Skwyr Court

AskingQuestions

Kurgm walked with Master Ekla and the rest of the caravan along the road leading away from the court. It was a simple enough assignment, one they’d done several times before. Protect the caravan on its way to collect crops from the farms outside the walls of the court, then protect it on its way back. While the gardens were sizable, they weren’t enough to feed the entire city, making it necessary to have farmlands outside of the walls. While they had their own protection, especially after the incident just before the cold season, the caravan needed extra protection from thieves, dragons, and any passing forest creatures that were feeling angry that day.

Master Ekla had met Kurgm outside the tower with their orders and this information as justification. Kurgm had nodded, rubbed his eyes, yawned, and asked why they had to do it so early in the morning. He hadn’t gotten an answer for that one. Instead, a bag of trail rations and a water skin had been lobbed at his head, indicating that he was to eat on the way, and do so quickly, otherwise more objects would be lobbed at his head.

While Kurgm was slightly more awake than he had been at the time, Master Ekla kept elbowing him whenever she caught him starting to yawn.

“Don’t start, otherwise everyone else will start, and it doesn’t reflect well on the court,” Master Ekla hissed.

Kurgm nodded, still struggling to stay awake. The sun had only just started to peek out over the horizon, and they were nearing the farmlands. He’d learned early on in his time at the court that a master could have her apprentice’s identification orb go off early to wake them up when they needed to be somewhere earlier than usual. This would occasionally have a message with it. In his case, the message was always “Get moving. We have work to do.”

“You’re always awake at sunrise,” Master Ekla said, keeping her voice low. “Part of your whole ‘temple’ thing.”

“My temple thing?”

“The Sun Welcoming Ceremony, right?”

“Yeah, but I’m not usually walking a few miles, and I would’ve gotten more sleep.”

He nearly yawned again, but Master Ekla elbowed him before he could. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

The rising sun filtered through the trees around them, adding to the light from the orbs circling the caravan. There were three carts, all towing trailers for food, surrounded by a dozen knights. With the start of the harvest, they were to bring the food back for the court.

“Why can’t the farmlands be on the outskirts of the court?” Kurgm asked, putting his glasses back into place.

“You grew up in the castle. You should know the answer to that.”

“I never had time to explore or anything, remember? Our Lord True Knight had to split his time between us.”

“It was like having a little brother,” Master Ekla said. “That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be asking questions, though. When the court was built, they had to negotiate with the forest for the land. It was built inside the forest for protection, but they couldn’t clear out too much of it. The gardens were planted to provide for the court, but as it grew in population, they had to add the farmlands for food. Which is why the only road that leads away from the court goes right through the farmlands.”

“And we can’t live off the forest because…?”

“We have to respect the natural order. If we went around killing any animals we wanted, or taking whatever fruit or plants we found, it would slowly destroy the forest. Mother doesn’t allow us to take more than we need.”

“Who?”

“Mother. The tree who oversees the forest.”

Kurgm nodded, wondering why he’d never heard of Mother. Thinking about it, he had heard about her, but she’d never been referred to as “Mother”. Usually, it was “The Caretaker of the Forest” or the like. It never surprised him when Master Ekla knew things. She was a little like Aonva like that; both of them had their heads full of information.

He glanced back at the other knights. He realized that he was the only apprentice there, making him wonder if he was supposed to be there.

“Why am I the only apprentice here?”

“Most knights don’t think it’s safe to bring an apprentice for a caravan run after what happened before the cold season.”

That didn’t make Kurgm feel any better. He glanced around at the trees, wondering if there was something watching them. The thought of a dragon swooping down and attacking them crossed his mind, and he turned his gaze to the sky.

“Don’t worry. If we’re going to be hit, it won’t be until after we’ve collected the food,” Master Ekla said.

Once again, that didn’t inspire confidence.

“How’s Apprentice Aonva?” Master Ekla asked, likely as a way to take his mind off the possibility of an attack.

“I think she’s feeling better. It’s hard to tell, though. Her spells are working again, but she doesn’t seem upset about what happened. It’s like she’s waiting for Roshil to feel better or something.”

“They’ve been close friends for a while, that’s not going to disappear overnight.”

“Roshil enchanted her. Why doesn’t that make a difference?”

