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 Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2017 4:35 pm
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● ❤ ● Prentice Solo: Seeing Things In a Different Light ● ❤ ●
Ko has a heart to heart conversation with his blind brother about the perks of being different.
In a small room dappled with blooms of rainbow that danced about lazily in a genteel waltz, two Yaeli boys, both at the cusp of entering adulthood, sat in each other’s company. The simple window was uncovered to make the most of a breeze blowing in, gently billowing the curtains and setting the colorful glass wind chimes strung in the sill tinkling like a little chorus. Accompanying them was the humming of the younger of the two, strumming his homemade banjo as he tapped his foot, lounged back on the pile of cushions propped against the wall. His elder brother sat across from him, knees tucked up to his chest, tapping along on a woodblock to the tempo they were crafting together. And for a few moments that was all, their simple duet filling the small space, the only audience being each other.
Then half of the rhythm came to a halt, the elder of the two pausing as he addressed the space between them. “Hey Ko,” he looked to where his brother seemed to be, milky eyes blinking at nothing in particular, “Do you really think it would make sense for the hero to risk everything he’s gained in life for a girl he’s just met? I mean, he’s got money, and power, and lands. Why would he give that all up to chase down some girl who’s a stranger to him?”
Ko halted the plucking at his own instrument, turning his attention away with a thoughtful look on his face, “Well Uzi, I think it does. She’s the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen, and when their eyes met, so did their souls, tied together in that moment by the very hands of the Gods. You’ve heard of soulmates right? It’s like that: they are meant to be together.”
He set the banjo aside, picking up the small journal next to him and leafing through a few pages, landing on the one he was looking for. “And besides, we already decided he needs a love interest: it’s one of the most successful plot drivers used in stories. Everything else that happens after relies on him chasing after the demon who stole her: receiving the vision from the Gods, spending his fortunes to hire a magician to make him a boat that can fly on the clouds, trading his family’s ancestral ring for a ticket into the land of dreams...”
With a snap of the journal he closed it shut, tipping it his brother’s way to emphasize his point, “He needs to be challenged every step of the way by bad things that happen to him, so that he can grow as a character. He needs to learn that following the will of the Gods, even when it seems hard, or scary, or crazy, is the only way to achieve true happiness: which is love. Pure, unselfish, unasked for love.”
Uzi blinked a few times, then crinkled his brow, scuffing his toe against the rug beneath their feet, “Yeah, I get that, it makes sense. I still think it’s silly to fall in love with someone just by SEEING them though. We should at least have them talk for a bit, maybe exchange names?” He wiggled the wood-block in Ko’s direction, frowning, “No way would some girl make ME give up all MY money just cuz’ she’s hot.”
With a short laugh Ko opened the journal again, flipping to the next blank page. “Alright, I can see where you’re coming from. Maybe we’ll at least let them spend the night together at a ball or something.” He took the pencil out from behind his ear and scribbled down a few notes, tucking it back in place when he was finished. “But you know, it’s kinda hard for you to judge, since you’ve never seen a beautiful girl before. Just saying, they can make you feel all warm and tingly just by standing next to ‘em. Makes you wanna do things to impress them, and be better than you already are.”
He put the book aside again, scooting over to his blind brother as he motioned with his hands. “See, it’s like…when you hear a really nice piece of music, and you become immediately impressed, and want to listen to it over and over again. Even if your family is telling you to get a move on, you want to stay where that music is and just enjoy it a little bit longer. And each song for each girl is different, but beautiful in its own way, and special, and makes you feel differently each time. Some make you want to dance until you can’t stand anymore. Some make you want to lie down in long grass and just take it all in.”
He tickled his fingers lightly over his brother’s bare throat, giving the other boy a start as he continued, “And some make you feel all tingly like that, like it’s hard to swallow, and your face gets all flushed when they look at you, like when you feel embarrassed because you said something stupid. Or you might do something stupid. And then the song is over when they leave, but you feel like you were lucky enough to catch a moment of it.” Ko sat back on his spot on the cushions, grinning as he picked up his banjo again. “And that’s what seeing a pretty girl feels like. Or boy. But that depends on how pretty they are, which is even more rare and special.” He started strumming, filling the space between them again.
