At night, the city of Hallashom was illuminated with a full moon. After finishing his duties as an Oberjarl, Erak retired for the night and made his way back home. He trekked up the hill and reached a house perched atop a rugged cliff overlooking the vast expanse of the sea. The dwelling provided a breathtaking view of the crashing waves and the starry skies.
The exterior of the house was built with sturdy timber and stone. Intricate wooden carvings adorned the wooden beams and doorways, which brought a mix of conflicting emotions to Erak's heart. His heart was filled with pride that his son had an artistic talent for wood carving and shame that his son wasted his time pursuing the finer arts when he should have been equipped with a bloodthirsty battleax. The sight of an heir wearing a typical Skandian horned helmet and equipped with a steel weapon would bring pride to any Skandian parent.
Instead, he opened his door to see his wife Freya cooking a stew while his son Nathaniel was helping her with chopping vegetables and recommending some seasonings which would make the stew more savory.
"By Orlog and Gorlog's sake!" bellowed Erak, his shouts echoing throughout the forest, startling many of the nightlife creatures," What are you doing!" His exclamation caused Nathaniel to pause his chopping. For the briefest moment, his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance, but his expression returned to his normal peaceful face.
"Welcome back father," said Nathaniel," As you see, I have noticed that mother spends too much time in the kitchen doing housework. By helping her with chopping vegetables, she only needs to pay attention to the finer details of cooking that require more skill."
Freya's face beamed with pride," Isn't this great, Erak? Our son finally decided to step out of his shell and started to help us more."
"Great! What part of this is great! Who would believe that the beloved son of the Oberjarl would chop vegetables and do housework like a woman? Where should my reputation go!"
"ARE YOU LOOKING DOWN AT WHAT I DO ERAK!" Freya yelled, irritated at the Skandian notion of looking down on men doing housework.
Erak huffed and puffed but he could not back down against Freya. For the past two years, he had tolerated, rather he had been forced to tolerate his son's antics, but no more. Every time this argument happened, his son would pursue some strange skill, his mother would praise him, Erak would curse at him, Freya would curse at Erak, and finally, his son would emerge victorious, but he was now determined to break the cycle.
"In one week, just one week, you will be starting brother band training. How do you expect him to communicate with the other kids his age? At this rate, your love will make him socially inept and he will be bullied and forced to do all the chores by the other kids."
"His father is the Oberjarl…"Freya's voice faltered.
"That's exactly why they will take out their frustrations on him," said Erak.
"Father, Mother, I have decided to trek on the path of weaponry.." said Nathaniel, surprising Erak and Freya.
"You will?" questioned Erak," Every time I bring up this question, you say that you are not ready."
"And now I'm ready," said Nathaniel, meeting his father's gaze. Ever since he transmigrated into this body, his mind forced him to learn some stuff that was considered graceful like chess, calligraphy, poetry, and art. Granted it did slow him down, but the title also granted him eloquence and grace which was at an extraordinary level.,"But one condition."
"Anything," said Erak.
"I aspire to engage in the art of archery," said Nathaniel.
"Archery, by now, why don't you just admit to being Arulean!" said Erak, frustrated at the strange requests brought to him by his son.
Archery was a rare skill among Skandians. Skandians effectively had no long-range means of attack except for throwing catapults and spears at enemies. Most Skandians had no experience with the bow so it would be difficult to find an archery teacher for Nathaniel.
"Father, the art of archery holds immense value. As you recall the past when the Temunji attacked from afar, we were compelled to seek aid from Arulean slaves skilled in archery.
Now, through diplomacy, we have secured a treaty, with them sending a hundred skilled archers to strengthen Skandia's defenses in exchange for our promise to not attack their country."
It was true. Using the bow was not an unacceptable price, since Erak did have a good impression on people who used a bow. That Arulean boy, Will Treaty, was incredible. Erak accepted the condition, but he also needed a condition as well.
"Fine. But I want you to go to the group that I assign you to."
Nathaniel thought for a while," Very well, I can meet your requirement."
Seeing that the family tension was finally over, Freya let Nathaniel and Erak sit down and served the hot steaming stew with some well-baked bread for them to eat.
Erak took a sip and commented," It tastes good, Freya, did you improve your cooking skills."
Freya smiled with joy. "Why is the bear meat a bit chunky," said Erak, puzzled noticing that the meat was a little bit unevenly chopped while the vegetables were finely diced according to their requirements.
Nathaniel replied," I started by chopping the meat. Since it was my first time using a knife, I was not able to cut it properly, but I refined my skills quickly and was able to determine the most efficient way to cut vegetables."
"Is there that much-hidden content in just cutting vegetables?" asked Erak.
"Of course there is father. Everything can be approached with elegance and perfectionism. From holding a knife firmly, but gently with fingers wrapped around the handle and the thumb resting on the spine of the blade to maintaining a steady rhythmic pace, everything must be done perfectly." said Nate, using a knife to cut the bread into pieces and dipping it into the stew with a fork.
Erak and Freya made eye contact and whispered.
'Is he being serious'
'He's telling the truth. You should have been there to see him. At first, it was rough, but within ten minutes, he's been chopping like a chef.'
Their internal discussion was interrupted by Nathaniel commenting," This loaf of bread tastes better than usual. Did you bring it from a different bakery?"
Freya said," While talking to a few of my friends, I heard that the quality of Griselda's Bakery has fallen, so I went to Karina's Bakery."
"Hmm, it tastes much softer. I like it," said Nate.