Saturday 17 December 2011

Chapter 4 (part 1)

Eos woke up to the loud groans from Master Azea's room the next morning. Obviously, he was paying the price for over indulging the night before. She sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She grabbed the hair brush and dragged it through her hair to subdue it before putting on her usual clothing. When she was done, she swayed a little before falling straight back into bed. She heard Master Azea asking Adna to melt the morning bells down and make something quieter out of them. 

Deciding that there was no way she would be able to fall back asleep with Master Azea groaning like a dying horse next door, Eos washed up and went to help carry breakfast to his dining hall. 

Today it was mostly fruits and nuts with porridge with milk and a choice of cream, honey and sugar. He had a choice of four different kinds of tea and three different types of wine. For Eos, she was taking juice again. 

Just as she was setting the bowls of fruit down on the rug, Master Azea came traipsing in and rubbing his forehead. "Did Adna give master the usual potion?" she asked. Master Azea nodded, not looking to open his mouth at the moment. 

He sat down on his usual silk cushion and gestured for her to sit down. He pointed to the fruits he wanted, retching a couple of times before forcing his mouth shut again. 

Eos took the fruits and peeled and cut it for him before placing it on his plate. "Cream and honey, master?" she inquired and he nodded. She served the porridge, and guessing he wouldn't want wine at the moment, offered him a cup of tea sweetened with honey. "Sweet things help wash the medicine down," she told him and he accepted it. 

When at last, he didn't look as though he was about to throw up, he ate a few olives. 

"My only consolation is Dareen will be out of my hair for now," he said, speaking for the first time. 

"Master- it's not my place to say- but surely if you can't stand being around her now, what will happen after you marry her?" Eos asked, feeding him dates. Master Azea gave an exasperated sigh, "Don't remind me," he told her. 

She stopped herself from rolling her eyes. "I know you're dying to roll your eyes, just do it," Master Azea told her. 

And once more, he shows the ability to read other people's minds, Eos thought to herself. 

He actually gave her a grin this time. She thought better than to humour him with a reply, "Right, after lessons, let's go down to the training yard to do some training," he said, stretching and draping an arm round her. 

Eos wasn't sure what to do. She absolutely could not get any mars that would ruin her appearance. If she was no longer attractive, there was no point in being in her line of work anymore. 

"I think you'd look beautiful as a warrior," Master Azea said. 

"Master- for the last time- please stop reading my mind," Eos told him, flatly. "But I like your expression whenever I do," Master Azea said with a laugh before wincing, "Maybe I should skip lessons today," he groaned. 

Eos was disappointed. If he skipped it meant she had to as well. She had managed to learn seven new letters. 

Master Azea caught the look and looked torn for a brief moment. At last he sighed, "Maybe just a breath of fresh air will clear my head before lessons," he said, trying to sound nonchalant. 


The sun was up but the air still had the night's chill in the breeze. Master Azea took a deep breath, stretching. Eos stood behind him, hearing the stiff bones creak and pop.

She hugged herself, scuffing her bare feet on the dusty ground. She looked at the back of Master Azea's dark head. His hair, though carefully brushed and tied by Adna that morning, had went back to its usual tousled state already. 

He was drunk, she told herself, only half listening to Master Azea talk about some trip or another that he took every once a year. 

"Eos, are you listening?" Master Azea wanted to know, looking round at her. Eos jolted and tried to make her face more neutral, "Forgive me, master, I'm still a bit tired…" she explained. 

Master Azea nodded, "I can relate," he said, stifling another yawn, "Anyway- I was saying, after the new year, I'm planning to make a trip out to the city Rozen out north. I usually go up there to train with the knights since the desert is more or less under their rule. I'm a knight, you know," he said with distinct pride. 

"Yes, master," Eos said, hiding her disappointment. Once he was gone, she would be bored witless. After all, the servants who had become her close friends were his attendants so of course they would go with him. She supposed she could always visit Tara and Mother. But they would be busy so she couldn't keep bothering them either. 

"You know, if I leave, I still expect you to come with me," Master Azea said, catching that look, "After all, I bought you to perform during my dinners and to warm my bed at night. I intend to get my money's worth out of you," he said jokingly as he tweaked her small nose. Eos looked surprised. Really? She was going to travel out of the town? Out of the desert?!Oh Goddess Rhyga! 

Master Azea grinned, "Of course that also means I need to have a new wardrobe prepared for you. The north is cold all the time and the cold there bites," he said. The bell rang, signally the tenth hour. 

"Damn. Alright, let's get back inside." 

Inside, Eos was bubbling with happiness. To be able to travel! To see and learn new things! How wondrous was that? She couldn't stop herself from smiling, even when washing the Master's feet before they went indoors. She dried his feet and washed her own before following him into class. 

It was mathematics class that day. Eos puzzled over the lecture and the work given, peeping curiously at the book in front of Master Azea. The sight of the numbers and strange symbols frightened her more than her riding classes. 

Master Azea caught the look and stifled a laugh. "This is advance work. More advance than even what Seti is doing," he explained under his breath. 

She had to believe him. Especially since the mathematics master was speaking the same language but she still couldn't understand a single word he was saying. "Master Azea! Kindly pay attention to what I'm saying and less to your woman or she will no longer be allowed in!" the mathematics master snapped. Master Azea scowled, making him look like a spoilt child again. 

Mathematics class bored Eos seeing how she didn't understand anything that was going on. But the next class was poetry and literature. Some she had heard before. She had even performed some with Tara singing the poems. She tried to follow the words that was being read on Master Azea's books. 

After that, it wrestling training, and here, Master Azea's two younger brothers joined him. Jordah and the youngest of the brothers, Draham were bright and merry as usual. Wrestling was something that Eos had no interest in learning whatsoever, so she waited in the shade for Master Azea to finish and go for rest with him. She quite liked seeing the master with his younger brothers. 

It was nice to see him laugh so openly and good naturedly. It was good to see him laugh and be laughed at without any offence. The younger brothers didn't really insult her but they didn't pay much attention to her either. 

"Not interested in learning this, Eos?" Master Azea asked, bare chest glistening in the sun. Eos went to him to wipe his sweat from his brow and neck, "Not really, master," she replied. 

Master Azea smiled down at her but she didn't look up at him and was secretly relieved when Jordah called, "Brother! Stop playing with your woman! Hurry up!"