Chapter 12
"Welcome home, your Highness!"
Cedric winced, hearing Master Rylan use Henry's title. He'd gone to a lot of time and effort to avoid reminding the prince of his station, getting Henry to see that a life of helping others wasn't something to shy away from in the name of vanity and an accident of birth. Cedric thought he'd done a reasonably good job of grounding Henry in the reality of life in Mythesti... and now Rylan was going to undo all of his hard work.
"You're also back a little early," the master mage observed with a sharp look in Cedric's direction. "I trust there wasn't a problem."
"Well... there was a bit of an accident," Henry said with a smile before launching in the story of the avalanche and how he'd taken care of his mentor for two days before Cedric had been able to travel. Rylan looked suitably impressed with the young prince's exploits, and Cedric was just as happy to let Henry do the talking. Cedric knew that he'd have a chance to tell tales later.
Leaving Henry in the care of their master, Cedric made his way up to his room, not surprised to find that the space had a slightly musty smell. Being home a few weeks early hadn't given anyone time to air the place out, and he pushed open a small window and looked around. He was pleased to note that everything was as he'd left it nearly a year ago, and there was evidence that the room had been dusted recently. He smiled as he sank into the chair in the corner, closing his eyes and massaging his arm.
The fall from the ledge in the mountains had broken his arm in two places, something Cedric had discovered the next morning when he'd awakened from his shock-induced sleep. He'd been in too much pain to help Henry with even the simplest chores, and he felt that he owed the young journeyman his life. Henry had kept them warm, found their mules, and eventually had found the Spirit mage who'd healed Cedric's arm. Having gone a few days of letting the bones heal however they wanted had left Cedric with a bit of an ache that the mage had told him likely wouldn't fade completely. Cedric considered it a small price to pay for his life.
Thinking back to his own first walkabout, Cedric figured that a large dinner would be likely that evening. He also remembered getting sick, and he made a mental note to tell Henry to go easy on the rich foods. They'd eaten reasonably well during their journey, but the food had been a simpler country fare, very unlike what was probably going to be put before them tonight, all in the name of celebration.
Forcing himself back to his feet, Cedric gathered clean clothing and made his way to the bathing room. It would be wonderful to feel truly clean, and then he thought he might take a bit of a nap before dinner. Being back here wasn't sitting quite right, and Cedric couldn't put his finger on exactly why. Maybe this past year has changed me enough that I'm truly ready to be out on my own, he mused while he bathed. He was due to take his master's test, after all, and assuming he passed, on his own would be exactly where he found himself.
Dinner came and went with the expected festivities, the various apprentices and journeymen studying under Rylan and Melynda enjoying themselves immensely. Cedric noticed that Henry's former rival, Jerome, was sitting at the journeyman's table with them, and he wondered briefly if there would still be trouble between the boys. They'd had over a year apart, after all, and Cedric hoped that they'd both matured... Jerome especially.
After dinner, the apprentices all scrambled to clean up after the meal in order to enjoy a rare evening off, while the journeymen retired to their wing of the building. Cedric escorted Henry, showing him to the sitting room where the older students could sit and relax after a long day of study and teaching. Cedric didn't stay for very long, however, knowing that he still had one duty to perform before he could truly say that his walkabout was complete. He soon found himself outside of his master's study, knocking softly before entering.
"So an avalanche, you said," Rylan began without preamble, making Cedric wince. He'd known that this line of questioning was coming, but he hadn't really expected to start with it.
"Yes, sir," he replied. "It was careless, of both of us. We were distracted by the warm weather and beautiful day, and neither of us thought to check the stability of the track we were using."
"You're lucky," Melynda pointed out. "This could have ended badly, for both of you."
"I know that, ma'am," Cedric commented with a nod in the master mage's direction. "It was a lesson for both of us, and I know that I am certainly grateful for the chance to learn from my mistake."
Rylan nodded, apparently satisfied. "So, what else can you tell us?"
"Well, the prince has made a lot of progress this past year," Cedric started, choosing his words carefully, knowing what his master wanted to hear. "He's come a long way toward mastering the process of adapting spells to his needs, but still has difficulty doing so under pressure."
Rylan waved Cedric's critique away, commenting that Henry was only finishing his first year and had plenty of time to master the ability. Cedric continued.
"Henry does have a tendency to freeze up under pressure," he said. "I was never able to get him to tell me about what he is thinking when it happens, but I suspect that he will need to understand whatever it is that is holding him back before he will be able to make any significant progress."
"What about his speciality?" Rylan wanted to know. "Did he show any particular ability with anything?"
Cedric shook his head. "Not really, no. The closest he came was when we were working with the miners in the western mountains. Henry really enjoyed working with the few gems and precious metals we were able to locate, but it did seem to be more enjoyment than an actual affinity. You will have to identify his particular talent in the workroom, I'm afraid."
Master Rylan seemed disappointed by this news, but Cedric knew that there was nothing he could do about it. Each journeyman had a particular talent or affinity for a specific type of spell, and with their rather limited spell use over the past months, Henry simply hadn't stumbled across his yet. It wasn't anything to worry about though, as this was quite common.
"Enough about Henry," Rylan said. He raised his glass of wine to salute his journeyman. "Let's talk about you."
"Me?"
"Yes, you," Rylan said with a laugh. "Don't think I haven't noticed your restlessness today. It's time for you to move on, so let's discuss how we can make that happen. What are you thinking about doing next?"
"I do want to take my master's test," Cedric stated without hesitation. He knew that there were many mages who stayed at the journeyman level for their entire lives, the idea of taking the risk to become a master mage not being considered worth it. There was additional power, yes, but also additional responsibilities, and many didn't want that.
"After that, assuming that all is well, I'm thinking about establishing a place for myself somewhere in the agricultural region."
Rylan nodded, agreeing with Cedric's idea. They both knew that Cedric's talent lay with plants, especially making them grow, and an agricultural position made perfect sense.
"Are you certain about the test then?" his master questioned. "You could still establish yourself as a journeyman, and not worry about the risk. I heard nothing but good things about you and Henry during your stint across the north. You would be well received."
Cedric laughed. "Yes, I'm sure. The extra power that comes with being a master mage would be particularly useful to me. I'd be able to stretch my spells even farther than they reach now, which will be very important when it comes to avoiding storm damage and the like."
"Agreed. I'll send out messengers tomorrow to find mages for your test, and I'll let you know."
Cedric nodded his agreement, bowed to the master and mistress of the house, and took his leave of them. As he walked back to his room, his thoughts were already ranging ahead into the future. He was assuming that he was going to pass his master's test, and so he started sifting through his memories of the villages and communities he and Henry had passed through, trying to decide whi
ch ones were best suited to housing him year round. Lost in these pleasant plans, Cedric lay down on his bed and drifted into a peaceful sleep full of dreams of sunshine and acres upon acres of healthy growing plants.