Chance Collisions

Kiran is an orphan attending university as a sponsor student alongside sons and daughters of nobility and wealthy merchants. He learns that those students aren't so different from him after all

How could there be this much work? It was only his first week as a Bolingbarke University student! He hadn't even been in the city of Bolingbarke for a month. It was only his first time away from the jurisdiction of Northchester, the second-largest city in Cancalia after the capital, Southchester. Didn't these Professors have any mercy? Kiran's dark brown eyes wove along the aisles, trying to locate the book he needed for his Introduction to Politics class. What if he couldn't find it? What if his church decided he was unworthy of sponsoring as a student so he couldn't take the classes they wished him to take? He needed to score satisfactorily before he could be officially inducted as a paladin of Heironeus and presented with the appropriate armor and holy symbols. 

 

The fifteen-year-old boy passed several tables of well-dressed students. Most were human, but he noticed several gnomes, two dwarves, three elves and part-elves and even a halfling. The halfling was particularly of interest because those were rarely seen in this part of the world. They usually lived further north in places like Rheeding or Dremeadow.  To his relief, the older students who mocked him for his diminutive stature, little boyish voice and status as an orphan and sponsor student were not among those currently studying. 

 

There! His eyes fell upon a likely-looking section. He traversed the room for a closer look. Sure enough, there were several aisles marked "Politics." Now he would just need to look for the actual book and pray to Heironeus both that it wasn't in use and that he wouldn't find a slip of parchment telling him to go underground to request the book from the archivist. She wasn't a particularly friendly woman.

           

As he rounded the corner, he collided with something soft. Kiran took a step back . He saw the bottom of a lacy ruff, golden buttons and a waistcoat’s bright blue cloth.  His face had been planted in someone else's chest. Someone important, from the looks of the tunic. Well, this is embarrassing… He looked up to apologize. When Kiran saw who it was, his eyes widened in horror. He'd known the other boy was going here; people had talked incessantly about it all last week. In fact, he'd heard about it ad nauseam since the beginning of November when Northchester's Church of Heironeus sent him down with his mentor Oliver.

           

It was Lord Hector. Lord Hector, he eldest son of the Duke of Northchester, who in turn was the younger brother of Cancalia’s king, King Ivan. Lord Hector, third in line to the Benoit dynasty’s throne. Looking past the other boy, he saw several of the Northchester guards who he presumed the Duke had sent down to protect his eldest son, who was the same age as Kiran, while Lord Hector attended university. These guards were all giving him very sharp, calculating looks.

 

“L-lord Hector!” exclaimed Kiran in a slight stammer just to further his humiliation. “I’m really sorry! I didn’t know you were there, Your… erm…” What was he supposed to call him? He’d heard enough about titles in his first politics class to know that while the Duke of Northchester was technically a “Your Highness” and would be addressed as such in most kingdoms, Cancalia’s practice was to refer to the younger siblings of a ruling monarch as “Your Grace.” They were “Your Highnesses,” Kiran remembered, when they were sons and daughters of the ruling monarch, but once the Crown Prince lived to ascend to the throne, they would all be “Your Grace” until their death- unless the King died before producing an heir. What was he supposed to call a nephew of the King?

 

One or two of the guards looked disdainful. Lord Hector, however, interrupted Kiran’s stammer with a laugh, shaking his head. “Lord Hector suffices,” the taller boy told him. Kiran noticed he was golden-haired like his father and had the same shape eyes. Nobody would ever question his lineage. “Or just lord, or my lord, assuming you’re Cancalian. You sound as though you are.”

 

            “I am, my lord,” confirmed Kiran. “Sorry again, was just looking for a book.” He fidgeted with the Heironeus holy symbol pin adorning his right sleeve.

 

            “As are we all,” replied Lord Hector. His guards, evidently having decided Kiran did not pose a threat, browsed through the shelves. Just then, one of the guards held up a book. “My lord, I’ve found the book you need for your politics class.”  

 

            Kiran’s heart sank. He’d have to study something else today.  Looking to his left and right at the books, he said “I think I’m in the wrong aisle.... sorry again, Lord Hector.”

 

 He turned to go. Just then, Lord Hector said “wait.” Kiran froze in place. “You’re in my politics class, are you not? Don’t you sit up front?”

 

Kiran tilted his head, eyes widening in surprise. There were a lot of students in class. He was recognized even down to where he sat?  There’d only been two classes so far! “You remember me from class? Lord Hector,” he hastily added.

 

“Of course. You were the one explaining what a theocracy is.” Lord Hector’s voice was confident. Kiran blushed slightly. He was right. That was one of the questions Kiran actually had already known the answer to, and he’d been so eager to show it that the professor cut off his explanation.  Lowering his voice, he added conspiratorially “honestly, between you and me, it was a good break from listening to him retell his own textbook.”

 

“I learned it from my church, they have their own books, and I read a lot of them after one of the clerics taught me to read,” replied Kiran. He fell quiet. He doubted the other boy would care.

