The Lead Crown: Ch 2b, Outside Influence (Pt 3)
Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 2-3, Outside Influence
Friar Arlowe had spent a fair amount of time with Brother Rhys ever since being assigned to Newport, but never so many hours at once. The raccoon dog had always found the rat to be insightful and intelligent, but they had never really had the opportunity to talk at length for any great amount of time; the extended talk they shared along the road only served to reinforce the monk's opinion of the young priest, who turned out to be as affiable and pleasant in long doses as he was in short ones.
"So you mean to say that your parents were not ordained?" the rat inquired glancing at him questioningly to reinforce the proof of his disbelief. Friar Arlowe knew it wasn't that Brother Rhys thought he was lying... it was simply something that was not easy to believe considering most members of the Church were many-generations affiliated with the house of God.
"I was the first in my line to join the clergy." Friar Arlowe acknowledged, "They selected me specifically for the position."
"What an honor." the rat breathed, "I was raised from a young age to be a priest... my parents taught me the 'Word of the Prophet' prayer when I was four and I was inducted into seminary when I was six."
"Hmm." the raccoon dog smirked, "We were probably learning the same things around the same time then... I was just about twenty years behind you." The rat glanced at him, and then both shared a laugh. They walked in silence for a short distance before Friar Arlowe spoke up, opting to continue the conversation, "You attended classes in Graddin, if I'm not mistaken, is that not correct, Brother?"
The rat nodded, "Indeed... I grew up there with my family at the Cathedral."
"I can only imagine what that childhood must have been like." the raccoon dog offered amicably; in truth, knowing what he knew about how children were reared within the scope of the Church the thought scared him more than a little, "How did you end up in an out-of-the-way locale such as Newport?'
The change in the rat's demeanor was instantaneous, and it took a moment before the priest replied, "Things..." he shook his head, "...don't always turn out how we would like."
"You didn't want to be assigned to Newport?" Friar Arlowe asked.
"No-- quite the contrary." the rat offered a disingenuine smile to hide what the raccoon dog could only take as a strong undercurrent of pain, "Events in Graddin..." the priest paused as if contemplating the right way to word what he was trying to say. In the end he settled on, "...pushed me toward new places and new experiences."
Friar Arlowe could only think of one possible response, "I'm sorry." he reached out and rested a paw gently on the rat's shoulder.
Brother Rhys shook his head and presented another pained smile, "No... it's quite alright, Friar Arlowe... I prefer to think that it was God telling me that he had other things in store for my life."
"Even if it WAS God's will, I am sorry to hear that it caused such chaos in your life." the monk offered amicably.
The rat chuckled softly at that, wiping away a tear, "Then maybe I should apologize for the recent chaos in yours as well."
The raccoon dog cleared his throat, and Brother Rhys paused, apparently realizing that he just brought up the topic they had both been pointedly trying to avoid for hours. "Perhaps it's God telling me that he has other things in store for my life." Friar Arlowe responded, patting the rat's shoulder again.
"No, Friar Arlowe..." the priest came to a stop, "Truly... I am sorry for what has come to pass... I hadn't stopped to think about what might--"
The raccoon dog silenced him with a raised paw, "Thank you, Brother Rhys... for the apology, yes... but, more so, for helping me when I needed it." he began walking again, motioning for the priest to follow, "I have been reflecting on the events and I realize now that giving myself over to the Church's judgment would not be doing God's will."
"No one knows His plans for us as well as He." the rat quoted.
"You are presenting me with Hilz 21:15 now?" the raccoon dog laughed.
"It seems to fit." Brother Rhys responded with a shrug and a smile, offering a small, travel version of the book to the monk.
"So it does." Friar Arlowe chuckled, accepting it and stowing it safely within the inside breast pocket of his robe,"So it does..."
* * * * * *
With Aodhan's concern over the increased activity of the Church's scouts the party traveled well into dusk and they didn't bother with setting up camp until the sun had practically set. Although Friar Arlowe was still several years from being officially 'old', that fact was something he had trouble convincing his eyes of. Seated on a rock beside what would become one of the group's fire pits, the monk lamented his inability to assist with preparing camp thanks to age being unkind to his night vision.
"Evening." Vic Ventor knelt down beside him, words all business as the fox-coon began setting fire to the tinder he had brought with him.
