During Chapter Twenty-Five

On their second day in hiding, Acen pulled Joen aside.

"I need to know your intentions."

Joen hesitated before replying. Despite the time he'd already spent with the knights, he was a little uncomfortable. He knew exactly how important Lord West Draulin and his men were. He had grown up listening to stories about Telt lords and their friends tormenting Native Zians for no reason. But these men didn't seem anything like the kind he had always heard about. Three of the knights weren't even Telts, and then there was Finn.

Joen cleared his throat, and tried to not let Acen's demeanour intimidate him too much. The knight was both younger and shorter than Joen, but he carried himself with such authority that those other points went forgotten. Before the night Lord West Draulin appeared at his front door, Joen had never interacted with men of such high standing.

He tried for the right answer. "If Lord West Draulin allows it, I'd like to stay."

"It isn't up to him."

Joen was taken aback, by the words and the way Acen had said them. "I'm sorry, my lord. I don't think I understand."

"My job is to keep him alive, not to mindlessly obey him," Acen said. "If I thought his judgement was clouded I would challenge him. I've done it before. So when it comes to you staying or not, I'm going to make the final decision." He paused, and ran a hand across his face. Joen could tell the man was exhausted. They all were.

"So," Acen continued after a moment. "Finn likes you, and I trust his judgement. You can stay, but we're going to need your help. And if you make a single move towards Tannix—"

"Sir, I owe him everything," Joen interrupted eagerly. "Without Lord West Draulin my wife and daughters would be stuck in East Draulin. Without Finn I would have starved on the prison ship. And finally, without all of you, I would have died in prison. I need you if I hope to get back to my family, but I intend to pay off my debt first. Just tell me what to do."

Acen said nothing, and Joen was afraid he hadn't been convincing enough. He tried to think—how could he possibly assure the protective knight that he wasn't a threat? Before he could open his mouth, Acen nodded.

"We'll have to teach you how to fight."

Jeon nodded. All at once, his childhood dream of becoming a knight came back to him. It had always seemed so impossible. The easiest thing to do was apprentice with his father and take over the forge. He had given up his dreams of knighthood long before he had even married Catia. But now, maybe he could get a taste of it.

Eagerly, he said, "I think the war hammers suited me well, sir. They felt good in my hands."

"You were good with them," Acen agreed. He stepped back and eyed Joen in a new, thoughtful way. "They're unconventional in Teltish armies, but that doesn't bother me. Mandell and Evrik will be good to spar against. They're heavy weapons men. Their fighting styles will probably match yours best."

"Styles?" Joen echoed. He had no idea there was so much involved in fighting.

"Everybody has a unique style," Acen explained. "Based on cultural techniques, different types of weapons, personal preference, your size and speed, among other things. I'll have you watch the men. You'll notice slight differences. Kor and Ender are very quick on their feet, but they tend to be less aggressive. They would rather put distance between themselves and their enemies, and shoot. Jalor, Tannix and I tend to be more stationary but more aggressive. We grew up learning to fight, but even between us there are differences. Jalor prefers longer, two handed swords. I like swords I can use with my right hand, so I can hold a dagger in my left. Tannix prefers a shorter sword as well. Then Mandell and Evrik have the heavier weapons. Mandell is slow but unstoppable. Evrik varies, he likes having a shield but it does slow him down somewhat."

Joen nodded. He was looking forward to watching the knights fight and trying to pick out the traits Acen had described. "Should I learn how to use a sword, as well, sir?"

"We'll work on it, yes," Acen said. "And Joen, don't feel like you need to be so formal. Calling me Acen works just fine."

Joen hardly knew what to say to that. "Of course... what about the other knights?"

"Names all around. We don't worry about addressing each other properly unless we're in a meeting room. Out here, we're brothers. As long as the men listen to me, I don't care what they call me."

The answer surprised Joen, but he liked it. He suddenly felt a little more at ease. "I'll admit, I expected you all to be arrogant nobles. That's what everyone in the city says about Telt knights."

"Oh, we are all arrogant," Acen said, laughing. "The result of knowing we're some of the best knights in the kingdom, I guess. You should have seen us trying to get along at first, it was awful. We had to learn how to work together. And speaking of working together, let's see if Evrik has any advice for you."

The building wasn't big, but it took them a long time to find Evrik. They first checked on the room they all slept in. The injured Crelan, Joen knew they were named Kor and Ender but couldn't keep them straight in his head, was standing in the middle of the room. He was resting his weight on a makeshift crutch that was tucked under his arm. The other lord, Jalor, was standing nearby with his arms crossed. Lady East Draulin was sitting on a crate, watching curiously.

