An Aimless War - Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Tannix dueled all six of his knights. Acen and Jalor fared best against him, and Mandell's brute strength almost won him his duel. The twins and Evrik didn't hold their own nearly as long. Tannix was an incredible fighter. It quickly dawned on me that the only time I had actually seen him fight was against the pair of assassins that had attacked him in the Order. A fight he only won because I threw myself at the second attacker, pushing him over the edge of a wall and almost killing myself in the process. Even then, in the dark, my untrained eye had seen his skill. Now, as I watched him fight each of his knights, his raw talent was even more apparent.
After they had both dueled against him and lost, the brothers challenged Tannix to a shooting competition. It became very clear that Tannix was no archer. The twins arrows hit the centre of every target they shot at. Tannix always managed to hit the target, if barely. After their contest, Evrik eagerly challenged Tannix to another duel, this time with axes and dented wooden shields. Evrik won effortlessly.
I sat cross-legged at the side of the courtyard, on top of a small half-wall. Watching the fights was fascinating. Not only for the actual fight, but for what I was learning by watching them all interact and listening to them talk. The knights were very informal, joking and laughing in such a natural way that I often found myself joining it. Tannix was clearly one of them. They treated him with respect, but at the same time just like another knight. The men were obviously Tannix's friends. He was so comfortable with them, even after five years apart.
During another round of friendly fighting between Tannix and Acen, Evrik sat beside me. I tried to ignore him and watch the duel, but he nudged me lightly with his elbow. The twins were leaning against the wall not too far off, clearly watching. Obviously, Evrik had been sent to talk to me.
"Yes, sir?" I asked politely.
"The twins and I were wondering... you're from Zianna, yes? The streets?"
I nodded warily. "Yes."
"So how did you meet Tannix?"
I had no idea what we were going to tell everyone, Tannix and I hadn't discussed it. "I, uh... I'm not sure if I can tell you."
Evrik ran a hand through his scruffy hair. "All right, well, that's certainly suspicious. How's this. You can ask me some questions first."
That wasn't going to help with my dilemma, but I was curious about him. "Can you explain the whole trial thing?"
He laughed. "Oh, that's easy. So when a Tandran turns ten, contests are held to find their personal guard. Different units in the army can put forth candidates. Noble families often make their sons try out. As long as you can prove you're capable of fighting, you're allowed to enter. The goal is to get a group of six fighters with various talents, who are also fairly close in age."
"How old are you?" I asked.
"Twenty-three," Evrik replied. Then, having anticipated my next question, gestured at every other knight in turn. "The twins are twenty-two, Acen's twenty-four, Mandell's twenty-six and Jalor's twenty-eight. Actually, Jalor was a bit old to try out."
"But if you were only fourteen at the tryouts, how could you possibly be one of the best there?"
"Well, my friend, keep in mind I wasn't fighting grown men. I was fighting other fourteen-year-olds. And I have a trick."
"Show him," one of the twins called over, proving that they were eavesdropping.
"All right. Watch this." Evrik got to his feet and turned to face one of the straw archery targets. He unhooked a small axe from his belt and held it lightly in his right hand. He went still for a moment, then he held up his hand and threw the axe.
It slammed into the centre of the target and stuck there, the axe's blade firmly buried in the straw.
Evrik turned and grinned when he saw my wide eyes. "I can do knives, too. But I'm an axeman, so..." He shrugged and went to retrieve his axe.
The twins appeared on either side of me suddenly. I thought it was Ender who leaned closer, like he was telling a secret, and whispered, "His axes can't go nearly as far as an arrow, but it's a useful trick."
"Just don't tell anyone that we're admitting it," the other one added. They both shifted to sit straighter when Evrik strolled back up to us, tucking his axe back into his belt.
"Any more questions?" he asked.
I glanced between the three of them. "I always assumed knights were all lords."
"Maybe in some cities," one twin said.
"Aye, to their detriment," the other added. "In most places we would just be considered sailors."
The other one interjected. "Which we also are."
"But we also outshot dozens of noble Teltish brats. Not that we have anything against our handful of noble Teltish brats."
Together, we all looked to see that Tannix was now watching Acen and Jalor spar. Mandell was standing nearby with his huge arms crossed.
