Council

Roland woke early, cleaned thoroughly, and dressed in his best. He'd never been to petition the council before. What sort of impression would he make? He had no practice speaking in front of a crowd. Imagine a street urchin like him growing up and becoming someone with enough standing to report to the government like this.

He peeked in on Finn. Mayra was lightly dozing in the chair beside the bed where she lay.

"How is she?" Roland could have just checked without waking Mayra, but he didn't want to startle her if she awoke when he was near.

"Oh!" Mayra's eyes opened wide and she shook the sleep off. "She's been resting quietly. I gave her more tea a few hours ago. I think the fever's lower." She smiled at the man before her.

"Thank you, Mayra. You're a good friend to her." Roland's eyes were on Finn's face rather than on Mayra's.

"And you're a good... well, we should let her decide what exactly you are to her, shouldn't we?" Mayra wiggled her eyebrows as Roland's gaze cut sharply to her.

"May I ask you something?" Roland impulsively began.

"Anything! Well, mostly anything. I'm an open book." Mayra smiled.

"You seem to be, for lack of a better phrase, rooting for me in all this," Roland gave a gesture that included himself and Finn.

"And?" Mayra didn't see the question yet.

"I mean, over your brother. Wouldn't you, I guess, want Finn as an official sister? You seem so close." Despite Mayra's claim of being an open book, Roland had a lot of trouble understanding the young lady.

"Oh that would be amazing for me," Mayra said, "but not right for her. Riley doesn't see it yet, but they don't belong together."

"They don't?" Roland was confused. Their lives were in harmony and seemed to fit nicely.

"Well, I don't think so, anyway. But Finn thinks I'm being overly dramatic about it." She looked down at her sleeping friend. "She says love is a choice. I don't know if she's right because I've never been in love. I don't think she knows whether she's right. If she CAN choose, I don't know who she'll pick. If she can't choose, you'll win for sure."

"Pardon?" The double speak had confused Roland further. What a strange girl.

Mayra sighed. "I'm saying that in my very important and definitely correct opinion, she can't control her feelings with regard to you. If she gets them under control, I don't know how it will end. So, if I were you, I might try keeping her out of control." She smiled mischievously as she glanced at Finn again.

"That seems ungentlemanly," protested Roland. Although he was originally a street urchin, he'd been taught proper manners in the intervening years.

"Perhaps," admitted Mayra, "but too much control is one of Finn's problems. Maybe it would be good for her." With that, she stood and began to bustle about, straightening the blanket, picking up the empty tea cup and taking it to the kitchen for washing. "Keep an eye on her for a minute while I'm gone, will you? Be good, Finn. Stay in control."

Roland was baffled further until he saw Finn's eyes open as her face turned crimson.

Her scratchy voice followed after the departing girl, "If I weren't so sick I'd throttle you." Mayra's laughter was the only response.

Roland cleared his throat. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired mostly." She said, "I think the doctor's medicine makes me sleepy."

"Sleep is healing." Roland provided, and Finn nodded in response.

"You look nice." She looked at his fine clothes. He realized she had only seen him covered in travel grime in dirty old clothes until this point.

"I clean up well, don't I?" He grinned. "That reminds me, I have to go as soon as Mayra's back. I just wanted to check on you before I left."

"Thank you. I wish you luck, and I'll see you when you get back."

"I expect steady improvement." He gave her a lopsided smile. 'I want to see you get well before I turn myself in and leave for a year.' he added silently. He wanted to tell her, but she was still too weak to absorb the news. Better to wait.

Mayra returned and Roland briefly took Finn's hand.

"Farewell, Serafina."

Her heart fluttered whenever he said her name. She could only smile in response as he bowed over her hand and left.

As he came to the front entry of the home to leave with Doctor Sherman, he stretched his fingers that had held hers. Mayra said the fever was down, why did his skin feel like it was on fire where it had touched hers?

______

As Roland and Dr. Sherman arrived at the center of Klain, a small crowd had gathered for the daily opening of the City Hall. It was a mildly interesting ceremony where the soldier guards would march across the square, have a trumpet fanfare, and then the doors to the Hall would open for reports and petitions to the Council.

Roland and the doctor took their place to the right side of the steps, indicating they had information to report to the council rather than a request to be made. This streamlined the process since informational reports did not usually require votes and deliberation amongst the Council. Requests were less common, as each Councilman would initially receive requests pertaining to his area of expertise. Only requests that fell outside the purview of any Councilman or that had not been resolved by that process came before the full Council.

