The Promise of the Dawn

Chapter Five: The Barracks

It only took me seconds to realize that Cael was leading me in an unknown direction.

"Excuse me?" I question, tugging at the sleeve of his jacket.

The fabric feels smooth beneath my fingertips and I immediately let go, examining them in awe as the feeling of the fabric still lingers upon them. He turns to look at me over his right shoulder, shooting me a confused glance.

"What is it, newbie" He responds, watching as I examine my fingertips.

I look up at him as he responds, distracted from my original task.

"Where are you taking me?" I question untrustingly.

He laughs softly under his breath, as if entertained by my distrust.

"Don't worry, I'm not leading you to your immediate death, if that's what you're worried about. Though I can't promise my father will be as thoughtful." Cael responds, beginning to walk again.

"Huh. Comforting" I respond, beginning to follow him again.

I hear him scoff at my response as he continues to walk. Cael leads me back up and through the gardens I used to reach the fields and I'm again shocked at the beauty of the variety of plants within it.

I'd always imagined walking through a garden this beautiful when I was younger. One that was planted entirely by me, that I could walk through whenever I pleased and escape the reality of my everyday life with the waft of a single rose. This garden didn't smell like roses, but there was the gentle undertone of lily, my favorite flower, and I inhale deeply, filling my nostrils with the subtle scent.

Cael glances over at me as I inhale the sweet scent and I catch him looking at me as I open my eyes. He immediately shifts his gaze as I open my eyes, playing it off as if he'd never glanced my way. I smile to myself softly as he leads me down a separate paved path leading away from the garden and the Estate.

This separate path leads through a large stretch of grassy field, where a few people are scattered, sitting or lying beneath the warm sun, or playing games with each other to pass time. At the end of the path is a cluster of small buildings made of cobblestone, all situated within a few feet of each other and connected by paths paved with gravel.

The people within the field all look up at us as we walk towards the buildings, and I lock eyes with one of them, who looks at me in confusion and then promptly gets hit in the head with a flying ball. They rub their head as I walk by them, and I laugh softly, not out of spite, but mere enjoyment.

"This way" Cael says as we approach the buildings and find ourselves at a fork in the paths, winding through the buildings.

He turns right at the fork, leading us further down the path until we reach the end, where a small building sits, patiently awaiting our arrival. The wooden roof is covered in patches of dark green moss, and a few cracks between the cobblestones feature the same clumps of moss, but anything was a step up from my sister and I's cottage. There's a small window at the front of the building, set next to the door, and I run up to it, looking through the dirtied glass into the inside.

"This is beautiful. Where are we?" I question Cael, turning to look over my shoulder at him excitedly.

"The barracks. But I would hardly describe them as beautiful" Cael responds.

"Maybe for someone like you, who's grown up in an Estate his whole life. But for people like me, we'd consider having a building like this a luxury" I reply, patting the cold cobblestone wall.

"Well, we'll see if you still think the same thing once you're inside" Cael replies, opening the door of the building and gesturing for me to step inside.

I shrug, stepping through the doorway.

There's a long, skinny hallway located directly in front of us as we enter the building, lined on either side with thin, pine wood doors that look like they could shatter into a million pieces with a singular blow to them. The floor is made of a dark gray polished stone that feels cold on my feet as I start to follow Cael down the hallway until we reach the end, where the back wall of the building prevents us from walking any further. 

Cael pulls a key from the pocket of his cloak and inserts it into a small lock attached to the door handle of the pine wood door.He proceeds to slowly turn it until a click sounds and the lock falls onto the stone floor with a loud crash.

Cael bends down and picks the lock up from the floor, then pushes on the door with his shoulder to open it and reveal the room to me. It's about the size of the singular room in the cottage, but with many more furnishings and a bit of a musty smell. 

The walls are all cobblestone, and a small window on the back wall lets in a few rays of light that penetrate the darkness of the room.The furnishings are all made of a dark wood, which I can only assume is oak. There's no bed frame, but instead a mattress set on the stone floor, which has been covered with a small canvas rug for more padding. A tall bookcase sits on the wall farthest from the bed, and next to it is a small dresser featuring three drawers, that a small clock sits atop. I wouldn't use all of them, considering I only brought one bag of belongings.

Besides the bookcase, the dresser, and the mattress, there wasn't much else in the room, but I couldn't have been happier.

I walk over to the mattress, laying down on it and looking up at the wooden ceiling above me. It wasn't much, but it was my own. I'd never had my own bedroom before, and I looked forward to actually having my own space. I lay there for a second with my eyes closed, enjoying my moment of alone time, until I hear a sudden uproar through the walls of my room and I open my eyes, sitting up to investigate.

"Oh right, one more thing. This is a shared building" Cael explains when he sees my look of confusion as I sit up.

"Come with me, I'll show you the bathhouses" He adds on.

I sigh, standing up and following him out of the room.

We walk back down the hallway and exit the building, walking down another pathway until we reach a separate building that looks different from the others. This one has a gazebo set up in front of it, where a few men sit in sopping wet towels, watching us as we walk by. 

We enter the building and are immediately greeted with a wall of steam, which impairs my vision as I try to continue forward.I wave my hand in front of me, pushing away the cloud of steam until it clears and I can finally see where I'm going, which I automatically regret. I turn around quickly, diverting my eyes from what I just witnessed.

"Oh right... the bathhouse is also communal" Cael replies as we enter the bathhouse.

"I'd try and schedule your baths for when no one else is here, if I were you" He whispers into my ear before walking back towards the entrance of the bathhouse.

My cheeks redden as he says this and I briskly follow after him in an attempt to leave the bathhouse as quickly as possible.

"Some other things you may need to know: meals are offered in the dining hall every morning, and evening, but you have to fend for yourself for lunch, seeing as you'll usually be training during that time. The dining hall is located to the right of your barrack, but if you find yourself accidentally lost, there's a directory in the library, which was the first building you saw coming over here. If you see me around, feel free to ask questions, but otherwise ask my father or one of your fellow trainees. Any questions?" Cael explains to me, turning around to face me with a brief smile.

"Uh- What about uniforms?" I question, still processing all the information he's just thrown at me.

"Your uniform will be delivered to you in the morning so you can wear it to training, along with your training schedule for the next year." Cael explains.

"Now, if you don't have any other questions, I really must return to my studies" He finishes.

"Oh... okay. Thank you, my lord" I reply, beginning to curtsy to him. He stops me by grabbing my arm.

"That won't be necessary" He replies, looking deeply into my eyes before turning on his heels and beginning to walk back down the path, leaving me alone yet again.