by Callie Kanno
“I thought you admired King Nikolas,” Idris said uncertainly.
“He is a great warrior and he has kept us safe from those who wish us harm,” admitted his father, “but he is still human. Moreover, he is a king. He is accustomed to getting his own way, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to stay in power.”
Idris frowned at the floor, feeling troubled. “Mother says it is my responsibility to try and make the world a better place.”
“Yes, well, your mother always believes the best will happen,” Cadell said gruffly.
“Is she not right?” Idris asked in a pleading tone. “Are we not supposed to do everything in our power to make this world better?”
“You would not be improving the world,” snapped Cadell. “You would be protecting the king and his family.”
“It would put me near people of power, where I might be an influence for good, just like Marlais Dragonspear.”
Idris’s father paused and looked at his son earnestly. “Do you honestly believe that could happen?”
“It could,” Idris insisted defensively.
Cadell sighed and turned away. “Idris, you are a man now. That is what it means to go to the Treasury—you are of age to choose your own path in life. I have said my piece, and now I will support your decision, whatever it may be.”
Idris didn’t find this any more comforting than if his father had refused to give him permission to go. He felt that he would be going against his father’s wishes if he decided to return to Marath.
He left his father in the barn and wandered through the farm, not really noticing where he was walking. Idris stopped in surprise when he found himself standing in front of the irrigation canal, next to his favorite tree. He climbed into its cradling branches and stared up at the clear blue sky.
What was he going to do?
His mother felt that he should go, his father felt that he should stay. They had both said that they would support his decision, but he was bound to disappoint one of them.
The hardest part about the whole situation was that Idris didn’t know how he felt about it. Part of him was certain that this was all a dream. He was nothing but a farmer, so how was it that he was being offered the opportunity to train as a Royal Guard and wield the legendary weapon of Marlais Dragonspear?
He wanted to see where this new path would take him, but he also wanted to stay at home with the people he loved.
If only it were possible for him to do both.
“Idris?”
He looked down and saw Osian standing at the foot of the tree.
“Mother sent me to find you. It is time for supper.”
Idris hopped down from the branches and fell into step with his brother as they walked back to the house. Osian was only one year younger than Idris, and they had always been close.
“I hope you decide to go,” Osian said suddenly.
Idris looked at him in surprise. “What?”
“I know Father does not want you to go, but I hope that you do.”
Idris flashed a teasing grin at Osain. “Are you that eager to get rid of me?”
Osian smiled widely in return. “Yes.”
They laughed together, and Idris punched his brother lightly on the arm.
After a moment, the smile faded from Osian’s face and he became serious again. “Really, though. No one from Rest Stone Valley has ever done anything but continue with the way things have always been. The most daring thing anyone has ever done was join the army, but you have been offered a position among the king’s elite.”
“It is a great opportunity,” admitted Idris.
“It would be good for the people of the valley to see that there is life beyond these mountains, and we would all be so proud to see you succeed.”
“What if I do not succeed?” Idris asked quietly.
Osian shrugged. “You will never know unless you try.”
Idris nodded, considering his younger brother’s words.
“Besides,” continued Osian, “I want to join the army, and it will be easier for our parents to accept if you do it first.”
Idris’s eyebrows rose. “I did not know that you wanted to join the army.”
His brother’s expression was wry. “Well, I did not think it would be possible. But if you go, then it would not be so hard for me to follow.”
Idris laughed again. “So you want me to break the land so you can have easy planting?”
Osian was completely unapologetic. “Yes.”
“What about the farm?”
Osian waved his hand. “We have two other brothers, and Uncle Tegryn has three sons of his own. There are plenty of men to continue running the farm.”
Idris knew he was right, and he felt better having listened to what Osian had to say. Idris was still undecided about whether or not to join the Royal Guard, but something deep within him said that his uncertainty wouldn’t last much longer.
Chapter Five: Decision
Idris shared a bedroom with his three brothers, and they all begged him for the details of his trip to the Treasury as they lay in bed that night. They were particularly interested in the description of the partisan and how he had been drawn to it. After Idris had told his story three times, he insisted they all go to sleep.
The next morning Idris joined his brothers and father working in the fields, where he overheard Deri telling one of their cousins about what had happened in Marath. By the next day it seemed that the entire valley had heard the story, and they were all coming to Idris to ask him about it or to give their advice.
“No good will come of it,” warned Selyf, a young man who was only just starting out as a farmer. “You would be better off staying here and leaving the royals to themselves.”
“So, it is true?” came an arrogant voice tinged with anger.
Idris and Selyf turned to see Meic walking down the dirt road towards them. He was wearing his sword strapped to his side, and he made a show of adjusting it as he came to a stop.
“That depends on what you have heard,” Idris said slowly.
