The Apprentice (15 page)

Once
they had cleared the gate and left the city, they were able to quicken their
pace. The wide road was crowded, but within a few miles of the city gates the
road was free of travelers. By the time they turned south, the city of
Barrinell could no longer be seen.

Having
traveled east, they no longer skirted the edge of the plains. The earth was
greener than it had been in the North and there were more plants and trees. The
land rose and fell with hills, though not in the same way that it had in the
North. These hills were rolling and flat, they did not dominate the landscape.

The pair
rode south at a brisk pace, stopping at midday to eat and stretch, allowing
both themselves and their horses to rest. Baird had Rowan go through the
motions of the blade dance while he observed. He made corrections where
necessary and several times he ordered Rowan to halt while in the middle of a
form or motion. Rowan would hold the pose as long as he could, trying his best
not to fall. The exercise used all of the muscles in his body, but Baird seemed
to avoid forms that taxed the muscles Rowan used while riding, for which he was
grateful. Even so, after several hours of riding and having already done the
dance in the morning, it was a strenuous exercise.

“You are
doing better,” Baird told him as they returned to riding. “You still rush
through some forms and your motions are not perfect, but that will come with
time and practice. Given that you only learned the dance recently and you are
not a trained blade, your progress is commendable.”

That
night, the pair resumed their sparring ritual, beginning and ending with the
blade dance. By the light of the fire, the stars, and the moon, Rowan and Baird
exchanged blows with their practice sticks. It was an exhausting exercise, made
even more difficult by the repetition of the blade dance.

Sparring
with Baird, Rowan could feel his body beginning to react quicker as it
recognized motions from the dance. He found his movements more fluid and though
he came away from their duel with many bruises and a sore body, his muscles
felt better than they had in the past.

After so
much exercise, Rowan’s dinner seemed meager and unfulfilling. He finished his
portion quickly and immediately slept. The night spent in a bed had been a
luxury but he was so tired that even the cold, hard ground was a welcome
relief.

The next
day was more of the same. They travelled quickly and when they stopped or
slowed for rest, that time was spent eating, sparring, or sleeping. The sun
rose and fell and the landscape flew past. They occasionally passed other
travelers and once or twice they passed small farms. At Baird’s insistence they
slept a ways away from the road and each night they sparred.

Two
weeks passed them by. Knowing that they were finally growing close to the
capitol, they sped up their pace. Rowan kept watch for the capitol as they
rode, looking for some spot on the horizon that would mark the city.

It was
shortly after midday, two and a half weeks after departing Barrinell, that they
arrived in the capitol city of Estoria.

Chapter 13
                     
 

Rowan stared at the city as they
approached on horseback. Estoria lay spread out before them, rising
magnificently from the land as though it was reaching to the sky. Houses and
buildings were grouped together around a massive castle situated on a large
rise of land, extending outwards for miles. The buildings grew smaller and more
spread out as they stretched away from the city giving the impression that
there was no true edge to it.

On the
eastern edge of the rise, Rowan could make out a large field filled with what
looked like barracks. There appeared to be a wooded area, but much of it was hidden
by the landscape.

The rise
itself drew Rowan’s eye to the castle. As they approached the city, Rowan could
see that the rise was ringed by a wall, separating the land on which the castle
sat from the city below. The castle itself was an enormous stone building of
many stories with a number of buildings situated around it. It was like nothing
that Rowan had ever seen before.

Baird
led Rowan down a hill and they approached the city from the north. Together
they made their way through the outskirts and into the city itself, which was
bustling with activity. With no wall, Rowan and Baird did not have to stop to
enter. The road they traveled narrowed, slowly giving way to the city streets.
Most of the outlying buildings were small houses and shops, none more than two
stories tall. There were a few inns, but not nearly so many as had been in
Attica or Barrinell. He wondered if that was because fewer people visited the
capitol. Indeed, he and Baird had not encountered quite so many people on the
road south, and few were headed to Estoria.

The
buildings grew larger and more condensed as they went, but they did not seem to
grow more extravagant. Rowan had expected Estoria, the capitol of Atlea and the
city of the king, to be refined and elegant, yet the buildings and the city
seemed common. Barrinell and Attica had been filled with buildings that were
grand and impressive. There were tall buildings here, but not so tall and not
so many as in Barrinell. There were impressive and pleasing structures, but
many of them were ordinary and would not have seemed out of place even in the
small village of Corrinth.

Even so,
Estoria appealed to Rowan in a way that neither of the previous cities had. It
was large and filled with people, but there was ample space. The crowds and the
press of people from the other cities were gone. The vendors and sellers with
their carts and their wares were confined to market squares, leaving the
streets free and giving the city a sense of order and organization.