Uzi seemed to be processing everything Ko had said, honestly a little overwhelmed by trying to craft that mental image. He reached a hand to scratch the back of his head, tone a little bewildered, “You really make it sound very romantic, Ko: I didn’t know you were into girls that much. You should try using that kinda talk on one of those pretty things sometime: I bet they’d love it. Girls are saps like that.” He fiddled with a loose string on the hem of his sleeve, tone taking a bit of a dip towards melancholy, “Though, you make it sound wonderful...I’m kinda bummed I’ll never get to see something like that. Or anything beautiful, really. I mean, I’m sure you’re exaggerating in typical Ko fashion, but still…”
Listening to his brother talk like that made a light flush bloom on Ko’s cheeks, suddenly bashful and self-conscious: he didn’t MEAN for it to sound romantic, that’s just honestly how he feels about it all. Besides, he’s probably say something weird, or stupid, and then the girl would feel uncomfortable, or think he’s strange. Which he was, he knew that already.
But then Uzi’s thoughts seemed to take a turn towards the darker side, making Ko’s little heart clench in his chest. He put the instrument aside again to skoot over to his brother, nesting himself between him and the wall. “Oh Uzi, I’m sorry you have to feel like that…” he wrapped an arm around the other boy’s shoulders, giving him a half-hug, whether he wanted one or not. “I’m sure the Gods had a good reason for deciding to not give you sight, though it’s a terrible question, and it hurts to think about it. But they work in mysterious ways, and I’m sure you will do something grand in the larger scale of the world, because you’re special…”
Uzi rubbed his arm, fiddling his bare toes together against the carpet, scoffing at his brother’s conclusion, “Yeah, I don’t see how I’ll ever be able to add anything worth much of anything to the world, when I can’t even see it. I’m special in all the wrong ways, the ways that are an inconvenience to everyone.”
“No, Uzi!” He took his brother’s hand, squeezing it comfortingly as he spoke more earnestly, “You’re not like the rest of us, but that’s not bad! You just experience the world in a different way! It just means maybe you’ll really appreciate things more.” He released his hold on him for a moment, shifting to reach up onto the dresser behind their heads, fetching a piece from his collection. He put a stone in his brother’s hand, closing his fingers over it. “See, you can tell exactly what rock this is, without even having to see it! I picked it up because it was a perfect circle which is pretty darn cool, but then remember? You told me, just by touching it, that you could tell it was hollow, and that there might be something inside! Remember, were you right?”
The other boy turned it in his palm, rubbed a thumb over the jagged crystals in the concave center, smiling a bit at the memory, “Yeah, I remember. We took it to the workshop, and without asking you first, I smacked it with dad’s biggest hammer! You were so shocked, you could barely talk to me, I could tell you were just fuming! But then you told me I was right: there was something inside. It was a geode. A rock filled with other little rocks…”
Ko nodded emphatically, giving his brother a good hearted punch on the arm, “I couldn’t believe you’d just smash the heck out of it, without even giving me a warning first! But see, we wouldn’t have known what a cool and unique find this would have been if you hadn’t told me! I was only using my eyes, but you used your other senses, which are better at what they do than the rest of us. So see? You’re not a burden: you’re going to help the world in ways we never would have thought of. Because you see it from a different point of view. And that’s not bad, just different.”
Wrapping his fingers around the stone, Uzi wiped away a tear from his sightless eyes, laughing a bit at how moved he was by it all. “Okay, you gotta stop, or I’m gonna start crying…” He turned his head, smiling at his brother, and hoped he was smiling back, even if he couldn’t see it. “Thanks Ko. Sorry for being a downer, it just kinda gets to me sometimes. You’d have thought Id’ve gotten over it by now, but I guess not.” He punched in Ko’s general direction, landing his fist solidly against his chest, “When’d you get so mature? You gotta cut back on all this deep talk, or people are gonna think YOU’RE the older brother!”
