by Billy Wong
"So, think your skills are up to par?"
The two of them had been training extra hard with their wooden swords for months since finding out about RIEL's upcoming recruitment effort, until Rose had been wounded and forced to rest. "I'm probably rusty. At least I've got my strength back, which I just hope will be enough to pull me through. You?"
"I'm great. I bet I'm going to kick ass!"
Rose wished she could be as confident as him. Then again, she might just be disappointed if that was the case. "Let's go, then. I wonder who else will be there."
When they arrived at the constables' office where the initial tests were being given, Rose recognized two of the boys already there—Lenny, an arrogant little buck-toothed bully she'd had many encounters with in the past, and Jasper, a shy middle child from a wealthy family who she noticed to be wearing a fine new silk blouse. Looking presentable was one thing, but she couldn't help thinking that maybe he didn't know what he was getting into. Then again, she really didn't either.
A young blonde giant who must have stood close to seven feet loomed just ahead of her and Ed, and a tanned middle-aged man at the head of the line shifted his weight from foot to foot as if waiting for danger to jump out from some corner of the well-lit room. "I hope that big one gets in," Ed said. "He'd make a worthy comrade."
Rose shrugged. "What the hell is Jasper doing here?"
"Maybe he's tired of being overlooked at home?"
"He's not going to make it."
The older applicant at the front was soon turned away for whatever reason, but he was one of few. One by one, those on the line disappeared into a door past the clerk who sat at a desk giving brief interviews. Rose wondered what kind of tests were being administered behind that door. She listened in on the questions asked her fellow hopefuls and heard the clerk ask Lenny, "Have you ever been convicted of a crime?"
"Me, convicted? Never!"
"Do you have any health problems which might impair your ability to work in a physically taxing environment?"
"No."
"How old are you?"
"Sixteen."
"Do you have your parents' consent to apply for a position with this organization?" Apparently, even the clerk didn't want to say RIEL's full name.
"They let me do whatever I want."
"Alright, go on inside."
Rose continued to listen to the interviewer's questions while the line shrank, and found them generally straightforward though he did deviate from his routine with comments about his interviewees. As he remarked on the giant's height, Ed said, "We're up next. You want to go first, or should I?"
Her heart was racing like a deer fleeing a pack of wolves. "Let me go. I can't bear to wait!"
When she stepped in front of the clerk's desk, he regarded her with a dubious look. "You're a girl."
"Yes..." This did not seem like a good start.
"You really want to join the watch?"
"Yes."
"You are aware you'd be living with pretty much all men, right?"
"Yes—I don't mind."
"And that you're going to encounter some scary situations from time to time?"
"I'm used to scary," she lied. She wasn't really, but after surviving the incident in the barn, she felt as though she could handle almost anything.
The clerk looked her over again and smiled. "Well, you're a big girl. Have you ever been convicted of a crime?"
Rose breathed a sigh of relief as the interview went on and concluded without another mention of her sex. But when she stepped through the door, she immediately caught a suspicious look from the lean, wolfish man leaning against the far wall of the courtyard. All over the yard, other leather-uniformed men watched applicants undergo various physical tests, but she guessed the one scrutinizing her was their leader from his cool and confident manner.
One of the watchmen called to her and took her around the yard, bringing her before several large barrels. Behind them, she could see a black line in the dirt. "Lift that wooden one," he said, "and carry it to the line." Rose walked up to the keg and bent her knees, wrapping her arms around it below the point of its greatest girth. She had seen the last young man struggle with the weight, but she hefted it with only slight effort.
As she walked past the goal line, she felt a rare pride for her unusual strength. For once, it was actually proving useful. It didn't do much for her everyday life. Though people told her she had a pretty face, she knew her size and strength intimidated many boys.
"Now try the metal one," the watchman said.
She obeyed with a smile, and he continued putting her through the same physical tests as her male fellows. She passed them all without difficulty, lifting every load with ease, making each increasingly difficult climb faster than the last in the name of pride, and running the obstacle course successfully if not especially quickly—of all her physical attributes, the least impressive was her speed. Then, her skill with weapons was tested in a short spar with a stocky, tanned watchman, and though she wasn't great she did at least do better than most of the boys. Good thing she'd practiced.
"So am I in?" she asked with a grin, knowing she had done better than anyone else she'd seen.
"Nothing's final yet," her opponent said. "But looking at how you did, I'm sure you'll get picked."
She shook his hand and thanked him, then turned to leave. "Girl!" the man leaning against the wall barked before she could exit the yard.
"Y-yes?"
"Come over here." She did so, and he smiled contemptuously. "So what makes you think you deserve to be here?"
Rose frowned, irked by the man's tone and unsure of how to answer his question. It probably wasn't something he'd asked the rest of the would-be watchmen... "I'm strong, and I think I'm pretty good in a fight."
"So you think. How strong are you?"
"Stronger than the men I know," she answered honestly. Many people told her she was freakishly strong.
"You think you're stronger than me?"
Rose wasn't sure where this was going, but looking at his slender frame said hesitantly, "Probably..."
He smirked. "Would you wrestle me to prove it?"
