Chapter 6: A New Beginning

  About six months had passed since Sevagoth had moved to the capital city of Morath. During that time, Arthur had started to teach Sevagoth anything and everything he asked about. Sev had turned 6 at the tail end of the year, and was a sponge for learning. He was eager to learn about government, politics, ethics, economics, but most especially swordsmanship. His aptitude for learning shocked Arthur, and led to Sevagoth being taught a lot more than a 6 year old should have been. He would spend hours quietly reading in the study with Arthur, and spend the entirety of dinner picking Arthur’s brain for his thoughts on certain matters. The two held long conversations about battles and the strategies employed by both sides, as well as combat and sword-theory. Arthur would often take Sev into the castle garrison while he worked, allowing Sev to get to know the other thirty or so paladins of the order that were stationed around the castle. The paladins loved him, he was smart and quick witted. It was almost like they were all friends of the same age instead of adults with a 6 year old.

  The paladins would, against the wishes of the Oracle, take Sev and teach him their various specialties of combat. Hendrick, otherwise known as Bulwark, taught Sev everything there was to know about shieldwork. Hendrick was unique in the fact that he fought with a shield in each hand. His main hand shield was a size in between kites and bucklers, with a wicked blade around the end of the shield and spikes filling the face. He would unleash a flurry of slashes and slams while guarding with his offhand shield. This shield was between the sizes of a kite and greatshield, providing excellent coverage without completely sacrificing mobility. Sevagoth would watch Hendrick spar, entranced by his near impenetrable defense and formidable offence.

  Bryton, one of the paladins who had traveled with the Oracle, was a master of the glaive. He used the polearm’s haft length with near perfection, out-spacing and dancing around his opponents. He would often use the haft to spin and jump with, vaulting towards the enemy to close the distance while catching them off guard with how fast he moved in plate armor. Arthur was a master of large blades and mauls, using their reach and crushing weight to dominate his opponents. He was also incredibly skilled in unarmed combat, and was known to throw punches if his target was ill suited for his main weapon of choice. Magdin was a specialist with bows and crossbows. He was able to hit his target from behind the safety of the frontline, but he also was quite skilled with short swords if the line was breached.

  Elias, another of the Oracle’s escorts, was primarily a support magic user. He had the ‘Suntouched’ talent, allowing him to use light magic, such as sun flare. He would throw spells like sunflare to weaken his enemies, while following up with basic and intermediate combat spells such as sunbolt and fire whip. His true strength however, was found in supporting and healing his allies. He was one of the rare people who could use more advanced healing magic, as well as spells such as barrier and bless. He was an invaluable asset, and was often the center of formations during training sessions. Arthur would build a defensive line to protect Elias, as long as he was up and moving the rest of the team was sure to stay alive.

  Theo was a tried and true sword-and-board user, but had mastered it beyond most’s imagination. He knew exactly how to maneuver perfectly around almost any foe, and used a combination of bash attacks with his shield and odd acrobatics to set him apart from the classic foot soldier. He often came out ahead in one on one battles, as he had an uncanny battle sense that put him far ahead of many of his peers. The 100+ paladins were spread out among the city in several garrisons, especially heavy around the gates. The main force of around 30 were the most skilled of the order, and permanently stationed at the castle with Arthur, frequently acting as guards and escorts for the king and his family.

  The current king’s name was Byron Bloodbeard, a dwarf who was well loved due to his merit based assignment of positions. He followed in his fathers belief that people create their own value in leadership, and should not be complacent just because they were from noble lineage. While many of the noble families held deep grudges for that outlook, they could not help but acknowledge the good Byron had done for the kingdom in his 30 year reign. He still had many, many decades left to rule, and the people of Typhon were excited to see where his leadership would take them.

  While the king was an imposing political figure and knew how to manage people and the country, he was also very comfortable around the paladins and often sought the garrison as a respite whenever possible. Arthur and the king were good friends, and Byron would often come to visit whenever Arthur was posted for watch or other duties. This led to Byron and Sevagoth meeting several times, and Sev couldn’t help but see the resemblance between the king and his own grandfather, Bailior. Byron was jolly, crass, and undignified whenever he was with the paladins, and he would bring out similar behavior in Arthur. The queen, Amalee, would often find Byron playing poker with the paladins in the barracks, gambling anything from liquor and snacks to their clothing and weapons. Tonight just so happened to be one of those nights.

  “Oh fuck off ya bastard, you know you cheated that hand!” Byron hollered drunkenly at Elias, who had a shiteating grin on his face as he won yet another hand.

  “If you consider being sober as cheating, then guilty as charged. Give me the damn gold!” Elias yelled as the king refused to give up his share of the pot. The barracks was alight with laughter as it crept into the deepest hours of the night.

  Arthur patted the king’s shoulder and said “Ahh, come on Bryon, give him the gold. Don’t make me tell Amalee that not only are you losing money, but you are doing so sorely.”

  Byron finally surrendered his gold to Elias before yelling back, “How many times do I have to tell you to stop using that damned nickname! I’m the king, gods damn you and I demand to be treated as such!” Byron spilled some mead on his shirt as he said this, causing everyone to erupt in laughter at the irony of his words.