When the Crelan noticed Acen and Joen in the doorway, he grinned. "Acen, mate. Our physician made a crutch for me." He tried to turn, but the crutch caught on a crack in the tiles.

Jalor stepped forward to help him free it. "What did I tell you? You have to be careful. Why is it Crelans never listen to a word they're told?"

"Careful, mate. This crutch'll make a decent weapon, I reckon."

"Yes, and you'll fall over the moment you try to use it as one." Jalor adjusted the old cloth that was wrapped around the top of the crutch.

"Listen to him, Korender," Acen chastised affectionately. His use of the twin's full name really didn't help Joen determine which one he was. "We want you capable of moving when we leave."

"I'm not the problem, mate."

The jokey mood vanished and the men fell silent. Joen looked at the three knights and knew exactly what they were all thinking. They were already mourning Finn. He cleared his throat. "He's not gone yet, and he may pull through. He seems like a very strong young man."

"He is," Jalor agreed. "I would be more confident with some sort of medicine, though."

Lady East Draulin spoke for the first time, as she hopped off the crate and landed gracefully on her feet. "I might be able to help with that. Look, here," she walked across the room to stand in front of Acen and Joen, and held up her arm.

Her dress was torn and dirty, but Joen immediately knew what she was trying to show them. "Goldwork," he said, reaching towards her arm without thinking. His fingertips grazed the delicate embroidery around her wrist and he froze, suddenly aware of what he had done. People had lost hands for less. "My apologies, Lady East Draulin."

"Oh, no, go ahead and look," she said, waving her other hand dismissively. "I thought a craftsman such as yourself would have an idea of what to do with this."

Acen watched, a puzzled look on his face. "Goldwork? Are you saying those threads are gold?"

"Its probably silver coated in gold," Joen explained. "Given the right tools, I could pull out the thread and we could sell it. But it would destroy the dress."

Lady East Draulin gave him the exact kind of look his eldest daughter did when he made a bad joke. She glanced down at herself, at the stains and tears that had already ruined the dress. "That is a sacrifice I am more than willing to make. As long as I'm provided with something else to wear. Something sensible. And while you men figure that out, I'll pull the treads from the dress."

There was a new energy in the room. Joen turned to Acen, delighted to have found another way he could be useful. "If I take the thread into the city, I could definitely find a buyer. I probably won't be able to sell it for what it's really worth without drawing too much attention, but I could get money for food and medicine."

Acen nodded. "Excellent. We're in your debt, my lady. Thank you."

Lady East Draulin smiled. Once again Joen was struct by how young she was. How young they all were. "I believe it's the least I can do, given you and your men saved my life. I'll get right to work." She went back to sit on the crate once again.

"Right...well, Joen. Thank you for offering to handle this. I mean no disrespect, but you'll have an easier time out in the city. Just because..."

"The Deorans are looking for Teltan knights," Joen said. "I know."

"Yes. An Alvarian man speaking Teltish may be odd, but you'll certainly be more subtle than any of us."

"Zian-Alvarian," Joen corrected with a smile. "Don't feel bad about sending me out on my own. I'm glad there's something I can do to help."

Acen gave him an appraising look. "All right. Let's still fit some training in before the thread is ready." He looked at the knights. "Is Evrik upstairs?"

"Aye," the Crelan said. "He's with Kor, I reckon."

"Thank you. Keep practicing with the crutch," Acen added. "It's nice seeing you on your feet again. Let's go, Joen."

Joen followed him through the house towards the rickety staircase. On the way, they passed by the room Finn and Lord West Draulin were in. Acen hesitated at the open doorway, his gaze on the two young men in the far corner. For a moment Acen seemed lost in thought, then he turned abruptly to keep walking.

Just as Acen was about the climb the first step, Joen spoke. "Acen, I'd like to ask a question."

Acen sighed heavily but didn't turn around. "About Tannix and Finn," he guessed.

"In a way," Joen said. "I believe in Lovi's judgement, and I've seen other men who are in love. My question is about you, and the knights. I didn't think Telts approved of such things. But we all saw them kiss in the hallway. There was no mistaking it."

"Teltans... don't approve," Acen said. "But we're his men, and we're with him to the end. His feelings for Finn don't change who he is, or why we respect him. And Finn has more than earned a place in our family. Joen." He turned around, one hand still resting on the fragile railing. "That's what we are, really. A lord and his knights, yes. Lord West Draulin and the West Draulin Guard. But we're also brothers."

Joen met his gaze. Again, his old dreams of knighthood came to the forefront of his thoughts. These men weren't the knights Joen had grown up imagining. They weren't cold, stoic warriors. They were warriors, yes, but also people. Friends and brothers.

And Joen wanted to be one of them.