Chapter 38

Fenard’s frustration grew as the reasons to delay Tom’s initiation into the Royal Knighthood grew longer and more reasonable. He wanted his parents present for the ceremony; he was too young to be certain of a lifelong commitment; he was taking the oaths so seriously that he could not move forward until he had meditated on the problem properly. Fenard himself had promised that the position was intended as an honor and not an obligation, so he was forced to accept the delaying tactics at face value rather than reveal himself a hypocrite.

While some sort of oath from the boy would go a long way to reassuring the king, there were other options. If the boy wouldn’t be bound by the steel of the knighthood, perhaps he would bind himself in the blood of family bonds. Of the six candidates in the extended royal family which Fenard deemed eligible to marry Tom Weaver, the one he judged most suitable to the boy in age and temperament was one of Fenard’s nieces. Her name was Rowena, and she was one of Fenard’s favored children in his immediate family.

Her parents were not enthused when Fenard broached the subject with them, having promised the girl that she would be allowed to choose her own husband when she was older. They came around as Fenard explained how important having a Controller would be to the kingdom, and reluctantly sent their daughter to stay with her uncle in the capital for a time to be introduced to the boy who might become her husband.

Fenard made the journey to the Weaver Estate once or twice a week to ensure the boy was being looked after properly, that he was adjusting to his new life in the countryside outside the capital, and to continue to establish rapport with the young controller. On one of these occasions, he did not fly, but rather rode in a procession with his niece to introduce her to the young man.

Rowena, for her part, was rather less than enthused with the situation, but she put on a smile when she was told to and hid her internal frustrations well. Hopefully actually meeting the boy would soften her heart, Fenard told himself, because although she acted perfectly charming as they rode together through the countryside in the royal coach, he could sense her resentment radiating off of her.

Fenard had not informed Tom of his intention to join their families together through marriage; he was rather hopeful that, despite Rowena’s resentment towards her formerly favorite uncle, the two teenagers would hit things off and the relationship would unfold naturally. If it did not, well, then there would be time to apply pressure on the matter later on. Or perhaps one of the other daughters of the royal line would appeal to the boy’s sensibilities more readily.

Rowena, for her part, was in fact less resistant to the proposal than she was putting on. She understood the politics of the situation, more or less, and her parents had explained the rarity of the boy’s class and the importance of binding him to the kingdom. While her parents had promised her that she wouldn’t be forced to marry for politics, they had left an opening in that clause which she had always noticed. “Unless things change drastically” was a qualifier wide enough to drive an army through.

Apparently, whoever this Tom Weaver was, he changed things drastically, and while Rowena wasn’t certain she was ready to marry him, she was at least looking forward to meeting him. If she detested the boy, the way that she detested Mikel or Ivan or a number of other lads she had grown up with in the city, then she could always make the lives of those around her miserable for it later.

The air was cold when they arrived, and Rowena felt a little guilty for the way that the entire Weaver household turned out to greet them. Fortunately after her uncle said a few words everyone swiftly rushed back into the warmth, including Rowena and Fenard, who were offered refreshments to warm them up from the journey.

Her first impression of their host was … neutral. He greeted them in a suit that was more or less in style, said the right things, and generally did not make an ass of himself. He didn’t seem to have any inkling that he was being introduced to a potential bride when he gripped her hand and kissed it as was proper, although the motions were unpracticed and slightly awkward, as though he had only been instructed in how to greet a young woman of royal blood recently.

Perhaps he had; he was a bumpkin after all.

The king had introduced her to him as “my favorite niece,” and him to her as “a promising young man who will become a very important force in the nation of Welsius in the future.” Then, when they were taking their refreshments, the king had initiated a conversation about Tom’s past, which the boy had nervously begun sharing.

Not that there was particularly much to share. He was from a small village in the distant north. He’d been expecting to inherit his parents classes, which were common trades compared to what he had wound up with. Instead he had gotten Controller, which, he said had ironically reduced the control he had over his own future. The king had not looked particularly favorably at that comment, but Rowena sympathized, Tom might not have realized it yet, but his class selection might impact her future as much as it did his.

After they had warmed up some, the king encouraged Tom to give Rowena a tour of the estate, and the boy accepted the task. It was a transparent attempt to get them to spend some time together, but the boy didn’t seem to think anything strange about it.

“I’m tired of seeing the halls and the ballrooms,” Rowena said after only a few examples of each. “You Control a dungeon. I’ve never been in a dungeon, can we go see it?”

Tom considered. “It’s not exactly safe. The monsters are only spawned loyal to me if I’m the one who actually Spawns them. The ones that the Core spawns itself when I’m not around might attack.”

