I WILL FIND YOU.

Chapter 17: Nap

After roaming the fields and checking the stables Kai and Minda headed back up the mountain. With them Minda had a basket of strawberries, cherries, and mulberries Uncle Kai had picked for him.

"It was really nice of Uncle Kai to give us this basket of berries. Especially the cherries. I didn't think they would be ripe this early in the season." Minda said as he admired the basket sitting atop the stone on his lap.

"He is a good farmer." Kai said. Unlike Minda he wasn't as happy about the basket of fruit Minda's servant had given them before they left the farm.

"He really is the best. Dad used to say it was a shame we didn't have a farm for Uncle Ran to grow things in the Capital. If we did we could enjoy the best vegetables and fruit all year." Minda praised.

"Fruit and vegetables can be bought." Kai grumbled.

"You're right. We always had fresh fruit and vegetables at home in the Capital. But I swear the ones Uncle Ran grows taste better than anything we could buy." Minda said. Kai found himself getting annoyed the more Minda talked about his servant Ran.

"Minda, do you have a bow at the house I can use?" Kai asked in hopes of changing the subject.

"I was never taught how to hunt. But my brothers all had hunting bows, swords, knives and a bunch of useful stuff. It should all be in the hunting shed at the estate. After lunch I'll show it to you and you can take whatever you need. I can also ask Uncle Ran for his help. He'd know more about the different traps and other things." Minda said.

"Uncle Ran, Tch..." Kai muttered so low Minda couldn't hear.

"Are you good with a bow?" Minda curiously asked.

"Yes and no."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm decent with a bow but compared to the military archers I fought next to, my skills are average." Kai explained.

"What did you use to fight with in the army?" Minda curiously asked.

"I learned most weapons but the one I used was a broad sword and shield."

"Don't you have to be really strong to use broad swords?" Minda asked. When he thought about the broad sword he always imagined the strongest most intimidating men.

"Broad swords do require a little more strength then most but are fairly easy to use." Kai said.

"You did look very strong. Even now you have a strong, sturdy body. Unlike mine."

"A strong body isn't always best." Kai said but Minda didn't really believe him. He had always wanted a strong body like his brothers. Instead he was born weaker and smaller and often treated like a delicate child.

"Do you want to learn how to use a bow?" Kai asked when he noticed Minda's mood grow dark.

"I do!" Minda excitedly said.

"I'll teach you."

"That's great but I'm weak, my leg is messed up and I can barely move my left hand. It's impossible." Minda said his excitement quickly disappearing when he remembered he was sitting in a wheelchair.

"Minda, if I say I can teach you, I can and I will." Kai said with confidence.

Minda couldn't even begin to imagine how Kai might possibly teach him how to shoot a bow. But Kai spoke with so much confidence he found himself feeling more and more excited about the possibility.

...

After lunch, Minda was feeling a bit tired so Kai brought him to his bedroom for a nap. He tried to insist that he was fine but neither Kai nor Auntie Feifei were convinced.