Listen To Your Heart

Chapter 8

Gilbert and Elsie woke up the next day with the sun coming from the window. They stayed in bed for a while embraced closely together.

“Why Poisart?” Gilbert asked suddenly.

“What do you mean?” Elsie looked at him.

“You know, of all the places in the world, why did you think of coming here in the first place?”

“Oh, so many reasons, I think. I’ve heard so much about it on my lessons. About being a free, vibrant city. How its quirkiness was inspiring to authors and painters and merchants. Do you remember Sir Felix? The fighting teacher my father brought just for me because I wouldn’t stop getting into the boys’ swordplay and I would always be beat up?” Gilbert nodded. “Sir Felix was French, he told me he grew up in Paris, but he came to Poisart when he was about my age to train to become a knight. He told me so much about Copper Cove Academy. That’s where he studied and he told me how being a knight is not only about knowing how to fight,” her eyes sparkled. “I was so sad when he had to leave, but since then, I wished I could come here to practice and train and maybe even become a knight. Did you know that lady Thérèse Allemand helped her husband Sir Alphonse Allemand create Copper Cove academy almost two hundred years ago? And that she was also a female knight and she tried to inspire other women, and girls as well, to learn how to fight and defend themselves although she was harshly judged by it? She seemed such a splendid woman and I wish I could’ve met her. I’d have so many questions,” Elsie laughed at her daydream.

“You’re going to make history just like her,” Gilbert smiled at her and Elsie wondered if any young girl would ever admire her like that one day as well.

As much as they enjoyed staying in bed, Elsie and Gilbert made the effort to get up and prepare themselves for their first day. They decided to go to town, to get acquainted with their surroundings and do some shopping for their new place. They left the house early in the morning and walked towards the shore. Once walking in the harbour, they noticed that the Prometheus had already left.

Gilbert helped Elsie to pick up some food and they ended up having to buy a small wooden cart to take their new things back to the cottage. Elsie made sure to buy parchment and ink to write home, although she didn’t know if her letter would be intercepted or even welcomed in Nevettia if her father found out. Their biggest difficulty was speaking French with the locals. Elsie had had a few lessons and she could manage herself, but Gilbert sometimes felt lost. However, because of the great port most people on the shore market could speak many languages, mostly English and that made them a bit more relieved.

Money for them wouldn’t be a problem for a little while, but they both knew that they wouldn’t survive without an occupation. So, right after Gilbert cooked them lunch while Elsie settled their new belongings, they headed to Copper Cove Academy located up on a hill a few miles from their place. They followed the small road to the bottom of the slope where they found a large and tall steel gate guarded by two dressed up knights. The gate stood between a stone wall as high as the gate itself that surrounded the premises of the academy. The knights turned their attention to the couple approaching.

“Puis-je vous aider?” the knight on the right asked how he could help them with his hand on his sword’s handle.

“Je suis désolé, parlez-vous anglais?” Elsie asked hoping one of them would speak English to make things easier for them.

“You’re from the Island then,” the man began with a strong accent, his expression hardened. “What do you want here?”

“I’m Elsie Asheye, I was trained by Sir Felix, he used to be a student here,” she said, and both men looked at each other in suspicion. “He told me that if I ever came here, I should ask to talk to Dame Évè or Monsieur Pierre Beauchamp. I was told they were the owners and directors of the academy. My husband and I are looking for a job.”

“Sir Felix left the academy years ago,” the knight said. “We just can’t let strangers in. Now go away.”

“Étrangers stupides,” the other knight said under his breath.

“I’m sorry, are you calling us stupid foreigners?” Elsie started losing her temper. “I understand that it is your job to protect this place, but you don’t need to be rude. We were just after a job, nothing else. And I thought that being a knight meant to be honoured. Where is the honour on mocking those asking for help?”

“Els, come on, it’s not worth it,” Gilbert held her arm, afraid of letting her pick up a fight. Those knights had blades and armour and Gilbert knew it would be an unfair and possibly deadly fight. “We’ll look somewhere else.”

“At least the boy has some brains,” the first knight said while they got back to their posts.

Elsie sighed and turned around back to the road with Gilbert on her side. They had just walked a few steps when it hit her. The lessons she had with Sir Felix came crashing into her mind and she remembered that he had taught her the academy's code of honour. She rushed back to the knights leaving a very confused Gilbert behind and before they could say anything, she declared.

