The sound of coughing filled the air as Theo approached the bed in the dark room. "My grandson, come closer." An older man said from the bed. Theo obeyed and walked closer as he suddenly became aware of every little detail in the room. The maid behind him, the breaths being drawn, the light movement of the water in the glass on the nightstand, the slight creaking of the floorboards beneath his step.
As the man came into view, Theo could see all but the man's face. "I had high hopes, but inevitably you failed the test too." He said with a grumbly, distorted tone as the room began to heat up and everything began to melt like wax in a fire. Theo withdrew a bit as he heard the sound of battle come from all around him. He looked around in panic but saw no identifiable source.
Theo suddenly jerked awake and sprung up into a sitting position, panting and looking around in panic.
"S-sorry, did I wake you?" Kendra asked as she stood up and created a distance between the both of them. After a moment, Theo focused his gaze on her.
"N-no..." He said.
"Was that a nightmare?" She asked.
"I'm... Not sure..." He said as he slowed his breathing a bit. "It was weird. Nothing I've experienced before, so it's probably nothing..." He said. Hesitantly, she drew a bit closer. 'That was strange...' Theo thought to himself. 'And I'm also super tired... How long did I stay up?' He wondered as he looked out the window and saw the sun.
"Since you're awake, you should head down to the table, your father and I have something to tell you and your sister." She said as she hesitantly put her hand on his shoulder and lightly rubbed it. "I'll wait out there." She said as she pulled her hand back and walked to the door. "Good morning, Theo." She said, then promptly exited.
Theo got up, got dressed, and quickly made his way out to the table, sitting down opposite his father and next to Sydney. "Good, you're up." John said. Theo nodded.
"Mornin' to you to." He said sarcastically.
"You and your sarcasm. Never gets old." John responded sarcastically.
"You get it." Theo said with a smile. John chuckled. Kendra cleared her throat.
"As you are both aware, I received a letter yesterday before the party." Kendra said. Theo and Sydney nodded.
"And the mysterious reactions have just made us curious." Theo added.
"Yes, well, it's a letter from your grandfather, he's calling a gathering of all members of the family. A carriage will arrive in the next few days to pick us up. When we leave, Theo will be staying to train." John explained.
"Makes sense." Theo said.
"Do we know what the gathering is about?" Sydney asked. John nodded.
"The heir to the family's title is going to be decided. It'll be a competition, any man from the family that is blood-related or married in a matrilineal marriage will be allowed to compete." Kendra explained.
"What does matrilineal mean?" Sydney asked.
"It means that any children born from the union will belong to the woman's family line. The surname, Lorenstein is my grandfather's." Kendra explained. Theo nodded in understanding.
"So, essentially, dad has claim, should he choose to try and press it in this competition, yes?" Theo asked.
"Correct." Kendra said.
"What do you plan to do, dad?" Theo asked.
"We have a few days before we go. Even if I join the competition, there's no guarantee that I'll win, especially since your grandfather has been cultivating his entire family to be as skilled as possible." John said.
"True." Theo said.
"Why's everybody so serious all of a sudden?" Sydney asked. "I mean, it's just a title, right?" She added.
"Not quite, I assume that what makes this such a big opportunity is the fact that there is land attached, yes?" Theo asked. Kendra seemed surprised for a moment, then nodded.
"How did you...?" Kendra asked, but paused.
"I'd hear guards talking about local politics every now and again, so I've come to understand bits and pieces." Theo explained. 'I've also read way too many medieval fantasy manga. So... There's that too...' He thought to himself.
"Oh, so that's why." Sydney said.
"Yes." John said.
"Well, you have some time, I guess you have the opportunity to think it over." Theo said as he leaned back in his seat a bit.
"How is it that you can understand what's at stake and remain so calm...?" Kendra asked.
"The key is not worrying over possibilities that probably won't come to fruition... That is, outwardly." Theo said.
"So you're worrying over them internally?" Sydney asked.
"Yeah. I'm weighing possibilities and seeing what is likely and for the best." He responded.
"Well, all that aside, we'll have to see what we want to bring with us. Clothes, snacks, and more." John said. Theo nodded as he stopped leaning back.
"I know what I plan to bring." Theo said as he stood up.
"Well, that's all that we needed to talk about, if you know what you want to bring, get packing." John said. Theo nodded and walked to his room.
'Alright, some clothes, I'll be bringing my staff for sure, and... Nothing else... I don't have much... All things considered...' Theo thought to himself as he created a small box with a sliding lid and a handle. He packed everything into it, then prepared his staff in a place that would be easy to get to when they have to leave.
'Have to say though, magic sure does make things easy.' He thought to himself as he put the small container on the floor next to his staff.
"Is that all you're bringing? You'll be there a while." Kendra said.
"I don't exactly have much in the way of wardrobe, and the staff is the object I hold most dear, so... Yeah?" Theo said confused. A perplexed expression appeared on Kendra's face.
