Delrik was in his office with Felux, looking over some reports. He tried not to show it, but his mind was consumed with getting ready for the upcoming trip to the CPG.
Delrik said to Felux, "Have the weapons inspected today. I saw Fabious with a dull sword the other day."
Felux said, "Sir, my apprentice arrives today."
"Ah, I had forgotten," Delrik said, "Have Morc inspect the weapons then. He's due for a promotion anyway."
Felux nodded.
༻✧༺
In the servant's quarters, Tilda was transporting a basket of apples to the cook, when she saw her brother, Beniter, walking towards her. She dropped her basket and ran to him.
Hugging him tightly, she said, "Beniter! What are you doing here?"
"Didn't Felux tell you?" The strong young boy puffed out his chest and said, "I'm his new apprentice."
Tilda's jaw dropped. She said, "How?"
Her younger brother blushed all embarrassed and said with a big smile, "I wrote to Felux asking if he would make me his apprentice and he accepted."
"That's wonderful. Congratulations!" Tilda said. It had always been Beniter's biggest dream to become a knight.
Beniter said, "I have to get going, but I wanted to say hi before I began training."
At that moment, Felux approached. He smiled and said, "Beniter, ready?"
Beniter straightened his posture and said, "Master Lothar! Yes sir."
"Sir Felux is fine."
"Yes, Sir Felux!"
Felux pointed to the Knight's training field and said, "Let's get you warmed up. Five laps around the field, full speed. Go."
Beniter's eyes widened with excitement, saying, "Right now? We're starting right now?"
"Seeing as how we've a foreign mission starting in a few days, aye, right now."
"Yes Sir!" Beniter said, as he ran off waving. Tilda waved back with a giant grin on her face.
Her grin faded as she turned to Felux and asked, "Is now really the best time for you to take on an apprentice?"
Felux shrugged, "Who knows? But if I wait fer the timing to square up, I might be waiting ferever, and he doesn't have that long. That said, the CPG will be the best place fer him to start learning."
Tilda's smile returned as she said, "It'll be fun to have him with us. Why didn't you tell me your new apprentice was going to be Beniter?"
"I wanted to surprise you."
"Well," Tilda said putting her hands on her hips, "Don't go easy on him just for my sake."
Felux smiled wickedly, saying, "I don't plan to."
Felux was true to his word.
༻✧༺
Beniter's schedule was rigorous. Felux spent two to four hours a day with Beniter for one-on-one personalized training. Then, when Felux was busy with his other duties, he assigned one of the other knights to keep training him. Beniter was improving rapidly, but Felux only kept him on the basics.
In the Knight's field, Beniter and Felux were with swords running through a flow of movements together in unison.
Slice. Block. Thrust. Repeat.
Being a blacksmith's son, Beniter already had experience with swords. Most of the time, he helped to create them, but his father felt it was important that a man knows how to use the weapons he builds. As such, Beniter had experience in a large range of weapons, but swords had always been his favorite. With no formal training, there was nothing refined by his movements, but he was strong and had a good mastery of the flow of the weapon.
Felux focused on teaching Beniter proper technique and building muscle memory. The exercises were monotonous, but Beniter could see the value in them, and didn't lose vigor as he repeated the moves again and again, hundreds of times, for hours a day.
༻✧༺
Adding a little variety to their training, Felux made sure to take his apprentice to the shooting range.
Beniter pulled back on a bow and arrow and released.
Felux said, "Missed."
Beniter shot again.
"Missed."
Beniter shot again.
"Oh!" Felux's eyes widened.
Beniter looked at Felux in anticipation.
"Aye, you missed."
Beniter was not great with a bow.
༻✧༺
There were times Beniter wondered if Felux tortured him for fun.
On one such occasion, Felux made Beniter balance on a tall vertical wooden block with his arms held out, carrying two pails of water, while a third pail balanced on his head. It didn't take long before Beniter's breathing became heavy and his exhausted beet red face broke out in sweat.