There were certain aspects of the tale that had become distorted with the retelling. Some of it consisted only of small embellishments, but there were some stories that had gotten rather ridiculous. Idris had been asked if he had been turned into a dragon by magic and if that was why the king wanted him as a personal bodyguard.
“I heard that you were asked to join the Royal Guard,” Meic said with a sneer.
Idris nodded. “That is true.”
“That is impossible,” Meic spat. “They are the elite among the military. There are less than a dozen of them in the entire kingdom. You are nothing but a farmer, so why would they ask you to join them?”
“Idris has always been special,” said a soft voice from behind them.
They all turned in surprise to see a girl of fifteen approaching them from the field. She had gentle brown eyes and her long black hair was braided down her back. Her brown skin was darkened by the sun and her hands were rough with work, but she moved with a grace that uncommon among the people of the valley.
Meic stood up straighter and puffed out his chest. “Hello, Siani.”
“Hello,” she said with a smile, but her eyes were on Idris.
Meic noticed this and scowled. “Idris is not special,” he insisted. “He is just a farmer.”
Siani raised an eyebrow. “Are not we all?”
“Not me,” he said hurriedly, adjusting his sword again to draw attention to it. “I am joining the army.”
“And you will surely be missed,” Selyf said with a sly grin, looking between Idris and Siani.
Meic’s face flushed a mottled red. “Where is this weapon of yours that is so special, Idris? Because I heard you came back from Marath with nothing.”
“They said I had to leave it at the palace for safekeeping. I can reclaim it if I return for training,” he explained.
Meic made a sound of disbelief. “It seems more likely that you got nothing
at all.”
“Why would I go all the way to Marath to come back with nothing?” Idris asked in a scathing tone. “I could have just stayed at home. It is not a requirement to go to the Treasury.”
The other boy switched tactics without pause. “Then maybe you got something that you just do not want your family to know about. I bet this is all a ruse so you can leave Rest Stone Valley and keep whatever you got all to yourself.”
Idris clenched his fists and felt his face grow warm with anger. “My family would let me keep whatever I chose.”
“Then why did you come back with nothing?” taunted Meic.
“I told you,” Idris said in a loud voice. “The soldiers said I had to leave it at the palace.”
“Hmph,” snorted Meic. “The least you could do is tell a believable lie.”
“I am not lying!”
“Now, now,” Selyf said. His voice was authoritative, though his face belied his discomfort.
Siani was the one to step in between them. “Idris is not lying, Meic.”
“How do you know?” Meic asked angrily.
“Because Idris does not lie,” she answered simply. “If you do not believe him now, you will when you both leave to start your training.”
It was the two boys’ turn to look uncomfortable.
“I was not planning on going right away,” muttered Meic.
Idris shifted from foot to foot. “I have not decided if I want to be a Royal Guard.”
“Ha,” said Meic in triumph. “You do not even have the courage to leave your precious little farm.”
Idris probably would have hit Meic right then, but he suddenly heard his father’s voice approaching from behind them.
“I think it is time for you to go home, Meic.”
Cadell’s voice brooked no argument, and his stern expression left Idris feeling somewhat cowed. Meic turned and stalked away, followed soon by Selyf and Siani who made their excuses and left the scene. Soon Idris was alone with his father, and they silently turned to walk home.
After several moments, Cadell spoke to his son. “Staying here does not make you a coward, Idris, nor does going to train in Marath make you brave.”
Idris nodded, but said nothing in return. His father went on without encouragement.
“Courage is not made by a single decision, my son. It is a lifetime of actions that come to define who you are.”
No more was said between them, but Idris’s mind was full of a flurry of thoughts.
He knew that his father was right, and he was glad for the wisdom in Cadell’s words. He wanted to become a man of courage, and now he knew that to do that he needed to choose the life that would enable him to live as he wanted to become.
That night he told his parents of his decision.
“Mother, Father… I think I would like to train as a Royal Guard.”
They looked at him for several somber moments.
“Are you certain?” his mother asked him gently.
Idris took a deep breath and nodded. “I am.”
“Very well,” said his father, looking rather grave. “We shall have to find out what you will need to begin your training. I believe they will provide you with a uniform, and you already have a weapon…”
Prydwen took over with a bustle of energy. “Yes, he may have those things, but he will still need plenty of underclothes and some new boots. We will also need to find out what your living conditions will be like, so we can know if we need to provide bedding or anything like that.”
Idris watched her as she began to move around the house. Now that his decision had been made, it felt like the world had begun moving again.
The next several days passed in a strange blur. Idris found himself busier than he had ever been. He wanted to make sure to do his part in working around the farm, especially since he would probably never participate again. He felt very strongly that he should give his very best effort to his home and his family before leaving them.
His brothers half-joked that he was making them look bad, to which their father retorted that they should be working like that all the time.
