Marius, my best friend, lived a short walk from me. He was loyal, had a great sense of irony, humor and as myself he longed for greatness. We were much alike, although I considered myself more of an individualist. Marius yearned for belonging, whether to a person, group of people or merely to an idea.
He was taller than me, had piercing blue eyes and dark skin. His dirty blonde hair was always short and scruffy.
His family lived in a nice house that was being besieged by large oak trees. On that morning I found him under one of those botanical monstrosities, talking to his mother. She was a woman of short stature, long brown hair and small, narrow eyes. She was drunk quite often, resulting in many awkward encounters.
She screamed when she saw me coming: “There goes another young public servant!” Then she started waving with both of her hands, making me laugh. Marius blushed.
“Good morning,” I greeted her, smiled and let the awkward silence take over. It lasted for a few moments, after which Marius barked: “Let’s go, we’re going to be late!” and started walking away.
“Goodbye, I wish you a productive day,” I said to his mother kindly and smiled again.
“Such a good boy!” She hugged me tight and I could feel her large breasts crushing my chest. It felt awkward, especially for Marius.
“Gods! Let him be! And don’t wait for me with dinner. I don’t know when I’ll be home. I’ll eat something in the city.”
He dragged me away before she could respond. When we reached the main road he mumbled:
“She’s drunk,” and shrugged his shoulders.
“We all fight our battles by different means,” I said and tapped his shoulder. Seeing his mother made me realize why Marius was joining the Cohort. To escape. I guess that's what we were all doing.
While walking towards Academy I started feeling jittery and irritated. THIS was supposed to be it! The first step of my journey, something I desired more than anything for the last two years. And it didn’t feel grand. It didn’t feel like anything. I began daydreaming of my mother being proud of me, and of my father and brother being supportive. I am accepted into the Cohort, to diplomacy division. After a couple of years I get knighted. After a few more years and after some great deeds that would echo in time forever, I rise to a Captain. Then, one day, Vicelord or the Advisor. And finally I am the Lord of Vetulonia! This child-like fantasy made me feel quite foolish, to the point of blushing.
“What are you thinking?” asked Marius.
“Nothing, I don’t know. My mind is running about. I haven’t slept well.”
“Typical of you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve been excited about joining the Cohort for almost two years now. And now, out of fear, you have to stir some philosophical nonsense to this whole grand day. We’re eighteen years young, we have the whole world in front of us! Look at the sun, Antonius! Look at the blue sky, birds! Oh, and look there! A merchant with a cart of beautiful red apples, HELLO! HELLO, SIR MERCHANT, YOU GRAND FRUIT WIZARD YOU!”
The merchant turned around, sneered and continued pulling his cart towards the city. I laughed.
“And you applied to the Diplomacy division, Antonius! You’ll get to travel around, having fun, while I fight bandits and pirates in some gods forsaken places. You always were the smarter one.”
“Don’t be a pessimist, Marius. Perhaps a great war is upon us and you’ll have the chance to prove your vast fighting skills. Sword in one hand, bottle in the other, ha ha ha!” Marius, like his mother dearest, liked his beer and wine.
“Only if you’re lousy at your job as a diplomat… But we’ve outgrown wars! Who will we fight? We’re everything but allied with the Dwarves. The half-dwarves of Megalopolis are too busy with empty philosophical debates. Sodomir isn’t a threat to anyone, they’re simple folk. Too simple, although more and more I think that’s a good thing. The Elana Republic keeps to themselves, as well as the Elves. Giants haven’t been seen for more than fifty years and we decimated the Orcs in the last war.
We're left with Porosia, an old sickly kingdom nobody cares for. And the infamous League, who yes, aren’t the greatest friends of ours, but they have more to lose in a war than we do. We’re the most technologically advanced political entity on this continent! Who dares to go against us?"
Marius was vain and had a way to distort the truth.
So I corrected him: “You’re wrong on a few things. First of all, the Giants are the ones who are technologically superior to all the realms, not us. They’re decades ahead of everyone. If not even more.”
“Nobody has seen them for more than fifty years!”
“So?”
“So how do we even know they still exist?”
“Fair enough. And you’re underestimating The League. They have the largest population. The people are deeply religious which makes them irrational and self-absorbed. Their food and metal production are growing by each day. And they hate us with a burning passion.”
“Well, of course they hate us! Almost everyone does! We ruled this continent for more than a hundred years. That’s bound to make a few people grumpy. Anyhow, Porosia can take care of The League.”
Again, Marius was distorting the truth to fit his simplistic view of the world. I often found this trait of his unsettling and even annoying.
