Wake up.

Meditation.

Breakfast.

Martial training.

Lunch.

Class.

Magical training.

Dinner.

“Free” time.

Meditation.

Sleep.

Looking back over his schedule the next morning, Adam was surprised he got through it as smoothly as he did. And now, with all of that time where he wasn’t already busy with an assigned task, he was going to squeeze in gardening. He sighed. Somehow, somewhere, he’d find the time. Organization was already working hard at it, finding all those extra minutes here and there that could add up to something substantial enough to be useful. He was also irritated that as soon as he had a schedule down, it would be changing soon after, when he finally took over with the kids. All the more reason to get the hardest work on the garden for Home Remedies done as soon as possible. He’d have even less time shortly.

None of which mattered right then. Ruth was working on getting him access to the little plot of land she had spoken of, as well as some time away from the kitchen to work on it, so he didn’t need to worry about that. What he did need to worry about was the look Martin was giving him. The man looked irritated at how yesterday’s beat down had gone, and hungry for retribution. Adam would be more worried, but he had a plan to distract the older man. The fact that it would greatly assist him in making up his mind about his Specialization was just a bonus.

He scarfed down the last couple bites of his breakfast as he saw Martin finish his own. The man caught up to him as they passed their dishes off to the scullery maid. “You ready for today? I’ve got a wonderful fitness plan worked out for you. It’s time to see what you’re really made of.”

Adam accurately translated that to, I’m going to torture you all day. Time for a little misdirect. “While that sounds thrilling, I’ve been thinking.”

“Oh, don’t do that. I’ve told you it’s not your best ability. Let your skills do it for you.” The older man smirked, enjoying the teasing banter.

“Can’t do that. My skills tell me I need to apologize for calling you Daddy yesterday.” He paused, letting the man process, and the smile started growing. “Apparently, a man of your stature and experience would more appropriately be referred to as Grandfather.” He immediately ducked, feeling the rush of air as Martin tried to swat the back of his head.

Laughing, he shoved the older man a little while he was off balance, speaking up before he recovered from the stumble. “Nah, there’s something we actually need to work on.”

Interest sparked from the serious tone, Martin stopped screwing around. “Oh, what’s that?”

“While I am guarding the kids the two most likely things I will encounter are assassins and kidnappers, yes?”

“Sounds about right. Maybe some poisoning as well, but that’s why you’re doing the cooking as well as eating with them.”

“That’s what I thought, but we have a problem. I have no idea how to fight in either situation. Telling me ‘Guard the children’ is all well and good, but it doesn’t clarify the how. Do I charge an assassin, hoping to knock him away from the kids before he can down them? Or do I stay close and wait for the guards to help? What if there’s a second one? And kidnapping? No idea how to handle that one other than just try to kill everyone.”

“Uh, yeah. That is a problem. How did I not see that? I guess I never really thought about it. Guarding means keeping your eyes open, and standing between your ward and the danger.” He stopped walking and looked around. He grabbed Adam and moved him into a position, and then turned away, putting his back to him. “Normally I would say this is the safest way, but… damn, you’re right.” He thought some more. “Yeah, I think we need to talk to someone about this. I never actually did any bodyguard duty, just normal guard shifts, and travel. You head off to start warming up, and I’ll track someone down. I think I know just the person.”

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Martin wandered off muttering to himself and shaking his head. Adam barked out a laugh, and headed off to the training grounds.

A little while later, Martin reappeared with another person in tow. The boy was only marginally surprised to find a woman would be instructing them for their new duties.

Sergeant Valla was one of the current guardians of the children. She spent the morning walking them through the basic ideas behind her position, as well as some variations. Martin’s favorite part came after that, the training drills that he would get to use against Adam.

“Wait. You’re saying that I’m just going to have to sit there and take it?” Adam asked, baffled.

“Of course. Your job is to protect the children, not kill the assassin.”

"Well who's going to be killing the assassins then?"

The sergeant gestured at Martin, causing Adam to stare at her, dumbfounded. Martin just looked smug. Adam groaned. The old man would never let him live it down. "Fine, no killing assassins, but what about kidnappers?"

"Same thing."

He hung his head. "Seriously? Is there no way I can attack them?"

"Oh, attacking is fine," she said, smiling as Adam's head popped back up, "even if it kills them. Just don't abandon your charges."

"So I can go all out as long as I make sure the kids are protected?"

She nodded stoically. She was trying not to smile too much at the boy's antics. She truly understood why he was both irritated and sad. Standing in front of someone and getting shot without the permission or ability to fight back was awful, but it was their duty. "Your first duty, always, is to make sure the kids are unharmed. As long as that is accomplished, you are free to attack as you will. But the children must be protected. You do not want to consider the consequences of failing in this." The difficult topic made it easier to stay serious. She even managed slightly menacing at the end.

"OK, yeah. I can do that. It's my natural instincts anyways." He shrugged, then looked down in thought, missing the Valla's curious look towards Martin.

The older man picked up on it fine. "He's not joking. He'd jump in front of a troll to save a kid he barely knows. Seen him do it.”

The woman shook her head. She knew it was true, she’d read the report and had to shake her head at that time as well. It was a natural reaction for many people, but it was rare that someone as young as Adam would react that way. Knowing there was no better way to learn than to have it beaten into them, she suggested some hands on learning.

“You want me to protect him?” Adam asked, astounded.

Sergeant Valla smiled. The two of them were amusing to watch. It was obvious to her that they got on well, constantly poking and prodding each other with jokes and laughter. It made for a much better environment, as well as more amusing. “Well, out of the two of you, which is the most likely to be mistaken for a child?”

Without looking or speaking, both pointed at the other, saying, “Him.”

A little laughter, and then they all got into position. Martin was standing in the middle of the training ground with Valla opposite him, and Adam in the middle. Valla instructed the two of them, saying, “The goal here is to stay between the two of us. I will be attacking, and all you have to do is keep me away from Martin. Got it?”

“Easy enough,” Adam said.

Valla smirked. “You say that now, but I’ll be going hard. Don’t hold back.”

Adam set himself, leaving his hands free so he could pull whatever weapon he needed, prepared for anything. Well, anything but a woman half again his size charging straight at him. He had expected range weapons, thrown knives or a small crossbow, not a frontal charge. Surprise made him slow to react, so she was nearly in his face when he pulled the tenderizer out, the tool already growing in size as he swung.

Valla wasn’t prepared for a weapon that grew, but she was an accomplished warrior and Adam was a novice. His swing was obvious to her, and easily accounted for. The wild grin on her face only intensified as she realized that the boy’s attack would play right into her plan of making a demonstration.

The straight horizontal swing was avoided by the simple expedient of a flipping jump over it. She briefly alighted on Adam’s shoulders, kicking off to throw herself at Martin, while the force also planted Adam’s face in the ground. Both were left spitting out dust as Valla calmly strolled to the other side of the area.

“Want another try?” she called back over her shoulder.

Adam and Martin looked at each other, spitting out the dirt. “This is going to suck,” Martin said. Adam just nodded, and the man added, “Learn fast.”

“Heh, we’ll see. I might botch it a few more times just to see you get face planted. Did you have to let her just throw you down like that?”

“Well I’m pretending to be a helpless child, I can’t fight back.”

“More like you’re too old to handle someone that tough.”

Their banter had to be put on hold for Valla to put them both on their asses. As they rose, groaning, to their feet, Adam said, “You better teach me how to deal with this shit before I tell Ruth you’ve been letting some other woman throw you down and have her way with you.”

"You wouldn't," the man said, aghast.