27 Grey wolf at the table

Looking at the man sitting with Shalmoon at the breakfast table Harrison had a feeling he was looking at a wild beast. An old cunning predator judging by his long grey hair and beard. He was a head taller than Shalmoon when sitting down. His broad shoulders exuded strength. The two scars going over his right eye to his temple and wrinkles on his face told of hardships of life he faced.

The moment Sheina and Harrison walked into the dinning room the two sitting at the table stopped the joyful banter and the man seemed to be measuring Harrison with his eyes.

Contrary to Harrison's feeling of discomfort the man evoked a smile on Sheina's face who greeted him with joy.

"Aka sha! Uncle Rogun it has been a while. How are things at the border?"

She greeted him with obvious familiarity.

"Aka sha!"

Harrison likewise greeted both of the men and walked towards his chair.

Shalmoon smiled at Harrison easing his tension while Rogun gave an uninterested greeting to him while keeping his eyes locked onto him.

Finally, the man gave a smile to Sheina before replying.

"You have grown taller since I last saw you. You are looking more like your mother every time I meet you. Thankfully you got your looks from her and not your father. Don't concern yourself with the border as long as my men and I am there you have nothing to worry about. I hear you have been going into the woods by yourself and that this boy saved you from a couple of marakash?"

Rogun replied while once again focusing on Harrison.

Sheina noticed Rogun staring daggers at Harrison as she replied, "It's good to know you are protecting us. I will be more careful in the future."

"Any experience you can walk from unharmed is a good experience but let it not become a habit. I am just afraid that sooner or later your luck will run out." Rogun lectured some more.

"Yes. You were lucky. You may not be so lucky the next time so don't go into the woods alone anymore. If it weren't for…" Shalmoon said before trailing off feeling awkward still not having a name to call Harrison.

"Robertson. I remembered my last name." Harrison told them the name he got from nurse Finkle on the other side.

"Oh.It's good your memory is coming back. This is Rogun Blackwater. He will be your instructor for a while in handling weapons." Shalmoon said with a joyful and proud voice.

"Didn't you say the boy can't speak our language?" Rogun asked.

"He is a very fast learner." Sheina said proudly looking at Harrison.

Harrison replied with embarrassment, "I have a good teacher."

"A bit too fast, if you ask me… " Rogun grumbled.

"Are you worried about me uncle Rogun?" Sheina said with a smile.

"Of course I am worried. You are like a daughter to me." Rogun replied, looking at her.

"Don't worry about him. When he found me I was unconscious and there were four marakash running towards me before I passed out. If he had any ill intentions he had the time and opportunity to do it before I woke up not to mention he scared off the beasts and saved my life."

She said while pouting at Rogun for doubting Harrison's intentions.

"I guess you are right but one should never be too careful. I will give him the benefit of doubt for saving your life for now. We paid dearly once for trusting people we should not have and I swore I won't let something similar happen again." Rogun replied, still staring at Harrison and looking for any reactions from him.

"Well you don't have to trust him. Just teach him." Shalmoon said with a frown recollecting the past, which soon turned into a smile.

"Boy. After breakfast follow me to the backyard. What do you want to learn? Sword, spear, bow?" Rogun sighed before he raised his voice in resignation.

Harrison thought a bit and asked, "Can we do them all."

"A man should not bite off more than he can chew. I will be in the town for two weeks. How much of my knowledge I spent a lifetime to polish do you think you can learn in two weeks? Pick one. Don't be greedy." Rogun replied with dissatisfaction.

As Harrison was thinking about it Shalmoon eased the tension, "Rogun. Don't be such a hardass on the boy we all know you are a teddy bear on the inside."

"I eat bears for breakfast usually. If I had not known you for all your life I would take this as an insult and show you what kind of bear I am." Rogun grumbled and Shalmoon was smiling at him seemingly enjoying poking the bear.

"Let us eat or the porridge will get cold." Shalmoon said and scooped some for Rogun.

Rogun was obviously annoyed as he said, "Porridge. I can't believe a man like you is reduced to eating porridge for breakfast. You should enjoy your life more even with everything."

Shalmoon paid him no mind and scooped some for Harrison and Sheina and then at last for himself.

"You know where my priorities and loyalty lie. That is why we are able to remain friends for such a long time." He said before picking up a spoon.

"I know but still… " Rogun started before sighing.

"I guess you are right. Before we settle this I don't can't find any joy in such things either but you should not treat sheina like this." Rogun grumbled.

"She is aware of everything that I am doing and the reason why. We have no secrets." Shalmoon replied while looking Rogun in the eyes as he started eating his porridge.

"Uncle. Don't worry about me. I understand and support my father." Sheina said while smiling.

They soon finished their breakfast. Shalmoon and Rogun went to Shalmoons study and Harrison was told to come to the backyard in half an hour.

"So your last name is Roberts? That is an unusual name." Sheina broke the silence that followed the breakfast.

"Is it?" Harrison replied while looking at her.

"Well, at least I never heard it before." Sheina said before gesturing to him to follow her to the backyard.

"Don't worry about uncle Rogun. He is hard on the outside soft on the inside. When my mother was abducted his grandson was with her travelling. His body was found at the scene of the attack and my father and he have been trying to find the culprits ever since. Jorgun was his only grandson and the last in his lineage so Rogun has always been blaming himself for his death. He believes he left his son and daughter in law down but honestly Jorgun begged him to let him go to Gormund with my mother." Sheina explained.

"Gormund?"

"It's a big town east from Torm."

"Torm?"

"Don't tell me you don't even know this town is called Torm?" Sheina laughed.

"In the west is a big town called Linmund. In the middle between Gormund and Linmund is Torm. In the north is the border with the wilderness with the great Lambersen mountain range as a natural divide. There are fortresses there and Rogun is stationed there." Sheina explained.

Suddenly Harrison was glad he learned geography from the books in the library or these terms would be completely unfamiliar to him.

"Rogun was my father's weapons teacher in Linmund and he was punished because of my father with service on the border." She added.

"Punished?"

"Yes. My mother was supposed to marry my father's oldest brother Armoon. But she took a liking to my father and they eloped. Rogun was blamed for helping them and his punishment was decided to be twenty harvests of service in the Lambersen mountain range and my father and mother were banished to this small town. My father's side of the family has completely cut him off. My mother's side was only a bit better until my mother went missing. I have been the main reason they made any effort at all. My mother was only going to Gormund to discuss my future husband which my mother's side of the family took upon themselves to decide without their knowledge." She was visibly angry by the time she said the last sentence.

All Harrison could reply after a sigh was, "I see."

Sheina took him to a fence with a shack in front. The fence divided a circular space about 20 meters in diameter. Opening the shack door Harrison could see a lot of different kinds of swords, spears, bows, halberds and other weapons. What they had in common were dull blades and rounded edges. They were training weapons.

"The archery range is over there." Sheina said while pointing at a few targets around 100 meters away.

"I will let you and uncle Rogun by yourself so you won't be embarrassed now. I will come check on your progress later. I am counting on you that you won't disappoint me and make me look like a liar for saying you learn fast." She said while mischievously pouting before taking her leave.

"I will try my best not to disappoint." Harrison yelled after her as she was leaving.