June – Chapter One

I couldn’t get a reliable grip on the handle of my blade, and so I was separated from it, my body whipping against an aged red oak by my foe. As the blurring in my eyes ceased, and I cleared the blood from my forehead that would cloud those eyes, I took note of my opponent; a dagger now in their hand, which became coated in crimson mist and difficult to observe. I stood as ready for combat as I could, backed against the oak and disarmed. I balled my hands into fists, ready to put up one last desperate bout and braced for the enemy to deliver me to the afterlife.

What I hadn’t expected was the look in their eyes as they approached – so filled with concern and also remorse. Whoever this foe was, they didn’t seem to wish for this. Every step left me more and more disarmed by their expression, until their dagger was at rest against my throat, and tears against their cheeks. I reflected on the situation, and smiled at the foe, closing my eyes and waiting for the cold of the steel to chill my jugular and end my battle, but that moment never came. Instead, I heard the sobs of a child I’d never heard before, and my vision filled with golden light, then blackened once more. I felt the breath escape my lungs, and soon, I felt my chest rise for the final time. Helpless to take in another mouthful of life-giving oxygen, I watched as this red mist shrouded assailant turned their attention to my mother, and then my uncle, and finally, to my infant sister.

Their screams were the catalyst to waking me up from my stupor, cold sweat in my hands and against my bed sheets. Just a dream, June; try to calm your heart. I repeated this to myself a few times before I felt the shaking of my fingers stop and knew I could get out of bed without falling over myself.

Or so I thought; overconfident in my ability to perform such a basic human task, my face met the carpet with a thud. Although, I never did get to appreciate the shade of green it was before now, almost grassy in shade. From this position I could roll onto my back and make out all the tiny details of the wood in my roof, and the slight imperfection in the craftsmanship of the window–

“June, what was that?” My name was called, muffled by the hardwood floor.

Well, maybe some other time. I answered my mother’s call of concern with a mumbled and tired sounding, “I dunno,” and began getting ready for the day. I chose simple but flexible clothing for the day: A white blouse with sleeves to my elbows and a collar that fit nicely to my neck; keeping my modesty and my skin safe. Some dark green trousers with black hem that I’d had for a few years, and regularly trained in, would be my choice for bottoms. I hoped they would provide me with good luck as well as comfort while taking my test. It wasn’t the image of beauty, but it sure was fitting and breathable; as were the gloves I’d be wearing when the test began, missing fingers for grip reliability but covering enough of my palm to prevent sweat from taking my weapon out of my hands. I decided to put those on only when the test began, stuffed them in my pocket, and headed downstairs to greet my mother for morning coffee.

“There’s the birthday girl.” I heard from the bottom of the stairs as I’d reached about halfway down them. “Does it feel any different, being sixteen?” she asked.

I got to the base of the stairs, next to our front door, and turned into the living room. The kitchen was visible from there, and so I responded, “Not really? I kind of forgot. My excitement for the test just took over.”

 She placed her cup and coaster on the counter and turned to face me, but the look in her eyes was one of horror as she pointed at me and mockingly shouted “By Camulus what is that monster on your head?!”

I reached up to my hair, realized I’d forgotten to brush it, and flushed with embarrassment. The longer auburn strands emphasized my predicament as they fell into my eyes when I tried to correct them by hand – this is why I usually preferred hair that only reached my ears. It was so much easier to manage.

With a laugh from my mother I returned to my room to tame the wolf atop my head with my most trusted weapon, and after it all rested just below my ears and my bangs were spread evenly, I considered it done enough. I hurried back downstairs and my mother teased me with a wry sigh of relief before handing my coffee and coaster to me in one of our pleasantly hand carved and finished mahogany mugs.

“Seriously June, happy birthday, and happy enrollment too.” she leaned over to me and gave me one of her signature hugs. Her hair and mine weren’t so different, though she had a much longer ponytail from the base of her neck to the back of her knee; I chose to have an easier life by not doing that. I did note that she was dressed a little nicer than her usual slacks and blouse though. She seemed to have a basic layer of makeup on, very subtly, but also a darker toned blue blouse and black formal pants. She was more dressed up for my exam than I was, which I commented to her and we both laughed about. She even had some sort of formal shoes on, while I’d opted for as bare as I could get away with for maximum movement opportunity.

We each took a sip of our coffee, as sweet and tinted with iris petals as always, before I broke the silence. “Where’s Allie?” I asked, referring to my baby sister. “She is not going to be happy if she sleeps through breakfast.”

“She’s actually out running errands with Nectar right now. She’ll be back before the exam, I promise.” my mother took another sip before sighing in satisfaction and placing her mug down. “Now, are you sure this is the course you want to take? Magnum is a big university. There’s still time before the exam official gets here.”