The smaller boy giggled, rubbing the spot at his chest where the punch had landed. “Oh geez, no, I’m not mature at all! I’m just a silly kid with silly thoughts, and I guess sometimes they make sense to the right people.” He crossed his legs, holding his ankles as he rested his curly head against his brother's. “I know I can be a bit of a bother, and sometimes I say or do things that are weird. But I really enjoy the time we get to spend together. So thanks for always listening.”
It was Uzi’s turn this time to wrap his arm around his younger brother’s shoulders, returning the head nuzzle, “No problemo, listening is what I do best~” They remained that way for a few ticks, then he released him, sniffing and edging away a bit. “Alright, that's enough sappiness for one day! Gotta maintain some masculinity after all, can't have anyone come in and see us snuggling like a couple of toddlers!”
They both laughed at that, and Ko did indeed scoot back to his old spot, fluffing his cushion under his butt again. He didn't mind the cuddling, in fact he rather liked it: but if his brother wanted to be a tough guy, he wasn't going to make a fuss. And almost as if the universe was in on the joke, not a moment later the door to their room opened and the other twin popped his head in.
“Hey, you guys need to come down and help with dinner prep.” Ezu paused, squinting at the pair. “What are you guys talking about? It feels kinda weird in here.”
“Nothing, nothing. Just boy talk,” Ko said, getting up before he was able to get comfy again, offering Uzi a hand up. The boy took his hand and rose, placing the stone where he knew it belonged on the drawers, then traced his hand along the wall, giving his twin a nod as he passed him through the door. “Yep, just a couple of guys talking about girls.”
Ko wasn't far behind, following his brother down the hall and onto the flight of stairs. Ezu simply crinkled his face as if tasting something odd, closing the door shut again as he joined them, “Since when did Ko start getting interested in chicks?!”
[Word Count: 2140] |
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Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 1:32 pm
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Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 1:41 pm
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Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 1:56 pm
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Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 1:59 pm
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Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 2:09 pm
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● ❤ ● Prentice Solo: Nothing to Be Afraid Of ● ❤ ●
Dinner for the Deokkas gets interrupted when their stew ends up splattered across the kitchen walls. Oh: and Ko finds out he can use magic.
“Friedrikko, could you get the soup off the stove, I don't want it to burn?”
The mother of the household squatted in front of her oven, poking at the embers slowly baking the meat pie held inside. Dinner was going to be ready soon, the last thing she needed was a ruined pot of soup boiling over and making a mess all over her kitchen.
The broad man looked up from his task, hollering from outside through the open door. “I can't mum! If we don't get this stain done tonight, it will take too long to settle before the client picks it up tomorrow afternoon!”
She frowned, brow knit as the warmth of the fire lit her face. “I thought you finished that hours ago, it's almost time to eat!”
He shrugged, though of course she could not see it, calling back. “Well, if Graigorii had not knocked over the only stain we had left in the color they wanted, I would not have had to waste my time mixing and testing new batches all day yesterday! I couldn't check on them until this morning!”
His brother looked up from the spot he had been carefully attending to with his brush. “Hey! I would not have bumped it in the first place if Trystaan hadn't dropped that box of chisels, he scared me half to death!”
The woman sighed in exasperated impatience, gripping the fire poker as she stabbed at the embers. “I don't care whose fault it is! I just need that soup off the stove! Where is your sister?!”
Friedrikko dabbed his rag back into the stain, scrubbing at the pale wood grain. “Which one?!”
“Adellia!”
The girl looked up from her task, pushing her glasses further up her nose. “I'm here mother.”
She rubbed the bridge between her eyes, shouting to be heard. “And why are you there!?”
Adellia winced, stalling with the small brush she held. “Well, the boys were behind, so they asked me to help out, since Embryelle is still out with Viika getting that order of heartwood settled, and I'm good at detail work too―”
“WHY ARE NONE OF MY CHILDREN IN THIS KITCHEN?!”
Ulana poked her head inside the room, frowning. “Why is everyone yelling?!”
“Mum is mad about something!”
