Chapter 4 - Childhood III
Eamon, Bryn, and Sylas started to interact every day.
In the beginning, Sylas taught Eamon and Bryn about livestock. With time, both Eamon and Bryn had a fair understanding of the subject. Soon they started to spend more time with each other while Sylas took care of the usual tasks.
The process of learning how to read and write was not as developed as in our world. One of the biggest drivers of technology development was wars. But in a world where levels exist, the need for technology is much different. One country or individual can improve their might by raising their soldier's powers. It may not be the best way, but it is simpler.
Eamon's style of teaching, which he learned from his mother, was crude. Every day the lesson was in the same style. He would read for Bryn and then show him the book for a direct comparison.
In the first couple of days, Eamon almost agreed with his mother, there were no signs of improvement on Bryn's side. Eamon even considered that fauns might be a lower species after all.
On the fifth day, Bryn started to change. Eamon had no idea about Earth's development on alphabetical and pedagogical means.
The first change of the teaching method was simple. Bryn asked him a couple of questions and asked him to write the things down.
"The way we are doing this, I'm going to take a very long time to read, much less write." Bryn said.
"Ok mister, what do you suggest?" annoyed at the young faun.
"Let's start simple. Could you write here all the letters you can think of?"
"I must comprehend the written language rules, so I can improve faster." Bryn thought.
Eamon did as suggested by Bryn.
"Good. Now tell me, when we combine the letters. Do they stay the same, change, or mix in any special way?"
Eamon was confused by his question, but answered anyway. "They go one after the other, I don't remember a case when the drawing would change."
"Amazing. Now that I have seen all the letters, why don't we carve the letters on a piece of old wood at the back of the stables? That way I can use my free time to memorize them." Bryn suggested.
"That is a good idea."
As the days passed, Bryn's improvement in the written language was surprising to Eamon. Usually, kids would take years to learn how the language worked. Within 3 months of everyday lessons, Bryn got the hang of it. They could already exchange notes if they wanted to.
Bryn's lack of vocabulary started to become his biggest setback.
The books Eamon brought were tales. There were no books about current cultural or social structure. No guidebooks about personal or magical development. Bryn was sad to realize that his plans of comprehending the world were starting.
After the first trimester, Lady Isolde got wind of what Eamon was doing. She reprimanded him again and again, but Lord Aric didn't go back on his word. His father had never prohibited him from teaching Bryn. Eamon respected his mother's decision not to teach the Faun, but he didn't share the same feelings.
After six months of classes, Bryn could read most books by himself. Some words were challenging and there was no dictionary for him to look them up. The duo started to have more free time.
Soon the conversations started to be about their life, hopes, and dreams. A friendship was starting to take seed.
Bryn impressed Eamon more and more with every conversation. He was much more mature than expected. His rate of improvement was absurd, his posture and etiquette were always on point. Eamon was sure to have found an amazing genius on their farm.
Bryn's desires were simple but hard to achieve from his starting point. He wished to offer his parents and himself a good and comfortable life. He also wished to travel the world and explore. Eamon could see that Bryn's eyes sparkled much more about the exploring part. At the same time, he could understand why providing came first every time they talked.
Bryn's family were servants in a faraway land. That life was not comfortable at all. His mother, Lady Isolde, didn't make things much easier for the fauns either.
Eamon's wishes were more complicated. He dreamed of being the strongest Royal Knight in the kingdom. That was a difficult task for anyone. Eamon had some extra challenges on his path. Since Bryn was a faun, a race not dedicated to combat, he decided not to develop the subject any further. There were many theories behind individual power.
Since Bryn was someone who wanted to explore the world, they decided he needed to train in the art of combat. He was still a kid, so there were no real expectations about the training. Eamon wanted to have a sparing partner and feel a little bit superior to when he fought the guards.
The two were inseparable during the next year and a half.
Bryn's development was noticeable, be it reading or writing. He was now able to read anything Eamon brought. Even some documents about the farm and deals with merchants were no challenge for him. As a former executive, reading contracts took a good part of Bryn's earth life.
Bryn had grown fond of the young master. As a 35-year-old, he thought about Eamon as his younger brother, who helped him during the recovery process.
Eamon had connected with Bryn as he wished for a connection with his brother Rowan or sister Evelina. None were as close to Eamon as Bryn had become.