"Wait here." She said as she walked to her room.
"Okay?" Theo said confusedly. A few moments later, she returned.
"Come with me, let's get you some extra clothes." She said as she grabbed Theo's wrist and opened the door. Theo followed. Kendra lead Theo to the market of the town. After a bit of walking, they walked into the tailor's shop.
'Ah, I see, clothes shopping.' Theo thought to himself. "So, what's the budget?" Theo asked.
"A large silver." Kendra responded.
'A rather large amount... How much does she expect to spend?' Theo wondered as he looked at some of the clothes on display. After a bit of looking around, the door opened and another set of parent and child entered.
"But mom, I like what I have already." Leah's voice could be heard, catching Theo's attention. He moved behind a rack, uncertain as to what he should do.
"I know, but you're growing out of them." Her mother responded.
"But my clothes aren't too small for me." Leah responded.
"I'm talking about different areas, you know that." She responded as she glossed through one of the racks.
'And I feel uncomfortable...' Theo thought to himself as he glanced at his mother who was now walking over to the pair. 'Oh god, I'm gonna have to talk, aren't I?' Theo wondered to himself as he tried to focus on choosing some clothes.
"I know, I know. I'm just attached, y'know?" Leah said as she reluctantly looked at a few articles of clothing.
"Don't say words like that, you know how your father is about it." The woman responded.
"Right, okay." Leah said.
"Eve, how are you?" Kendra asked as she approached Leah's mom. Eve looked away from the clothing.
"Oh, Kendra, wonderful to see you, I'm good. Are you here with Sydney? I'm sure she could help Leah find some new clothes." Eve said.
"Not today, I'm actually here to get Theo some new things, he's over there, focused on that rack." Kendra said as she pointed at Theo's hiding spot.
"Oh?" Leah asked. "Hey mom, you choose whatever, I'm gonna go talk with Theo." Leah said.
"Leah, you can't jus- And she's away already... What am I going to do with that girl?" Eve wondered aloud. Kendra laughed a bit.
"Well, I'll help you out, if that sounds alright." Kendra said with a laugh.
"Thank you, Kendra." Eve said.
"Hey, sorry you had to listen to that." Leah said as she walked over to Theo. "I'm sure you didn't really want to hear about how I'm... Well... Growing..." Leah said awkwardly.
"I sensed where that conversation was leading before it started, so I turned my attention away, don't worry." Theo said stiffly.
"Appreciated..." She said. "I take it you saw us come in then?" She asked. Theo nodded hesitantly. "You should have come over and said hi, then I could have at least left the conversation earlier, but well, this works as well, I suppose." Leah said.
"I guess. What kind of clothes do you tend to find more comfortable?" Theo asked.
"Oh? You want to help me choose?" She asked.
"Mayhaps." Theo said.
"Do you ever run out of uncertainties to use in conversation?" Leah asked.
"Hmm, possibly." Theo said with an amused smile. Leah laughed.
"Alright, you win that." She said. "I prefer things that are loose and have long sleeves. Things that are tight are just suffocating." She said with a smile.
"Do you prefer a fabric that's thicker, or do you find that overheating?" Theo asked.
"Well, I mean, during the winter, thicker things are nice, but generally something that's not thick or thin, I think." She said. Theo nodded and brushed through some articles, seeing what was there in front of him.
"Right, last question, dress, or shirt and pants? Perhaps both even?" Theo asked.
"I do prefer dresses, but pants have their advantages at times." She said with a smile. Theo walked over to the other side of the rack, Leah following him with her eyes. After a moment, he walked back to her with a green dress.
"I'm not sure what your budget is, but the price plate said it's a large copper and five copper." Theo said. Leah rubbed her hand on it.
"Hmm, it is rather nice." She said as she took it from Theo and held it up to herself. "What do you think? Does it look nice?" She asked. Theo tilted his head and thought for a moment, then nodded.
"I have to say, brown goes surprisingly well with green." Theo said with a satisfied nod.
"That so?" She asked. Theo gave another nod. "Well, let me check with the person that has the money, then." She said. Theo nodded as she walked over to her mom with the dress. "Can I get this one?" Leah asked her mom.
Her mom took a moment to look at the dress, then ran her hand on it. "Hold it up to yourself." She said. Leah did as she was told. "It does look good..." She said as she took a look at the wooden plate dangling from the sleeve. "And the price is decent." She added. "Did you pick this out?" She asked.
"Theo helped." Leah said.
"I see. Alright, we can get this one, and it appears adjustments won't even have to be made, he has a good eye." Eve said. Leah gave an ecstatic expression and handed Eve the dress. Leah controlled her expression, then went back to Theo.
"Mission success!" She said with a thumbs up and a smile. Theo gave another satisfied nod this time with a smile. "Now, let's see about finding you something." Leah said with a slight chuckle. They proceeded to spend the next few hours looking at clothes.