"How much," Beniter struggled, "Longer?"
Felux leaned back, saying, "Till I'm tired of watchin you. And we're just getting to the good part."
༻✧༺
Felux had assigned Beniter to fill the castle's moat with water from the pump-well using a giant barrel Beniter had to wear on his back, held in place by two straps.
Again and again, Beniter pumped the water into the giant barrel, strapped it to his back, ran the distance to the gate, then dumped the water into the grassy moat and watched as the water seeped into the ground. It was useless work and Beniter felt like Felux was trying to break his spirit.
Beniter strapped on the barrel after having finished pumping the well. He was running with his barrel full of water, when he turned a corner and slammed into Deborah, spilling all of the water on her.
She screamed, dripping wet.
Shocked and a bit frightened, Beniter said, "I'm, I'm so sorry. It was an accident."
"You-!" Deborah started but she couldn't finish. She had had a hard day. The new lady in waiting kept wanting to help with chores for Cosaria, but she was inefficient and slow. Not only that, but she kept getting in the way. She didn't understand the process that the castle used and kept messing things up. Things that Deborah had to fix. Continually. It was so frustrating! (That and her love life was in shambles. But she didn't want to admit that part.) Now this? Soaked in water from head to toe. Deborah was already ready to boil over, and this was just icing on the cake.
Deborah said, "What do you think you're doing?! Why can't you watch where you're going!"
The young apprentice bowed his head and said, "I'm sorry, I was just trying to fill the moat, I didn't mean-"
"Fill the-! Why in the world-! What a useless!!! When the Knight commander hears about this, you'd better start counting your days here at the castle!"
Deborah and Beniter went directly to Felux who was chatting with the head maid Gordana. With head hung in shame, Beniter fessed up to accidentally dumping water on Deborah as Deborah described the scene with vast amounts of frustrated exaggeration. After hearing both sides, and seeing that Deborah was, indeed, covered in water, Gordana started laughing.
Felux explained, "Aye, I'd given him that task."
Deborah said, "Wha-"
Gordana explained, "Deborah, were you even watching? I heard him thumping around outside from where I was inside the kitchen. What were you thinking? Were you so distracted?"
Deborah huffed, "No, but…-"
The guilty young man said, "I'm sorry."
Gordana patted Deborah, saying, "Go get yourself washed up and dried."
Deborah said, "But what about him?"
Felux said, "There's nothing to be done here. Beniter's already apologized, so let's be movin on."
Sometimes, even older people throw tantrums. Deborah was proof of that, as she stormed away.
Beniter tried calling out, "I really am sorry."
No response.
Felux said, "Beniter."
Beniter shrank, saying, "Yes Sir?"
Felux said, "Did you finish fillin the moat?"
"But it's impossible!"
"Did you finish fillin the moat?"
"No…"
"Better get back to it then."
Woefully, Beniter picked up his barrel and said, "Yes Sir."
Felux then put his hand on Beniter's shoulder and said, "Don't be worryin about the lady's upset. It happens."
Beniter nodded, saying, "Yes Sir."
༻✧༺
Around dinner time, Felux sent Knight Fabious out to bring Beniter in for food. Beniter had not filled the moat, but he had made a good attempt at it. The other Knights laughed at recounting their own times that Felux made them fill the moat for 'training' purposes.
It turned out, 'filling the moat' was just an initiation into the knights. It taught a soldier to follow order, build muscle, and do their best regardless of how useless the task seemed. There would be times on the battle field when the odds would be stacked against a soldier, and it was important to fight anyway.
As Beniter stuffed his face, he was struck by how impressive the Knights of Arquix were. Strong men with strict training. Under Felux's command, they were a team. United. They watched out for each other and inspired each other to be better, not only in skill, but also in honor. The rumors said that the Arquix knights were more beast than man, but seeing it for himself, Beniter could see that they were an exclusive group, ready to fight the world for their compatriots. And the Knights had openly accepted Beniter into their group. To them, he was like a little brother. Each of them were excited to help train with him and were invested in his success. In turn, Beniter treated them with the utmost respect and reverence.