“If leaving home inspires this kind of work, perhaps I should make all of you leave,” Cadell said with a grim smile.
Osian had said nothing about his plans for joining the army, but after their father’s joke Idris glanced over at Osian and saw him looking back with hope in his eyes.
The time Idris had at home passed all too quickly for the young man, and soon the night before his departure had come. Prydwen made a special dinner with all of Idris’s favorite foods and fussed over him when he didn’t take a fourth helping.
After the meal, Idris found himself feeling restless but with nothing to do. There wasn’t much for him to pack, for they had been told that the army provided everything necessary. He wandered around the house aimlessly until he heard his father call to him.
“Idris, come sit with me.”
He obeyed gladly, grateful for any distraction from his own anxiety.
Cadell was repairing part of a harness used in the labors in the fields, and his hands continued their steady work as he spoke. “I have already said my piece concerning this decision of yours, and you know that I will say no more about it.”
Idris nodded. He knew that his father was not one to waste words. He usually stated his opinion once and then left it at that.
“That being said,” Cadell went on, “I do want you to know that I trust you to make this decision. That is why I did not refuse to give you my blessing. You are a man now, and men do not always agree with one another. That makes it even more important that you know your own mind and make the decisions that are best for you. In life you will often be told that you are wrong, but you are a good lad and your heart will lead you aright if you have the nerve to follow it.”
“What if I am wrong in this decision?” asked Idris in a low voice.
Cadell paused in his repair work and looked at his firstborn. An expression of tender affection appeared in his usually stern brown eyes, and Cadell placed a hand on Idris’s shoulder. “Then you will come home in a year or two and resume your work on the farm.”
Idris appreciated his father’s words of comfort, and it was nice to know that he had a place to return to even if he failed as a soldier. But there was something else in his father’s voice that Idris understood all too well.
He had to give his new life everything he had for at least two years before he would be welcomed home again.
Cadell often spoke of the importance of putting in a real effort before drawing any conclusions. A tree stump was not impossible to remove until they had tried everything conceivable and failed.
Idris knew that his father would not accept his return home unless he had first proven that he had done everything in his power to try and succeed.
“Will you come and visit me this winter?” Idris asked.
Cadell shrugged and went back to repairing the harness. “We shall see.”
Idris couldn’t help but laugh at his father’s answer. “You know Mother will make you.”
The farmer raised a rough finger. “I will not make a promise that I do not know that I can keep. We will see what the autumn brings.”
Idris continued to grin. “When you do come, be sure to bring the whole family. I am sure that I will want to share it with all of you.”
Cadell shook his head stubbornly. “We shall see.”
Idris nudged his father’s foot with his own and then dodged the swat he got in return. Laughing, he walked out of the room and into the kitchen where his mother was finishing up her tasks for the evening.
When she saw him, Prydwen pulled out a chair and gestured to it. “Sit down, Idris.”
He complied and watched as she pulled out the wash basin and filled it with water. She set it on a stand that she positioned behind Idris, then she gathered a bar of soap and a towel.
Idris faced forward and Prydwen unwound his topknot, guiding his head back to rest on the
lip of the wash basin.
It had been years since Idris had let his mother wash his hair. As a child he had declared that only babies needed help doing it, but there was something special about letting her do it on the eve of his departure. He closed his eyes and relaxed as she lathered soap into his hair and rubbed his scalp with her fingers.
Nothing was said between them as Prydwen washed her son’s hair and rinsed out the suds. She wrapped his hair in a towel when she was finished and took the basin outside to empty the water. When she returned she pulled out a comb and gently worked out any tangles from his long black hair.
A lump formed in Idris’s throat as his mother combed his hair. She had always taken care of him, and now he was going away. He tried to think of a way to put his feelings into words, but nothing he thought of seemed adequate.
Prydwen finished combing his hair and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “It is time you got to bed, my darling.”
Idris stood and faced his mother, still feeling that words weren’t enough. “Thank you,” he said simply.
She smiled and patted his hands. “You are very welcome.”
He caught her hand in his and held it the way he used to when he was a child. They stood there for several moments, looking at each other and savoring the time together. Finally, with a sad sigh, Idris followed her advice and went to bed.
Chapter Six: A New Life
Idris had never before seen his family as solemn as they were during breakfast the next morning. Adwen began crying well before the meal was over, and Elain and Dafina looked as though they wanted to do the same. Rolant and Deri stared at their food with uncomfortable expressions on their faces, and Osian looked between Idris and their parents to measure their reactions to a son leaving home.
When Cadell announced that it was time to go, everyone followed Idris to the front door. He hugged all of his siblings, exchanging a few words of farewell with each of them. When he got to Adwen she let out a forlorn wail.
“Do not go, Idris! I love you so much!”
