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The next morning I follow my normal routine when I wake up on a non council day, I went into the complex's kitchen and set up a pot of tea to enjoy while reading a book till I needed to wake the children for their lessons. Today they were to start going to the city school with the rest of the children. The twins I mean, they are notoriously hard to get out of bed; and I've had to resort to using their gryphons to wake them in the mornings.

I was preparing the actual tea to drop into my mesh insert for the tea pot. A lovely blend of black tea and dried strawberries with a hint of chocolate flavor, I discovered Gilorndir was good at blending teas. He had showed me this blend and I fell for it quickly. I don't give it to the children in my care because it isn't a more common blend. I figured having one special thing that I alone kept to myself it was an alright thing.

As I was measuring the proper amount of tea leaves I hear the sound of metal on metal, and since it was not long after sun rise I figured it must be Timothy getting in some early morning practice. So I set a second pot of water for tea with a nice blend that included some sunflower and rose petals in, the children liked the blend of flavors it had.

Once I had both pots of tea steeping I gathered up a stack of cup and a covered sugar bowl, I preferred to sweeten my tea; however I did notice any tea blended with chocolate flavoring needed sugar over honey. Setting everything on a tray I went outside, as it's always good to keep an eye on children; even older ones when practicing.

I walk over to the covered area that the dwarves had thoughtfully placed on the side of the main building that had chairs for relaxation and I set the tray on the table that was placed there as well. I then look over to the outdoor training area and my mouth drops open.

There was Ecthelon sparring with Timothy, the twins and their gryphons watching outside the ring listening intently. I also spy Flower off to the side moving about as if in a slow dance, I think what she was doing was called in the Old World Tai Chi. {Gwen we've talked about you leaving your mouth open like that and you catching fly's with it.} Cheshire says in my mind as I see him sitting on a rail near the training circle, he was watching the sparring match and not me of course. {He came by early this morning and woke everyone up except for you to start working on the children, the twins of course were very unhappy with the idea. So he had them running laps around the complex until they stopped complaining, it took them an hour}.

I chuckle, that honestly was probably a good way to handle the twins' complaints about early rising. "Come on boy you have to figure out the balance if you don't want that leg to impede your ability. As any enemy who discovers you have a bad leg will go after it mercilessly." Ecthelon swatted the boy's bad leg with the flat of his blade to prove the point, making Timothy hit the ground. Flower went to go help him get up when Ecthelon levered her with a gaze and said, "don't you stop that. You're having problems focusing away from your emotion. This exercise for you is to teach you to learn to focus on keeping your mind calm and on your task, and the boy needs to learn to protect his weaknesses."

I sat down and kept watching drinking a cup of my tea once it had steeped enough, me removing the insert in both pots of tea. While I wanted the children wide awake for school I didn't want the twins so active John would be cursing me later.

Ecthelon ran Timothy through the exercise three more times, all three the boy hit the ground. However on the third it did take longer. Then he had both of the twins enter the ring, he had them using their best weapons to attack him which is probably why he had them go at the same time. The twins each had a preferred weapon as most of us do, like me Mauve prefers to use a bow. While her brother Lance is very good using twin daggers, so they off set each other well; -while together-.

He had instructed Timothy to jog around the ring till he cooled off then to watch till the twins were done, then they were all to go bathe before eating. I notice Starburst was watching the goings on and he looks at me through one eye and I say privately to him. {Alright I am surprised that man has the ability to control himself around children}. Starburst lets out a small puff of steam, {yes he is handing things rather well. Think you'd be willing to give him another chance?} I slowly nod my head watching the sparring, wishing the previous night had lasted longer. Zander had to leave before I had gotten my dessert, him pressuring me to remain to have it. He had said he had a few things to wrap up before leaving before sun rise, so we had said our goodbyes then. At least I knew he was coming back in a short time, I kind of miss him when he's not around.

As to Ecthelon and the twins, the first 'match' he 'killed' them quickly showing them how they needed to work faster. Which Alberich and Shadow had been trying to get them to understand, but they just refuse to grasp. Now I know how fast Shadow can be, he has to hold back when training children as he might hurt them accidentally. Seeing as how he is not trained to teach. Alberich on the other hand can only teach them so much as he has no hands. Ecthelon did however praise things they did well, which again surprised me.

Once he had sent the children off, sending the gryphons to work out with Starburst on flying practice. He slowly walks over to me as if afraid I'll either rip his head off or run away from him, he wipes some sweat from his brow with a towel he had sitting on the railing. "Morning Hunter Gwen, sorry if I woke you working with the children," he stops an extremely polite distance away. I wave at the chairs in front of me and I almost see a smile appear on his face as he sits in one close to me, and I pour him a cup of my tea. He nods a thanks as he first tastes it then adds a small amount of sugar, "ah one of Gilorndir's special blends. He thinks a great deal of you for giving this to you Hunter, I've only gotten to have it twice."