The woman closed the door to the stone oven, face hot more from irritation than the warmth of the flames inside. “I just want someone to take that damn soup off the stove! How am I supposed to run this place by myself?!”
Trystaan came hunkering into the room, a large basket of vegetables held in his straining arms. “Well you asked me to wash off these vegetables and I needed the pump outside―”
“Well where is Ezu or Uzi?!”
Like clockwork the twins followed in after him, stamping their feet off on the rug. Ezu set a hefty blade onto the prep table, picking up the bowl of rolls that needed to go to the dining table. “I had to sharpen the knife because it was dull, remember, we didn't do it last night―”
“WHO LET YOU SHARPEN THE KNIFE?!”
He whirled around to roll his eyes at his mother, bowl held out in front of him like a shield. “It's not a big deal mom, I've watched dad do it a dozen times, it wasn't that hard!”
The woman picked up the knife, scrutinizing it as she glowered at her son. “This was expensive, I've told you before that only the older kids are supposed to work with it, what if you messed up the edge? And what if you had dropped it, or it used too much oil with the whetstone, you could have cut your hand open?!”
The boy groaned, slamming the bowl down on the table. “Well obviously I didn't MOM, see, look, no blood!” He waved his hand in front of her face, tone clipped and short on patience. “Stop treating me like a baby, I didn't ruin it! I'll show you give me it!”
He snapped his hand out for the knife, which his mother pulled away, hissing in a shocked gasp of breath. “ARE YOU AN IDIOT, CHILD?! Don't just try to grab it, what if I had moved differently and sliced your fingers off!? This is a weapon, you need to treat it with respect! This is why I don't want you using the knife!”
The teenager was red in the face now, embarrassed and frustrated at the whole world. “I wasn't going to grab the blade, oh my God mom I'm not stupid!!”
Uzi touched his twin’s arm, trying to calm him down. “She's just worried about you Ezu, you don't need to yell at her―”
“SHE YELLED AT ME FIRST!”
“DON'T USE THAT TONE OF VOICE WITH ME YOUNG MAN!”
Trystaan was still holding the basket, arms starting to shake as the mass of the produce weighed him down. “So does this mean I can't cut up the vegetables? Because this is getting really heavy, should I just put it down…?”
Ezu reared at him, waving his arms emphatically. “YES, YOU CAN! Because the knife is perfect, I didn't mess it up!”
Adellia poked her head in through the open window, face warped with concern. “You are all very loud in here, is everything alright?”
Ulana came into the kitchen brandishing the cutlery she had been in the process of setting on the table. “Can you guys keep it down?! Oh my God, the neighbors are going to think we're all crazy, stop being so embarrassing!”
Their mother slammed the knife down on the table, throwing her hands up into the air. “All of you need to stop speaking to each other in that tone! I did not raise you this way, there should be some level of order here!”
Friedrikko stuck his head in next to Adellia’s to squint at those collected in the kitchen. “Wait what the heck is happening in here?”
Ezu hollered to be heard above the din, stamping his foot in frustration. “Mom won't stop treating us like we're incompetent toddlers trying to get ourselves killed! The knife is fine, I am fine, Uzi is fine, he had it under control while I got the supplies out of the workshop!”
Their mother's face warped in horror, staring at her blind child. “YOU LET UZI HOLD THE KNIFE??!”
Ulana and Adellia looked at Ezu with the same expression of abject disbelief. “Why would you think that was a good idea?!”
The boy’s face lit up in red, holding his twin’s hand defensively. “He's fine! Uzi can handle things you guys, stop trying to control his life, you need to trust him more!”
Uzi squeezed his brother's hand, touching his shoulder softly. “It's alright Ezu, don't get mad, it makes sense for them to be worried―”
“NO YOU NEED TO GET ANGRY TOO UZI COME ON―”
“I am his mother, do not tell me how to keep my boy safe, once you have children of your own you will understand!” their mother snapped, punctuating her words with exasperated gestures. “You live under my roof, you listen to me! And if I say do not touch the knives, that means do not touch the knives!”
“OH MY GOD JUST LISTEN TO HER EZU STOP BEING A BRAT!”