I shook my head. “I’m enlisting in the Mirroheart Peacemakers right after graduation. I want to attend classes for knighthood and absorb as much practical combat experience as I can before then.” I placed my mug down as well and headed for the living room, taking a seat on one of our chairs. “Sure, I could be a blacksmith or a jeweler or something, but none of them protect people directly. I want to get out there, see the world, and keep it safe from those beasts.”

“Alright.” my mother sat down across from me in another chair. “If it’s what you want,of course I’ll support you. I just worry is all.”

“Of course, who wouldn’t?” I told her. “I mean, nobody wants their kids to go be a soldier. It’s scary I’m sure. But if enough of us exist, no more kids will have to, and no more mothers have to worry about it.”

“You’ve got your fathers’ sense of justice, that’s for sure.” she relaxed her shoulders a bit, which I’d just noticed were tense, and smiled at me. “You know, he’d be proud of you.”

“I hope so. I may not remember him but considering how happy he made you, I respect him for that.”

“Someday, while you’re out there in the world seeing the sights, I hope you happen across someone else he’s saved so you know I’m not just talking him up.” she laughed, which was interrupted by the clicking of our front door and then by two sets of footsteps. We turned to see my uncle Nectar and my baby sister Allie with groceries in hand. 

His attire was simple and to the point, with a blade strapped to either hip and some carpentry tools in a belt alongside that. He wasn’t wearing his usual apron today though, so I was confused as to why he would bring his work tools with him. Allie on the other hand was in a basic tunic that was as bright a pink as my uncle could have stomached to dye it for her, and that was all she fit into at her age. She wasn’t really my biological sister, but mother and I found her six years prior as a baby abandoned in the forest. Nectar had been her primary guardian, but she lived in our house. 

The two of them together was a sight to see, as Nectar was at least thrice her size or more, and as such he had the majority of the grocery bags from this and most other trips to the market, while Allie had a small bag of bread. Pride in her eyes, she ran to the kitchen to put everything down, and he nodded knowingly at me before joining her.

“Happy birthday sis!” she shouted to me from the kitchen, followed by 

“You nervous for the exam?” from my uncle.

“I was, but I’m alright now.” I confirmed, standing to join them in unpacking the groceries. “No point in getting nervous unless I screw up, right?”

“That’s not what being nervous means- nevermind, you’re right.” he chuckled to himself and tossed me a light looking pastry. “It’s not much, but happy birthday. Don’t be a stranger once you leave alright?”

“I won’t.” I smiled and took a bite of what I now knew was a cheesy filled sweet roll. “Magnum is a big place yeah? I’m not one for crowds, so I’ll come home often.”

“It’s four years of live-in study, June. Are you sure you’re ready to be away from home that long? You’ve never even left the forest.” Nectar pointed out.

“That’s because I was told not to.” I replied. “But I’m sure. It’s necessary after all. Homeschooling can’t teach you knighthood.”

“Well, a family born into knighthood could.” my mother joked from her seat in the other room. “But you were born into a family of crafters and gatherers, unfortunately. Though I do think there’s a good bit you can take between the two.”

Allie nodded and agreed, and Nectar picked her up and carried her to the living room. All of us decided to sit down and wait for my exam official together.

About an hour passed of us just being together, enjoying family time, before a knock came to our door. My mother got up, and went to greet our guest, but as soon as she opened the door I heard her stumble on her own good morning as if she had swallowed a bug the moment she opened her mouth. Some sputtering and confusion later, I decided to get up and see what was the matter, only to see a red figure in the doorway. My blood cooled and my hand trembled, but just as I’d begun to fear this stranger, they laughed in a deep masculine voice. Whoever this was, they weren’t the specter I’d encountered in my dream last night.

“Come on Freja, is it really that surprising?” the stranger pat her on the shoulder and laughed more. “It’s good to see you, old friend. Tell me, where is she?”

“I’m right here!” I bolted to the door after realizing this stranger was my official. “June Kohma, ready to be tested!”

“Easy there, kid.” he took a few steps into the house, my mother allowing him to pass. “We can test after we get the formalities out of the way, alright?”

“Yes, let’s.” my mother finally regained her composure enough to speak. “For starters, I’m thrilled to see you, but I thought we would be seeing-” she was cut off.

“Well, you got me.” he shrugged. “What can I say? I wanted to see Heath’s kid in action firsthand.”

“You knew my dad?” I asked, before the man’s hand found my shoulder.

“He was a great man. I had to make sure he left a great legacy behind.” he said with a bit more seriousness than I’d heard in him before. “I’ll tell you what I know after your test, sound good?”