“To fear God and maintain His will. To live by honour and for glory. To fight for the welfare of all. To refrain from the giving of offence,” she emphasized the last sentence looking at the knight who called them stupid. “To obey those placed in authority. To guard the honour of fellow knights. To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit. To keep faith and at all times to speak the truth. Never to refuse a challenge from an equal and never turn the back upon a foe.”

“I cannot believe I just heard a girl recite the ten commandments of Copper Cove Academy to my guards,” a voice with a French accent came from behind Elsie.

She turned around to see a woman coming down from her horse. The woman had a black short curly hair that was mostly hidden by a leather hat with a pink feather pointing out of it and a beautiful glowing brown tanned skin. To Elsie’s surprise the woman was wearing brown leather pants that matched the hat and a white button shirt that hugged her body perfectly and was tucked inside her pants, just like a man would wear. The girl also noticed the long thin sword the woman had with her and her blood red lips and black eye lined eyes made her one of the most beautiful women Elsie had ever seen, even though the woman was about her mother’s age.

“I must say I’m impressed,” the woman approached Elsie. “Who are you, child?”

“I’m Elsie Asheye and I’m not a child,” Elsie replied without filtering her words. She hated being called a child. “You called them your guards. Are you Dame Évè Beauchamp?”

“I am, indeed. Hello, Elsie. I’m sorry, but I didn’t know I was famous among young women of the Island. May I ask what you are doing here?”

“Well, I’m not sure about other women, but Sir Felix was my teacher for a while and he told me a lot about Copper Cove, about you and he taught me the commandments. And this,” she pulled Gilbert to her side, who had just been watching without knowing what to say. “Is Gilbert, my husband. We heard a lot about the academy and we just arrived at Poisart. We came here looking for a job, for both of us.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Gilbert,” Évè shook his hand smiling. “Honestly, I haven’t heard about Sir Felix since he left to the Island. Why don’t you come into my office for some fruits and wine? You can tell me all about your adventures with Sir Felix and I’ll see what I can do for both of you,” she then turned to her guards. “Sir Claude, Sir Rémi, please, open the gates.”

Both knights obeyed a little embarrassed after being somewhat humiliated in front of their commander by a little girl. The gates opened with a small shriek.

“The gate needs to be polished,” Dame Évè said. “Make sure it’s not making any sounds when I leave tonight.”

“Oui, madame,” Sir Claude and Sir Rémi answered at the same time.

Dame Évè led her horse inside and asked Gilbert and Elsie to walk beside her. She was a very elegant and delicate woman. She had posture, but fierce eyes. At first sight, most people would be intimidated by her presence. However, she had a warm smile and her voice was very soothing. Since the moment Elsie met her, the girl knew she wanted to learn everything she could from that woman.

The three of them walked up to the hill where the academy buildings where located. On their way, Gilbert and Elsie saw men riding horses, practicing archery, fighting with swords, spears and daggers. They saw even a group of young children practicing with wooden swords and that image tighten Elsie’s heart when she placed herself on those kids’ place back in Nevettia with her brother and Gilbert, fighting them with her own wooden sword. However, not very far from them, there was another group of older children sitting down on the ground studying plants.

“We consider that everything inside our walls are training grounds. In Copper Cove Academy, we believe not only on the combat arts, but also in knowledge. Therefore, Madame Thérèse and Sir Alphonse made sure to build classrooms and a library. Our students learn not only how to fight, but also geography, astronomy, history, herbology, the main languages, how to read and how to write. Here we value our brains as much as our muscles,” Évè explained to them when she noticed the curiosity in their faces.

The academy grounds were vast, and they went further than the eye could see. The path leading to the main building was flourished and decorated with stone statues and some trees. There were birds singing and the sunshine made it all look even more beautiful. Elsie and Gilbert were dumbstruck as they had never seen anything like it.

The main building was the largest one. It was made of white stones and had big glass windows on all five floors above. It was where the traditional classrooms were located along with Dame Évè and her husband’s office. On the other side of the building, there was a squared patio with more flower bushes and trees. The patio had also a large water fountain decorated with a statue of the founding couple. There were many benches and places for the students to read and pass their time together.

The whole courtyard was surrounded by buildings that were connected by long passages on every floor. The biggest one was the main building they already seen. The second had a tall rounded tower where the dorms were located and atop the tower there was the astronomy classroom. The third one was the lowest building and it was where the meals were served and the fourth building had three floors and it was the library.

They reached the main doors, which were opened wide and one of the knights standing by it took Dame Évè’s horse back to the stables. The woman took them through a small tour inside the patio so they could see the whole structure of the academy. Both Elsie and Gilbert were out of words when they finally reached the headmistress’ office. Évè welcomed them to sit around a small coffee table and served them wine and grapes.

