The Apprentice (18 page)

They
walked to the stair built into the rise to connect the upper grounds with the
training fields. Together they ascended in silence until the stairs ended and
they reached the castle grounds.

Rowan
bid farewell to Baird as his master left to find the princess. Rowan continued
on across the grounds, now alone, and began retracing his way back to Baird’s
building. He took the long route around the outside of the castle, not trusting
himself to be able to navigate his way through the interior.

Baird
had indeed requested something for him to wear.

Laid out
on the bed, Rowan found a very fine set of clothes. The outfit was extravagant,
favoring green and other brighter colors and edged with gold trim. Rowan picked
up the shirt and found the fabric to be thinner than he expected, which meant
that it was likely to be expensive.

He
suddenly felt conscious of how he was going to appear amongst all the nobility,
dressed in fine clothes without even a thought to their worth. Rowan guessed
that his new outfit, something that was likely just a spare set of clothes that
had been outgrown by some young noble, could be sold for enough money to feed
his village for weeks. But there was nothing for it, so Rowan stripped out of
the clothing he was wearing.

He had
washed earlier in the day, but from the steaming wash basin that had been set
at the foot of the bed, he guessed that he was expected to wash again. Rowan
quickly rinsed himself, washing away the sweat from his bout with Baird. He dried
himself with a towel and then dressed in the fine clothing.

The
dress attire was incredibly fancy, but the outfit was uncomfortable and
impractical. Though the shirt was thin, he found himself wearing several
layers. The collar was high and unyielding, making him feel as though he was
being choked. The breeches were tight and restricted his movement.

He felt
absurd, and his opinion was not helped when he saw his reflection. The clothing
looked gaudy and ridiculous on him and despite their value, he had no desire to
wear them where he might be seen. He thought of wearing the soiled clothes he
had been provided with earlier. They were simple but well made, and finer than
what he had owned previously. But he knew that would not be permissible.

He
sighed and sat down at Baird’s desk to wait, not knowing where to go or what he
should do. While waiting, Rowan absently thought up excuses and ways to avoid
the dinner. He did not want to look the fool. He was a farm boy from the Vale
and he was far from home.

Rowan
continued to wait until he heard a quiet knock on the door. He had been
expecting Baird to show up, so when a young woman opened the door, he was
slightly confused.

“Young
Master Rowan?” the girl called, focusing on him.

“Yes?”
Rowan did not bother to correct the title of ‘young master.’

“Sir
Baird wishes you to know that he will meet you at the castle for tonight’s
feast. He has sent me to escort you to the ballrooms where he will be waiting.”

“I can
find my own way there,” Rowan said irritably. He tried to make his way past the
maid, but she barred the way.

“Sir
Baird was very insistent that I escort you to the ballrooms. It would be
troublesome for everyone if you were to lose your way. Having only just
arrived, you are not expected to know your way about.”

Rowan
looked into her eyes, arguments building up inside of him. He met her gaze and
found his own wavering. The woman had a hard look on her face, the kind of
stubborn look that would not tolerate empty arguments. Rowan looked away,
knowing that he would not be able to have his way. He sighed in resignation.

“You may
lead me to the ballrooms.”

The
young woman smiled and stepped back, allowing Rowan to pass into the hall. She
looked him up and down, frowning as she did. Without a word, she stepped forward
and began tugging at Rowan’s clothing.

“Hey!
What—”

“Be
still and be quiet. I must fix your clothing properly.”

Rowan
flushed and stopped protesting, allowing her to twist and tug his clothing
until she was satisfied. When finished, she stepped back to survey her work.
She eyed his hair with a frown, but said nothing.

“Lead
on,” Rowan said, eager to avoid any further embarrassment. His clothing was one
thing, but he would be damned before he allowed a woman to try and work at his
hair.

The
young maid led Rowan downstairs and out towards the castle, where coaches were
gathered and people were entering. But instead of taking him in through the
front entrance, the maid led Rowan to a side entrance that he guessed was used
mainly by the servants.

Inside
there were many others dressed as she was, scurrying in and out of branching
hallways, carrying trays and an assortment of other things. Rowan was led away,
following the maid down a hallway that was not being used by the other
servants.

Rowan
could hear the distant sounds of the party coming from above. Laughter and
music echoed throughout the hallways and he could smell the food being cooked
in the kitchens.

After
the maid had led him through several deserted corridors and up a small flight
of stairs, they came out into a hallway where Baird was speaking in hushed
tones with another man. When Baird noticed them approaching, he ended his
conversation and the man he was speaking with turned and left.

Dressed
in fine clothing, Baird looked like a completely different person. He appeared
just as powerful and strong as he truly was, yet now he had the look of wealth
and privilege. Rowan did not fail to note that Baird filled out his own clothes
very well. His clothing did not look so stiff, and the collar of his jacket was
not nearly as high or tight on his neck as Rowan’s.

“Hello,”
Rowan said, greeting his master.

Baird
thanked the maid and dismissed her before he turned to focus on Rowan. “I see
you found the clothes that I requested for you,” Baird said, looking him up and
down. “They certainly appear to fit you well enough.”

“They
are very tight,” Rowan said, shifting so that he was not so uncomfortable. “I
think that they are too small. Must I wear them? They feel awkward and I look
absurd wearing them.”

“Of course
you will wear them. The king is honoring me tonight, and by extension he is
honoring you. I need my apprentice to look as though he belongs in the king’s
court.” Baird looked at Rowan and seemed to read his thoughts. “I know the
clothes are uncomfortable, but try to bear it.”

Rowan
decided he was willing to do this in order to help his master, but Baird’s
words did not erase the fact that this outfit was uncomfortable and made Rowan
feel out of place.

