Mickey Reichert - Flight of the Renshai

"Captain," Ra-khir said warningly.

But Kedrin ignored his own son to continue lauding Ra-khir's. "You knew the law and cited it, but you also realized that the men in this case were bound by it only if they could not agree on another solution. Then, you steered them toward one that worked."

Ra-khir spoke his piece, "A bit too directly, though, Captain, don't you think?"

Kedrin laughed. "Maybe. But this was Saviar's first judgment, and he handled it very well. Had this been a test, he would have passed."

"Yes." Ra-khir's tone remained flat. "Had it been."

Saviar remained as quiet as possible, certain he had no direct role in this discussion, even though he was the subject of it. The two older men had always seemed perfect friends as well as father and son, closely allied in word, thought, and deed. He had never heard them argue.

Kedrin went straight to the point, "What's bothering you, Ra-khir?"

Ra-khir considered his reply. Behind him, Saviar saw the stiffening of his back and shoulders while he thought. Then, Ra-khir spoke with measured caution, the hostility leaving his tone. "Are we talking captain to subordinate? Or father to son?"

Kedrin reined his mount directly beside Silver Warrior, and they walked along in tandem. "Father and son, then?"

"Fine." Ra-khir continued to look straight forward, toward the mountains that defined the city of Bearn. "Papa, with all due respect, I don't wish to talk about it now."

"Ah." A smile played across Kedrin's lips, and he winked at Saviar. "Then, perhaps, Sir Ra-khir, we had best go the captain to subordinate route."

Ra-khir finally turned his gaze to Kedrin, and his posture further stiffened. Saviar wished he could see his father's expression. "Captain, with all due respect, I don't find this subject appropriate for children."

Kedrin threw glances in every direction. "And I, Sir Ra-khir, don't see any children."

"Saviar-"

Kedrin interrupted, a rudeness he rarely indulged in."-is of age, Sir Ra-khir."

"Not by the tenets of his own people."

Saviar bit his lip and scowled. The reminder hurt.

"We," Kedrin said with clear warning, "are not Renshai. By our standards, and those of the kingdoms we serve, Saviar is a man."

Ra-khir did not argue. Not only was Kedrin's point undeniable truth, it would gain him nothing. "Yes, sir. But I don't feel this is a topic appropriate to discuss in his presence."

"I want to hear it," Saviar blurted out, immediately cursing himself for the indiscretion. His best strategy was to remain silent. Better to look the fool, an old Erythanian proverb stated, then speak foolishly. He tried to fix the damage. "If it involves me, I should know."

Kedrin inclined his head toward Saviar without losing the rakish angle of his hat. "The young man has a point, has he not?"

Ra-khir's words emerged stilted, clearly spoken through gritted teeth. "It is not always in a man's best interests, Captain, to know every word spoken about him."

Saviar no longer thought it best to keep quiet. He knew he could gain the advantage with appropriate outrage. "You mean you're going to speak ill of me? My own father?"

"No, no," Ra-khir cringed, half-turning in his saddle. "Saviar, I wouldn't ever speak ill of you. There is nothing ill to speak. You're a boy…" He amended, "A man of great talent and caring nature. I am proud of you every moment of every day."

Saviar hammered the point home. "Then why can't you speak freely in front of me?"

Cornered, Ra-khir groaned politely. "Very well, Saviar. Captain." His shoulders slumped ever so slightly, as if he wanted to collapse but could not because it might belittle the uniform of the Knights of Erythane. "I just feel Saviar gets enough pressure from his mother without us adding to his burden."

Kedrin urged gently, "What do you mean?"

"I mean she's always after him to perform his best, rain or shine, day or night, well or sick."

"What's wrong with that, Sir Ra-khir?"

It was not the question Saviar expected. He stared at his grandfather, who presented him with another wink.

"Nothing, in theory, Captain. But it's a lot of stress for a child, especially when he's always getting compared with a brother who has the-" Ra-khir stopped with an uncomfortable suddenness. "-who has a unique amount of… uncanny… natural… ability."

"It is the life you chose for him, Ra-khir."

Saviar mulled his grandfather's words, his brow knitting. They seemed to hold an inordinate meaning for the knights that he did not understand. He supposed it referred to his father's decision to marry a Renshai, yet Ra-khir's prolonged hush made it appear to carry even more weight.

"Yes," Ra-khir finally said. "And I knew there would be times when I regretted it. Yet…" Now he gave Kedrin his full attention. "… I don't think, Captain, that we should add to the boy's…" Again, he corrected himself, "… the young man's burden by expecting him to mimic the accomplishments of an immortal."

"Ah."

"Especially Colbey Calistinsson, who didn't even undergo the intensive training of the Knights of Erythane, in addition to those of the Renshai."

"Do you think he couldn't have?"

"I don't know, Captain. I doubt he would have spared the time; but that's not my point." Ra-khir dropped a hand from the reins to smooth the fabric of his knight's tunic. "I just think we should allow Saviar to relax on the rare occasions we manage to pry him off the Fields of Wrath."

Kedrin chuckled.

The sound seemed so out of place, Saviar jerked his attention fully to the Knight-Captain.

Ra-khir tensed again, looking askance at his father. "Did I say something amusing, Captain?"

"Indeed, Sir Ra-khir. Did you think a journey to console the siblings of a lost young prince could be seen as a pleasure outing?"

Saviar saw the grim humor in the situation, and he knew Ra-khir must, too.

"Well, no, Captain," Ra-khir admitted. "There is that aspect of the trip. But I rather thought… I mean I wanted…" He seemed unable to complete the thought.

So Kedrin helped him. "We can learn from every experience, no matter how small. Don't you want the chance to guide your son on different paths than just the one his mother chose for him? You lose that if you decide only to play with him, to avoid the difficult events and discussions in his presence."

Saviar realized the conversation had progressed to levels he did not quite understand. The words conjured only images of Tae's relationship with Subikahn. In his youth, Saviar had envied the playfulness of his twin's father, how Tae had turned every interaction with the boys into a merry game. In the Eastlands, they had had no worries, no responsibilities. If anything negative ever happened in that kingdom, the twins remained blissfully ignorant. Tae seemed steadfast in assuring that nothing of import ever troubled his only son, nothing disagreeable ever marred their perfect bond. Now, Saviar eagerly awaited Ra-khir's response; but, when it came, it surprised him.

"This isn't about me and Saviar anymore, is it, Captain?"

Saviar's muscles locked in spasm. They read my mind.

Kedrin, too, looked taken aback momentarily, then smiled. "I suppose there is a bit else mixed in there, Ra-khir. We are a product of our experiences, no matter how hard we try to escape them."

His grandfather's words cued Saviar to the realization that they were referring not to Tae, but to Ra-khir's clownish stepfather.

"Biased or not, my point is still valid," Kedrin insisted. "Every life experience changes us. Why shouldn't I want the best for my grandsons?"

"You should, Captain." Ra-khir continued to emphasize the knightly relationship long after they had already reverted to a father/ son conversation. "But is overburdening him with options and decisions really 'best'?"