Learning the ropes

The first week was gruelling. Just trying to learn how to find your way in the sanctum proved to be a challenge. There was no logic to the hallways, staircases, and passageways. Mary and her friends soon learned to find their way to the dining hall and the main entrance. Mary also had memorized how to get to Procecsa’s office.

Mary found the rowing lessons difficult. Not because of the rowing, she was actually quite strong. She realized that she didn’t feel comfortable on the water. To say that she was afraid was too strong of a word. But she was highly uncomfortable.

Mary tried to push it aside, the rowing boats were the only means to go back and forth to the sanctum and she would not be relying on other people to take her across.

Her favourite part of the week was that they were now part of the general inhabitants of the sanctum. They were no longer isolated at mealtimes and other trainees and even aari would sit with them and talk to them.

Both Mary and the other new trainees had expected to be left on their own, but everyone was welcoming and seemed interested in making them part of the community. Everyone had been sharing memories of their own first weeks as trainees, and Mary had laughed at some stories they told.

It felt nice to know that everyone had felt intimidated and lost. It was also comforting to hear that it would pass and soon they could find their way in the sanctum without thinking and by this time next year, they would be the ones that comforted a new group of trainees.

Kopa had kept up with his promise to check in on her. The first days he would seek her out at every meal to chat with her. Later in the week it had calmed down a bit, and he was satisfied with checking in at breakfast and then as he was heading home for the day.

Both Firlea and Hinat thought it was sweet and funny and would tease her about it. But Mary didn’t mind. She was grateful for her two roommates. They had fast become good friends and helped each other as much as they could.

Firlea had had a serious case of homesickness on their fourth day. It had hit her that it would be months until she would meet her family again, and that was if she could travel all the way to their home. Both Mary and Hinat had their families in the city. They had an easier time with being apart from them.

But both friends stayed up with Firlea and let her cry. They listened to her stories about everyday life at the farm and what she missed the most. There was not much they could do to make her miss her family any less. But they squeezed into her bed, all three of them, and offered her companionship and closeness.

On the Friday of the first week, the Lady had had a talk with the new trainees. She had welcomed them and talked about the role of the aari and why they were needed. Mary had been hesitant if Tariana would want to acknowledge that they knew each other.

But as the lecture had ended, Tariana had walked up to Mary and talked to her, asked her about her first week, and introduced herself to Mary’s friends. Mary should have known that Tariana would act like this was no big deal.

They had also received their schedule for the coming six months. Monday through Friday was dedicated to studying. They would have lectures that all of them attended, as well as smaller group sessions and individual ones and mentor time. It was clear that each one of them would have an individual education. None of them would learn the same things.

Saturdays were the day off to spend as they wished. Sunday was for community work. That could include doing chores in the sanctum like cleaning or repairing, helping in the kitchen or the gardens or taking part in one of the community programs in the city. The aari helped the poor and the sick in the city. They also had different training programs they offered for free.

They had been told that in their free time, which consisted of the evenings and Saturdays, they could leave the sanctum. They needed to be back before eight in the evening, as the tunnel used to access the inner docks of the sanctum closed then and wasn’t opened until six the next morning.

With that in mind, Mary wanted to send a message to Tenac, but realised that she did not know how to do that. The next time Kopa came to check in on her, she asked him.

“It’s easy. You just write a note, address it to Tenac and give it to one of the prospects of the riders. That’s like a trainee. They are the riders with a black sash. They are always around here as one of their primary jobs is to deliver messages,” he told her.

“Thanks dad,” she said.

That evening Mary wrote a quick note to Tenac, explaining her schedule and asking him if he could talk to the other riders to arrange a date that suited them all. She also added that Hinat would come along and that he could add other people as well.

The next day, on their way to breakfast, Mary spotted a prospect and hesitantly walked up to him. He looked to be a couple of years younger than her and was standing in the main corridor, trying to look attentive.

“Hi” Mary said, and he looked at her.

“Hello”

“I need to send a message to Tenac at the rider headquarters,” Mary told him, holding out the sealed note.

“I will get right on it, if he asks who sent it, what should I say?” he took the note and placed it in a satchel.

“Say it’s from Mary. Thank you,” she said and returned to her friends.

They were both trying to get her to tell them what that had been all about. But Mary didn’t want to tell them yet. She wanted it to be a fun surprise. She trusted that Tenac and Sinhera would plan something fun for them to do.

By the time Mary came out of the dining hall after eating her dinner, the same prospect was standing there, waiting for her.

“A reply,” he said, handing her a letter with a smile.
“Thank you,” Mary said as she took the letter and headed up to her room together with Firlea and Hinat.

“You need to tell us what’s going on,” Firlea told her as they got back to their room.

“Are you sending secret love letters to someone?” Hinat teased her.

“No. Don’t you think I would be a bit more sneaky if I did that? Not sending them in front of you two?” Mary laughed. She went over to her bed and opened the letter.

Tenac said that they were all available Saturday next week and that he also invited two other riders to come along. They had planned to start the day going to the market and then they would go up on the wall to have a look.

Mary was excited at the thought of getting to look outside the city. She remembered the grass plain from when she had arrived, but she wanted a closer look.

He also asked if she would like a riding lesson this Saturday, as he was free after lunch. That would work, Mary thought, as she could go home to visit in the morning and then have a riding lesson in the afternoon.

Then she thought about Firlea. How would she spend her first day off? If she had nothing planned, Mary would make sure she didn’t spend it alone.

“A question for you two,” Mary said, walking to the bay window and sitting down. The other two joined her.

“Do either of you have plans for Saturday next week?” she asked them. Both shook their heads.

“A couple of my friends and I were planning on going to the market and then they were going to show me the view from the wall. Do you want to come?” Mary asked.

“Are these the two handsome grey rider friends I have heard so much about?” Hinat asked, and Mary could see that Firlea wanted to know the same thing.

“Both Tenac and Jontak will be there,” she confirmed. “Along with a couple of other riders as well,” she added.

“Count me in,” Firlea said as soon as Mary had stopped talking.

“Yeah, I’m coming as well,” Hinat told her.

“Good,” Mary said with a big smile. “I think we will have a lot of fun,” she added.

“When we are on the subject, do you two have anything planned for this Saturday? I’m going home to see my parents. You are welcome to tag along,” Hinat said.

“That would be nice. I have nothing planned,” Firlea said.

“Sorry, but I’m going home and then I have a riding lesson,” Mary said.

“You take riding lessons?” Firlea asked.

“Yes, I hadn’t been close to a horse before I came here. It seemed like an excellent skill to have,” Mary explained.

After talking with her friends for a while, Mary went to write a note back to Tenac, confirming both dates and telling him that all three of them would join the riders next Saturday.