The Great Library of Palanthas
An Aesthetic shows you to a small reading room.
Stories of Ansalon from the view of Thaen.
A little gully dwarf runs by and says 'Wordwrap Off 65 80.'
The gully continues 'Eyes hurt? Turn Color OFF!! (regular story dates)
Astinus says 'Enter the main library here to view only the author list.'
Astinus gently places a leather bound tome with glowing glyphs on the table in front of you.
You note the spine bears the word 'Thaen' scribed in deep red ink.
Author: Thaen Date: Wed Sep 25 23:27:42 2024 Subject Thaen Uth Stormbourne, PT.1
Thaen Uth Stormbourne sloshed in the muddy roadways outside of Solanthus. If his height and physique didn't make him stick out like a sore thumb, the tabard of the Knights of Solamnia did. Even though he was a squire, he was greeted with respect even if it was forced by custom. "You've been a noble your whole life,"he thought of the words his patron said. "People have served you, now it's your turn to serve. Upon your return, you'll tell me the lesson and I'll tell you if you've passed." Thaen thought about the measure, and all the things his father who was a retired knight of the rose had taught him. Something was hallow in the lessons and he knew he needed to find the deeper meaning to truly understand. He noticed an elder woman carrying buckets of water from a nearby well. He rushed to her side and gently touched her arm, "allow me, kind matron,"he said gently taking the buckets. Thaen followed her home and placed the buckets at her door. She thanked him for his kindness, but even that feeling was missing something. Thaen bid farewell and moved on, chopping wood, helping mend fences, shoveling stables, feeding cattle. Everyone was so thankful, but Thaen felt empty. Leaning up against a tree in the shade and wiping the sweat from his brow, he pondered the situation, why did all of this service to his countrymen feel so empty to him? He noticed on one of the farms they were setting up for some kind of celebration. He approached a man who seemed to be in charge. "I'd like to pitch in and help where I can,"Thaen said with a smile and nod. The man taken aback said there was too few hands to serve food and drink for a marraige celebration. To which Thaen quickly found an apron and assisted with moving barrels of drink and bushels of vegetables. The night was busy, Thaen rushed from table to table, refilling mugs and replacing empty platters with full ones. Each pass of the guests he received thanks and a pat on the back. At the end of the night, the bride and groom stoodby and bid farewell to their guests until there was just Thaen. "You're a knight,"said the bride with tears in her eyes. Thaen couldn't tell if they were from joy or sorrow. "You shouldn't be clearing tables and serving drinks." "It has been my honor to serve,"Thaen replied. Something was different about this feeling, something so humbling and filled him with warmth. "Sweat or my life, belongs to the people."He smiled. He bid the newly wedded couple good evening and started back for the keep. "You did a lot of work today,"Wyldsheed said leaning against a tree in the dark. She chuckled at the startled squire. "If I was a goblin, you'd probably be roasting on a spit right now."Her expression grew serious. "I watched you all day, though I'm sure you did not see me. What did you learn?" "Service is more than glory at the tip of a sword or lance,"Thaen replied confidently. "I did all manner of tasks today, but serving food and drink, cleaning up,"he paused. "I realize now how humble I wasn't. Thank you for teaching this to me my lady." "Good lad," she smiled, as they walked to the keep. "Serve the people always. Remember the people are the most important thing in Solamnia, without them we have nothing."
