Cult of the Lamb : The Man in the Forest

Chapter 12: Three Principles

She returned to Narinder's cottage the very next morning. He was surprised to see her, and even more so when she handed him the note. Narinder admitted he hadn't expected her parent's to agree, and therefore hadn't bothered putting any thought into a regimen for her training. He promised he would as soon as he finished Kenedra's bedroom. Eager to speed up the process, Merida vowed to help him until he completed it.

The bedroom took three more days to finish. It would have taken much longer had it not been for Merida's help. All that was left to do was paint, a task Kenedra insisted she be allowed to do herself. Narinder sent Merida home with the instruction to prepare for a two month-long stay. Apparently she'd need all of her focus on the training, and could not afford to get distracted by problems at home. Not if she wanted to make any meaningful progress anyway. Merida had no issues with this, it was her parent's reaction she worried about.

She was packing a bag with essentials when the sound of her parent's voices signaled their arrival in the home. A knock sounded against her door.

"Come in." She said in reply. It opened, and Aym looked in.

"I am glad to see you home, Merida." He said as he stepped in and shut the door behind himself. Eyeing the half packed bag, he continued. "And you are already preparing to leave again."

"Yeah, I was going to talk to you and Mama about it. I'll be gone for two months this time."

"Two months?" Aym furrowed his brow. "Merida, that is quite a long time."

"I'll need to focus on my training. I can't do that when I'm going back and forth. It'll be long enough for me to grasp the fundamentals, then I'll come back for a bit." She explained in a calm, but firm tone. An attempt to politely convey her unwillingness to be swayed. He sighed, crossing his arms.

"I will not lie to you. I'm not comfortable with it. I don't like the idea of you being on your own with Narinder for so long. That's too much time... How will we know if something happens?"

"You won't." Merida shrugged, "You'll just have to trust me."

"It is not you I distrust..." She crossed her arms.

"Well, what do you think then? Narinder aside, is it a weird request for this kind of training? You've been through it, you should know better than anyone."

"No, it isn't..." He sighed, "Truthfully, it is quite a short stint all things considered."

"So there is no reason for you to worry about it. Nothing is going to happen to me, Dad."

"Very well." He opened the door. "I will discuss it with your Mother, she is far more likely to take my word over yours on the matter." Merida wasn't offended or surprised by the comment. She was well aware Mir̃alai was still tender after the initial contact with Narinder. It would still be some time before the Lamb would trust her as she once did.

"Alright, thank you." She smiled and went back to packing after he had left. There wasn't much she needed to take along. Spare clothes, books to keep herself occupied during down time, shears, and her sharpening tools were all she foresaw herself needing. She had just clasped her bag when Lydie entered the room. Her twin looked exhausted, her typically well kept wool was ruffled, and her eyes were tear filled. Merida furrowed her brow, "Are you okay...?"

"I'm fine." She sniffled and sat down in her bed, wiping her eyes. Merida left her bed and crossed to sit beside Lydie. She rested a hand on her sister's back, and leaned over to look at her.

"You obviously aren't... What's wrong?" She spoke in a soft voice. Lydie hugged herself, her lip quivering as she tried to give her answer. Instead of words, she broke into heartbreaking sobs. Merida frowned and hugged her close. She rubbed her back to try and soothe her.