Though
it felt like a smaller city, Estoria was as large as either Attica or
Barrinell, perhaps larger as there seemed to be more on the far side of the
rise. From a distance, the rise had seemed gentle, but as they grew closer it
grew larger. The hill leading to the castle was tall and though Rowan would not
call it steep, it was far from flat.

It was
not until they reached the castle gates at the base of the rise that anyone
took a particular interest in them. The guards at the portcullis seemed as
though they were going to tell Baird and Rowan to stop until the pair came
close enough for their faces to be visible. The soldiers recognized Baird and
they gave him a crisp salute, raising their pikes so that they weren’t blocking
the entrance anymore.

“Welcome
back, Sir Baird. Your return is a blessing, though we were not expecting you.”
The man eyed Rowan with curiosity and Rowan wondered what he saw. Was he
looking at a poor farm boy who was a long way from home, or did he see the
apprentice to a great knight? Rowan hoped for the latter, but in either case,
he knew that he must look terrible. He wore the dirt and grime of many weeks
spent travelling.

“I shall
have a messenger tell the king that you have returned. King Alden has been
eagerly awaiting your return and will wish to speak with you.”

“That
will not be necessary,” Baird replied quickly. “There are things that I should
attend to before I see King Alden. I will not take long, but I would rather not
have the king waiting on me. I would very much appreciate it if your man would
take these horses to the stables to be fed and watered. I want them to be well
taken care of. Have the saddlebags brought to my rooms.”

“Of
course,” the soldier replied, quickly beckoning over another watchman and
hurriedly giving the man his instructions. When the sentry was finished
talking, the new soldier took the reins of their horses and led them away.

With the
man gone, the sentry returned his attention to Baird and Rowan. “Is the boy
with you?”

“He is.”
Baird’s response was kind, but his tone implied that the conversation had
ended.

The
soldier gave a quick nod as Baird strode forward through the gates, forcing
Rowan to jog to catch up.

The
greenery of the castle grounds struck Rowan. It marked a clear difference
between the inner and outer grounds. Outside of the walled castle grounds, the
city had little greenery. The streets were stone and dirt and there was little
room for plants. The castle grounds were different. A pathway led up the rise
and towards the castle, branching off to lead to other buildings. The ground
was covered with a short grass that grew no taller than Rowan’s ankle. There
were some trees scattered about with other plants and shrubs. The effect was
pleasing and gave the grounds a natural feeling, though Rowan could tell that
it had been landscaped.

Rowan
followed Baird, feeling out of place in this new environment. He observed the
grounds as they walked, looking for people. There were a few walking between
buildings in the distance, but none close. That suited him though. He was
curious about the people and the grounds, but for the moment he was happy to
keep his distance from the nobility, especially given his current state of
dress.

“What
business do you have to be about?” Rowan was curious as to what would be
important enough to make the king wait. Baird had not mentioned anything to him
before.

“I would
like us to take the time to unpack and settle ourselves before seeing King
Alden. I have been in a rush to return to Estoria, but now that I am back, I no
longer need to hurry.”

Rowan
was stunned that Baird would delay his meeting with the king just because he
wanted to settle himself. He had assumed that Baird had some pressing duty to
attend to, but that did not seem to be the case. Privately he wondered if his
master might be acting improperly. Was Baird truly so important as to make the
king wait, or did he simply lack respect? It was true that they had not
actually been summoned, but Baird had not even wished to notify the king of his
arrival.

“King
Alden will be notified of my return. My return is long overdue and word will
spread,” Baird said, causing Rowan to shift his attention. His master had a way
of knowing the questions that Rowan did not ask. “I will have an audience with
the king, but it is inevitable that it be delayed. I must speak to him
privately and it would do me no good to enter the castle dressed as I am,
dirtied and travel worn. King Alden will be busy at the moment, but if I wait
for word of my arrival to reach him then I will be ready to meet with him when
the time comes. Such is the game of courtly politics. I despise it.”

Rowan
followed Baird past several of the outlying buildings, walking off the main
pathway and heading towards a building just off the western edge of the castle.
It was larger than most Rowan had seen, even when compared to the buildings of
the cities. It stood at a height nearing that of the giant trees of the Vale.
Rowan noted that although the stone building was not directly connected to the
castle, covered walkways ran between the buildings for ease of entrance.

Baird
took Rowan to a room on the second floor that was large and luxurious.