In the serene valleys of Solamnia, Thaen Uth Stormbourne, a young squire, found himself at the training grounds, where knights sharpened their skills. His mentor, Captain Wyldsheed, had tasked him with overseeing the training of new recruits. As the sun cast long shadows, Thaen noticed a group struggling with their sword techniques, frustration evident on their faces. Instead of stepping in with corrections, Thaen paused, observing their movements. He approached them, calm and composed. What challenges are you facing?he asked, his voice steady. One recruit sighed, We cant seem to get the timing right. Every time we try to parry, we end up off balance. Rather than demonstrating the technique immediately, Thaen decided to engage them in a discussion. What do you think makes a successful parry?he prompted, encouraging them to reflect on their movements. As they shared their thoughts, Thaen guided them toward the idea of balance, timing, and awareness. After they had brainstormed, he finally said, Lets practice together. Focus on your stance and the rhythm of your movements.With gentle encouragement, he led them through the exercise, correcting their form only when necessary. As they trained, Thaen reminded them to communicate with each other, emphasizing that the best fighters often succeed through teamwork and trust. Gradually, the recruits improved, their confidence growing alongside their skills. Later, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Wyldsheed approached. You handled that well, Thaen. Wisdom in leadership sometimes comes from listening rather than directing. Thaen nodded, reflecting on the days lesson. Sometimes, allowing others to find their own answers fosters growth more than simply providing solutions. With that insight, Thaen understood that true wisdom lay not just in knowledge, but in guiding others to discover their potential. He resolved to carry this lesson with him, knowing that as he grew, so too would his ability to lead with both strength and insight.
Autumn chill filled the air in Solanthus with crisp bite to the extremities. In the Solamnic keep of Solanthus, Thaen and his patron Knight Captain Wyldsheed circled one another in the training ring. Wyldsheed's movements were fluid and sure as she stared into the piercing green eyes of her squire. He towered over her being well over six feet and almost twice her size physically. With a quick strike he lunged forward at her, she gracefully stepped aside, deflecting his training blade away and smacked the back of his head with the flat of her own training sword. "Too aggressive,"she corrected him. She could see the frustration in his eyes, but he continued to press his attack. With a fluid motion she dipped under his strike and spanked his backside with the flat of her blade. "Focus! You can't use brute force against every enemy, you leave yourself open." "You're too fast,"he snapped, throwing his training blade on the ground. Stomping away from his patron he fumed. Wyldsheed quirked her eyebrow, she hadn't seen such an outburst from her squire before. "Pick it up, we're not done,"she waited a moment, but he didn't moved just muttered to himself. "I said pick it up squire, now."Her stern tone seemed to snap the young squire out of his semi-silent fit. He trudged over and picked up the training blade. Wyldsheed walked up to him and placed her hands on both of his shoulders. "Look at me,"he stared off to the side, but returned his gaze when she shook him by his shoulders. "Look at me! You have good technique, you have the insticts, but you don't have the wisdom. Watch my eyes,"her expression softened slightly. "My feet and body tell a false story, but my eyes always tell the truth." She stepped back and readied herself, Thaen's eyes darted about her body and feet before returning to her eyes. Wyldsheed came in with a quick attack, which the young squire was barely able to deflect at the last moment. He returned an attack of his own, but she was able to pull him off balance and give him a solid shot to his ribs. He growled in frustration before swinging a powerful slash at her. "I said watch my eyes,"she snapped loudly, easily dodging his wild strike and hitting him in the chest with her pommel. "Ignore everything else, see only my eyes! I'm not your father's man-at-arms who isn't allowed to hit you. On the battlefield you will die very quickly if you don't learn to see!"she held up her hand. "Breathe, slow down, deep breath. Now let my eyes tell the story, let your mind react to the story." Thaen took a deep breath and closed his eyes, he slowed his breathing and nodded. Wyldsheed saw a different look in her squire's eyes, they were focused and never left her gaze. She swung her sword with an easy strike, Thaen moved back quickly avoiding it entirely. She struck at him again and he parried with a riposte. Their blades clashed, strike after strike and returned attacks. As they crossed blades pushing against eachother, she slipped backward quickly pulling him with her, but Thaen managed to keep his balance shoving her with great strength. Stumbling backward, nearly losing her footing she laughed. "You see Thaen,"she said walking up to him and patting him on the arm. "Take a break, we'll continue later."She noticed a dark expression on his face. "Hey don't worry about it, everyone gets frustrated. Did you learn something?" "Yes my lady,"He started and paused. "My anger and frustration wasn't very knightly though. I should be better than that." "Because you're not human right,"she jabbed his arm with a smile, she leaned back against a small wooden fence encircling the practice ring. "Why is this idea of being a perfect knight so important to you? I don't know if you've seen, but there aren't many of us, and they are far from perfect."
