There was more good food on the table, of course. Fresh rolls with three different types of cheese lay on each of their plates, and though Etraon had yet to touch his bread, being distracted by the attractive bowl of grapes before him, he very much savored the thought of eating those rolls. The grapes really did set off the remaining sweetness of the duck and the plum sauce in his mouth, he thought.

The door creaked open and General Theodore entered the room. Etraon couldn’t put his finger on it, but something about the General seemed different. The man had the same hair shot through with grey, the same large figure. His face was that of one who was as wise as his many years, maybe even more so. The wrinkles near his warm brown eyes did not make him appear elderly, but rather mischievous as they moved along with every expression.

This wasn’t right; Theodore had greyish blue eyes. Etraon gaped at the man before them, startled for a moment, as did the others as they too realized that this man, who looked very much similar to General Theodore, was, in fact, not the General.

“I heard of the mess that the Bears made of dinner tonight,” the man said, addressing Karina. “Theo saw you in the hall; said that you and your group left as quickly as you came.”

“I didn’t wish for our new recruits to remember their first dinner as being such a disgrace.” Karina chuckled with amusement as she surveyed the group of confused teenagers before her. “You met General Theodore earlier this afternoon. This is his best friend, General Douglas.”

“Just a moment,” Catherine interrupted. “Friend? They aren’t related?”

“Supposedly they say that we old men all look the same to young people these days,” Douglas replied with a mocking expression, scratching absently at his short beard.

“You don’t look that old,” Sirena objected.

“That’s kind of you to say, lass, but I’m getting within shooting range of seventy. I’m old enough.”

“Are you sure you aren’t related?” Windsor asked again.

“About as sure as we can be after wondering about that question ourselves since we met thirty-some years ago, and as far as we can tell, the answer’s no.” He paused briefly as if contemplating some difficult theory. “But there always seems to be that there’s a distant aunt that you can never find when you want some information from her, so who knows?”

“Don’t bother trying to tell them apart in battle though,” Etraon laughed now. “Father always said that he had a hard time telling who was who when they have their helmets on.”

“It’s true,” Douglas chortled. “Most can only tell us apart by our eye color, except for Karina here, of course.”

“Why’s Karina the exception?” Damon, ever the one to take note of missing information, asked.

“It’d be a crying shame if a girl couldn’t tell her grandfather from an old fox like Theodore, wouldn’t it?”

Douglas paused dramatically for effect as he waited for his words to sink in, grinning broadly when the questions came in a flood. Karina rolled her eyes skyward and shook her head for good measure to let her grandfather know just what she thought of his theatrics. Douglas saw the look and his grin grew absolutely vicious. Then, unable to resist rubbing it in further, he winked, and was rewarded for his efforts by way of a quiet groan of resignation from Karina.

“It’s rare for members of the same family to end up graduating from the same band. Karina’s one of the few to ever pull it off, though it isn’t as simple as it sounds.”

He moved over to lean against the wall, but was quickly ushered to Karina’s own chair as the young woman rose to get another seat for herself, leaving Douglas to continue speaking.

“It is quite unusual for members of the same family to have the same interests to the point where they would actually be assigned to the same band, and your mentor here went down in the history books of our barracks as the first girl to ever accomplish it.”

Catherine must have looked as if she were about to say something about the ‘girl’ remark, because Douglas turned then and spoke to her directly.

“Women mostly served in our ranks as healers, given their more compassionate nature as compared to us men. However, there was no strict rule saying that women could not serve in the army. Many of them who would have were simply under the impression that it was looked down upon,” he sighed. “Unfortunately, that was the case with Karina. The boys in her band didn’t take her seriously for the first month of their training, making the entire process very unpleasant for her.”

“Wait a minute,” Sirena spoke up then, which Etraon found strange, given what he knew about her. He had expected Catherine to be the one to interrupt. “You said ‘for the first month’. What changed?”

“She did,” Douglas replied. “She stopped trying to compete with the boys in the things that they were better at. Brute strength was her downfall, but analysis was theirs.”

“What do you mean?” Windsor asked, glancing up at Douglas’ last statement. “Analysis, as in strategy?”

“No. I am referring to my granddaughter’s ability to look at you and immediately size up what your strengths are, as well as your weaknesses. She might not have been able to fight for quite as long as her bandmates, but she was extremely valuable in group fights where all they needed to win was information regarding their opponents’ weaknesses.” He looked at them all. “Value your time with Karina, young ones. She may not be able to fight as well as the rest of you by the time you’re done with your first year of training, but if you listen to her advice and take heed of everything she tells you, you all may very well pass your exams with the highest scores these barracks have ever seen.”

“Aside from the scores from our year,” Karina’s voice replied.

She had reentered the room, carrying another chair that had been upholstered with a cushion. She set it down by the table and gestured for Douglas to take the more comfortable seat before sitting down herself and continuing her meal.

“I will say this once, and once only, Kites,” Karina spoke after a moment, setting down her fork. “You are the first recruits that I will have trained and quite possibly my last. I have been assigned to work with a colonel in the field as his personal assistant next year. I would see your names written in the history books as the best and the brightest that the barracks have ever seen. I simply ask that you let me.” She glanced around at them and set down a small bag in the center of the table.

