PART 2

One evening, after having been walking on the dusty road for several days, Lia and Eszti stopped at an inn that was located along the roadside. Eszti took out her carefully guarded map, which she had drawn before they reached Mrs. Margaret.

"This is the path," she explained to Lia, pointing out the thin lines that marked the roads. The black, crossed-out dots on the drawing represented the villages where they had been searching for the boy. "We searched everywhere, but we couldn't find him. Let's go like this tomorrow!"

The next morning, as they came out of the village, they spotted an old man in a grey coat limping at the crossroads, heading in the same direction as them. He had a strange stick – a sheathed sword, used as a prop. Two young men approached him, laughing loudly.

"Hey, old man!" shouted one. "What's that in your hand? Wow, that's a sword, hey!"

"Take it; it looks like a long sword; it must be worth quite a lot!" said the other. "You'll give it to us, won't you, Grandpa?"

Lia accelerated her pace, but the elderly man was still ten or more paces ahead, and the situation was rapidly deteriorating. One of the two ran up to the old man and tried to take his blade.

What happened next was difficult for Lia to follow with her eyes. The elderly man moved with such dexterity that it appeared as though he had never been a limper. Suddenly, the sword swirled in the air, snapped, and one of the youngsters let out a roar. The second kid, trying to charge the old man, delivered another lightning-fast strike.

"Help! Help me, brother!" cried the youngsters, and they started to run. The old man hit them a few more times with the end of the case, hitting them right on the back and head, scolding them in the process.

"Bring your brothers; I'll beat them too! Get out of here!"

"Holy s**t!" Eszti whispered, her eyes wide open as she watched the scene. Lia ran to the old man, stopped in front of him, and pulled herself out in a soldierly manner.

"Greetings, sir! May we join you, sir?" She asked respectfully and firmly.

The old warrior looked her over without a word. His gaze settled for a moment on Lia's strong arm, then he looked at Eszti, who was stumbling uncertainly behind her friend but watching him with interest. The old man smiled slowly.

"All right, you can come," he said in a hoarse voice. "If you're good, I might even teach you how to handle a sword."

Eszti blinked in surprise, but Lia's eyes lit up. The old man was already on his way, leaning on his sword sheath.

"Come on, apprentice," he called back to them. "We have a long way to go before sunset."

The two girls adjusted their small rucksacks and set off down the road with the old man. Lia spoke:

"My name is Lia Bla..."

"I know you have a name, apprentice. I also know you were looking for someone."

Lia's mouth fell open in amazement. Eszti hummed softly, wondering how heavy a sword was. The old sword seemed too big for her to lift. She sighed as the old man turned back.

"You, apprentice! Stop humming! I have a short sword for you too."

Now it was Eszti's turn to wonder. The girls exchanged glances before turning their attention back to the elderly man, who was walking briskly and humming a war song in a low, hoarse voice.

"The horns ring out with battle sound,

While victory marches all around!

Our swords flash bright beneath the sky,

There, three snow peaks stand proud and high."

Eszti looked stealthily at Lia – she knew that her friend had recognized the reference to the royal symbol in the song. The old soldier casually walked ahead of them, leaning on his sword sheath, his posture even more upright than before.

Lia whispered softly, almost to herself, "The three peaks..." The old man did not turn back, but he heard her.

"That's right, apprentice," he growled back. "And now be quiet! We'll be taking a break soon, but I've already got a job for you!"

When they arrived at a small sheltered resting place along the road, the sun was already high in the sky. Under a wooden shingle-roofed shelter stood a battered table and two chairs. The old man threw his small stuff on the table, and the girls followed suit.

The soldier sat down and stretched his legs. Eszti spoke.

"I'll make some food!" With that, she grabbed her rucksack, opened it, and retrieved the bread and dried meat that Mrs. Margaret had meticulously wrapped. The old man smiled, as he had expected her to do. Unexpectedly, he reached into Eszti's sack and pulled out a short, yellow stick-like object.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Wow, a small torch-staff! I've never seen this kind before!" He turned the object in his hand and switched it on and off. The tiny light source gave little light during the day, but that didn't bother the old man. Eszti reached for the torch.

"Give it back; it's mine, mine! Mrs. Margaret gave it to me!" She cried, hissing, and tried to take the lantern from the old man.

