Nobility of spirit has more to do with simplicity than ostentation, wisdom rather than wealth, commitment rather than ambition. - Riccardo Muti
Bredin enjoyed the summer with Jan and his family. As Jan's guest, he was invited to the social events held by the local gentry. The first of these was a welcome home for Jan held a few days after their arrival. Bredin worried over how to act among those who outranked him.
::Remember all those lessons in Courtly Graces.:: Lacaral said. ::Besides, you are a Herald Trainee. That puts you outside of rank.::
Lacaral's advice did not soothe Bredin. ::I don't know anything about the stuff they do. When Jan and Matteo were talking about hawking, I didn't even know what the words meant. They speak differently, too.:: Bredin had already noticed that Jan's family and friends' voices sounded different, not just the words they used, but the way they said them.
::Speak to them the way you would to Kyril or Elcarth. Be polite and don't worry.:: Lacaral said.
::But they will know that I'm just a commoner. I've seen some of them looking down their noses at me already.:: Bredin said.
::So what?:: Lacaral sounded exasperated. ::You've spoken to the Queen. None of them knows anyone higher ranking than Baron Pik. What matters is who you are, not who your parents were. Or their parents were.::
::They wouldn't believe me if I told them that.:: Bredin said.
::Nor should you attempt to do so.:: Lacaral said. ::Be yourself::
Bredin snorted. ::Oh, yes. "I am the son of a saddler from a little town on the road from Poldara to Haven. Pleased to meet you, Milord Whose Ancestors Go Back to the Founding." I am sure that will be well received.::
Lacaral gave a mental snort of his own. ::Actually, Baron Pik is descended from a pirate captain who defected during the Pirate Insurrection. You will meet a lot of people named Hengst around here. That name meant 'stallion' in the pirate language. The Hengst family is descended from the boy who held the reins of the pirate captain's horse when the captain went somewhere.::
Bredin boggled. He had seen the horseboys who had accompanied the nobles and highborn at his father's shop. He'd thought the job was one of the most miserable and undignified possible.
::Now you are making the same mistake those snooty highborn make. No honest job is undignified. And no one who does unpleasant work should be despised.:: Lacaral lectured. :
::But you were the one who pointed out what the name meant.:: Bredin protested.
::I was pointing out the fact that, though they get snooty about their family, their origins are no grander than yours.::
Bredin attended the welcome home party with Jan. Dressed in formal greys, he and Jan drew more flattering comments than the more elaborately dressed highborn. The two trainees were much fitter than the local boys and drew more attention from the young ladies present, though the game of courtly romance was utterly foreign to Bredin.
When Rainer Hengst, a boy about two years older than Bredin, made a disparaging comment about commoners' ability to fight, Jan spoke up. "Actually, Bredin flattened three nobles who ambushed him last winter, all of them much bigger than him."
"Oh, really?" Rainer's disbelief was obvious.
"Yes, Kadhael Corbie, Evan Aitken and Olaf Futcher grabbed him on Pitcher Street just before the Ice Festival. Bredin broke Olaf's leg, dislocated Evan's shoulder and knocked Kadhael out. All faster than you can breathe thrice."
Bredin winced inwardly as Jan described the fight. "Well, it wasn't that easy…." He began.
Jan interrupted. "Don't be modest. They jumped you and got what was coming to them."
"I can believe a commoner could use his fists. But I doubt he can use a gentleman's weapon." Rainer dismissed Bredin's victory.
Bredin bristled. "The Queen's Weaponsmaster says a warrior fights with what he has and boasts of his skill after he has won."
::Courtly Graces, Chosen, remember your Courtly Graces.:: Lacaral mindspoke a warning.
"Do you even know which end of a sword to hold?" Rainer sneered.
Before Bredin could answer, Jan spoke up. Grinning wolfishly, he said. "Why don't you come to the practice yard tomorrow and find out?" Jan had sparred with Rainer before and knew how his skill compared to Bredin's.
"I will do that." Rainer said and moved away.
Bredin looked at Jan with alarm. Jan said "Don't let him get to you, Bred. He's not even the best around here. If he came to Haven, even Ari could take him apart."
The rest of the group wanted to know about the Collegium and the Salle. Bredin smiled to himself when the young nobles asked many of the same questions Tag and Rhys had asked him in the Boarshead. He noticed that some of them only spoke to Jan when they asked questions and gave Bredin condescending looks, but most of them treated Bredin with respect.