He kept his voice down so the other knights wouldn’t overhear. The night Roshil had enchanted Aonva, he’d been told not to talk about it. Master Ekla had explained that it didn’t reflect well on the court or the apprentices. Roshil would be punished by the court, but if people knew that she in particular had done something, it would complicate matters.

Why treat her different? he’d asked.

Because she is different, Master Ekla had replied, and once again, wouldn’t elaborate.

Kurgm had gotten some explanation out of Aonva about Roshil. Roshil had been cursed by a dragon years ago, which was why her eyes and hair were the way they were. It was also why most people didn’t trust her, and why they had been shunned from the Flower Blooming Ceremony a few months ago. It didn’t bother Aonva at all, and the more time Kurgm spent around Roshil, the less it bothered him.

The horses started making noise. Some tossed their heads. The knights ran to tend to them.

“Hold!” Master Ekla called, holding up her hand.

The entire caravan stopped. People started asking questions, but the other knights got them to be quiet.

Master Ekla’s nostrils flared as she took breaths through her nose.

Is she smelling for something? Kurgm couldn’t see anything in the trees around the road, but if Master Ekla had a bad feeling, he knew enough to trust it.

She stared into the trees and smelled the air again. Then she spoke in a language he didn’t understand.

That’s not Arcane.

Something in the woods called back to her in the same language. She spoke to it again. While her tone didn’t sound like anything he’d heard before, her body language suggested that she was trying to negotiate with the thing in the woods.

After a time, it let out a satisfied growl (Kurgm thought that’s what it sounded like), then Master Ekla called for them to proceed.

“What just happened?” Kurgm asked as they progressed.

“Elder Wolf sent one of her people to keep an eye on us.”

“Who did what?”

“The forest is broken into tribes by species, and each one is led by an elder. There’s a large wolf stalking us through the trees. I told him who we were, and that we meant no harm. Just a normal food run.”

“Okay, but… how?”

“The Language of Nature.”

“Still doesn’t answer my question.”

“I’m not just a master knight.”

“You’re a master druid?”

“An apprentice at the moment, but in a few weeks, I’ll be a master.”

Despite this being news to Kurgm, it wasn’t a surprise. He knew her too well.

In the distance, he saw the farmlands. The trees opened up as they reached the end of the forest. Master Ekla glanced back at the trees, then whispered something.

“Saying bye to your new friend?” Kurgm asked.

“Something like that,” she replied.

They pulled up to the farm where farmhands were waiting for them. There also several more knights around the area, more than Kurgm had seen in previous runs.

Must be because of the incident.

“Come on,” Master Ekla said. “We load, then we get back.”

That was fine with Kurgm. He wanted to get back and see Aonva again. In the back of his mind, he was worried Roshil would take advantage of his absence and pull Aonva back in again. Was she okay without him? What if he couldn’t protect her this time either?

“Apprentice Kurgm, wake up!” Master Ekla called.

He jumped to attention as she handed him sacks of food, which he passed to one of the other knights. They formed a line, moving sacks between them and into the carts.

“That should be the last of it,” came another voice from within the barns. A man walked out and greeted them. When he saw Kurgm, he smiled.

Kurgm’s face lit up when he saw who it was.

“Uncle Amnadm!”

#VolumeTwo #AskingQuestions

Kurgm’s uncle smiled warmly at him when he saw him.

“Kurgm, how—”

“We have to keep moving,” Master Ekla interrupted. “Master Amnadm, either stay here or come back to the court, but don’t hold us up.”

“I’ll tag along,” he said, still smiling at Kurgm. “It’ll give me time to catch up with my favorite nephew.”

“I’m your only nephew.”

They fed the horses, which gave Kurgm time to talk to his uncle.

“I didn’t know you were back,” Kurgm said.

“I got back yesterday. I didn’t think I’d be here long enough to visit, and I didn’t want to show up and leave again. But seeing as you’re here, I guess I’ll stay as long as I can.”

“No, please,” Master Ekla said as she kept everything running, “don’t let the court inconvenience you.”

“You haven’t changed at all, Ekla.”

“Master Ekla, and he’s Apprentice Kurgm. I know it’s been a while, Master Amnadm, but I don’t think it’s been long enough that you could’ve forgotten that.”

Amnadm smiled despite Master Ekla’s icy tone. “Not at all, Master Ekla.” He winked at Kurgm, who had to bite back a laugh.

Master Ekla glared at him and got back to work on preparing the caravan to move back out.

