The Apprentice (30 page)

Chapter 25
                     
 

The first day of the Revel dawned
hurriedly and hot. The sun rose early, as though eager to begin the day.

The
morning was rushed and everything seemed a flurry of activity. After waking,
the boys were quickly dressed and fed before being paraded out onto the field
as part of the opening ceremonies. There was music and cheering as Rowan and
all of the others made their way onto the training field, which had been
completely transformed to accommodate the large crowd of people. There were
different areas set up so that multiple events could be going simultaneously
and the audience would not have to focus on a single event, instead having the
liberty to choose what they watched.

The
ceremonies had begun early in the morning and continued after the boys were led
off the fields. Rowan wished that he could stay behind to observe and enjoy the
rest of the festivities with the crowds, but that was not his place.

“Listen
up,” Darius said, his booming voice calling the boys to attention. It took
several moments for silence to settle as the boys stopped to listen, their
conversations quieting to hushed whispers and then fading away entirely as
Darius waited, staring into the crowd. “All of you already know which events
you are competing in and when they are scheduled. Some of you may have events that
run for multiple days, but no one should have any event that overlaps in terms
of scheduling and very few of you will have more than one in a single day.
Those of you who are not competing today, once you’ve heard what I have to say,
you may leave and go join the crowd to cheer on your friends.”

Rowan
noticed several boys smile when they heard that. Like them, Rowan would not
compete on the first day and he had been wondering what was expected of the
non-competitors.

“The
first and most important thing I want to tell you all,” Darius continued, “is
that these events are based around the idea of sportsmanship. Winning is good,
but the Revel is truly about testing yourself, pushing yourself to your limits,
and proving your abilities to all of the people watching. With that in mind, I
expect everyone here to act honorably, in both victory and defeat.” Darius’s
eyes swept over them all. Rowan felt them lingering just a moment on him, Erik,
and Byron. “Those of you who are free today may now leave and watch with the
crowds. The rest of you, gather around the trainer who is in charge of your
event so that they can instruct you on how that event will be run.”

Darius
began to read off a list of the trainers who were in charge of each event.
Rowan hung around to see who was going to be competing and to wish them luck.
He caught Erik as the boy walked over to join the group participating in hand
combat.

“Good
luck,” Rowan said. He noticed that Byron had joined the group while Erik had
stopped to talk.

“Thank
you, Rowan. Are you not competing today?”

“I
decided to compete in archery as well as in swordsmanship, but neither of the
events are today, so I’ll be watching your competition and rooting for you on
the sidelines,” Rowan replied.

“Thank
you. Hopefully I’ll do well. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d better join the rest
of my group.”

Erik
politely took his leave.

“Remember
to beat Byron for me!” Rowan called out as his friend walked away. This earned
him a dirty look from two of the boys standing next to Byron, but the bully
himself ignored Rowan’s taunt.

With
Erik gone, Rowan decided to move outside where the crowds had gathered to watch
the competition. He looked around and spotted several boys off to one side. He
recognized Andrew and Heath and crossed the field to join them. A small section
of the field had been roped off for officials and participants, and this was
where the boys were waiting for the events to begin. The area offered a
complete view of the training fields, which was lucky because the rest of the
area was filled with crowds of observers.

“He is
definitely going to win,” Rowan heard someone say as he approached the group.

“Ho,”
Rowan said in greeting. Heath welcomed Rowan and Andrew gave him a slight nod,
but the others were too focused on their discussion to notice his arrival.

“What
are they going on about?” Rowan leaned over and asked Andrew.

“They
are speculating on who is going to do well in certain events, evaluating their
competition. They also have bets on some of the other competitions. It is useless
to speculate, though.”

“How
come?” Rowan asked curiously.

“A
competition is about more than just a person’s physical abilities. Those things
are important too, but victory is about more than that. Luck and circumstance
factor into the outcome of a duel. But ultimately victory is about one’s
willpower, their spirit. A person must have the will to win; that is what
defines a winner.”

“Hum,”
Rowan mused. He could see Andrew’s point, but was reluctant to agree entirely.
“Perhaps for a race or a competition of physical endurance,” he said. “But what
about technique? Wouldn’t you agree that technique can be a deciding factor? In
sword combat, for example, there are instances in which willpower alone would
never be enough to win?”

“No,”
Andrew said, suddenly very serious. “One’s technique is a deciding factor, but
it is gained through training and hard work, which is part of one’s will to
win. Beyond that, if one doesn’t have the will to win, then they will lose to
someone who does. Even Baird, with all of his might and skill, could
potentially lose to someone who was skilled enough and desired victory with all
of their heart. A strong spirit has the ability to overcome immense obstacles.”

Rowan
thought about Baird and all of the times that his master had beaten him. Rowan
doubted that Baird would ever lose just because he was not invested in his
battle and his opponent desired victory.

“That
desire to win, however, is something that is not easily gained,” Andrew
continued. Perhaps he had noticed Rowan’s skepticism. “One must want it with
all of their heart. It is more than a desire for victory. All of us have that;
everyone
desires
victory in battle. This is about
needing
victory, about believing that defeat is not an option and fighting with your
entire being in order to win at any cost.”

There
was a brief silence between the two of them while the others continued to
speculate on the outcome of different events.

“When we
face each other in our competition, I wonder who will win?”

Rowan
remained silent. A part of him was unable to answer the boy’s query. He knew
that Andrew was one of the few close to him in terms of blade-work. Andrew
seemed to accept Rowan’s silence and he turned back to the group.

