5

A Brother's Trust

The boy's urge to wander and explore was stifled for a while after that. A moon-time went by, and school
ended, always with the same assignment as before: to keep a log of ten important events that happened over the summer, and to come back the next fall with a story, either real or fiction, that contained these events.

Saber had always been good at that, as he loved to write, and kept his daily journals. He had kept a journal for four seasons now, and had many parchment bundles stored away in his closet, hidden from view by little brothers.

A week into the vacation, the incident with the Western boarder, his parent's anger and disappointment (and a bucket of pig slop-food over the healer's clinic door who never turned up any culprits) forgotten, Saber was watching the warrior cadets train. Jealous, he watched Iyen execute a perfect kick/sword-thrust with the wooden training weapon the instructor gave them to practice with. Iyen was the oldest of their age group; Saber the youngest. But they were not in the same group even though they were the same age. Saber's work was all scholarly. He had schoolbooks at home; life-book, history, math, letters and grammar...but he hated them. Well the history stories he liked to read, but the rest he could do without.

No one noticed him until the instructor looked up while the boys and two girls took a break. He frowned. He was a warrior that Saber didn't much like. "What are you doing here, boy? Go away, this is no place for you."

Under the derisive stares of the other children, Saber sighed and left.

That night, he talked to his little brother. They fought, they teased, they ridiculed at times...but they were brothers, the closest bond someone could have, in Saber's thinking. He wanted to talk with him. The five-cycler was actually a little surprised. His big brother was almost always willing to talk to him but never called him into his bedroom for that purpose. "What is the matter, Saber?" he asked, climbing into the bed. He was five seasons old, just old enough to begin to understand things, and no longer a baby.

Saber sighed. He of course had told his brother what lay beyond the Western boarder, and the child had been disappointed, but creeped out by the sound he had heard. "Remember last moon-time?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah...Papa thrashed you good." He frowned. Sometimes he liked seeing his older brother get into trouble, but he thought this the wrong reason for it. It was a matter of principle!

Saber nodded. He had been grounded for two weeks as well. "Well..." He looked around to make sure they were alone. They were. Papa had guard duty, and the boys' mother, a tradesman (as all tradespeople were called) was in the shop in the village. "Give me your word," he said. "Give me your word that you won't tell."

Frowning a little, Drii said, "I swear."

"What will you swear by?"

Drii thought a moment then bit his lip. His brother's trust was important to him, and he knew there were some vows that could not be broken. He would make one. "I swear by my hintriin."

Saber blinked. A hintriin was a blanket that every child is given from birth. It is a symbol of life, and of hope...and is always the most precious item an infant has. For Drii it was even more so. He never let anything happen to his hintriin, and for him it was a symbol of security. He nodded. His little brother had just made a vow he would not break, and he trusted him.

Admittedly touched, the older boy smiled and put a hand on Drii's shoulder. "I am going back," he confessed without any hesitation.

Drii's eyes widened, and he grinned the grin of someone who now knows a secret; a good secret. "You are? When? Today?"

Saber bit his own lip. "Yes...tonight."

He let that sink in as his brother's smile faded into a puzzled frown. "But...then Papa and Mama will
know..."

Saber nodded seriously. "Yes. I'm not coming back." He saw the look of alarm cross the little boy's face and added hastily, "I mean not for a while! I won't go forever, I don't want to run away." He sighed and looked down. "Drii, you know that Mama and Papa say I have to be a scholar. I mean that isn't right. I think children should be allowed to say what they want to be, not have others tell them. They say you'll probably be a warrior when you're older, I am to be a scholar. The stronger boys and girls laugh me at. The other girls just think I'm cute, and the adults all smile at me like I'm...some kind of puppy or something." He looked back up and was surprised to see a degree of understanding in the child's eyes. "You know what I mean? I don't want to be a scholar, Drii...it doesn't...it doesn't feel right." He scowled darkly and picked at his bedding.