"Mine! Mine!" laughed the old man, and he amusedly imitated Eszti's voice but would not give the object back to her. Lia looked annoyed at Eszti, who stopped her childish behavior and took another parcel out of the little bag.

"That's what holds everyone captive, possession," the elderly soldier noted, letting out a breath. "And some people think of people as property, don't they, apprentice?"

He glanced at Lia, who crouched down next to him.

She began to say, "I don't consider Tim to be my property," but the elderly man interrupted her.

"Oh, so Tim is his name?" He nodded, but he continued to focus on Eszti and the food the Black girl had prepared for him. "All right, apprentice."

"And you'd do anything to marry Tim, wouldn't you?"

Lia responded, "Yes, sir," and her heart started to race.

"Good, good," the elderly man responded once more. He took a large portion of what Eszti had prepared for him: two slices of bread with meat and vegetables piled between them. He ate with immense pleasure, and his face was glowing. Eszti sat down next to him and started eating right away, gesturing for Lia to follow. She remained seated next to the elderly man and shook her head.

The soldier gave her a downcast gaze.

"Well, apprentice, you also eat! You won't be able to practice if you're hungry!" he added, staring at Eszti, who smiled back at him with a mouthful of food.

Lia swiftly stood up, grabbed her portion, and quickly consumed it. With the blade inside, the soldier turned to Lia and picked up the long, bulky sheath he used as a staff.

"Take the sword out of its sheath!" He extended the weapon's hilt toward her.

Lia took hold of the hilt and yanked forcefully. The elderly man stiffened his muscles and remained still. Lia could feel the old man's feet digging into the earth as he locked the sword in place.

Eszti nearly swallowed the bite as she coughed. For a second, the elderly man ignored Lia and turned to face Eszti. Then, Lia's gaze landed on the strap that was attached to the side of the sheath. Once she had undone the knot, the blade emerged from its sheath with a loud clang.

The elderly man nodded in acknowledgment.

"You got it, apprentice!" As Lia examined the sword shimmering in the sunlight, he remarked, "It takes more than strength; it takes brains. Now take a close look! It's not a toy. Avoid touching the edge!"

Meanwhile, Eszti had finished her meal and was observing them both. Suddenly, the elderly man faced her.

"Apprentice, stop staring." He yelled out, "Come here, I've got a sword for you too," and then he went to his backpack and pulled out a shorter blade. "This is just for you!"

Lia took a couple of swings with the long, narrow-bladed sword before venturing out into the street.

"I thought a sword would be heavier. It's quite easy to swing," she said, turning to face the elderly soldier.

The old man nodded and gestured to Eszti. "Yes, yes," he said. "Face each other!"

Eszti grabbed her sword and followed the trail as well. After exchanging glares, Eszti brandished the short sword. The old man moved swiftly to separate them.

"Halt, halt, apprentice! Not in that manner! Go cut some wood first."

Eszti gave him a perplexed glance in return, but Lia nodded and moved toward the path's shrubs. She began cutting branches with her sword. The elderly man yelled at her.

"Apprentice! Not for firewood! Bring me a long stick and a short one, about the length of a sword."

Lia knew what the elderly man desired. She handed him two sticks, carefully chopped to the appropriate size. The old soldier studied the cut marks closely.

"Well, apprentice, not bad! Return my sword to me."

Lia handed back the sword. The old man went to the bush, grabbed a branch, swung once, and cut it off. He gave the sword back to Lia, then showed her the three cut branches side by side. "See, apprentice? This is how to cut - look at mine!"

Lia examined the cuts carefully. The old man's cut was clean and straight, while hers had wood fibers sticking out irregularly at the end.

During her examination of the tips of the branches, she uttered in a low whisper, "Incredible!" The elderly man merely grinned while Lia investigated it.

He remarked, "By the way, do you have any lighter?" but the girls shook their heads. They had planned to stay at inns, so neither of them had given it any thought. The elderly man gave a headshake.

"So, how exactly have you been looking for this, Tim? Simply aimlessly wandering?"

"Well, something like that!" Eszti grinned. "But I drew a map!" she said with excitement. Setting her short sword aside, she hurried to her backpack and pulled out a sheet of paper. The old man grabbed it from her, caressing his beard with his left hand and smiling as he studied the badly hand-drawn map.

At last, he said, "Didn't you have a slate-book?"

Lia simply shrugged, while Eszti shook her head.

"We are left with nothing after leaving Smalltowers."

The elderly man looked up.