Chapter 3
"Lessons"
Arianna woke up the next night not to the usual two bowls of broth, but instead she found Master Grêth in front of her with a few various trifles set before him. He glanced at her and nodded approvingly as if she had woken up at the exact time he had anticipated her to.
"Tonight is a different night, Arianna."
Nodding slowly, Arianna replied, "Yes, I can see that."
"Sit up."
She followed his command and noticed she felt no pain nor needed any assistance.
"Know that you will not get meal until lesson finished and I…satisfied."
Arianna nodded again. She decided to keep silent for the mean time knowing that these lessons were crucial to her.
"First Lesson in West Language. Two Kinds. Common tongue and Local Tongue." he said in her own dialect so she could understand.
"What's the difference?" asked the girl.
"Common tongue is understood not only in West but also East and South. North is too far to communicate, also very hazardous and difficult to travel upon compared to other lands. That is why many travelers seldom seen in North since is also good place for runaway thieves and bandits to hide. Very few North people know Common Tongue."
Arianna frowned at this comment. As far as she knew or could vaguely remember, something told her Vasdenin was certainly not a sanctuary for criminals but she remained silent and listened.
"Local tongue only spoken in Western Land such as in Wruth, our kingdom. We will learn the Local tongue first, of course, Common Tongue easier to learn after because some words and phrases are same."
Arianna looked at the old man with an eager glint in her eye; bent on learning as quickly and as diligently as possible from whatever was going to be taught to her.
"Every word or phrase I say, you will repeat. Then after you repeat all words. I will tell their meaning. Understand?"
"Yes."
"From this time, you will answer to me, 'Yes, Master Grêth." Said the Old man, translating the latter part into the Western tongue.
"Yes, Master Grêth." Answered Arianna quite difficultly. The accent was hard to follow.
"Also, you will use that title to address me, since is apparent perhaps that, I am now your Master and Teacher and you, child, are my first pupil."
So it was that he was Arianna's Master from that day forth. Arianna nodded and said again with great effort in his tongue, "Yes, Master."
The Master smiled thinly and sighed, "It's a start."
Rubbing his hands together, he sat more comfortably in front of her and said, "Let us try ordinary daily greetings first. Repeat. Good day."
"Good day."
"Good morning."
"Good moor-ning."
"Good afternoon."
"G-good aff-t-ttern-noon."
"Good evening."
"G-g-goodd E-v-ven-nin-g." Arianna started to stutter.
"Good night."
"Go-good n-night." Arianna repeated.
"Very well on first try. Now, again."
And so was the lesson commenced.
After the greetings, the Master then turned it to the next level of putting the greetings into sentences such as,
"Good morning! It's a beautiful day" or "Good day, how are you?' or "Good night, I pray you sleep well tonight."
This took a longer time for Arianna to catch up on but she was learning bit by bit and she was lucky indeed for the Master was patient.
Next on the lesson plan were introductions such as, "My name is so and so" or "I reside in so and so" etc.
These in turn were put into longer sentences afterward.
Next, came the role of the little trifles the Master had brought in which were empty bowls, a small wooden cup, a hat, a small rag and finally a small knife.
"I brought these here for our lesson as well." The Master commented as he picked up the bowl.
"Bowl."
"Bowl." Arianna said promptly.
"Eat." Was the Master's next word as he made an eating motion with his hands from the bowl to his mouth.
"E-eeettt"
"We eat food from the bowl."
"W-we eeeet f-fud ff-rom da bowl."
"Again."
"W-we eeet fo-ood from d-da bowl."
And on it went with each item till Arianna had said it all appropriately.
Then finally the Master said in the Northern tongue, "Good. Good. Now repeat all sentences I teach you, start to end."
It seemed as if Arianna's tongue was about to fall off, her eyes widened with dread and she stared at her Master with mouth agape, "A-all?"
The Master's eyes grew stern, "Yes, child, all!"
The kind and compassionate healer had transformed into a firm and disciplined teacher but Arianna knew it was all for her own good.
Taking a deep gulp, Arianna stuttered, "G-Guuud D-daay…." Till she had rambled all the sentences she managed to remember or even say out loud correctly.
When she had finished, her face turned as scarlet as her hair from all the evident mistakes she had made.
The Master looked at her seriously, "Not too well tonight. But, I trust, will improve soon. As prize, you have different dinner tonight. This may be only few times I will speak in your tongue. Later, I will only speak Local Tongue and you will answer or ask me questions in same. Understand?"
"Yes, Master." Arianna replied in his tongue.