Thaen was silent for a moment and slumped to the ground with his back against a post. "Because our people have been afraid for too long. Because they deserve to live without fear because we are here."Thaen stared at the ground and wiped sweat from his brow. "I don't know, my father raised me with stories of tradgedy and loss. He said that the people need someone to believe in so they didn't feel abandoned and alone anymore." Wyldsheed sat next to him with a thoughtful nod, "that's alot of pressure for a young man to shoulder."she thought for a moment. "And you want to be the hero of the people? Have songs sung about you for ages to come?" Thaen shook his head, "no it's not that,"he chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment. "I think about the measure and how much the people lost to the dragon army occupation and think to myself 'if not me, then who?'. It matters more to me that the people see a nameless knight or the knighthood has restored peace and safety." Wyldsheed could feel the tense emotions coming from her squire so she shoved him over on his side, "then I guess you better learn how to watch your enemy's eyes if you're going to save the world!"she said in a light tone and smiled. "You're a good man Thaen and I would see you rise up beyond who you are now. I need you to trust me and listen to my lessons." "I do my lady,"he chuckled and sat upright. "I do. I will do better, I swear it."
"Are you ready my squire," Wyldsheed smiled, she stood in the center of the solamnic keep's training ring with a training sword pointed at her squire. She gripped another in her offhand that rested gently against her leg, blunted tip down. The young squire grinned and nodded. "Then show me what you've learned." Thaen towered over his patron, but he knew her skills were superiour to his own. His size wasn't the advantage to him in this situation, as it is in most. He stepped forward saluting his patron with a traditional knight salute, which she returned. He noted her body language was relaxed, her stare gave little away. He noted the second sword knowing she was more than proficient in fighting with two weapons. Thaen and Wyldsheed circled a moment before she struck first. Thaen reacted quickly parrying the strike and quickly dodging her offhand weapon. He swung his training blade in a high downward arc, she caught it with crossed blades. Wyldsheed pushed the squire's blade to the left and spun around to the right, with her blade aimed at his ribcage. Thaen quickly stepped into her catching his patron slightly off guard, and caught her arm, pinning it to his side. Wyldsheed struck his chest with her offhand swords pommel, then brought up her knee striking his inner thigh. With a bit of strength she pushed the squire back, forcing him to release her arm. He limped slightly recovering from the strike to his leg. "Can you continue," she asked in a playful tone. "Indeed," he chuckled. "I'm going to get you today!" Thaen shook off the dull pain from his mind and readied an attack. Wyldsheed could sense the calmness from her squire which made her smile slightly. Wyldsheed bolted foward with a flurry of blows that Thaen seemed to struggle with defending, but he managed to block or evade them at the last moment. In response his own attacks were quick and very powerful, she noted. Her squire was very strong, and his speed was much greater than when she first took him as a squire. With a feint to the left, Thaen changed direction of his attack, striking directly on her shoulder with the flat of his sword. "Very good," she laughed shaking off the sting. "I'm impressed, but you haven't won yet." she moved quicker than he could react smacking his knee with the flat of her offhand blade. As she brought up her main hand blade toward his face, Thaen deflected it away with his forearm on the flat of the blade. Because she was so close he couldn't swing his sword, so he brought the crossguard up to her neck and stoppped inches away. "Hrm," she mumbled as they were both frozen in place. She glanced down at the crossguard near her throat. "Well this is a problem for us both." Thaen grinned, "just for you my lady." He was proud of himself for a would be critcal attack if this had been a real fight. His smile faded quickly when he felt the flat of her offhand blade tapping the inside of his thigh, very close to a sensetive area. "Blast," he sighed looking at the precarious placement of her blade. Wyldsheed laughed as they both backed away, "let's call it a draw. You've improved so much in the past weeks." She walked over and grabbed a ladel from a water barrel and drained it before handing the ladel to her squire. "You're not holding back on me are you?" Thaen nearly spit his water out, "no of course not." he stammered slightly. She splashed the cool water from the barrel in his face. With a chuckle he bowed his head in respect before flinging water from the ladel at her. "Would it be okay if we took a break, you've punished me quite a bit today." Wyldsheed smiled, "of course, there's an entire armory of shields needing polishing." She heard the squire groan as he put up the training swords and shuffled toward the armory. "Relax, lets eat and rest a bit." she paused. "Then you can polish the shields." She was amused by her squire's response, even if he wasn't.
