Early the next morning, they continued their journey with few breaks so that they and the horses could rest. By midday, they had already reached the school, the expansive area that their father cultivated.
The center of everything had been fenced off into an arena. Only a lean wooden fence, weathered over the years by wind and rain, surrounded it. The boys were in the midst of repairing it.
Aside from fights, Alina sometimes performed dances there. Usually, the boys would then light campfires or organize plays, as well as various celebrations of all kinds.
To the west of this area lay the students' quarters and the cells. To the east, directly opposite the quarters, was Marno's house, alongside a few houses for potential guests.
To the north were the stables. Besides Alina's gray mare Belena and Eros' bay mare Falira, there were 15 other horses, some captured by Alina herself or brought by her students.
Lastly, to the south, was the training ground. Alina avoided the west, east, and south. She didn't want to encounter any of the students, but she also wasn't keen on running into Marno given her appearance. So, she took the path through the stables and pastures. Hardly anyone was around at this time.
She left Ero there. He could attend to their guests and the horses and their cargo in peace. She headed towards the quarters, a complex of several houses. Some of them could accommodate up to 30 students, although most were for fewer residents, like hers.
She was one of Marno's first students. Over the years, a sort of village had formed around her small hut, through which she crept from wall to wall, just so no one would see her in this attire.
It seemed unusual to her that she could abandon her caution after a few steps. There was no one shouting after her or spying on her.
The quarters appeared deserted, so she made her way to her house without worry. No one came to meet her there. Until...
"Alina!" someone shouted from the direction of the training ground and to her left. Even before she turned to face him, she could identify the voice as one of her students, only slightly older than her. Therefore, he was also in his first year at Marno's school and was often taught by Ero. He was a good student who now joyfully ran towards her.
She didn't even muster a smile. She greeted Delio as usual, briefly and amiably.
"Are you coming from a mission?" He looked at the girl, who stood before him, quite disheveled, mainly dressed in a men's shirt.
"It was supposed to be a performance," she admitted with a forced smile. "You know me. If there's a nice bounty, I'll see what I can get."
His smile brightened at that, like the beautiful day.
"And when will you dance for us students again? I'm not the only one who wants to know."
Unfortunately, she had to disappoint him right there.
"If you get Ero to help me with my missions, I'll organize a dance event just for the students."
It didn't dampen his cheerfulness, even though he had to admit, "Then I might not be at the school anymore."
Even the students hardly expected Ero to eventually be of real help to her. On the other hand, Delio knew Ero very well. They were friends, so perhaps Ero confided in him why he never gave Alina the support she desired.
Delio shrugged. What he said next and how he said it resembled a much too dramatically arranged play.
"I don't want to live in such a mundane world where I can't watch my favorite dancer. I'd happily go to the well and jump in."
"I can make an exception," she interjected, even raising her hands, accompanied by a bright laugh. "Just for you, I'll give a private performance."
"I'll have to tell the others right away," he exclaimed. "Then I'll learn about the inside of our well that way. Pushed in out of envy."
He accompanied Alina a part of the way to her quarters.
Delio was a sweet boy who had been keen on drawing attention to himself since his arrival. Unfortunately, the training with Ero sometimes rubbed off on him, so he also resorted to the occasional remark to tease her.
Although he was quite well-behaved this time.
"Where are the others?" the girl inquired. "Did Marno distribute his assignments again?"
Delio nodded, but his grin raised more questions than it answered.
"Marno has assigned special tasks to everyone who has been here for more than three years."
"Tell me! What torment is the old man subjecting the boys to now?" It slipped out, and Marno would be angry with his daughter if he heard her speak like that. In her younger years, she might have even received a slap for her cheeky tongue.
But it was true.
Alina knew her father very well, especially his so-called special assignments. She had suffered under them in her childhood.
"Hunt for a Sunday roast for the school," he'd say. "Catch me something juicy so I can fill my belly," he really meant. And some of the students were even tasked with arranging rendezvous for him. Alina had been quite successful in that regard.
A sweet little girl. If the lady in question didn't know that Marno had only taken her in, that he wasn't her biological father, she hoped for a meeting with an exceptionally graceful man. Not at all like that scoundrel Marno.
"A few farmers came to the school early this morning," the boy reported. "Poachers stole their animals and damaged the fences and stables. He, as helpful as always, sent almost all the students to fix the damages."
"And on the side, they're supposed to see if they can find the poachers, hoping that there's a bounty on them," Alina burst into laughter.
If that were the case, she could expect few free days.
"He thinks they need to learn this too."
He wasn't referring to the poachers.
"If a fence needs repairing or anything else goes wrong on the farm, it's advisable to call Marno's students!" She stood before Delio, although her seriousness had vanished. "The old man must have had too many sword fights in his time, but he's also right. The farmers are least to blame for this war. If something's broken for them, the boys can pitch in. That way, they also retain empathy for others."
Not like some of the soldiers who seemed indifferent to what happened to the farmers. They looted, murdered, and did much more, things Marno wanted to protect his students from. He didn't want them to become such monsters.
Only at the door to her quarters did they both stop.
"Where are the rest of our students?" she asked Delio.
"At training," he replied. "Marno says some can work, and the rest of us should train."
"And as the daughter of our beloved teacher Marno, I'm asking you now, why aren't you at training?" She raised her finger in mock severity, but it didn't change his smile. He even began to stretch his cheekiest grin towards her.
"Oh, sweet Alina," he crooned with a honeyed yet provocative voice. "When you looked up at the sky this morning, and the sun saw your sweet smile, you must have pleased her so much that she rewarded us with her rays."
He paused briefly. Stepping back from her, he took another step, then another, as he continued speaking until he reached the wall of one of the other houses.
"And thanks to this really very revealing combination, she's rewarding us with heat that must even provide warmth in hell. Everyone's screaming for water, and I'm the poor water bearer."
"Will you stop training with Ero!" she ordered him now with her real severity. "He's turned you from a nice boy into just as cheeky a guy as he is."
Delio laughed as cheerfully as the day.
He hadn't just learned swordsmanship from Ero. You wouldn't even think the slight boy could wield a hefty two-hander so well.
Alina remembered when he had arrived here just a few months ago. A shy boy who completely disappeared into the crowd. Only Ero had pulled him out and honed his talent. Now he was adopting some of his teacher's traits.
"By the way," Delio called out.
Before he continued, he slowly moved away from her towards where the well stood, near the paddocks. Another well was within the quarters, but it hadn't held water since last year.
"Marno instructed me to draw you a bath. He expected you to arrive soon. Your door is still open, and you can jump right in."
Alina looked at him bewildered, and Delio paused for a moment.
"The old man spoils his little daughter wherever he can, despite claiming not to make a difference between her and his other students," he called out to her loudly and then disappeared behind one of the houses.
There were only two keys to her house. She had one, and her father kept the other.
As the only girl here, she attracted the interest of many boys. So she locked the door immediately after entering. Then she drew her curtains.