Sel, Chapter 2 Options

[Dantrag]

In those days, I was quite wild. I searched for adventure in everything. and more than once, I looked for fights. I find it sad that other people made excuses for me, even when I refused to give one for myself. I was often convinced I was right, such as in the time I tried to rob a Legion fort and got caught. Then, I got out of trouble because of my 'horrible childhood'. Looking back, it wasn't so horrible until the deaths started happening.

-Selenil Vendas

"Sh!" A ten- year-old Sel ordered his sister as he put his finger over his lips. "You don't want us to get caught again, do you?"

Vysi put on a pouty face and shook her head 'no'.

"Stay here." he whispered, handing Vysi a piece of bread.

They were hidden in a storage closet in Fort Buckmoth eating some bread that was stored in the crates. They often went there when they got hungry, and had only been caught once. That hadn't been pretty; their mother was less than happy to say the least.

Sel wanted more than bread this time though; he wanted some gold; hat way his family could have more than two changes of clothing each. Besides, why pass up an opportunity for adventure?

He sneaked out the door of the storage room and made his way up the stairs; he was disappointed in the fact that the corridor was lighted. He peered under the closed door to the next room, the soldiers were drinking and lagughing loudly. Sel even thought he heard a song somewhere in the choas of noise. Smiling, he made his way into what he had found out days before was the Fort commander's quarters. He opened the door, now confident that he would have no trouble. He stood straight up and opened the door. To his dismay, the commander wasn't one to drink.

"Hey! Who the hell are you?"

Sel stood there wide-eyed for a moment before finally taking off down the hallway. Unfortunately for him, the commander did too.

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It's short, but hey, it's really late here.

This post has been edited by Dantrag: Nov 27 2005, 05:39 AM

[Dantrag]

wow. I actually found time to update it in a reasonable time frame. Give me hugs! NOW!

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Sel was still Aril's study-partner, but they might as well worked alone. Sel was too ashamed, and Aril was too mad to speak.

Day after day, Sel and Retin fought, despite Athyn's efforts to separate them. It was getting to the point where Sel might have to be kicked out of the school.

The last fight Sel had with Retin at school was when he was sent home.

"He took my stuff all the time!" Sel told his mother when she asked why he was kicked out of school.

"When was the last time he took something?" His mother asked forcefully, her hands resting on her hips, but ready to go grab a belt at a moment's notice.

When Sel thought about it, he hadn't taken anything since the very first fight. "Yesterday." Sel lied, not exactly thinking it through.

"Then why did you get in a fight today?"

If Sel knew any curse words, he would have used all of them; his mother was the only one he couldn't outsmart, despite his cleverness.

"Because...uh...um...uh..." Sel continued with his uh's and um's before finally giving up. "Can I just go get the belt?"

"That would be best." his mother replied.

While Sel was getting the belt, there was a knock at the door. Looking up, Sel thanked whatever god might have been up there. At least his pain would be delayed.

Peering around the corner, he saw that it was Athyn Sarethi, his teacher and councillor of House Redoran.

He didn't get to overhear much, because his mother had told him to go outside for a moment while they talked. (If he had stayed anywhere inside the house, he would have overheard due to its small size.) The only thing he had heard was something about Athyn noticing that he was interested in something or another. Sel picked up some small rocks and began throwing them, watching them throw up dust where they landed.

About a half-hour later, Athyn walked outside and knelt down so that his eyes were level with Sel's.

"Your mother and I talked, and you're allowed back in school."

Sel was old enough to know that there was a condition or twelve. "Really?" he pretended to sound excited.

Athyn nodded. "You can come baack and I'm going to have one of my guards teach you how to use a sword."

This time he really was excited. "Really?"

Athyn nodded again. "But if I do this, you can't get in any more fights, and you have to do well in your studies." Athyn held out his hand. "Deal?"

Sel was apprehensive at first; no more fights and doing well in studies? His longing for some sort of adventure with a sword overcame his fear of school, and he soon found his small hand in Athyn's.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow." Athyn said, messing Sel's hair.

Sel nodded, a huge grin on his face.