Friday, October 31, 1997
Zelf Silvermane here. I have not the heart to describe this event in full. Therefore, I will give you an excerpt from the fifth book.
‘I… uh… heard from the part when you said that someone was crying or something.’
‘James,’ said Robin.
‘What? James was crying? Why?’ Melody was concerned at once. She had never known cheerful little James to cry.
‘He fell down the stairs,’ Zelf said huskily.
‘Who’s… uh, this guy?’
‘Mize?’ said Robin.
‘Yes.’
Robin handed her the note. She read it with an increasingly alarmed expression.
‘Cousin?’ said Melody, looking at Zelf.
‘Long story,’ Zelf muttered.
Robin looked at Melody uncertainly. He didn’t know if Zelf minded his small history with Angie or his cousin being known.
‘I… met him when I was a baby,’ said Zelf. ‘He wasn’t that nice to me.’
Robin rolled his eyes. Zelf looked at him.
‘Fine,’ he said. ‘He abused me. Physically.’
He heard Melody’s intake of breath. ‘Why?’ she asked.
Zelf shrugged. ‘I don’t know. He thought it was fun, I guess.’
‘Thankfully, he didn’t live anywhere near me, so I only saw him when he and his sister came to visit. I grew afraid of him.’ Zelf closed his eyes. ‘I still am.’
‘One day, we never saw him again. I was a bit suspicious. Then my house caught fire. I was fourteen at the time. I was out gathering firewood. Firewood!’
Zelf’s fists clenched.
‘I came back and saw my sister and my parents lying there, eyes blank and throats cut.’
Zelf looked down. His voice shook. ‘She had just turned five…’
Robin put an arm around his shoulders.
‘Zelf,’ Melody whispered. ‘That’s just awful, I’m so sorry.’
Zelf shrugged. Robin continued his story for him.
‘He had just met me the year before. His father was a blacksmith, and had taught him his craft. His trainer had taught him how to fight.’
‘How old were you when you first met him?’
Robin chuckled, despite the circumstances. ‘Three. Zelf was thirteen, and he was already pretty good. Take Luna, for example.’
‘I used to teach to the small boys in my village,’ said Zelf, looking up. ‘I would make plastic swords for the younger kids, and then when they were mature enough, wood. My father taught me how.’
‘Mize came to me to gloat when the fire came. He pretended to be nice and sympathetic, and everyone thought he was a good person, but I knew better. His story was that he had heard of the fire and came to see if my family and I were all right. He had really come for my father’s shop. You see, we weren’t rich or anything, but my father made amazing swords. Mize had come to steal some of his finest work, thinking no one was in his way. I caught him snooping, though, and stopped him. I knew he was going to sell the beautiful things just for money. He did not know how to truly admire my father’s talent.’
‘I was sitting on a log the same day as the fire, when the king found me. He knew my father before, and that's why my family had needed to babysit him—' He nodded at Robin.
‘Angie was his age, two months and twelve days older. They kept each other busy. He visited often after that, so when my house burned down and the King was passing by, and I was sitting on a log,’ he paused to take a breath. He was speaking faster now.
‘And even if I was a bit rude to him, he didn’t mind and he offered me a position at the palace, as the swordsman. He wanted me to teach to Robin, as he had seen my practices with the village children. It would also provide me with a home.’
‘I said yes, and not that much later I met Quoria. I had always liked animals, you see.’
Melody nodded.
‘So I was also assigned the… erm… flight trainer. Met Prik and the others that day too. They were still kids then.’ He smiled, then grinned as he remembered something.
‘Robin was so scared of them…’ Zelf chuckled.
‘Soon enough, Swordsman became Master Swordsman. And Martial Arts teacher. And a billion other things. And since there was no one else to take my place… I stayed.’ Zelf shrugged.
‘Until now.’
Duh-duh-duuuuuhh. . . cliff hanger. But that's from my book. Unfortunately, it's the fifth one, so you'll have to wait for the first four come out first. Robin is twenty at this time.
