The Apprentice (3 page)

Chapter 3
                           
 

Rowan woke up early the next
morning. The air was cold, so he chose to lie in bed for a time to enjoy its
warmth and comfort. He had not slept well with the thundering storm and the
anxious excitement about his decision. He had fantasized about his new life,
and fantasy had led to worrying.
What if the knight refused him?
Eventually Rowan had been too tired to stay awake any longer, but even his dreams
were filled with thoughts of his future.

With
this on his mind, Rowan glanced over to where the stranger slept, only to find
an empty space. Rowan worried that the man might have left, but most of the
stranger’s belongings were still lying beside the makeshift bed. He must have
risen earlier and left Rowan to sleep alone.

Rowan
spent a short while longer in his bed before he decided that it was time to
wake up and face the day ahead of him. He threw back the covers and sat up,
giving himself another moment to wake while he rubbed his eyes. His stomach
growled as he went to wash and he resolved to make himself breakfast once he
was clean.

He
splashed the water on his face and shivered as the icy liquid ran down his
neck. The cold helped to clear the drowsiness from his mind. He dunked his
entire head under the water, relishing the calm feeling it brought him. He
continued to wash the rest of his body and then he put on a change of clothes
before going to make himself something to eat.

The
house was still dark; neither Brennon nor Petar were up yet. Rowan made his way
down the hallway quickly and quietly, trying not to wake his father or his
brother. As he fixed himself a breakfast of buttered toast and eggs, he thought
about how he was going to tell Brennon that he had decided to leave. There was
no doubt in Rowan’s mind that Brennon would oppose his decision. He started to
feel guilty thinking of all the work that was going to be left undone. The
harvesting season was almost upon them
and
Brennon would need both Petar and Rowan to help with the crops and other
household chores. But even though he felt guilty, Rowan knew that this was his
chance to leave. He had the opportunity to go somewhere and if he didn’t do it
now, then he never would. There would always be something tying him down and
keeping him here. So he put his feelings of guilt aside and took his breakfast
outside.

The
storm had abated and though the morning air was cool and misty, it was not
raining. He was surprised to find himself alone. Rowan had been hoping to find
the knight so he could speak with him. Since the man was nowhere to be seen,
however, Rowan returned to the kitchen to ponder his problems while he ate.

After a
short while alone, Rowan heard a door open and close. He listened to the
footsteps as they made their way towards the kitchen and sighed with relief
when it was Petar who joined him.

“Hello,
Petar,” Rowan said, acknowledging his brother.

“Good
morning,” Petar replied, fixing his own breakfast. A short silence followed.
Rowan didn’t know what to say.
Should I act normal and try to avoid the
inevitable conversation or broach the subject of leaving now?
In some ways,
Rowan felt that it was going to be harder and more uncomfortable to talk to
Petar.

Petar
finished making his food and sat down across from Rowan. They both ate in
silence until Petar decided to speak.

“Where
is the stranger?”

“He was
gone when I woke, but his belongings are still here.”

“Where
do you think he went?” Petar asked between bites. “We live in the middle of the
forest. There is nowhere to go, and even if there was, he does not know the
land.”

“Perhaps
he woke early and wanted to explore the forest.”

“Maybe
he had to relieve himself,” Petar joked. “What I am truly curious about is
where the man came from.”

“What do
you mean?”

“Like I
said, we live far from any other villages and there are no cities in the Vale.
What could bring a stray traveler here, of all places?”

“You
should not pry into the business of others.”

Brennon
stood in the doorway. Rowan wondered how long his father had been there. How
long he had been listening?

“What
brings that man to our land is no business of ours. If he wishes to speak of
it, then he may do so. Otherwise, I will have the two of you acting with
courtesy and respect and not troubling our guest.”

Brennon
filled his plate, leaving plenty for the absent guest. He sat down with his
boys and ate. Baird, the stranger, did not return for over an hour. When he
came back, he did not address his absence. He took what food was left and thanked
them for the courtesy of a meal, though it had long since grown cold.

“Not to
be rude, but do you plan on staying with us for another night?” Brennon asked.

The
stranger was in mid-bite, so he took a moment to chew and swallow before he
answered.

“I very
much appreciate your hospitality, but I am in a hurry. I have a long road to
travel and I wish to return as soon as possible. I plan to be gone by midday.”

Rowan’s
pulse quickened. He felt a sudden sense of urgency that he had not felt before.
How would he find the time to convince, or at least inform, his father? He
would need to act quickly. He wondered if it might not simply be better to
leave without telling his family. He could try to follow the knight until they
were away from his home and the knight had no choice but to allow him to come
along.

“Might I
suggest that you stay for another night? Or you might stay in town, if you
would prefer. It is not so far away,” Brennon said. “I fear that the storm has
not truly passed, and that the worst has yet to come. It could be quite
perilous to travel the mountains of Corrinth in such bad weather.”

“It is
lightly showering, but the weather is not so bad outside. The storm seems to
have come and gone, and I plan to follow it. If I make haste, both the roads
and the weather will be clear.”

“I have
lived in these mountains since birth, as have my father and my grandsire. This
land is in my blood, as it is in my sons’ blood, and I am telling you that this
storm is not over. It has abated for the while, but it will return with a
vengeance and you will regret your departure.”