During both years, Sylas was able to help the lord with the cattle. Bryn helped a lot, he comprehended that different plants offered different nutritional values. He knew that huge quantities of low nutritional value could fill one's belly. When you add high nutritional components, one can balance weight and nutritional needs. The weight loss of cattle during winter was the best in years, much less than before.
The livestock performance compared to other lands around was incredible. Lord Aric decided to give an extra chicken or rabbit every month to Sylas's family ever since.
Freya's two years were not good. Lady Isolde's mood kept getting worse during the last two years. Arguments with Lord Aric had become a recurring thing in the house during the first year. So much so that the Lord had increased the number of trips he did every trimester. Lady Isolde was no picnic before, so the situation was not that much worse than before.
Rowan, the youngest lord, had also turned five. It was clear that the boy had potential. At age five, he could use the strength of 10-year-old children. Bryn had very few exchanges with Rowan until now. He heard from Eamon that Rowan would become an important figure in their house. Still, as a regular 5-year-old, his interests were simple, and he followed his mother's lead.
Evelina was on her way to becoming a proper young Lady. Her way of behaving was a complete match to her mother's. People who had met Lady Isolde as a young teenager would affirm that they were the same person, only years apart. Her blond hair, blue eyes, and height were all similar. She was 10 years old now, an age at which young female nobles started to receive guests with her mother.
Lord Aric and Lady Isolde didn't change much. Apart from their mood swings, everything was the same. They grew apart when Eamon started to spend more and more time with Bryn and Sylas. When that became old news, the situation at the house improved a little. The biggest change was in the last trimester when Rowan started to increase his strength.
Lord Aric's eyes got sharper every day since. He knew what something like this could mean for their household. Lady Isolde was the same. She had no idea what misconception guided Eamon to help Bryn. But at one point all she did was forget they both existed. When Rowan started to develop, she had no problem showing who her new favorite son was.
The last two years were important to Eamon. They started with him believing that it would be his first time off studying and preparing to be a Lord.
He had strong beliefs that even if he could become the strongest royal knight, his path was still the same. Pass the Royal Academy entrance exam. Become stronger each day. Inherit his father's title and land. Marry a young noblewoman from a stronger household. Come back and forward from their territory, improving the land. A break from the path was all he could think about since it all started when he was a kid.
The last two years were no vacation at all. Bryn had many surprises up his sleeves.
The first thing different from their time together was exercise. The guards had Eamon train combat and some running daily. When he told Bryn, the young faun started to point out a few changes in his routine.
The day would start and end with exercises. They were different each day, taking different parts of Eamon's body to their limits. Eamon didn't understand why Bryn would not do the exercises with him, but every time he asked, the answer was the same. "At your age, I definitely will" he thought.
It didn't take long for improvement to show. Agility, balance, and strength all improved after some guidance. After the forging of the body, martial training started to improve as well. Eamon couldn't comprehend how the simple changes influenced his growth so much. At one point, he decided to stop asking questions, only to appreciate the process.
The last relevant change to his routine was food consumption. Bryn knew that Eamon was a good way for his intake of proteins to increase. So he also guided the young lord towards eating a little more meat than before.
The two years passed like the blink of an eye for Eamon. Looking at his strength and potential to grow was an addictive process.
"Bryn, I'll pass my entrance exam. I'm sure I can be better than most people my age in any type of physical exchange."
"Don't forget that being a Royal Knight is not only about brawls and muscles. You have to keep your head as strong as your body, Eamon." Bryn complemented.
"I know that. But one day you will understand why I like this feeling so much." with an air of mystery behind his words.
Bryn didn't give him much thought and asked, "So, when is this test going to be anyway? The invitation should've arrived already, no?"
"It is not related to my birthday. Every year, the admissions start before the winter. That way, there are no challenges for people to reach any city where they hold exams."
At that point, it was summer, so there were three months before the entrance test took place.
Bryn used the last 3 months to prepare Eamon with different tasks his memory could think of. Many different military squadrons had their minimal requirements public on earth. So every other day, Bryn forced Eamon to do the tests as close as possible.
Eamon was ready, he now could even beat many of the guards in combat. His body developed a lot and the last part of the training helped him to comprehend and synch his body and mind.
It was finally time for Eamon to try and step into the next stage of his dream.
Eamon was very excited about going to the academy and very confident he would get accepted. But when the time came, his heart was heavy.