Now she knew what his game was. Of course he was more experienced in unarmed combat than her, and knew some trick to defeat her easily and humiliate her in front of everyone. But though she guessed she was going to lose, she was not such an unskilled wrestler, and couldn't resist taking him up on his challenge.
"Fine. Let's fight, and we'll see just how bad the girl can do."
She stepped forward and they locked hands, straining against each other in a test of strength. Rose found her opponent giving ground, and wondered if it was a feint. It was; he stepped suddenly to the side, attempting to twist her off her feet and take her to the ground. She turned with him instead, trying to hook his leg to trip him. But he was too crafty for that, and bent his knees in an effort to throw her off her feet. She resisted his pull, and when he tried to straighten again, he found himself unable to do so as she pushed him towards the ground.
"Not bad," he said through gritted teeth.
He stepped in close with his knees bent, pushing his shoulder into her chest. His leverage allowed him to begin to push her back, and his foot slipped behind her own. But she stepped over the attempted trip, and shoved him to one knee in retaliation. "I'm winning," she pointed out in disbelief. He grunted and forced himself back up, and they continued to go at it. Now, though, he was more cautious in his moves, leading her around as he tried to find her weakness.
Rose tried again and again to bring him down, but she couldn't come as close as she had again. She realized she'd managed to catch him off guard that time. He was better than her. But though he showed himself the more skilled wrestler now, it was not enough to get her off her feet, and many minutes passed. Several times, he almost put her down, but power and determination kept her in the fight. Sweating profusely, the lean man began to pant with the exertion.
Her own limbs had beg
un to grow heavy with fatigue, but Rose sensed her opponent's strength fading faster and took control, wrenching him from side to side. Suddenly, he lost his balance and fell sideways, dragging her to the ground with him. She wasted no time in rolling him onto his back and plopping herself on top, smiling at her unexpected victory.
She looked up to see everyone staring at her with awestruck eyes. Lenny was frowning, and Jasper's jaw hung as if unhinged. Obviously, they couldn't believe she'd won. She could barely believe it herself. Oh, no. Did this mean she wouldn't be accepted into RIEL, now that she had humiliated the captain? She looked down, and found her opponent wide-eyed with shock beneath her. He'd regain the sense to be angry soon enough.
Fearfully, she said, "Sorry... you wanted to test my strength, right?"
"What a freak," he muttered. "That was like wrestling a bear! You just made one hell of a fool out of me. I'm supposed to be known for my great stamina... I just can't believe I just lost to a girl with no experience!"
Rose moved off him and shrugged. "No experience? That's not true. I'm the town champion."
He looked her up and down. "And here I thought after all these years, I'd learned it was safe to judge a book by its cover. I suppose it can't always be true."
She frowned under his unrelenting stare. "I wish I hadn't done that..."
"Why not? You just became my first pick."
"What?! Really?"
He laughed. "Relax, girl. I wouldn't deny someone with such potential out of injured pride—though I will get you back for that, someday. I almost beat you, right? Maybe after we practice together a bit, I'll figure out how to get you."
"So I'm actually in?"
"You're actually in." The man looked bemusedly into her astonished eyes, and she knew she must have seemed like a naive child. "So what's your name, you beast? I bet you already have some impressive feats to your name."
"Rose Agen. What, you mean physical feats? Not really—I only survived getting run through, and I once stopped a runaway wagon. And there was this crazy bull, whose neck I had to break..."
He shook his head. "If only I'd known. I should've paid more attention to that sword on your belt. It's a real warrior's weapon, now that I look."
"No, it's new. I took it from Reese Thith after I killed him."
"He's been wanted throughout Kayland for years!"
"I didn't know that. I thought he was just some murderous burglar who tried to rape me." At least, until she had gotten the medal for defeating him.
The man laughed. "Okay, hero, that's enough. Anyway, I'm Merrick. Glad to meet you—I'm sure you'll be a great watchwoman."
"Thanks."
"So what made you want to join us? It's not an easy life."
Right now, she felt so confident, she didn't think there was any hardship she couldn't take. She smiled. "I want to see more of the world, and help some needy people doing it. Anyway, I'm going to go tell my parents, when should I come back?"
"Come back in two days. I still have to pick the rest of the new members." He retrieved a short scroll from one of his associates. "Have one of your parents sign this. Better to get the paperwork out of the way before we do anything else."
Rose bid him goodbye and left with a spring in her step, happy to know the adventure she'd dreamed of as a little girl would soon be hers to live. Sure, she knew that there'd be tough times, but she was ready. She didn't want to sit around and let life pass her by—she wanted to go out there and make a difference with her strength.
Ed stood waiting outside, and she said cheerily, "Guess what you just missed."
"That's obvious. You outdid everyone in the tests, right?"
"Better than that. The captain challenged me to wrestle, and I won. And he already picked me!"
"Well, good luck, Rose."
She frowned, only now seeing the pain in his eyes. "What do you mean? You're going to be right there with me!"
"No, I'm not. I doubt it, anyway. I got through the tests, but I didn't do so well. I must have looked like a fool."
"What? What happened? You were more prepared than me! You're strong, agile, know how to use the sword..."