"Good evening, Mr. Ventor." Friar Arlowe acknowledged, watching the young man as he got the fire started then set a metal cup atop the flames with water in it to boil.
"How're the ribs?" the scholar asked, rustling through his travel bag, presuably for more of the curative concoctions he'd been making use of the past few days on the monk's behalf. At the lack of a response, the young scholar turned to regard him more fully, and only then did Friar Arlowe reply.
"That is not the real question you wanted to ask, is it, young man?"
"You're avoiding Cruff." the comment was direct enough to indicate that the monk had presumed correctly, "Why?"
The monk let out a deep breath and slowly unbelted his robe, opening it up enough so the fox-coon could better access his still-healing ribs, "You are young yet, Mr Ventor... I wonder if you've ever had a significant event in your life that reminded you of your own fallable nature..." he glanced to the young University student as he knelt down, "Can you think of something you've done that you look back on unfavorably?"
"You're saying what happened almost twenty years ago is something like me forgetting to connect the tube on an alembic and getting a three foot high gout of flame?"
"In the most basic sense possible... I suppose it is." Friar Arlowe acknowledged, "Was anyone hurt by your misstep?"
"My lab partner lost some fur on his face... but it grew back." the fox-coon acknowledged, and began smearing a sweet-and-sour scented ointment, "But what does that have to do with our discussion about Cruff?"
"In my case, Cruffington is the lab partner that lost some fur." Friar Arlowe admitted, "I am not proud of how my actions affected him, and every time I see him I am reminded of the injuries my actions caused."
"Funny you should mention that..." Vic announced, sealing up the jar of medicine, "... Cruff was my lab partner too..." the fox-coon stood up, "Another funny thing about that... I already apologized for MY mistake."
The monk paused at the words, rolling them around in his head as he considered how strangely conventional the otherwise avant-garde university student's wisdom turned out to be. In the end, Friar Arlowe was nothing, if not honest, "I am afraid."
"Afraid of saying sorry?" Vic asked.
"I am afraid that he would not like the explanation I have to offer." the monk explained.
"What about not giving one, and just leaving it at saying you're sorry?" a voice spoke up from off to the side. The reflection of the campfire danced and glimmered in Cruffington's eyes-- likely accentuated in a hint of moistness to them, "It's not like there are many good excuses for leaving your family... even if it WAS to join the Church."
"You were listening in?" the older raccoon dog inquired, glancing first to his son and then to Vic, "I suppose this was a planned encounter."
"Planned? No." the fox-coon stated, "Overdue? I'd say yes." he dusted off his paws and headed off to other parts of the camp, stopping next to Cruffington, who had just stepped up to take his place, "I'll be with the others if you need me."
"So..." Friar Arlowe watched as his son took a seat across the small fire from him.
"Did you want to talk?" the young raccoon dog questioned, "Or is now not a good time either?"
"I never meant to hurt you." the monk offered.
"Then you're an overachiever..." there was more than a hint of vinegar to the tone, "you succeeded without even trying."
"When you are called by the Church you cannot easily say no." the older raccoon dog shrugged helplessly.
"You mean called by God." Cruffington countered, "Even before you left you always said there was a different."
"There IS a difference." Friar Arlowe confirmed, "And I meant what I said... the Church called me, and that is why I left."
"And you couldn't bother to tell me?" the young raccoon dog slammed his paw against the ground, "Or mom?"
"That would only have made it more difficult if I told you, Cruffington." the monk stated quietly, "I couldn't face you to tell you I was going away..." he paused, not sure if he wanted to speak the next part... but he realized if he didn't admit it while they were talking candidly then it was possible he never would, "...and your mother knew. She was there when I made the decision to answer the Church's summons."
"She told me she didn't find out you'd become a monk until I was getting ready to leave for University." his son growled, "So you're telling me she was lying?!?"
"No." Friar Arlowe countered, "That would have been the truth. I was in service to the Church many years before I obtained the title."
"So it was a half truth." the young raccoon dog gnashed his teeth in displeasure, "I suppose that's half more than what you gave me."
"Cruffington..." the monk spoke quietly, "I never meant for that things to be so difficult after I left... one of the reasons I DID go was because it was supposed to make life EASIER for you and your mother."
His son stood, carefully dusting off his trousers as he did so, "Well... you didn't do so well in that regard."
"I'm--" Friar Arlowe began, but the young raccoon dog about faced and walked off back toward the center of camp, "...sorry."