Thaen and Wyldsheed sat and ate together, she watched the large man devouring his food enthusiastically with great amusement. When he first arrived he was so proper coming from a noble house to the north. After so much time under her patronage and being rushed through tasks and chores, he set aside being proper for the sake of time. Horns blared from somewhere in the city. "What do you think that's about," Thaen asked with half chewed food in his mouth. He wiped his mouth with a cloth and drained his mug of water. Wyldsheed bolted out of her seat and went to the door. "What is it?" Wyldsheed had opened the door and saw a handful of knights rushing about, without a word she slipped out of the room leaving her squire alone. A few minutes later she returned hauling chain mail, two breast plates, and three swords in scabbards slung over her shoulder. "Not a test or a drill," she said tossing Thaen equipment. "Get ready, quickly, there are brigands raiding the farms and burning the fields." "How many," Thaen asked while putting on the armor and strapping a sword around his waist. "Why here and now?" Wyldsheed peered at her squire through narrowed eyes, "does it really matter?" He shook his head. "Then forget the why and how many, innocent people are probably dying." Thaen was ready and nodded, his aubern hair was in a messy ponytail and his beard was wild and unkempt. If this wasn't a serious matter, she would be amused. "Where do you want me, my lady," he said helping her tighten the straps on her breastplate. Thaen assumed in his mind she would have him out of harms way while she and other knights took care of the raid. "We'll meet with the other knights rallying at the northern gate," Wyldsheed said grabbing her weapons and leading the squire out toward the gates. Upon arriving a dozen knights and their squires had assembled, a knight captain of the rose was issuing orders to those assembled. "Looks like I'll be with the main group, you go with the other squires and help the people get into the city walls while we deal with this." Thaen nodded with a look of worry on his face. "Hey, this isn't my first battle, I'll be fine." she paused. "Protect the people, they matter more than me, I know you'll do the right thing." Thaen reluctantly nodded, "As you command my lady." Secretly he was worried about his patron, even though he knew first hand what her skill level was. He pushed that thought out of his mind and rushed with the other squires out of the gate and onto the road. Residents from the surrounding lands ran frantically toward the city gate. Thaen could see smoke and flames in the distance. "To me," he shouted ushering the people to him. He watched for a moment as knights, including his patron, rode away on horseback toward the smoke and flames. Turning his attention back to people he tried to usher them into the city in an orderly fashion and helped carry some heavier belongings they were trying to bring with them. The more people they helped inside the city, the more showed up in panic. One of the squires shouted and pointed. Thaen's eyes darted in the direction they pointed and noticed a large group of human raiders moving into a nearby area of several homes. He noted there were atleast a couple dozen with a quick count. A woman screamed and children wailed in that direction. "What do we do," shouted one of the squires. Many of the squires scrambled to help villagers into the city. Thaen noticed a few horses nearby and ran to one, hoisting himself up. The other squires looked at him and the villagers rushing the gate, the hesitation was enough for Thaen's mind to be made. Thaen dug his heels into the horse and galloped away toward the nearby housing. He reached the area seeing a couple raiders chasing a woman holding a child, trying to get away from them. Urging a change of direction, Thaen galloped passed the woman and with a brutal upward swing,