I nod my head knowing that Gilorndir didn't sell this blend to the public, yet he was willing to give me enough to have a single pot a day. He raises an eyebrow, "and he is giving you enough to make whole pots at a time; impressive."

After a few moments of quiet Ecthelon then sets his cup down, "Hunter; I need to apologize to you. My words yesterday were terrible, and my behavior after was ever worse. Can we start anew please? I really do wish to help train you for your own benefit, while I am sure Alberich is a very capable trainer a quadruped can only teach you so much as he himself has never held the weapons in his own hands."

He remains quiet while I think on what he says, Flower and Timothy coming out of the building to pour themselves some tea. Flower turning to Ecthelon, "sorry for breaking concentration Arms Master. Timothy and I have been through a lot together and I feel like he is my brother." Ecthelon nods his head, "quite alright; but remember if he is to join the guard he has to do it on his own. He has a lot to work on before I think he will be ready, and that is because of his leg only." He looks at the boy, "you will be able to become a guard captain at some point; when I am done training you."

He turns to look at me, "what does the merfolk say about his swimming lessons?" I smile over my cup of tea, I have never told Timothy this. "Well they were impressed by his skill considering his bad leg, he learned faster than the twins did. Their Arms Master has taken the swimming lesson time to work on water weapons training as it is a different skill set."

The twins had come out as I was saying this and they looked crestfallen, I look over to them knowing that it was their hunter genes that made them upset. "The problem you two have is you don't take anything seriously, you remind me of my brother. He always assumed he'd be the best at anything he set his mind to. No one is good at everything."

Ecthelon nods his head in agreement and without turning to look at them he says, "this is why I had to spar with me with your best weapons. I am sure Hunter Gwen is better at them than you are, that is experience. However while you are not bad at them for your age, you need some polish and experience to be great at them."

I look at them with a twinkle in my eye, "so maybe you should be practicing more instead of trying to horse around. Timothy became good because he trains so much, how would you feel if Dawn or Dusk got hurt because you weren't taking things seriously?" That got a reaction out of them, they looked upset and Mauve says. "You're right Hunter Gwen, we need to work better." She turns her head towards Timothy sheepishly, "can you train with us this afternoon when we leave the other children?" Timothy nods his head grinning, till Ecthelon chuckles; then the children all look worried.

"Good then I shall teach you to be observant while you train, I have some padded arrows I shall fire at you while you practice, they will hurt; but if you dodge them no worries right?" Then children collectively gulp and I send them inside to prepare their morning meal, for the last six months I have been requiring all of them to take care of their own things. As once they are considered adult they will need those skills anyway, so best they get them now.

I think a moment then shout toward the kitchen, "don't forget to stop by the Greenhouse and see Harriet after classes. She'll probably give you lunch if you do," I hear the children talk animatedly then. As this wasn't one of the mornings Harriet sold baked goods in the market it would be a good chance for them to visit with her.

I look at Ecthelon, who seemed to be waiting for my response to his question, and I pour the last of my tea into my cup; knowing I needed to start working myself once I had finished it and getting breakfast on the run. I sigh, "yes Ecthelon. I shall give you another chance, you handled the children well. Better than I thought you would honestly after your behavior yesterday, I am sure you will have to work with everyone to set up training times with me."

He chuckles, "yes I have heard through the 'grape vine' that you have quite a full schedule most days. That needs to change however, you set up this city to run without you for the most part. Let them work it out Gwen." He looked around before just calling me by my name, he then continues. "If they need your help have them come to you, I spent part of last night reading up on the form of government you set up here." This time he levered me the gaze he gave to Flower earlier, "frankly based on what you did. They only times you need to get involved are when there is an emergency, or it is one of the assigned days you need to be in the council chamber."

He sits back arms crossed, "as your Arms Master I am telling you; starting today you are going to be a Hunter not a bureaucrat. It is not what the Gods meant for you, so do what you were meant to do."

He smiles then, "I do like how you handled the situation with Timothy yesterday. I know a few elves who are the same way, I think I'll see if they want to move here. It might help Timothy out more to see other species who are like him."

Shadow then walks into the complex staring at Ecthelon, who notices the intent gaze. "Oh is it time for our 'work out' then? Alright Shadow," Ecthelon nods to me. "You should stick around and watch it might amuse you to see which of us is the better fighter." I hear Shadow chuckle, and the children start squealing inside having heard the exchange.

Timothy rushes out with a plate of food and hands it to me then rushes back in to get another for himself and settles down to eat while watching the match between the expert fighters. When I glance at him he says, "hey I heard the Arms Master. So you eat here with us this morning, beside who'd want to miss this fight?"

Cheshire saunters over to me and sits on the table near my plate eyeing the bread on my plate. I chuckle handing it to him, he comments as he eats it. {We're about to get a crowd of all the guard who are off duty yet not asleep, they're going to be placing bets on the outcome.}

I chuckle and start eating settling in to watch the match.