I
don’t own any of these characters, I don’t make any money off this, it’s just
for fun. J The shows
that I borrowed the characters from are: “West Wing” and “Kung Fu: The Legend
Continues” (for teachers) and “Magnificent Seven” (for students).
If
you want to comment you can write me directly at [email protected].
Enjoy!
“A Day in the Life”
By: Heidi Lane
Vin picked up his violin and the books he’d need for the first four classes of the day. There would be time at lunch hour to return to the wardery for the afternoon books. He shrugged into his overtunic, made sure he had everything he’d need and bounded down the steps.
“Mornin’,
Mistress Nettie!” he called as he hurried by the dining room where the other
bardic wards sat finishing their morning meal.
“Vin! Come in here, please,” the warden
called. Vin sighed. He hadn’t meant to take so long in his
morning meditation but, with the new spring day dawning so warm, the birds had
been singing with all their hearts and he’d gotten lost in their songs. Now his first class was in fifteen minutes
and he really didn’t have time for the “proper” breakfast he knew Mistress
Nettie would insist on.
“Mistress
Nettie, I got class…” he started as he turned back toward the dining room.
“I know,
dear. I’d like you to meet someone
before you leave.”
Vin cocked
his head quizzically. Did they have
another new ward already? JD had just
arrived the night before.
Vin noticed the younger boy sitting quietly off to the side. He hoped the young Norman would settle in to life at the wardery soon. He vaguely remembered how difficult it had been when his own mother had died. At least he’d been used to staying in one place. Normans, like JD, were nomadic and after the freedom of the open road the wardery might seem claustrophobic. Add to that the grief of losing his only family and JD would probably have a difficult time adjusting.
Vin turned
his attention toward the one unfamiliar face in the room. He certainly wasn’t a new ward; he was at
least in his twenties. He was probably
beginning his journeywork. He had quite
a muscular build and had light brown hair falling over his soft blue eyes. He smiled when he noticed Vin staring at
him.
“Howdy,” Vin said softly, inclining his head.
“Hello,” the large young man replied. Just then Ezra entered the room. The young southerner was an old fixture at the wardery. Although Ezra was not actually a ward, his mother had been leaving him at the Four-Corners Wardery for as long as Vin could remember.
“Ah, I see that we have yet another new member of this unique family,” he said, noting the newcomer. “Salutations,” he greeted, his cheeks dimpling for a moment. “I am Ezra Standish, an apprentice here at Four-Corners Bardic Academy. That is Vin Tanner, also an apprentice. Who might you be?”
The larger
man extended his hand. “Josiah
Sanchez,” he replied, taking the smaller boy’s hand in his own. “Journeyman and Warden Trainee.”
Vin
smiled. It will be nice to have an
older man to go to with the personal questions that I don’t feel comfortable
asking Mistress Nettie. “Pleased ta
meetcha,” he said, before turning to go.
“Got a class.”
“Perhaps a
piece of fruit or a pastry for breakfast on your way, little brother,” the
journeyman suggested gently, pointing to the food that was still on the table.
“Alright,” Vin sighed, reaching to snatch up a pear from the fruit basket. “Comin’ Ezra?”
“Yes,
Vin. Right behind you,” Ezra said, as
he too plucked some fruit from the heavily laden basket. “Morning Greetings, Casey,” he called to
Mistress Nettie’s neice, before following Vin from the room.
The two
scurried out the door before Mistress Nettie could remind them that they might
want to wear jackets. It was too fine a
day to bundle up.
Vin sighed
as he entered his third class of the morning.
Master Toby had promised in the previous class that this would be an
easy day for them. He’d said that all
they’d do is review their fingerings in the pieces they’d already learned for
the Spring Festival. It was a respite
that Vin was looking forward to.
Vin’s first class of the day had been Voice Training and that always left him feeling drained. As a consequence, he’d fallen asleep not less than three times during his second class, “History of Composition,” earning him the wrath of Mistress Abigail. He sighed in relief as he slid into his seat next to Ezra.
“Rough day,
my friend?” the southerner asked softly.