Drii was kind of scared. His big brother was saying all this to him, and he felt like he should be making him feel better. He didn't know how. "I-I'd miss you," he said.

"Awww, I'd miss you too, Drii, but I'd be back, I promise. But Drii, I saw a road. It was a road, Drii, there's more here than the Valley and the Wastes beyond the Northern Boarder. You know the rushing noises beyond the cliffs? I bet there's more out there too. I bet there's more than forest, maybe I can find the great seas the legends tell about! I want to see...I want to see if there's other people out there, Erthrins or maybe Bruters...or maybe something totally new!"

Despite himself, Drii was intrigued. "I'd like to know that, too," he said almost shyly. "Could maybe I go with you?"

Saber considered, and he said seriously, "If you really, really are really serious...you can go. But you couldn't back out once we start. One we leave, that's it."

Drii bit his lip and looked down, as the warm sun shone in through the window, shining on them both in their safe home, the whole summer ahead of them. Normally it wold foresee endless days of playing in the village, and watching the warriors when they did not get chased away. But this year... "No," he whispered, and Saber could see he was trying not to cry. "But can I help you pack?"

"Pack?"

"Aren't you gonna bring your things?"

Saber had not thought of that, but it was probably a good idea. Perfect start this is, he thought. But he nodded and squeezed his brother's shoulder. "I couldn't have gotten a better little twerp for a brother," he said. The little boy grinned.

The two boys got a large, sturdy duffel from the linen closet, and in the wood tones of Saber's room, packed it with a few things they thought he would need for a week of journey, maybe longer. Long enough so that he wouldn't be in so much trouble he'd be miserable the rest of his life when he returned. He packed a few bottoms, a sleeveless leather top, pants and a light shirt of cloth in case of cool days. After a momnnt of condideration, the boy added his cloak in case of rain. He packed his journal, several sheets of blank parchment, and three writing sticks of blue, deep red, and a black.

He snuck into his father's room and took an ornamental blade from his display chest and he hoped that his father forgave him the theft. But he had no weapons, not even training ones, and he felt scared enough without having no defenses whatsoever.

The boy brought some of books, his life-book in case he needed to know about some creature he met, and his history book, which he wanted just to read. And he took some of his fiction books.

Last, he took a store of jerky, some bread, and a waterskin filled from the mechanical wood pump in the kitchen.

Finally they two boys stood on their front porch, looking guiltily around to make sure no one watched. It
was not a rest day: the adults were at work. "Well..." Saber said. "I-I want you to look after Mama and Papa, and make sure nothing happens to my room, okay?" he said to the little boy.

Crying now and not even caring, Drii nodded. "Will you draw me some pictures of what you see?"

"Hell yes!" They both giggled nervously at this deliberate cuss.

"Thanks.... wait." The boy ran inside and retrieved something from his room. He brought it back, and although it was obviously difficult for him, he held out a soft blanket. "Take...take this. May-maybe it'll keep you safe."

Saber's jaw dropped. "Your hintrin?" he asked incredulously. Drii nodded. "No, I can't take this, what will you sleep with?"

"I-I'm a big boy...I can sleep with my stuffed toys... I want you to take it...please?"

Saber's lip trembled, and he began to cry himself. He grabbed his little brother and held him tight. "Thanks, brother," he said. "I'll take it. If anything can keep me safe, this will." He clutched the soft green knit blanket.

Drii cried in his brother's embrace for a moment, and said in a muffled voice, "I-I'll see you when you get back...and I won't tell."

Saber pulled him back. "I know you won't." He kissed Drii's brow and reluctantly backed off.

As the little boy watched from the porch, Saber walked down the hard dirt road, the laden duffel slung over his shoulder, the waterskin on a belt almost too big for him at the waist. He turned once...he saw his brother wave, and waved back before he lost his nerve, and turned around.

Soon he was out of sight, and headed for the woods. Swallowing hard, he paused once, collected his thoughts, and the young boy began a journey that even he could not ever imagine possible.

Part 6: Journey

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