“I hope she’s letting you have some fun,” Amnadm whispered when Master Ekla was farther away. “She’s always been a little uptight.”

“I know. Our Lord True Knight sort of raised us together. I guess I’m used to her.”

“How long have you been an apprentice now?”

“Almost three years.”

“If only my sister could see you. Apprentice Kurgm, the pride of Skwyr.”

Kurgm smiled modestly. His uncle had always had a way of talking that made everyone feel proud of themselves. Kurgm could never figure out how he did it. Maybe that’s what Aonva needed, someone to feel proud of her. From what he’d learned of her parents, they certainly didn’t. Was that why she kept going back to Roshil?

“We’re moving out!” Master Ekla called.

She patted the horses and whispered something. It sounded like the same language she’d used earlier. What had she called it? The Language of Nature? Kurgm was beginning to realize how little he knew about druids. He knew they had to sleep among nature to retain their powers, but only because most of the master druids in the court slept in the gardens. Some apprentices did too, as he’d learned when one of them had shouted (or barked?) at Roshil a few weeks ago.

Maybe they know something’s wrong with her, too.

“Best not keep her waiting,” Amnadm whispered. “Who knows what she’ll do to us? Probably lecture us on proper etiquette.”

Once again, Kurgm had to bite back a laugh. He straightened up when Master Ekla glared at them.

One the way back, Amnadm made conversation with some of the other knights. He laughed and joked with them, making friends wherever he went. While Master Ekla had always embodied service to the court, Amnadm had always been Kurgm’s ideal standard of servant of the people. He could make friends with anyone, and he usually did. Why couldn’t Kurgm be more like that?

While they walked, Master Ekla remained on alert. She called into the woods a few times, but nothing jumped out and attacked them. Kurgm was relieved. Even though he was armed and had training, he hated fighting, a fact that never bothered Master Ekla.

Most knights rarely see combat, but you have to be ready to defend the court and kingdom at a moment’s notice.

The walls of the court loomed ahead of them. He’d lived his entire life inside those walls. To him, they offered safety and shelter.

The gates opened up for them, and the caravan passed through. They walked the road up to the castle, then moved around back to the serving staff’s entrance, where they offloaded the food.

“Now that that’s done,” Amnadm said, “what shall we do with the rest of our day?”

“You can report to Our Lord True Knight,” Master Ekla said. “Apprentice Kurgm has class.”

“Of course,” Amnadm said. “We’ll have to catch up over dinner then. You’ll have to introduce me all your friends.”

Kurgm nodded, then Amnadm took his leave.

Master Ekla kept him busy the rest of the day. Every time he brought up the topic of his uncle, she found something else to discuss. It wasn’t until before dinner that Kurgm found Amnadm again.

“Come on!” Kurgm said, eager for him to meet Aonva. “I want you to meet my friend!”

Kurgm walked Amnadm down to the kitchens.

“What are we doing down here?” Amnadm asked. “You’re supposed to eat in the great hall with everyone else.”

“I usually eat down here,” Kurgm said.

“Hm.”

They reached the room outside the kitchens where the serving staff ate their meals. As Kurgm had learned early on, they had to serve the food upstairs (using magic that Aonva had explained to him many times in as many words as possible), so they never ate during dinner.

Aonva stood up when they walked in.

“Uncle Amnadm, this is Aonva. Aonva, this is Master Amnadm.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Aonva said, standing at attention.

“I’m sure.” Amnadm turned to Kurgm. “Kurgm, I know you grew up in the castle, but that doesn’t mean you need to make friends with every member of the staff. I’m sure this girl is nice, but you’re an apprentice of the court, a few years away from being a master. You can’t be bothering with serving girls.”

Aonva visibly shrank and hung her head.

“No, sorry,” Kurgm said. “This is Apprentice Aonva.”

Instead of the cheerful demeanor Kurgm expected of his uncle, the same uncertain expression remained. Was it uncertainty? Kurgm couldn’t tell. Despite his best efforts, he still wasn’t good at reading people like a knight was supposed to be. About the only person he could read was Master Ekla.

“I see. Then neither of you should be eating down here with the serving staff. You should be eating upstairs like apprentices.”

“We’re allowed to eat down here,” Kurgm said.

Amnadm glared down at him.

“You will eat upstairs like an apprentice. I don’t care what she does, but you will come with me.”

