DISCLAIMER: All recognizable characters belong to Tamora Pierce and are used here without permission for no personal gain.
Author's Note: The next chapters complete my story The Road Not Taken and are told from the children's points of view. Enjoy and please r/r!
Part 2: In My Father's Shoes
I am Albannon fer Yorvan, eldest son and heir of Count Isas fer Yorvan.
I repeat that to myself every morning when I wake up. It is important to remember who you are...especially if it is not who you want to be.
My mother died when I was a little boy. She died in winter right before the first frost after delivering a little girl, my sister, who never managed to take her first breath. Her death was a blow for my family, especially my father. He became more withdrawn, working long hours. Many nights I awoke to find him still poring over accounts.
I am a count's son, but we are not a rich family. Winters are harsh and long here, and we are very isolated so far north in Olart. Our castle is large, but drafty, and icy winds blow over the frozen plains and chill us to the marrow of our bones.
I tell you all this so that you can understand my frustration. I will one day be the count, but not by my choice. But I must. Not only am I the first-born, but my younger brother Nikolai has been close to death his entire life. He is frail and weak, especially during the winter--a poor choice for the duke of a winter kingdom. I have only one other sibling, my sister Madigan. So it falls to me to be the count when my father dies. And this day is not so far off. My father had been a shadow of a man since before my mother died, and since her passing he has slipped further away from the world of the living.
But this is not my choice. My heart lies far, far away in the distant cities, mountains, valleys, rivers, and oceans that lie so far from this frozen wasteland. When my father sent me to school at Lightsbridge, I met mages who travel the world. Oh the wonders they must see! How I long to travel with them, to see all that the world has to offer!
But I cannot. My duty to my family is too strong. I must stay here, within these frozen walls, and be the count. I must take my father's place at his ink-stained desk in the small, dark chambers.
I walk down the hall to my father's office. The lamp's faint glow peeks out from under the door. I push the door open.
"Father, I'll finish that."
My father is old, too old to protest. His thin, lined face, red eyes, and gray hair make him seem far older than he actually is. And I am 18 now. I am no longer the little boy who took the weight of his whole family on his shoulders--brother, sister, and father. Now I am a man, able to bear this load that has rested on my shoulders since my mother's death.
My father blinked his eyes and slowly nodded. His eyes were dim, as though looking at something in another world. He did not seem aware of anything as he slowly rose and walked towards the door. "I'm coming Niva," he whispered.
My father's words chilled me, but there was no time for that. I made sure that he made it to bed safely. Then I walked back to his study and took his place at the old desk, working at the ledgers until morning came.
Author's Note: The next chapters complete my story The Road Not Taken and are told from the children's points of view. Enjoy and please r/r!
Part 2: In My Father's Shoes
I am Albannon fer Yorvan, eldest son and heir of Count Isas fer Yorvan.
I repeat that to myself every morning when I wake up. It is important to remember who you are...especially if it is not who you want to be.
My mother died when I was a little boy. She died in winter right before the first frost after delivering a little girl, my sister, who never managed to take her first breath. Her death was a blow for my family, especially my father. He became more withdrawn, working long hours. Many nights I awoke to find him still poring over accounts.
I am a count's son, but we are not a rich family. Winters are harsh and long here, and we are very isolated so far north in Olart. Our castle is large, but drafty, and icy winds blow over the frozen plains and chill us to the marrow of our bones.
I tell you all this so that you can understand my frustration. I will one day be the count, but not by my choice. But I must. Not only am I the first-born, but my younger brother Nikolai has been close to death his entire life. He is frail and weak, especially during the winter--a poor choice for the duke of a winter kingdom. I have only one other sibling, my sister Madigan. So it falls to me to be the count when my father dies. And this day is not so far off. My father had been a shadow of a man since before my mother died, and since her passing he has slipped further away from the world of the living.
But this is not my choice. My heart lies far, far away in the distant cities, mountains, valleys, rivers, and oceans that lie so far from this frozen wasteland. When my father sent me to school at Lightsbridge, I met mages who travel the world. Oh the wonders they must see! How I long to travel with them, to see all that the world has to offer!
But I cannot. My duty to my family is too strong. I must stay here, within these frozen walls, and be the count. I must take my father's place at his ink-stained desk in the small, dark chambers.
I walk down the hall to my father's office. The lamp's faint glow peeks out from under the door. I push the door open.
"Father, I'll finish that."
My father is old, too old to protest. His thin, lined face, red eyes, and gray hair make him seem far older than he actually is. And I am 18 now. I am no longer the little boy who took the weight of his whole family on his shoulders--brother, sister, and father. Now I am a man, able to bear this load that has rested on my shoulders since my mother's death.
My father blinked his eyes and slowly nodded. His eyes were dim, as though looking at something in another world. He did not seem aware of anything as he slowly rose and walked towards the door. "I'm coming Niva," he whispered.
My father's words chilled me, but there was no time for that. I made sure that he made it to bed safely. Then I walked back to his study and took his place at the old desk, working at the ledgers until morning came.