The Wolf, the Butterfly, and the Kraken

Chapter 23

Vam
"What happened to Asha at the warrior school?" Ana asked.
I chuffed at the curious little girl. All children liked a good story. So I continued the clan story as I ate my dinner. "Asha saw children of all ages in the courtyard, but was led past them. He went into a hall, where the warrior asked him to wait while he spoke to someone. Asha was content with this. There were so many things to see and smell, even there.
"Then two cousins of the Sharp Point clan spied him. Neither boy had ever been known for being nice. They knew instantly that this boy was a farmer. They asked him if he was here to answer the challenge for admittance to the school. Asha's hopes soared. A challenge for admittance meant he stood a chance of becoming a warrior. He could live his dream. Not wanting to sound stupid in front of his possible future peers in battle he replied, "Why else would I be here?"
"The other boys were quite wicked. There was no challenge for admittance. They just wanted to see him get hurt. They knew if they fought this younger, unskilled farmer that they would get into trouble. They told him to wait while they found him an appropriate challenger. Now, both of these cousins had been vanquished many times over by Gyla, and they were admonished for their lack of discipline when she beat them. They hated her. They knew she was tough, and good in battle, and she only had one weakness."
"Only one?" Ana asked.
"One. She was female. Although her family was very proud of her battle skills her mother would always insist that she learn and do all the things a lady should. Now, our culture has gatherings where young men meet young ladies. The young men must earn the respect of those ladies at these meetings. They are called sings. It is a place to eat, talk, and dance. It is where the very earliest stages of courtship begin. Today sings for children Asha and Gyla's age are unheard of. Back then though, in those dire times when clans were dying out and alliances were being made, and families were desperate, sadly it wasn't unheard of.
"The cousins knew Gyla's biggest fear was to attend a sing, escorted by a warrior her mother secretly had chosen for her to wed. She wanted valor in battle above all else. She did not want to have babies for the clan. The cousins told her a lie. They said her mother had sent an escort for her, and he was ready to battle the fiercest warrior at the school to prove himself to her.
She was angry that her mother would do this to her. She left her chamber and saw the boy in the hallway, preparing himself for a battle. A thought occurred to her then. He was here to battle the fiercest warrior of the school. That was her. She said, "I will do battle with you." Inside she was raging.
She led him to the chamber where challenges were sometimes held. "Impress me, if you can."
"And Asha commenced to battle for his life. And Gyla did too. Both fought tooth and claw. Fur flew. They battled so fiercely that soon others had heard them and came to watch. They were both used to working hard, and didn't tire easily. Everyone was amazed that the young farmer still stood, but he was not going to give up on his dream. This might be his only chance. All the hours he had practiced with hoe and scythe he brought to bear on Gyla. He stayed calm and focused. The longer he lasted the madder she got. She lost control of herself, and Asha pinned her solidly down, just as he had the goats and gren calves for several seasons now.
"The whole school had seen it. Asha let her up, and asked, "Do I need to challenge any other for admittance? If they are tougher than you I don't know if I will make it. It has been an honor to fight you."
"As he calmed down Asha started to notice how lovely her blue eyes were, and fine her fur looked."
"Gyla, and everyone, except the two cousins were asking about a challenge of admittance. The warrior who had let Asha in knew immediately what had happened, and grabbed the two offenders. "Your fathers are out doing battle for the clan, and this is how you honor them? By playing pranks on the finest warrior in this school, and a farmer. I will have you both expelled for a season. Go to your chambers and pack, or face me now." They both left immediately. The warrior picked his daughter, Gyla, up and motioned for Asha to follow.
Asha followed meekly, not sure what had just happened. They went to a room with a bed, a table, and a chair. The warrior lay his crying daughter down, and motioned for Asha to sit. Soon he had the story from bothdefeated, bruised, bleeding, and heartbroken children. He assured his daughter that she would know valor and that he would speak to her mother. Her mother would not ever send an escort for her to a sing, and that it would in fact be her choice to even attend a sing.
"Then he turned to the farmers son, who had beaten his daughter in battle. He knew what an accomplishment this was, even if the boy did not. He considered the boy long and hard before telling him, "Clean up, and return with your father."
"Gyla showed him a washroom full ointments, bandages, and the like. They helped wrap each others wounds in silence for a bit. Then she asked where he was taught to fight.
"He said no one had ever taught him, just that he practiced on his own. This made her think. She had never considered that a farmer would want to be a warrior so badly.
"Asha's brother saw him first, and asked him what happened. Asha still wasn't sure it was a good thing, or if he was in a whole lot of trouble, or worse the entire clan. He said nothing to his brother, and went straight to his father. His father was horrified to see his son hurt. "What happened? Where have you been? Who did this to you?"
"Asha told his father what happened. His brother listened with wide eyes. His father was concerned. He gathered all the money they had made that day, and followed Asha back to the school. His brother stayed with the cart.
At the school they were escorted to the masters office, where a grey, grizzled, scarred warrior waited with Gylas father. Asha's father presented his throat in respect of the warriors, and Asha did the same. "Has my son offered offense to you, or your kin?"
The old grey warrior said, "He caused quite a stir among our youth today, and taught them a lesson that most warriors on learn from personal experience. Your son was misled by two of our clan members, and placed in a perilous challenge for even some of the most experienced here. Yet, he won. Against all odds, he won."
Mronko was Gylas father, and he told Asha's father, "We do not wish to dishonor our clan. The boys said if he won the challenge he would be accepted here. He won the challenge in front of the whole school. We would like to offer him a season of admittance, with your permission, of course."
"Asha was so excited, but his fathers ears and tail drooped. He knew that he could not afford to enroll him. "We do not have money to leave him here. What would he eat? What would he wear? Plus the trip from here to Harbortown would not be able to be paid for with our winter crop. Spring is far too busy to leave with the planting. Summer is too. I could not return until Fall, once the harvest is in."
"Asha's ears and tail drooped in despair. For a moment all hope seemed to leave him. Then Gyla entered with a tray of refreshments. She shrugged saying, "Well, what if he was left for those seasons then, and he worked to clean the , or serve, for so many hours to earn his keep, and then trained the other hours? Besides, let's face it, this season the two who cleaned the most were expelled."
"Mronko tried, very hard, to hide his amusement at this remark, but everyone liked her idea. The old master said, "This is acceptable to me."
"Asha's father struggled briefly with his decision, but then agreed, knowing Asha would cherish these seasons for the rest of his life. He nuzzled his son and told him to make the family proud. Then he left."
Franny shook her head. "That's madness. I could never leave one of my children for 3 seasons."
Alden tilted his head, "What if it were an offer for me to learn casting at the Centris Academy?"
She took a deep, considering breath, head tilted to the side in acknowledgement of his point.
"What makes this Centris Academy so special?" I asked. Perhaps there was somewhere closer to a place like this where I could work on a farm, and Oshie could be taught his casting.
Franny said, "The children learn techniques there from the best in Venera, but they also make friends from powerful families. Being friends with those families opens doors that would otherwise never open. It could be as simple as a contract to provide wool for the socks of the family of a lord.. Or it could be one to provide the Host with bows and swords. Your family could become wealthy, have unheard of security." Then she seemed to realize she was actually speaking to me and told Ana, "Okay, time for bed."
Once we were all in bed I thought about what Franny had said about friendships opening doors. Was this Lord Eureces intention? And what doors did he want to open for our family? Somehow I didn't think he wanted our gerg or beans