Kurgm exchanged glances with Aonva. She hated eating in the great hall. The noise gave her a headache, something she didn’t need. Would she be okay on her own? What if Roshil saw Kurgm eating alone and got to the kitchens before he could stop her? What if Aonva did go up with him, and Roshil decided to sit with them?

“I’m sorry,” he said to her.

“I’ll be okay,” she said softly.

Kurgm walked out of the room, with Amnadm close behind him.

“You should rethink who you spend time with.”

“What?”

“That girl will drag you down. Her kind always do.”

Kurgm didn’t understand what he meant.

“I’m guessing her parents don’t do much either.”

“They’re cooks, I think.”

“Exactly. Serving staff. Probably sent her here so they could live off the court’s kindness. Typical immigrants.”

“But—”

“Bywin girls are only good for practice. Find a nice Skwyr girl, or else people will never take you seriously when you finish your apprenticeship. That’s why you can’t be eating down in the kitchens either. Eat upstairs like an apprentice. Marry a good Skwyr girl, preferably from a good family. Scraping the bottom of the barrel just says you have no ambition, no plans for the future, no concerns about those you spend time with.”

“Aonva is nice. She’s smart, and she’s hardworking, and she knows everything about—”

“I’m sure she does. But when the stress gets too much for her, she’ll crack and leave the court. The Bywin culture doesn’t value hard work like ours does. She’ll have been raised on that culture by her parents, and won’t be able to handle the stress of ours.”

“I… I guess that makes sense.”

Was Aonva already starting to break? She kept wanting to go back to Roshil. That couldn’t be normal, could it?

“She… she was enchanted by another apprentice a few weeks ago. She hasn’t been the same since.”

“See? Timid can seem cute, but all it does is attract people who take advantage of it. If she isn’t having one problem, she’ll be having another. Once you forget about this incident, I’m sure they’ll be another.”

“It wasn’t her fault, though. It was Apprentice Roshil—”

“Of course it was. It doesn’t surprise me that your ‘friend’ made friends with the dragon girl. And let me tell you something about her. Dragons don’t curse just anyone, especially not in Skwyr. It didn’t drop out of the sky one day and decide to ruin her life. No, there must’ve been a reason for it. There always is with these sorts of things.”

“This… It’s happened before?”

And why wasn’t I told about it?

“Of course. There are plenty of mentally damaged people that worship dragons. She likely sought one out and got in over her head. Why would it have picked her otherwise?”

Kurgm had never thought about why Roshil had been cursed. He knew she was, but… did she ask it to do something to her?

“When it didn’t go her way, she decided to pick on the weakest apprentice she could find. You think she’ll stop at cursing just one apprentice? If you aren’t careful, you’ll be next. The court should never have let her in.”

They walked back to the great hall while Kurgm wrestled with his words.

#VolumeTwo #AskingQuestions

Kurgm sat in the gardens the next day with Master Ekla and his newest attempt to be a normal, functioning person.

With them was a girl, Tabonda, who was in tears. As far as Kurgm could understand through the blubbering, the fifth-year apprentice had caught her boyfriend kissing another girl. Also as far as he could tell, this was not the first time she’d caught him doing so.

“I don’t know what I’m doing wrong,” she sobbed. “I’m good to him. I let him come back when he apologizes and promises not to do it again. He brought me earrings last time, and cleaned himself up, and looked so handsome in a brand new tunic his parents had bought him. But then he… he… he was kissing that… that…”

“While you’re choosing your words,” Master Ekla said, “let’s try to keep this civil.”

“That tramp!”

“Or we can resort to name calling,” Kurgm said.

“She is! She’s from Alforn, they’re all like that! You can’t trust any of them!”

That sounded like Amnadm. Was he right? Were the people of Skwyr the only ones they could trust?

Kurgm came back to reality and realized Master Ekla was staring at him. He tried to think of something positive to say. The first thing that popped into his head was Daylarl. He was from Alforn, and he was alright.

Although, Aonva had said he’d taught Roshil that breaking and entering was fine so long as you didn’t get caught, so maybe he isn’t the best example to lead with.

“They’re not all bad,” he tried.

He caught Master Ekla giving him a significant glance that he understood to mean “right, but not the point”.

At least I can figure out what she’s trying to tell me.

“I mean… that was awful what she was doing.”

