{"id":523,"date":"2020-01-25T18:37:07","date_gmt":"2020-01-25T18:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jeanjohnson.net\/?page_id=523"},"modified":"2020-01-26T03:58:34","modified_gmt":"2020-01-26T03:58:34","slug":"finding-destiny-excerpt","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jeanjohnson.net\/index.php\/finding-destiny-excerpt\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Destiny Excerpt"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>From the World of Sons of Destiny<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Author\u2019s Note: This is just the first of four stories in this DestinyVerse anthology, with Eduor\u2019s tale first, and Sir Zeilas being the second, and in the second you meet the next tale\u2019s main character, and the next\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWould you like to wash away the dirt of your travels ?\u201d  Chanson asked, gesturing at the entrance to the bathing hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.  I must see to the care of my Steed first, of course,\u201d  Sir Zeilas added, gesturing at the small stable placed on the opposite side of the courtyard from the bathing hall.  He glanced at Eduor, then added,  \u201cI would also like to buy a set of clothes for my companion.  Something clean for him to wear while his own are washed and dried.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chanson eyed Eduor, but more in a thoughtful way than a disdainful one.  \u201cWe don\u2019t have much to spare, since this is not a wealthy village, but\u2026I think someone can sell you a thawa<\/em>, and a couple cloths for your head and your loins at the very least.  Both of you, if you like.  That armor must be very hot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Arbran Knight smiled wryly.  \u201cActually, it\u2019s enchanted for comfort in all weather, from very hot to very cold.  I do get tired of wearing it, but I have my own Sundaran-style robes to wear, thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood.  As for footwear\u2026our last guest left behind a pair of sandals, one with a broken lacing.  A bit of rope should make them comfortable enough for now, and I think your feet will be about the right size,\u201d  Chanson added, looking at Eduor.  She gave him a skeptical look.  \u201cThough with such pale skin, you should probably keep even your toes out of the reach of the sun.  I\u2019ll go look for those clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eduor exchanged an amused look with his fellow foreigner.  Both of them had browned quite a bit on their faces and hands in the weeks it had taken them to travel this far north.  Natallians and Mandarites were born with light golden brown skin, and Arbrans weren\u2019t exactly pale either, but neither of them were the rich dark brown of the locals.  Since his mother had been half Draconan, lending him his blond hair and blue eyes, Eduor had been born a little pale for a Mandarite, but he was still capable of tanning dark enough to be taken for a Natallian laborer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least, on the parts he had exposed to the hot summer sun.  Of course, if she wants to see <\/em>really pale skin\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pulling his thoughts away from that, Eduor focused on helping the Knight with his Steed.  Mostly that consisted of taking the bedroll, travel pack, saddlebags and saddle once Sir Zeilas removed them, and fetching water from the nearest cistern to the stone-carved trough.  It did not consist of helping to groom and care for the huge stallion personally.  An Arbran Steed permitted no other person\u2019s touch without direct orders from his Knight.  Though the animal could have carried them both, Eduor hadn\u2019t asked and Sir Zeilas hadn\u2019t offered.  He didn\u2019t fill the manger with hay either, but only because Zeilas had done so while he was bringing up buckets of water from the nearest cistern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you for the clothes,\u201d  Eduor murmured as he rubbed a lightly dampened cloth along the underside of the saddle, cleaning it of the sweat and dust accumulated in the day\u2019s journey.  \u201cIt seems I keep owing you more and more for yourkindness and generosity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zeilas, now brushing the dust from his Steed\u2019s sorrel and cream hide, glanced over his shoulder at the younger man.  \u201cI helped you because it was the right thing to do.  Whether or not you deserved it.  But\u2026you seem to be worthy of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWorthy or not, I do owe you,\u201d  Eduor pointed out.  \u201cAnd I\u2019ll owe you further for whatever lessons in farming you can give me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can pay me back by paying close attention.  I can spare only two weeks at absolute most before I must be on my way again,\u201d  the Knight warned him.  \u201cMy term in the court of our envoys to southern Sundara may be done, but His Majesty will undoubtedly want to reassign me elsewhere.  He might even want to make me an envoy myself, now that I\u2019ve had some experience under Sir Willem and Sir Helosia.  Either here in Sundara, or in one of the small kingdoms dredging themselves out of the shattered remains of Mekhana\u2014I\u2019d love to be assigned to Fortuna, but I only learned Sundaran and Mekhanan well enough to converse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll pay close attention,\u201d  Eduor promised him.  \u201cIf I could find paper and ink, I could even take notes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll see what our hostess can provide\u2014here, take the saddle soap and give it a better cleaning than just a wipe down,\u201d  Sir Zeilas directed him.  \u201cI can tell you\u2019ve cared well for saddles before.  I\u2019ll trust you to do a good job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI will.  I used to have a fine Mandarosa gelding\u2014that\u2019s what we call a spotted grey with dark mane and tail,\u201d  Eduor explained.  \u201cThe Earldom has probably reverted to the care of one of my uncles by now, since my father and older brother are long gone, and with it, my belongings.  Gelding included.