Beniter went back to get seconds, but found that it was Deborah serving the food. He turned away and went back to his seat without getting another serving.
As Beniter sat in his seat, he tried to think of some way he could make it up to the older lady.
༻✧༺
Beniter was well versed in the art of flower crowns. His younger sister Mellia demanded them on a weekly basis. So, in the early morning, before training started, he made a flower crown and gave it to Deborah in the kitchen.
He said, "I'm sorry."
Feeling a bit bad about how she had overreacted, she took the crown, even though it wasn't really her style. With a sliver of guilt, she said, "Thank you." The poor apprentice boy didn't deserve the cold shoulder.
Beniter smiled, and that was all Deborah needed to feel happy again.
Then Beniter said, "You know, Sir John said you're not as bad as you look, and I think he was right! Bye!"
Then he left, and Deborah's mood soured again.
'Not as bad as you look'. Deborah scoffed. Sir John was one of the knights Deborah despised the most. Yet also the one she was most attracted to. That being stated, she would rather stay an old maid than be with someone like that.
༻✧༺
Marley looked out the window and saw the new apprentice and Felux training together. She was happy not to be the newest person at the Arquix castle anymore and she hoped her and the young boy would be able to be friends.
"Lady Marley," Tilda appeared in the hallway carrying a basket full of muffins. "I was thinking of sharing these muffins with the knights. Would you like to go with me?"
"Oh man, yeah! But can we keep a few?"
Tilda laughed and agreed.
On the training field, Felux watched as Beniter practiced his movements.
Slice. Block. Thrust. Repeat.
Felux said, "Yer movement's are sloppy."
Beniter said, "I'm tired and I hurt."
"Yer whinin."
"Yes, Sir Felux."
As Tilda and Marley approached, Tilda said, "Would you boys be willing to take a short break? We've got muffins."
Beniter looked with puppy dog eyes at Felux.
"Aye, it's alright."
Beniter ran over and grabbed a muffin. Stuffing his face, he said, "Thanks, sis. They're good."
Tilda said, "Deborah made them."
Marley said, "Wait, did he say sis? Oh man. Don't tell me. You two are related?"
"Beniter is my younger brother." Tilda handed Felux a muffin, then she asked, "How's training going?"
Felux said, "Beniter's been catching on quick."
"Really?" Beniter said, "But you're always criticizing me."
Felux said, "You'll never get better fer me babying you."
Tilda said, "I'm glad to know it's going well then. Felux, are we still going into town this evening?"
"Aye."
Felux had a meeting with a merchant about transporting a load to the CPG and decided to bring Tilda, so they could spend time together. The plan was to order a new pair of shoes, then go to a steak place for dinner.
Beniter asked, "Does that mean I have the evening off?"
"Naw, Henry will teach you strategy. But fer now, we'll train."
Beniter reached for another muffin as Felux handed him a sword.
"Just one more…"
Felux said, "Have one later. We've got work."
Beniter pouted, "Alright." Then Beniter smiled at Marley and said, "Thanks for coming and bringing us muffins."
"Oh yeah!" Marley said, "It's for all the knights too."
"Except John," Tilda laughed, "Deborah wanted to make sure that John does NOT get any."
Marley said, "Yeah, I don't get that, you know."
As Marley and Tilda walked towards where the other Knights were gathered, Marley said, "I didn't know he's your brother."
Tilda said, "He's the second youngest. He's always felt like he has something to prove. You might know a little something about that."
Marley nodded, "Yeah, oh man, yeah. You know, I've always. I've… yeah." She felt words could not express her mixed emotions. On one hand, she was happy to have someone she could relate to, but on the other, she doubted she'd ever be able to honestly open up with anyone about her struggles.
No one could know her greatest secret: She was part demon.