“I know! With her hair all done up and covered in makeup.”

“She sounds awful.”

“She does,” Master Ekla said, “but have you considered that maybe you shouldn’t go back to your boyfriend?”

“But… he’s so sweet, and he buys me the nicest jewelry.”

“How many times has he done this sort of thing?” Master Ekla asked.

Tabonda sniffed, then blew her nose in a handkerchief. “I’m not sure.” She started counting something on her person. Looking closer, Kurgm saw she was counting jewelry.

Starting to notice a pattern here.

“Seven. Wait! Eight. I forgot the dress he got me.”

Master Ekla gave him her “you can take this one” look.

“If it’s about the things he gets you, there’s got to be someone else that can do that.”

Master Ekla’s face changed to exasperated. Once again, he’d gotten it wrong.

“Every time he does this, he buys you jewelry or clothes,” Master Ekla said. “You take him back, then within I’m going to guess a week, this whole thing starts over again. Right? This time he’ll come back with something expensive, promise to never do it again, and you’ll take him back, again.”

“Um…”

“Then after you two finish your apprenticeships here, which, considering you’re in your final year and are back at the castle means you’re finished soon — and keep in mind that you don’t know what he got up to while you two were on your fifth-year assignments in different towns — maybe you two get married. He buys you a nice dress, his family pays for a nice wedding, and you two settle down only for him to do this again. After a year or two of finding out that he’s been with every willing woman in town, all you have left is the shattered remains of your self-esteem and a lot of expensive things. Given that he doesn’t seem good at making smart choices, I imagine that when his parents leave him the family business, it will go under in a matter of days, if not hours, meaning not only will he not be able to buy you nice things, but you’ll have to sell the ones you already have.”

Both Tabonda and Kurgm stared at Master Ekla.

“You’ll eventually grow numb to this feeling,” she continued, “so get out now before it’s too late. Are your parents aware of any of this?”

“Of course. They like him.”

“Any parents that are aware of a man breaking their daughter’s heart repeatedly and are okay with him don’t care enough about their daughter. No, they like his family’s money. You aren’t something that can be bought and sold. You’re better than that, Apprentice Tabonda. You deserve happiness.”

Tabonda sniffed and dabbed at her eyes.

“You think so?”

Master Ekla took her hands. “I know so. Find a man that makes you happy, not one that makes you feel like this. No matter what your parents say. No matter how many expensive things he buys you, it’s not worth it.”

Tabonda stood up with a smile on her face.

“Thank you both so much.”

“Happy to help,” Master Ekla said.

“Good luck,” Kurgm added.

Master Ekla waited until she’d gone before talking again.

“Questions?”

“Several. How did you know all that?”

“It’s the story of every upper-class man and middle-class woman. Man’s family sends him to the court so we’ll educate him in something they need for the family business, usually an artisan, then pull him out before he completes his apprenticeship so he doesn’t have to serve the court for the rest of his life. We have to tolerate them because we need the family’s cooperation because the court doesn’t run itself. The woman’s family sends her to the court hoping that she’ll meet a rich man and make them all wealthy. Failing that, they can boast about their court-trained daughter at parties where they’re hoping to marry her off.”

She stood up.

“Come on. Time to go.”

“But… how do you know that?”

“Our Lord True Knight told me when I was his apprentice, and I’ve seen it time and again since becoming a master. It’s unfortunate, and I imagine the officers try to weed them out as best they can, but there’s only so much we can do. Our Lady Arch Mage probably saw something in Apprentice Tabonda that she liked, or wanted to get her away from her family to help her self-esteem and show her a better way. That’s why so many of the women in these situations are mages; Our Lady Arch Mage tries to help them.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be that good,” Kurgm said.

“You’re only in your third year here. There’s always plenty to learn.”

“But… it’s more than that. I can’t listen and think of an answer at the same time. I can’t seem to say the right thing with anyone other than Aonva.”

At least, I used to.

“It takes practice. Stop comparing yourself to other people.”

“My mother, Our Lord True Knight, my uncle, you…”

“Your uncle isn’t…” She stopped walking at the door to the castle. “I only had to think briefly about what I was going to say because I’ve said it to people over and over again. People are unique, but their problems aren’t. The question isn’t ‘What’s the solution?’, it’s ‘How do I phrase the solution so she’ll understand?’ Next time we run into that situation, you’ll be able to handle it better.”

