“Family day!” Janine sang as she kicked the door open to Kasia’s room. Kasia had struggled to sleep well. Between the guilt of how her family would react and the arousal of the memory, it had been a long night.
Kasia groaned and buried her face back in her pillow.
“I, for one, cannot wait to hear how your day goes! Go on, go on!”Janine cackled madly as she ripped Kasia’s blanket off and dragged her friend out of bed.
“Nooo! You’re a monster, relishing in the thought of me suffering!” Kasia whined, kicking at Janine.
“No, the monster is the one who told Jon.” Janine hissed with excitement.
Kasia sat bolt upright, her face pale with horror, “HE KNOWS?! WHO TOLD HIM?!”
Janine shrugged, “No idea, but I overheard some of the others talking about it so I think it’s safe to assume.”
Kasia wailed and tried to hide in her bed again. Without a blanket, she was very, very visible.
“Oh yeah– being late to breakfast is definitely a great way to start. I’m sure it’ll put them all in a fantastic mood. Do widzenia (Goodbye), Kasia!” Janine sang, kissing Kasia’s head.
Kasia groaned and got up as Janine left to go have breakfast with Andrew’s family. She dressed and, dragging her feet, walked to her father’s private dining room inside the castle feeling as though she were on the way to her own execution.
Everything was quiet when Kasia arrived. But several of the chairs were now fairly inoperable. A giant throwing them against a stone wall tended to have that effect. Well, at least he had left the four that they regularly used alone.
“Ah, you’re up, moja dziecka.” (my daughter)
Kasia went pale at the sight of the chairs, “Really, Tatu??! Imka sent us those all the way from Italy!”
“Did she also send you a boyfriend from Italy?!” Jon bellowed–then immediately took a deep breath and regained his composure. “I mean, how was your day off?”
Kasia spluttered, uncertain how to respond to her father, “He’s not my boyfriend! He caught me by surprise!” her face was turning bright red. “But really, Tatu?, it was just a kiss! Nothing happened! It’s…it’s not a big deal.” Kasia seemed to be trying to reassure herself as much as her father.
Jon grimaced and Kasia hurried to continue, “My day was… decent…” She would have said good, but the conversation with Wojciek had put a bit of a damper on it. “How was your rest day, Tatu??”
Jon’s deep laughter echoed throughout the chamber. “The Lord Commander doesn’t get one! Nevermind that—what’s his name?” Jon asked, gripping the edge of the table with white knuckles. Kasia was a bit worried he'd break that, too.
“You’ll work yourself to death, Tatu?.” Kasia replied with concern, coming up behind her father to rub his shoulders like she often did to calm him down. To be fair, it worked quite well on her. She braced herself for his next outburst– he was not going to like her next answer. “And… I don’t know. Sondra told me he paid for my breakfast, so I went over to tell him it wasn’t necessary. We chatted for a few minutes and—and then he just kissed me and walked off. It took me by complete surprise.”
“You don’t know his name?!” Jon cried out loud as he jumped to his feet. The chair went sliding out behind him, and Kasia had to jump out of the way to avoid it crashing into her. Her father was easily the most temperamental of his brothers. That wasn’t saying much with Ren. Her Uncle Ren never betrayed an emotion that he didn’t want someone to see. But her Uncle Nathan? He'd been thrown out of Sondra’s tavern for brawls more often than she could remember.
“You kissed him and you don’t know his name?! He bought you breakfast and you didn’t ask his name?!” Jon continued to rant. “You’re a huntress! You know better!”
Kasia reddened and stepped away from her father, circling the table to give her some space from him, “Of course I asked his name! He wouldn’t give it to me! And I told you he kissed me!” Kasia snapped back, offended that he was questioning her hunting skills.
“Calm down, both of you.” Ren walked in, exasperated.
“He’s just mad that you’re growing up.” Nathan added as he arrived with his brother. They both looked spent, likely because they had sparred with Jon for hours before Kasia had awoken in an effort to calm him down. “He’d rather put you back in your crib.”
Kasia wasn’t surprised by this– her father usually dealt with his emotions with sparring. She was grateful her wujeks had already spent hours with him. She imagined he had been much worse prior to their fight.
Kasia pulled out one of the undamaged chairs, and sat down at the table, still feeling hot and flushed.
Food was brought in and breakfast was laid out on the table for everyone.
Kasia helped herself to a warm roll and slathered it with butter and honey, moaning slightly as she bit into the warm bun.
“Dzien dobry wujeks.” (Good morning, uncles) she greeted her uncles, “How are you?”
“Nathan’s sporting quite a few new bruises.” Ren offered with a chuckle.
“‘Cause you’re too much a coward to fight fair and square.” Nathan roared. “He’s still high on life after two days of destroying the hopes and dreams of initiates.”
Kasia grimaced and winced, “I would say he accomplished that quite thoroughly.” she shook her head. “Janine and Andrew were smart to pick a fight and spend the second hell day in the dungeons.” She smiled coyly at Ren.
