Chapter 2: I Learn Slowly
The walk back to the rest of the caravan moved slowly. Father sagged between Malec and me, silent as the dead. I tried to laugh softly, making a joke with no results—aside of a condemning glance from Malec. I looked down out my feet, submitting to the chilling silence. The night was fading as we arrive alongside the caravan.
A crewmember helped retrieve the stretcher we used for injured performers. Yes, that was it, Father was just like an injured performer. Everything was going to be all right, right Father?
The crew restrained their condolences to brief nods of understanding. Although my Father wasn’t a performer himself, they considered him a part of the crew. I held his hand as we traveled.
Finally, Father weakly broke the quiet. “You agreed to perform with Malec after the parade, correct little Piper?”
I scowled. “Little? I haven’t been little for a long time now, Father.” Grinning, I mentioned. “Did you see me fight? I was great, just like in the show, dancing around those guys! They didn’t know what hit them!”
Chiding me, he patted my hand with disgust. “You call that a performance? You were clumsy as ever. And if I wasn’t there, the second fighter would have buried you in the sand. They didn’t know what hit them when they saw such pathetic fighting. I am so ashamed; you better never enter in another fight, alright?”
I waved him off. “Fine, whatever. I still think I was pretty cool. I mean, really, isn’t it great to have your daughter come to your rescue?”
Father playfully scowled, crossing his arms. “Whatever? Tsk, tsk, what kind of daughter did I raise?”
Malec chimed in. “Ah, a very disrespectful one, I’ll tell ya that.”
Pouting, I crossed my arms. “You guys are so mean. I’m telling Mother when we get home. She’s going to be very cross with the both of you!”
Father’s tense face relaxed as he listened. “Ah, that is what I was going to mention. If you do perform, keep an eye out for your mother. After I pay a little visit to the medical guild, we will search for her.”
Still grumpy, I retorted stubbornly. “You’re not going to watch me perform?”
Father grinned widely, comfortingly holding my hand. “You know I will always watch over you, Piper.”
I grumbled under my breath. “You didn’t have to answer so seriously.” I shrugged. “I’d rather you be healed than watch anyway.”
Father’s grin turned to a soft smile. Remembering something, he looked from Malec to me. “Have you decided what you are going to perform?”
Malec shook his head and glanced disapprovingly at me. “Ya very irresponsible daughter was supposed to come up with the plan. From the look of it, I don’t think she even gave it a smatterin’ thought at all.”
My Father shook his head in mock disapproval. “Tsk, tsk. Is this how I raised you? Ah, I am feeling so ashamed.”
I sighed. “It’s not easy to make you two happy, is it? Alright, alright, I’ll think up a good performance.”
Father winced, holding his wound. Both Malec and I reached for him but he swiped us aside, shaking his head. “I am fine. It looks like I will need a long break from fighting." Changing the subject, he addressed me. "For the performance, I want you to include your wolf mask.”
I looked up in thought. “Wolf? Why my wolf mask? Most people in the desert haven’t even heard of a wolf, maybe not even coyotes. If you want a predator, how about a crocodile, like the ones in the river that passes through Karrazard?”
He shook his head. “It is important that it is a wolf because Karrazard only knows the bad side of wolves. Wolves like the Prime Minister. With our return home, I want to bring a new kind of understanding. The wolf is a familial creature. Its love is intense and protective, as if I want the heir to the throne to be, as well as those who will support the heir to be. Do you remember the first time we entered the northern lands?”
I nodded at the memory of the lush forests. “We heard howling. It was amazing, although a little unnerving.”
Father consented. “It was a beautiful ballad to the moon. You are still young, Piper, but I want you to convey the meaning of the wolf’s howl. Know that the wolf’s world is simply the simplified world of humans. For a wolf to win, it simply means he had the heart of a winner. To lose, he had the heart of a loser. Chin up and always look ahead, like you're the winner. Never look behind you or down, understand?”
Grumbling with discontent, I submitted to the lesson. “Understood. Wolf this, wolf that. I’ll put it in the performance, so you don’t need to pester me about it anymore. You should be a teacher, because then you can lecture all your student’s ears off and leave mine intact.”
Father sighed in pain, but grinned softly at my comments. “Bring me my pipe. I would like to see it for a moment.”
Having strapped the beaten leather bag to myself, I pulled it out. Worn and battered, I grimaced at the thought of ever putting it to my lips. Handing it to him, Father systematically traced the symbols over it, passing over the scratches and scars without notice. I spoke up. “What’s so important about it anyways?”
Malec interrupted me. “Ya didn’t know either? I’d thought ya asked before.”
I shook my head. “He doesn’t normally tell me things like this.”
Chuckling, Father answered. “This pipe is a family heirloom. Every prince has played it at the festival when announcing their heirs. I am very lucky that your grandfather let me keep this in my exile.”
My face contorted in disgust at the mental image of just how old the pipe was. “You mean my grandparent’s grandparent’s grandparents put their mouth on that? Gross. Please tell me I will never ever have to do that.” Father looked at a Malec and both burst out laughing heartily. I smiled to myself, but crossed my arms again. “What’s so funny?”
Father replied, still laughing. “Piper, this pipe is a privilege to play, not “gross”. It is my most prized object.”
Glancing at the rising sun, I interjected. “Aside of me, right?”
The caravan moved steadily on, taking us safely home.