"What about Mandell?" I asked.
"Mandell was a farmer, same as me," Evrik said. "We've come a long way. The pay I earn now in a month is twice what my family's farm earns in a year."
Immediately I turned back to him. "Really? You make that much money?"
Evrik nodded towards Tannix. "Look at who we're guarding. Lord Tandrix of West Draulin is one of the most important people in this kingdom. He likes to downplay his worth."
"And we like that he comes to the barracks and acts like a normal knight with us," the twin on my left said.
"Aye. He's a good lad," the one on my right added. "Even this, coming down here and dueling with us all on his first day back. It's fun, but there's more to it than that."
I nodded thoughtfully. "He wants to show you that he's improved. He wants you to respect his abilities as opposed to his title."
"You know him well," Evrik said. "So, will you answer our question now?"
I already liked these three younger knights. I liked the way they bickered, how they talked over each other, and how easily they had involved me in their conversation. I wanted to tell them the truth, I just didn't think I could.
"What are you all talking about?" Tannix saved me by joining us. "Are you interrogating him?"
"No, mate," one twin said. "He's been interrogating us about trying out for your guard and how much money we make."
Tannix didn't seem surprised to hear that. "Well, I need to get back for dinner, and I doubt my parents will be impressed if I show up smelling like this. So let's go, Finn. A pleasure, gentlemen. I'll come down again tomorrow. Ender? What are you doing?"
The twin on my left stood up just as I did. "Now that you're back in West Draulin, Acen's put us back into our guard rotation. It's my turn, until Kor takes over for the first half of the night shift."
"I survived five years without a guard, I think I can make it to dinner on my own. Take this last night off to relax."
"We've relaxed for five years, mate. We're a tad bored."
"Aye, that we are," Kor agreed.
"There's no use arguing," Ender said. "You may be our lord, but that doesn't mean we're going to leave you alone just because you've told us to."
Tannix just smiled. "All right. Let's go."
Tannix's chamber was larger than I had imagined it to be, but for no apparent reason. His huge, very comfortable looking bed was on the left, with the headboard against the wall. The bedding was blue, which was the least surprising part of the room, and heavy blue curtains could be drawn around it for privacy. Opposite the bed, comfortable armchairs and a couch faced a fireplace. A painting of a woman wearing white hung on the stones of the chimney. One corner of the room had a wardrobe, dresser and a changing screen. The other corner had a desk and bookshelves. The stone floor was covered in colourful carpets.
We were high enough in the castle that his windows looked over the fortress wall. I walked across the room to stare out the windows, at the endless blue ocean stretching into the distance. I would be able to watch the sunset through these windows.
Tannix was moving around the room behind me. I dragged my attention from the windows and wandered over to his desk. It was empty aside from a small wooden ship, which I gently picked up and inspected. It looked like a very accurate model.
"My uncle bought me that on Crele," Tannix said.
I glanced up and almost dropped the ship. Tannix was in his dressing area, but he hadn't pulled the screen closed. His recently abandoned tunic was draped across the top of the screen while he poked around in one of the wardrobes.
I couldn't help myself. My eyes trailed over him, taking in every defined muscle. All the while wondering if he was about to change out of his pants, as well.
When he finally chose a dark tunic and pulled it over his head, I shook my head in an attempt to clear the thoughts. I put the little ship down, tried to calm my racing heart, and continued my inspection of the room. The couch seemed like a good thing to inspect, especially since sitting in it meant my back was turned to Tannix. I sank into the comfortable cushions with a sigh.
I didn't realize I had closed my eyes until I heard Tannix opening one of the drawers on the desk. I forced them open to watch him rummage around. "Are you looking for something?"
"I sent Acen a package shortly after you were arrested," he explained. "And he said—ah, perfect!" He pulled out two things I recognized instantly. A dagger and a ring hanging on a gold chain.
"You kept those?" I scrambled to my feet and took them from him. The ring matched his Order ring. Stealing it had been the catalyst that led to meeting him, which in turn changed everything about my life. Tannix had taken it from my neck as he had arrested me. I slipped it on and tucked the ring safely under my tunic.
