Second Son Read Along: Chapter 5
First of all, to answer Sarah's question from last week: Do other people know that Sheyardin is a dragon?As in, people in Llycaelon? No. They know he is very old and very wise and very powerful, but myth-folk have been in hiding in Llycaelon for hundreds of years. Unlike in Aom-igh, where they went underground and people forgot they existed, in Llycaelon they took human form and blended in with the rest of the population. Many of them angled their way into the service of the King and Queen, partially to be in a position of influence should a second son ever be born, and partially to just keep their ears to the ground in general. A few people might guess the truth, but for the most part, the general population of Llycaelon believes the myth-folk have all left Llycaelon for other parts of the world.Seven years passed...Time-jumping again here, because not much of importance happens in those seven years, except that Rhoyan learns a lot, studies hard, and is generally fairly content with life as he grows up and matures. Sheyardin not only teaches him about the myth-folk, but also about being a good person.A defining moment"I may not come back."The injured young girl and her family touch Rhoyan with a depth like nothing else in his life, except that moment in the arena with Ky. Thus, it seemed appropriate to have Ky return home at this juncture, and for him to get a moment of reprieve. The healing that began on the last day before Ky left continues, and the brothers are able to laugh together and comfort one another like they did in their youth.Iannack's giftAny who have read King's Warrior will recognize the gift that Iannack gives to Rhoyan... and perhaps you grin a little at the "aha!" of how he got it.ApprenticeshipThe apprenticeship aspect of a young aethalon's training is a rite of passage in Llycaelon. It is akin to our own culture's first job, or the acquisition of one's first car. It is the first symbol that a child is transitioning to an adult, being given more responsibility and more respect - which is why it comes with such ceremony, somewhat like the medieval knighting ceremony.Reaching the age of apprenticeship also requires every young man and woman in Llycaelon to speak the Oath that Rhoyan recites here.The prophecyAlthough the reader has already heard the prophecy in the Prologue, Rhoyan has only heard whispers of it. Here at this point of turning from child to young man, it seemed to me that the ever-curious Rhoyan would begin to ask questions. However, I wasn't ready for him to actually hear the prophecy yet, so I sent him to ask Master Yevo, whose wisdom stalls Rhoyan's questions for the moment.
"Are good-byes always so hard?""Not always," and then added after a small pause, "and sometimes they are harder."
Sheyardin was a fun, (and very difficult!) character to write. His dialogue often took quite a few edits to get his words exactly right. But this particular gem just sort of came to me in a flash. Possibly because I'd recently said my own fair share of "good byes" at the end of the school year to dear friends that I knew I would not see for a very long time, or perhaps ever again.Discussion Questions:
1. I know this chapter skimmed past a lot of Rhoyan's lessons at a somewhat breakneck pace (trying to condense his entire life into a single book and starting when he was only 5 years old was difficult, to say the least) but what are your opinions of the bits and pieces you got to see? 2. What was your favorite part of this chapter?