“That’s what you said the last time we had a common problem. And the time before that.”

“And the time before that. This takes hard work and practice to get right. And don’t start complaining about how I did this faster. I—”

Without warning, she stopped talking and stared into space. Kurgm had seen this before; someone was sending her a message.

She held her hands to her mouth and whispered into them, then blew sparks out of her hand.

“Is everything alright?” Kurgm asked.

Master Ekla held up a finger to keep him silent. She took a few breaths (which Kurgm knew to mean someone was giving her orders), then sent another message.

“Come on.” She stepped into the castle without waiting for him to follow.

Kurgm ran to catch up with her fast pace.

“Where are we going?”

“We’re escorting an apprentice.”

Kurgm frowned. They’d never been asked to do that before.

“Why?”

“Because this particular apprentice isn’t allowed to walk the corridors unsupervised, and her master is busy.”

“And we’re not?”

“Not busy enough to ignore an order from an officer.”

When they arrived at the forge, Kurgm realized it was obvious who the apprentice in question was. At least, it would’ve been obvious to anyone with half a brain, which he clearly lacked. An apprentice whose master was an officer meant only two apprentices that he knew of: Roshil and Oshal.

“She’s just going to class,” Lord Grund said. “I’ve got orders to fulfill.”

“We’ll get her there, no problem,” Master Ekla said.

Roshil kept her gaze down. Her hair covered part of her face, something Kurgm didn’t think apprentices were even allowed to do, keeping herself unkempt. Maybe not unkempt, but untidy.

She doesn’t belong here, his uncle’s words echoed.

Master Ekla motioned toward the door, and Kurgm and Roshil followed her out of the forge. Once they were out, she walked between them.

Why do you think that dragon attacked her? They don’t just pick people at random.

Kurgm wanted to ask Roshil while he had the chance. He’d hardly seen her at all in the past few weeks. Maybe if he worded it right, it wouldn’t upset anyone.

Did it matter if he upset Roshil? Master Ekla might care, but why? After what Roshil had done to Aonva, did it matter if he rattled her a little? It wouldn’t be that bad just to ask her, would it? The worst she could do would be to ignore him, and everyone would be fine.

“Roshil—”

“Quiet, both of you,” Master Ekla said. “We’re walking Apprentice Roshil to class, then we’re going about our business.”

Kurgm knew the no nonsense expression on Master Ekla’s face. He’d have to wait to talk to Roshil. If he ate in the great hall, he’d see her again. As they walked into the school, he started to make a plan.

#VolumeTwo #AskingQuestions

That night, Kurgm ate in the great hall. He sat down and waited for Roshil to arrive. Just like the previous night, she arrived with the officers.

Master Ekla had said that Roshil wasn’t allowed to walk the corridors unsupervised. Kurgm hadn’t realized exactly how strict the officers were about enforcing it. Why had they called Master Ekla? What about another officer? Were they all busy?

Kurgm decided that didn’t matter. Roshil sat down at the same table as him, the same table she had yesterday, in the same spot.

Everyone rose when the officers walked in, and took their seats again when His Majesty sat down.

Food appeared, teleported up from the kitchens. Kurgm briefly wondered where Aonva was. Was she sitting alone in the kitchens? Had she opted to skip dinner entirely? Knowing her, she might have.

Roshil took some food from the middle of the table. Considering how much she normally ate — Kurgm was surprised she never seemed to grow any bigger — she must not have been that hungry. She proceeded to pick at her food.

“Roshil.”

She looked up when he called her name. He slid down a few seats to sit opposite her.

“Why did that dragon curse you?”

Roshil froze for a moment, then glanced at the officers sitting at the head of the great hall.

“I… I don’t know. It just did.”

Her voice was wavering. Did that mean she was lying?

“Dragons don’t just pick people out at random. It must’ve—”

“Oh, you’re here.”

Sirshi walked up and took a seat next to Roshil.

“You’re late,” Kurgm said.

“I was busy,” Sirshi shot back.

Considering how calm she always looked in the temple, Kurgm found it startling to see her so hostile.

“I finished early, and thought ‘Hey, I haven’t seen Roshil at temple in a while, maybe she’s in the great hall.’”

A flicker of a smile appeared on Roshil’s face, and she stabbed the meat on her plate with a little more enthusiasm.

She can’t even eat like a normal person.