Together
they made their way to the main hallway where many guests were milling about as
they met with others on their way inside and stopped to talk. Baird ignored the
people and Rowan followed him, heading down to the ballrooms.

When
Baird had showed Rowan around the castle earlier in the day, the ballrooms had
been empty. Now it was an entirely different place, ringed with tables and
filled with people. Servants stood unobtrusively by the walls, waiting and
watching for where they were needed. Other servants walked among the people
carrying trays of different foods.

The room
had a quiet and controlled atmosphere, even filled as it was. Yet Rowan felt
himself overwhelmed. The sensation was similar to what he had felt in Barrinell
and in Attica, where there were massive crowds and the press of bodies had made
him uncomfortable enough to seek escape.

The room
was not so full that Rowan was crowded; it was his senses that were
overwhelmed. So many bright colors, conversations, and people surrounded him.
Everything seemed to draw his eye. He could hear many conversations, but none
well enough to focus on. There was movement everywhere and he could not follow
all of it. There were smells; the sweet smell of fruit and food, but other
smells as well, these coming from the people. He shut his eyes for a moment to
block out all of the movement and the brightness, allowing himself to adjust to
this new environment. When he was ready, he opened his eyes and found that he
no longer felt dizzy from doing so.

Curious,
Rowan looked around at the people. Many had gathered in small groups and all
were dressed in fine clothing to show their wealth and status. Gems and jewels
glinted at Rowan from every angle, easily visible from their resting places
around the necks, wrists, and fingers of the women. Music played in the background,
a tune that Rowan was unfamiliar with.

Baird
led Rowan through the room, often stopping as people greeted him and made
inquiries as to how he had fared on his journey. His master made an effort to
be friendly and open, but he kept his conversations brief and avoided talking
about his time abroad in Terratreos.

At first
Rowan’s presence was largely ignored and people focused on speaking with Baird,
but every so often there would be a person who was more intrigued by Rowan’s
presence than Baird’s return. These tended to be the people who knew Baird or
were hungry for information and gossip.

Fortunately,
Baird had no trouble navigating them through the crowd. He was a large man and
people tended to move out of his way; Rowan simply walked behind him.

After many
discussions and introductions, the pair finally made their way to where King
Alden stood with Princess Eliza. They were surrounded by many groups, though
the people did not group together so thickly there as elsewhere. Rowan could
see many glancing towards the king and princess, trying to listen in on their
conversations without being noticed. King Alden himself was involved in a very
animated discussion with a fairly large, extravagantly dressed man.

“Greetings,
Majesty.”

“Baird,”
King Alden called, “I am glad to see you. And you brought young Rowan with you
as well. Fantastic! Come, join our discussion.”

Baird
stepped forward and Rowan saw him eyeing the man that King Alden was speaking
with. The man was well dressed in fine silks of orange and yellow and gold,
tied at the waist with a sash over his rather large belly. The man sported a
graying beard and an overstretched grin that looked to Rowan to be well
practiced rather than natural.

“I was
just talking with Lord Evans here,” King Alden said, gesturing towards the man.
“Fascinating man, he is. He was telling me how he spent some time over the past
couple of months touring the countries. Did you know that he went to Terratreos
as well?”

The king
grinned, but the comment caught Baird’s attention. It was no secret that Baird
had been abroad, but his master seemed reluctant to even admit to others that
he had been in Terratreos. All previous inquiries had been met with answers
that were polite and responsive while remaining vague as to what he had done and
where he had been.

“I was
not aware that Lord Evans had been abroad recently. He will have to tell me
more about his travels,” Baird said as he joined the conversation.

“Why, of
course I have travelled outside of the country,” Lord Evans said. “I very much
enjoy visiting the foreign lands, although I do not think I’d be able to live
anywhere abroad. Atlea is a fine country and very much to my liking. Though I
must admit, I have entertained the notion of purchasing land in Lauratrea. The
people are not quite as culturally refined, but the land is magnificent, if you
can bear the heat.”

“Lauratrea
is indeed a fine country,” Baird agreed. “But you said you travelled to
Terratreos, and I would much rather hear the details of your trip north.”

“Of
course, of course. But I think that at the moment you hold the much more
interesting tale, Sir Baird,” Evans said. “You have been gone for such a long
time and now you return with an apprentice. I am sure that we are all quite
anxious to hear your tales. More importantly, I would like to meet the young
boy that you have taken on as your pupil.”

Rowan
caught a flicker of annoyance from Baird. Lord Evans had avoided the question.
It was a small gesture, but Rowan noticed. Otherwise, Baird held back his
annoyance well, his face a perfect mask of calm. His master was exceedingly
good at that.

“I
suppose I do need to offer an introduction,” Baird said, taking a half-step
aside. “This is my apprentice, Rowan.”

Baird
gestured openly towards Rowan, who bowed and introduced himself.

“Greetings.
I am Rowan.” Rowan rose and met the eyes of all those focusing their attention
on him. He felt uncomfortable being the focus of so many, but resisted the urge
to shift or move, trying to appear calm, as though he belonged where he was and
he deserved the honors given to him.

Lord
Evans eyed him with interest. He seemed ready to question Rowan, but Baird
spoke before he had the chance.

Rowan
half listened as Baird recounted the same story he had given each time they had
been stopped throughout the evening. His master focused on how he met Rowan and
their travels together. He did not speak of how he had come to be in the Vale.

Rowan
kept his silence as it was not his place to talk. He made an effort to listen
to the conversation, but it was a story that he had lived, and not a very
interesting one besides. As Baird told of their stay in Attica, boredom took
over. Rowan occupied himself by observing others.