"Good. Here."
From out of nowhere, the Master had pulled out a plate filled with hot slices of conies' meat sided with a roll of white bread. Arianna's mouth watered at the sight and smell of her meal and she smiled brightly at her Master, forgetting the pains of her tongue and his austerity, she gobbled up her prized meal ravenously.
Trying to test how much she did learn, he asked in his language,
"The supper. Was it good?"
Looking up at him, Arianna wiped her mouth with her sleeve, pondered a moment then answered, "Yes Master. Was very very good."
"Now, you still have to drink your medicine. Your wounds are healing quite well, I should say and maybe soon you'll be able to walk outside again on your own, once your ankle has turned into place."
Arianna had not understood all that he had but when he held the bowl with the dark liquid, she nodded, "Yes, Master. I… drink… in… bowl." And she took the bowl and downed it in one gulp.
"Rest now, my child. We shall commence your lessons tomorrow evening. I pray you will sleep well, Arianna."
"Yes…sl-leep…well…Master. Good night." Arianna replied slowly.
She didn't hear him leave for she immediately fell asleep as her head rested on the furs; the lesson had exhausted her completely. So would the others that would soon come to pass.
Arianna groaned lightly in her sleep, she was having the most bizarre sort of dream involving her surrounded by hordes of chirpy colorful birds that twittered unceasingly.
Then, very slowly and dreamily, her eyes flickered open. To her utter surprise, she could still hear the distant sounds of chirping and the night seemed so much brighter…
Instantly, she gasped in surprise as her eyes flew completely wide open. It wasn't night. It was day!
The tent was washed over with the sun's bright golden rays and the sounds of activity outside were much more heightened compared to the silent muffling in the nights. She sat up immediately staring in awe at the brightness around her, she just had to go outside, oh how she so needed to see the day. The daylight that she had so solely missed for more than half a month! The excitement and desire rushed through her veins and with no need for another urging or second thought, she pushed back the fur covers and flew out of the tent in less than a second.
The brilliant heat of light that hit her eyes blinded her for a moment and she staggered a little shielding them under her arm. After a moment's rubbing and the many colorful spots disappeared, her vision focused. She was looking up into the light blue sky arrayed in a few feathery white clouds. Surrounding her were the tall thick wooded trees and her feet were treading on soft forest grounds. The dazzling colors of the morning sent a wave of delight and utter exuberance coursing over her.
Not knowing where to look first, she stared upwards and saw a dozen winged creatures perched on high boughs while some flitted here and there from tree to tree while others still soared high into the clouds. Arianna couldn't speak or think, the beauty of nature had greatly overpowered her senses and she took no notice of anything else other than this.
Without knowing why, she laughed gaily and loudly basking in the elation of her spirits underneath the high sun. Turning around and around in a euphoric daze watching the swirl of colors that danced before her eyes as she squealed with glee and exhilaration.
"ARIANNA!"
She fell to the ground startled and dizzy but still with a wide grin on her face.
A firm hand gripped her arm and she found herself looking up into the anxious, furious, and dark blue cobalt eyes of her Master.
"M-master…" Arianna started to say but was at a loss for words due to her limited knowledge of Western words so she switched to her own tongue instead, "Isn't today the most beautiful day in the world?"
Just then, the deep chuckles and snickers of men resounded behind the old man. Shifting her gaze, she then saw that nearly more than a dozen grown men, clearly interrupted in their daily duties, had their attention focused on her and were undoubtedly enjoying the unusual entertainment that occurred so early in the morning. While most men were guffawing raucously, some were smiling nervously, while others had a serious or yet disturbed frown on their faces.
Looking down, Arianna saw that she was still dressed in a very soiled large men's undershirt. Blushing furiously, the peasant girl unresistingly allowed the old man to take her into his arms and carry her back into his tent where he dropped her quite roughly down unto the furs.
With a quick wave of his hand and a coarse muttering of words, Arianna only had to close her eyes before she instantly lost all sense of consciousness.
When she woke up again, her Master was already sitting across her, eyes closed in deep meditation. It opened at the exact moment Arianna sat up. His gaze was grave and somber as he watched Arianna very closely. She smiled a bit awkwardly and waited for him to speak.
She noticed it wasn't that dark yet perhaps an hour before dusk.
"We shall continue with your lessons." He said breaking the inept atmosphere between them as he spoke in a casual indifferent tone.
Arianna merely nodded and subjected herself to the new words and sentences as well as points of grammar, enunciation and vocabulary being taught to her.
