There is a place where the people live in poverty. They struggle to feed and clothe themselves along with supporting their families. They are not as rich as we are with science and technology. To them it is still the tenth century. In this place the only way to succeed is to become a master of a trade, but to become a master, one must become an apprentice. Before becoming an apprentice, one must pass the Trials.
The Trials are used to keep only a few people to becoming an apprentice because it is the only way to move up the social latter. Those who pass the Trials may become an apprentice. Those who fail can never take the Trials again, due to the fact that those who fail the Trials, meet death. This is there world and this is where our story will take place.
I sat on a stool in the corner, cleaning a boot that I was given. I spit on it and cleaned it until it was shinning. Once I was done with that one, I moved on to the next. There were over 100 boots that needed to be cleaned before sun set. That was the time limit I was given.
Once I was done, I got the laundry and washed the clothes and then hung them up to dry. I could smell the food cooking from inside the kitchen. But that was not my place. I walked over to the pigs and cleaned them as best as I could and in exchange I got filthy. My only pair of pants ripe, again. I got up and went to the outhouse to clean the waste that was in the bucket.
After my chores outside, I had to clean the house but the housekeeper would not let me in because of my filth. I sat on a stomp outside until the master of the house returned.
It was night outside and cold. I tried to keep warm by sitting with the pigs, that was when I saw the master of the house. He yelled at me for not cleaning and dusting the house. I could not speak back since it was against the law. The man grabbed me by the ear and dragged me into the forest, calling me hurtful names. Once we were in the forest, he gave me a good beating.
I woke up to the sun beaming down on my body. It was hot and humid. I was bleeding from my nose, mouth, head, arms, and legs. My clothes became filthier than before due to sleeping in the woods. I got up and I felt the pain in my legs due to the beating from the man. I limped back to the house where I saw the female slaves doing my chores.
“Your not welcome here,” they told me.
“What?” I asked.
“You're not welcome here. The master has no use for you. Go on! Get out of here or I’ll beat you till you die!” and I ran off the property. As I ran, I could them laughing behind me. Being let go as a slave was both a good and bad thing. Good because I am free. Bad because now I have no food or shelter. Although I was a slave, the pigs have more then a purpose then I do and the adults are worth more than a child. A child like me cost less than a nickel.
Eventually I made it to a town square where it was a dead zone. Stores were closed or vacant. Old man and women sat outside, looking at nothing. Children walked around aimlessly searching for food, clothes, or just something to do. I spotted a few dead bodies on the street.
I spotted a child with a small piece of meat and eating it as quickly as possible. But before she could finish it, a man came out of nowhere and beat her until he had the meat. She was dead.
I forgot how long I walked but I kept walking from one town to the next. Nothing changed, all the towns were the same. I knew I had to go to a place where the rich people live to find a job, however my dream was not to be a slave forever. My dream was to become an apprentice.
After what seemed like forever, I made it to a city but I realized that I was not the only one looking for work. Men and women were walking up to nobleman and stores asking for a simple job. Some do not even want to get paid but rather be paid with food and shelter. Children were also crowded with the adults in the crowd trying to get attention. Some noblemen pointed at a few people and put them on the back of their carriages to take home for work.
I decided that I did not want to return to the life of a slave and instead went to look at the masters of the trade. Many shops were filled with children, wanting to be sponsor for the Trials. Masters were looking at each child and measuring them with measuring tapes and rulers. For some reason, I found these masters to be corrupt and evil. I also knew that they would not accept me due to my small stature and weak body. They would not care that I was a good person or a hard worker.
I sat down on the sidewalk, ignoring the people passing by and the people trying to get jobs. Eventually I fell asleep.
When I woke up it was night and the streets were filled with people lying everywhere. I woke up because a man was walking down the street. The people sleeping ignored him and he walked passed. He was looking around at each person on the road and then turned to me. His hazel eyes met my green eyes and we stared at each other for what seemed like forever. Eventually he left, but something inside of me told me to follow him. I got up and I started to walk behind him. When we left the city, he turned around to face me.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“I do not bare one,” I told him.
“My name is Joseph. I’m a blacksmith,” I was surprised that a Master would be walking around at night in rags. Masters dressed in the finest of clothing from the noble life and never wore clothing that was made by someone lower than a nobleman.
“Why do you not say anything?” he asked me.
“I’m not use to speaking my thoughts,”
“You are a slave?”
“Yes,”
“You were let go?”
“Yes,” I wanted to cry. The Master looked sad and he looked at me. He stared at me with eyes that seemed sad, as if they wanted to do something but could not.
“Why do you follow me?”
“I do not know. It is a feeling. I do not understand it myself,” There was a moment of silence.
“Do you want to become an apprentice?” I was surprised by his questions. He had not given me any test and yet he wanted to sponsor me. I nodded at him.