“I’M NOT A BRAT YOU'RE A BRAT SHUT UP ULANA!”
“Um, guys, does anyone hear that?”
“Why is everyone shouting in here?!” their father barked, walking into the room with Ko in tow. “Why are you making your mother upset, it's almost time for dinner!”
Ezu balked at the question, bristling as he kicked a chair. “No one here appreciates what I do, there are too many of you! I hate you guys!”
Their father's eyes darkened, pacing over to his boy and grabbing the lobe of his long ear. “Do not speak to me like that. Ever. If you want people to respect you, start acting your age.”
The oldest woman held her husband's arm, pulling at it with restrained persistence. “Dear, stop it, he's just a boy he doesn't mean what he says―”
“He should not be allowed to wreck our furniture just because he's throwing a temper tantrum. I won't hit him, of course not, but he needs some discipline, he needs to learn.”
Ezu grabbed at his father's wrist, glowering up at the man. “Maybe if you were around more often I might have a chance at that! You don't care about us, don't act like you do!”
“Don't speak to your father that way!”
“Why are you people so loud?!”
“OH MY GOD CAN WE JUST HAVE ONE DINNER WITHOUT ALL THIS DRAMA?!”
“I think we all need to just calm down―”
“NO ONE ASKED YOU ADELLIA!”
“This is really heavy can I please put it down.”
“Do you smell something burning?”
“Hey! We got the shipment order all done! When is dinn―WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?!”
“No really something is burning do you hear that?”
“I'll get it!”
Ko darted between the madness, grabbing the pot of soup that was boiling over on the stove.
“KO WAIT STOP IT'S GOING TO BE HOT―”
With a yelp of pain, he dropped the heated metal, the pot tipping onto its side as the contents sloshed out over the edge.
And then stopped.
The once cacophonous room was suddenly steeped in a vacuum of silence, all eyes over on the pot belly stove and the maddness happening in front of it.
Ko opened his eyes from the wince he had curled up into, dreading the crash of metal onto the floor. But nothing had happened. Instead, somehow, there was no mess. The soup had not spilled.
It was floating over his fingers.
In a golden ball of broth, tubers and spices swirled in the viscous mass, held immobile by an invisible force. Bubbles floated to the top of the orb to pop in angry little hisses as the liquid continued steaming, caught mid boil.
It was floating.
Staring at the impossible, Ko dared not breath, for fear that if he released his breath, something might happen. What, he wasn't sure. He wasn't sure of anything at this moment.
And no one else seemed to be.
Ulana was the first to speak, pointing at the youngest of the Deokka clan. “Are…you guys see this right?”
Trystaan dropped his basket of vegetables.
Ko looked up at his family, wide eyed like a deer in the headlights. “What do I do?”
His mother released her hold on her husband, who in turn dropped his hand away from Ezu’s ear. It didn't really seem to matter anymore.
She held her palms out, trying to reestablish a sense of reality to the situation. “Ko…honey. Are…you doing that?” She eyed the ball of steaming broth, concerned with how close it was to her baby's burned fingers.
The boy side eyed the mass, speaking hesitantly. “I…yeah? Maybe? I think so?” When he rotated ever so slowly to come out of his crouch, the ball rose with him, vibrating ripples across its surface. All eyes followed it.
“How can you not know?” Graigorii snapped, having joined the family long ago in the kitchen.
Ko winced, worry making his voice tremble. “I don't know! I can't feel anything, nothing feels weird! It just kind of happened!”
Their father glared at the older boy, shooting him a look. “Do not upset your brother. He needs to focus.”
“SHOULD I BE FOCUSING?!”
The orb shuddered.
Adellia gasped, cooing at her sibling. “Be careful Ko, don't drop it!”
Like a snake held in his hands, Ko stared at the hot ball of soup, arms extended out as far away from himself as he could make them. “What do I do with it?!”
“Put it back in the pot!” shouted Ulana, pointing at the stove.
“He can't, stupid,” Ezu snorted, the pain in his ear forgotten entirely. “The pot is still knocked over.”