Ren laughed maliciously. His eyes lit up with joy. He loved training the youngsters. “They’ll get theirs.”
Kasia puckered her lips, “You’re a cruel man, Wujek.” She poured herself some juice and helped herself to the plate of eggs and potatoes.
“Cruel? I hold the record for hunter longevity.” Ren replied.
“And dropout rate.” Jon added.
“I do it because I care.” Ren placed a hand on his chest in mock sympathy, “Do you care to argue against my results, Kasia?”
Kasia choked on her eggs and shook her head, eyes wide. “You’ll kill us well before any monsters get the chance to.” Her lips twitched as she fought not to laugh.
“So, what’s his name?” Nathan teased.
Jon’s face nearly erupted, a vein in his temple pulsed dangerously.
Kasia slumped over and banged her head against the table and whined, “WUJEK!” Then she sat up as a new thought entered her mind, “Tatu?, why did you choose Wojciek to succeed you as Lord Commander?”
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“Well, I know his name!” Jon replied sardonically.
“OH well that settles that!” Kasia snapped irritably, “I guess I’ll just accept his proposal then, shall I? Don’t need to know anything else about the man, nor he me, so long as we know each other’s names!”
Both Ren and Nathan glared at Jon.
“I’m sorry.” He muttered softly.
Kasia immediately softened as well, “I’m sorry, too, Tatu?. So…why did you pick him to be your second?”
“He’s an excellent hunter. With lots of ambition.” Jon gave a general reply.
Kasia seemed disappointed with her father’s answer, “That’s it? That’s all it takes to be Lord Commander?”
“Why? Do you want to be the Lord Commander?” Her father asked.
Kasia pressed her lips together defiantly, “Maybe!” then she calmed her temper and said more quietly, “I was just trying to see if maybe you saw something in him that I didn’t… He… he hasn’t given up his intentions, despite my refusal. And I don’t know how to tell him in a way that he will actually listen to that marriage is the farthest thing from my mind right now. He just insists I’ll come around.” Kasia played with her eggs, face bright red with discomfort.
“He can’t be that bad.” Nathan said. “Your father hand picked him. Though maybe he isn’t as charming as we are.”
“He doesn’t know anything about me. He doesn’t seem to care about my hopes or dreams– he just assumes I want to hang off the arm of a powerful man and breed. All he sees, in my opinion, is a trophy. The most beautiful woman in Gdansk. Thus, the best– and he wants the best of everything.” Kasia replied dourly, stabbing a potato particularly aggressively. “I’m not saying he’s a bad man– he’s a wonderful hunter and teacher. I don’t dislike him… at least, I didn’t until his idea of a proposal was asking Tatu? for my hand without so much as a look in my direction…
“He probably will make an excellent Lord Commander… I just don’t think he would make a good husband….which, thank you, Tatu? for not just saying yes. I know you could have.” Kasia did her best to show her father how much that meant to her with her eyes, but.. She didn’t have the words to express how much she valued him giving her and her siblings the luxury of marrying for love.
"Well, do you know anything about him?" Nathan asked.
"Stop it!" Jon chastised him. "We don't need to push her into his arms."
Ren was following the conversation with a slightly bemused smile on his face, but otherwise his expression was unreadable.
"Very little," Kasia admitted, "But I also am not trying to court him or marry him. What I do know tells me he is talented and skillful…but isn't interested in sharing the spotlight with a wife. I think he wants someone to sit quietly and admire him. And I do not think I could be quiet if I tried."
Nathan laughed, "Sounds more like you don't want to share the spotlight. Pampered Lord Commander's daughter."
Jon cuffed his brother hard on the head.
"Ow!"
"That's enough of that.” Jon huffed , biting into his role, “We'll just lock Kasia in her room where she can't meet any boys and I'll be happy." He smiled brightly as if this was, indeed, the perfect solution. "You're not allowed to grow up." He wagged his finger at her teasingly.
Kaisa rolled her eyes and shook her head, "I don't want to marry Wojciech. I was just checking to see if there was something there worth getting to know. And I can't hunt monsters from my bedroom, Tatu?."
"Oh good, you'll be safe, too!” Her father countered, “Even better."
Kasia stuck her tongue out at her father.
Jon threw the rest of his roll at her.
Kasia caught it and ripped a large chunk out of it with her teeth, then threw it back at him.
"Careful moja dziecka, it's been a while since I've given you a lesson in combat." Jon grinned, hoping his daughter would take the bait.
Kasia perked up, "Actually, I was hoping we could go for a ride. The weather has been really nice."
“I’ll race you.”
Kasia and her father rode horses for hours, not returning to the castle until it was time for dinner. She enjoyed spending the day with her father, and was grateful that he prioritized spending family day with her over working.
—----------------------------------------------
Several days later both Andrew and Janine collapsed into the cafeteria and fell into their seats next to Kasia at the table. It was dinnertime and she hadn’t seen them in a few days. They both looked exhausted and broken.
