Master, Apprentice

Chapter 1The Contract Captain Tane unrolled the parchment that had been handed to him by the messenger who had both arrived and departed that morning. He was a tall man, taller than most of the men in his company, but not by much. His sandy blonde hair was common for the people of this region, but his green eyes stood out a little. His father’s had been hazel, like most of the Tane family who trained the horses at Chadwick manor. He had his mother’s green eyes. He thought about his parents for a few moments, strengthening his resolve, before forci

Chapter 2 Victor  In exactly an hour, the captain was on the field talking to some of the men who had gathered around to see the sparring match when a young man wearing studded leather armor walked up, saluted him, and said, "Victor Sill Young reporting as ordered, Sir." The other soldiers walked off the field instantly assuming that Victor was the apprentice the captain had taken and whispering to each other that this young boy must have exceptional skill for the captain to take him after ten years of not taking an apprentice at all.The captain looked closely at this boy. Close enough that their noses were almost touching then asked in a low voice, "Sylvia?" The soldier only gave a sligh

The three-day march to the city of Bohen was long and tiring. They rose before the sun each morning and did not set up their tents at night. They rolled out their blankets on the ground itself without the light of fires. The last thing they wanted was to draw attention to themselves.When they finally reached the city, they camped in the forest nearby. They sent a couple wagons into the city for supplies with the men again dressed in civilian’s clothes. If they were inquired of, they were to say they were headed towards the mountains to mine for gold. The mountains were at least three weeks away to the east. The camp itself was well hidden and well guarded. The army had nothing to do but wait for their enemies to approach. In the mean time, the captain and Victor held more training sessions and poured over the corrected maps.That evening, everythin

The rest of that day was without consequence. A scout reported sighting of the opposing army a day and a half away, so the men set in to relax for the evening. They knew that for some this would be the last chance and no one could know if they would be included in that some. Since the day was hot, they requested permission to go swimming in the river. The captain granted their request."Hey Victor, come with us!" one of the soldiers shouted as they headed for the river. Victor paled, but his back was to the soldier who had said it so only the captain could see."Victor has been set to guard duty to learn discipline," replied the captain calmly. He gave a slight smile to Victor when he saw him mouth "Thank you".The same man approached Victor later and said, "Tough gig. I’m glad I

 "I was not hurt in the battle and am not wounded now." There was a certainty in her voice the captain recognized, but the fact that she was speaking through gritted teeth made him doubt her words. Then he realized that she was using her own voice, not that of Victor. Now he knew something was wrong.            "Then sit down and tell me why you are moving like your insides are trying to come out!" concern would have been evident in his voice if she had not been too distracted by pain to listen.            "Have you forgotten that I am female under this disguise?" she asked him as she sat down like he ordered.            "I wish I could, but that is hardly the point right now."&nbs