Emeralds and Enemies

Chapter Eighteen

The tones of an intense discussion echoed in the entryway so Hae-sung called out his greeting. From the hushed silence that followed he guessed his schooling and likely prospects were the source of the discord between his parents. This was nothing new. It was one the reasons he had taken on the duties as a junior house monitor at the school when he might have easily managed as a day-boy.

His mother came over to greet him with a hug. He could not help noticing how thin she had become in the weeks she had been away working at the foreign school. He gently took her hand and raised one eyebrow.

"Don't worry," she whispered, "I'll be fine now I am home."

"Oh, Mama," he hung his head. There was nothing more he could say with his guilt pressing down. His mother had taken a post as a language teacher to help pay some of his school fees.

The family's priority had been to support his younger brother studying abroad. His brother was the one with real promise as a scholar. At least that is what their father told Hae-sung, repeatedly. He braced for another long discussion about his deficiencies over dinner.

"When will we get your term report?" His father waved his hand presumptuously.

"Seniors only get exam recommendations. I have been invited to sit a couple of subjects so will be focusing on those the rest of the term."

"Where does that leave your matriculation?" His father asked suspiciously.

"I thought you knew that was one of the reasons for going to the academy. They certified my general standing based on my performance this past term. There are only five schools with the licenses to give exam recommendations but three of those are in the Capital."

As he had hoped, this caused his father to shift focus on the disparities between what was available to the citizens in the Capital and those who contributed the greater share of the country's wealth. His mother gave him a slight wink. He knew he had only delayed the coming confrontation but he thought it would go better once they had filled their stomachs.

"I have races on Sunday and if those go well, I might get invited to the try-outs for the training yards. Its not just the guards this year. There will be some academies recruiting as well." Hae-sung looked down, not wanting to see his parent's disappointment.

"What about your exams?" His mother asked.

"I will write them before I go anywhere. I still have a term to finish."

"I don't know why you would bother if you are just going into the guards," His father's comment was consistent with how he viewed anything other than an academic or civil service position.

"If I do well enough, I might make it to the qualifying rounds and maybe cadet training instead of regular infantry duty."

His mother gave him a nod of encouragement. His father muttered "we'll see."

All told the discussion went as well as Hae-sung hoped. He knew better than to expect their full support so was surprised to see them at the races the next day. It turned out an important client of his father's was a part owner of one of the horses Hae-sung had been hired to ride. He did not need his mother's prompting to know how much his father was counting on him to help make a favorable impression.

Unfortunately, the horse in questions was half-wild and they were nearly disqualified for false starts. By the time Hae-sung managed to get things in hand they were running near the back of the field. They gained enough ground over the back stretch to place, but it was not the kind of result Hae-sung hoped for. He took the horse for a cool-out lap all the while reinforcing what responses he expected. The horse tried to shy away from its trainer when they approached the in field. Hae-sung decided he would have better control on the ground so hopped down and stood between the horse and the group coming over to meet them. Hae-sung quickly ducked his head and apologized for the outcome of the race.

"Nonsense boy. It's the best result we have seen with this young fellow." One of the owners reached out to pat the horse on the shoulder but it sidled away.

Hae-sung gestured for the groom who reluctantly took charge of the horse. The horse showed its displeasure with some snorts and stamps. When the trainer came closer the horse rolled its eyes and backed into another group waiting for the results to be finalized.

"Whoa, steady on now laddie," Hae-sung stepped in to help the groom. He looked directly at the owners and said, "We are not going to hurt you."

Hae-sung was certain the trainer had routinely whipped the horse to get it jump forward at the starting gate. It was a common technique but one that could easily ruin a sensitive animal. He was angry enough at the trainer that he wanted to get away as quickly as possible. He looked for an escape route but instead was confronted with the prize committee.

With his focus on the horse, he had not caught what else was going on with the race officials. It took a minute for the announcement that the second and third place finishers had been disqualified to sink in. The updated result put Hae-sung closer to the top rider award for the day. This was highly unusual for an occasional rider and he struggled past a new group of well wishers to get ready for his final race.