Fanfare completed, the soldiers stepped aside and the doors opened. There were relatively few who had come today, so Roland and Dr. Sherman did not have to wait to make their report. As reports were usually made exclusively by those who had completed their military service, Roland required a sponsor.

The Council sat on a slightly raised platform at a table the shape of a crescent moon facing the door. At the center sat the General. Around the curve of the table to his left, the Provider and Treasurer took their places, and to his right, the Judge and Peacekeeper.

Doctor Sherman stepped forward.

"I stand in honor before you now and present my apprentice, Roland, to make a report." The doctor bowed deeply and backed away, gesturing Roland forward.

Roland stepped forward and bowed. "I stand in honor before you now to make a report from my travels."

The General nodded, "Make it."

Roland had done his best to try and condense his story into the relevant portions while still making sense.

"I traveled far across the lands over past weeks on errand for my master. I ventured West and South to where the Southern Forest meets the barren scrubland. I barely avoided a pack of snarling, vicious wolves hunting in broad daylight. They seemed unusually aggressive. It was only a short time later in the same day that I encountered a cohort of men in strange uniforms. Pale clothes the color of sand, all matching in hue. They carried long javelins and large, curved blades. I did not get close enough to be seen, but they spoke loudly."

"They spoke of having released the wolves after their 'boss' had 'worked hard on them', and having recently slaughtered a family that was 'too nosy' and left them to die. I fled in the direction they spoke of, hoping to do something for the innocent people."

The General had leaned forward in his seat, hanging on every word. Roland focused on him; his opinion usually held the most sway, and it was always easier to tell a story to someone paying rapt attention.

"I found four bodies in a clearing, a man, a woman, and two children. The woman and boy had already perished. The girl lasted a few days. The father, but a few minutes. In those minutes he urged me to save his daughter, and spoke a few words I thought I should report to this Council." Roland took a deep breath. It was hard to simply report the words without adding his commentary on their meaning, but it was the best course of action.

"His voice was low, but he distinctly said the words 'Army,' 'Attack,' 'Klain,' and then after a pause to urge me again to save his daughter, he said 'Warn City.'"

Roland paused and looked at each face of the Council. The Peacekeeper looked restrained, the Judge compassionate, the Provider contemplative, and the Treasurer worried. Finally, Roland looked into the General's face. It was unreadable.

"You said the girl lasted a few days. Did she add to or clarify her father's words?" He asked.

"She spoke often of wolves and soldiers. I could not make out any sentences or complete thoughts." Roland spoke honestly. He wanted to add so much more, but the bare bones information without his opinion coloring it would be the best way, according to Dr. Sherman.

"How many of these uniformed 'soldiers' did you see?" The General's eyes narrowed.

"With my eyes I saw half a dozen. My view of any others was obscured and I did not investigate further for fear of being seen." Roland cringed inwardly. Was the last part adding his opinion? He had not been asked whether he could have seen more or not.

"How long ago was this?" The Provider spoke for the first time.

"The girl perished less than four days ago." Roland said. "The day I found her was a few days before that."

"What do you think should be the action taken?" The Provider looked at him shrewdly.

"I do not presume to offer any advice or opinion to the Council. I only heard and saw unusual things and thought that information should be brought before you."

The General nodded sagely, though the Provider looked slightly agitated by Roland's response.

Silence ruled for a few moments, seeming to indicate Roland was dismissed. Roland bowed again. "My report is complete."

"Wait," Said the Provider with a new tone of voice. "Come closer." Roland walked several steps forward, unsure of what was happening.

"Apprentice Roland, what is your age?" The Provider spoke more softly, such that the other waiting people would not overhear this part of the conversation.

Roland froze. "I am twenty years old."

"And you have had your master to sponsor your report... because you have not yet volunteered for military service?"

"I came back to Klain to do so." Roland answered carefully. "I thought to make this report first."

"And now you've made it." Responded the Provider. The rest of the Council looked at him now. It was out of character for him to speak so much. "Since you came to report, it seems, an attack on Klain by mysterious soldiers in the woods, I'm sure you are eager to turn yourself in for military service in defense of this great city."

Roland gulped. He saw the trap closing but it was too late to do anything about it. "Sir, I will be honored to serve Klain in whatever way is best."

"It seems that you may have some talent for spying," The Provider tilted his head, "bringing back such valuable information with no training whatsoever. I look forward to seeing the asset to Klain you will become under the General's training." Roland blanched at the word 'spying.' Was he being accused of something nefarious?

The Provider continued speaking in a calm tone, but now loudly enough for the collected people at the far end of the room to hear. "Allow us the honor of accepting your proffer of service. Guards, please let someone escort Roland to the registration building so that he can leave immediately with the newest recruits."