off his tunic and putting on his new uniform. There was also a plain black belt that he used to cinch up the tunic, and attached to the belt was a small simple knife in a leather sheath.
Jonas put his other shirt into the trunk, adjusted his uniform, and explored his new surroundings. The beds were all perfectly made and the barrack was immaculate. The entire area was simple and clean.
“Can you believe this, Jonas? We’re going to be Finarthian Knights,” Fil said, staring at the vaulted ceiling from his bed. Jonas noticed that all the beds were arranged in groups according to their training team. Each team had a designated area in the barrack, but there were no lines or walls separating them. The blankets on the beds all matched the color of the team, so you could easily tell which groups of beds were assigned to each team.
“I can almost believe anything now, with all that’s happened. It looks like they keep the groups together as much as they can. I wonder what group Tumas is with.” Jonas mused.
“I don’t know, but I imagine we’ll find out soon enough.”
Suddenly the far door bolted open and a short stocky warrior stepped into the barrack. He was wearing the gold and silver tunic of the Finarthian guard. The soldier was young, maybe twenty, but he carried himself with confidence, and moved with military precision. He wore a shiny chain mail shirt under his tunic that went to his knees and he carried a short sword and dagger at his belt. Leather greaves studded and lined with metal covered his muscular legs. The young man’s cape danced around as he approached the two new recruits. His face was cleanly shaven and his long blond hair was tied back behind his ears with a leather thong.
“Are you Fil Tanrey and Jonas Kanrene?” asked the warrior.
Fil jumped down from the bunk to stand next to Jonas.
“Yes, sir,” replied Jonas.
“Good. I am Sal. I was asked by the king to show you around and explain how things work and how your training will progress. If you will please follow me,” the warrior said, spinning on his heels and walking away, not looking to see whether or not they were following. Fil and Jonas glanced at each other, quickly running to keep up with the soldier’s brisk pace.
As they walked, Sal continued. “As you were told, the apprentices are separated into smaller training units. You will usually train with your unit only, which, by your uniforms, is obviously the Stag team. During the daylight hours you will perform a variety of tasks, from physical training and educational pursuits, to serving the knights that live in the inner castle. You will clean and maintain their horses, clean and care for their armor and weapons, and learn all the other skills needed to someday become a knight yourself,” Sal explained, taking them east to a long row of stables. “These are the stables that your team takes care of. Your team leader will organize your work. Do you have any questions so far?”
Sal stopped in the middle of the stables as the two boys shook their heads, indicating that they understood. They were both still busy taking in all the new information and looking around their surroundings. This was to be their new home for the next couple of years and they savored the thought.
The stables were impressive. There were probably at least a hundred horses housed within their walls. Several servants scurried around cleaning stalls, carrying hay, and brushing the horses, work that Jonas knew they would get their fair share of.
A thin older man walked up to them, setting down a bag a grain. He was balding and his face and body showed signs of a lifetime of manual labor. “Good evening, Sal, what do we have here, new recruits?” asked the man.
“Yes, Lars, this is Jonas and Fil, they will be joining the blue team.”
“Nice to meet you both. As you heard, my name is Lars and these are my beauties,” Lars said proudly, using his hands in a gesture that included the entire stable. “I run this stable and I expect it to be maintained to the highest of standards. Do you know what hard work is?” asked Lars.
“Yes, sir,” replied Fil. “We both come from the mountain town of Manson and hard work kept us alive.”
“Manson…never heard of it,” said Lars.
“It is far to the north, sir, almost a month’s travel,” replied