The
knight considered Brennon’s advice in silence while he ate. Petar left the
house to do what chores he could while the weather was manageable. Rowan should
have followed, but instead he lingered in the hopes that he might be able to
speak with the knight. He cleaned the dirty plates, trying to appear busy.

“Get to
your work, Rowan. When the weather sours, then it will be time to do housework.
Until then, go and do what work you can. Prepare the land and the animals for
the storm and help your brother.” Rowan couldn’t think of any way to argue, so
despite his desire to stay inside, he left his father and the knight to go find
his brother.

Before
leaving, Rowan fetched his cloak. It was an ancient, threadbare thing that had
more patches and tears than he cared to count. The cloth was faded and every
edge was weathered, worn and frayed. Still, it kept the damp away and offered
some small amount of warmth.

Rowan
found Petar tending to the animals. His brother had always been better with
them. If their father was right and the storm was not over, the animals would
need extra feed and they would need to be sheltered.

“What
needs to be done?”

Petar
looked up from what he was doing. As he often did, he took a moment before
answering. It was an old habit. Petar preferred to take his time when forming
his words so that he did not stutter or misspeak as he had when younger.

“You can
help me gather feed for the animals. They’ll need extra in case the storm
returns.”

“Have
you fed any of them yet?”

“No. I
gathered eggs from the chickens, though. You should go and feed them. If you
help me with the rest of the chores, we might be done within the hour.”

Rowan
left to do as Petar suggested. Every moment he wasted outside on chores was
time that could be spent trying to convince the knight to take him away. He
wanted to hurry so that he might return before the knight left.

He found
the chickens in a state of agitation. They were clucking and running around
wildly. When he spread the feed, many of them flocked to it as though they had
been starved, but a number of the fowl took no interest, which was unusual. But
Rowan could not force them to eat; he could only leave them with an excessive
amount of feed and let them eat at their own pace.

When
done, he returned to help Petar with the chores that remained. They worked
together in silence for a short while, finishing the daily chores and preparing
for the storm. Rowan worked quickly with the goal of returning so he could
speak with the knight.

“Are you
planning to leave us?” Petar’s question broke the silence. For a moment, Rowan
thought that he had imagined his elder brother’s question, but Petar had
stopped working and was staring at him intently. Rowan was at a loss for words.

“How did
you—”

“Know
that you were planning on leaving?” Petar finished Rowan’s question. “I saw the
way you were looking for the stranger this morning. The look on your face when
you thought he had left. You have wanted to leave Corrinth for a long time, and
to you this stranger must seem to be the escape that you have always wished
for.”

Rowan
did not know how to respond. That he had not denied his brother’s words already
confirmed the truth. But for all of the times he had said that he wished to
leave, now that he had the chance to do so he felt shame for wishing to leave
his brother and his father behind.

“So I am
right. You truly do intend to leave us.” Petar looked sad. “I had hoped that
your wish to travel and see the world would never amount to anything. Not out
of a desire to keep you from living your life, but rather as a hope that you
could learn to be content with this land as I am, to love this land as Father
does.”

Rowan
took a moment and gathered his thoughts, deciding what to say.

“You are
not wrong.”

“Of
course I am not wrong. We are brothers, Rowan. I know you and I know your
desires. I may not fully understand it, and I may not agree with you, but I
accept your wish to leave. This is not your place.”

Rowan
knew the truth of what his brother said. He felt it every day.

“Am I
truly so easy to understand? Does Father know my intentions as well?”

“I don’t
think so,” Petar said. “Father knows of your wish to leave, but I think that
deep inside he denies the truth of it. He refuses to accept that you do not
intend to stay.”

“Of
course not. He does not understand me,” Rowan said. “What would he know about
the way that I feel?”

“You
should not be so hasty to judge. He has always lived here and felt at home
amongst these hills. It is hard for him to understand that you view this place
as a cage. And I imagine that even if he understood, it would be hard for him
to accept that you would choose to leave us.”

Rowan
turned from his brother and pulled up the hood of his old cloak, letting it hide
the pain on his face. The way his brother spoke made him feel terrible, as
though he was betraying his family.

“I think
our work is done. There is little more that we can do.” Petar turned and walked
back towards the house, leaving Rowan to follow at his own pace.

Rowan
stood alone for a moment, his resolve to leave beginning to waver. He wanted to
see the world so badly, to find his place within it. He knew that Corrinth was
not where he belonged, but perhaps it could be if he gave it time. He did not hate
it so much, and he saw no way of making his father understand his feelings. But
even with such thoughts and feelings, Rowan found it hard to imagine himself
staying.

Petar
was nearly back to the house, so Rowan did not bother hurrying to catch up. He walked
slowly, following in the footsteps of his elder brother. When he reached the
house, he found Petar and his father standing in the main room with their
guest. Brennon was speaking with the knight and Petar was standing off to the
side.

“I would
urge to stay another night. It will not be safe to leave now. These hills are
treacherous in poor weather.”

“I thank
you for your advice, but I must depart.”

Rowan
went over to where Petar stood leaning against a wall as he observed.

“The
knight is leaving,” Petar said. “Your chance to leave with him is slipping
away.”

Rowan
did not respond. He could see it for himself, it was what he had dreaded. His
chance was slipping away from him.

“You
should speak up. Take your chance now while you have it.”

“I
can’t. Not in front of Father.”

Petar
made a sound of disapproval but he said nothing more.

“My
decision to leave is final. I will not change my mind.”