Uzi tugged at his brother's shirt. “What's happening? Is something wrong with Ko?”
Ko felt his arms shaking, panic taking over. “IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH ME?!”
His mother wrung her hands into her apron, speaking soothingly. “No baby, everything is fine, you're fine. Just…be careful. And…don't stop whatever you're doing.”
“BUT I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING!”
“Calm down honey. Ezu, fix the pot for him.”
The boy backed a step away, shaking his head. “I'm not going anywhere near him!”
“Guys, really, is something wrong? Tell me what's going on!”
Ko started to make a quiet keaning noise in the back of his throat, the huge ball of soup wobbling in the air.
“Don't drop it, take it outside!” Trystaan hollered, shoving Ulana out of the way of the doorway.
“Ow, hey, don't push me!”
“Everyone calm down, don't yell at him!” Embryelle snapped, coming further inside with Viika. “I'm going to fix the pot, keep it steady Ko.”
“WHY WON'T ANYONE TELL ME WHAT'S HAPPENING?!”
Ezu sighed in exasperation, pointing at the youngest boy. “He's using magic Uzi! He caught the soup that he dropped!”
“OH THAT'S SO FRIGGIN COOL!”
“Please don't shout, can't you see Ko is panicking right now?” their mother chided, coming closer to her boy. “Honey…baby…don't worry, we're here to help, there's nothing to be afraid of, stay calm. The soup is hot, it could burn you if you dropped it.”
“OHMYGODWHAT?!” Ko yelped, suddenly more scared than he had been before of the steaming mass hovering over his hands.
“He's totally going to drop it!”
“STOP IT GRAIGORII.”
The air surrounding his fingers began to chill, sucking the warmth out of the room and making the fire flicker as icy frost started forming on Ko's shaking digits. It traveled up his arms, the orb shuddering as the steam dissipated, suddenly cooled beyond boiling.
“Holy s**t how'd he do that?” Friedrikko asked, leaning further inside as he gawked at his brother.
“I don't knoooww I don't know what's happening!” Ko keened, dropping to his knees as his legs gave out under him. The frost was coating his cheeks now, chunks of ice suspended in the rapidly cooling ball of soup.
“KO ARE YOU OKAY?!” his mother gasped, crouching in front of him.
“I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO MOM TELL ME WHAT TO DO!”
“Guys I think he's going to faint!”
“NO, I fixed the pot, just put it back Ko!”
“Stop shouting, he's scared, everyone calm down―”
Ko shut his eyes and covered his ears, curling up into a ball as he yelled above all the commotion. Suddenly, the mass of soup collapsed into itself, a tight knot of condensed energy that erupted outward in an explosion of broth and vegetables.
It splattered across the walls and the faces of his shocked family, coating the ceiling and floors in a thin layer of dinner.
Hesitantly, Ko opened his eyes, looking up at those gathered. The room had grown quiet again, processing the unexpected series of odd events.
His father picked a pea off of his beard, holding it up to blink at in disbelief.
“Well…I guess he can use magic then.”
A piece of wet poultry fell onto Ko's face.
Magic indeed.
[Word Count: 2,530] |
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Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 2:11 pm
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● ❤ ● Prentice Solo: The Bravest Warrior ● ❤ ●
After a heartfelt goodbye, Mother Deokka sees Ko off on his first day at his new combat school, Lurin's Academy.
“Are you sure you don't want me to walk you to your room?”
The older woman squinted at the large wooden doors sealing off the building her son would be housed in for the foreseeable future. They looked sturdy, old but well maintained, like many of the other structures on the grounds, reflecting the temperament of the staff held inside.
“No, that's okay mum, I can find it myself. I've got a map,” the curly haired boy declared, holding up the piece of paper that flicked in the wind. The dorm was large, larger than many buildings he'd seen, but Ko felt confident he could handle the task. He was a city boy after all, it wasn't like he was unused to big spaces filled with many people.
