Wizard of Jatte by Rowan Erlking (librera reader txt) 📕

Theissen to emerge, mostly so they could tease him about his newfound manliness. Presently Theissen’s father was with his son sitting in the carpentry shop going through the ritual telling of manhood. This was when Theissen would learn what it was that made a man a man. It was also when his father would share the secret of what makes a woman a woman. Most boys waited with excitement and dread for this day. Every one of them had seen each new young man emerge with embarrassed flushed cheeks, wondering what exactly were the fathers and sons talking about in there.

“So that’s how it is done? But I thought women just made the babies when they wanted to.” Theissen grimaced, gazing at his father as if he felt sick. “I had no idea.”

His father patted his knee. “There are some mysteries that are too much for boys to know. And, now that you know, you are more responsible for what you do to women.”

Theissen frowned. “You mean that law, right?”

His father gave a nod. “That is right.”

“So if I make a woman even angry at me, I—”

“No,” his father corrected. “What they mean by offending a woman is how you treat her in regards to passing seed. This is a powerful magic that all people can participate in. But a man who cannot control his passions is like a demon that devours all happiness from life.”

Theissen drew back into his chair, clutching his arms across himself. “So, that dream I had. Was it bad then?”

With a shake of his head, his father smiled. “No, but you must learn to control your thoughts and passions. This is part of becoming a man.”

Shifting in his seat, Theissen sighed. “I had no idea it was this complicated.”

The carpenter smiled. “The older you get, the more complicated life gets. That is why you are trained from birth to be good man.”

“But what about that other thing? Do I really have to get married soon?” Theissen was frowning, peering up at his father’s face with pain.

To that, his father laughed and shook his head. “No. Of course not. A man ought to establish himself in his trade at least. To care for a wife takes money. And though she can help in earning money for the household, it is best that the man earn the majority so that she is free to do other work.”

“Doreen says that it is unfair that the men earn the living and the women clean the house. Tolbetan told her that women clean because they are too stupid for anything else. Is that true?” Theissen asked. “Who is right?”

“Both of them are wrong,” his father said with a frown. “It is a shame that I had not learned this about Tolbetan, though. I pity his wife-to-be.”

Theissen raised his eyebrows, still waiting for an answer.

Noticing his look, the carpenter said, “Son, what do you know about housework? Is it easy or hard?”

Just shrugging, Theissen replied, “I don’t know. I suppose it is hard. Mom is always busy.”

“And what do you know about cooking?”

“Very little,” Theissen said, smiling sheepishly. “If I didn’t live at home, I think I’d starve.”

“Exactly,” said his father. He rose. “Just because a job is different does not mean one is better than the other. They are equally important. What your mother does is vital to the happiness of our home. Without her, I would be lost.”

That made Theissen feel better. However, he tilted his head to the side and asked, noticing his father glance at the door, “One more thing. About Mom and Auntie Weaverswife—”

“Oh, that.” His father almost laughed again, trying to look grave. “Look, son. Until your uncle the weaver and I discuss arranging a marriage between you and Milrina, you do not have to marry her. Your aunt and your mother are merely plotting. Until I see that you truly want to be with Milrina and she honestly wants to be with you, as far as that match is concerned, you are not bound to it.”

Drawing in a great sigh of relief Theissen nodded to his father. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure. Personally I think thirteen is too young to even think about marriage. When you are sixteen then you may consider looking for a bride, but until then, ignore your aunt and mother on this one.” He then leaned in, cupping his hand close to his son’s ear. “But don’t tell your mother I said that. If she asks, change the subject and talk about your journey instead.”

Nodding vigorously, Theissen got up and walked towards the door.

“Brace yourself, son. The boys will have their fun, but you can leave here a man.”

His father opened the door.

A cry of cheers erupted from their friends and family as the carpenter stepped outside. However, the neighborhood boys jeered in chorus, waiting and watching Theissen emerge from the carpenter’s shop.

“Hey! He’s not blushing!”

“Don’t tell me he already knew!”

Theissen glanced up at his father.

“Of course he knew. He’s a wizard,” someone else said.

His father shrugged with a look then nudged his son forward. He raised one of his hands. “Friends, family, I give you my son, Theissen Darol Mukumar the apprentice carpenter.”

More clapped and cheered, though a few villagers standing at the gates looked dismayed. Several still wanted him to become a doctor. Others had actually tried to get him to become a sculptor after seeing his ridiculous statues. Most of those wanted busts made up of their own heads to keep in their homes like the city rich folk.

Almost immediately, they dragged Theissen through each group of well-wishers, starting with the village elders then going among his extended family so that they could hug him and pinch his cheeks. The doctor only gave him a passing nod. He had been frigid with Theissen since the boy had declared his independence. After passing the doctor he was taken into the teasing arms of his older classmates who started to whisper somewhat naughty secrets into his ears, trying their darndest to make him blush. This time they succeeded.

