<div> Chapter 59: Chapter 59
 "It isn’t fun, but I can’t go complaining to you, can I?" He was staring at Alistar’s arms, both of which were covered with thick welts and many spots of discolouration.
 Seeing his own body in this condition brought up memories of the brutal beatings he had received at the hands of the young guard back in the mines. Feeling a look of disgust beginning to form on his face, he quickly mastered his emotions and sighed in response to his friend’s words.
 "I’m just tired of wearing heavy-sleeved tunics."
 Despite the summer heat, the two had agreed to wear sleeved tunics in their day-to-day lives in order to better conceal their injuries. If Caedmon saw the condition of Alistar’s arms and torso, he would surely assign a guardian to accompany him whenever he left the property.
 Zech shook his head, saying seriously, "You’re tougher than you look, Alistar. These past weeks, I’ve never been pushed so hard in my life." A smile swept his serious frown away. "If Jaden tries to push you around, be sure to give him a good knock, you hear?" Stretching, he went on, "What do you say we get ready for the next round?"
 They finally let their smiles fade, the sounds of the gentle breeze and the flowing water breaking the ensuing silence.
 Hmm?
 Alistar sensed that someone was approaching them from about a hundred paces away. Could it be one of the girls, he wondered? He took a steadying breath as Lessa’s face passed through his mind. No, her aura was gentler, like cool water within a healthy stream. Seeing that Zech was about to attack him, he decided to ignore it and instead spent the next several moments clearing his mind. Just as they were about to begin, a domineering voice rolled in with the wind, interrupting them.
 "Who’s been beating you, now?" Jaden suddenly emerged from a nearby copse of trees, carrying a fishing rod and a wooden pail as he approached them from a few dozen paces away. "Your stinkin’ old man is still saying these things?"
 Alistar and Zech traded impatient glances, the latter mumbling something about forgetting that Jaden liked to fish in this area whenever the local fisherman settled down near the Dozen’s spot.
 "How did you even hear that?" Zech asked resignedly. "And what’re you doing here, Jaden?"
 "I just like to hold these things and walk along the river, look at the trees and stuff." The boy’s voice was full of sarcasm, though his eyes lit up as he spotted the rods that Zech and Alistar had brought along so they could take fishing breaks here and there between their practice rounds. "And the wind carried your voices over to my fishing spot just down the way. You guys plan on fishing, then? We should all fish together."
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 </div> Alistar thought about how the other boy had bumped his shoulder earlier in the year and hoped that nothing bad would come of their meeting here. Just thinking about it made him slightly uncomfortable.
 "When we’re done practicing. We still have at least an hour to go."
 "Oh, come on. You can play your little games anytime, but today’s a perfect day for fishing. Let’s catch something and cook it up at the camp. Woods will probably smell it from home and wobble over to ask for a bite."
 "We’re not playing games," snapped Zech. "We’re training. There’s a big difference."
 Jaden removed his focus from the fishing rods and looked them up and down. "What? You going to be knights, then?"
 "Shut up, Jaden. We’re serious about this."
 He let out a gleeful laugh. "You going to guard the king? Going to travel down the lonely road of the wandering swordsman, hmm?" The more he laughed, the funnier he seemed to find his words. "You’ve given me a good deal of chuckles over the years, but this time takes the crown."
 Zech made to respond angrily, but stopped with surprise when Alistar was the first to speak up.
 "There are plenty of knights throughout the kingdom. You don’t suppose they just appear out of thin air, do you?" He gripped his practice sword harder, the words leaving his mouth before he could stop them. "Anyone can become a knight if they put in enough effort. I wonder though, what do you plan on becoming that makes wanting to be a knight seem so funny?"
 He chose his tone with care, since he didn’t want to offend the other boy. Still, he also couldn’t let him belittle Zech’s hard work and determination, which were rooted in such strong resolve that even Alistar had become more motivated after the two of them had begun to practice together.
 Jaden’s deep-set eyes narrowed into a squint as if he had just noticed Alistar. He frowned a bit as he looked at Alistar’s battered body. "You Silverkins all have the sharpest tongues." He exaggerated a heavy exhale. "If you must know, I plan on inheriting Zech’s family’s tavern."
 "Not this nonsense!"
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 </div> Alistar glanced at an aggravated Zech and then returned his gaze to the other boy. "Aren’t businesses inherited by the owner’s family? You’re not related to Zech, so how would you inherit his family’s tavern?"
