The Stranger From the Woods

Everyone knew about the boy from the woods before they had even seen him. Although it was fairly normal for news about the latest child in the town to travel around fast, this time the town gossip was not about the new addition to the mother's group. Rather, the news became common knowledge because of the unusual circumstances surrounding the couple.

After all, everyone knew one-armed Lana.

But no-one knew mysterious stranger to whom she had wed.

The girl had married a foreigner.

It wasn't as though no one had ever seen him. He occasionally accompanied his wife down to the market and was always approachable enough for the shopkeepers to get a few words in with him. However, whenever the subject of his origin was broached, Mr Kane always seemed to have another topic to talk about.

But when the child came along, the small family who lived in the wood became even more unusual. A tryst with someone in a travelling merchant wasn't an unusual story for the villagers- but someone who had come out of nowhere, not to mention starting a family with one? That was another story entirely.

In addition, once the baby was born, rumours starting flying again as the family became more and more reclusive. Of course, many thought that this was simply because of the taxing nature of early child rearing- but some still suspected that there was another reason.

Folks in Weston had little else to do when they weren't working their profession, and rumours travel fast in small towns.

Soon, enough drunken bar stories and suspicions had been shared that almost everyone had heard of the foreigner who had used some sorcerous means to force a helpless woman to marry him- and bear his child.

Of course, those empathetic to the family's situation dismissed these assertions as foolhardy midwives tales and encouraged those they knew to stop perpetuating the cruel tales. But children have a way of finding out things that adults try to keep them from.

And thus, when poor Corwin Regan-Kane found himself in a classroom with 15 other children, there was a subtle but distinct sense of distance between him and the others.

The teacher, Miss Morgan, was strict enough with the class that there was no mention of the rumours in her presence. But unfortunately, that protection didn't hold outside the classroom, where there was no method for poor Corwin to escape the bullying he endured for merely being born to a foreigner.

However, this was nothing compared to the harassment he faced when the time of the weaving ceremony came.

* * *

Miss Morgan tried to again rein in the class for what seemed like the 20th time in the last hour. She knew exactly why the kids were acting up, and who could blame them? This was their first chance to use the magic that they had seen everyone else use, and- she remarked to herself grimly- also a point in which their futures might be determined.

"Alright, settle down children. I know exactly why you're excited, but don't let it get to your head! The Examiner is already here- as I'm doubtless that you already know- and at least you've had the dignity so as to not barge in on his place of residence."

The kids giggled at that, and Miss Morgan allowed herself a small smile. No one in their right mind would dare to annoy the Examiner, especially not one about to take an exam for themselves.

"We're going to send you to him soon, fret not, but before then I need to make sure that you won't embarrass the entire village with a lack of basic weaving knowledge.

"Now, who can tell me what the three basic steps of weaving are?" Miss Morgan asked the class.

A boy with sandy blonde hair immediately shot his hand into the air

"Yes, Brady?"

"The first step of weaving is the score," explained Brady in a condescending tone. "The next element is the-"

"Before you go on, Mr Ross," interrupted Miss Morgan, "Could you first explain exactly what the score means in weaving?"

The affronted look the Brady gave her was enough to convey the disdain the boy felt at having to explain such a basic concept. How a 13-year-old boy could give her that look she didn't know.

"The score," drawled Brady, with a roll of his eyes "Is the melody that controls both the element that is actualised and the movement or attack patterns. It's a line of music- often an entire song, in which points of the melody dictate the actualisation, movement, and attack of the element. The second element of weaving," he started.

Miss Morgan held up her hand to stop him.

"Absolutely right, Mr Ross. Someone else, the second step," she asked, looking pointedly around the room. No hands went up, none of the children daring to draw the ire of Brady in case he felt 'showed up'.

"How about you Miss Rose?" she asked pointing at a girl who was pointedly looking the other way.

Albeit timidly, the girl answered perfectly.

"The second step of weaving is the soul," she replied nervously, gaining confidence as she continued. "The soul needs to be focused on the area in which you want to actualize the element."

"Exactly!" Miss Mogan smiled. This wasn't exactly complex material, and she would have been quite surprised if any of her students were unable to answer her questions. "Can you give us an example?"

"W-Well," she stammered. "If I wanted to create fire, I would first have a melody in my head -"

"The score" Miss Morgan interrupted.

"Yeah, the score," she amended, "which specifies the fire. Then I would focus my soul on my hand, and if the score was strong enough in my head, the fire would come from my hands."

"Very good!" miss Morgan congratulated the girl. "All right, can you tell me what the last step is, Corwin?"

"The last step is actualisation. It's not technically a component at all," Corwin replied, as Miss Morgan smiled and nodded at him.

"Really, it's the part in weaving in which the element specified by the score comes into reality- originating from the part of the body that the soul was focused upon."

"Exactly," replied Miss Morgan. "For now, that's all you're going to need to know, general knowledge wise, at least. However, a have a few last things you need to know before you actually meet the Examiner. Firstly, do everything that he says- it's for a reason, even if you don't understand what it is. And secondly, be as polite as you possibly can because he is in control of one of the most determinant tests in your immediate future. Good manners cost nothing, but the absence of them can cost everything."