
42nd Ymiden 716
The night draped its deep blue blanket over the city and brought a cool wind with it. Above, the sky glittered, not as clearly as in the Warrick mainland, but dazzling still. Rafael leaned out the small window of his room and let the fresh air cleanse his lungs.
His accommodations in the barracks were modest, but sufficient. His biggest concern, having to share a room with strangers, had proven unnecessary as all squires were allotted a room of their own, including a bed, a tiny desk, a chair and a closet to keep one’s belongings in. It did well enough for a bedroom, but for all other purposes, Rafael preferred to stay out of it. Too cramped.
When he was training, he had no time to think of home. But at the end of each day, after he’d completed his many chores, when his limbs were tired and his collection of bruises had doubled, his mind inevitably returned to home. Although…it couldn’t really be called home. Not the four walls within which he’d been raised. It was the home of his father, his mother, his brother and his sisters, but it wasn’t his home. It never would be. The more he thought of it, the heavier his heart grew, until he could no longer bear it and kicked his blankets aside.
Sometimes it took half a break before drowsiness and sleep finally forced him asleep. Sometimes less. But not tonight. Try though he might, he couldn’t shake the feeling gnawing at his heart. Where was his home, really? It was not in this city. It was not with his siblings. It was elsewhere, he was sure of it, and he was sure of his longing to find that place.
The street below was deserted. Save for a black cat stalking through the darkness, searching for small prey. With a sigh, he glanced downward. Perhaps a lone walk through the quiet of the night would calm his mind. Only, the barracks was locked of course. To prevent unsavory figures from coming in and dauntless squires from sneaking out.
Yet…it wasn’t too far down. The room below his had its window half open and there was a ledge below that which he could rest his other foot on. It was probably going to be harder to climb back up and into his own room than it was to get out.
That would be a problem for later. He’d already made up his mind and swung a leg over the edge of his window. Taking care not to make any noise he pulled his other foot over the edge as well until he was hanging from the window by his hands. While his arms strained, his feet searched for support. With his left he found the opened window below, but his right scraped uselessly against the wall, finding nothing to shift his weight to. His own weight, though not considerable, was starting to claim its toll. Cold sweat made his hands start to slip. There wasn’t much else for it…
He drew both his knees up as closely to his chest as he could and turned his head away from the window and into the street. It looked quite a way down, but he knew that his eyes were deceiving him. With all his might he kicked his feet away from the wall and turned his back on the barracks wall. His knees buckled and his kneecaps creaked in their joints. The sound of the impact echoed across the empty streets like a tolling bell. The black cat darted away without looking back. It was a harder landing than he had anticipated, but he was still in one piece.
None too eager to find out if anyone had noticed his temporary escape, he quickly dashed into the cover of darkness and only slowed until he’d made it into a small courtyard. Without any clear destination, he plopped down on a nearby bench to catch his breath and rubbed his painful knees. He didn't recognize this part of town.
His accommodations in the barracks were modest, but sufficient. His biggest concern, having to share a room with strangers, had proven unnecessary as all squires were allotted a room of their own, including a bed, a tiny desk, a chair and a closet to keep one’s belongings in. It did well enough for a bedroom, but for all other purposes, Rafael preferred to stay out of it. Too cramped.
When he was training, he had no time to think of home. But at the end of each day, after he’d completed his many chores, when his limbs were tired and his collection of bruises had doubled, his mind inevitably returned to home. Although…it couldn’t really be called home. Not the four walls within which he’d been raised. It was the home of his father, his mother, his brother and his sisters, but it wasn’t his home. It never would be. The more he thought of it, the heavier his heart grew, until he could no longer bear it and kicked his blankets aside.
Sometimes it took half a break before drowsiness and sleep finally forced him asleep. Sometimes less. But not tonight. Try though he might, he couldn’t shake the feeling gnawing at his heart. Where was his home, really? It was not in this city. It was not with his siblings. It was elsewhere, he was sure of it, and he was sure of his longing to find that place.
The street below was deserted. Save for a black cat stalking through the darkness, searching for small prey. With a sigh, he glanced downward. Perhaps a lone walk through the quiet of the night would calm his mind. Only, the barracks was locked of course. To prevent unsavory figures from coming in and dauntless squires from sneaking out.
Yet…it wasn’t too far down. The room below his had its window half open and there was a ledge below that which he could rest his other foot on. It was probably going to be harder to climb back up and into his own room than it was to get out.
That would be a problem for later. He’d already made up his mind and swung a leg over the edge of his window. Taking care not to make any noise he pulled his other foot over the edge as well until he was hanging from the window by his hands. While his arms strained, his feet searched for support. With his left he found the opened window below, but his right scraped uselessly against the wall, finding nothing to shift his weight to. His own weight, though not considerable, was starting to claim its toll. Cold sweat made his hands start to slip. There wasn’t much else for it…
He drew both his knees up as closely to his chest as he could and turned his head away from the window and into the street. It looked quite a way down, but he knew that his eyes were deceiving him. With all his might he kicked his feet away from the wall and turned his back on the barracks wall. His knees buckled and his kneecaps creaked in their joints. The sound of the impact echoed across the empty streets like a tolling bell. The black cat darted away without looking back. It was a harder landing than he had anticipated, but he was still in one piece.
None too eager to find out if anyone had noticed his temporary escape, he quickly dashed into the cover of darkness and only slowed until he’d made it into a small courtyard. Without any clear destination, he plopped down on a nearby bench to catch his breath and rubbed his painful knees. He didn't recognize this part of town.