cut down the first man and a downward swing to the opposite side of the horse sliced through the raider's shoulder into his chest. He slowed the mount to a stop and placed himself between the raiders and the woman and her child. Screams of the people trapped in a nearby barn echoed through the chaos. "Est Solarus oth Mithas," Thaen shouted and saluted the raiders. "I swear by the grace of Paladine and the wrath of Kiri-Jolith, you will not hurt these people any more! Away with you!" The raiders all turned to the lone squire laughing and mocking him. An arrow flew by Thaen's head, "so be it." Thaen kicked the horse and it lunged foward into a gallop. Thaen slashed one, the horse trampled two more before an arrow struck the horse's front leg, bringing it and Thaen crashing to the ground. Thaen rolled away from the thrashing horse and back to his feet. The first raider that rushed him was quickly slain, the blood pumping through the large squire's body all but masked the pain throbbing in his leg and side from the impact with the ground. Thaen realized something was probably broken, but pushed it out of his mind. Moving with a rigid limp, he narrowly avoided a blow to the head, which caught his red hair and yanked a small chunk from his scalp. Thaen thrust his blade into his attacker's chest to the cross guard, he kicked the man off his blade into one of his comrades and parried an attack, returning his own. An arrow peirced Thaen in the left shoulder blade, the plate and mail barely slowed it down. The sharp pain cleared the squire's mind. Everything seemed to slow down as he heaved a labored breath. A slash to the raider he was engaged with opened his throat. Thaen grabbed another man and yanked him passed him, which by pure luck caused the raider to intercept an arrow from one of his own comrades. Flipping a raider's hand axe up with his foot, he caught it and threw it at the archer, imbedding it in their chest. More pain screamed through his body from a raider's blade piercing his side. "You're going to die knight scum," the foul breathed raider taunted near Thaen's ear. But his taunts were cut short when the large squire headbutted him square in the nose, and gave him an uppercut with the pommel of his sword. Thaen growled through the pain, making his way to the barn filled with villagers trying to avoid the raiders. He spun on unsteady feet, putting himself between them and the attackers. He motioned to his enemies that out numbered him to come at him. A group rushed the knight squire, Thaen fought fiercely, killing two outright and defended himself from three more. He could feel his strength fading, his head was cloudy and vision grew blurred. "This is it," he thought and spat blood. "Kiri-Jolith, help me last just a little bit longer for these people. Paladine," he winced in pain. "I hope I am worthy to be embraced in your light upon my death." With one last salute to the enemy, he engaged them one more time. It didn't take long for them to knocked the squire to the ground. Thaen struggled to get back to his feet, swinging his sword wildly trying to keep the raiders away. He could feel his energy draining rapidly, it was hard to breathe. Collapsing, he could barely see the feet approaching him with caution. Thaen could feel heavy vibrations in the ground and muffled shouts. Warmth rushed into his body and his eyes snapped open. Most of his strength rushed back, he could see plated legs kneeling in front of him as he peered up to see a glowing symbol of Paladine held by a knight. "Did anyone give you permission to die," Wyldsheed loomed over him. He looked around to see the dozen knights she rode with securing the area and tending to the wounded villagers. She leaned down and helped her squire to his feet. "You," she said aggressively, then paused. Her expression softened slightly as did her tone. "You did exactly what I told you to do."
Thaen's eyes lowered, he realized he wasn't as skilled against multiple foes as he had hoped. A spark of pride filled his chest hearing his patron's words, but he sensed she was conflicted about the situation. "I'm not sure if I'm angry, proud, or both," she continued. With a slight smile she placed a hand on the tall man's shoulder. "But there's a bunch of shields and armor that needs polishing. That should give me time to figure it out." "Yes my lady," Thaen felt relief. He was worried about disappointing her and somehow felt that he hadn't. Wyldsheed started to walk away to check on the current situation and looked over her shoulder at the young squire, "Thaen, you're exactly the man I thought you were. Your father should be proud," she turned away and continued walking. "Because I am." Thaen stood in stunned silence for a moment before thanking the knight who had healed him and quickly reaching his patron's side.