"I think I pulled a muscle lifting the last barrel. Gods, it must have been full of rocks; I don't know how I even managed the rest. I hope I didn't do any permanent damage to myself."
Rose hugged him, careful not to hurt him. "Ed, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have been bragging like a jerk when-"
"Forget it, you didn't know. I'm happy for you. Do Hullel proud, right?"
She nodded, but asked, "Now who's going to remind me of home while I'm away?"
"Lenny sounded happy when he left. I'm sure he did well."
Of course. It had to be Lenny. "I might have been better off not knowing that... walk me home?"
While he had an injured arm, her house was between his and the constables' office anyway. He nodded, and they left together.
#
Despite her disappointment at the fact Ed wouldn't be there with her, Rose couldn't help feeling excited about her upcoming adventures. She opened her door to see her father relaxing by the window, and beamed, "I did it! I'm in RIEL!"
"You what?!"
"I said, I got accepted into RIEL." Walking to the pitcher on their dining table, she poured herself a cup of water.
"You are not going to join the road watchmen. You're still a child, Rose, and you can't just do as you please."
She stared at him, mouth going dry despite her drink. "But you and Mom said you would let me go, as long as I got accepted..."
"We didn't mean it. You weren't actually supposed to pass."
"Why not? I've been training hard, and I'm built to be a warrior."
"You're built to be somebody's good wife."
She had the wide hips for it, anyway. Rose did want to get fall in love, get married, and have kids—someday. But she was still young, and yearned to experience the thrills of adventure and romance before settling down. She wanted the best of both worlds, and she wasn't going to settle for less. She never settled for less.
"I'm going to be both. There's no reason I can't be."
Lise had come halfway down the stairs, and answered before Rick could. "Except that you might die. I don't want to see you die."
"I can take care of myself."
"How attractive a potential wife will you be when all the young men think you're crazy?" Rick asked. "People think you're strange enough as it is, there's no need for you to make things worse."
"I'm sure there are men out there who'll accept me for who I am." After all, the warrior maidens of legend fell in love too, didn't they? But Rose swallowed as she remembered that they often wound up dead, too.
Rick shook his head. "It's not worth it to harm your future for the sake of this immature dream. So I'm not going to let you."
"Dad, please! I really want to go..."
"You say that with no idea of what awaits you out there in the real world. Someday, you'll be glad you didn't get the chance to do something you'd regret."
"I wouldn't regret it. I can handle myself, don't you see that?"
He sighed exasperatedly. "Strength and courage alone won't do for you out there."
"And have you ever been 'out there?' Weren't you born and raised right here in Hullel, a blacksmith's son?"
"Yes, and that's the way it should be. He did his part, and I do mine."
Rose pouted and pointed out, "But you won't teach me to be a blacksmith." She had asked many a time, and he always told her off.
"You're not meant to be a blacksmith, but a wife."
She didn't want to just be a wife. Yes, there were important responsibilities that went with the role, but it seemed to her also to be the female equivalent of being a husband. A man didn't have to settle for just being a husband, did he? Rose wanted to do some good in the world outside if she could, but also just to experience that world—not pass her entire life in mundane existence. She wanted to make good memories of her youth, for later times.
"I don't want to waste my life."
Lise glared at her, and Rose wished she had put it differently. "It's not a waste to take care of your family."
"I didn't mean it that way, Mom. But I'm not even married yet, and all I do is the same old stuff every day—why?" In particular, she hardly thought practicing needlework with her big clumsy fingers as much as Lise insisted was a good use of her time. Her sewing skills were passable, and that was as good as they were ever likely to get. "There's greater things for me to do out there, I know there are!"
"You're not married now," Rick said, "but you're getting ready to be."
Rose didn't see that at all. She was getting ready to marry by idling away at home? Wouldn't she be better off preparing for her adult life out there, learning about the world? For that matter, wouldn't she be more likely to find love? The thought of an arranged marriage to some local boy drifted into her head, and she shoved it aside. No. She wasn't going to be pushed into a marriage of convenience. She'd run away before that happened. She was going to find her soulmate.
Besides, it didn't seem to her that married life would require much in the way of preparation. "Getting ready? There's no need for me to do that. All you need is love, right?"
A little smile tugged at Lise's lips as she replied, "I wish it always worked out that way."
It might happen more often if people didn't rush to marry off their daughters, as her father seemed ready to do. "Tell me again why I can't go."
"Because it's too dangerous."
"And it's not proper for a young woman like you to go live with a bunch of men," Rick added.
"Please let me go. I really want this."
"No."
Rose turned away and ran out of the house. Her father yelled after her, but she ignored him and pushed her legs to go faster, kicking up the heartless dust.
#
She stopped a few houses down the street and sat against an old garden fence, uncurling Merrick's scroll with shaking hands. The only thing standing between her and the life of her daydreams was a few missing words. She thought for a moment to forge a signature, but she'd be caught quickly once her parents realized what she'd done, and then she would be done for as a watchman. Besides, she didn't even have anything to write with. She sat there with her head on her knees and cried until a meaty hand touched her neck. She looked up at her mother's hefty form.
