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“Jalase!

Jal flinched, nearly dropping the dish he was currently washing when he heard his name yelled. The sound of his mother’s voice was not a pleased one. The mere tone belied that he was in some trouble — and not just minor trouble. Sighing, he finished washing the plate, placing it off to the side to air dry, before drying his hands off on his clothes and moving into the common area of their home. “Mother?” he asked, quietly as he came face to face with both his mother and father.

“How could you?” his mother snapped as she gestured towards a pile of papers strewn about on the table in front of them.

Jalase was entirely confused. “How could I...what?” The look his mother gave him in return made him snap his mouth shut against any other words that might have escaped him.

“Money is missing from the last time we were in Pajore.” The older yaeli sighed and sank down into the chair. “It was a sizeable sum. One of your sales. It’s logged in the books but the money is not there. What happened?”

Jalase frowned, worry gnawing at the edges of his mind. He didn’t have much time to think about it before his father was speaking as well.

“Did you take it, Jalase?”

Jalase felt his stomach drop at the same time anger bubbled up inside him. Did they really think he’d do something like that? His own parents were that distrusting of him? “Of course I didn’t,” Jalase snapped, brows furrowing together in anger. “My own parents don’t even trust me?”

“It’s not that, Jalase,” his mother spoke up again. “It’s just that…”

“It’s just that you were the one in charge of the stall that day,” his father said, interrupting Jal’s mother. “There weren’t many customers, if the books are right. What else are we supposed to think?”

“That your only son wouldn’t steal from you!”

“Who, then?”

Jal’s shoulders sank at those two words. Who? Who had stolen from him? When had someone had a chance to steal from right under his nose. His eyes widened a moment as he thought of the boy, Len, that he had met. Had he been the one to steal from them? Without solid proof, Jal really couldn’t blame anyone, though. “I...I don’t know. There were a couple of times I was away from the money. Anyone could have snuck in and stole something.”

After a few moments passed, with his mother and father whispering back and forth and Jal just standing there, his father finally stood and spoke up again. “You will pay us back. The money you have saved up for your sword should cover what you lost.”

Jal opened his mouth to object but the glare from his father made him snap his mouth shut.

“And, until further notice, you are not allowed to help run the stall in Pajore. You will have to figure out another way to earn the money for your swords back.”

“B-but…” It wasn’t fair. Why should he suffer and be punished for someone else’s wrongdoing?

“No buts, Jalase. That’s final. Maybe after some time has passed, and you’ve earned our trust back, you may start helping out again. Until then, you may journey into the city with us but you will not work the stall alone nor will you earn money from helping out.” With that, his mother was standing. She gave him a small, apologetic smile as the two of them left the room and went to take care of some last minute orders.

Jalase stood in the same spot for what seemed like hours, fists and teeth both clenched. He couldn’t believe that his parents had thought he’d stolen the money. How could they possibly have jumped to such an outrageous conclusion? He’d never, in his life, done anything to lose their trust like that — to point towards him being that kind of person. Sighing, his shoulders sank as he rubbed a hand over his face and moved to sink down onto the couch his parents had previously been occupying.

And now he was out his sword money and with no way to earn it back. Jalase slumped against the back of the couch, eyes closed and arm over them. How on Tendaji was he going to be able to pay his parents back and get his sword. He needed a sword. His practice sword was old, dented and could possibly break at any moment if it hit against something in just the right way.

His thoughts traveled to Len and that particular day he had shown up and the money had gone missing. Could he have been the one to steal the cash? He had been alone, close to the desk, while Jal had taken care of a customer. It hadn’t been a long absence, but had it been long enough for the other yaeli to snatch up the coins. As he thought about it, his thoughts traveled forward in the day and Jal frowned as he remembered how the younger boy had wolfed down the food Jal has bought.

If Len had stolen the money, had that been the reason? Surely not, he had talked about his father — about his work. Surely they at least had the money to eat. Frowning, Jal sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. It was still a d**k move, in Jal’s mind, and now he was paying for it. If Len had stolen the money, he had likely run off and spent it on unnecessary things. If he ever saw the boy again, he would definitely confront him about that day and the missing coins. Until then, Jalase had to figure out a way to earn back the coin, so that he could buy a new sword.

Odd Jobs and New Friends

Jalase weighed the coin purse in his hand, eyeing its fullness as he made his way into his family’s temporary home while they were in Pajore. It was more than he’d had previously, that much was obvious by its weight, but he still wasn’t sure exactly how much he had — or if it’d be enough to buy the sword that he wanted. Plopping down at the table, Jal emptied out his coin purse and thanked whatever gods or goddesses people believed in now a days that he had just happened to run into Key and found the job offered by Taijana and her family. Without the two of them, Jal wouldn’t have earned his money nearly as quickly as he had. In fact, he had expected it to take much longer to gather up enough funds.

Chewing on his lower lip he began sorting through, and counting, the various coins he’d earned recently. As lost in his task as he was, Jal vaguely heard the front door open and close. He glanced up just in time to see his mother move into the other room before he went back to counting out his money. By the time he was finished, his mother was joining him at the table, a small, calm smile on her face as she laid a glass of water on the table in front of him.

