"Marcus, you need to take a break or you'll kill yourself." A female voice stated in a weary tone, after all this was a familiar conversation Sophia had with her brother.
"I'll stop when I'm good enough." He quickly shot back as the sharp crack of wood striking wood filled the air around them. They were both standing in the small courtyard of the family manor, Marcus dressed in sweat drenched clothes that were weighted down to give the heaviness of armor, while his sister wore more a more courtly dress that she had been fitted for only days previous.
"You are good enough!" She then quickly moved to step inbetween Marcus and the practice dummy, wincing a bit as she saw the heavy wooden sword descending down towards her before a crack, followed by a yelp filled the air as the sword struck her side as he proved too slow to stop it. Wincing a bit in sympathy Marcus quickly dropped the sword and moved towards his sister who was speed walking away.
"Ow ow ow ow owwww! Why did you hit me!" She whined out, holding her side tenderly where the wooden sword had struck her.
"Well you stepped in the way! You shouldn't have done that!"
"I'm going to go tell M-." She then stopped a bit and bit down on her lip before turning to look away, the pain in her side briefly replaced with a different kind of pain as both of them stopped walking, Marcus looking down towards his feet for a brief moment before looking up.
"If I were better I wouldn't have struck you...I would have been able to stop myself…" He muttered as he moved to go back to the place where he had dropped his practice sword.
"Marcus...Stop! Please!" A pleading voice said over his shoulder, and he sighed and turned to look at his younger sister.
"You have spent all day of every day practicing...Ever since...You know." The rest of the sentence need not be said by either of them.
"Because Sophia! You weren't there when it happened! You didn't have to watch helplessly...I did…If I had been better, if I had trained just a little bit more! They might still be alive!" He then huffed and stalked back over towards the training dummy, giving it another whack as he reflected back on the day that he had returned home alone, without either of his parents.
"Go back to your lessons Sophia...you're going to need them."
"And why is that?" She asked, side beginning to ache once more.
"Because I don't plan on staying." He then sighed and set the sword down, turning towards his sister and holding up a hand to hold back her cascade of questions. "I'll be leaving in the next few weeks...I was going to tell you soon."
"You're leaving!?" She exclaimed in a voice tinged with panic and worry. "How can you leave? Mother and Father haven't even been buried yet!"
"Well I plan to wait till they are buried obviously…" He huffed before walking over towards her.
"You're not leaving! I refuse to allow it! Why are you even leaving? This is our home? -OUR- home."
"Calm down baby sister...Take a walk in the gardens with me...I'll explain my plan." He then moved to brush past her. Heading away from the courtyard and walking the long way around the manorial house towards the back. The pain in her side temporarily forgotten, Sophia followed, bombarding her brother with questions all the while. "I can't believe you're going to leave me! How could you? Why would you?"
He accepted all the barages of questions with silence as he gathered his thoughts gradually. He wasn't sure what to say, he had hoped to have another week to put together his plan in his head, but now he had blurted it out in a rather inconvenient manner. When they reached the Garden he slowly walked around it, it was small, much like their manor in general, but it was all he knew. He walked slowly past a bush of Tealian roses that had been imported to Alicia several hundred years ago before the rebellion. And it was at that moment that he finally managed to force out the words.
"I'm leaving because...I can't get better if I stay here...Sure, I can whack away at the training dummy all day...And I'm sure I could spar with Roderick a thousand times, but I'm already starting to best him in our sparring matches, and sure he blames it on him being old...And that's partially true...I need to go out, and experience the world itself...Challenge the best and get better by falling on my face." He said before swallowing thickly. He turned to glance back towards his sister with a small frown, he didn't mention that every time he looked around all he saw were good memories of their parents, turned to ash.
"So you're going to leave me here all alone? While you run off shirking your duty! You're the heir Marcus! Not me! You should be here running the Manor, while I…" She didn't finish that sentence either, she had argued with their parents many times about being married off to someone that would help the family social standing, she didn't want to marry yet.
"Not anymore...I talked to Romanos, and I've given up my right as heir...You're the heir to the Manor now, you'll run it yourself, you'll pick your own match for marriage whenever that time comes...You'll be completely self-sufficient." He calmly stated in response to her question.
Sophia was suddenly speechless, she was to be the head of the manor? The new head of their family? She could pick her own partner whenever the time came. She eventually managed to find her words, though her arguement was slightly weakened by her excitement at having a chance at a future she never could've considered before that very moment.
"But you're not even sixteen summers yet Marcus...You're so young! What if you die? I can't lose any more of our family! I refuse to!"
"I won't die...I'll find a way...Don't worry about me." He responded, looking towards the tree that they had chased each other around when they were younger. Why couldn't she just understand that he couldn't stay? That if he stayed he would be forever stuck in the shadow of their parents, stuck in the rutt of a life that he wasn't ready for. He stopped abruptly, and Sophia being right on his heels walked into him.
