An Aimless War (Greatest Thief 2)

Bonus - The Reasons to Enlist - Family

Twelve years before An Aimless War

"They're Teltish!"

"They're half Crelan, mate. Don't try to ignore that."

The twins hated it when their father and uncle argued. It was always about the same thing. Their father insisted that the boys were Teltish, but no one could deny that they had taken after their mother's side of the family. They had dark Crelan hair, they spoke like their uncle, and even their names sounded more Crelan than Teltish.

Their father, Kander, wasn't around often. The boys didn't dislike their father, they had simply spent more time with their mother and uncle.

Uncle Roland was the epitome of a Crelan sailor. He had dark hair and a beard, and tanned skin with tattoos running down both arms. He always arrived at their house dressed in black, always with a sword, and often wearing his large hat with the blue and green feather. The twins spent every moment they could with him, practicing knots and learning everything their uncle knew about sailing. They had listened with rapt attention at the stories he told them about the Old God of the Sea and the Sailor King. They had memorized the words of all the old Crelan shanties.

The boys thought of themselves as Crelan, a fact that constantly upset their father. It was why he had insisted on them picking up a skill that wasn't associated with most Crelans-archery. To his delight, the boys were naturals. Kandar had high hopes for them joining the army, a respectable Teltish occupation, as opposed to joining their uncle's crew.

Kor and Ender were hiding in the hallway when their father and uncle started the all too familiar argument. The men never argued around the boys' mother, but she had just gone out to the market to buy a few more things for dinner. Kor and Ender weren't sure what to do. They didn't want to pick sides or upset either of the men.

"My boys are going to get high paying jobs," their father insisted. "You've seen them shoot. They'll do well. They'll get better salaries in the army than I get as a sailor."

"Aye, they're good shots," Roland agreed. "But they're my nephews, mate. We're not talking about a low paying job on a privately owned merchant ship. We're talking about navy positions. Maybe even captains, when they're older. Very likely they'll end up owning navy ships like I do."

In the hallway, Ender nudged his brother. "We should say something."

Kor rubbed his neck, feeling the thin scar there. It had been almost a year since the boys had tried to shoot each other's arrows out of the air. They've improved since then, but never again made the mistake of aiming at each other. "Say what?"

"That we're not one or the other. Teltans or-"

"We're Crelans."

"Well... aye," Ender agreed after a brief pause. "But they're never going to stop arguing about us. So, we should say we'll join the army. That's what father wants. And we really are good at it."

Kor sighed. He knew his brother was right, but despite how much they enjoyed archery, neither of them wanted to join the army. They wanted to be out on the water with their uncle. Kor nodded and pushed open the door.

The twins walked into the room and stood side by side. Their father and uncle fell silent. Kor and Ender exchanged a look, and then Kor took a deep breath.

"Ender'n I were thinking. We're old enough to be squires, ay-yes? So, we want to enlist."

"We thought Uncle Roland might put in a good word for us," Ender added, trying to appease them both.