The dagger I had stolen at the Order, but I didn't have it with me the night of the arrest. "How did you get this?"
"I saw it when I went to tell the thieves everything that had happened. I was worried it could be tracked down as evidence for you being in the Order, so I took it. Anyway, leave it here for now. I need to get to dinner and Ender can take you down to the kitchens."
I put the dagger back on his desk and followed him across his room. "I'd rather stay with you."
"I'd rather you go eat," Tannix replied.
Put that simply, I realized that I also would rather go eat. "Fine. But first, is there a trick to telling Kor and Ender apart?"
Tannix hesitated at the door and turned back to me. "It's easy enough once you get to know them. They act a little differently, they speak a little differently. Kor tends to talk before he thinks, and Ender tends to think before he talks. But until you get to know them, it might help to know that Kor has a scar, right here..." Instead of telling me where, Tannix reached out and traced a line across my left shoulder. "It's a good story. You should ask Ender while you're in the kitchen." He started to turn back to the door, but I caught his wrist, stopping him again.
"When will—"
Tannix pivoted, wrapped me in his arms, and kissed me.
He caught me by surprise for a heartbeat, then I relaxed into his arms and slipped my own around his shoulders. He was ducking to kiss me, I stood on the tips of my toes to meet him halfway.
It wasn't exactly like it had been in the rain, it was better. Instead of a quick kiss prompted by fear and desperation, this was slower, almost tentative, and desperate in an entirely different way.
A bored knock at the door interrupted us. Tannix let me go, but didn't completely turn away. "Hold on, Ender! Finn, I..." He took a deep breath and lowered his voice. "I've wanted to do that for a year."
So had I. But instead of saying that, I said, "Are you going to make a habit of that?"
He smiled crookedly. "Maybe. Do you want me to?"
I wanted that more than anything. "Maybe." We still hadn't broken eye contact.
Tannix laughed and turned away. "Maybe I will, then. Come on." He pulled open the door to reveal Ender standing there, one fist raised to knock. He shuffled aside as Tannix stepped through the doorway. "Ender, please take Finn down to the kitchens to get some food." He paused, cast me a quick glance, and added, "Also have someone look at his wrists."
"Aye, sir," Ender replied, with a weird mix of formality and the informal Crelan word I was now used to hearing. "But Acen won't be pleased to hear that I'm not with you."
"Really, I'll be fine. The family's guards will be there."
"Just don't get yourself killed while I'm on watch. If you must do it, wait until Kor's guarding you."
"I'll do my best. Bring him back to my room after he's done," he said, and he walked off.
I stared at Ender until he spoke. "Come on then, lad. I think you'll like the kitchens."
The first thing I noticed about the kitchen was the delicious smell—like the most expensive market stall in Zianna, but even better. Servants were bustling all around the huge room, carrying dishes, cooking or cleaning. Everyone seemed to be guided by a large woman standing in the middle of the room, calling out instructions with a voice that easily carried over all the sounds of people working.
Ender walked into the kitchens with a dramatic flourish, and called out loudly, "Lady Lalina, Queen of the Kitchens! I've brought you a guest!"
Most of the people kept working, but the large woman looked over. "Who's this, then?" She made her way towards us, agilely stepping around the other workers.
"A guest," Ender repeated once she was closer. He put a firm hand on my shoulder and pushed me forward a little. "Lord Tandrix's new servant, Finn."
The woman took my hands. "What a poor, scrawny dear. We'll need to get some food into you if you're going to be of any use." She started looking me over in a maternal way I was completely unaccustomed to. "What's this?" she asked, almost instantly noticing my wrists.
"Oh... chains," I replied.
"Who chained you up?" she asked with a ferocious protectiveness I wouldn't expect from someone who'd just met me.
"Guards, back in Zianna," I said. "Not Tannix."
"Of course not Tandrix, he's a good boy." She pulled me over to a long wooden table in the centre of the room and sat me down on the bench. "You sit right here, dear. I'll have someone look at your wrists. What would you like to eat? How about some of everything," she decided for me swiftly. She clapped and called out an instruction to a nearby servant. Then she pointed at Ender, who had just sat down beside me. "And you, don't distract my girls," she told him, both accusingly and affectionately.
