The Apprentice (38 page)

How had
it happened? Baird suspected he would never find out. The princess would never
have taken such an interest in Rowan before. She had resented the boy too much
because of his apprenticeship.

Baird
drew a long breath and thought on the problem he faced.

These
meetings were innocent enough for the moment. He thought about allowing them to
continue and trying to watching over them on occasion, but he had neither the
time nor the energy to watch over these children. His mind was made up. He
already had difficulty with Eliza, whom he had taken to watching over much more
carefully than he had in the past. He had to ensure that the bond which developed
between Rowan and Eliza never became anything more than one of friendship and
fealty. In a different time, given guidance and supervision, such a
relationship would have been the ideal way to foster loyalty and fealty. Baird
had been fostered with Alden as a boy. It was an old tradition. A sense of
kinship would allow a man to act with unquestioning loyalty. A man would die
for a friend. But this was not the time for such a thing, especially not with a
princess. It was dangerous.

More
importantly, he could not allow Eliza to roam around without a guard. A threat
was looming and the royal family might no longer be safe within the walls of
their own castle. Baird had to end these secret meetings.

It
may sadden them both, but it will be for the best,
Baird thought.
And perhaps I can
find a way to fill the empty hours
.

Chapter 36
                     
 

Rowan was enjoying himself. Ever
since the Revel had ended, he felt as though he had truly found a place for
himself in Estoria. His victory in the swordsmanship competition had given him
confidence and a reputation. Others had always regarded him as skilled with a
blade, but he was a loner, his skill only isolating him further. Now he had
gained both friends and companions. Some were rivals, others sought to learn
from him.

He and
Erik had grown as close as brothers. They knew each other well and they were
often together. At Erik’s insistence, Rowan had even moved to a different bunk,
one closer to the other boys. He had not known such a thing was allowed,
assuming the bunk each boy was given had to be kept, but he learned that it was
common and that by paying attention, one could track which boys were on good
terms. At home, Rowan had always had Petar’s constant companionship. They
fought and argued as all brothers did, but if Rowan was ever bored, he had
always been able to look to Petar. Rowan missed his brother and his father, but
he found their absence easier to bear in the presence of others.

And in
Princess Eliza, he found a different sort of companionship.

When
Rowan had first met Eliza, he had worried. Their relationship had been rocky
from the start and prior to the Revel they had only just established a mutual
sense of acceptance. But Eliza had helped him during the Revel, and true to her
word, she never told anyone about that night. He’d felt that he owed her
something, and so when she accepted his offer to teach her swordsmanship, he
made good on his offer. He had expected that she would grow tired of him
quickly and give up on the lessons, but she proved him wrong and in her, Rowan
had found a different sort of companion. One that he could talk to freely.

She had
surprised him one day when she asked about his home, about his past. He had
told her about his life before meeting Baird and about his desire to see the
world. He described his home in Corrinth, talking about the village and the
people and his family, something he had not discussed with others. He even
spoke of his early fears from when he’d travelled with Baird, about Baird
having a family, a son, who he might return to. The princess had laughed so
hard that she snorted.

Eliza
confided in Rowan as well, telling him many things. They would often spend time
talking together after the lessons, and Rowan found that her companionship was
beginning to fill the void of Baird’s ever present absence.

So when
Rowan received a summons from his master, he was surprised. He had not heard
from Baird for more than a week and the summons came at a moment when his
master’s absence had not been the foremost thought on Rowan’s mind.

Nevertheless,
Rowan was glad to hear from his master, though he found it odd that Baird would
send for him with an official summons. Such things were not Baird’s way. When
his master wanted something done, he would do it himself. Not in all things, of
course. Baird allowed the cooks to cook, the servants to clean, and he
sometimes trusted the guards to protect. But he did not often send for people
in an official manner.

It was
late afternoon, and Rowan stared down at the note that a young messenger had
run to him. He had been summoned to meet Baird in just over a half hour. After
a length of time spent separated, it would be good to see his master again.