“Oh,” she said, visibly deflating. She had been hoping for some excitement. Tom was silent for a moment, then he said something which had been bothering him for some time.

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

“What is your class?” he asked.

“I’m still a Child,” she answered. “The stones have yet to recognize me as an adult, although I am fifteen. When I was younger I dreamed I would be one of those girls who awoke as a mage at age six, but that hasn’t exactly happened. Magic doesn’t run strongly in my family.”

“If you could choose a class, what would it be?” Tom inquired.

“Something that I could have an adventure with,” she said immediately.

Tom was silent, then he said “I might be able to give you that.”

“What?”

“I can evolve you. I noticed when I took your hand earlier. It’s one of my skills. I can use it on most monsters, but only if I have a core strong enough nearby. On people, it only works on children and commoners, according to the reference materials I’ve encountered. If I evolve you, you’ll get some sort of combat class, but you’ll be locked out of the trade or profession classes like Merchant or the like,” Tom admitted.

Rowena was silent. “You can really do that? I thought you simply controlled cores.”

“There’s a lot of nuances to my abilities. And there’s a lot of limitations on the Evolve skill when its used on people. Like, it’s harder to evolve someone the older they are. Or the more ingrained they and their current class are. They have to have some experience that links them to their new class. With Sevin, that was his experience in the Militia. I’m not certain what that will be with you. I only know that my Evolve Skill wants to activate when we touch, not what it will do to you.”

“Let’s do it!” she announced, catching him by surprise.

He frowned. “Are you certain?”

“You said it would be a combat class, is that certain?” she asked. “My parents are both Merchant. I really have no desire to carry on the family tradition in that way. I want something that will allow me to have adventures!”

“What about the king? Should we ask his permission or something?” Tom asked.

“What business of his would it be what my class becomes?” she challenged. “Tom, please. It’s rare for anyone to have any choice in the class the system assigns them. I don’t get many opportunities to decide things for myself, let me make this choice for myself. I want you to Evolve me.”

Tom looked around, but they were alone outside, near the Alpha Core monolith. Nervously, he extended a hand, and she took it. She was half expected him to kiss it again, but abruptly a tingling sensation made its through her body from the contact point.

Congratulations! You have unlocked a new Class!

Please visit the nearest Core Stone in order to process your system upgrade!

The nearest Core Stone to your vicinity is 0.1 kilometers south of your present location.

“It worked!” she announced, and lifted her skirts to run over to the Core Stone in order to process her class change. Tom followed behind her, half forgotten in her excitement, and watched as she laid hands on the Core and was enveloped in a dark green light.

The process itself was pleasant, if blinding. At no point was she in any distress, even as she felt her body changing, modified by the crystal and her new class. Her bosom shrank slightly, her hips became narrower, her muscles stronger. As soon as the light faded and the system finished processing its upgrade, she pulled up her status menu to identify her new class.

“I’m a rogue!” she announced happily. “Subclass Agent! I have Stealth, and several ambush abilities.”

“And you’re happy with that?” Tom asked nervously. “If you’re not, I don’t know how to undo--”

“It’s wonderful, Tom. Thank you, truly,” she said. And she caught him by surprise when she abruptly planted a kiss on his lips. For that matter, she caught herself by surprise as well. It went no further, however, as both teens backed off nervously, and a brief awkwardness passed between them.

“Tom, you should know,” she said as they were walking back to the manor, “My Uncle wants us to marry.”

“He does?” Tom asked, surprised. “Oh.”

“He hasn’t said anything to you about marriage?” she asked.

“No, never,” Tom said. “Why?”

“To bind you to the royal family,” she explained.

“Oh,” Tom said, and he frowned a little at that. “Can he make us?”

“Make us marry against our will? The system doesn’t accept coerced vows, Tom,” she reminded him. “But he can apply quite a bit of pressure to me if I were to make too much fuss about it, and I’m certain he’d find some levers to motivate you as well if it comes straight down to it.”

Tom was silent for several moments as he considered this new information. “What do you think about it?” he asked at length.

“I wasn’t certain until I met you,” she admitted. “And obviously I’d like to get to know you quite a bit better before we say our sacred vows. But I’m amenable to getting to know you better, Tom. Perhaps, now that I have a combat Class, we can delve your dungeon together?”

“I suppose,” Tom agreed. He scratched the back of his head nervously. “I suppose we should go inform your uncle of your new class, shouldn’t we?”

“Oh, I suppose,” she admitted, and she followed him back to the manor, where uncle Ferdy enveloped her in a hug once he saw her, recognizing immediately her class advancement.

They spent the night, and returned to the capital the next day. Before parting, Rowena made plans to visit in the future, once she had some weapons to go with her class and practice in using her weapons and skills both.