The Apprentice (40 page)

Rowan
nodded. Baird resumed talking about Lauratrea, but a question itched the back
of Rowan’s mind, brought about by the mention of soldiers and armies and kings.

“Why do
we still train soldiers?” Rowan said, interrupting his master.

“What?”
Baird grunted, confused.

“If King
Alden is working towards peace between the nations, why do we still train so
many soldiers? Why are more boys not apprenticed to craftsmen and merchants and
such?”

“You
certainly do have a wandering mind,” Baird said. “I suppose that your question
merits an answer, even if it is a complicated one.” Baird paused to collect his
thoughts and Rowan waited patiently for his master to continue.

“First
and foremost, you must remember that there are many who do not become soldiers,
and who have no wish to. It is a common path for young boys to take, but it is
not necessary. The crown and the army accept recruits, but unless a war forced
Alden’s hand, he would not conscript men.

“I have
travelled our country, Rowan, and not every place is like this. Rural areas and
farmlands are often untouched and unaffected by such troubles as war or
banditry, which suits them just fine. Small towns and villages like Corrinth
function differently and do not require the presence of a police force to keep
the king’s peace. Larger cities offer more opportunities for work, and the city
guard serves to keep the peace. It is only in the borderlands, in the South and
along the eastern and northeastern edges of the country that the presence of
our armies is strong.”

“But so
many in Estoria are in training, even though there is no place for them here,”
Rowan argued. “There is not even a standing army in the capitol, excepting the
soldiers who guard the castle and the king’s guard.”

“You
must remember, Rowan, that your perspective is biased. You live in the barracks
and you are always amongst the other boys in training. You do not often, if
ever, see the city and its people. Estoria is not a large city, but it holds
many people and you have seen very little of it. The training grounds are but a
small, isolated section of the city. You see several hundred or so boys who are
in training and think them a great number, but there are thousands more in the
city.”

Rowan’s
shock must have shown on his face, for Baird laughed at him. He turned away to
hide the flush of embarrassment. He had been through the city a few times and
he thought he had a sense of the size, but living outside of Corrinth had not
prepared him for the numbers of a city.

“I
should also mention that the capitol is different from other cities where boys
go to train.”

Rowan’s
curiosity was roused, enough so that he forgot his fading embarrassment. “How
is it different?”

Baird
stared back at Rowan in silence, leaving the question unanswered. Rowan knew
without asking that he was supposed to think on his own question and try to
find the answer. He could think of the many obvious reasons such as size and
population. He spoke his thoughts aloud, as he often did when he was with
Baird. His master would sometimes nod approvingly, letting him know he should
continue with a certain thought or idea. Rarely would he frown or show
disappointment, but when he did it was disheartening.

As he
spoke his thoughts, Rowan glanced at his master for some sign that he was on
the right path. Baird watched him impassively, waiting for him to continue and
giving no sign of approval. Rowan had expected little more. In such exercises,
he often had to let his thoughts develop, building a foundation that brought
him closer to a well thought answer. He expanded his mind, addressing the next
obvious difference. “Estoria is the capitol.”

Baird
said nothing but Rowan could tell his answer was close.

“The
capitol is significant because it is the seat of King Alden.” The way that the
edge of Baird’s mouth tugged imperceptibly upwards told Rowan that he was
correct.
But why?
Unsatisfied, Rowan thought about the significance of
the capitol, and the answer came with a quick and easy clarity.

“Honor.”

Baird
grinned. “If you can answer your own questions, then perhaps you should use
your head before you ask them.”

“You
prompted the question.”

“And you
found the answer,” Baird retorted lightly. “You are correct. Estoria is a small
city when compared with places like Estion or Oscilliath or Tarabor. It is a
long distance from most other areas, and it has a small standing army to which
few are recruited For those who simply wish to become soldiers, it would be
much easier and more practical to go to Oscilliath or the borderlands where
they can train at any of the many permanent forts. Those who come here do not
simply seek to become soldiers, they come for the honor that is to be had. The
capitol is where a boy can learn from great trainers and work to distinguish
himself.”

“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.