Touch of Fate

Chapter 9: Living Another Life

Mike awoke in a stream of sunlight pouring in from the only window in the room. He stood, dressed in the clothes lying nearby, and exited the room. He found himself in a bare, stone corridor with a few other doors. After wandering for a while, he managed to make his way outside and into a courtyard of sorts.

The sounds of training rang out as he saw a group of 20 Order members drilling in a blocked off portion of the courtyard. From his vantage he could see that he was in a small-sized castle or fort. Judging from the wheel shaped heraldry hung in various locations, he assumed it belonged to the Order of the Wheel. While he was examining his surroundings, Kaya exited a nearby doorway. Seeing him up, she approached with a slight frown on her face.

"Your finally awake." She said before motioning him to follow her. "Come on, the commander wanted to see you once you were up."

She turned and led him through a series of corridors into a small, disorganized office. A small mountain of papers and documents threatened to overwhelm simple wooden desk. Beorn's fatigued face could just barely be seen over the paperwork. A thin, wiry man wearing a tunic emblazoned with a wheel stood at his shoulder with an intense and slightly disdainful expression. Mike thought he looked a bit like a teacher watching a problem student do remedial work.

Beorn stood as Mike entered. "There you are lad. Good to see you up and about. Have a seat," He said while motioning to a pair of dusty looking chairs, "I wanted to talk to you for a bit."

He looked over at the thin man with a slightly apologetic look, "Sorry to say Wendel, this is important. Can we put off the rest until later?"

Wendel sighed deeply, "As you wish commander. Just remember, the longer you put off your work, the more will build up for you." He then walked out of the office, only sparing Mike a quick nod of acknowledgement in passing.

"Seems like a serious sort." Mike said while sitting down in one of the cushioned chairs. He surprised to find it a lot more comfortable than it first appeared.

Beorn grinned slightly at that. "Ah, don't mind Wendel. He's a little over-serious about rules and the proper procedures, but his heart is in the right place. Truth be told, without his assistance on the administrative side, this place would have fallen apart a long time ago."

He settled down in the other chair. "I wanted to talk to you about a few things, but first of all, welcome to Fort Cayern, chapter house of the Order of the Wheel in Northeastern Almir. I know your memory's a bit spotty, so I won't be surprised if you haven't heard of it. Do you remember anything about the Order?"

Mike shook his head negatively.

"I thought not. Well, to put it simply, the Order of the Wheel is organization charged with guarding the roadways and safeguarding travelers. Much like the other knightly orders, we answer directly to the Crown."

He smiled ruefully before continuing, "But that's about the only thing we have in common with them. The Order of the Wheel is the poorest and least respected of the knightly orders. Even though we do good, necessary work, we always lack in funding and resources compared to the other orders."

Noting Mike's look of mild confusion, "I'm not trying to complain to you, but I wanted to give you an accurate picture of our status before I make my offer."

He leaned forward, a serious and determined look in his eye, and quietly said, "I would like to offer you a place in the Order of the Wheel. I'm not sure about your background, but I feel that you have a lot of potential. I would be remiss in my duties as a commander if I didn't at least try to recruit you."

Mike expected the offer, but was surprised the older man didn't try to sell his organization more. As it stood now, it would be completely reasonable for Mike to say no. He studied Beorn's face, but could not read him. Nevertheless, something told him that saying yes to the offer would be a mistake. So, he met Beorn's eyes and gave his reply.

"Thank you for the offer, commander, but I think I will have to pass. There is so much I don't know about my past and my place in the world. Sorry, but I don't think I'm ready to commit to something this big just yet."

Beorn grinned, "No worries, lad. I would have been surprised if you said yes. Someone with your magical talents could easily make more money as an independent healer or adventurer. You'd be better off avoiding this line of work. The Order of the Wheel is a home for those with nowhere else to go, but I can tell you'll do great things one day. If I hadn't at least made the offer, my superiors would have my head for letting a promising candidate get away."

He leaned back and took a more relaxed pose on the chair. "That said, you'll have to figure out what you want to do in the coming days. You can stay here for now, but I suspect you'll want to start making your own way in the world. If that's true, I would recommend heading down to Wyrport. It's the largest city in the region, and you'll have a lot of options. A talented young man like yourself will do well there."

He paused and then started patting his tunic, before pulling out a small pouch and handing it to Mike. "Before I forget, here, your reward for your actions against the Anhilites. Not only did you manage to kill one, but you saved the lives of four of my men. It's not much, but its all we can spare at the moment."

Mike opened the pouch and saw it was full of a mix of gold and silver coins. The gold coins bore an image of a small bird, while the silver ones had a pair of crossed spears emblazoned on one side. He briefly glanced through them before closing the pouch.

Pondering a couple of options, he finally turned to Beorn and asked him, "What would it cost to buy some arms, equipment, and basic supplies?"

The older man blinked, before scratching his beard thoughtfully. "I could get you a set of leather armor, a good sword or spear, and a dagger for 5 gold wrens. As far as the supplies go, I have a small task that I hope you could help me with. If you do, I'll provide them to you for free, and even throw in a horse."

"Hm, I guess the gold coins are the gold wrens you are speaking of?"

Beorn nodded.

"Alright, what's this task?"

The large, bearded man stood, and began pacing in front of a large window. "Morris is one of my best lieutenants, but he lost an arm in that last fight. Even if he makes a full recovery, without the aid of a powerful healer, he'll never be the warrior he was before. The Order has places for knights and yeomen too injured to keep performing their duties, but I don't want to see that young man waste away in a position meant for the old and decrepit."

He turned to look at Mike. "He has a dream he has always spoken of, one that he hoped to pursue once retiring from the Order. Although I haven't talked with him yet, I suspect that, given the option, he will choose to leave the order to pursue this dream. If that is the case, my request of you is simple. Help see him safely to Wyrport, and when there, keep an eye on him until he settles in. I would send some of my own men, but with recent events I'll need every sword readily available."

Mike nodded thoughtfully. "Alright, I can accept those terms, with one condition."

"Oh?"

"Morris is still injured, so I'm sure he won't be leaving anytime soon, right?"

"That's correct."

"My condition then is, that while I am waiting for him to convalesce, I want you to provide me a trainer. I want to learn some to use my weapons and equipment, and if you are giving me a horse, I'd like to learn how to ride it."

Beorn grinned again, "Fair enough. I won't stop you from trying to get stronger, and I'll even throw in free food and lodging, since you forgot to ask about it."

Mike almost facepalmed, he had forgotten to ask about that, but had largely taken it for granted. He shook his head slightly to himself before sticking his hand out to the older man. "It's a deal!"

Beorn paused for a moment, a look of confusion flashing across his face, before he grabbed Mike's hand in return. "Deal. I'll get Albert to train you. He's the best instructor on this side of the kingdom. It'll be a bit harsh, but you'll definitely improve."