He forgot that by going, he and his friend would not see each other for the next many years. The Royal Academy had a strict 2-year curfew. A new cadet could not see their family during this time. The reason was simple, they would now become part of a different family.
By realizing the separation to come, Eamon was not that energetic anymore. Bryn noticed that his friend wasn't the same in the last couple of days.
"What is happening, Eamon? Your scores are worse than before, almost the same as when we started. Like this, you aren't going to impress your judges." Trying to motivate his friend.
"I know. But I have a lot on my mind, Bryn."
Bryn decided to break the ice with a bit of sarcasm before asking the real question. "We are soo young... You are a young Lord at that... When you enter the academy, they will guide you and help you for some time... What could be taking your focus away?"
"As soon as I go, there will be no coming back. I'll spend at least 2 years away from home. Usually even more. I know some cases that people returned only 4 years later." Eamon answered.
"So that is what you have been pondering about... I have to say, you are more emotional than I thought. Tell me one thing, do you still have a dream?"
"Of course I do." Eamon retorted.
"Is there a way for you to achieve your dream without going?"
"No. The Royal Knight's Academy is the only way for a person to become a Royal Knight. It is one of the greatest honors a noble can take."
"If you have a strong will, then stop worrying about what you can't control. Let me show you something."
Bryn took a small tree branch and drew three circles on the floor, one inside the other.
"You can imagine your life as these three circles. The one on the inside is you. Your direct choices. The decision to do the work or not. The decision to take in the pain and use it as fuel to achieve your goals. The second circle is things and people around you that you can influence.
You can never decide something for someone. I told you I had a few ideas to improve your training. That was me on my second circle trying to influence you. But the decision to accept and do the new exercises was you in your inner circle.
The last and outer circle is the worst. It is everything and everyone else that we can't even influence.
Answer me, if the king decided that the Royal Knight's Academy was over. Can you do anything about it?"
Eamon was still taking everything in, but the answer was instant. "The King's rule is absolute. So of course not."
"By answering you now, understand the point I'm trying to make. On the first and inner circle are everything you could and should worry about. On the second circle is everything on the outside that can be influenced to change by your choices. But on the last circle, is everything that currently you have zero influence on, much less the capability to change them. When we grow up, by improving our inner circle, the second one grows as well and the last one keeps getting smaller. Believe me, you should only worry about your inner circle."
"I think you make sense, but what about our friendship? We became friends because of the last two years. How can our friendship work on your circle's logic?" Eamon got emotional once again, his mind was as far from training as one could be.
"That is the simplest example of all. I wish to be friends with people who are brave and follow their dreams. I'll never betray my friends, and whenever we meet I promise to keep my word. Those are all choices I can make on my first circle. If you have similar beliefs, and you keep them in your first circle, we will never grow apart. We may never see each other again, but I'll still believe you are my friend until life proves me wrong." Bryn answered.
Eamon looked at Bryn as if he was talking with an old adult, nothing about their interraction pointed towards such a young faun. "Those are amazing words, my friend. I still cannot believe you are only 5 years old. You will be a great professor someday. I promise you, we will be friends no matter what happens in the future. I'll become a Royal Knight and the strongest of them all." He said.
"Good resolve. I almost believe you... hahah."
The two youngsters came back to the mansion. Lord Aric had already prepared everything for their departure. Lady Isolde looked at the two coming from the stables, and she felt a needle puncher her heart.
Today, her baby and their heir were going away for an unknown time. During the last two years, she focused much more on Evelina and Rowan. Now, with Eamon about to leave, many feelings were testing the strength of her heart.
Rowan and Evelina were proud of their brother, he was about to become a Royal Knight. For them, there was no chance that Eamon would not pass the entrance exam. At the same time, they felt sick, he was walking around with the faun. Lady Isolde had engraved on their skulls that fauns were not deserving.
Sylas and Freya were in the background. They knew Eamon was the reason their life had become better in the past two years. Yes, Lord Aric was grateful that Sylas helped with the animals. But in the past, there would be no change at all, at most a "thank you, Sylas". The reason they got extra meat was only because of the young lord's influence.
Bryn joined his parents as his first friend in the new world got inside the carriage. Their eyes met one last time. Both remembered their promise to each other and their resolve to fulfill their dreams.
Eamon got inside the carriage with Lord Aric and the journey started.