“Are you certain!?”

Sir Perry’s mouth hung open at the dinner table as he stared at the tutor. The man politely took a bite of his food, chewed, and swallowed before responding.

“Oh yes, Sir Perry. Ellis is quite diligent. After our morning sessions, he insists on taking all of his assignments to the library to practice on his own.”

Perry narrowed his eyes.

“That doesn’t sound like Ellis?” He then sat back in his chair, swirling the drink in his cup.

The tutor took another bite of food before speaking.

“I have to admit,” he started, “From the way you had described your nephew, I was initially quite skeptical. However, he seems very dedicated. He doesn’t even leave the library for food.”

Perry put his cup on the table.

“He doesn’t? At all?”

The tutor lowered his spoon from his mouth and thought for a moment.

“It has only been about three weeks, but I suppose…he spends almost the entire day in the library studying.”

Ingrid sipped the water from her cup but kept her focus on Perry.

“Where is the boy now?” Avenell asked.

The tutor finished swallowing his food and took a sip of his drink. He lifted the napkin from the table and patted his lips.

“When I last left him, he was in the library still.”

Perry dropped his utensils and slid his chair away from the table.

“I think I would like to see Ellis’ diligence with my own eyes.”

“A-are you sure? If we disturb him…”

Avenell rose from the table with Sir Perry.

“It will be but a moment,” he assured the tutor. “We will not disturb Ellis for too long.”

The tutor nodded halfheartedly.

Avenell bowed slightly, then took off after Sir Perry who had already made his way to the staircase.

“Do you believe a word of it, Avenell?” Perry snorted as he walked up the steps two at a time.

Avenell scurried after him, gripping the hand railing with each step.

“It is hard… to believe… Sir Perry.”

They reached the top of the steps and spotted the door to the library. Perry’s footsteps pounded against the wooden floor as he marched down the hall. The door to the library flung open as Perry pushed his way inside.

“Ellis!?” he called into the room. Perry saw a writing desk in the corner near a window, which had a few books and papers neatly stacked in the corner; but there was no one inside. There was only stale air, heavy with the scent of old paper.

“I knew it…”

“Lord Mannigold?”

Both Avenell and Perry turned around to see Hector standing there.

“Are you looking for Ellis?” Hector asked.

“Yes, Hector. Do you know where he is?”

“He is preparing for bed, Lord Mannigold.”

“Oh, is he now? Let us see.”

Hector swallowed.

“Uhm, Lord Mannigold, I think that Ellis is very tired today, and…”

“Let me greet my nephew, Hector. It has been a while since I’ve spoken with him.”

Perry sped off down the hallway towards Ellis’ room with Hector trailing after him. Avenell followed several paces behind, curious to see how it all would end. Perry stopped outside and put an ear to the door. Hector watched him closely with a nervous look on his face. Suddenly, Perry burst into the room, his voice booming inside and reverberating off the walls.

“Ellis!”

“Ah!”

Ellis dropped the clothes he was holding and threw up his hands in defense.

Perry seemed disappointed.

“You’re here.”

Ellis looked around the room and spotted Hector hiding behind Perry.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Why wouldn’t I be here?” he asked innocently.

Perry folded his arms.

“The tutor is singing your praises, Ellis. He says you’re working very hard.”

“As we agreed, Uncle.”

Ellis spoke the words calmly and with obvious dispassion. This was the tone that Ellis had been instructed to use when speaking to dignitaries or to those of high social status— not the way he supposed to speak with Perry. Ellis had remained distant in his own way since their last talk. On the surface, this was due to the rigors of his studying, but in truth — as Perry knew well— there was another reason.

Neither he nor Ellis had been able to look each other in the eye since that day.

Perry had been agonizing constantly over the situation; unsure of what to do or what to say in order to get Ellis to understand him. He hated that Ellis treated him like a stranger, but he was still a child after all. What did he know of such matters?

Why couldn’t he see that Perry was right?

It made him so frustrated he couldn’t stand it. He wanted to reach out, to grab Ellis by the shoulders and ask him why he wouldn’t listen. But Perry knew that if he pushed Ellis any more than he already had, he might lose him.

He couldn’t bear that.

“Ellis…”

“Yes, Uncle?”

Ellis was digging through the shelves of his wardrobe with his back toward Perry.

“Wait here a moment.”

Perry turned to leave the room and gave a look to Avenell and Hector. The two of them nodded and left after him. Ellis waited until they had gone; then he grabbed his clothes and began to change.

