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Jann is minding his own business. He is playing by himself in the courtyard with a wooden sword: this definitely constitutes minding his own business. Nothing that follows is his fault.
abeance
The funeral proceeds funereally.
The Raxwell contingent goes home.
Jann develops a crush on the stable groom's daughter, who is four years older than him and thinks this is cute and gives him enough tidbits of attention that it's a long time in winding down. When it does wind down he promptly develops a crush on a village milkmaid, who doesn't think it's quite so cute; when he has wrested his attention away from her it is pretty clear that "Jann is fascinated by damsels" is going to be an ongoing theme.
Milo is entertained by Jann's girl problems for about a week. Then he is bored. Then he is exasperated. He doesn't see what's so interesting here.
abeance
"Well, they're - you know, damsels! I'm going to be a knight and you're already a prince, we are supposed to be interested in damsels. And rescue them from things and then kiss them, it's like a rule."
abeance
"I should see if Alirra wants to play chess or something," says Jann dreamily, Alirra being the name of a baron's daughter who is Jann's current object of affection, about the same age, and willing to indulge him some of the time.
"If she only wants to play chess for weird reasons then fine, but if she likes it and she's good at it then I don't have to not play her just because she's a girl that you like."
abeance
"I mean, I guess, but if she's going to be over here I want to hang out with her," says Jann. "I like her. If anything carries her off I'm going to rescue her and then I will get to kiss her, she said if I rescue her from something for real I can have a kiss."
"Well, you can go kiss girls then. Maybe if you did it more you'd talk about it less," Milo says optimistically.
abeance
"Well, I haven't rescued Alirra from anything, not actually. And I don't really want something to carry her off, either," muses Jann. "If something did I'd rescue her but probably she wouldn't like it very much all together."
abeance
"I like Alirra right now. Maybe later I'll find a different girl I want to kiss who wants to kiss me."
"Or maybe you should tell Alirra that getting carried off by something isn't any fun and if she'd want to kiss you after you rescued her from something maybe she should just skip the bad part," says Milo thoughtfully.
abeance
"I will next time I see her." Nod, nod.
Alirra proves unmoved by this line of argument, alas. Jann moves on to someone who doesn't need to be argued into kissing him in due course. It doesn't really make him talk about it less.
Alirra proves unmoved by this line of argument, alas. Jann moves on to someone who doesn't need to be argued into kissing him in due course. It doesn't really make him talk about it less.
abeance
Jann ignores Milo's annoyance! He has a girl to kiss. All is right with the world.
Predictably enough, when Jann is not quite fifteen he is enrolled in knight school, where he will receive more systematic education in knight-related subjects and acquire knightliness-inclined friends with whom to practice knightfulness, with a view to being formally knighted when he's probably about eighteen.
Jann likes knight school quite a bit and usually forgets to write home until he has three or four insistent letters from his mother or other relations piled up on his knightstand.
Predictably enough, when Jann is not quite fifteen he is enrolled in knight school, where he will receive more systematic education in knight-related subjects and acquire knightliness-inclined friends with whom to practice knightfulness, with a view to being formally knighted when he's probably about eighteen.
Jann likes knight school quite a bit and usually forgets to write home until he has three or four insistent letters from his mother or other relations piled up on his knightstand.
first-and-final
Not-quite-thirteen-year-old Milo (and, subseqently, quite-thirteen-year-old Milo) writes him about once a month, asking after his knightly adventures. The regularity of the letters suggests that his mother is probably reminding him, but he is legitimately interested in the subject even so.
Somewhat wistfully interested. Milo cannot go to knight school. He has tried learning several weapons, and although he's quite good at archery, any kind of fighting that involves two or more people hitting each other with things will inevitably break his bones even when his opponent is trying to be gentle. Milo would love to go to knight school, would probably even be allowed to go to knight school, but there's no way he could be the kind of knight who saves damsels from being carried off by monsters. At least not if he had to do it with a sword.
Halfway through Jann's first year at knight school, he gets a letter from Milo two whole weeks ahead of schedule. I bet I had a more exciting day than you! it begins. A giant tried to pillage the town I was visiting with Mom and Dad, and I argued him out of it! His name is Porabor and he's surprisingly nice for a marauding giant. Dad's going to let him move into that old ruined castle near the southern border, and send some people to help fix it up for giant habitation, in return for Porabor not marauding anymore and helping us clear out blocked roads and similar.
Somewhat wistfully interested. Milo cannot go to knight school. He has tried learning several weapons, and although he's quite good at archery, any kind of fighting that involves two or more people hitting each other with things will inevitably break his bones even when his opponent is trying to be gentle. Milo would love to go to knight school, would probably even be allowed to go to knight school, but there's no way he could be the kind of knight who saves damsels from being carried off by monsters. At least not if he had to do it with a sword.
Halfway through Jann's first year at knight school, he gets a letter from Milo two whole weeks ahead of schedule. I bet I had a more exciting day than you! it begins. A giant tried to pillage the town I was visiting with Mom and Dad, and I argued him out of it! His name is Porabor and he's surprisingly nice for a marauding giant. Dad's going to let him move into that old ruined castle near the southern border, and send some people to help fix it up for giant habitation, in return for Porabor not marauding anymore and helping us clear out blocked roads and similar.
abeance
That is way more interesting than my day! agrees Jann when he gets around to reading this letter and writing back. All I did today was have various kinds of practice. Nice work with the giant! I know how to fight them but only in theory and it sounds a little too interesting all around. Why did you even start talking to the marauding giant in the first place though?