The woman pursed her lips, eyeing the map skeptically. It was just one of many papers they'd received today, most on her person now, tucked away safe. Registration had been easy, and today had mainly been a formality: sign the last of the forms, pick up Ko's uniform, pay any fees that had not been addressed. This place wasn't cheap by any means, but not vastly unattainable, something his parents could handle. Business had been going well lately, especially with those demonic Elaria women off the island for that gathering on the mainland. People were more willing to spend on themselves when they were less afraid. Hopefully the good luck would continue, Gods willing.
She made a sign over her heart and said a quiet prayer, looking down at her youngest. For years she'd been worried about him, his wandering mind and earnest nature getting him into trouble more often than not. But Ko meant well. He'd just never really seemed to fit into any calling in particular. He wasn't strong, or immensely talented, or driven - he wasn't even very bright, she was hesitant to admit to herself. It had just been accepted that he'd probably end up staying with the family helping out, though the work did not suit him.
And then, praised be the Mother and Father, they had given him a gift: he could use magic. No one else in the family had any inclination in the mystic arts. It finally felt like there was a legitimate direction his life could take. Learning how to control this new talent, and guiding him how to use it: that was the goal of sending him here. And maybe, hopefully, this might help the child grow stronger.
Ko was such a sweet, kind, honest boy. But often, he let others take advantage of this easygoing kindness. She'd seen his siblings do it. She tried to dissuade him from it, but the boy just lacked the confidence to stand up for himself. It was possible she was to blame for that: she didn't spend enough time with him. But with 11 other children to worry about, time was a limited commodity. Perhaps these people would succeed where she and her husband had failed.
But looking down at the slight young man, barely old enough to not be a child anymore, she felt a twinge of guilt and fear. Was the military really the right place for him? He was so creative and imaginative, some said too much so. Gentle with all creatures. Strange in ways that people did not understand. Should they have chosen a different place for him to learn, perhaps with someone closer to home and more forgiving of his faults-”
“Mum? I'm going to go in now.”
She blinked with a start, internal train of thought derailed.
“Oh, of course dear, I don't want to keep you waiting,” she said, reaching to tug at his collar. “Is this coat warm enough? It's so chilly, and there's stone everywhere, what if you catch a cold-”
“Mum, it's fine, don't worry,” Ko said, smiling up at her. “I'm toasty! And I've got a scarf, plus wool if I need to make anything else, did I remember my needles I hope I did what if I forgot them goodness did I forget anything else-”
The woman hugged him, holding her youngest child close. “I love you baby, remember that. I'm sorry if we haven't paid enough attention to you, and now, you're going to be gone, and I won't see you anymore…” She felt moisture rimming her eyes, squeezing him tighter. “But if you get scared, or hurt, you can come home. If this doesn't work for you, we can think of something else. I just want you to be happy, baby.”
Ko rubbed her back, giving her a warm nuzzle. “I love you mum. You and pa. Everybody.” He gripped at her dress in determination. “I'm not going to run away. I'm going to make you all proud of me. I'm going to be strong and help people, just wait and see.”
His mother squeezed out a tear before drawing back, fixing the straps on the bag over his back. “I'm so proud of you already. My brave little boy.” She cupped his freckled cheek, giving it one more kiss. “Pray to the gods every morning, and before bed. Don't let other people take your food. Layer up if it is cold outside. Listen to the adults, and please try to let other people have a chance to speak. Remember to brush your hair, it can get so tangled, it's so much like your father's. And keep your clothes clean, especially this new uniform we only bought one plus the two undershirts keep those folded-”
“Mum!”
She smiled, petting his curls. “I'm sorry, I'll go now. Write if you need to, okay?”
Ko gave her a thumbs up, smiling his gap toothed grin. “Don't worry, I'll be out of your hair and learning how to make the world a better, safer place, and soon enough, back with the family showing you what a big strong warrior I've become!” He hopped up to give her one more quick hug before picking up the small trunk at his side, dragging that up the steps into the building that would be his new home, and the training grounds for the next chapter of his life.
[Word Count: 1,030] |
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Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 2:45 pm
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Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 4:00 pm
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Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 4:02 pm
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Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 4:14 pm
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Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 5:31 pm
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Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 5:36 pm
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Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 5:46 pm
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