After a minute or two, Ellis could hear Perry’s footsteps from the hallway. He slipped the shirt over his head and pulled it down just as Perry entered the room.

“I have something for you,” Perry announced.

“You do?”

Perry held his hand up to Ellis and opened it. In his palm was a necklace; a worn, dark-colored strip of leather tied around a curious metal ornament. The ornament seemed to be made from a thin piece of metal that was bent and woven into an intriguing shape. Perry offered it to Ellis. He took it and held it in his hands; he could see that there was a piece of stone lodged in the center, around which the metal was wrapped. Uncertain, Ellis brought it to eye level to inspect it more closely.

“Don’t you recognize it?” Perry asked him.

“No…should I?”

“It belonged to your father.”

Ellis didn’t know what to say.

They rarely ever spoke of Ellis’ parents. Ellis’ mother had died in the Plague of 938 when he was very young. After the war, when Perry took Ellis in, the loss of his father was too fresh in his mind, and so they did not speak of it. As he got older, both of them gradually became accustomed to avoiding the topic altogether. It wasn’t as if they’d forgotten, but more so that they were content to let the memories linger in the distance— close enough to see but never close enough to touch. That’s how it was, at least, until this moment.

“I…I don’t remember this.” Ellis looked down at the necklace, tracing the shape of the metalwork. He frowned at his hand, trying his best to remember anything— the necklace, his father, what he looked like and how he sounded. Ellis tried to remember any of it, but he couldn’t. “I’m sorry, but I can’t remember.”

Ellis’ whole body seemed to sink into the floor; his excitement over the gift traded suddenly for a sadness he had long forgotten.

“It’s alright, Ellis.”

Perry moved next to Ellis and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Your father always had it on him, even when we rode to battle. He said it was an heirloom— something his father had given him.” Perry looked down at the necklace. “It has an interesting style,” he said, studying the metalwork with his eyes, “Your father always said he had planned to give it to you when you were older.”

Perry removed his hand from Ellis’ shoulder and stepped back from him.

“I don’t know if it was right for me to keep it from you all this time, but I think you are old enough for it now.”

Ellis stared down at the necklace for a few moments. Then, he lifted it up and lowered it around his head.

Perry leaned back and took a look at him.

When had he grown so much?

Standing there, wearing that necklace, he almost…

“You really do look like your father,” Perry said with a smile.

“T-thank you…for the necklace,” Ellis said.

Both Ellis and Perry stood still, each content in their own way. But after a few moments, neither of them knew what else to say. Ellis shifted his weight uncomfortably and looked around the room.

“Well…” Perry started, “Keep up your studies.”

“Of course, Uncle,” Ellis said, eager to end the conversation.

“Make me proud!”

Perry clapped Ellis on the shoulder, and he winced in pain.

Perry’s smile faded.

“Are you hurt?”

“No!” Ellis blurted out.

Perry eyed him suspiciously.

“If something happened, you need to tell me.”

Ellis backed away and started unfolding the sheets of the bed.

“Everything is fine Uncle Perry, I promise! Just, my shoulder is a bit sore from all that writing.” Ellis swung his arm around, putting on the best show he could. “See? I’ll be fine after some sleep.”

Perry took a closer look at Ellis as he fussed with the bed sheets. He hadn’t noticed before how callused his hands had become. The sleeves of Ellis’ shirt came down as far as his wrists. But as he moved around, the sleeves lifted, and Perry could see that there were red marks — and even a small bruise— running down the length of his arms. Perry had been neglecting Ellis over the past few weeks; but, for the first time in a while, he saw him clearly.

“You had better rest, then.”

Without another word, Perry left the room.

Avenell and Hector were waiting at the end of the hallway. As Perry approached, Avenell turned to speak with him.

“How is he—”

But Avenell stopped when he saw Perry’s face.

He had known Perry for many years and knew how to read his temperament. Perry was not like most other knights of noble birth. He could keep up appearances when absolutely necessary, but on most occasions, he was a highly emotive man. If he was happy, he would laugh. If he was angry, he would yell. If he was furious, however…Avenell knew that look as well.

“Hector.”

Hector immediately bowed his head.

“Yes, Lord Mannigold?”

“Is Ellis keeping something from me?”

Hector didn’t lift his head. He remained staring downward, peering intently at the pattern of the wooden floor— watching the beads of sweat drip from his nose.

“Hector…”

Hector felt Perry approach, standing so close to him that all hope of escape had vanished. He winced as Perry spoke to him again.

“Tell me what my nephew has been up to.”