Porosia was a kingdom that emerged soon after the long winter ended. It occupied a large peninsula in the east. It was ruled by kings with the help of corrupt nobility and fanatical clerics. The common people, majority of them being peasants, led miserable lives. But after the Vetulonian war of conquest and the long winter, ambitions of the folk weren't high. But even apathy has its limits.
Thirty years ago the people rebelled. What triggered the rebellion is still up for a debate. Some say it was solely the incompetence of the ruling class, others that the king raped a nobleman’s wife. In any case, Porosia was in flames and after a few years had passed two factions emerged as strongest. One believed in the old ways with a few alternations, still calling itself by its old name, Porosia. The other was The League Of Free Villages, Towns And The City of Abydos. The civil war lasted for seven bloody years. After the dust settled The League controlled two thirds of the eastern part of the peninsula, while Porosia continued its rule in the west. The League's revolution appeared promising and in its beginning people were euphoric. They believed they were going to build a new world, a better world! But their new system of rule was flawed and it didn’t take long for one man to accumulate all the power. The League's might grew in the following years, while Porosia became an obsolete remnant of the past. It was merely a question of time when it would get swallowed by its threatening sibling.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Porosia isn’t capable of taking care of anyone, even itself. I don’t know... I feel like the storm is coming and all is about to change,” I sighed.
“If we survived the falling star, and then the long winter, we can survive anything. Don’t worry so much, you always worry!”
The Academy stood outside the city walls on a wooded hill. It was a large marbled building with gigantic pillars. The roof was full of beautiful colored-glass domes. The nearer we got to it, the more I became fidgety. What if I don’t get accepted into The Cohort? I thought about my family and how foolish I would look if I came back with my tail between my legs. I told you, you’re not up for it, now do as you’re told and you’ll be fine, I heard my mother lecturing. That thought angered me and I stopped being nervous. If I don’t get accepted into the Cohort, fine! I’ll become a merchant, build a good business and travel around Helena all the same. I won’t die five leagues from where I was born like the rest of the lot!
There was a large gathering in front of the Academy. Students of the final year, all idly waiting and chatting. Those who applied to the Cohort were anxious. The rest were relaxed and hopeful about the future to come. They would soon leave the homes they grew up in and start their own. There were approximately a thousand students there. One forth of that applied to join the Cohort.
To calm my mind I took a tobacco stick from my purse. Marius didn’t smoke. He instead fetched a small bottle of beer from the bag he had strapped around his right shoulder. We sat down on the grass, beneath a nearby beech tree. I leaned away from the shadow of the tree and raised a glass lens against the sun. In a short time it lit the tobacco stick. The lens was a gift from my dear grandmother, who enjoyed smoking as well.
We sat there for a while, both quiet and lost in our thoughts. I smoked and Marius drank. Then another school colleague of ours noticed us. He broke away from the bunch he was talking to and headed towards us. His name was Otho. I liked him despite his vanity. He also possessed a tendency to act as a spoiled brat. He came from an old Vetulonian family and his father was a wealthy merchant. I never got to meet his old man, but from what I did hear (from my mother), he was a brute. Otho was an only child, so his mother focused all her abundant attention towards him. I know that because I met her once. She acted more like our peer than his mother. I found her behavior unsettling.
“There they are! So, still intent to join to Cohort you two, ey?” Otho asked us with his deep voice.
“If they’ll have us,” I winked at him, exhaling smoke.
“You two are mad! You can accomplish so much more as a free citizen. Our society doesn’t know perils anymore. It’s a well organized mechanism that takes care of itself. You both could achieve so much more on your own, than slaving for the Cohort.”
“O, why, thank you, citizen!” I mocked him and laughed.
“I’m serious! But it’s your life, your choice to make. Me, I’ll be joining my father on a trip in a week or so. He has some urgent business to conduct in Porosia, The League and Megalopolis. Imagine that? I’ll get to know this world of ours and learn how to conduct business at the same time... If you want, I can talk to my father. He can find something for you to do… Forget this nonsense with the public service. It’s not likely you’ll get knighted. You’ll waste your time as a pledge until you get bored of it. Throwing years of life away in the process. Antonius, give me one of those smokes, please.”
“None left, my dearest apologies.” That was a blunt lie. But he annoyed me so I wasn’t willing to share.
“Ah… So I reckon you’re not interested? Working for my father?”
“Not in the slightest,” answered Marius for the both of us.
“Your loss, boys, your loss!” He then went back to his entourage.