“Yep,” Vin replied, his tone matching the other boy’s. “I hate Voice days.” Noticing some other new students, he asked, “Who’re they?” They were all older than either Vin or Ezra. One was of medium build with short blond hair. The young man beside him had thick dark hair and was quite tall. The third boy, who quietly tuned his cello, was clearly from the Point. He was nearly as tall as the dark-haired boy beside him, but his skin was quite dark. Vin did his best not to stare, but it wasn’t easy since he’d never seen someone who looked anything like that.
“The reason why we are have been granted a reprieve from Mater Toby’s usually arduous tutelage,” Ezra whispered. “Three new apprentices that have just transferred here from various other academies.”
One of the newcomers looked up from tuning his viola. “I’m Chris Larabee,” he said, introducing himself. “That’s Buck Wilmington,” he continued, indicating the dark-haired young man beside him.
“Howdy,” Vin replied. “Name’s Vin Tanner; he’s Ezra Standish.”
The third new student noticed the badge on Vin’s lapel and asked, “You’re a ward? What happened to your parents?”
Vin looked down. Why was it that he always had to explain why he was a ward to every new person he met? “Never knew my father,” he replied quickly. “Ma died when I was five. She got sick. Had no family. Lived nearby. Warden took me in.” Vin looked up and, his eyes slightly narrowed, he asked, “Writin’ a book?”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” the older boy replied.
“Ain’t upset. Master Toby’s here,” he explained, nodding toward the front of the room.
“Good Morning,” the dark-haired man said briskly. “We have four new students. I’ll ask them to please rise when I say their names. John Dunne; Nathan Jackson; Christopher Larabee; Bucklin Wilmington.” As he said their names, each student got to their feet.
Master Toby gave them a half-smile and nodded. “Thank you.” Glancing around the room, he said, “I can see that all the regular students are here. What we will do is this: the new students will learn the fingerings for the pieces; the old students will practice. Fingerings only, no bowing. I can’t concentrate if everyone is playing something different at the same time. Understood? All right.”
The rest of the class passed quickly and Vin said goodbye to Ezra and went to his favorite class – “Poetry and Lyric Composition.”
“Howdy, Master Samuel,” he called to the teacher as he entered the room.
As always, the Composition Master was busily writing at his desk. He looked up at Vin’s words and smiled broadly. “Hello, Vin,” the cheerful, dark-haired master replied. “Good day so far?”
“Now it is,” Vin said, returning the teacher’s smile. Vin turned away and quietly made his way to his seat. “Hello, Mary,” he greeted the blond apprentice who sat next to him.
“Hi, Vin,” she answered, looking up from her work. “I heard there’s a new Warden. Is Mistress Nettie leaving?”
Vin rolled his eyes. “New Warden Trainee,” he corrected. “He’s helping at the Ward’ry and learnin’ the trade.”
“Oh, good,” she said in relief. Blinking her large green eyes, she continued, quickly asking, “How is JD settling in? Have you met the transfer students yet? I heard one of them is from the Point. Is that true?”
“Apprentice Mary,” Master Samuel called gently. “You are full of questions today and that’s a good thing. However, I’d prefer it if they were focused on the assignment and not the scuttlebutt. All right?” For all that he was technically scolding the young lady, Master Samuel’s blue eyes had a sparkle of humor in them.
“Sorry, sir,” Mary said softly, turning her attention to the assignment that the class had been working on for the past two sessions.
Vin looked his poem over. In fact, he re-read it twice before finally shrugging to himself and quietly approaching where the Composition Master sat bent over his own work.
“Master Samuel? I think I’m done,” Vin said, cautiously handing over his poem.
Master Samuel looked over the poem; then read it again more carefully. He turned to Vin with a smile on his face. “Vin, this is a beautiful poem. You’ve created quite a mood and the imagery is amazing. You have quite a talent for poetry composition,” he spoke softly, so as not to disturb the other apprentices. Smiling broadly, he asked, “Would you mind if I gave this to Master Peter to put to music for the Spring Music Festival?”
Vin’s eyes widened. “The Festival? The one the royal family attends?” At Master Samuel’s nod, he continued, “I’d be right honored! Thank you.”
