The Breton Boys

Chapter Sixteen: The Soldier's Mistake | 1

Over the next several days, as Reid became accustomed to the sentries posted outside his home at all hours, the threat of his death seemed far less imminent. He felt secure with his guard when walking to and from the Academy, especially since he was fairly confident that he would not be attacked in broad daylight. When he wasn't training, Reid made certain to stay inside the cottage as he'd been told. The pairs of soldiers standing guard outside the house were replaced every six hours, and though they remained silent like the sentries at Banebury Castle, Reid began to recognize their faces after a while – like the burly man with the neat white beard, or the alresse with close-cropped light hair.

As the likelihood of Reid being captured and killed seemed to diminish, Averis Aragonite's Titling Ceremony became the central topic of breaktime discussion amongst the trainees. But this pivotal event was still somewhat overshadowed by the fact that Duncan, Oliver, and Reid had already made the trip to Banebury Castle earlier that week for an entirely more unique reason.

The following first day, Averis did not come to training, though the only people this seemed to affect were Imeric, Eleska, and Meara. Meara sat with the remaining Aragonites at break that day and later reported back to the rest of the trainees about Averis' meeting with the Queen.

"She dispatched him to Hobblebush," Meara said the following afternoon in the pavilion. "He's set to be guarding the border. He leaves in three days. Eleska and Imeric are really upset."

Reid looked to where the siblings sat alone, eating in silence, but found it difficult to muster up any sympathy for the boy who had done nothing but ridicule him since the day he arrived at the Academy. Still, his fellows seemed worried for Averis, at the very least. Evidently the border was not the best place to be stationed.

"And Hobblebush borders Diamond Vale," Arigold said, shaking her head gravely. "We discussed it with Captain Pitchblende in Strategy; if Tsorsha invades Fairevale, she'll be aiming for its heart, where the Mericaides are. If her troops march on from there...well, that'll be Hobblebush, Ragwort, and Twayblade that get invaded next."

"That's quite an 'if,' Arigold," Kit said. "Beyond a few disappearances along Fairevale's northern border, there hasn't been any indication that Tsorsha is planning another invasion. Those disappearances could just be normal darthag activity, anyway. We don't know for sure."

Arigold shrugged. "This is just how it started last time."

***

In the days that followed, the mood at the Academy and at home became progressively more cheerful as everyone was busily preparing for Yule. Thick garlands of pine branches hung in loose loops from the roof hanging over the front porch of the Academy, and Adaline had hung sprigs of holly and ivy over every door in the house. Reid and Oliver helped decorate inside the cottage but were made to stay in when Adaline brought hot cups of spiced cider outside to the soldiers standing guard in the snow.

Captain Pitchblende was the only one who seemed unaffected by the spirit of the season. While instructors like Sir Innskeep had begun to devote entire lessons to less structured activities like snow battles, Captain Pitchblende seemed determined to make up for these lax hours by forcing the pages to work twice as hard during Sword and Shield.