Thaen knelt in front of a shrine dedicated to Kiri-Jolith, he prayed silently with his eyes closed. Since recovering from his near death battle, he focused alot on his spirit and connection to the divine powers of light. Still learning to sharpen his focus on using these gifts, he woke up early each morning before his patron, to train himself. Wyldsheed watched her squire from the doorway, slipping away quickly when he finished his prayers. She didn't have the same connection to the gods that her squire did, but wanted to see how long he would "hide" this from her. She chuckled to herself when he entered the mess hall and sat at her table. "You weren't in your room,"she said casually. "Still having trouble sleeping?"she looked at him, searching his eyes for the truth he might not even know himself. "I was praying,"he replied. He picked at his food a little before forcing himself to eat. "You pray alot lately,"she nodded and bit into a biscuit. "Something I should know? Are you okay?" Thaen shifted in his seat never raising his eyes to meet hers, he thought for a moment before answering. "I almost died,"he said with a hint of sharpness in his tone. "I am trying to find my strength of spirit, calm my mind, and harness the gifts from the Gods of light. I don't know any other way to handle this feeling,"he pauses, hesitant to continue. "I feel lost and unsure for the first time in my life." Wyldsheed carefully listened to her squire. She felt a twinge of sadness hearing how he felt and that he was trying to shoulder this burden alone. "You're not alone Thaen,"she said in a calming tone. "Every squire and knight has doubts from time to time. The important thing is duty. You're not going to abandon your duty are you?" he shook his head. "The next important thing is preparation. Were you prepared to face so many enemies?"he shook his head again. "I'm devoted to the knighthood in the name of Kiri-Jolith, but I haven't the spiritual connection you do. But I can do something else to help you, and I hope by doing so will help you heal." Thaen looked up with a forced smile, "thank you my lady." Wyldsheed smiled, "don't thank me yet. Go on, do your chores, spend time talking to other knights today about training the ability to use divine gifts. Tomorrow, will be the hardest training yet."She stood and left the mess hall, letting her squire mull over her words. The next morning Thaen awoke to Wyldsheed standing over him, she didn't say anything, but motioned for him to follow her with a nod of her head. Thaen pulled on his boots and followed after her quickly. They entered the training yard where a handful of knights of the crown stood with wooden training swords. Wyldsheed grabbed a shield and wooden sword and handed them to Thaen. "I am going to drill you until ten combatants can't touch you,"she said sternly. "You will be bruised, you will be sore, but when we're done you will be able to stand your ground against many. Am I clear squire?"Thaen nodded and looked back to the knights in the training circle, then back to his patron. Wyldsheed picked up a shield and wooden sword entering the center of the group of knights. She nodded and they launched attacks against her. Quickly she blocked, deflected, and moved with swift footwork. Finding openings she struck the knight's armor one by one until they were all standing off to the side. Catching her breath she returned to her squire, "they are not going to go easy on you, and it will hurt when you fail."She motioned for him to enter the training area. "But you will get stronger, tougher, and faster. I promise your instincts will sharpen and you will be better for it."
Thaen nodded and entered the ring, the knights attacked him with relentless vigor. The wooden swords battered the large squire's body while he blocked, parried, deflected, or dodged as many attacks as he could. At the end of the training session, he was bloodied and bruised praying it was only a dream. Wyldsheed sent him to a healer and dismissed him for the day. "He's got a long way to go captain,"said one of the knights. "You sure about this?" "He needs to snap out of it,"she replied calmly. "He is honorable with a good heart. He needs us right now,"she paused and looked at the knight of the crown. "And the knighthood needs him." The weeks turned from autumn to winter. Thaen spent his evenings training his divine powers, but the day time was filled with blood, sweat, and many lumps and bruises. The more time he spent training, the less frequent his body took punishment. A light blanket of snow was on the ground when he entered the training ring. He closed his eyes and inhaled the crisp winter air. The wind bit his skin and burned his ears. Wyldsheed stood by to observe, correct, and guide his training. Gripping his shield and training sword, Thaen sprang forward and knocked a knight to the ground. Attacks quickly came from all angles, but his stayed light on his feet, avoiding most of the attacks. One lucky strike cracked him in the side of the head, something snapped in his mind, he couldn't describe to himself what the feeling was, but it was akin to anger even though he felt calm. With a swift movement, he avoided a strike and punished the knight who made it with a heavy blow from his wooden sword. Quickly he brought his shield up and absorbed a strike from behind. His movements were crisp and near perfect, dropping the group of knights with non lethal blows, one by one. "Outstanding,"Wyldsheed exclaimed with a hint of pride. Her expression hardened when she saw Thaen's piercing green eyes. He seemed like his mind was focused elsewhere. "Thaen, did you hear me?" Thaen's eyes met hers. For a moment thoughts of wrathful intent flooded his mind before he pushed them away. He blinked a few times and regained control of his thoughts, nodding slowly. He felt something he hadn't felt since battling the raiders outside the keep. He felt whole.