Master Samuel grinned and said, “You’re welcome, Vin. You can spend the rest of the session on free writing if you’d like or, if you’ve homework, you may do that.”
Vin returned to his seat and placed his copy of the poem in his portfolio; then he took out his writing journal and began a new poem on a fresh page.
Soon it was time for lunch. Vin scampered into the cafeteria and put his books down on a table near Ezra’s. After he’d picked out a meat pie and a vegetable wrap for his lunch, he returned to the table to find that the new students had arranged themselves there as well.
“Howdy,” he said, seating himself. Looking around, he saw Ezra talking to JD, who was sitting alone. After a while, JD picked up his tray and allowed himself to be led over to their table.
“Hello,” the younger boy said softly. Vin waved to him and slid over to make room for him on the bench.
Buck looked at JD’s tray, which only had a bowl of soup on it, and said, “Is that all you’re eating?”
JD shrugged. “Not hungry,” he mumbled sullenly.
“Hello, little brothers,” came a voice from behind them.
Ezra smiled brightly, flashing his rarely seen dimples and softly mouthed, “Hello.”
“Hey, J’siah,” Vin said, looking up as he turned to face the older man. Josiah smiled at him; then looked at JD.
Sitting down, he placed a conciliatory hand on the young man’s shoulder. “It’s alright, JD. You’re still getting used to all of this. Would you like some tea to drink with your soup?”
JD shrugged and shook his head.
“Alright.” Josiah sighed and turned to Vin. Smiling again, he said, “You look like you have news, Vin.”
“I do. I wrote a poem and Master Samuel said it was very good. He’s gonna give it to Master Peter, who’s gonna put it to music for the Spring Festival.”
Chris looked shocked. “But you’re only an apprentice! How can he do that?” he said in disbelief.
Vin shrugged.
“Vin is quite a talented poet. One of Master Samuel’s best students,” Ezra supplied, smiling broadly.
“He said that?” Buck asked.
“Nope,” Vin replied. “Master Samuel never picks out one student to… ’lavish praise on.’ He don’t want it to seem like he’s playin’ favorites.”
“He seems very nice,” JD said quietly.
“He is,” Ezra said, looking at JD. “He’s one of the nicest Masters on the faculty. Master Toby is gruff, but he’s all right if you don’t give him trouble. Mistress Abigail won’t tolerate any foolishness-”
“Or napping,” Vin added, grinning.
Ezra chuckled, and then continued, “Master Peter is nice, though quite strict. Mistress Claudia is very kind and will not allow teasing or bullying of any sort.”
Vin smiled as Ezra rapidly began to go through all the Masters’ finer attributes. Trust Ez to know all the scuttlebutt.
“Hmmm…” Ezra went on, chewing his lip thoughtfully. “Master Jediah’s rough but that is merely because proper vocal technique is one of the most difficult skills to master. Master Griffen keeps a tight reign on us because in Orchestra even if only a few students start acting up it can quickly escalate and become uncontrollable. Mistress Karen treats Choral much the same way.” He paused for a moment; then asked, “Are any of you taking dance?” At their amused looks, he shrugged. “It’s a valid question. All arts, performing and graphic, fall under the bardic purview.” When a few of them smiled, he asked, “Do you gentlemen find something amusing about a man taking lessons in dance?” Ezra glanced around as the others tried to hide their growing smiles. Shaking his head, he added, “I don’t see why. It teaches you grace and poise.” Pausing, he smiled mischievously and said, “Not to mention that it is certainly a fine way to meet pretty young ladies.” Buck’s eyes lit up and he turned excitedly to Chris, who rolled his eyes and shook his head. Ezra ignored them and went on, saying, “Anyway, Mistress Ainsley is quite talented and very…tolerant of…shall we call them – our youthful pursuits? The final master, Master Joshua – well, I haven’t taken any graphics art classes, but I’m told he’s got a wonderful sense of humor.”
Vin grinned and said, “Kinda quirky – but fun.” Getting to his feet, he said, “I gotta get my afternoon books. See y’all in Choral.” Vin bounded out of the cafeteria thinking about the rest of the semester. It looked like it was going to be interesting.
End