“So, what can I do for you?” she sat with them and ate the grapes.

“What’s your story?” Elsie looked at Gilbert and he nodded in encouragement. Elsie sipped her wine and took a deep breath while Évè paid close attention to her. The girl, then, told the woman all about her and her husband, including the few years she was under Sir Felix’s supervision. How she met Gilbert when they were young, their years of friendship that became a romance, how they ran away to escape an unwanted marriage and how she was forced out of her house by her father once he found out. Elsie took her time telling her story and reliving everything on her mind made her cry. Whenever she needed a time out of the story, Gilbert would hold her hand and help her fill in the details. In the end, Elsie dried her tears with the back of her hand and looked back at Évè who was clearly touched by their love story.

“Oh my, you have quite the tale to tell,” said Évè. “I’m really sorry that you had to go through all this. Here in Poisart we are free to be whoever we are and love whoever our hearts choose. I’m biased, because I love this city, but I assure you, you came to the right place to start over.”

“Thank you, madam…” Elsie began.

“Please, call me Évè. Only the knights call me madam and it just makes me feel old. I don’t really believe in titles,” Évè interrupted.

“Thank you, Évè,” Elsie repeated. “We are indeed trying to build a new life and that is why we are here. Gilbert is one of the greatest blacksmiths you will ever see. He is hardworking and dedicated. I’m sure he can make good work for the academy.”

“And Elsie is one of the best archers you’ll meet. She has what it takes to teach children and she already knows the academy teaching style once she learned from a former alumnus. I just know you won’t find anyone better,” Gilbert blushed because of Elsie’s compliments and felt he had to do the same for her.

“I see you are both very passionate and determined. That’s something we absolutely look for in our staff,” Évè replied. “However, I believe you’ll understand that you are going to have to prove to me and to my husband those great abilities. You know that I just can’t hire you by simply taking your word for it. You seem lovely people, but we just met.”

“Of course, we understand,” said Elsie and Gilbert agreed. “How can we do that?”

“Pierre is out doing business and he should arrive tomorrow in the morning. I’ll talk to him and we’ll decide what kind of task we’ll demand of you. So, why don’t you come back on the day after tomorrow early in the morning?”

“Sounds great,” said Gilbert.

“Good, I’ll let the guards know that we’ll be expecting you then,” Évè got up and so did Elsie and Gilbert. “It was a pleasure to meet you both and I’m looking forward to see what you have got to offer.”

“Thank you very much, Évè,” Elsie shook her hand. “You won’t regret giving us this opportunity.”

“I’m positive that I won’t,” Évè smiled at them and led them outside the building.

Elsie and Gilbert returned home with hearts filled with hope and excitement. They spent all their way back talking about the academy and everything they saw inside those stone walls. They both had their thoughts focused on the tasks that would be asked of them. They spent that entire evening talking and reassuring their skills one to another.

The next day also passed, but to the young couple it seemed like an eternity. They tried keeping their minds off Évè’s words by keeping busy around their new home. When the night fell, and the stars were shining in the sky, Elsie and Gilbert tried their best to sleep right away. However, the anxiety and enthusiasm about the next day made it hard for them to relax and fall into a quick slumber. After a few hours into the night, tiredness won the battle and they finally were able to rest.

They woke up the next morning with the first lights of day and prepared themselves to go back to Copper Cove Academy. This time they didn’t have any problems at the gate. Évè carried out her word on giving them permission to enter the academy and they followed the same path they did two days before. Once again there were amazed by the activities being held on the open grounds and Évè welcomed them to her office again, although this day she was accompanied by her husband.

Pierre Beauchamp was a typical French man. He had straight blonde hair that fell right on his shoulder, piercing blue eyes and a thin pointy nose. Together with his wife, they clearly made a powerful and beautiful couple.

Pierre greeted Elsie and Gilbert after being introduced to them with a smile, even though it was not as warm as Évè’s.

“I’ve heard a lot about you two,” he said. “I must say that I have high expectations of what I’m about to see.”

“And we hope not to disappoint you, Sir,” Gilbert replied worried that his heartbeat wasn’t as loud as he thought it was.

The four of them left the office and walked to the academy’s forge, that was located a bit further from the main buildings.

“It’s one of our newest acquisitions, to be honest,” Pierre explained the long distance. “Before it was built, all academy supplies were bought from the city’s smith. But the demand increased with time and when my grandfather bought the academy from the Allemand family, he decided to build the forge, so we could supply the armours and blades ourselves. He also thought it would be good for our students to know how they are made, so they are always careful and know how to repair it if they catch themselves on a difficult situation without any smiths around.”