“This is
one of the spare rooms that I sometimes use or loan out while I am staying here
in the capitol.” Baird shrugged off his travel pack and removed his cloak.
Rowan set his own pack by the wall and stood by idly while Baird paced the
length of the room, inspecting it. “Feel free to unpack your belongings, though
I will warn you that I am prone to changing rooms. I do not like to remain in
one space for too long.”

“Why
move?” Rowan looked about, taking in the size of the room and the extravagance
of it all. Perhaps he was unaccustomed to the richness and luxury of Estoria.
Having more than one dwelling seemed unnecessary.

“I have
my reasons. Change is good for the mind, and moving keeps me from being found
too easily.”

Rowan
wondered who it was that Baird wished to avoid. Likely it was the nobles that
he disliked, the lords and ladies of the court. Rowan was curious as to what
they were like. He doubted that he would see them, but Baird’s distaste fed his
curiosity.

“Place
your bedroll over there for now, seeing as how there is only one bed at the
moment.” Baird indicated a space of floor near the bed. There was a lightly
worn rug on the floor that would offer some extra padding. “I will have you
stay with me for the time being as I settle in and find a place for you.”

Rowan
placed his bedroll and moved his pack next to his sleeping space while Baird
rearranged things within the room, setting them in such a way that pleased him.
He did not miss Baird’s comment about placing him somewhere. He wondered what
Baird meant by that, but did not ask.

Afterwards,
Baird led Rowan to a large room filled with a steaming pool meant for washing.
There he left Rowan to himself for privacy.

Rowan
took some time to admire the room. Lighted globes hung along the walls and a
window offered extra light, though it gave no view.

All that
could be heard in the silence was the water lapping against the edges of the
pool and the occasional
drip
of water from the ceiling. The water
steamed as it let off heat, creating a thin haze in the air just above the
surface of the pool.

Rowan
stripped, setting his clothes against the edge of the wall. He eased himself
into the warm water, causing the surface to ripple as he entered. Beneath his
feet he could feel the floor sloping downwards as the pool got deeper. He waded
further in. The sloping of the floor evened out at his shoulders.

Rowan
sighed and leaned backwards, floating on his back. He stared at the ceiling,
searching for answers that were not there. The waves in the pool lapped against
his body as he drifted on the surface of the water.

He felt
peaceful. The heat soothed his tired muscles and he had nothing to worry him.
He let himself drift off farther into the pool, lost in thought as he relaxed
for the first time in ages. Rowan closed his eyes, shutting out the world and
providing him with a blissful solitude. He remained like that for a short while
as he let his mind wander. Thoughts of home and his family filled his mind. He
felt a sadness at their absence. He missed his father and his brother. He
longed for the feeling of home. But even now, Rowan did not regret leaving.

Finding
a cloth and a scrubber, Rowan set about cleaning himself of the dirt and grime
that had accumulated over the weeks of travel. It was a long time before he
felt confident that he had scrubbed it all away.

When
done, Rowan realized that he did not know what he was meant to do. Baird had
not instructed him to stay or to return to the room. Would Baird be waiting for
him should he return? Glancing towards his soiled clothes and wishing he had
known to bring a clean set, Rowan decided he would take his time and continue
to enjoy the warm bath. The water was nice and it felt good to be clean again.

When
Rowan was done, he found that his dirty clothes had been replaced with a fresh
set and there was a towel waiting for him. He wondered what had happened to his
other clothes, hoping that he would be able to get them back at some point.

Rowan
dried himself and dressed. He found the hallway empty and he was just pondering
how he would find Baird when the big man turned a corner and greeted him.

“I hope
you enjoyed your bath. You look much more presentable now,” Baird commented.
Rowan noticed that Baird had also washed and donned a more formal change of
clothes. The cloth had gold trim, subtle yet clear, and his sword belt had been
exchanged for one of polished black leather with a silver buckle. Baird’s sword
hung at his waist, the scabbard no longer wrapped in cloth to hide the runes
that gave its name.

“It
feels nice to be clean after all the days spent travelling. And that bath was
amazing. I didn’t know there were such niceties,” Rowan said. He hoped that he
would be allowed to continue to bathe in such a fashion.

“There
are many things that you have not yet been privileged enough to discover,”
Baird said. “But your experiences will come in time. For now we will go and
meet with King Alden.”

Baird
led Rowan away, speaking of formalities and etiquettes that he should know. It
was not expected that he know such things, Baird told him, yet that did not
prevent a knot of apprehension from forming in the pit of Rowan’s stomach. He
was about to gain an audience with the king of the entire country. What if the
king did not approve of him?