 "It’s simple." Jaden glanced at Zech with a gleam in his eyes. "I’ll marry Zech’s sister and prove to his parents that I’m a better son than him."
 "Don’t forget that I’m holding a sword, Jaden," Zech muttered darkly. "Besides, she’s already married and she lives in Calis with her husband."
 "Yeah, a wooden sword. And don’t sweat the details. It would be a mistake to underestimate my charms."
 Alistar couldn’t help but laugh as Zech swiped his practice sword at Jaden’s knees, the other boy slipping past the strike with surprising agility and hurrying over to Alistar’s side as if he hadn’t just been attacked. He slung a meaty arm around his shoulders and laughed as he positioned Alistar between him and Zech. "Nobody ever laughs when I tease you, but this kid understands!"
 Zech rolled his eyes and tossed his sword to the ground, walking over to the fishing rods and retrieving them with exasperated hands. "Might as well fish," he sighed to Alistar, "now that this joker is here."
 Alistar was taken aback at Jaden’s sudden familiarity, and could only be dragged along to the riverbank by the bigger boy.
 "I feel bad for you guys. Zech’s rods suck; he can’t make a good one to save his life. Meanwhile, mine’s perfectly carved and made from better wood. Some might call it a masterpiece."
 "Perfectly carved?" snickered Zech, who began uprooting grass and soil in search of worms to use as bait. "You didn’t even make it. It was floating down the river and you just grabbed it."
 "Doesn’t mean it’s not perfectly carved." Jaden dug into one of his pockets and tossed a couple of dead grasshoppers at the other two. They put a few paces of space between one another, baited their simple hooks and then dropped their short lines into the water. "It must’ve been made by a master fisherman. It almost seems unfair to compete with you guys, since you’re using rods made by a master tavern hand."
 Zech punched Jaden’s arm a bit too hard to be considered in good fun.
 "What?" The bigger boy answered with a punch of his own. "I said you were a master."
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 </div> "Who said we were competing , anyway?"
 Alistar somehow ended up in the middle spot, the other boys bickering back and forth as their conversation slowly gave birth to a bet of sorts. Meanwhile, he stood quietly as he waited for any sign that he’d hooked a fish. Even though this wasn’t his first time fishing, he had yet to get a single bite save for one instance when the thin, poorly-made rod that he’d been using had suddenly bent at the end without warning. The resistance was only momentary, and when he pulled in his line it was to find that his grasshopper had been pilfered by one of his aquatic targets. It was only ever Zech who managed to catch anything, and how he did so remained a mystery to him.
 "If I win," Zech was saying, "then you have to tell Lily you like her in front of everyone."
 "Fine. But if I win—"
 A loud splash preceded an excited exclamation as Zech scrambled backward and pulled a round, hand-length fish out of the water. Watching it flop around on the riverbank, he grasped its slick, scaly body and dug the hook out of its mouth before hoisting his catch into the air with a sly grin. "Didn’t mean to cut you off. What’ll I have to do if you win?"
 "Find a stray dog and eat its droppings."
 "Fine!"
 As far as Alistar was concerned, the bet was a ridiculous one. There was no point to it, as neither of the boys had anything to gain, only things to lose. Even so, it certainly made fishing a lot more interesting and gave extra weight to every fish that was caught.
 An odd silence soon set in that saw both Zech and Jaden staring intently at the gentle currents, as if the perfect catch were mere moments away. The former caught another fish only five minutes later, which left the latter staring down at his fishing rod as if it had betrayed him.
 "We didn’t say how long we’d be fishing for. Whoever catches the most by sundown—"
 "I’m not fishing until sundown. First to ten is the winner. Or are you scared I’m a better fisherman than you?"
 An angry snicker was the first response. "It’s just ten fish. Don’t come crying to me when your breath smells like a dog’s hole."</div>
 

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Chapter 59

Chapter 59: Chapter 59 "It isn’t fun, but I can’t go complaining to you, can I?" He was staring at Alistar’s arms, both of which were covered with thick welts and many spots of discolouration. Seeing his own body in this condition brought up memories of the brutal beatings he had received at the hands of the young guard back in the mines. Feeling a look of disgust beginning to form on his face, he quickly mastered his emotions and sighed in response to his friend’s words. "I’m just tired of...

Son of a slave

Chapter 59

Son of a slave - Chapter 59