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you returned home, would you regain your family lands from your uncle?\u201d  Zeilas asked him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf<\/em> I returned home and stayed there for a full year, I\u2019d be declared the next Earl by right of succession, since my father and brother would be considered casualties of war after three years of absence.  But I\u2019ve had my fill of being a slave, and no more taste left for owning one, either.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s why I chose to help you,\u201d  Zeilas said.  \u201cI\u2019ll be leaving in two weeks, but there will be others entering your life in the future.  They\u2019ll need the things you can do for them, or teach them.  Help them as I am helping you, and I\u2019ll consider my own efforts repaid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a strange way to put it,\u201d  Eduor murmured.  \u201cWhere do you<\/em> get the benefit, if I help someone else?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLife is a cycle.  When the nut is planted, it grows into a tree that makes more nuts.  Some of those nuts are carried far awayby squirrels and birds and other things, only to drop forgotten and sprout into more trees.  And some trees may fall down, rot, and provide nutrients for yet more young saplings to grow.  The more nuts are spread around, the more trees grow to make yet more nuts.  Trees provide shade for our comfort, nuts for our dinner, and wood for houses, hearth fires, and furniture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe more trees there are, the more we can enjoy the finer things in life,\u201d  the Knight told him.  \u201cSimilarly, the kinder I am to you, the more it encourages you to be kind to others, and the more that<\/em> encourages them to be kind in turn to an increasing number of people.  And who knows, one of these years, one of the people you<\/em> were kind to will be able to do a kindness to me in turn.  Even if it is so indirect as a hundred payments forward, well, that\u2019s still a hundred people whose lives will have been improved, making the world that much better overall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think I\u2019d want to live in a world with a hundred people happier than before,\u201d  Eduor agreed, carefully applying just the right amount of cleansing oil to the leather to get the dirt off without ruining the material by making it too damp.  \u201cI\u2019ll see what I can do, here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt least you can fell two trees with one axe stroke.  By helping others as a way to repay my own aid, it will include tending the farm of that missing warrior, Falkon, which in turn will earn you something of an income,\u201d  the Knight pointed out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, but what<\/em> kind of an income?\u201d  Eduor returned.  \u201cFood and shelter, maybe, but since the man won\u2019t be here to barter my wages…  I suppose I can always invoke laborer\u2019s rights, and claim a percentage of the after-tax harvest based on how much of the overall labor I put into creating it.  But that presumes this Falkon will be gone for most of the planting and growing seasons.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAsk for a silver a day or<\/em> a percentage of the harvest-value, whichever is greater when the rightful owner returns,\u201d  Zeilas advised him, lifting his Steed\u2019s hooves one at a time to check their soft centers for stones or thorns.  \u201cA silver a day isn\u2019t bad for a laborer\u2019s wages, considering you don\u2019t have all of the necessary skills just yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s not\u2014don\u2019t forget to scoop that into the village composting bin,\u201d  Eduor added as the Steed did what horses liked to do after munching their way through a selection of grain and hay.  \u201cSundarans don\u2019t waste a single dropping if they can help it.  The soil\u2019s too poor not to fertilize it any way they can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zeilas chuckled.  \u201cMaybe I should make you<\/em> do the scooping, and myself the saddle-cleaning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd deny you the pleasure of being the first one to bathe?  This\u2019ll take me a lot longer than it\u2019ll take you to use a pitchfork and barrow,\u201d  Eduor countered lightly.  \u201cI know about<\/em> farming practices.  Western Marches is one of the bigger farm holdings in Mandare, and I was trained to help govern it.  I just haven\u2019t done<\/em> certain things, like actually hitching and guiding a plow.  I spent more of my time practicing to be a warrior.  But I think,\u201d  he said as he carefully wiped off the saddle soap with another damp cloth,  \u201cI would rather<\/em> learn to be a farmer, now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s hope you learn quickly,\u201d \u00a0Zeilas told him. \u00a0\u201cThe autumn rains are due soon, and the ground needs to be broken, dampened, and planted before they begin, so the seedlings have enough time to take root\u2014I learned that much of Sundaran-style farming in my three years here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back to the top.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From the World of Sons of Destiny Author\u2019s Note: This is just the first of four stories in this DestinyVerse anthology, with Eduor\u2019s tale first,Read More<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-523","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jeanjohnson.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jeanjohnson.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jeanjohnson.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jeanjohnson.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jeanjohnson.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=523"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/jeanjohnson.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/523\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":592,"href":"https:\/\/jeanjohnson.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/523\/revisions\/592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jeanjohnson.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}