Exton

I feel as lost as a pig in a palace.

Chiara and Star go off with Inari to talk to Tychus, who looks like the popular concept of Merlin or Gandalf. I stick around with the men; I know my letters and can express myself after a fashion, but I'm no one's idea of a scholar. I know fighting and strategy and precious little else. I leave teaching to those who are qualified.

Not that I won't do my share of teaching when Ru is old enough. He'll need to learn strategy and tactics, as well as weapons work. I imagine everyone will have a hand in that. We used to have a man in the mercenary corps I worked with who went by the title of Weaponsmaster. He used to laugh at that, saying no one man could be the master of all weapons; he could only teach us to use those weapons that were suited to us, and if he did his job well, we could survive to teach someone else. He was smart enough to learn from everyone he met, too, so he always had a new trick you hadn't seen before every time you sparred with him. I wonder whatever become of him....

Ru will be fortunate enough to have a whole variety of warriors to learn from, a number of fighting styles, a variety of weapons, from K'thyri's darts to my own axe, from dagger to broadsword. I realize with a sinking feeling that I'll be teaching my son to kill, and kill without remorse; it's a luxury he won't have if he's to be the prophesied Warrior. Hopefully, I can also teach him that killing without remorse is not the same as killing without conscience....

Splashing and giggling interrupt my thoughts, which is just as well. Eite and Ryan and Mera are playing in the water while our party strikes camp. Campfires are doused, tents disassembled and packed away, horses saddled... there's a low, constant murmur throughout the camp. I tilt back the last mouthful of my drink and go to wash the cup in the brook. Star and Ru are suddenly by my side. Star is calm, but I can read in her eyes her desire to be back home,and I'm just as happy to be on our way. Like they say... Fairyland is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.