The House of Oldenrock

The Plan

Chapter Three: The Plan

            Robeilla Oldenrock walked through Rock Hall with Mayenna Oak three days after the opening ceremonies of the Clanmeet.  The two young maids had become fast friends. They both were able to navigate between the two worlds of ladylike activities that Stierra and Selene belonged to and the rough and raucous world that their brothers and Margot belonged to.  They walked past the courtyard that most of the young lads in the Hall and Margot would train (or fool around) in.

            They watched as Rodder and Joar practiced swordplay with wooden swords.  Rodder won the match of course.  He was Gifted in sword fighting. He had yet to be beaten by anyone, and he made sure that no one would beat him.  He trained with his sword for several hours each day.  There was an old Oldenrock saying: “The Rock needs strength more than size to hold,” a saying that every currant member of the Oldenrock Clan understood.

            Joar, on the other hand, was not Gifted with a blade, but archery.  His arrows always found their mark, and his attitude towards archery was the same as Rodder’s towards sword fighting.  He had to train, but of course with a bow and arrow more than a sword.  He could fight with a sword though, for he understood that those without swords could still die upon them, just as Rodder understood that the same applied to arrows.  Still, swords were secondary weapons to Joar, and bows and arrows were secondary weapons to Rodder.

            Robeilla watched as the lads, after Rodder’s victory, dropped their weapons and then took to head butting. They rammed into each other as if they wanted to break each other’s skulls, and she shook her head.  There was one force in the universe that she would never be able to understand, the male brain, especially the adolescent male’s.  Then she noticed that Margot was down in the training grounds watching them and, and Robeilla was glad to see that she was not cheering them on, but rolling their eyes.  Robeilla thanked Heaven that Margot had the sense not to encourage such idiotic behavior.  Although Margot sometimes seemed to lack common sense, especially in a discussion with their mother, she could think and had a low tolerance level for just plain stupidity.

            Margot was not likely to join in the fighting and training today, although she was probably aching to.  She had to let the boys from the other clans gain some confidence and security in an unfamiliar setting before a girl beat them.  It was a rule that both their parents set for Margot because they needed Margot to appear like she was almost a lady, and more importantly, they did not want any disrespect coming to the Oldenrock Clan because of how rude the sore loser boys could be.  They all knew that there was only a certain amount of disrespect that Margot could take before she started a real fight, and a real fight would not bode well in the Clans.

            Robeilla watched as Margot began to pace and eye the pile of wooden swords in a cart in corner.  The last thing that Margot wanted was to be helpless and to rely on a man to defend her, and she some incredible competitive instincts.  No one would ever beat her…at anything! Of course, Margot could not best Rodder with a sword or Joar with a bow, but she at least had made it her goal to beat Rodder with a bow and Joar with a sword.  She had accomplished both.  Robeilla watched as Margot paced with more urgency.  Getting out of practice was one of her worst fears.

            Rodder and Joar continued to head butt.  “Oh, I do hope that you marry Rodder,” Robeilla said to Mayenna.

            “And, why would you want that, Robby?”

            “Because, darling, if you were Queen, then I feel like you would have the easiest time preventing this behavior,” she said motioning to the boys.  “And, since you find him very likable, you might enjoy it.”