Kasia looked at them with great sympathy, “What did he do to you?” she asked, referring to her Uncle Ren’s promise that ‘they will get theirs’.
“I never want to see that man again.” Janine whined.
“I can’t talk about it.” Andrew wheezed while trying to catch his breath. “I physically can’t.”
Kasia’s eyes widened, “I am so sorry! You poor things!” Lieutenant General Ren was a completely different creature from Uncle Ren. Kasia feared the former and adored the latter. “I admit, I am looking forward to taking out my rites so much. Training under the Lieutenant General is horrific…”
Once an initiate completed their rites– that is to say, killing their first monster under the supervision of another knight— they could then complete their rites any time after the age of eighteen. Kasia hadn’t felt ready yet, but she thought she would be ready soon.
“It’s not so bad.” Andrew was still wheezing. “Considering the danger of our chosen profession. And his philosophies are on point.”
“Philosophies?” Kasia asked, surprised, “You had time to philosophize while he tried to kill you?”
“You didn’t? He gave us all day to think while we ran.” Andrew smirked stupidly. He enjoyed the abuse. He knew that his body was a result of Ren’s training.
“Not really. I’m pretty sure I was unconscious for most of it.” Kasia admitted, “Harold actually ended up carrying me for most of the second day because the Lt. General said if any of us finished more than a minute apart he would make us do it all over again in armor.”
“Lucky you. He made Janine and I start our run on separate sides of the castle and if we ended up on the same side at any time we had to start over.” Andrew scoffed a chuckle.
“Kurwa…”(fuck) Kasia swore.
Andrew shrugged, "It was worth it. We'll always have your back." His expression turned sour as someone approached, "What do you want?" He growled.
"Careful, I hear that next time you'll get a week in the dungeon." Harold drawled. He was alone, without his posse. "And after the stunt that you pulled they'll make sure that it's in cells on opposite sides of the castle."
“Did you come over here just to gossip?” Kasia raised an eyebrow at Harold.
"I came to talk to you. Alone." Harold said to Kaisa.
Both of Kasia’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. She glanced at Andrew and Janine for a moment, then turned back to Harold and nodded, getting out of her seat to follow him. “Uh, sure. Lead the way.”
Harold led her to another table away from her friends. It was mostly empty except for a few souls on the other side of the long table.
"I want you to be my training partner." He said coolly. His face was neutral of any emotion.
Kasia scrunched her eyebrows, “Why would you want to train with someone you think is weak?”
Harold considered her question for a while. "You're not weak. You're better than Janine and far better than Dorota. You're even better than some of the men. The smaller ones. But I think that you've peaked. Tomira was the last woman to become a full fledged knight. And you're no Tomira. You'll train with me and see the difference between yourself and real hunter potential."
Kasia folded her arms across her chest and shrugged. Why would she refuse help from the best initiate in their year? “Okay. When?”
"Every day. From now on you train beside me. You run beside me. You'll do the obstacles with me. I will be your sparring partner. Everything that you do will be in comparison to me." He held out his arm for her to clasp. "And when you realize the truth, you'll stop trying to be a huntress."
Kasia glared at him but nodded, “If I do it, you try to help me improve. I don’t need someone beside me everyday chipping away at my spirit. If you see me doing something wrong, correct me.”
She held out her arm now, hovering just next to his to see if he would agree.
Harold grimaced but he took her hand.
Kasia knew he would try to correct every little imperfection until she was completely demoralized. But he couldn't do that if she did everything perfectly. It was what her father expected of her– she could handle it.
“See you tomorrow, I guess.” Kasia said, releasing his arm and walked back to the table with Janine and Andrew.
“What’d he want?” Janine grunted.
“He wants me to train next to him to show me what a real hunter looks like so I’ll realize I’m not ‘cut out’ for this and quit.”
“Did you tell him to fuck off?”
“No, I agreed. He’s the best hunter in our year. Maybe I can learn something from him.”
"Pfft. Janie and I took him down a few pegs. Best hunter my ass." Andrew scoffed.
"Kick his ass, Kasia."
Kasia grinned, “A girl can hope.”
She glanced over her shoulder to see Harold returning to sit with his friends, Louis among them. The sight of Louis always made Kasia a little nauseous. When she was sixteen he had charmed her, said all the right words and she thought he had genuinely liked her. He’d been her first kiss.
They began sneaking out to kiss at night, which then escalated into more intimate touches. But when Louis realized Kasia would go no further, he quickly lost interest and moved onto one of the village girls. When Kasia heard him using the same lines to charm them that he had on her, she had realized what a fool she’d been. She’d determined never to fraternize with any of the initiates again. It was too difficult to train with them after.
“Do you think, maybe, you could stay near me, too? I’m… worried Harold’s plan to discourage me might stand a chance if I don’t have positive voices in my ear to balance his negative one.”
“As long as I don’t have to run.” Janine smiled.
Kasia laughed, “That’s the one area I don’t need help in.”
There is a lot of profanity used to highlight the military environment and Kasia's lack of a mother. Is this effective in communicating that?