“So what are we talking about?” Sirshi asked.

Kurgm adjusted his glasses. “Roshil was cursed by a dragon.”

“Really?” Sirshi gasped. “Truly? Honestly? You mean it?”

Kurgm glared at her. He knew she’d known already. Unlike him, she’d probably learned it from Roshil herself, rather than having to be told by Aonva. In fact, he wasn’t sure if Aonva and Sirshi had ever really spoken to one another.

“It didn’t pick her out at random. There must’ve been a reason for it.”

“I don’t know,” Roshil said, keeping her eyes on her food. “Why does it matter? It did it.”

“Did you ask it to?”

“Why would she do that?” Sirshi snapped, raising her voice. “What kind of lunatic would ask a dragon to curse them?”

“It must’ve had a reason,” Kurgm said, trying to direct his attention toward Roshil, who was trying to ignore them both in favor of her food that she wasn’t eating.

“Maybe it just found her. Who knows? Who cares?”

“She cursed Aonva. I just want to know why, and what else the curse might have done to her.”

“What?” Sirshi’s gaze darted between Roshil and Kurgm. She pushed her hair out of her face. “That’s ridiculous. Roshil wouldn’t do that.”

“She did, and now Aonva’s not herself. I want to know what else she did.”

Before Sirshi could raise her voice again, Master Ekla appeared over them.

“You three,” she said, keeping her voice down, “follow me.”

Of the three of them, Roshil was the only one who didn’t try arguing. Sirshi started to shout, Kurgm started to protest, but Master Ekla silenced them both with a glare that could’ve frightened the sky into turning green.

Master Ekla led them out of the great hall. Kurgm tried to ignore the people watching them leave and hoped he wouldn’t be hearing about that from Master Ekla later. They walked through the corridors into one of the study rooms. Master Ekla pulled chairs out from around the room and pointed at them in turn as she did.

“Now,” she said, still standing, “what happened?”

Sirshi and Kurgm started talking over one another, something Sirshi was much better at doing than Kurgm.

“Stop.” Master Ekla turned to Sirshi. “Apprentice Sirshi.”

“Your apprentice was lying about Roshil and asking her about the dragon that cursed her.”

“What? I didn’t lie.”

“You said Roshil cursed Aonva. They’re best friends or whatever!”

Master Ekla turned her neutral frown on Kurgm. “Why did you say Apprentice Roshil cursed Apprentice Aonva?”

“I was there.”

“When was this?”

“A few weeks ago. Remember? I messaged you afterward?”

“You mean the bracelet?”

“Yes!” Kurgm exclaimed, happy someone finally understood him. What was wrong with everyone?

“That wasn’t a curse. Apprentice Roshil enchanted a bracelet and knowingly gave it to Apprentice Aonva. Her punishment is being handled by her master, as it should be. Beyond that, it’s none of your concern.”

Sirshi looked from Kurgm, to Master Ekla, to Roshil, who’d been quiet the entire time. If Kurgm had to guess, she looked a little confused.

“The term ‘curse’ is assigned to permanent, negative effects, such as the one on Apprentice Roshil. What Apprentice Roshil did to Apprentice Aonva is called ‘enchanting’. Do not confuse the two. Had Apprentice Roshil cursed Apprentice Aonva, she would’ve been exiled from the court.”

Roshil sank lower in her chair. For a moment, Kurgm felt a little sorry for her. It passed when she remembered how Aonva had been acting for the past few weeks.

“But you didn’t,” Master Ekla said, turning to Roshil. “Everyone will be fine.”

“But what if that wasn’t the end of it?” Kurgm asked, thinking of all the times Aonva had talked about Roshil still. All the attention she kept paying her, all the times Aonva had thought about going back to Roshil. “What if—”

“Then Master Kaernin and Our Lord High Artisan will work it out.” Master Ekla shot a significant glance at Roshil, whose vacant gaze was trained on the floor.

“So stop picking on Roshil!” Sirshi snapped, adding a voice to the glance.

Kurgm moved his focus between Sirshi and Master Ekla, then settled on Roshil. Why was everyone defending her as if she’d done nothing wrong? Hadn’t she broken the rules? Why wasn’t she being punished?

No, Master Ekla said she was. She has to be supervised at all times. That’s punishment enough, I guess. But what about Aonva? She’s still suffering, isn’t she?

