Chapter 11 - Arbitrium

The following day the boys left with their mother for the train station in the Citadel. They boarded the train, and Robert consciously refrained to leave his leave his room except for matters needing compulsory attention - the fear of having another encounter still troubled his mind.

The train, as usual, took seven days to reach Qrist. Damien spent the days reading his books and thinking about universities. He wanted to know how many offers he might get.

Katherine too was looking through the list of academies her boys could enter to have the best possible education but chose not to discuss them with the boys in the absence of their father.

A few days later.

The nobles finally reached Qrist and they only wished to put themselves to sleep; though the train was comfortable, nothing could beat the comfort of one's own home. As the carriage pulled out of the station, Damien noticed that the city had been beautified, as if to announce the arrival of a festival; the festival, indeed, was Lawrence. He had been told of the boys' feats and was anxious to congratulate them personally. The carriage parked itself in front of the Earl's mansion and there stood at the door the backbone of Triston - its lord Earl Lawrence.

"Welcome home boys! I have missed you these past few days."

"Father you are healthy again. What a relief!", said Damien as he hugged Lawrence. Robert, on the other hand, approached Lawrence and said, "It's good to see you, Father."

"It is good to see you too my boy. I have been told that you two have performed well in your tests. I am proud of both of you. Go and have something; it is already nightfall. We have a grand dinner for you tomorrow night. Also, all the people in the city wish to see you two."

As the brothers left for the dining hall, Katherine approached Lawrence and he swiftly kissed her.

"I know it has been hard upon you dear. But now you are home; have a good rest."

"I will, my love.", replied Katherine and entered the mansion.

After dinner, Lawrence, the sole being awake in the house, went through Damien and Robert's certificates. He seemed to be worried for some reason.

"These two really have amazing abilities... but Damien... something is wrong; it is too much of a coincidence."

The boys slept till afternoon. Apparently, they were too tired to wake up. On Lawrence's orders, nobody bothered them. Lawrence was busy conducting the political and economic affairs of Triston.

"I want the boys' celebration to be grand, so I am handing over its preparation to you Charles. I know you won't disappoint me."

"Rest assured my lord; the grand dinner shall be greater than the royal coronation!"

"That is the enthusiasm I wish to see from you people!"

Katherine, in another section of the house, had received the letters from the academies wanting to admit Damien and Robert. She thought, 'We will talk about this tomorrow; for now let them enjoy their day.'

***

As night approached, everyone gathered for the celebrations. Once everyone had arrived, Lawrence addressed the crowd, "I welcome you all for this celebration of my children becoming Heralds, and passing the mage exams with flying colours!"

Somebody from the crowd erupted at this moment, "All hail the young lords!", which was accompanied by everyone shouting together, "All hail the young lords!"

The celebration progressed and several of Lawrence's vassals present with their family congratulated the boys.

"Congratulations young lords!"

"Congratulations!"

The grand dinner was attended by all the nobles, it seemed, and extravagant dishes were presented before all. Food was distributed to all commoners.

Finally, Robert and Damien, free from the formalities, rushed to the buffet to stuff their gnarling stomachs.

'No wonder Father avoids formalities.', thought Damien while Robert was thinking on similar lines.

The party continued till midnight and several citizens were hopelessly drunk by the time they went home.

(O: I hate formalities too R: nah you are just an antisocial emo goth girl)

***

The next evening.

Damien, with brown hair ruffled indignantly, was walking through the corridor with his brother. His ocean blue eyes radiated sleepiness, and with it, annoyance. Both of them were had the same height, but one was slouching while the other walked upright.

"Jeez, Danny you are still sleepy.", said, Robert.

"You know I can't help it! The afternoon nap was going on beautifully until you barged in.", said Damien. He yawned as he followed behind.

They went to the drawing room on the second floor. The room had two large sofas and a chair by the fireplace. It also had several books lying around in disarray. This was the family common room and near the fireplace, the brothers could see their Father relaxing.

