“What have I told you again and again?” asked Eathelred, the lord of Chestnut, A tall man with brown Hair and eyes,his Son. "Don't fraternize with the servants' children, you can not fraternize with those you have to lead” Eathelstan repeated the same phrase he had heard so often.

“Eathel you are old enough to know this but you also have to understand”

“Yes yes friends can and should question you whereas when your subordinates do it, it leads to disrespect” the answer came. “But father, what else can I do? I have read every book we have at least thrice” only because Magics in theory is so dull “and I am still in recovery, according to you”

Sigh “I know it is hard for you but Medicus Raphael has explicitly said that you have to rest until the cycle begins anew” The Baron said, now smiling “Once the snow melts you will go to your uncle and become a Squire”

I hope Uncle Arthur!

“Which one?”

“Edward, I know, I know but he has a son your age and he is my only brother, you will learn a lot from him, maybe even magic. The second mage knight in our house since a thousand year” Eathelred put a hand on his son's shoulder gripping it frimley “I am sure you will be at your best”.

“I don't want to!” the teenage boy shouted while wrangling himself free after escaping his fathers hold Eathelstan fled from the baron’s studies.

He ran through the ancient corridors of the Last, only lit by the wintersun. Finally in his room he threw the door shut and himself on his bed, Eathelstan now did what he always did when he was upset. Yes he found the book on religious iconography boring but he still saw sense in learning about it.

There was one symbol unlike the rest: the horned man, he hated it, he alway skipped the page, he hated how it looked, he hated how it felt, he hated how he wanted to look at it.

His room had only a bed, a wardrobe, his trusty bed and a shelf for books, the most expensive was the rug, covering the cold stone floor, probably as much worth as the rest of the interior combined.

Three knocks rang all too distinctly. “Father, I don't want to talk, leave me alone!” Eathelstan shouted.

“But i want you to tell you, stop associating with that servant boy or the barony will revolt.” came a faux deep voice from the dark oaken door.

“Shut up! Edmure I want to be alone!”

Eathelstans best friend, another thirteen year old boy, entered the room. Like every other native of the barony; he had hazel brown hair and eyes, there was also an ugly film covering his upper lip.

Edmure was also taller than the baron's son by a head but not as muscled, where Eathelstan learned horse riding and trained with armor and weapons most of the time Edmure just learned the basics and from his father the traits of a castellan.

“Why are you upset this time?” Edmure asked.

“Father is sending me away when winter ends,” Eathelstan said.”To my uncle”

The young boy could not let such an insult to his ego stand, jumped, after recovering from such a heavy assault, on his friend and tried to wrestle him down. The two boys were entangled trying to put the other one in submission while not hurting each other. After a while they lay exhausted and panting next to each other, their breasts heaving heavily up and down

. “But is that not good? You always told me you could not wait until you are finally a squire!” the servant boy said, now sitting next to Eathelstan on the bed and wrapping his arm around him.

“Yes but after mom, after she…” Eathelstan lips were now quivering “ after I lost her, I don’t want to leave the Last nor the forest and hills surrounding it nor the shore or the mountains isolating us, I will even miss father and his lecturing, at least I will be rid of you” said Eathelstan a sad smile now plastered on his face.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

After he heard his friends giggle just as he finally cracked and let out a laugh, his soft and wet pillow suddenly wrapped around Eathels face.

“I will miss you Ed when I'm away!” Eathel finally admitted.

“Trust me, you won't” Edmure answered now looking in his friend's face with a mischievous look. “Anyway, I came to tell you i found a way out of the Last, i know your father won't let you out”

Eathel jumped up from bed, then ran to his wardrobe to fish his winter coat out. “What are we waiting for? Let's get out of this stuffy castle!” he said.

“Wait! Wait not now, they’ll find out too early that we are gone, let's meet in the washroom after Lunch” After saying this Edmure ran out to his own chamber he was in such a haste that he didn’t even close the door behind him.

Lunch came the slower the more excited Eathelstan became, he was pacing up and down his room or checking if he didn't forget anything in his “adventurer” bundle.

As soon as the bell rang for the first time and her sound was carried through the massive keep, the boy ran full of excitement with a big smile plastered on his face to the feast hall.

He took his seat on the lord's table on the right of his father, shaking his leg up and down he waited for all the servants, the guest, the guards, to slowly trickle in until finally after agonizingly long moments his father finally appeared and took his seat at the head of the big old oak table.

neither fat nor gaunt a large walrus mustache was adorning his upper lip, the steward of the Last and Edmures father, he and the baron seemed to talk about grains and shipments and other topics for Eathel.

When he was finally certain no one was paying attention he slid the second piece of pie in one of the pockets of his red dyed woolen tunic.

Now that his grand theft had been unnoticed the second step of his plan came into fruition, he excused himself from the table and so the dangerous thief he fancied himself to be got away with another successful crime.

Eathelred was watching his son's smiling face and he couldn't overlook the glances his son threw to the servants table, even if he tried.

“Son, what are you up to?”

“I’m, I’m just so joyous that i can finally a squire even if it's with uncle Edward”

He could even bore a hare to sleep just by talking

Sigh, “ Sure you are. Remember even if you are going against my word” Eathelred said while looking at the servants table where Edmure just happened to sit at “Do not do anything dangerous not in your condition not after what happened”

Eathel lowered his head closed his eyes “of course not I will always try to keep myself safe” I hope you will not be to disappointed

After having to endure a broth with wild game, a salad with wild game and then finally a roasted boar the only course that could distract Eathel was served, only the lord's table got it while everyone else went back to work.

The desert was a simple sweet pie with apple slices inlaid and sprinkled with rosewater. As alway Eathel took two slices as always, an action for which some of the staff called him gluttonous in hushed whispers.

Glory to the Ancients, they still do not know how to put wild animals into my desert

Eathel looked around the table, all the grown ups were entrenched in their conversation even the baron was talking to a large native toned

When he got to his room Eathel could not find his bundle anywhere, not under his bed where he hid it nor anywhere else in his room, he still strapped on his bronze sword to meet Edmure, having an idea who took his goods.

It was his one day off a week so he could make fast progress towards his waiting friend without having to evade any responsibilities, running through the corridors of gray stone hardly any with decorations. He arrived at the washroom in a short time, the labyrinthian hallways known to him since he could remember, old and trusted like his grandparents.

“Finally you’re here” Edmure said leaning against the entrance of the laundry room “come follow me, we don't have time to lose even if you come ill prepared”

“Shut up i know you have taken my bundle” Eathel said “Where are we going?”

“Just trust me!”

So they went running through the corridors deeper inside the castle, past the sleeping rooms for the guards, past the armory, past the treasury, places where Eathel seldom visits but deeper still where the halls were not illuminated by candles so that Edmure lit one of his three torches. They went so far they were in the belly of the keep that the stones turned larger, rougher, darker, ominous.

“Wait, we have to get our packs. I have put them somewhere here.” Edmure said while going into one of the many abandoned rooms, past its rotten door, Eathel followed. The room was full of cobwebs, the furniture was broken down, every step Eathel took he tried not to step in mice dirt.

Edmure gave him his now slightly dirty and reeking back. Happy to finally have his thick winter coat he shuddered and put it on his for warmth yearning body. It was frigid down in the old castle not being heated by the heat stones.

“So where is the exit?” Eathel asked.