William’s cheeks warmed up from the fresh triumph and this interesting fella. He was about to speak like normal in his girly tone but snapped back before it was too late. He giggled nervously for having escaped the danger and said, “It’s William… But you can just call me runt. That’s what all the others call me nowadays, haha!”.
Avian blinked, also taken aback by the other’s positive responses, “Let me guess… It’s because the other pages have a hard time handling you as well? I have a similar nickname from the place I come from. Can you guess it?”.
William dusted off his used armor and said jokingly, “Shrimp? Or maybe… Eh… Well, I’m afraid I’ll be the one insulting you if I continue?”. Often these nicknames were made to belittle a person’s attributes. If William made a genuine attempt he would probably soon find his way to the dungeons… Avian smiled, showing off his canines, “They call me wolf. Or sometimes mutt if they’re really upset”.
“Heh? Is it because of your magnificent canine teeth?”, William asked but sadly he had missed the mark. Hearing this, Avian lost a bit of his shine as his shoulders shrunk in size, “I… No. They call me wolf because I love keeping them around… I really miss them… And!?... Are… Are my teeth really that sharp? Do they stick out too much?”.
Having rambled on this far, Avian wanted to bite his tongue off. In a second he regained his former composure and straight back. Seeing the young noble so distressed made William want to apologize for his construed meaning of the name. And yet? Maybe it would be best to leave this subject for another day...
Instructor Solomon went over to the two boys and praised them both for their excellent sportsmanship and skill. He also took a stab at Avian by teasingly suggesting, “Young lord Avian, Since you didn’t succeed in taking down my students today. How about trying again tomorrow? But of course, this time William will be the last page you challenge. Does this arrangement appease you, my lord?”.
Avian exhaled deeply. He wasn’t keen on beating himself up on such small matters. He knew he could beat this page the next time they fought. Even the fall from earlier didn’t so much as itch anymore. He would gladly try out this challenge once again.
William saw the confidence beam out of his beaten opponent. It was true that he would have to work extra hard to beat him the next time and in future battles. But to think he could even win? He had just forced a bonded human to bounce their butt on the ground. Then how about when he was a bonded himself? This fact made William content even if he should taste defeat in the future...
During the coming weeks, William and Avian would challenge each other again and again.
To both’s surprise, William had a few victories among his many defeats. After all, this wasn’t war. Their goal was not to end the other’s life but to improve themselves by testing their limits. This they both knew and thus there were no threats from upstairs. No matter how brutally William handed Avian his defeat, no one complained or wanted to punish the page.
As for Avian, although he knew his level was more akin to the squires, he found that he preferred to stay with those who were of the same age and size as himself. And that was especially so, now that he had found someone he could learn from.
This fact, of having found a worthy practice partner, he joyfully shared with his hosts at dinner. Lord Blaise was pleased that his men could offer the young boy some useful training. On this matter, William could count himself lucky that none found him interesting enough to run a background check. But nonetheless, there was someone at the table who wanted to test his mettle on this supposed great page.
“What’s the matter, my son? Are you going to bemoan again that there are no dinosaurs to bond with?... I’ve told you many times, son; Patience is one of the key elements that make a proper lord!”.
Brice rolled his eyes at his father and huffed, “No, I merely thought to give this fella, Avian keeps talking about a little visit… The unbonded squires these days don’t seem to give me much of a challenge I’m afraid… And going against bonded ones… Well, I’m not that desperate”. Brigham became ecstatic and quickly chewed his cut of meat, before roaring, “That’s splendid my son!... And while you’re at it, why don’t you show our people that even an unbonded Blaise is not to be trifled with?”. Brice smiled at ease, “Sure, father…”.
****
In the dead of night, Joss was about to complete his work of art. He let his worn tools prick and glide off reddish pieces of wood. Each movement was calculated and firmly derived from those wonderful memories he got to share with her. With red-rimmed eyes, he saw a familiar pair stare back at him. The skin under the eyelids was a bit closed, which gave the head sculpt a warm and soft gaze...
“Mom…”, he muttered to himself. He seldom called her that tenderly. This rare vision that came to life under his hands made hot tears stream down his cheeks. He had kept his cool for so many years, but in truth, he really longed to see her. Even a mere reflection of her was enough to satiate his pain. It did however as a side effect, also strengthen his longing for her. As he beheld the sculpture, he found it very strange how this block of wood could make his emotions swell up like never before.
The next day, Joss did his chores with sunken eyes and a bit of dreariness to his movements. This was because he hadn’t been able to sleep, knowing that today was the day he would be put on trial…
When Joss got home later that day, he directly went over to gently hide the sculpt inside a piece of bed linen. Not caring for anything else. Then out of the corner of his eye, he unintentionally saw Jacqueline skulk at him. She wasn’t pleased that this boy kept defying her wishes and that he continued to ignore her words of advice. So she tried to sow some doubt within him as she said, “Do you really think such a thing can move a carver’s heart?”. Joss held back a snort as he talked to this creature that was beneath him, “Who cares? The assignment wasn’t to move his heart…”.
Joss appeared before the carver as promised.
What he met was Jarolf, who didn’t seem too eager to have the piece shown to him. So without encouragement, Joss unveiled the cloth from his masterpiece showing of his carving of Vanessa. With great pride, he said, “You requested that I carve my heart’s desires… So I carved a bust of my mother… Because more than anything in this world I desired for her to live… This, I also wish for my remaining family… That’s why I want to become a carver”.
Jarolf gleamed at it for a bit. His way of saying things could be perceived as mocking and that was also the case when he said, “To feed your spirit by feeding your family… It’s rather plain and frankly a desire held by many. But I find your sculpture fascinating… You see, right there?... Are those lips really forming a smile?... Are those eyes really looking fondly at you?... To me, they seem to seek refuge in the distance... Young lad… What you have carved isn’t your mother… Insecurities… They are riddled all over this thing… I can tell…”.
Jarolf slowed his speech that was filled to the brim with rejection. This, however, was just for show. In truth, he just wanted to give this youth a good scare as he had actually managed to catch his eye. Seeing that it worked splendidly, Jarolf quickly changed his tune and exclaimed, “You’re ready to embark on the journey that will mold you into a splendid carver! And that’s why I’ll gladly have you, my boy!”.
Joss stared at his mother’s sculpt.
Those spoken words still nagged at his consciousness as he thought: How exactly is this not the perfect image of her?... Besides, this carving master had never even seen her before, so how could he dismiss or deny the resemblance!?
Joss did not accept the master’s words but neither did he speak up about his frustrations...
Jarolf could perfectly read Joss’ mood. The carver roughly chuckled to himself from seeing the boy’s twisted face. He pondered that surely this boy came from a home where the norm was something the lad differed from. For Joss looked like a kid that grew up having to question the ideals of his parents…
Jarolf scratched his itchy beard as he thought: Growing up like that… It’s the perfect breeding conditions for self-doubt and yet… To protect themselves these kids tend to become masters at making quick and strong decisions... One would think that this was an excellent quality to have, but once the ripple of uncertainty is set it can cause a tsunami…
Jarolf found it fascinating. Wondering by himself when this turmoil may rip this boy’s reasoning apart, causing him to do something stupid… Ah. That’s youth, isn’t it?... To let one’s emotions run rampant because of past wrongdoings…
But what did he care? Surely he would be able to handle this puppy if he should one day show signs of a wolf...
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