“He is so full of himself! Why are you even friends with him?” Marius asked and then drank the remains of his beer bottle in one gulp.
“He’s not always like that. He’s a bit ecstatic today, we all are. Scared even! You know he always wanted to be a musician and he’s quite good at singing and playing the lyre. But his father doesn’t approve of such delicate professions. So he has two options. One is to rebel to the great dictator and to follow his dreams, or embrace his parents’ wishes. Now, which path is more intimidating?”
“The first one,” Marius nodded.
“So this whole posturing of his, it's covered sadness. He was on a stage, pretending, acting, and we were his audience. So go easy on him.”
As I uttered the last word the sound of trumpets startled me. That was a sign we are to go to our classrooms. Marius and I stood up, waited a bit for the crowd to disperse and headed in. The bottom level of the Academy was a wide open hall, filled with statues of all the Vetulonian Lords from the past. At the corners stood two pompous stairways that led to the upper levels. The Academy had one hundred and thirty-two classrooms. By the time Marius and I arrived most of our classmates were already seated, Otho included. Marius and I always sat next to each other, in front, right by the door. The classroom was bright due to the glass dome on top of it. The walls were white, as was the whole building. I didn’t like that. It lacked a personal touch. But despite that it still managed to leave an impression.
The door opened and our classmaster entered. He was quite old, with white beard, blue eyes and crooked nose. He wore a ceremony purple toga with a silver wolf embroidered on the chest. He still had a full head of hair, which I envied, as being bald was something that awaited me down the road. All the men in our family lost their hair to some degree.
We stood up, as always, as a sign of respect and greet. He waved his hand with annoyance and we sat down. He stopped at his desk and looked at us. I could see he was proud and that made me tearful.
“This is your last day at the Academy. And after we're done here you'll receive a written evaluation of your qualities and flaws. Written by me and other masters who taught you. At the bottom of our evaluation you'll find our advice on what path to follow in your life. What you ought to pursue or confront. Of course our words are only suggestions, as none knows your inner thoughts and desires as much as you do. But also keep in mind that an outside observer is far more objective of your imperfections than you can ever be.
I’ve been your master for four years now. I’ve watched you grow, learn, mourn and laugh. I'd like to believe we share a special bond. If you ever find yourselves in times of despair, you know where to find me. Now, let’s get to business. For a majority of you, your formal education ends here.
With this day you’re no longer children. You’re no longer young adults. You’re now the citizens of Vetulonia! I encourage each one of you to seek knowledge, to exercise, to read as much as you can, and to meditate. Drink the Elixir once, twice a year. Don’t over do it though or it will have an ill effect on you.
By doing these simple things you’ll find meaning in your life that will sustain you in difficult times. And those times always come.
Now, the other part of this joyous day. Some of you have applied to join the Cohort. I’m sure you’re already aware of what responsibilities that brings, but let’s remind you.
First, if you get accepted, that doesn’t mean you’re a full member of the Cohort yet. You’re appliance is pending. You’re a pledge. Second, you’ll have no say to which division you’ll be designated to. But rest assured your wishes were carefully examined in the application. If you father or mother a child, you can forget about becoming a full member. You can still remain a public servant, a pledge. But you won’t be able to progress further than that and will have no say in the matters of government.
So, let’s sum it up: do what you’re told, when you’re told. Study, meditate, and be the best that you can be. Do those things and one day you’ll become a Knight of Vetulonia, a full member of the Cohort. Now, let’s see who got in? Marius?”
Marius stood up.
“Accepted. Sit down now.”
I felt awe and a bit of envy that originated of my fear of failure.
“Antonious?”
I stood up. I felt all eyes were on me.
“Accepted. Sit down.”
I sat down, not realizing what happened. Both Marius and I were still like statues, not daring to move.
“Otho?” called the master. Otho stood up. Master's voice stunned me. This must be a mistake! I looked at Marius and he frowned as well.
“Accepted. Sit down, Otho. With this we end it all. I thank you again and wish you all the best.”
We stood up. My legs were yet again shaking.
Master raised his arms as he instructed: “Everyone, except for the pledges, go to room number seven. There you’ll receive your written evaluations.”
All our colleagues started moving through the door. Every single one of them glanced either towards me, Marius or Otho. Some smiled, a few frowned, some were indifferent. When everyone left, the master realized he left our evaluations in his chambers. He left to fetch them.
We three remained quiet. Finally I turned around and looked at Otho. He was trying to produce an awkward laugh, but wasn’t very successful at it. He was also red in his face. Marius turned to him and almost yelled: “Otho, you donkey penis!”