"Leon! He was sneaking about in my chambers! Who knows what he was doing!" Cormac's mother yelled at his father.

His father's long white mane reached his knees, the casual armor shone with the reflected rays of light from the fire. He turned to his mother, calm and collected. It was a contrast Cormac could never get used to. Why would his father ever get with his mother?

"I am sure that there is an explanation," said his father gently. His blue eyes settled on Cormac, a kind smile across his face. "Right?"

"Y-Yes," Cormac stammered. "I saw someone go in and I followed them. I couldn’t quite see his face. Then he grabbed some book from somewhere. I wanted to stop him, but he threw me to the side and locked me in." he finished. The explanation was haphazard, but it was at least something. Leagues better than saying he wanted to get the diary himself.

"See Melissa? There is a good reason for our son to be there. You said it yourself, some book went missing and he obviously does not have it on his person."

"Still, he must have some ulterior motive!" she stomped angrily. "Or do you believe he just happened to be there? For what reason? And even if it is true, he just let a burglar steal something of mine! He is useless to me! To our family!"

"Calm down." Thundered the voice of Leon La Bor throughout the room. Even if it was directed to his mother, even Cormac's stress seemed to die down. But his mother was a completely different story, her tensed body instantly relaxed, her frantic expression replaced by her natural frown.

"Thank you love." she sat in one armchair, opting to watch the flames.

"You are welcome." he said, kissing his wife's forehead. Then he turned around and walked over to Cormac. "What would you say to a stroll around the manor grounds?"

The evening wind was cold and the sun was moving slowly out of view. The last rays illuminated the plant life around the m as they walked. Numerous bugs and critters could be heard behind the trees and both father and son walked in silence. Both felt that there was too much to say, some things too late to be said.

Cormac thought he understood his father, at least a little. He was an heir of a strong and known noble family, meaning he had to hold the bloodline to its standard. Cormac held little to no ill will towards his old man, he at least tried to make his living bearable. If not for him, Cormac might have been long disowned.

"She wasn’t completely wrong you know." said his father, which startled Cormac.

"That I am useless?" asked Cormac surprised.

"Let me rephrase that. You have nothing to do here. You hold no position, have no duty you need to fill." His father stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed somewhere far through the valley. As Cormac followed his gaze, the familiar feeling of doom overtook him and a chill ran down his spine. Just a dream.

"From where I am standing, I'd say that the family is useless to you." he said with a smile, then he turned to Cormac. "I had a thought today, when I saw your mother…barking at you. Do you remember what I had planned, before I had to lead the family?"

"Yes, you were about to attend an academy of some kind, but then uncle died so you had to do your duty." Cormac said the last word with disdain.

"Correct. Would you want that? To go to the academy?"

"Want me out of Melissa's hair?"

"I want you both to change your views on each-other." his father said, though he was calm and gentle, his words carried an authority. It wasn’t an order per se, but it was obvious that it was his will. "But of course I can't force it. Some time apart, some time spent growing, maybe it could change the way you see one another. A man's got to have hope." he added.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"But of course, I won't force you. It is your choice to make and I will accept it regardless. Even if you decide to do something altogether different. You are my son. And that won't ever change."

Then they walked like that, walked long enough for the world to turn grey, then dark. Enough for the chittering of animals to vanish into a serene quiet. Only broken by their conversation. From ceremonies to swords, to the angst of duties of a lord…

"So you have to be at the execution? No matter what?"

"Unfortunately yes, if we were just a wealthy family that bought its title, I wouldn't, but since we have the power to back it up." his father smiled at Cormac's amazed face. "I have to."

"So they are that dangerous? Not even royal guard and the kings wizards would stop them? You have to be there?"

"We are that powerful. Though the full might of royal guard and the wizards might prove too big a hurdle for anyone. We may be strong, but there are limits." His father stopped again abruptly to point at a lake. "I might command a soldier to walk away with ease, because it is fairly normal for soldiers to do. It would be a bit harder to make him fall asleep, it is still a thing they do, but they are aware that they shouldn’t sleep at their station. It would be hardest, though still possible, to order him to pull his own heart out. But If I was to order that lake to vanish, It would be me that would suffer."

"I understand why you couldn’t do it, it is a whole lake, but why would it hurt you?"

"If you make a fist, and hit a wooden table too strong for you to penetrate, does it hurt your knuckles? I imagine it is similar to that."

"So the king is afraid that the killer ruler would command everyone to off themselves?"

"Kind of I suppose. We are there to cancel any form of presence he might try to conjure up."

"What did he do anyway?"

"He murdered a whole village. He said they did not act accordingly to his station, did not show proper respect." His father's playful expression turned somber and he gazed far. As if searching for something. "This power of ours, it can change us. Get us drunk on the fact that we are rulers. That we possess a part of a god by legend. Don’t let that happen to you."

"Sure is handy though, the way you changed mother's attitude like that. I would love to be able to do that." Cormac tried to change the mood back to the fun they were having earlier.

"I only do that, because I have your mother's permission. She knows her temper and asked me herself to calm her when necessary. It would be incredibly wrong, to change a person just for my sake, or even for the sake of others. Nobody has the right to do that. This way I just help her get her bearings."

Cormac wondered what would happen with his father, would his life gone different. He had a flame inside him. A raging fire ready to be unleashed where it was needed. He wanted adventure more than anything. Or he used to, to be exact. He traded it for duty and obligation. For a life of lordship and falsehoods.

"Father," Cormac started. "The Academy I..."

"You'll have the better of two weeks to decide, don’t rush. It is an important decision. Wager it carefully." his kind eyes turned to Cormac and they shared a hug. Then they parted ways, both heading towards their chambers. Cormac had a lot to think about, though his mind was practically made up already. He remembered what he felt like in that dream and he knew he did not want to feel like that ever again. He wouldn’t waste away, broken by the birth and circumstances he was given. His frame might have been frail, but there must have been things to do. Ways around it.

He couldn’t rest, not now at least. He changed his clothes, to his training garb, riddled with holes. Then he set off to the training grounds again.

He failed. Cormac didn’t know why he was so surprised, why his motivation ever rose at all. He knew his limitations better than the rest. He fell from the wooden structure at the rope bridge again. Five times now. Without any clear progress. Whenever he jumped on the planks and ropes right, the stick would beat him down. When he focused on the stick, he lost his footing and fell through the gaps, or the rotten wood.

He lied there again, beat. If all his training resulted into this, he might be as good as dead at the academy. At least from what he heard.

The strongest, bravest and cleverest attended it and most failed. The Academy was to train their bodies to the fullest extent. The students would undergo vigorous trials to forge them into unstoppable warriors, fighters. But they would also go through tests and study of the political and the arcane.

It was supposed to be an institute for the best of the best. Not for a nobleman's boy, too frail for his own age.

But Cormac had enough of that, he would accept his role no more. He would get in and he would successfully graduate. All out of spite.