 

“I see.” The young aristocrat stroked his chin.  “Were you looking for the book for class also?”

 

Kiran grimaced inwardly. He hated lying and never told them, although in extreme circumstances he simply opted for silence, but it would be disrespectful to refuse to answer. “Yes, lord, but I can work on one of my other classes.”

 

“Or you can do the reading and written bit with me so it goes faster for the both of us. We could take turns taking notes,” suggested Lord Hector. “Seems fairer than making you wait”

 

The young paladin nearly choked on his own air. He’d never heard anything about Lord Hector being kind enough to do something like offer to study with a commoner without seeming condescending, only his station and the typical gossip about the doings of the Benoits. “Are you sure, lord? I really do not mind waiting.”

 

The blond boy’s eyes closed as though growing impatient. “Well, if you prefer waiting…”

 

Kiran winced slightly. Was it his imagination, or did the Duke’s son sound disappointed? “I did not mean that, Lord Hector, it’s just…” How could he comment on their difference in station without stating the obvious or possibly offending him?

 

“You’re probably nervous because of who I am. But people like me can knock into others if they aren’t watching where they’re going, too.” Kiran gave a tentative smile in reply. “I would not have made the offer if I found it disagreeable.”

 

Kiran nodded. “All right. Then… I accept,” he said. Saying he “accepted” sounded better than “okay,” as a means of taking the invitation.

 

“Good. In that case, we’re at the back corner table.”

 

Author's Note

Thanks for reading! Please let me know if there's any ways of improving this. Kiran's one of the characters in my books-in-progress "Fallen Ones" and Traitor Princess" though he is much older than 15 in those books!

Might start one on Kiran in university as one of the outnumbered nn-wealthy, non-aristocratic by his birth (he is nobility by the time Fallen Ones takes place but he earned the title in the fourteen years between this story and that book)

Reviews

[Kelly]

I love how real the story feels. I don't read it thinking well this is another made up land in some far away place, it sounds real like it could really exist. I'll have to check out Fallen Ones. Only thing I might note is that both characters sound a little feminine in some parts. I have had trouble in adapting to writing with a male's attitude as well. Just something to think about, I'll definitely check out your other stuff when I can.

[SpeedyHobbit Armstrong]

Thanks for the helpful comments! Would you mind giving me examples of where they seem overly effeminate? Thanks!

[Kelly]

It tends to do with comments added into what they are saying to each other, it seems like they are over explaining the situation, and perhaps noting out loud too much consideration for one another. One place in particular when Lord Hector is saying something along the lines of 'I know my position is intimidating' the part near the end before the boys agree to study together. From the guys I know in my life, such explanations where they are expressing their understanding of your feelings is really rare. You have to basically coax such an explanation out of them and they end up acting irritated and agitated when they finally say what they think. I have no problem with a boy blushing from embarrassment but from other literature I have read, a boy blushing is generally introduced subtly. If you have any questions about my explanation feel free to ask, I'll try to reply as soon as I can.

[Nusquam Esse]

This is pretty accurate, I got a similar impression, although it wasn't too powerful. It wasn't to the point of them sounding like they couldn't be male, but there was certainly a feminine streak going on. Coming from a single boy, it would just make him seem soft and weak; as if he had grown up among women, and was probably pushed around a bit. Coming from both, it feels more like a bishi homosexual romance is budding (slight exaggeration, but the point is; when it is one boy, it is normal enough, but when all men behave like this, it feels unnatural)

[NoelHC]

It is interesting to see these back stories from earlier, now that I have completed the Fallen Ones, at least as far as you have completed that.
It gives me insights to understanding characters in that tale better.

[Relic]

I didn't find locations and names as overwhelming the second time around. As far as the voices being feminine as the others suggested below, you did mention that he was mocked for having a boyish voice. Perhaps Lord Hector may be the one who could use a bit of beefing up. (if that's what you want to call it). To be honest, when I realized there were dwarves, elve's and gnomes involved I immediately equated the story with fantasy and thought nothing more about it.

There may have been little things that didn't add to the story but overall for me, I didn't think it was bad at all. There was one typo that made me stumble. "Lord Hector, (T)he eldest son of the Duke of Northchester....

Good writing Speedy.

[Nusquam Esse]

The beginning has too many locations listed which may be unfamiliar to the reader; it can be overwhelming to casual readers, and it is especially problematic in a first paragraph. I get that these are characters you have written about, in a familiar setting; but it still feels heavy on the jargoned names. All in all, this was a pleasant read, a chance encounter! As Kelly noted, at least one of the two should have their behavior subtly tweaked, so that it sounds more like two people interacting, rather than a somewhat effeminate man carrying on a discussion with himself. I think one more thing that should be noted, Men don't think as much about things such as eye or hair color, physical descriptions are not as important among them; so as such, these descriptions should be a bit more inter-weaved.

[SpeedyHobbit Armstrong]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll definitely bring them into my thought process as I do revision.