‘I… uh… heard from the part when you said that someone was crying or something.’
‘James,’ said Robin.
‘What? James was crying? Why?’ Melody was concerned at once. She had never known cheerful little James to cry.
‘He fell down the stairs,’ Zelf said huskily.
‘Who’s… uh, this guy?’
‘Mize?’ said Robin.
‘Yes.’
Robin handed her the note. She read it with an increasingly alarmed expression.
‘Cousin?’ said Melody, looking at Zelf.
‘Long story,’ Zelf muttered.
Robin looked at Melody uncertainly. He didn’t know if Zelf minded his small history with Angie or his cousin being known.
‘I… met him when I was a baby,’ said Zelf. ‘He wasn’t that nice to me.’
Robin rolled his eyes. Zelf looked at him.
‘Fine,’ he said. ‘He abused me. Physically.’
He heard Melody’s intake of breath. ‘Why?’ she asked.
Zelf shrugged. ‘I don’t know. He thought it was fun, I guess.’
‘Thankfully, he didn’t live anywhere near me, so I only saw him when he and his sister came to visit. I grew afraid of him.’ Zelf closed his eyes. ‘I still am.’
‘One day, we never saw him again. I was a bit suspicious. Then my house caught fire. I was fourteen at the time. I was out gathering firewood. Firewood!’
Zelf’s fists clenched.
‘I came back and saw my sister and my parents lying there, eyes blank and throats cut.’
Zelf looked down. His voice shook. ‘She had just turned five…’
Robin put an arm around his shoulders.
‘Zelf,’ Melody whispered. ‘That’s just awful, I’m so sorry.’
Zelf shrugged. Robin continued his story for him.
‘He had just met me the year before. His father was a blacksmith, and had taught him his craft. His trainer had taught him how to fight.’
‘How old were you when you first met him?’
Robin chuckled, despite the circumstances. ‘Three. Zelf was thirteen, and he was already pretty good. Take Luna, for example.’
‘I used to teach to the small boys in my village,’ said Zelf, looking up. ‘I would make plastic swords for the younger kids, and then when they were mature enough, wood. My father taught me how.’
‘Mize came to me to gloat when the fire came. He pretended to be nice and sympathetic, and everyone thought he was a good person, but I knew better. His story was that he had heard of the fire and came to see if my family and I were all right. He had really come for my father’s shop. You see, we weren’t rich or anything, but my father made amazing swords. Mize had come to steal some of his finest work, thinking no one was in his way. I caught him snooping, though, and stopped him. I knew he was going to sell the beautiful things just for money. He did not know how to truly admire my father’s talent.’
‘I was sitting on a log the same day as the fire, when the king found me. He knew my father before, and that's why my family had needed to babysit him—' He nodded at Robin.
‘Angie was his age, two months and twelve days older. They kept each other busy. He visited often after that, so when my house burned down and the King was passing by, and I was sitting on a log,’ he paused to take a breath. He was speaking faster now.
‘And even if I was a bit rude to him, he didn’t mind and he offered me a position at the palace, as the swordsman. He wanted me to teach to Robin, as he had seen my practices with the village children. It would also provide me with a home.’
‘I said yes, and not that much later I met Quoria. I had always liked animals, you see.’
Melody nodded.
‘So I was also assigned the… erm… flight trainer. Met Prik and the others that day too. They were still kids then.’ He smiled, then grinned as he remembered something.
‘Robin was so scared of them…’ Zelf chuckled.
‘Soon enough, Swordsman became Master Swordsman. And Martial Arts teacher. And a billion other things. And since there was no one else to take my place… I stayed.’ Zelf shrugged.
‘Until now.’
Duh-duh-duuuuuhh. . . cliff hanger. But that's from my book. Unfortunately, it's the fifth one, so you'll have to wait for the first four come out first. Robin is twenty at this time.