That night the Duke had problems sleeping, that old phantom from the past had been awakened, and it seemed that the Leher were once again on the active. It was no use to keep windling on that though. As the sun rose up again the Duke went on his usual routine, coffee accompanied by a light meal in the early morning and went out on a short walk right after, but took a little detour.
"Ano… if only he had been the first."
The training camp was loud today, the recruits in early trainment bashed their wooden swords against each other violently, while the seniors sharpened or polished their newly acquired metal swords. In the middle of the advanced class was a seventeen year old boy, with blood red eyes and long blonde hair just like his father.
Ano was a talented young man, in the last three years he had risen from the novices to a full time cadet in the advanced class, already being handed his first functional sword. He also possessed the same blood red eyes of his father and brother, but they flowed like the fluid on the veins itself. Something great was expected of him.
Orm, the vice-commander of the advanced class approached the young Ano and gave him a light shoulder tap after a good sparring session, they were both tired, but the Duke's son was nowhere near the second rank knight that personally served his father. The knight had a laid back posture while fighting but changed completely to his normal strict self when he was over. His full black eyes reflected the boy while they both were fighting and his front bangs did not seem to annoy him as much as Ano's hair annoyed him. He was on a whole different level.
The boy was happy to be able to spar with Orm but knew that something was off when they called the recruits in a loud shout:
"Attention recruits, the patriarch has come. Line up!"
The advanced class stood in the front whereas the young novices stayed at the back of the dirt field. Some of the instructors helped move the benches and training dummies to the sides leaving some space for the small army in trainment of more than three hundred men and women, and soon they too lined up at the sides. Ano, as the Duke's son, stood outside formation and personally greeted his father with Orm by his side, they both saluted and right after the Duke did as well.
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"I have a mission for you, son."
As the Duke said those words, his son couldn't stop thinking that it would be something trivial like last time, when his father sent him to eliminate sheep that were annoying the instructors in their accommodations, but this time it sounded serious.
Ano Was still young, and couldn't really understand his own father's motive. It felt like months passed since their last meaningful interaction, and the boy felt just… lonely.
"What would that mission be, father?" Said the son in a sad tone expecting something boring as always.
Ark took his time to respond, as something seemed to weigh down on his decision. He looked at the knight with an envelope in hand and said:
"You have to deliver this letter to the emperor. The journey to Metarom can be dangerous so Orm is assigned to go with you, and while you are there, go visit your older brother." Ano flinched as his brother was mentioned. "He may be able to teach you some things now that you are in the advanced level."
The boy soon took the envelope from the Duke's hands, and in a usual calm voice said:
"It shall be done father." - But his hands were shaking.
The thought of visiting his brother frightened him to say the least, after all those years would he be the same caring person as always? But it was the first real mission given to Ano, he needed to fulfil his father's expectations.
Orm was worried for him, he had seen the boy grow from two years old until now and had personally coached him through the years, and as always it seemed like his older brother was still on his mind, and on his father's. The kid was talented but was still a kid at heart, his master had something in mind, but whatever that was, the dangers of his own kind were much greater than the Duke could expect.
Ten minutes after the Duke arrived at the training grounds, Ano had already prepared his simple armour and sword as well as some supplies for the trip. Orm took his things as well and they departed at 7 in the morning, making their way to the front gates of the castle. The knights that guarded the towers opened the heavy gate for the two and so, Ano went on his first real mission.