“I don’t want to see that! Jeeze! Get off me!” He tried to free himself from their arms without using magic. So far, he was failing miserably as his arms were still scrawny in comparison to their larger more developed build.

“Come on. Are you a man or not?” one said, pulling the nude drawing closer to his face. However he also looked over his shoulder to see if his mother was watching him.

“I said stop it!” Theissen raised his arms pulling a spark from the nearby backyard torch. The spark flickered into the center of the circle of boys and immediately set the paper on fire.

The boy dropped it, stamping on the image with his foot. He looked up at Theissen with a shout. “That cost me five bits!”

“Now it is worth ash.” Theissen withdrew from them while shaking his head. He bumped into someone and turned around right away.

“What is worth ash?” It was one of the boy’s mothers. She wasn’t looking at Theissen however, and she shoved past him. “What was that you had there?”

“Nothing.” The boy suddenly was grateful that the evidence had been destroyed. The picture was broken up in the dirt and undistinguishable.

It was just as well. Milrina had followed the woman giving Theissen a slightly dirty look before she grabbed a hold of his arm and dragged him away towards the refreshment table. “What was it that you were looking at?”

“Nothing.” He picked up the plate Doreen handed to him with a dry look.

“You shouted over nothing?” Milrina then pinched his arm.

“OW!” He whipped around, rubbing the sore spot. “What did you do that for?”

“I heard that you don’t want to be engaged to me.”

Doreen smirked, not even hiding her amusement like normal. Theissen gave her a don’t-you-dare-say-a-word glare as he pulled Milrina away from her.

“I’m only thirteen, Milrina. I’m too young to be engaged.”

“You are a man today,” Milrina snapped. “When I become a woman I know my mother is going to talk about nothing else except how I can find a husband. I already know she wants me to marry you.”

He slouched as if in pain. “Come on. We’re just friends.”

She pinched him again. “And what is wrong with that?”

“My arm is hurting! Stop that!” He pulled away from her, dodging around the table to make a safer distance.

He could see how wounded she was just from that move. Tears she had been hiding were barely under her lashes.

“Look. My dad says that I shouldn’t seek after a wife until I am sixteen. Right now I am supposed to be focusing on my trade. If when I’m sixteen and we are still friends, then maybe when I leave on my journey we’ll get engaged.”

Milrina lowered her eyes. “Mom says that a girl ought to be married before she is sixteen, and no later.”

Theissen’s lips turned down into a frown. “Alania married at twenty one. And to a silversmith.”

“So?” Milrina said, staring up with hostility.

Going back around the table, he reached out to her, touching her arm. “So, she’s happy. And prosperous.

“Besides, what happens if when we are both older and we discover that we really aren’t right for one another. What I learned today—” but he stopped. He was not allowed to talk about what had been said behind those closed doors, especially with her.

Milrina still waited for an explanation though.

“Look, Milrina, I can’t tell you all my reasons right now,” he said. “Just believe me that it is a good idea that we wait before we get engaged. You might change your mind about me.”

“I don’t see how,” she muttered.

Theissen pinched her arm.

“OW! What was that for?” She clutched her arm to her side, glaring at him.

He gave a sharp nod. “That is for you being mad at me for no reason. When you become a woman, then you will understand.”

Theissen turned and walked away.

“Not fair!” Theissen stomped up the road to his house with Doreen following after him with a smug grin on her face. Not even a week after his budding ceremony, Doreen had declared that she had budded and they were going to hold her ceremony the next week. “Don’t I get at least a year to be man before you get to be a woman?”

“That’s not how it works with budding,” Doreen said, smirking. She took great pleasure in the sour look on his face. “Besides, girls mature earlier than boys.”

He just glared at her. “But you budding before Milrina? That is unfair. She deserves it more.”

Milrina had been trudging after them, her head hanging down since his ceremony though even more so with Doreen’s news.

“Well, I can’t help that your girlfriend is a late bloomer.” Doreen practically cackled as she skipped up the hill.

“You little creep! This isn’t something to laugh about!” Theissen chased after her.

But as he followed after her he heard the distant rumbling of what sounded like carriage wheels, and he turned. The air rippled in front of his eyes and he saw the flow alter a bit, pushing as if a knife cut through and parted it like an island parted the sea with swirling eddies and a swells. He pulled Milrina to his side of the road. Doreen followed him when she saw him move, knowing his instincts were not to be dismissed.

Within almost a second after they got off the road a convoy of horses and carts rumbled down the hill straight into the village. Brass bells jingled on the harnesses of five magnificent brown stallions dressed in bold satin livery the hue of the distant mountains, with gold rings, feather plumes and glittering silver tags as their trimmed hooves clopped making a thundering noise on the gritty path. At the back were three men dressed in similar rich purple satin jerkins, riding pants of bold black, and finely crafted leather boots; the entire outfit adorned with gold and silver emblems marking the livery of a powerful lord baron. Right on their heels four