Amidst The Rising Tide

"Look, Pedar, you have to put the comma there. Otherwise it's a run-on sentence."

My paper was covered in notes. I'd been at this for an hour, helping my little brother, Pedar, with his school work. He was not particularly grateful.

We sat at an old wooden table. It was scratched and worn, but stood solid and steady. The window in the wall to their right let in daylight. No sunlight here, but they were accustomed to it. Their mother stood at the counter, arranging vegetables around a chicken on the platter. The maid, Lana, set dishes around  Pedar and I.

"Mother, Onya's not helping me!" Pedar whined.

"Pedar, Onya's trying to help you. You need to listen to her. I'm sure she's exhausted from sitting with you so long." Mother addressed me. "Onya, get mad at him for Allor's sake! He'll never learn if you don't push him. Kiara, hush, darling. It's time for supper now. Lana, go and tell Frederick that dinner is ready. My lands! 1824 and men still don't know when food reaches the table!" Mother smiled.

She was right. Even in a world where a lower-middle class family could afford hired help, men remained clueless. It had become a routine for Lana to fetch the man of the house for the evening meal. And every meal, for that matter.

I couldn't help laughing. Her mother was so funny! I knew how lucky it was that mother was in high spirits. It would be an unusual thing for a mother to worry over her child's life decisions.

A week ago, a letter had arrived for me. Written out on dry parchment paper was an invitation for a one Onya Lagerhalter to attend school in her country's capitol, Königspalast.

Of course, I would have to take and pass an entrance examination, but it was a rare thing to receive such an invitation. Only students with a 95% grade in year 8 were extended one. And there was no second chance.

There was one very large problem looming before me: money. The school did not have free attendance, and scholarships were unheard of. My family did not have the money to put her through the 5 year course.

What was this course for? It was a rigorous training regimen designed to build intelligent and capable teachers. Only half of the students who entered graduated. Yes, it was that demanding.

My country, Heimetland, had an unusual king, who was rather a visionary. He had travelled to America before his father's death, and came home with revolutionary ideas. When he ascended the throne, he put these ideas into action. One idea was to train extraordinary teaches and spread them all across the country. They would teach each and every child in Heimetland. In 20 years, he reasoned, a generation of thinkers and businessmen and inventors would rise up, and he would lead an educated, advanced country into a new golden age. This school was the launch point for his grand scheme.

Quietly, I had dreamt of becoming a teacher. I loved learning. I loved the gift of knowledge, and I wanted to give that gift to as many people as I could.

So what was holding me back?