  This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

  “King my ass!” Arthur yelled back as he started to choke from laughing so hard. Sevagoth sat on one of the bunks, observing the chaos in front of him. He no longer hated the noise like he did when he first arrived in the city. It reminded him of the cold nights in Whitemane, tucked in the inn while his grandfather drunkenly lost to the other hunters and had to go check the aqueduct in nothing but his undergarments. It’s strange, the longer I’m here, the more it feels like it did back home. Sevagoth thought to himself as he simply watched. A slight chuckle shook his shoulders as he laid down on his bunk to sleep for the night. He had become quite accustomed to sleeping through nights like these. It was strangely comforting, almost as if the noise had come to prove that they were all alive and full of joy. As Sev started to drift off to sleep, he once again heard the familiar loud smack as the queen arrived and hit the king on the back of his head.

  “HOME, NOW!” Amalee hollered as the paladins sheepishly erupted in laughter. Amalee yelled “Think of the example you are setting for poor Sevagoth! You should all be ashamed!” Sev felt a hand on his head as he rolled over, seeing the queen looking down at him with an annoyed smile on her face. As much as she was driven crazy by her husband’s constant antics, she couldn’t help but enjoy the fun and brotherhood that was felt among the paladins. Any of the paladins stationed at the castle would give their life for the king and queen in an instant. Not because they were royalty, but because each of the paladins cared deeply for Byron and Amalee. They were all friends, brothers even. Amalee smiled and whispered to Sev “Please grow up to be more mature than the idiots that surround you.”

  Sev simply chuckled and said “I’ll try. But that is my master, so, no promises.” as he pointed towards Arthur, who was drunkenly dragging Byron across the barracks floor while singing a funeral song and pretending to cry. Byron was trying to break out of Arthur’s grip, but was forced to endure the display as Amalee and the other paladins couldn’t help but burst into laughter once more. Yeah, this really isn’t so bad. Sev thought with a soft smile.

  A few days later, the new years celebration came to a close and the year began anew. This meant Sevagoth could finally start to attend the capital’s academy. If a family could afford it, or if the king chose a child for one of his many scholarships, a child could attend the academy from the ages of 5-10 years old. If the student performed well and stood out, they would get offers for further education. The offers came from places such as the paladin order, the Oracle’s temple, smiths and other tradesmen, or anywhere else that could afford to provide an education for a child. These children would then spend the next 6 years (from 10-16 years old) with their tutors.

  After the 6 years had passed, the student would pass a ‘mastery exam’ where their master would give them an assignment to determine if they were ready to become a fellow master of their field of study. If the student failed this test, they would spend another 2 years with their master and take the test again at the end. However, if the student passed the test the first time they would be officially considered a master of their field. Many would then find permanent positions they would work, with several going back to work alongside their teachers. Some would travel the world when they reached adulthood, going to other nations or even the other continent.

  As Sevagoth prepared for his first day at the academy, Arthur gave him a few words of advice. “The academy is a neutral stage, and is completely run off of achievement and merit alone. Titles are stripped from everyone, including faculty. There are no nobles and commoners at the academy, everyone is on the same level. The only division at the school is your year, which determines how close you are to graduating. However, you are expected to treat even your underclassmen with respect, just because you are older than them doesn’t mean you can take advantage of them. Is that understood?”

  Sevagoth nodded, “Yes, sir.”

  Arthur smiled and nodded approvingly. “Good. You’ll be a year later than the rest of the kids your age. You’ll be brought in as a second year, but the other kids will have all been in class together for a whole year now. Don’t let that concern you, just go and do your best to learn everything you can. You are smarter than all those brats anyway, so just go have at it. But don’t cause problems and embarrass yourself. Act like the man you are, you hear me?”

  Sev smiled and nodded, throwing up a half hearted salute. “You got it, boss.”

  Arthur smiled and pulled Sev in for a hug. “I’m proud of ya, kid. Go make yourself proud now. You are welcome to come home whenever you are allowed by the academy. If I’m not home, you know where to find me.”

  Sev nodded and said, “I’ll come home as often as they let me, I promise. I’ll need someone to talk to about everything after all.”

  Byron, who was there to see off Sev, pulled him in for a bear hug. “Go get 'em, my boy. Show those stuck up snobs what uncle Byron taught you!”

  Sevagoth simply chuckled and said “What, to go all in on a bluff when drunk and lose your pants?”

  Byron went beat red and started to give Sev a noogie while embarrassedly saying “Not that you smartass!” They all laughed as Amalee pulled Sev into a hug next. Sev hugged her back tightly, slowly getting used to the warmth and love behind each of her hugs.

  Amalee held back tears as she said, “If you need anything, anything at all, come find me. And if any of the castle guards give you a hard time, I’ll make sure they never walk again.” Sev chuckled silently as he hugged her. For being the sweetest one here, she is equally the most terrifying.

  Arthur and Sev walked over to the Academy together, Sev packing only the necessary clothes and leaving everything else at home where it would be safe. He had left his mother’s necklace wrapped around the crossguard of Wolf’s Blood, and stored it safely in the closet of his room after wrapping it in cloth. Arthur finished the registration paperwork and said his final goodbyes to Sev.

  “You know how to get home from here, and how to get to the garrison. If you ever need me, I’ll be in one of those 2 places okay? Go kick ass kid, I won’t tolerate anything less than top marks from you.” Arthur reached his hand out to Sev as he finished saying that.

  Sev smiled and shook Arthur’s hand firmly. “You got it, boss. I’ll make us both proud.”