He idly
wondered whether or not he should bring Tenro with him. The note said nothing
of sparring and a summons to the castle meant it was unlikely that a blade
would be called for. Rowan wondered if he would even be allowed to carry his
weapon within the walls of the castle. He was no knight or soldier or guard. He
was a farm-boy turned apprentice, and though the blade was his own, it would
likely be a breach of etiquette for a trainee to wear a blade. But without his
sword, Rowan felt naked and exposed. He enjoyed feeling the weight at his hip,
so he grabbed Tenro and hoped that no one would object or try to take it from him.

Though
he was short on time, Rowan left the barracks and took the longer path to the
castle, bringing him by the mess hall. He didn’t want to miss another dinner.
He ducked inside, hoping that there might still be some lunch left over, or
perhaps an early bit of dinner that he could wheedle from the cooks. He was in
luck and his trip earned him a bit of bread, some hard meat, and a delicious
slice of cheese. Rowan thanked the cook, eating as he left, well aware that he
was now running more than a little late.

He
hurried from the mess hall, jogging past Erik as he left. He hadn’t the time to
stop and talk so he shot his friend a grin and gave him a brief wave as he
passed. He quickly found and asked permission to leave, showing the head
trainer the note and informing him of where he would be going. It probably
wasn’t necessary, but Rowan wished to err on the side of caution. Darius seemed
to watch him closely and had told him off for some of the times that he had
gone to meet with Eliza.

The head
trainer looked over the piece of parchment and Rowan could have sworn that the
trainer grinned when he asked for permission to leave.
Perhaps I should be
more subtle when I go off to meet Eliza.

“You may
go,” Darius said after a moment. He handed the parchment back to Rowan. “Give
Baird my thanks when you see him.”

“What
for?”

“He
helped me with an issue that I had. It is of little concern to you.”

Darius
turned away and though Rowan’s curiosity was roused, he left the trainer alone
and headed off towards the castle at a brisk pace, knowing that Darius’
business was his own. Perhaps Baird would tell him.

He made
his way through the barracks and around towards the rise that was built into
the plateau to connect the castle with the training fields. Baird’s note got
him through the gate, but Rowan had to ask the guards where to find Baird’s
newest quarters. He was pointed to the far side of the castle, to an adjacent
building that was connected by covered walkways at each level.

Rowan
wandered around, taking his time as he walked through the hallways and made his
way up the stairs to Baird’s chambers. He passed servants, several of whom gave
him odd stares. This building was far less extravagant than the main parts of
the castle that Rowan was familiar with. The paintings that lined the halls
were faded and dull. The displays were older and some of the metals were in
need of a good polishing. There was dust. Yet even so, it all spoke of a vast
wealth and a great sense of culture.

Rowan
knocked on Baird’s door out of respect for his master’s privacy and waited for
permission to enter. The door swung open barely a moment later and Rowan stood
facing Baird.

“You
brought your sword.”

“I did.”

Baird
waited with arms crossed, saying nothing and making no move to allow Rowan to
enter. Rowan sighed. It seemed as though his master wanted a more thorough
answer, though technically no question had been asked.

“I
prefer to carry Tenro with me in case I need it. I didn’t, and still don’t,
know why you summoned me and I had hoped that we might get a chance to spar.
Even if we don’t, I like the weight of it. It makes me feel complete.”

Baird
grunted and moved aside to let Rowan enter the room. In contrast to the rest of
the castle, Baird’s room was bare and unadorned. Everything about it spoke of
bare necessity; there was nothing for comfort or luxury. It was a room which
seemed entirely useful and yet devoid of any personality.

At the
far side of the room was a desk, covered with several sheets of parchment as
well as some common writing utensils. There were several candles, all of which
had been burned down to nubs and needed replacing. The bed was larger than
average and an empty night stand stood next to the headboard. The bed was still
made, and from the way that Baird appeared it was not because he kept a neat
room. Rowan wondered why Baird was not sleeping well, and what could possibly
be important enough to keep such a man awake at night.

“You
don’t seem overly impressed with my quarters,” Baird observed.

“There
isn’t much to be impressed with,” Rowan said without thinking.

