Emin watched his older brother suddenly go into a focused frenzy of learning after they'd been shown one full day in the lives of their fathers. Emin wasn't old enough yet to understand why Merkan wanted to do that so strongly. They still had their weapons practice together, and meals, and sleeping, but Merkan stopped going to the classes they'd had together.

It wasn't like Merkan had to. Emin was only five and a half. He had three years to catch up to Merkan still. He always would, having been born that much farther behind. Still, he finally went to his mother and climbed up into her lap. She held him and smiled her love to him like always.

"Mother, Merkan won't play with me anymore. He's spending all his time in the room of viewing." He frowned, wanting his playmate back.

Neylan brushed the hair back from his face. "Yes, he's suddenly become busy learning things he wants to know, hasn't he? It's a good thing, for all it makes your own days a little more lonely. He doesn't want to make you lonely. He knows how hard that is. He was lonely for three years before you were here to play with, so he knows." She frowned slightly at Emin until he relented a little. It would have been lonely with no one to play with for three years.

"Did you know I had a sister?" Neylan asked softly. Emin's eyes went wide and he shook his head. "No? I've forgotten the passage of time, then, to not have said before now," she sighed.

"Like you, I was the younger sibling, and by about as much, too." Emin was even more interested. "Melike had an important thing to do in her life - her reason for being. Just like I do. Just like Merkan does and you do also. When Melike was sent away to do her task, I was very lonely. I'd never been away from her before that." Emin's pain was his mother's pain.

"It took me a long time to not hurt so very much, but I'm still lonely for her." Emin patted her hand and leaned on her. "I watched her every day, then eventually not so much because her task was very hard, too hard for me which was why it was her task and not mine. I prayed for her every day, though."

Neylan paused and closed her eyes, remembering. "The Goddess was my comfort then. That and losing myself in my own important work. In doing that, I came to love others, and to feel needed by them also. That helped me not hurt. If I sat and did nothing, there was nothing to do but remember the hurt and pain.

"That was a waste of time," she pronounced practically, looking into Emin's brown eyes. "What is your task? What can you do to move forward on your own strength?"

It wasn't really the answer Emin wanted, and he pouted a bit first. She just held him until he finally sighed. "I want to go outside and explore the world. To walk in the trees we see in the visions, and hear the sounds of the markets."

"Good!" Neylan immediately said. "You will get to do lots of that in your life. All over the region, I promise." She pondered, then said, "I'll ask one of the older boys who goes into the village for provisions with his father to take you out onto the mountainside. He'll begin your lessons in how to live in the world on your own strength."

Her blue eyes bored into his brown ones. "It will be very hard, but I think you'll greatly enjoy those lessons. You have just the right kind of strength for them."

Emin was so surprised to get his wish he sat there and stared at her open mouthed for a long while. Finally he said, "Really? You'll really let me go outside?"

She blinked back at him. "Yes. We just don't usually. Well...," she smiled and amended, "we priestesses anyway. I've been outside the mountain more than any priestess in a very, very long time, other than my sister. I'm the first in even longer to have sons, so I guess I've been blessed in that way, too."

"Okay!" Emin liked that plan. It would keep him busy doing something he wanted to learn and might need to know for later, and give him at least someone else to do things with.

From that time, Emin spent at first hours each day, then eventually overnight times, then several days at a time outside the mountain. He and his teacher climbed all over it, practiced camping, catching animals and fishing for food, what plants not to touch or eat, and all kinds of things Emin had never imagined could be learned. It was all a lot of hard work, but he barely noticed he was having so much fun. Even getting lost was only frightening for a short while, when it did finally happen.

It was only when he tried to share that fun with Merkan that he was sad. Merkan wouldn't come out of the mountain with him. But he did listen when Emin talked at meals, and he was supportive, glad that Emin was having fun learning things. Still, Emin couldn't help but complain one day.

Merkan paused, then put his hand on Emin's shoulder. "Emin. I treasure our friendship and that you are my brother. I never want to lose that. Ever. But we have different things to learn and do in our lives." He told Emin what he'd learned the day before and Emin could barely follow along for that long.

"See? We have things that are different that we want to know. We can't learn those things and what the other one of us is learning. Who would sweep the floor if we all washed the dishes?"

Emin giggled. "Who would have that many dishes and sinks?"

"I know, right?" Merkan smiled. "Let us support each other and the king doing what we can do best. If you ever need me, or have to say something I need to hear, I will always make time for you. I may need to come find you also, if for no other reason than to remember that someone likes me."

Emin didn't like that Merkan looked a bit pained. "I've learned so many things about how hard it is to live among men outside the mountain." He paused, then said gently. "When you're old enough, please also go to the Goddess and learn those lessons, so when you go you aren't caught unawares.

"Your father is as wise as mine. Take the time to learn that wisdom before you also go to begin what you were born to do. There are more people in the world who'll try to use you and hurt you. Learn to recognize them before they can even open their mouths."

Emin looked back at his brother soberly, then promised. He'd wait until he was old enough to want to sit still that long. He still had a lot of things he wanted to learn about the outside by being in it.

After that Emin settled better, enjoying the times he did have with his brother. He particularly liked it the day he hit Merkan's sword hard enough to knock it out of his hand. "How did you do that?" Merkan asked.

Emin stood proudly. "It's from what I'm learning, working hard to live outside on the mountain. It takes a lot of strength."

Merkan's proud smile was very rewarding. "That's great! I'll practice being just enough harder on you, then."

That made Emin's heart fall and race a bit. He'd forgotten that Merkan had been practicing staying just ahead of him when they sparred. He still struggled greatly against their instructor and Merkan did, too. That meant practices for a while would mean stinging fingers and painful bruises again until Merkan learned the new level Emin had reached.

He sighed and Merkan laughed. "I'll work hard to be careful," Merkan promised.

Emin made a face at him. "Good. Be faster than last time." They bantered, missing the proud smile of their instructor. The boys were well beloved in the mountain, like their mother was.

Emin was surprised the day his mother came to him while he was in general lessons for the day, wishing he still had Merkan sitting next to him for this part. The teacher excused herself to a polite distance.

"Emin, your teacher and his father need to go to the village for supplies. They've come and asked me if they can take you with them. Do you want to go?"

Emin sat with his mouth open yet again. "I can?"

Neylan smiled. "I think most people would think you're too young to go, but I think you would learn some very important things, and the Goddess does, too. You'll be gone for nine days. I would expect you to tell them when you're getting tired. Your legs are still shorter than theirs and your strength smaller in the same measure. They've promised to watch over you well and teach you more on the way."

"Isn't it usually six days?" he asked.

"Yes. They've added in the time for your short legs."

Emin frowned at her, feeling that she was teasing him. It would be a long time, for him, even though he'd now spent three days and two nights in the woods on the side of the mountain. Then he remembered his brother's words. That watching people was important lessons, too, and he would rather do that with real people around than just visions. "Okay," he finally said. "I think it will be hard, but I want to go."

Neylan bowed her head in acceptance. "Then always remember that wherever you are, the Goddess is always watching over you. When you need help, or to talk to someone that isn't your teacher and guardian, you may talk to her." With just a little sparkle in her eye, she added, "And if you're paying close attention, you might even know when I'm watching you."

Emin blinked, then smiled. Like she always watched the king, she would also be watching over him because he was her son. "I'll try to, then," he took up her challenge.