The next day, Rainer arrived at the practice yard half-way through Cullum Brown's training. Both Jan and Bredin were resting at the moment Rainer arrived, so the young noble had no opportunity to see either in action.
Jan put his hand on Bredin's arm and whispered. "Stay where you are. Let Master Cullum handle this."
Rainer took a practice sword from the rack and walked up to Bredin to wave it in Bredin's face. "Alright, peasant, let's see if you can fight."
"Arms down!" Cullum Brown roared. "You will warm up first. Go through the stretches and patterns before you spar."
Rainer looked arrogantly at Baron Pik's weaponsmaster. "I'm not here for a drill. I am here to teach this peasant a lesson."
"I do the teaching here and I am master of this yard. Follow my rules or I'll box your ears and throw you in the pond." The weaponsmaster shouted as he advanced on Rainer.
"Very well." Rainer said. Sullenly, the boy went through the prescribed drill.
Bredin glanced at Jan, who smirked and nodded towards Rainer. Watching his challenger, Bredin fought to hide his astonishment. Rainer was incredibly sloppy. If Alberich had caught any of the trainees being that careless after their first moon, the trainee would have been doing drills until he or she dropped from exhaustion. Bredin felt considerably more confident about the coming match.
When Rainer was about half done, Jan and Bredin stood up and began stretching themselves. Jan winked at Bredin and faced him. With slow, mechanical movements, they started going through one of the basic drills.
Rainer finished his warm-up and watched Jan and Bredin with amused contempt. When the two had completed the set, Rainer sneered. "Are you ready, peasant?"
Bredin faced Rainer, who saluted. Bredin mirrored his salute. Rainer sprang forward, waving his sword extravagantly in Bredin's direction. The purposeless flourishing surprised Bredin momentarily and he jumped back.
"On the run already, peasant?" Rainer cried, pressing forward.
Bredin recovered. As Rainer swung wildly once more, Bredin came under Rainer's sword and lunged, driving the point of his point of his own practice sword into the middle of Rainer's chest.
"Kill!" Cullum Brown announced.
"Lucky move." Rainer said. He saluted once more and came at Bredin again.
Bredin had already seen enough of Rainer's bizarre swordsmanship. As Rainer flourished once more, Bredin bound his blade and sent it flying. He touched Rainer's chest.
"Kill." Cullum Brown now sounded amused.
Rainer growled and retrieved his sword. He shifted to a more orthodox style, following one of the traditional patterns.
Bredin fenced with Rainer for a moment. Now that the young noble no longer thought he could intimidate Bredin with bluster, he fought more conventionally. Bredin studied his opponent. He swings too far and drops to the right. Bredin thought.
Bredin waited. When Rainer's sword swept across, he beat it down and stepped inside. His point was at Rainer's throat.
"Kill." Cullum Brown laughed as he spoke. Bredin heard Jan and the others chuckling.
Rainer flushed and saluted once more. Now he attacked angrily. Bredin scored two more quick kills as the young lord's control vanished along with his temper.
"Stupid peasant!" Rainer shouted. He threw down his practice sword. He turned and stalked away.
Laughing, Jan shouted at Rainer's retreating back. "I should have mentioned, cousin, that Bredin had four years of weapons training at the Temple of the Iron God before he came to the Collegium. He also teaches the advanced class in unarmed combat." Jan emphasized 'teaches.'
Rainer turned momentarily to glower at Jan before leaving the yard.
Cullum Brown clapped his hands. "Right. Back to practice. Bredin, you take a rest."
Bredin sat down. He looked anxiously at Jan. "He's your cousin?" He asked.
"Distant cousin." Jan replied. He looked up, mentally calculating the relationship. "Third cousin, I think. But the more distant the better."
"I don't want to cause trouble." Bredin said.
"You didn't. He did. I've never liked him. He's always sucking up to those who rank him." Jan pointed to himself. "And been insufferably rude to anyone he outranks." Jan pointed to Bredin. "I'm glad to see him get a comeuppance."
When Bredin joined Jan's family at dinner that evening, Baron Pik smiled at him. "I hear you put Master Rainer in his place today."
Bredin blushed. "I outpointed him in a round of sparring." He said, trying to minimize the confrontation.
Baron Pik smiled. "Five kills to none? That's a massacre, not a bout. Then he couldn't even be gracious about it. Cullum told me the whole story.