"Let's be honest with ourselves Sophia...I wouldn't have made a good heir anyways...Sure, I can fight, but that's about it. You're the one who's always excelled at your lessons, you're the one that mother taught how to run a household, you're the one who wanted to stay at home as opposed to being married off and sent away."
"You can do more than fight Marcus, and we both know that…" she murmured before sighing a bit. She could tell that he was set on this difficult path. "At least visit often? Or write me...You know that I've always wanted to go on adventures...I guess now I can at least live vicariously through you…."
At that Marcus broke out into a small smile, the first one that had graced his young face in several days now. "See, I told you you would make a better heir than me...I don't even know what that word means." He said teasingly, trying to lighten the mood just a bit.
At this, Sophia shook her head a bit before stepping forward to wrap her arms around him in a hug. "I'm going to miss you…" She muttered against his chest, burying her face into his sweat soaked jerkin, temporarily not even minding the stench from it, or the throbbing from her side. She was a year younger than him almost exactly, and they had been around eachother for so long, that the prospect of losing her feel like she was losing a part of herself.
Hugging her back, Marcus sighed gently and patted her back as he leaned down to press his face into her dark brown locks, he was going to miss her as well, but he had to be strong. Just like he always had to be. He refused to show any hesitation. He refused to let on just how much he was being ripped apart inside by leaving, he simply refused. That would make it easier for her he hoped.
Pulling away from the hug he looked down at her for a moment, before looking away quickly, don't cry, he thought to himself before sighing. "I need to go talk to Roderick...I haven't even told him that I'm leaving yet...I'm sure he will want to tan my backside...But he won't stop me...At least I hope he won't."
He then started to walk away before Sophia quickly called his name. "Marcus!" when he turned to look back at her she pursed her lips a bit before speaking again. "You didn't tell me if you would visit or write…" he then grunted a bit, shaking his head a bit sadly. "You're right...I didn't…" He then quickly walked away before she could call him back, or before he was stopped by the tears streaming down her cheeks.
He quickly headed back to the courtyard, seeking out one of the few people from the nearby town that his family employed as guards for the manor, spotting one he was decently familiar with at the gate he ran up to him. "Nicholas! Have you seen Sergeant Roderick anywhere?" he asked curiously, wanting to track the old man down before Sophia had a chance to tell a servant, who would then tell him.
Nicholas for his part, caught by surprise by the boy whom he thought the heir of the manor running up to him quickly hid the wineskin he was drinking from (Drinking wasn't allowed on duty, which conveniently made him uniquely aware of the position of the Sergeant.) "Uhhh...Well ma'lord, I think he was in the stables last I checked...Said something about rounding up a posse from the village to track down the bandits that done did in your parents." he then paused a bit. "My condolences by the way Young Lord…"
Hiding the stabbing feel in his gut at the mention of his parents murder, he nodded. "Thanks!" Then ran off towards the stables, getting a bit out of breath in the process since he was still wearing his weighted training jerkin. When he arrived at the stables he heard Roderick talking through the door, pausing a bit to eaves drop he pressed his ear against the door. "I want you to scout along the south road...That's where Marcus said they attacked from...Likely have a camp close to the road...they probably have moved by now, but I want you to see if you can pick up a trail." He then heard a slapping sound, followed by a "Hya!" The young noble was then sent sprawling in the dirt as the horse burst through the gate he was listening against, knocking him back onto the ground.
The next thing he heard was the ever familiar tisking of Sergeant Roderick. Looking into the stables while still laying on the ground, he quickly scrambled up as the grizzled older man walked towards him. "Have I taught you nothing? If you're going to eaves drop...Don't do it near doors...Too many people exit through doors." This caused Marcus to smile a little bit, the older man was something of a mentor to the young knight to be. He was a veteran of the last big war between Alicia and the Granger confederation, and a veteran of the first two of King William's campaigns to conquer the continent, before a ballista bolt left him with a permanent limp, and a grouchy temper. Marcus' father who had served alongside him in the war, quickly offered him a position as a Master of Arms for the manor.
"Well I wasn't coming to eaves drop…" He said, adding "Originally…" when Roderick raised an eyebrow.
"Well what were you coming for Originally, lad." He asked with the same raised eyebrow, at this point in his years, Roderick had salt and pepper coloring in his hair, and big bushy eyebrows that reminded Marcus in his youth of caterpillars.
"I...Wanted to talk to you about something...Important…"
"Well? Get it out then, Important talks are the quickest, and I've got work to do hunting down bandits."
"Well...I'm not sure this will be quick as you hope…" Marcus then sighed and looked up at the man, meeting his gaze bravely. "I'm leaving the manor. Not today...But in the next few weeks, after mother and father are laid to rest." He stated boldly.