The forge was huge compared to the one Gilbert used to work at in Nevettia. It could fit at least three of them inside the academy’s and Elsie noticed his eyes sparkling with the sight of the news tools and people working on beautiful pieces of metal. Gilbert was feeling like he was on paradise.

They were approached by a short bald man who cleaned his dirty hands on his clothes before announcing himself as the Blacksmith Master.

“Ollie, meet Elsie and Gilbert,” Évè introduced them. “Ollie oversees our forge and he teaches the art of metal bending,” she turned specifically to Gilbert. “He will be your supervisor for the day and his opinion will be counted on the aftermath. Your task for the day is simple, Gilbert. You must repair a complete set of armour and forge a blade of your choice. Ollie will show you around the forge, but under no circumstance he shall help you. We’ll be back by the end of the day to see your finished work. Good luck.”

“Thank you, madame… I mean, Évè,” he corrected himself after she gave him a look.

“Elsie, you can say goodbye to your husband. You’ll be coming with us for your tasks and you can meet him back here in the end of the day with us,” she finally said.

“You got this,” she whispered to him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Go and kick some arse,” he replied, and she giggled shyly.

Évè and Pierre led Elsie outside and into the archery field. Just like Gilbert, Elsie had more than just one task. At first, they set challenges with bow and arrow on solid field. Then, she had to prove her talent riding a horse altogether and finally her last challenge was a duel, against Évè herself. To the headmistress there was no fairer way to Elsie show her skills than to duel another woman while Pierre watched and took notes. There were hardly any girls at the academy and the ones there were still too young to be up to the challenge.

Fighting Évè was one of the hardest things Elsie had ever had to do in her life. She was given a wooden sword, but it had a completely different shape than she was used to. The sword was thinner and lighter and Évè was much faster and more agile than her brother or Gilbert. The woman, also, had years and years of experience ahead than any of them and Elsie feared she wasn’t good enough.

At the end of the fight, Elsie lost to Évè and she felt defeated, having almost no hope of getting the job.

“You fight well even though you had little training. I’m really impressed. I couldn’t wait to finally see a girl as fierce as you are. Most of the young girls we have here don’t have their parents’ permission to learn how to fight with swords, only how to shoot an arrow. And I must say, you absolutely have an eye for archery. Your scores were one of the highest ones we’ve seen in a while. Congratulations,” Évè said afterwards.

“Thank you. I would’ve trained more if I had the chance,” Elsie blushed.

“Now you have the chance to do so,” Pierre began, and Elsie’s heart raced. “Your husband was right about your skills and we would love to have you join our staff.”

“Are you serious?” Elsie smiled from ear to ear.

“For sure,” Pierre replied.

“Thank you so much for the opportunity. You have no idea how much this means to me,” she said.

“I believe we have a slight idea,” Évè laughed. “Let’s go back to the forge and see how Gilbert did today.”

On their way into the forge, they saw Ollie examining Gilbert’s blade. He had created a one edge axe although it was not complete because he needed more time to make the whole weapon. The blade itself was simple, but perfectly executed and the full armour set had been fixed as well.

“It would be better if I had more time, but I gave my best,” Gilbert said after the inspection.

“We did ask you an impossible task, but we wanted to know how far you would go. Ollie, what would you say?” Pierre asked.

“Well, he has pretty experienced hands. It took him some time to find himself around the place, but I guess that’s okay since he has never been here before. He took his time with armour and treated it with precision, although it had some rushed adjustments, but I’ll consider due to the little time factor. As for the blade, he does have the experience with the work, and he is clearly passionate about axes. I’d like to see how this axe would turn out if he had the time.”

Pierre and Évè whispered between each other for a few minutes. Elsie stood by Gilbert’s side and held his sweaty hand. He was nervous and couldn’t wait to hear the verdict. Finally, both the owners of the academy turned to them.

“Very well, Gilbert. You impressed us too and we would like you to join our staff as well,” Pierre announced.

“Thank you, very much. It will be an honour,” Gilbert said shaking their hands.

He hugged Elsie tight and she told him she passed as well. She wanted to kiss him very badly, but she knew it was better to wait until they were on the privacy of their home to celebrate their new jobs.

“This is it for today. Thank you both for your time and we expect you tomorrow in the morning for us to settle all arrangements needed, such as payment and instructions,” Évè said.

Elsie and Gilbert thanked the couple ten times over and left the academy that day with high hopes of a good life.