"I told his father not to hire that idiot 'master of sword.' But Sir Damon was determined to have only someone who would 'show respect for his rank.' The Tedrels didn't show much respect for rank, other than try to get to you first if you had fancier armor."
"You were in the war?" Bredin blurted out, then flushed, wondering if he had been rude.
::Not really rude.:: Lacaral said. ::But it would have been more polite for you to wait until Baron Pik mentioned it directly, then ask him to tell you about it.::
Unaware of Lacaral's remark, Baron Pik said. "Of course. Part of a nobleman's duty. 'For King and Country' and all that. I'm glad it's over. Four miserable years in the field, eating bad food and living in a stinking camp. Except when you are trying to slaughter the other fellow before he murders you."
Baron Pik looked gloomily at his plate for a moment. "Too many good men and women lost. Too many friends buried in common graves. It's a bad business."
"But you were a great warrior, papa." Matteo piped up.
Baron Pik eyed his heir for a moment. He sighed. "I fought. I did my duty. I even won commendations from the Lord Marshal. But there is nothing 'great' about it. War is a bad business, my son. Your uncle Tayne did not come home. I don't even know where my brother is buried.
"You go to war when you have to. When there is no other way. The Tedrels came to steal and to kill. I am glad they are done and hope you will live your life in peace."
Everyone fell silent for a moment. Baron Pik looked at Bredin once more. "Rainer is one of those fools who thinks war is glorious. He is also the kind of fool who thinks his rank makes him invincible and a candlemark or two of practice every moon makes him a sword-master. Worse, he's being taught by that fool his father hired who defers to his rank instead of teaching him properly. Feel sorry for him, Bredin. He will get himself killed. Feel sorry for his father, who will see his son die before him."
Bredin felt he had to say something in Rainer's defense. "I am sure he feels he has to uphold his rank."
Baron Pik grimaced. "Rank and birth give him advantages. But it is what you do that counts. His family earned their rank over many generations with honorable service to my family and to Valdemar. But the deeds of your ancestors mean nothing if you don't live up to the standards they set. I respect that Karsite Weaponsmaster of yours more than I respect the nobles who hung around the court in their fancy clothes and never raised a sword in the war."
Baron Pik pointed at a painting on the wall. In the center were two men clasping hands. They were surrounded by a blue aura. Behind one of the men stood a Herald and a standard-bearer holding the arms of Valdemar. The other man stood on a red and black banner which lay on the ground, its staff broken. Soldiers stood around the two men, men in blue behind the Valdemaran leader and men in red and black behind the other.
"That shows my ancestor swearing allegiance to Valdemar and joining with the Valdemaran army against the pirates. It's not really accurate. I've looked up the history of the actual event. The first Baron Nilsen defected from the Pirate Army after the Heptarch insulted him. I think he'd also figured out that Lord Marshal Poldara was going to wipe them out and it was better to change sides while he could.
"In any case, he took his troops to the meet the enemy commander. That blue glow is the Truth Spell, which the Herald you see put on my ancestor. Only on my ancestor, not both men. The Lord Marshal made him kneel and answer questions before he accepted my ancestor's change of allegiance."
Baron Pik pointed to the pirate side of the painting. "See that boy holding the reins of my ancestor's warhorse? That is Rainer Hengst's ancestor. My ancestor gave him the family name 'Hengstknab', which meant 'stallion-boy' in the pirate language. They later shortened it to 'Hengst'.
"So Rainer's family comes from very common stock. That boy in the painting did a number of very brave things over the next few years, earning himself a knighthood and some land. His descendants served honorably in the army and as magistrates. The family prospered and now are among the highest ranking families in my Barony. I hope Rainer can live up to his family history."
Through the summer, Bredin learned the rules and rituals of living among the nobility. His combat skills first earned him respect, since he could defeat any of the boys but Jan and, after eight moons instruction from Keren and Harrow, his riding skills were middling among the group.
Bredin was highly intelligent. By observation and practice, along with coaching from Lacaral, Lady Claire and Jan, he soon mastered the etiquette and mannerisms of the highborn. He thought about what he learned. Though it seemed baffling at first, he soon realized that the social rules had a purpose: To minimize friction and avoid giving offense.
Though some of the highborn were wastrels and idlers, Bredin noted that most, like Baron Pik, had many tasks and spent long hours managing their lands and enterprises and doing paperwork. Even Rainer father, Sir Damon Hengst, spent whole days in his duties as a magistrate plus many evenings working on reports and records. For all that Sir Damon was obnoxiously proud of his birth rank, the man was conscientious about his work.