"How are you, boys?" Lawrence was sitting on a large armchair, reading the newspaper. He folded the newspaper and kept it aside.

"Good, Father," the two replied and sat on the sofa.

"Your Mother will be arriving with the letters anytime now - oh! there she is!"

"Good evening everyone." Katherine walked in through the door. She was wearing a purple nightdress and her golden hair was tied into a bun. Behind her entered Charles with a neatly stacked pile of letters.

"Good evening Master Lawrence. Good evening Master Damien, Master Robert." Charles greeted them and kept the letters on the table. He bowed and said, "I will take leave now, sir." He turned and left.

"Now let us see which academies you have been called by." Lawrence clapped his hands and picked up a letter.

"Do you realize that that bundle is more than 10-inch thick?", asked Katherine.

"Well, yeah-"

"Over 400 academies want them." sighed Katherine.

"Wow! That's great boys!", Lawrence exclaimed with joy. Damien and Robert sat there smiling.

'Why are men...such knuckleheads?' Katherine shook her head.

***

After a few hours.

"Okay, so, as far as I know, the Hydra Academy of Mages and Magical Research have offered you two a course - the academy which is rated the best school by the Royal Community of Academics. That's great, right?", asked Lawrence.

"The St. Carter Magus School - which was ranked second - has also offered you a course."

"So I think you should choose between these two since there is not much of a difference," Lawrence shrugged his shoulder.

"The Hydra School is offering you a course of Weaponmage; you can decide which Weaponmage you want to be.", said Katherine. "However, the St.Carter is offering you the course of a knight."

"What's the difference?", asked Damien.

"A Weaponmage wields a specific melee weapon like a spear, hammer, sword and such, while a knight always wields a one-handed weapon and a shield with full body armour. There are different types of knights depending on what magic the knight uses... Also, a knight may or may not have a mount."

"Hmm." Damien thoughtfully said, "I want to be a Sword Weaponmage!"

"Ho! Why is that?" asked Lawrence.

"Firstly, in all the stories I have read, the hero wields a sword. Moreover, I have used a sword - ahem - a wooden sword at least from the age of seven.", said Damien. "Secondly, Hydra sounds much cooler than St. Carter's."

Lawrence burst out laughing and Robert facepalmed, while Katherine sighed.

(D: we are gonna introduce many classes tho; they will be like professions in games but less rigid and believable)

"What about me Mother?", asked Robert.

"Oh! It should be obvious. All academies are offering you a Paladin course."

"What?"

"Is there a problem?" Katherine looked at Robert.

"I don't want to be a Paladin.", said, Robert.

"Oh! That's great Robert! Decide your own future." Lawrence encouraged his son and sipped some tea. Katherine raised an eyebrow and asked, "Tell me, Robert, what do you want to be?"

"I want to be an Assassin!"

"Pffft", Lawrence spat out tea as he coughed.

"WHAT?!" Katherine sat upright and her fists clenched.

"Why do you want to be an assassin, Robert?", asked Lawrence as he wiped his face.

Robert was alarmed by the change in the environment so he cautiously chose his next words.

"You see Mother, Father, I have always wanted to be a man who does not have to show himself to get his work done. Why must a man be cursed upon even after doing good, when his motives were always unselfish? Throughout history, we have seen that people have been wrongly judged for their good deeds and yet those that cannot be seen get away with no matter what they do. As an assassin, I can do all those things away from the people's knowledge and I can bring to the world the peace father holds so dearly!"

Katherine, who was now standing, looked at her son, who had just said the boldest words in his life, and was shocked to her core. Certain instances and moments in her life replayed in front of her eyes. The silhouette of a man and a woman entered her vision and at this moment she knew that she could not let Robert walk the path of an assassin. She had seen far too much to let her little boy walk into the mouth of a dragon.

