Chapter 184 TEIGEN VIII
RYKER
His words continued to echo in my head forever, branding my mind, my skin, my consciousness and even the depths of my mind.
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Upon arriving at the Earl of the cities manor House, I was quickly briefed on everything I needed to know. The manor had a special section where all the knights lived, they were called the knight's quarters. I had no idea that Counts were allowed small armies such as this but I was told that as long as they could afford it, most Counts bought private knights that would be in charge of their security and other matters that required skilled fighters.
We were restricted from entering the main chambers of the manor, that was where the Count/Earl lived with his family. The manor House was unlike any building I had seen before. Instead of mud, wood or straw, this building structure was made out of some kind of rock substance that made up the foundation of the house. Thin iron materials were used as roofs and they did not have the silver color they usually did, instead they possessed different colours.
I couldn't describe the amazement and wonder that filled me at the sight of such a place. It took me some months to get accustomed to my training. The commander of the Earl's army immediately put me to work, saying that I had to pull me weight and work hard. He promised to honor his word to Mr. Rae and teach me as much as possible. He would not only teach me archery, but also close hand to hand combat and everything I needed to know to become a trained fighter, skilled in all weapons.
I was kept along with the new recruits, sharing a room with two of them. I did not mind it, in truth I was just so happy to be here I could not wait to start. I was scared that the other warriors might not like my intrusion but they all welcomed me at the behest of their commander.
They allowed me train alongside them, although they used me as a rag punching bag during sparring, but I didn't mind it. They had very strict rules and very little time to lazy around but the recruits made time to bond and make friendly relationships with each other. I was grossly mistaken to believe this training would be like the ones I would do on my own, unfortunately for me I was in for a rude awakening.
The warriors would wake at the crack of dawn, much like Mr. Rae so I was not bothered by it. Then, they would take running laps, going around the huge manor ten times to heat themselves up, as the commander put it. No one was allowed to slow down or slack off, anyone caught trying to take a break while we ran, the commander would make everyone start running the laps from the beginning. He said it would teach us team work and to be our brother's keeper.
Afterwards we would be lead to our joint bath space where we would be given a few minutes to freshen up before we would officially start training in the combat field. Since I was a new recruit, I was learning different stances in both hands to hand combat and how to tighten my form if I was to yield a weapon.
It took me 8 months to learn hand to hand combat enough to graduate to using a dagger. Each weapon took 4 months each to learn, but the weapon of interest would be the one that we were trained in the longest. I was trained to ise a total of five different weapons, the dagger, the sword, the spear and lastly the bow and arrow.
It took me a year and a half before I could begin my intense training on archery. Within that time I had gained the recognition as a fast learner but not without my challenges. I made it a habit to task myself with taking extra time doing whatever I was taught to do. I did not have to worry about feeding, the manor helps would bring us four filling meals a day, consisting of various foods I had never seen before.
When I would sit down with my fellow recruits to eat, the thought of Mr. Rae always crossed my mind. I wished he was doing well and I wanted to visit but recruits were not allowed breaks while they were still in training, so I had to wait. I continued to wear my leather gloves, even while training. Everyone had noticed and began asking questions, but I had lied saying I had painful scars on my hands from birth that I needed to protect, ever since no one had questioned me.
4 years had gone by like the wind and I had completed my training on archery. I was named by far the most skilled archer in the city. The commander had become like an elder brother to me, watching me advance in my training from the first time I had come 5 years ago.
On my last night at the Count's manor, I was seated in the open field, telling some of the recruits how I had been taught by my master to make the very bows I had mastered now, when the commander walks into the scene.
"Ryker!" He calls out and I turn, standing to my full length and walking up to where he stood.
I take a bow, "Sir"
"Come with me. The Earl wishes for an assembly with you" at this my face pales. In all my five years of being here, I was never once summoned by the Earl of the manor. I had caught a glimpse of him once, when he had come during training to speak to the commander but never had I seen him up close and now I was to speak with him.
Commander Tanner, as if noticing my worry pats me on the shoulder to reassure me "Do not fret, Ryker. You are not in any trouble whatsoever"
I decided to believe Commander Tanner, for I trusted him enough to know that if I was in fact in any trouble he would tell me. I kept my questions to myself and followed him into the manor. We walked into the areas we were once restricted from. I passed by a large hall, which I knew now was used to host parties for high society. Without wasting time I was led to the Earl's meeting room. The moment I walked in, I took immediate notice of the knights, two knights by either side of his seat.
I was told to stand before him. I kept my gaze casted at his shoes, knowing better than to look my superior in the eyes.