As they approached the Palace at the end of the summer, Lacaral asked ::Well, Chosen. What do you think about life among the highborn?::
Bredin chewed his lip in contemplation. ::They're not as bad as I thought.:: He said. ::Baron Pik works as hard as my father. There are idlers among them, but I can remember idlers in Bransat who spent candlemarks in the Boarshead while their farms and shops went to ruin. They are richer and live differently, but they have problems of their own.::
::And what of yourself?:: Lacaral asked.
::I know how to speak to them and how they think. I understand the Courtly Graces a thousand times better from having to use them every day. It is not how I want to live, but now I can live with them.::
::Excellent, Chosen. You've had a very educational summer. Now you can get back to the schooling in the classroom and the salle.::
A bell rang four times as the guard waved them through the gate. ::Ah, there is the warning bell for the dinner servers. You have just enough time to groom me. I am really dusty from the road and expect you to do a good job. If you work hard at it, you will have time for a quick bath before dinner.::
Bredin sighed. Affecting the air of a long-suffering servant, he said. ::Yes, Your Majesty.::
Lacaral bucked hard, Bredin kept his seat firmly in the saddle while Jan looked at them curiously.
A candlemark later, the two boys joined Ari in the Collegium dining hall. Ari's father was a leather merchant in Haven, so she had not left the city over the summer. The rest of their yearmates would return over the next few days.
"The Prince tried to ride the Queen's Companion?" Jan was incredulous. Beside him, Bredin nodded his head. Neither could believe what Ari had just told them.
"It's true!" Ari insisted. "The Prince and four of his friends went out into Companion's field with ropes and riding tack and caught Caryo. Just as he was preparing to mount, she booted him half-way across the field, shook the tack off and ran off. He wanted to try and kill Caryo, but Alberich and Keren talked him out of it."
"I don't care if he's Emperor of the East" Jan said. "I'll kill anyone who tries to hurt Gadar."
Bredin nodded agreement once more and asked "What happened next?"
"I heard that there was a huge fight between the Queen and the Prince." Ari said. "He disappeared for a few days. Some say he went to the Silver Horn – you know, that really expensive brothel – and spent days whoring there."
"The Queen must have been unhappy about that." Jan said.
"Everyone said she looked miserable. But the Prince came back after a sennight. He apologized and told her that she was the one he loved, so she forgave him. Then word came that his father died and everyone felt sorry for him. And now she going to have a baby. So they are back together and happy once more." Ari finished.
Bredin's eyes went wide. "The Queen is going to have a baby?"
Ari nodded and the conversation turned to excited speculation on names for new Heir.
The rest of Bredin's yearmates returned over the next few days and classes resumed. They now had classes in investigation added to their law classes. "The truth spell isn't going to solve everything for you." Mirilin said. "You can't just go putting it on everyone and you have to know what questions to ask."
Elcarth placed Bredin and Jan in a basic field skills class with an emphasis on simple cooking. Since they were the only ones in their year taking the class, the boys suspected that Lacaral and Gadar had told the tale of their disastrous first attempt to cook in the waystation.
::We can't have our Chosen poisoning themselves or each other every time they cook something.:: Lacaral gibed.
Bredin had tried to keep up his unarmed combat practice over the summer, but with no one near his own level to practice with, bad habits crept in. Alberich and Deacon Tsareyn both upbraided him thoroughly for his lapses and corrected him mercilessly.
Keren and Lacaral agreed that it was no longer necessary for Bredin to go everywhere on Lacaral. Bredin and Jan had spent hours in the saddle every day through the summer and Baron Pik's horse master drilled both boys along with Jan's brothers and cousins. Jan was still a much better rider, but Bredin could now sit confidently on Lacaral's back. Bredin missed the time with his Companion, but the risk of friction with the highborn now outweighed the benefit.
On the third day of classes, Lovat Astey spoke briefly to Bredin. "Your father is a great saddle maker. I commissioned one after I saw the ones he made for Rubin and Urson. He brought it up to Haven a moon ago to finish fitting it to me and Shaman. It's the most comfortable saddle I've ever had." Bredin covered his hurt feelings with a mild boast about his father's abilities. That night, he consoled himself with the thought he could not have met his father anyways because he was visiting Jan at the time.