"Robert, listen to this loud and clear. You will never be allowed to pursue the path of an assassin. If you choose to follow it, then never face me again, FOR YOU WILL BE NO CHILD OF MINE!" Her chest heaved up and down as she bellowed.

"Dear, they are kids. You must not be so harsh on them-"

"No Lawrence. How far do you think this childishness will take them? They must now begin to understand the reality of life."

"Do you know how many of my beloved I have lost because of an assassin's path? I shall never lose my son to an assassin's life! EVER!"

Katherine stormed out of the room after finishing her words. As she ran, one could see two tiny streams of tears falling from her face.

Robert was stupefied, while Damien was in a trance. They had never seen their beautiful and caring mother become so angry.

Lawrence knew that he had to talk to Katherine and ran behind her after saying, "Robert, meet me in my office in the evening."

***

In Katherine and Lawrence's room.

Katherine entered the room and at that instant, all that filled her was the rage. Rage on the fact that her son wanted to follow the path of an assassin; rage that she might lose her son; rage that the events of her past had come to haunt her after a decade and she could do nothing to stop history from retracing its steps again. As all this rage filled her, she picked up a vase from a table nearby and threw it on the floor. Soon, every delicate commodity in Katherine's room was turned to nothing more than pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The beautiful velvet curtains that once adorned her windows were now just cleaning clothes on the floor. All of Katherine's dresses were on the floor and her cabinet now contained only one tiny bronze box. This box had a golden lining on its corners and could attract the most beings for it had no keyhole.

As Katherine sat on her soft bed, tears rolled down her cheeks.

Lawerence entered the room and knew the state Katherine was in - that he had to do something.

He sighed and said, "Honey, history does not repeat itself. You need to understand that I won't let anything like that happen again. I won't let anyone hurt our family ever again. What happened then was beyond our control; we were weak and powerless then but now we are infinitely stronger and capable!"

"You expect me to believe that Lawrence? What James did is unforgivable, and we still haven't punished him for it. What saddens me is that the same things are happening again! You saw Damien's ability! What consequences Robert's decision might have? He is walking on the same path as James... And there will come a day when they meet. Don't you see what's happening? Damien's ability was out of our control! But... But can't we try to save Robert at least? When Robert and James meet, they will do their best to kill each other... They are the opposites! Order and Chaos! And you know how powerful James is! Both of them will not rest until one dies!"

"But James isn't Robert's to kill... Moreover, Damien might have that ability, but, he has chosen a different path!"

Katherine could not speak anymore. She just looked into Lawrence's eyes. A new rush of tears rolled down her red cheeks.

"I know! But, what will happen to Robert! I know him. He is your son; his will bends to no one."

"I think I may have an idea."

***

At night in Lawrence's office.

*Knock knock*

"Yes?"

"Father, it's me, Robert."

"Come in."

Robert opened the door and entered. He quietly closed the door behind him. Lawrence was sitting on the armchair near the fireplace. The fireplace had glowing embers in it but no flame. Lawrence was absentmindedly staring at the lightbulb whose yellow light illuminated the room. A desk, a chair, a bookshelf; it looked like a normal office, but for the fact that it was quite wide - even accommodating a sofa and a fireplace.

"Come, sit down, Robert." Lawrence gestured him to sit on the sofa.

"Yes, Father." Robert was obedient. A nervous heart throbbed in his chest.

"Robert, you know... Your Mother's past involves encounters with an assassin, which are too crude to be forgotten." Lawrence took a deep breath and said, "Did you ever wonder why you have no relatives? It was because almost all of them walked the path of an assassin, and, died because of certain reasons. Those reasons destroyed their families. That's why your Mother does not want you to become an assassin, lest you end up with the same fate."

"I understand father."

"So will you change your mind?"

"Father, I have already come to a conclusion. I am determined to stand firm."

Lawrence laughed meekly. "You are my son! Fine then, you may become an assassin."