“You’ve earned some money, I see.”

Jal looked up to his mother and nodded. “Mhm, yeah. Key, the guy I introduced you to the other day, paid me pretty well. On top of that I helped a lady hunt and bring said hunt back to her shop. Both were tough jobs but I had fun.” He glanced back down at his coins, mentally (and quickly) going over the final total again. “I have enough to buy a sword now, I think.”

“That’s good, Jalase.”

The silence that fell between them was an awkward one and Jal frowned as he put his money back into his coin purse. Ever since the money had been stolen right under his nose, the tension between him and his parents had been an ever present thing. He sighed and glanced back up to the older woman sitting before him. He loved his parents dearly, there was no denying that. And he did feel bad for losing their money. “I am sorry, mother.”

Jal’s mom sighed and rested an elbow on the table and laid her chin her hand. “We know that, Jalase. And we’re not mad anymore, not really. You paid us back and you’ve found ways to earn your money back. We’re very proud of you, son.”

Jal’s cheeks flushed at his mother’s words, as he huffed but couldn’t help but let a small smile curl up the corners of his lips. “Thanks.” He let a silence fall again, this time it wasn’t as awkward. In the time that he’d had free, and the time he’d been out helping other people, Jalase had seriously considered what he might do for his future. And in those free days, when he’d not been helping Key or Taijana, Jalase had often found himself watching the guard gather and go out on patrol. In the past, he had never thought of himself as a law enforcement type of person. However, after the incident with his parents’ money and the need to find a suitable job as he grew older, the appeal was greater and greater. And he had yet to bring it up to his parents. Jal sighed and tucked the coin purse snugly, and safely away from slippery fingers, at his side.

“What is it, Jalase dear?” his mom asked after the sigh.

“I think I’ve decided on what I’m gonna do, job wise.”

“Oh?” His mother raised an eyebrow, head tiling slightly. “Do tell.”

“A guard.”

“Oh…” His mother’s face fell for a moment, worry replacing the small smile that had curved up her lips. “Are you sure that’s what you want to do? It can be dangerous.”

“I think so, yeah. I respect father and yours profession but a job like that isn’t something I want to do. I want to explore and I want to help people. I think becoming a guard is the first step towards doing those things.”

“If that’s what you want, you have mine and your father’s support.”

Jalase grinned, rose from the table and hurried around it to tug his mother into a hug. “Thank you for understanding. It means a lot, mom.”

She couldn’t help but chuckle and patted his arm before returning the hug. “We are proud of you Jal. So very much so. You’ve grown into a handsome young man. Now, you said you had enough money to buy your sword, yes?”

“Yeah, I do. I was gonna head out and do that but wanted to talk to you first.” Jal kissed his mother’s cheek before pulling away. He said his goodbyes and headed out the door and into the marketplace.

Pajore was a place that Jalase was coming to love more and more. Since he’d had free time away from his mother and father’s stall, Jal had had a chance to get out and meet some of the people that frequented the market and manned the stalls. One of which being the blacksmith just down the street from his parents’ stall. He grinned at her as he approached and waited for her to finish up with her current customer.

“Jalase,” she said, giving a return grin to him. “Good to see ya today.”

“And you.” Jal unhooked the coin purse from his waist and held it up, grin growing wider. “I finally have enough for a sword.”

The blacksmith’s eyebrows rose, slightly surprised.

Jalase laughed at her reaction before finally speaking. “I got a couple of odd jobs that paid really well. Made a couple of new friends in the process too. So things seemed to have worked out rather well. Now...about that sword, yeah?”

Jalase found his fingers wrapped around the hilt of his sword yet again. Each time he focused in on where his hands were, it seemed as if he was always gripping his newly acquired sword. It was as if he were reminding himself that he actually had it. The blacksmith he’d bought it from, a couple of years ago, had been very generous, when he’d bought it, and had given him a decent discount on the blade — in exchange for a little bit of help and a good word to anyone who asked about his sword and where it came from. Jalase had been more than happy to agree to both conditions and had been back several times to help the woman out. With the money he’d saved on the sword, Jalase had been able to get himself a decent, and well made, sheath for his sword.

Today, Jal was free from any kind of duties as far as helping his parents, the blacksmith (which he’d continued to do for a bit of spare coin) or his friends were concerned. And therefore, he found himself wandering around the city, once again. His thoughts wandered as he did so, thinking about the various aspects of his life. He was getting older — eighteen years old already — and it was high time he started off on his own life journey. So, with this in mind, Jalase set off to seek out the guard’s headquarters and inquire about joining them.

As he made his way along the route that would take him to his destination, Jal’s thoughts wandered to his sister — a subject that came up rarely in his household. He remembered the conversation, months ago (after his sister’s visit), he’d had with his parents about her. They had talked so little about her and Jal had usually not inquired about her (seeing as how it used to upset his mother). That night, though, Jal and his mother had stayed up well into the morning hours discussing the subject of his sibling. Apparently, when Jal had been young enough that he couldn’t recall the memory (or his mind chose to erase it), she had visited home — to let her parents know that she was doing well and that her childhood, while busy and full of training, had been a good one.