“It’s
starting,” Heath suddenly shouted.

Trumpets
blared, announcing the official beginning of the Revel competition. All heads
turned towards the fields where a procession of competitors were being marched
out in group formations led by trainers. Each of the boys had changed into
matching blue and silver tunics.

Leading
the whole procession was Darius. He confidently strode out to the middle of the
field and halted, waiting for the boys following to halt and come to attention.
Once everyone appeared to be in place, Darius turned towards the crowd to face
King Alden, who sat in a throne upon the temporary platform that had been
raised. Eliza was at his side, sitting in a smaller version of her father’s
seat. She was dressed for the occasion and a golden ringlet sat upon her brow.
Behind them, Rowan spotted Baird.

“I present
to all, the first competitors of this year’s Revel Competition,” Darius
shouted, his voice straining to reach the ears of each and every listener. A
round of clapping and cheering broke out for the boys who were about to
compete, which Rowan joined wholeheartedly. Together as one, the boys bowed
first to the crowd, then to the king, and finally to Darius, who beamed with
pride.

“Thank
you, Trainer Darius, for your introduction,” King Alden said. A hush descended
over the fields as the people quieted down to hear the words of their monarch.
The king waited for complete silence before he continued. “This day is a very
special one. On this day we celebrate the seventy five winters that have passed
since the Revel first began. In light of this, I feel that it is important to
say a few words regarding the history of our yearly competition before we begin
the events of the day.

“Our
Revel is a traditional competition which allows our youth to test themselves
against their peers. It is a tradition based on honor, pride, and courage. It
is a test that requires hard work and diligence. But it is important to
remember that the Revel competition is not simply about gaining glory, about
winning and losing. It is about honor and growth and most importantly, it is
about friendship. Seventy-five winters ago, this competition extended to any
who wished to participate. Men of all ages and sizes would come from near and
far in order to prove themselves. Some were more skilled than others, but all
were honorable in both victory and defeat.

“What
was important, however, was that the Revel did not discriminate. Anyone was
welcome to join, and people from all across the country came to do so. Our
capitol even received several visitors from foreign nations. The third annual
competition was won by a competitor from our sister country to the east,
Lauratrea.

“Over
time, our country has grown. It is no longer possible to host an open
competition. However, it is important to remember that the Revel was created in
the spirit of honor and brotherhood. And with that in mind, I would like to
officially begin this year’s Revel competition!”

King
Alden ended his speech and took his seat next to Eliza. The crowd broke into
applause once more. Rowan could feel the excitement building as trainers
rapidly began separating the boys on the field in order to begin the day’s
events. Some, those whose events would not begin until later in the day, were
herded off to the side to make way for the earlier events. Erik was competing
in hand-to-hand combat wrestling, which was one of the first events of the day.
Rowan watched and cheered alongside the others as Erik advanced through the
preliminary rounds.

As Rowan
watched, he began to learn the customs of Estoria. Contests of physical prowess
were taken most seriously; they were the marks by which boys earned respect.
For this reason, the wrestling competition was focused on very heavily. Some of
the lesser events were ignored entirely.

Hours
passed as Rowan and the others observed Erik’s progress in the wrestling
competition. The staggering number of competitors caused the competition to
progress slowly, even though the trainers had several matches happening at the
same time. In fact, much was happening. Many events were taking place at once
and it was difficult to take it all in. Erik was doing well, though. Rowan
cheered when it was announced that his friend had made it into the semi-finals.
He noticed that Byron had advanced as well.

The
competition went on and in the end, Erik and Byron were the two remaining
finalists. Rowan cheered from the sidelines as his friend fought. By the end,
both were sweating heavily and panting with exhaustion. The match had extended
almost twice as long as any other and both were being pushed beyond their
limits, driven by a strong desire to win. Byron held the advantage after
landing a heavy blow to Erik’s right leg that left the boy limping heavily,
though Erik had delivered several damaging strikes as well. Pushing his
advantage, Byron charged, aiming for Erik’s right side.

Rowan
tensed and held his breath. It was clear that the match was about to end;
neither boy had much strength left and whoever came out on top in this struggle
was going to be the winner. He worried for Erik.

Rowan
expected Erik to dodge at the last moment and attempt to take Byron’s back. It
was a move that Byron would be expecting, but it was still the most effective
given Erik’s limited mobility. Instead, Erik suddenly shifted his weight and
met Byron’s rush, revealing that he had been exaggerating his injury. The move
caught Byron off guard, allowing Erik to shove his opponent to the ground where
they to grappled as Erik attempted to end their battle.

Byron
fought with fierce tenacity, but Erik’s ploy had given him the advantage and he
was unyielding. Within a minute, Erik had Byron locked in a choke hold.

The
crowd grew wild as the battle reached its conclusion. Rowan heard Erik give the
customary command for Byron to yield. It was an honorable offer, one made to
allow an opponent to give up with grace and dignity. Byron responded by
elbowing Erik in the ribs. Erik winced but did not let go. Byron struck him
again and this time Erik’s grip loosened. Byron quickly slammed his head back
into Erik’s face, causing Erik to stumble backwards and break his hold.

Byron’s
blow had connected with Erik’s nose, leaving his face covered in blood.
Unwilling to stop, Byron stood and shoved Erik to the ground and twisted his
arm behind his back. Erik grunted and struggled to free himself, but Byron had
his entire weight bearing down on him. Without offering a chance to yield,
Byron leaned into the hold and Erik’s arm suddenly popped out of the socket
with a sickening sound.