"Aye, ma'am," Ender said with a grin. "I'm just going to keep Finn company."
"You had better. So much as wink at a working girl, and I'm going to beat you with a spoon," she warned.
"I wouldn't dream of disturbing any of them," Ender said.
The woman huffed. "You and your brother were much cuter when you were younger. Ah, here's your food, dear." As she spoke, a girl placed a huge tray down in front of me. It was covered in samples of all the food. There were different kinds of meat, a thick slice of bread, a pile of seasoned potatoes, and a bowl of soup. A second girl put down a cup of water, and placed another in front of Ender. My mouth started watering.
"Before you eat, let my daughter look at your wrists," the woman told me sternly.
I sighed, but didn't want to upset the generous cook. The first girl sat beside me, and I offered her my wrists. I didn't want to be fussed over, but she worked quickly and gently. Soon my wrists were cleaned and wrapped with new white bandaging, and I finally got to dig into my food.
The woman had gone back to orchestrating the chaos of her kitchen. Most of the food was being placed on fancy trays and carried out by the uniformed servants. The rest of them were cleaning dishes in large tubs of water, or cleaning the counters and stoves.
I was slowly eating the hot soup when I remembered what Tannix had told me. "Sir Ender, can I ask you a question?"
Ender was trying to get a young woman's attention without the cook noticing. "Aye," he replied distractedly.
"Why does Kor have a scar?"
Ender turned to me. "Tannix told you that, did he? Well, Kor probably won't like me telling the story, but I will anyway. Kor'n I are very good at shooting moving targets. Birds, little bags of dirt, anything, really. So one day, Kor decides that we should try shooting each other's arrows out of the air. So we stand across a field from each other, and we shoot. Of course, we missed. I managed to duck out of the way, but Kor wasn't so fast and my arrow caught him across the shoulder."
I had to hold back my laugh so I wouldn't choke on soup. "And you thought that was a good idea?"
"We were young. Granted, it was a terrible idea and one of us could have been hurt badly, but we weren't. Kor complained about the wound for days, but it was really nothing more than a scratch."
"Did you get in trouble?" I grabbed the slice of bread and used it to mop of the rest of the soup.
"Aye, our mother was furious. We were forbidden from touching our bows for weeks, until our father came back on shore leave. Kor'n I are only half Crelan. Our father's a Teltan, and a sailor, but he always insisted we go into the army. So he wasn't pleased to find that we hadn't been practicing."
I stabbed the last few potatoes with my fork. Then my plate was clean, and I was beginning to wonder if eating everything had really been a good idea. "Can we go back to Tannix's chamber now?"
"He must really like you if he lets you use his personal name."
I blinked; sure I had just given away too much information. "You use his name."
"Aye. I've known him since he was ten, I've been given that right." He shrugged and got to his feet. "Ah, well, none of my business. You wouldn't use the name unless he let you, anyway. Let's go." He waved at the cook. "Thank you, Lalina."
"You take care of that boy, Korender," she called back. "Bring him back to see me if he wants any more food."
"Aye, ma'am. I'll guard him with my life," Ender replied with a laugh.
I followed him from the kitchen. "Wait. Is your name Korender?"
"Aye."
"What's Kor's?"
"Korander. He did go by Ander for some time while we were young, but he never liked it and it was confusing. So he decided that he wanted to be called Kor, instead. It sounds more Crelan, too, which suits him just fine. I'd've probably done the same thing, except then we'd both be called Kor. That'd be confusing, aye?"
"Aye," I replied firmly.
Ender flashed me a grin, and we fell silent as we walked back up the multiple flights of stairs that led to Tannix's room. Ender stopped in the hallway to lean against the wall across from the door, and gestured at it lazily.
I slipped into the room. It really was unnecessarily huge. All of Tannix's knights and my family of thieves could have comfortably slept in it. I explored a little bit, but exhaustion was quickly catching up with me. It had been a long day.
I would have been happy on the couch. Instead I drew the curtains around the bed, kicked off my boots, and crawled in. The curtains made the bed feel safe and secure. I pulled the blankets up to my neck and quickly fell fast asleep on the most comfortable bed I had ever been in.