The teen expected a quick retort, a berating even, he expected the old veteran to call him stupid and tell him to stay at the manor where he belonged. What he didn't expect was the long drawn out silence that followed as Roderick simply stared at him. Feeling that further words were needed to fill this awkward silence, Marcus slowly started to state the rest of his plan. "It's just...Well...I feel like I can't learn much else here. And I feel like...Well I'm starting to best you in our sparring sessions." The older man then snorted, but he continued. "And well, Every time I look around, all I can think of is mother and father...And then I just get this ashy feeling in my gut and I can't take it! I have to go...I need to get better, I need to get experience." By this point Marcus was rambling, he didn't know why but he was. He couldn't focus on one particular thought, and before he knew it the tears that he had stuffed back for days were finally pouring down his cheeks.
Before he knew it Roderick had closed the distance between them and pressed him into a hug against his shoulder, it was the first time in his life he thought that the older man had ever hugged him. But somehow it was calming. And he slowly felt the tears ebbing away as he relaxed. "I knew this day would come unfortunately…" Roderick eventually muttered in a gruff tone as he released him. "I don't like it. I think you're far too young to be going out into the world. But." Marcus had started to gear up for a protest before he heard the But, he was then put into rapt attention.
"But…" Roderick repeated. "You are also the most skilled young man with a sword I think I've ever seen...You've talent that far surpasses your father, and I think you've learned just about all that I can teach you. So...I suppose you just might be right." He then grumbled a bit. "Follow me." He then started to walk out of the stables with long strides. "If you're leaving in a week or two like you say, then I think you'll need to take one thing with you…"
Marcus was dumbfounded, just like his sister not long before, he couldn't believe that Roderick actually supported his choice to leave, and that it seemed like he was going to help him? The more he thought about it, the more he was dumbfounded. And when he led him into the Manor house, even moreso. What was it inside the Manor that Marcus needed to take with him? He thought at first it would be something from the armory, a real sword maybe.
As Roderick stepped into his father's study, the confusion only grew greater until he stopped before the pedestal that held the single most valuable thing in his family's history. Starfall.
"I trust that you know what this is?" Roderick asked as he stood on one side of the pedestal, opposite Marcus, before he could answer however, the veteran continued. "This is Starfall...While I don't know the whole history of it...Your father told me the jist of it, and I've done a bit of research on it myself, I'm sure you know more of the history of it than I do...Suffice to say that it is only carried by those who are worthy...Your father never used it, But between the two of us, we think that you just might be. And at the very least, it is time for Starfall to get let out of the manor." He then lifted the sword up before holding it out carefully to Marcus. "Be careful...It's the sharpest sword I've ever seen."
"That's because it's made from a star…" Marcus muttered in an awe-filled voice. He was very much familiar with the history of the sword, how it had been forged from a falling star hundreds of years ago by one of his ancestors who had gone on to bring much renown and fame to the name Arthur, however as far as he was aware there hadn't been a wielder of it since the Rebellion Era, many Arthur's had tried, but none had been able to successfully use it. With legend telling that the sword felt like a true extension of your hand an arm when you were worthy, and a clunky, unwieldy piece of metal when you weren't. Marcus had never so much as touched it though.
Swallowing thickly as he slowly reached out to accept the sword, holding it horizontally infront of him, just as it had been handed to him. The young teen then promptly turned on heel, walking outside towards the courtyard where he had just been practicing. Roderick followed him quickly, having a inkling of an idea of what the youngster wanted to do.
Passing his sister on the steps out of the front door she blinked, looking from Marcus holding the sword, to Roderick who was following. After a moment she put two and two together and gasped, jumping up as she scampered after the two of them, grasping the hem of her dress to keep her from falling. "Is that...Starfall?" She asked quietly to Roderick, who simply nodded his head in response.
Marcus was stoic as he walked towards the training dummy he had been whacking at only an hour earlier. He was focused, and nervous. What if he wasn't worthy? He stopped in front of the wooden dummy and closed his eyes, he then shifted his hand so that he grasped the sword in his dominant hand before holding it vertically in front of him, a shiver of anticipation went through him, it felt weightless in his palm, did that mean what he thought? There was only one way to find out…
He opened his eyes then made a swing at the dummy, instead of the dull thunk of metal striking wood, there was instead a moment of quietness, followed by the dull thunk of wood and padding hitting dirt, the sword had sliced straight through the post. Causing a gasp to leave Sophia. "Marcus! You cut through it! The stories are true!"
Roderick simply snorted a bit as they both started to go ballistic with excitement. "Let it stand, that on this day, Starfall found a new wielder." the veteran said solemnly as they calmed down slowly, Marcus then quickly composed himself before nodding brusquely. Sophia however had no such restrictions. "You're going to go on so many adventures!" She shouted in a shrill tone, little did she know that this would only be an inkling of a prophetic utterance.