Baird
laughed, his serious expression fading. “Right you are, Rowan. Though to be
honest, I prefer living this way. I do not require very much. I have a bed that
fits a man of my size and a desk when it is needed. I store Sidia in its
scabbard and everything else is secondary. If a need arises, I can find
whatever I require elsewhere in the castle. But I did not call you here so that
you could see my quarters. I called you here so that we might talk.”

“You
only want to talk? Why not send me a message telling me whatever you wanted to
say? Or just come and see me?”

“Was it
too much effort for you to come here?”

Rowan
didn’t answer.

“Perhaps
you have a right to be annoyed,” Baird said. “But I never act without reason. I
called you here because I would prefer to speak in person and as your master I
am entitled to certain privileges, such as summoning you. Besides, my presence
around the barracks causes a disturbance and I do not wish to upset the
trainers any more than is necessary, which is one of the reasons that I will
not continue frequenting the barracks to observe you.”

“What!”
Rowan’s voice was near to shouting. He fought to control his emotions and quiet
himself, to keep from allowing his anger to overcome him. He already felt
abandoned. For Baird to stop seeing him entirely would be a betrayal.

After
being silenced by Baird and forced to take his seat, the big man continued to
speak.

“You
must to learn to control yourself, Rowan. Your emotions should not control you like
that.” Rowan bowed his head in shame, taking the criticism to heart. He really
shouldn’t have had such an outburst. Baird continued. “As I was saying, I will
not be coming to the barracks to observe and train you anymore. It will only
cause a disturbance if I participate in the practice sessions that you have
begun to lead, something which I approve of, by the way. Instead, you will now
be coming to me so that I can continue your education beyond what the trainers
are teaching you.”

“So we
won’t be sparring?” Rowan asked.

“Of
course we will continue to spar. You are growing into a competent swordsman,
but you still have very much to learn. The day that you are able to beat me,
that is when we will no longer spar together. But until then, you still have much
to learn, and my teachings will no longer be limited to swordsmanship. There
are other, more important things that you must learn as my apprentice.

“Today
we will spar, since you brought your blade. Though we will not be sparring at
the training grounds. Instead, I have arranged for us to have the use of a
different field so that you might have a change of scenery.”

“How
often will we do this?” Rowan was excited at the prospect of being with Baird
again. His master’s lessons were invigorating and Rowan enjoyed the renewed
sense of trust in their bond as master and apprentice.

“We will
meet every day, provided that I am not engaged with some urgent matter. When
that happens, I want you to hold extra practice sessions with your peers.”

“Won’t
this interfere with my regular training schedule?” Rowan asked, suddenly aware
of the difficulty that this would cause for his meetings with Eliza. Training
with Baird every day would make it extremely difficult for him to sneak off to
see her.

“This
will supplement your daily training session and your work with your peers.
Instead of having free time to train as you see fit, you will join me. And I
want no complaints. Since you brought your blade, we will begin today.”

Rowan
felt his insides twist into a knot. It was quite possible that Baird had taken
note of his many unexplained absences, but Rowan had been very careful to cover
his tracks so that no one knew exactly what he was up to. Even Darius had been
unable to follow him, though Rowan knew that the trainer had tried on several
occasions. For Baird, this was likely a means of ensuring that Rowan was
focused and preventing him from sneaking off or getting into trouble. His
master might also have wanted to rekindle the connection between them that had
been fading with his absence. It was probably a mix of both. But it was going
to be a serious inconvenience for Rowan. His meetings with Eliza would become
incredibly difficult, if they were possible at all.

As Baird
stood and grabbed his own blade, Rowan suddenly remembered something.

“Darius
wanted me to give you his thanks. He did not say what for.”

“Did he
now?” Baird’s mouth tugged upwards at the edge in a slight grin, but his eyes
did not seem to share the same enthusiasm. They bore a somewhat pained look. “I
suppose he does owe me his gratitude.”

Rowan
tried to get his master to speak more on the matter, but Baird would not. He
brushed past Rowan, tight lipped and without a word. Recognizing a lost cause,
Rowan gave up. He was not overly curious about the issue anyways. It did not
seem to involve him.