"Thank you, Father." Robert's heart beat with excitement.

"However, there is no academy offering you such a course.", said Lawrence.

Robert's excitement quickly died down.

"But fear not! I have made the necessary preparations." Lawrence patted Robert's head. "Ho! speak of the devil, you are here already."

"W-Who is here Father?"

"I am.", said a man sitting beside Robert. Robert jumped up, "What?!"

He looked like a young man who had recently matured into adulthood. He had smooth features and his long, dark hair was neatly combed. It fell down to his shoulders. On his porcelain-like face were two dark, almond-shaped eyes. He wore a black tailcoat and a grey-black striped tie. Black trousers and black shoes ensured his monotonous image. The man looked like he could melt in the darkness.

"Oliver! It has been some time.", said Lawrence as he shook hands with him.

"Yes, Lawrence if it wasn't for your message on the MagiNet, then I am afraid I would have not come to Triston."

"Those SNS are finally coming into use.", laughed Lawrence.

"Anyway, is this your son?"

"To the bones, yes!"

"Hmm." Oliver examined Robert from top to bottom.

"Umm, Father?" Robert was scared silly...A person appearing out of nowhere and sitting beside him without him noticing! If this man wanted to kill him, Robert doubted if he would even be able to say

'Ouch!'

"He is a former comrade and a good friend of mine.", said Lawrence as he pulled out a bottle of wine from the shelf. "On my request, he has agreed to take you as an apprentice and train you to be an assassin-"

"Is that the 200-year-old grape wine?", Oliver asked.

"Yeah!"

"You still know me well Lawrence."

"How can I forget those adventures with you, Katherine, Ka- ", Lawrence stopped himself and coughed. "Ahem, so, Robert from now on you will tag along with Oliver and train with him."

"Understood Father."

"Oliver will be taking you on a journey around the continent to make you learn all the aspects of being an assassin. From this day forth, he will be your teacher."

"You better pack up and say farewell to your family, boy. We will be leaving tomorrow before dawn.", said Oliver and before Robert could look at him, he was gone.

"Don't worry, he is an expert. I would have nobody other than him teach and protect you. Now go talk to your mother and brother."

"Yes, Father."

***

In Katherine's painting room.

"Mother, can we talk?", asked Robert as he entered the room.

"What is there left to talk about Robert? You've made your choices and I have chosen to respect them..." said Katherine. She was staring outside at the stars. The soft silvery moonlight fell, making her eyes glow.

"It isn't like that at all, Mother; I wanted to be an assassin since the day I saw the injury on father. Father is the greatest man in my life and when I saw that even he could be injured, I wanted to have that power. I don't wish to bring world peace. That was only a ruse to convince you...What I want to actually be, Mother is strong enough so that no one can threaten me. I wish only to command power so great that the world may bend to my will. The way I see it, people only listen to you when they fear you or respect you. I have chosen fear over respect. Being an assassin, people will fear me. I wish to live a life like that; please bless my life ahead, Mother."

"My child, the truth you have told me today shall comfort me till death. But, don't forget that if you die, the person that would be devastated the most shall be your mother. Now go, I know that you will leave tomorrow; you must bid farewell to your brother. He won't take it well, I know, but you must convince him to join one of the academies and do his part as the Earl's son."

"I will talk to him... Mommy."

Katherine hugged her son tight. She knew that this could well even be their last embrace. Her eyes now gleamed once again; this time by tears.

"We won't be seeing each other for a long time now. Stay safe, son." Katherine kissed Robert on the forehead and turned away towards the window. Robert quietly left the quarters. Katherine looked at the moon, and then towards the unfinished canvas on the easel. It was a sketch of all of her family together, but, only her face was finished completely.

"At last, this day has come... Your nephew has chosen the path of an assassin to take forward the unforgiving fate of our family. Are you satisfied, now that your harsh words from 15 years ago have taken from me my most valuable possession?"