Chapter 5: Ch 4

   At this, the class relaxed a bit, repositioning their chairs and postures.

“With the fight over, Garik returned to the Castle Town, where he demanded the wounded, worn down people of the campsite be taken care of.

 

“Once some time passed and we were able to rebuild and re-establish an army, the people of the campsite led widespread expeditions throughout the mountains for the purpose of expanding and defining our borders. Since they knew the mountains, it took little time to figure out where the borders needed to be drawn.

“This is how the Wall of Takanova came into existence, connecting the two clifftops near the marshes on the other side of the mountains. After that, we gradually worked on the stone wall bordering our side of Takanova, minus the mountainous north and south ends.

“And that, boys, is the story of Garik, the first Sword Heir. The story that began our Will to protect our land, our conflict with the Shlanks that had been unending up until this long Wolverine War, as well as many other traditions. It is said that Garik lived out the rest of his life at the Wall, protecting the mountains that the campsite members ultimately resided in, from the endless Shlank attacks, until the day he died.”

“So..Garik was basically the one who initiated the Wall as a stronghold military base for us?”

“That is correct Kaolo, the Wall of Takanova embodies everything Garik lived for. And now, the Prince, along with three of the Four Generals, has taken the reins of the Wall’s army to keep the silently-watching Shlanks in check. Of course, threatening them with the power of the Green Emerald, even though it has since been sealed away due to its overwhelming power, which is a topic for another day.”

Gambell seemed to be done with the story, causing a small clamor in the class.

“Ah man, I could’ve used the abridged version of that..”

“Shut up, just because rich boys like you probably already know the story doesn’t mean we do!” Mel turned and shrugged at Quentle, a smug look plastered on his face again.

“What about the red sword?”

“Oh, interested, Quentle?” Master Gambell inquired sarcastically.

“The sword remains sealed where Velagoras left it at the time of his death, in the ground in the middle of the forest that you aren’t allowed to go near. Now it’s even surrounded by a small lake, thanks to the tragoons taking chunks out of the earth.”

“That sounds really cool…”

“Let me reiterate, Quentle, that none of you are allowed in the forest. Especially you.”

“Hahh?”

“But to move on, that actually brings me to my follow up discussion, concerning one of the traditions I mentioned: the procession for the succeeding Sword Heir.”

Cedric’s attention shot toward Gambell once more. This time, Mel’s did as well.

“Haha, well because, what coincidence is it that I’d have all three of the prospective Heirs in this class!”

The class’ stares rotated between Cedric, Mel, and Quentle. The three of them looked at each other, exchanging awkward smirks.

“So, my three oh-so-qualified candidates, I’d like to hear your opinions on the relationship between the community and the Heir, something that was established long ago and has been mostly prevalent ever since. Do you think the Teuton governing system handled the issue at hand the right way?”

“I’m not answering because it feels like you’re mocking us.”

“Speak for yourself, ruffian fraud.”

“Don’t just tack insults on to ruffian like it’s clever, jackass!”

“Anyways, isn’t it obvious, Master?” Mel ignored Quentle’s banter with an arrogant brushing motion over his back.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, it’s only right that the Heir fought alone in that case. He was trusted with the sword and the mountain group, while the Teutons at home had a duty to fortify their own walls. It’s the basic formality of our Will, is it not?”

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“What? Are you stupid? Wasn’t the moral of the story basically that we need to fight together as one?”

At last, Cedric couldn’t stay silent. He’d held his tongue out of respect through the entire story, but he’d finally lost it.

Mel turned back, a look of genuine shock on his face. Quentle just looked at him dumbly.

“I mean, how is it right that Garik had to fight completely alone against hundreds of enemies? The king and his officials outright abandoned him along with hundreds of their own people! Couldn’t you realize the entire reason the Heir was established was probably so that they could have an easy scapegoat?! It’s like they knew something like that was going to happen and hoped both parties would just wipe each other out! Then they’d glorify him as a hero and throw the next Heir out to the wolves when the time came! There’s no relationship between community and Heir at all there! That isn’t right at all! What’s the point of our Will to protect our land if we don’t protect our own people?!”

The class stared in silent shock at the fuming Cedric. Even Master Gambell looked dumbfounded.

“…uhh, ya know, I know what ya mean Cedric,” Quentle broke the silence with an awkward entry, “I mean, what you’re saying feels right for sure…but I think the king and his officials saw that perspective and were forced to look past it. I mean, they were right after all, weren’t they? If they’d sent the Four Generals into the mountains, Velagoras would have taken the castle, and killed the king. They had to fortify at home, so I think it was a strategic move that involved trusting Garik to take care of the mountains.” Cedric shot his angry glance at Quentle, who wore a surprisingly honest look.

“I mean, you can’t deny that they made the most logical choice for the sake of the homeland, can you?” Mel spat out very sharply.

“………”

Everyone stared on at Cedric, waiting.

“No…I can’t. Of course, we weren’t there so we can’t know the full details…. but…but the crux of the story is that the incident established the standard for how the community and Heirs interact. What kind of partnership exists with one side foisting all of their problems on the other, just because they’re capable of more than most?”

“Well you could also look at it this way-the people showed their trust in Garik to protect the community from the outside. It was only natural for him to shoulder the burden alone, since the community showed their support for him by relying on him.”

“That’s not right, Quentle. From that story, there wasn’t any support. They didn’t give him any support before the incident, and refused him support during the incident. They never even properly communicated with him, nor did they seek his opinion on the issue! Can’t you think about this from Garik’s perspective? Do you think he agreed with all of this?”

“Well, we can’t know that either. But… I think the problem is that you’re only seeing this from Garik’s perspective, Cedric..”

Cedric swallowed any words that had been on the way out. Quentle’s biting rebuttal stifled him, and forced him to look down, flustered.

“Well, what an interesting discussion, indeed,” Gambell said, returning to his polite smile.

“I think we should all calm down and consider that there is no right answer here. This is something the community still debates today, which is why I like to hold discussions on it in my class. So, I’d like to hear from the rest of you-what do you all think about their answers?”

Farum’s answer was along the lines of Mel’s, taking the bare facts as the center of the issue. Berd’s answer was similar, though he seemed to assume there would logically have been some sort of undocumented contract from the beginning.

Kaolo’s response was the only vocal one that leaned toward Cedric’s view. His reasoning wore the same tone as Quentle’s, saying it felt right but maybe wasn’t realistic to expect anything more. However, in the end, he ended up agreeing with Cedric that the dynamic between community and Heir just wasn’t right.

Only several other classmates spoke up, but none had much more to say other than “Yeah, I think Mel is right, there are some tough decisions that just have to be made”. In the end, there was only two other boys, aside from Kaolo, that agreed with Cedric.

Suddenly, the castle bell resounded loudly.

“Well alright, it looks like we’ve run out of time, and my theory of the dome will have to wait for tomorrow.”

Geraint and Jorge, the two bulkiest boys in the class, gave Cedric a reassuring nod as they filed out of the classroom. Cedric gave a short wave, silently thanking them for their support as he began gathering his things to go to cultural class.

Some of the class had stuck behind, awkwardly eyeing the three boys as if anticipating some sort of tension. However-

“Alright now ya scum, let’s go learn about some farming and marketing! Gotta get you louses ready for the working life, since I’ll be the one out protecting the peace of the dome, hehe.”

Quentle was the same as ever. Thanks to him, Cedric no longer had to worry about how to face Mel.

Instead, the two looked at each other and began snorting with laughter, breaking any possible tension to the surprise of their classmates.

Having been together for years, this was natural for them.

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