There was a knock at the door. They all turned to see Master Moudren standing at the entrance to the study room.

“Master Moudren,” Master Ekla said. “Thank you for coming. Would you please take Apprentices Roshil and Sirshi back to the great hall?”

“Is that it?” Sirshi asked. “Kurgm does all of this, and—”

“Apprentice Sirshi,” Master Moudren said, “please allow Master Ekla to handle this.”

Sirshi glared at her sister, but stood at attention nonetheless. Then she and Roshil followed Master Moudren out of the room, closing the door behind them.

“I’m glad you’re asking questions,” Master Ekla said, taking Sirshi’s seat beside Kurgm, “but just like earlier, you have to consider the effects your words will have on other people.”

“I know,” Kurgm said, hoping to head off the impending lecture. All he wanted was to go back to eating his food, which would be sitting next to Roshil and Sirshi, the latter of whom might eat it out of spite.

“You should understand the difference between an enchantment and curse. Even if you’re not a mage, it’s important not to confuse the two of them.”

“I told Master Amnadm what happened, and he called it a curse.”

“Master Amnadm knows?”

Master Ekla seemed alarmed by the news. What was so bad about his uncle knowing about what had happened to Aonva?

Although according to him, I shouldn’t have feelings for Aonva.

“Please don’t talk about what happened with anyone else apart from myself, Apprentice Aonva, or an officer. Is that understood?”

Kurgm didn’t entirely understand why he couldn’t talk about it with his uncle, but if Master Ekla was ordering him not to, she must’ve had a good reason for it. Even when she was an apprentice, she’d had a reason behind everything she’d done.

“Yes.”

“Good. I apologize if I didn’t make that clear before. Also, don’t ask Roshil about the dragon.”

“Master Amnadm said some people seek out dragons. That maybe—”

“Apprentice Roshil didn’t ask that thing to—” Master Ekla breathed in and out, visibly relaxing. “That’s not what happened. I repeat: Do. Not. Ask. About. The dragon.”

“But—”

“Apprentice Kurgm, I understand you’re not the best at understanding subtle cues, but I thought I made it very clear in my voice that no part of that was a suggestion.”

Kurgm was taken aback by her sudden rebuke, but understood that it wasn’t the time to ask questions.

Maybe I can get the hang of it.

“I understand.”

“Good. I’m sorry for snapping at you, but it’s a sensitive subject. We’re lucky it didn’t get worse.”

Kurgm nodded. He didn’t know the details of Roshil’s curse, nor what the dragon had done to her, but if Master Ekla said it wasn’t a good idea to talk about it, then he wouldn’t keep bringing it up.

“Aonva keeps talking about Roshil, like she’s going to go back to being friends with her. What if Roshil does that again?”

“They never stopped being friends,” Master Ekla replied. “You’ve only ever really known adults. I know it seems like we don’t make mistakes, but we make plenty. What’s important is that when we make them, we acknowledge and learn from them. That’s how we grow. Apprentice Roshil has done exactly that, and Apprentice Aonva is willing to forgive her. It won’t happen again.” She motioned to the door. “In the future, if you have doubts, please bring them to me first.”

“I will,” Kurgm said as they left the room.

They found his uncle standing outside, being his usual, cheery self.

“Is everything alright?”

“Fine,” Master Ekla said.

“Kurgm—”

“Apprentice Kurgm,” Master Ekla corrected.

“Of course. Apprentice Kurgm, I wanted to let you know that I’ll be leaving tonight. The court’s sending me south.”

“Oh.” Kurgm was a little sad to see his uncle go when he’d only just returned.

“Take care of yourself for me,” his uncle continued. “And remember everything we’ve talked about.”

“I will.”

His uncle gave him a brief hug, then turned and left.

“Remember what we talked about too,” Master Ekla said after Amnadm had disappeared down the corridor. “Adults make mistakes. And if you have any doubts, please bring them to me first.”

He looked up at Master Ekla and smiled. He’d known her most of his life, and knew her well enough to know she always knew what to do.

“Come on. Let’s get you back to the great hall before my sister eats your food out of spite.”

Kurgm followed Master Ekla back to the great hall, feeling a lot better about everything than he had that morning. He hoped Aonva was alright, wherever she was. He’d have to find her after dinner. Maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for them to spend time with Roshil again.

#VolumeTwo #AskingQuestions