of food. He was starving and at the moment he couldn’t care less about manners and etiquette. There was decent food and it was still warm. It had been a while since his food was still warm from kitchen.

  “We have been wondering how you manage to grow while missing so many meals. You are never seen at dinner and I was just telling Erik that perhaps it will make you weak enough to finally beat.”

  “And I was telling Damien that I could beat you regardless,” Erik inserted, “and I could certainly beat him. You may not be dining often, but at least your growth is upwards. Damien, on the other hand, seems to be growing in a far less desirable direction.” Erik made a crude gesture to get his point across, causing Damien start shouting obscenities from down the table. He almost flipped the table in his haste to get at Erik, but others held him back. The boy’s face had gone a dark shade of red and his shame was only worsened by the fact that his plate was piled with food.

  Rowan laughed and jumped into the banter, eating his dinner as he did so. He enjoyed the company and the respite. A hot meal was doing wonders for him, and it was good to be among friends as they joked and enjoyed each other. Training together was one thing, but true camaraderie was found and fostered in the hours afterwards, when the boys were able to relax together.

  Rowan talked and listened and relaxed, but ate his food hurriedly. He had another task to complete before the night was up, and it would be best to act quickly before all of his friends finished eating and returned to the barracks. It would not do for him to linger.

  So despite the fact that he was enjoying his dinner and the company of his companions very much, Rowan finished his meal quickly and then excused himself so that he could return to the barracks.

  There were other boys in the bunk house, some who had eaten early and others who had yet to have their nightly meal, but none of them paid Rowan any special attention. He went to his bunk and quickly found one of his used scrolls, jotting a quick note to the princess on the back. Rowan hid the note from sight as he left, not wanting to be seen with the parchment in case someone questioned what the note was for. He could lie, making up some official reason to be delivering a note late in the evening, but if his story was looked into by one of the trainers, it would not hold up and then he would be questioned further. Better to avoid the trouble if possible.

  Holding the note, Rowan hurried back out into the cool night air without anyone giving him so much as a second glance. He often came and went, sometimes at odd hours. No one noticed that he was leaving the barracks even though he had already gone to supper.

  The sun had set, but there would still be enough light to see by for a short while. The sky lay bare with nothing to mar the evening but the coming moon. It was a mixture of violets and deep crimson reds, with an orange tint where the sun had just drifted below the horizon.

  Officially, the boys were not allowed beyond the training grounds after dark. It was a firm rule, and there were no exceptions. Occasionally the trainers even kept a watch to ensure that the boys obeyed, though it was mainly for show. Rowan, however, had long since learned how to slip past the occasional watchmen. On most occasions he did not need to do so, and this night was no different.

  He crept around the barracks and across the training fields, keeping to the shadows and favoring speed over caution and trusting in his stealth. What darkness there was would hide him. He chose to go straight to the meeting place that he and Eliza usually used. They varied the location on occasion, both for secrecy and for a change of scenery, but their main spot was where they had first met

  He reached the tree line quickly and entered the blackness of the kingswood. Even though the sky was not yet dark, the trees dampened any light and made everything difficult to see. Rowan saw only in shades of black. He allowed a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim light before he continued onwards.

  He chose to take a much more direct route to the meeting spot than he usually did since he thought it unlikely that he was being followed. He had left his friends still eating at dinner and he had not seen Darius around that day. He did, however, make sure that his path could not be followed later on. The darkness made it hard to be certain, but he was thorough.

  He slowly and carefully made his way through the woods until he found himself in the clearing. He took a moment to enjoy the calming tranquility of his surroundings. The soft sounds of the night surrounded him, enveloped him, provided him with a sense of inner peace. This was a place where he could come and be safe. Be free.

  But the moment ended as he remembered his purpose. He mustn’t forget why he ventured out into the night.

  Rowan searched around for the spot where the princess stored her wooden blade and sure enough, there it was, tucked in the hollow of a dead tree.

  Rowan took the note and tucked it inside of the hollow along with the princess’ blade. Then he proceeded to scatter some branches around the area so that it appeared visibly disturbed. If Eliza returned, it would be obvious that someone had been here. She would check on her blade and then find Rowan’s note, which simply told her that he would be waiting to meet her at midnight at the end of the coming week. If she or he could not make it, then it would be the same time and day the following week.

  Rowan knew that the lack of sleep would cost him dearly and he would not be able to make this a habit. In all likelihood, this would be the last time that he could meet with Eliza in secret. But he needed closure.

  With the note safely tucked away and nothing more to do, Rowan hurried back to the barracks.

  Chapter 39

  Rowan stood in the darkness, waiting. He had been waiting for quite some time, and he was beginning to grow apprehensive. He couldn’t be sure that she would come. Even if she wanted to, she might be unable to escape.

  He had come back to the woods often throughout the past week to check on his note, and one day he had found it missing. He naturally assumed that Eliza had found it. After that, he had only to wait.

  And Rowan had waited. He had waited until the end of the week, when he made his way to the woods under cover of night. But he had found nothing waiting for him, and no one came. It had been a wasted night.

  Now he found himself waiting again after another long week, anxious as he stood in the silent darkness. Perhaps she isn’t coming. Rowan thought. Perhaps something happened to the note. But Rowan dismissed the troubling thought. It was one of the reasons that he did not like this method of contact. His note could fall into the wrong hands and he did not like to think of the consequences if the king learned of Rowan’s meetings with the princess. That they met was not very troublesome, but that they met alone was something which would be misconstrued. And it would reveal that Rowan had made the princess a sword and was teaching her to use it against the king’s wishes.

  The snap of a twig broke Rowan from his reverie. He moved quickly to hide himself in the shadow of a tree. It would not be good if he was caught outside of the barracks. He had no excuse ready for why he was so deep in the kingswood so late at night.

  A small, wiry form emerged into the clearing. A curse sounded quietly, and in the silence of the night the whisper carried far.

  Rowan stepped out of the shadows to greet Eliza, who jumped at the sound of his voice.

  “I wish you would not do that. You appear out of nowhere, just like Baird does. It scares me close to fainting.”

 
Rowan chuckled, earning a glare from the young princess. Apparently she was not as amused as him. “It is good to know that I have been able to pick up at least some of Baird’s skills. I try quite hard.”

  “It has been a while since I have seen you,” she said.

  “It has,” Rowan agreed. “That is one of the reasons that I left you a note. We haven’t seen each other and I…” He meant to tell her about his training with Baird, how it meant that he would not be able to continue meeting with her. That things would have to change. That he would only be able to see her officially, in the company of his master or her guardians, where they could not be Rowan and Eliza, but instead must abide by the necessary social practices and interact only as princess and apprentice. Rowan could not find the words.

  “I hope you do not expect us to practice swords tonight,” Eliza said jokingly. When he did not respond, she continued to talk, trying to force their usual banter “I hope that you do not want to start meeting at night. I am quite tired and this midnight escapade will not agree with me tomorrow. A princess must sleep well to maintain her beauty.” She laughed at herself as she spoke, a soft laugh that rang beautifully throughout the silent night, but for a moment Rowan saw a hint of sadness. Perhaps deep down, the princess already had an idea of what their futures held.

  Rowan smiled softly, but it was not a smile of joy.

  “No. We will not be practicing tonight. I’ll let you off easy. Besides, I fear the noise would wake someone, and we do not want that to happen. Not when the both of us are supposed to be asleep and one of us is forbidden by no less than the king from using weaponry.”