“Sounds perfect.” 

We both entered the room, with the man visibly ducking under my door frame without the need to. I considered that bizarre for only a moment, before my attention was drawn to something I was amazed I hadn’t noticed before; I couldn’t see a single bit of this man’s body. It was entirely covered in that red cloak of his, except the face, which was covered by a white and gold mask of some kind. It had a stern looking face imprinted into it, with trimmings in gold for the eyebrows and lips and such. He also had a curved blade at his hip, which I noted had the same crest as the Peacemakers etched into the underside of the pommel, trimmed in a gold finish which was likely just gold plating. It was all just a red blur before this, I couldn’t get a good reading on shape or size of any sort.

As he made his way to an open seat – the one I’d just gotten up from, but I let that slide – I saw outside our door the strange brown bag of items that was behind him before he’d entered. Perhaps tools for the test, I’d guessed. My attention was quickly taken from that and back to the man as I heard him call my name.

“Today’s your sixteenth birthday, right?” he asked, in a tone that said he knew the answer and just wanted me to play along.

“Yes sir. And that means-” he cut me off.

“It means you’re of age and you want to prove your worth and enroll in Magnum University, specifically the courses related to combat, tactics and history in order to become the best knight you could ever be!” he chuckled. “Thought so. I’ve heard it all before, and just because I’m an old friend of the family doesn’t mean you’re getting a free pass. I need you to know this.”

“Yes sir.” I replied, admittedly relieved that I was going to be taken seriously. “But if I can add one more thing to that list of reasons, it’s also because I feel like there’s no such thing as total peace, and so to help provide as much comfort as possible, I want to do my part and ease the burden of others. Take up the fight so they don’t have to.”

“Can’t say I haven’t heard that one either. Selflessness is great and all, but these courses will beat a more realistic viewpoint into you if they work. That’s the only way to survive out there. Kindness and good intentions are only half the battle.”

“Understood.” I nodded, taking up the seat across from him. “So, formalities… Where do we begin with those?” I asked, genuinely unsure of how much information about me this man already had.

“Let’s start with names.” he sat more forward, elbows on his knees and fingers crossed resting under what I assumed was his chin. “My name is Drey Mirroheart.”

I froze. He continued. 

“I am your exam official for today, but I am also the founder of the Mirroheart Peacemakers. Beyond that, however, I am an old friend of the family.”

I still couldn’t respond. 

“… Now it’s your turn.” he urged me on. Suddenly all my talk of nervousness being pointless was right out the window.

“Right.” I swallowed my nerves and continued. “My name is June Kohma. At present, I am homeschooled by my mother in academics, my uncle in practical combat, and do heavy labor odd jobs around my village to build my strength and endurance.” It felt uncomfortable to list off my features like that, but I suppose this was part of his job. He nodded and seemed to contemplate his next question for a moment.

“You seem to have a good set of ideals, but I’m curious. Have they ever been called into question? Have you ever had to make a tough choice that would cause your ideals to waver?”

“There was this one time the neighbor boy threw a rock at me. I debated throwing one back, but decided it’d be more fair to challenge him to arm wrestling instead. Is that what you mean?” I asked, the simplicity of my life beginning to sink in as he seemed  to tilt his head in confusion.

“You haven’t left this village, have you?” he asked. I shook my head, and he sighed. “Well, that certainly explains a lot. How about special skills? Talents you’ve picked up over the years?”

I took a moment before I twirled my hair into a curl, and blew a small breath straight up my face and into it. It played a sweet note in a higher pitch the harder I would huff at it.

“Well, I can do that. Not sure why.” I shrugged, and he seemed to be keen on this trait, as I could feel him smiling at me from behind his mask.

“Let’s go outside.” he unfolded his arms. As quickly as we’d seated to exchange pleasantries, we stood and began to exit. My family had remained silent this entire time, but I could see the looks on their faces. They realized something about this visit that I hadn’t realized yet, and the worry that especially my mother showed was enough to make me realize I hadn’t swallowed my nerves just yet. Not entirely. 

This became all the more obvious when we reached my front yard, the forest floor lightly broken up by the varnished wooden planks of the walkway and the dead leaves that decorated the area. It was a wide section of land, with surprisingly few trees between our home and the next over. The entire village was like that, as if nature had chosen this location to house a small civilization. Of course I know now that  it was cultivated this way by logging and construction, but a teenager could always believe.

Sir Mirroheart reached into the bag I’d noted earlier and threw a simple looking practice blade my way before readying himself into a stance.

“First, since you’re eager to enroll in combat courses, let me see what you can do.”