“I will be your sponsor,”
Master Joseph and I rode in a fancy carriage to the capital city. I amazed to see how clean and rich the capital was. My Master informed me that some people do not live in the capital but live in other regions. They go to the capital to see the Trials because it will give them a chance to see which Master they should go to if they ever need to hire someone to do their work. The Trials were a chance for the rich to seek amazing Masters and looking forward to the new apprentices to see what they will become.
Before arriving at the capital, my Master got me nice clothing to wear in public. By my shaved head, the citizens of the capital could tell that I would be competing in the annual Trials to become an apprentice. They wished me all the luck every time I went into a store, restaurant, and even out in public.
The night before the Trials I stayed up with my Master reviewing my fighting techniques.
“Be aware of your surroundings. You must be able to guard every part of your body,” he told me. I listen to him but he made do moves and forms over and over again until it was perfect. I was also worried about failing.
“Do you want to be an apprentice?” he asked me.
“Yes,”
“Then you need to fight because your life and future will depend on it. They may be bigger than you but you must remind yourself that you are also strong,”
“I understand. But what if I can not kill?”
“Only you can answer that. Now, again!”
My Master stood next to me in the elevator as it started to go up to arena. There were over 50 boys and girls competing to win the title of apprentice. They split us among our age group and regions. In my category there are a total of 10 boys who are my age and possibly my weight and size, to make it fair. This year, about 10 or less of us will be granted the title of apprentice.
The doors opened and my Master and I stepped out into the waiting room. In the waiting room, I got my armor, helmet, and sword. I looked at the sword, which was made by my Master to fit me. It was made of gold with something written on it.
“You need a name if you are going to become an apprentice,” my Master told me.
“What does it say?”
“Let me tell you a story. There was a war and the enemy had a giant on their side. The giant wanted to fight one on one with the strongest soldier the army had. One by one, the strongest soldiers the army had died to the giant. Then one day, a small boy wanted to fight the giant and the boy went out into the battlefield with nothing but a slingshot. He shot the giant in the forehead and killed him. When the odds were against him, he proved that the smallest person could win. He became a hero,” I only had one question.
“What was his name?”
“David and that is what is written on your sword. That is your name. David,” He held the sword with pride in front of my master. They blew the horns and I knew it was time to enter the arena.
I walked out with my sword in hand. I went to my starting position and stared at the other boys. Many had swords and a few had different weapons such as sickles, bows, spikes, and more. When the cannon was fired we all charge at each other. I was prepared to fight to the death for my Master.
It all happened so quickly. Blood was spattering everywhere, including my armor. Some boys were hit in the head and others were stabbed or had their throats cut. One boy ran at me and I tripped him. When he fell I stabbed him and that was when I froze. I stared into his lifeless eyes. They were pale blue and his face showed shock. I could not believe what I had done. Everything became silent. I understood why the Trials were created, but I did not understand what kind of shock I was feeling. I went out of my shock when an arrow was pierce through my left shoulder. I turned around to be face to face with the boy with the bow. But then a boy behind him stabbed him with his sword and I was able to pull the bow out with great pain.
I looked around. The boy in front of me stared at me and we both glanced back and forth between us the bodies of our opponents. The crowd was cheering louder and louder. The boy across from me and I both knew we had to put aside our feelings. The boy charge first.
I blocked his blow and he blocked mine. I could feel his strength in his swing. He knocked me down to the ground but I was able to roll over before he could stab me. I was able to knock his sword away, but he was able to knock mine away as well. We engage in a fistfight, which was not favoring any of us. We just rolled around trying to hit each other and then I saw in sight a sword, but it was not my sword, it was his! He noticed it too. He got up and ran for his sword as I started to run to the other side of the arena to get mine. I heard him screaming and charging at me with his sword. He was about to give the final blow. I grabbed my sword and turned around. It was finished.
My eyes were closed but once I opened them I was in shock to realize that my sword stabbed him in the heart. He was still alive and looked down at his body. He started to cough up blood. I pulled my sword out and he dropped to his knees and then fell. The crowd got up and cheered for me. I stared at the bodies that surrounded me and I was wondering if this right?
The ceremony was going to be the next day. Six of us passed the test. In one arena, the last two opponents ended up killing each other accidentally. In the other arenas some won by chance and others were just monsters. I could not eat nor sleep.
“It’s hard,” my Master said.
“How were you able to do it?”
“Do what?”
“Forget about it,”
“I don’t. It will stay with you for the rest of your life,”
“Why do we have to do this, just to become apprentices?”
“Too avoid power among those in poverty and to prevent too many Masters,”
“I understand that but why this way?”
“Because it is survival. Survival of the trade and survival of those who have nothing. There are people who would rather be dead then be poor, but they will die trying,”
“I know. I’m the same way. I want to survive,”
“I’m sorry,” and my Master got up and walked away.
Survival. From that day on I learned that Survival is a cruel man who in the end of everything has the last laugh.
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