The Apprentice Read Free Page A

and had breakfast with his brother and father after his morning chores.
Everything was fine until an offhand comment from his father.
    “Yesterday
was a nice reprieve, but we should not get used to such luxuries.” He looked
pointedly at Rowan. “I will need the both of you to help me run this farm, and
to one day keep running it when I grow too old.”
    “What
are you saying, Father?” Rowan asked.
    “I am
saying that this trip ought to have gotten all this nonsense of travelling and
leaving this farm behind. We have taken a day off, a much needed day I grant
you, but you will be remaining here with your brother and myself.”
    Rowan
couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
    “What do
you mean? Do you think that going into the village is the same as travelling
out and being on my own?”
    “Rowan,
you allow yourself to enjoy notions of fantasy and grandeur. You wish to be
elsewhere, to live a different life. That is understandable, but you are needed
here. Your yearning will pass.”
    After
that, Rowan had gone outside. He thought of his chores, but he was not in the
mood to do farm work. He just couldn’t.
    *           *           *
    It was not until late evening, when
the sun was close to the horizon, that Rowan arrived back within sight of home.
His father would not be happy with him. He had been gone for a long time and
his absence meant that less work had been accomplished during the day.
    The
evening air was uncommonly cool and damp, and the winds were beginning to howl
as Rowan trudged towards the house. As he approached, someone shouted at him.
    “Hey,
Rowan, where were you this time?”
    Rowan
looked up just in time to see Petar running towards him. His brother barreled
into him and they both fell to the ground. They rolled over several times as
they wrestled, coming to a stop with Petar pinning Rowan down.
    Petar
laughed as Rowan struggled to free himself. Eventually, Rowan managed to throw
his brother off and get up. The two of them were covered with dirt and grass.
    “So,
where were you? I was worried that I’d have to go out and find you if you
didn’t come back soon.” Petar looked at Rowan, trying to elicit a response.
    “I
needed to be alone for a while.” Rowan tried to hide the pain and sadness in
his voice. It was only there for a moment before he controlled it, but Petar
had caught it. They knew each other too well.
    “You
both needed a chance to calm down. I did my best to do most of your chores, but
the tools still need to be cleaned and put away.”
    “Alright.”
Rowan moved towards the back of the house where the tool shed was.
    “You’re
going to owe me for this,” Petar called after him. “I didn’t tell Brennon that
I covered most of your work.”
    Rowan
silently thanked his brother. He heard the front door open and then slam shut
as Petar went back inside, leaving him alone again.
    The
farming tools and everything else that had been used were piled up outside the
storage shed. Rowan opened the shed, pulled out a rag and then fetched a pail
of water so he could begin washing the bladed instruments.
    Rowan
did his work by candlelight, and was glad when he finished. The moon were
hidden behind a black cloud that left the night cold and shrouded in darkness.
A fine mist hung in the air, blown about by the wind as it began to get stronger.
    Rowan
hurried inside with his candle, using his hand to protect the flickering flame.
Inside, he found Petar and Brennon eating at the table. A fire was burning in
the hearth, spreading warmth throughout the room. They both looked up when he
entered.
    “I put
the tools away,” Rowan said simply. The door slammed shut behind him.
    “And the
rest of the chores?”
    Rowan
shot a glance at Petar. “They’re finished.”
    “Good.”
    Rowan
waited for his father to say something more, but it seemed that nothing else
was going to be said. Brennon had returned to his meal, and Rowan felt that he
had been given silent