The bag was made of a gauzy material, allowing one to see its contents quite clearly. That particular feature wasn’t quite as impressive as it might have been, however, as it opened at the center and the items inside were displayed for all to see. Thin strips of varying browns, reds, and white were braided together in what appeared to be long leather cords. Seven of these lay in a small heap in the center of the bag. On one end, a small bird of gold was fastened quite tightly to the braided cord. It didn’t take a sharp eye to see that it was of the same shape and design as the kite on the plaque outside of their wing of the barracks. The other end of the cord held a small metal ring, quite obviously made to eventually attach itself securely to the golden kite.

Karina’s eyes seemed glued to her plate, as she contemplated her next words carefully. Etraon could almost hear his heart thumping through his chest. Her serious manner was making them all nervous.

“I want this year to be a good one,” she said softly. “I’m not supposed to say this now that you’ve all been officially recruited, but if there’s anyone of you who doesn’t think that they belong in this band or that there’s even the slightest chance that they might possibly do better in another one, I’m granting you permission right now to change bands.” They stared at her, dumbfounded. “I will take all the blame for the trouble, but if you mean to stay…”

Douglas placed a gentle hand on his granddaughter’s forehead and drew her behind him. “What she means to say, youngsters, is that she really wants to do her best for you and she’s wondering if you’ll do the same. She stayed up all night for a week to make these bracelets for you. They’re gifts,” he said, gesturing to the leather cords on the table. “But if you accept them, know that you will be expected to stay.”

“I will not go easy on you. As you could probably tell from Carlo’s reaction, you’ll probably find me to be a hard instructor. You will more than likely hate me at times for how strict I will be with you,” Karina admitted. “But you will be good, very good, I guarantee you that much if you choose to stay.”

The words were simple and the choice was theirs. Etraon felt that surge of pride again. With a leader who was willing to let them choose another path, despite what had been assigned to them already, Etraon knew that she would guide them well. Karina had spoken softly, though her message rang loud and clear in his mind. Should the members of this band choose to remain, they would be subject to one of the toughest instructors that the barracks had to offer. General Douglas was willing to vouch for both her severity and skill. That, if nothing else, was worth believing. But she would teach them well. They’d be good, well-deserving of their future ranks as members of the knighthood should they wish to take that route. And above all else, they would be ready. For Etraon, there was no question about it.

He reached forward and retrieved the cord, turning it about his wrist and fastening it at the ends, giving a faint nod to Karina when it was secured. Aurelius and Windsor reached for the cords next, followed by Sirena. Damon paused for a moment, his face conflicted as he thought about the words that had been said, and then, arriving at a decision, took one of the cords, leaving one last one. The unspoken question hung in the air and they all turned to Catherine, who had yet to respond to Karina’s question. She smiled sheepishly and looked over at Karina.

“Well, I came here to prove that women can fight too,” she began, reaching for the cord. “Who better to teach me than you?” Catherine clicked the golden bird into place and looked up at Karina proudly. “I’d be honored to have you teach me.” The others voiced similar opinions and were startled to see their mentor’s eyes glistening with gratitude.

“Thank you,” Karina replied simply, sitting back down. The Kites followed suit, and within a few minutes, all was lively again. Douglas mouthed something to Karina; what it was, Etraon couldn’t tell. He wondered briefly if reading lips would be part of their instruction here. But judging from the fact that Karina’s face was wreathed in the warmest smile he had ever seen, Etraon knew that they must have done something right.

The kindness and gentility on Douglas’ face had caught Etraon off-guard, and he found himself looking at him often as they continued to eat their dinner. Douglas looked so much like Theodore, and was likewise known for his prowess in battle, for his ability to assess his enemies and devise a plan that would lead to not only survival, but to victory of his troops in the field. When together with Theodore, the sight of their combined figure cut a broad track of fear through their opponents and a strong rock of security for their allies. But that wasn’t how Douglas appeared to them now. Seeing him sitting at the table with them, helping himself to a roll and laughing at their jokes, the Kites grew a sense of fondness for the older man, a feeling only made stronger by the fact that he had once been a Kite. He had sat in this room, been in their shoes, walked down the path that they were now on, and had grown up to be a well-respected individual who brought pride to his people and his emperor.

“These potatoes are incredible,” Sirena remarked at one point, “They’re so light and fluffy that they seem to just melt in your mouth.”

“The butter,” Damon cut in, “the butter is what did the trick.”

“Is it that good?” Windsor asked. “Hey, pass those over here, would you, Aurelius? No fair hogging the bowl to yourself.”

“I just got it!” Aurelius protested. He glanced around in search of supporters. “Didn’t I only just get the bowl?”

“For the second time,” Etraon replied wryly, taking the bowl from in front of his cousin and passing it to the eagerly waiting Windsor. Aurelius made a face, but said nothing.

“Don’t frown, Aurelius,” Karina remarked sweetly from next to him, “I don’t want my Kites to end up looking like flea-bitten hounds when they wake up in the morning.

Author's Note:

I had originally wanted to share a "couple" image for Valentine's Day weekend, but seeing as our first couple has yet to make their appearance, I figured I'd share my first love: food. I hope this chapter made you hungry :P

xoxo,

Elfarine