After their lesson, which took up a longer space of time compared to their previous ones, Arianna was given another meal consisting of dried venison, a few cooked herbs and a small loaf of wheat bread. But, for the first time, Arianna didn't at all feel like eating, her appetite seemed to have dissolved underneath her broken pride and embarrassment as she played and poke around with her food. Slowly breaking the loaf of bread but not putting them in her mouth as she dropped it unto the wooden bowl and in the end she pushed it away from her.
The Master looked thoughtfully at her uneaten dish with raised eyebrows as he cast her an apathetic look.
"After all that excitement you've accomplished this morning, I would have thought you extremely famished by now. Your meal does not entice you?"
"Not hungry." Arianna replied slowly.
"Indeed." Her Master commented before turning his attention back to his own meal. "So be it then."
Arianna fidgeted uncomfortably as she bit down hard on her bottom lip, wanting to say something but didn't know how to put it in words.
"I…give apology to…this morning," she muttered haltingly. "Was…. very…. stupid…me."
Master Grêth looked up at her a moment, his expression blank, "Yes, you were."
Fighting the building emotion inside her, Arianna shrugged helplessly, "Do not know…. how… to say…." Her eyes brimming with tears as she looked hastily away. She hated feeling weak and being seen as one. Her amateurish grasp on the language disgusted her and she wished she could have had a sharper, more quick-witted mind so she could put exactly what she wanted to say in his words so he could understand it better.
The master's gaze softened a bit and resting his hand on the girl's shoulders, he smiled wryly, "In time, you'll know what to say. For now, eat. I can't give you your medication if you're stomach remains empty."
Arianna smiled too, wiping her tears away with her sleeve and picked up her plate. Feeling an enormous wave of relief as if a great boulder had been lifted from her heart. She ate a part of her food, drank the strong broth, of which taste Arianna had grown accustomed to already, and then she settled down to sleep.
"Arianna, there's something I want to ask you concerning your episode this morning." The Master said.
"Yes… what?" Arianna asked.
"Tell me, has your ankle healed enough for you to be capable to rest your weight on it?"
Arianna knotted her brow in confusion, not quite understanding.
Sighing, the old man stated more simply, "Can you stand properly… on your own?"
"I…Do not know." Arianna said and pushing the furs back, she examined her left ankle, which over the weeks, had been bandaged well and it was supported by a thin splinter since it was dislocated but now as she slowly unraveled the cloth, her foot came out in its normal position. She touched it gingerly and placing her good right foot on the ground tried to stand. Balancing her weight on the right side of her body, she rose to her full height, her head hitting the top of the tent. Very carefully, she placed her left foot down. She let out a deep breath when she felt that she could stand on her own two feet without any pain. She was expecting the pain but it never came. Her eyes glowed in amazement as she looked up at her Master.
"Hmm… Just as I thought it would be…" the master murmured to himself, nodding.
Arianna looked up at him inquisitively, what in the gods names did he mean by that?
Clearing his throat and taking out a long wooden pipe, he lit it in a way that puzzled Arianna since he merely snapped his fingers and in a blink of an eye he was puffing smoke as he leaned casually back on a small pile of baskets.
"Now, Arianna, I want you to take a deep breath and laugh." He ordered quite informally, puffing away.
Even more confused at such an odd request, she breathed out, "What?"
"I'm sure you completely understood what I just asked, now breath and laugh. One 'Ha!' would suffice." He said again.
So, not knowing any other alternative, she obeyed and took a deep breath.
"Ha!"
With a quick nod, the old man persisted, "Again."
"Ha!"
"Again."
"Ha!"
"One more."
Arianna breathed out, "Ha!"
The Master nodded and remained silent.
Arianna touched her ribs, they too seemed back to normal. She hardly felt the slightest twinge of pain.
In a quick flash, Master Grêth took firm hold of her right arm and with two long fingers, gently pressed a certain muscle above the bone of her forearm.
Arianna involuntarily snapped in her own tongue as she was taken aback his action, "What are you trying to do to me, old man?"
He answered in his own when she made no other reaction, "Trying to ascertain a few answers to a few questions and to prove that something has happened to you this morning."
He instantly released his grip from her arm and she looked at him in utter confusion.
Should he not be proud now? Why can he not see the miracle? I am healed…completely…Am I not?
"You get some rest now. I have to call on the Captain. Sleep well, Arianna."
With a rustle of the tent flaps, he had gone out leaving Arianna to somehow comprehend the riddle behind her Master's words.