Thaen woke early and headed to the training yard, the chill in the air and fresh snow bit at his skin as he lined up with a wooden dummy. Practicing strikes and footwork he noticed a few knights of the crown approaching him. "You are a persistent squire,"one of them said with a chuckle. "You know yesterday when you bested us, you kind of caught us by surprise?" Thaen turned with a smile and rested the wooden sword on his shoulder, "of course. You wore yourselves out wailing on me all morning. I just used that to my advantage." The group of knights chuckled and shook their heads, Thaen could hear murmurs that he must be crazy. "I'm not entirely sure you're sane,"said the first knight shaking his head with a chuckle. "Why are you insisting on punishing yourself every single day by us beating on you? You have brothers and sisters to fight by your side, you know that right?" Thaen's expression darkened listening to the knights words. He took a deep breath and slowly released it before replying. "I almost died,"he growled. "To brigands! Criminals! You all would have cut them down, sent them packing, but me,"he paused. "I was trained by a knight of the rose, a master at arms, and the captain, my patron since I could hold a sword. And a bunch of criminals almost killed me."Thaen shook his head and sighed. "That will not happen again." The knights exchanged glances hearing the squire's frustrated outburst. "Look kid, you were just unlucky, that's all. Next time,"he was cut off by Thaen. "Next time it could be the knights of Takhisis,"Thaen snapped. "Next time it could be pirates attacking Palanthas, or burning my father's home killing him and my mother. I need to learn how to fight at a disadvantage, using every tool in my arsenal to even the odds honorably!" "Okay, okay,"the knight replied, Thaen could still hear the others murmuring. "The last time the dragon armies came through, you were in a nappy. No one's heard anything about them since they left." "They're coming back,"Thaen shook his head with a sigh. "They always come back, just a matter of when, not if."Thaen turned back toward the training dummy. "If you don't wish to train me at the behest of Captain Wyldsheed, I will find others. But I will learn to fight many enemies and be victorious, with or without your help. One day I'll be in a similar situation, I just hope i'll be ready on that day." "Yes you will,"Wyldsheed said, surprising everyone in the yard. The knights snapped to salute her, but she waved her hand to dismiss their salute. "My squire is wise, even if he doesn't realize it. You all should be encouraging him, not detracting him. We will always be outnumbered, we will always be deceived, and we will always fight fairly and honorably." She stepped in between the knights and her squire, reaching up to pat him on the shoulder. "So we should all be prepared for the day when we must fight against many." "Yes captain,"the knights shouted in unison. "Thaen,"Wyldsheed nodded. "Let us begin, today will be different. Today you'll be rotating who is in the middle. Everyone will be walking away with bumps and bruises I'd wager. Begin!" Each day began with this training, and each day the knights and the young squire got tougher and better skilled. Each evening Thaen spent praying and controlling his connection to the divine. Weeks went by and winter was midway through to spring, Wyldsheed would silently observe her squire waking up before dawn and entering the training yard. He ran laps around the yard, carried sacks of sand on his shoulders, did press ups, and sit ups. None of which was part of his normal training.
Wyldsheed also noticed he had put on some bulk to his already large frame since he began training with her. She chuckled at the thought of how young and green he was upon his arrival, it seemed so long ago. Now he was looking experienced, hardened, and even more disciplined. But the one thing that hadn't changed was his humility, honesty, and willingness to serve others. For a nobleman, he was well liked by the commoners and knights alike. She smiled, daring to think she had done a good job getting him ready for what comes next.
The Storytellers of Ansalon, The DragonLance MUD
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