Jal couldn’t remember — nor did he particularly want to remember. He was still sore about how his sister had shown up and cared more about telling his parents and him about the sanctuary and the religion as a whole. He hadn’t been interested, nor was he now — or ever would be. There were too many stupid superstitions associated with it and any religion that deemed taking a person’s child from them early on in life wasn’t exactly something Jalase wanted to look up to. Shaking his head, Jal pushed those thoughts away. After talking to his mother, he understood a little more about his sister and, maybe, he would eventually let Ysella over the wall that he seemed to be holding up between her and him. For now, though, his life and where he was going was far more important of a task.

Taking a deep breath, Jal let it out slowly as he finally came upon the guard’s headquarters. A couple of years back, after having finally bought his sword, Jal had followed a guard back to the headquarters. He had managed to run into a leader — a general, maybe (his memory was shoddy) — and inquire about joining. The number one requirement, much to Jalase’s displeasure, had been that he must be eighteen or older to joining. Not even a parent’s okay would get him past this rule.

Grumbling, Jalase had turned around that day — denied something he thought he had been ready to take part in. He hadn’t been too happy at having been turned away but eventually the grumpiness had faded away and he’d eventually realized that it was probably for the best. Even though he had been handling a sword (his old, banged up one) for a few years at that point, he had still only been sixteen — an inexperienced little brat, as he saw it when he looked back on the situation. A pouty brat.

Rolling his shoulders, Jal stared at the door, nerves starting to get the best of him. Maybe he wasn’t ready for this? What would he do if they turned him away? He began chewing on his lower lip and was just about to turn around and head back home when a hand came down onto his shoulder and he froze.

“You, again?”

The familiar voice of the general he’d talk to two years ago rumbled, sending vibrations through the guard’s arm and down into Jal’s shoulders. Swallowing the sudden lump in his throat, Jal glanced up and behind him and nodded — too stunned for words. He had honestly not expected for anyone to remember him. Nor had he really expected the same general to be posted. He clinched his fists, at his side, and kicked himself mentally. ’Speak, you fool,’ he said to himself before he finally found his own voice. “Y-yes sir. I said I’d be back and I’m back.”

The warm chuckle that escaped the guard’s mouth made Jal blink in surprise — though it instantly faded into a mild frown. “Is something funny?”

The guard shook his head, removing his hand from Jal’s shoulder. “I usually don’t expect to see those turned away come back. Usually are too sour about not getting their way. I’m mildly surprised. However, seeing you back after being turned away a couple of years ago makes me think you might have what it takes.”

Jalase’s cheeks flushed and he couldn’t help but let a small smile crack onto his face. He knew it wasn’t very soldier like to do such a thing but he couldn’t help but let his excitement show through. When the guard motioned him forward, he obediently followed behind him.

“The name’s Gyr,” he said as he glanced over his shoulder to make sure Jalase was still following behind him. “Care to refresh my memory on yours? It has been two years now.”

“Jal.” Jalase panicked a moment as he realized his blunder and he stumbled over his words a bit. “J-jalase, I mean...sir.” His cheeks flamed red but, thankfully, Gyr had already turned his attention towards the path in front of them.

“Jalase, hm? Yes, I think I remember now. Well, welcome, Jalase. The guard is tough. It won’t be an easy path to take but it can be quite rewarding. And you’re more than capable of moving up the ranks if you work hard enough and put yourself into it enough.” Gyr stopped in front of a closed door and turned to face Jal just as he laid his hand on the knob. “It’s rough and you can and will get hurt. You’ll protect the citizens of Pajore and wherever else we might send you. You may not see your family for months — years — on end.” He paused and opened the door, gesturing for Jal to go through first. “If you’re still interested, we’ll take care of the boring crap right now.”

Jalase nodded and moved inside of the room.. “Yes, sir.” He knew the path ahead of him wouldn’t be an easy one but it was one that he was ready to set out on — he’d waited long enough, after all. If he hadn’t changed his mind in two years, not much would change it now. When Gyr motioned towards the chair, sitting in front of a sturdy looking desk, Jal took a seat and watched as the general made his way behind it.

“You understand the risks? The sacrifices you’ll make?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Should you change your mind halfway through your training, tough s**t.” Gyr pushed a paper forward, signaling for Jalase to sign his name.

Jal did so, without question, and was soon whisked away to gather the things he’d need while in training. The next few hours almost seemed like a blur. There was so much information being thrown at him and everyone was moving so quickly. He couldn’t remember any of the names he’d been told, only Gyr’s, nor could he really remember what tomorrow would hold for him. After what seemed like ages, Jal was deposited into a small, one cot room — that would be his home for the next few months — and left to rest up until the next morning.

Jal laid his things on a small table and slumped down into the single chair allotted to him. So much had happened and so many different thoughts were going through his head. What would the future hold for him and would he survive the trials and tests that the world threw at him? Only time would tell. For the moment, Jal decided that it was high time he got some rest and so he made himself at home on the worn out cot in the corner. Excitement and trepidation coursed through his blood, however, causing Jalase to toss and turn and be unable to sleep for the longest time. It wasn’t until late into the night that he finally was able to sleep.