The Peacemakers Keep
Chapter 1

Matthew sighed as he walked passed the great stone walls of The Peacemakers Keep. He had lots of chores to do given by Abbot Solomon, head of the young men who were going to be apprentices. As he walked along the outer boundaries, he readied the cloth he had to clean the Hall of Julius. Julius was not a Father, or an Abbot. He was a Brother. In all the history of The Peacemakers Keep, there were two men who had been named Brother, Brother Julius and Brother Zacharias. Brother Julius was a good man. He led many men and women to the Keep to join in the peaceful ways. But Brother Zacharias was not so. Shortly after being named a Brother, he went off and convinced others that the Keep was a threat, and never to be persuaded to join by Brother Julius. One fellow, Dioclepus, heard of Brother Zacharias’ evil schemes and brought his knowledge to the Keep. The Peacemakers Keep honored Dioclepus, stripping Zacharias of his Brotherly title and naming Dioclepus Abbot. Matthew wanted to be like Brother Julius so. If only it were possible! When he was a baby, his mother abandoned him outside the Keep where he lay in a basket for hours. It was only Abbot Ken’s sharp eye and Maiden Jess’s wonderful healing skills that saved him, although his hearing could not be saved. By the time he was two, his hearing was gone completely. Now, ten years later, Matthew was almost ready to be named an apprentice, which happened on the dot of his thirteenth birthday.
Shifting the messenger bag onto his shoulder, he walked on. His world was still deaf, but he liked it. The peace of the Keep suited him greatly. As he started to polish windows, Lily ran up to him. Lily was Matthew’s age, and Matthew liked Lily very much.
“Matthew, Father Jonathan wants you to come to his chamber immediately.” Lily signed in rapid American Sign Language. When Matthew was taken into the Peacemakers Keep, Father Jonathan made it his top priority to learn ASL. Father Jonathan made sure that ASL was learned by all who lived permanently in the Keep, so that Matthew could be communicated with and was not left out.
“Okay,” Matthew signed. “But can you finish up here?” Lily nodded and took the cloth from him. As he hurried off, he wondered what Father Jonathan wanted to tell him. Puzzled, he walked up the Main Hall and knocked on Father Jonathan’s door. Father Jonathan opened the door and beckoned Matthew inside.
“Matthew, you have not applied to any sort of apprenticeship. Here is a list of things that are still open to you.” Jonathan told him. Matthew scanned the list. Abbot, Father, Teacher, Chef, Squire, Helper. He knew that the 19 other boys his age had chosen. Logan, Daniel, and Shad wanted to be Abbots. Tom, Joseph and Chris loved the thought of being Fathers. Isaac, Jacob and Esau, who were triplets, wanted the role of Squire. Benjamin, Andrew, and Julio never gave thought to anything but Chefs. Kenny, Rich, and James were obvious choices for new Teachers, and Brian, Jeremiah, Jesse, and Pierre had given Helper a chance. Now what was Matthew to do? Abbot was not his idea of interesting, and he never pictured himself a scroll-reading Father. He knew he could never be as courageous and battle-hardened as the Squires, and teaching wasn’t an option as he was deaf. That left Chef, Helper and, of course, Brother. He pushed the fact that Brother wasn’t even on the list out of his mind as he glanced at the other two options and grinned. When he was eleven, he tried to help in the kitchen and burned all of that night’s supper. Chef Elliot had given him a good scolding and hurried to make spaghetti. Try explaining to a roomful of hungry people who are expecting to be given salmon and crab’s legs that a deaf eleven year old had burned their meal and now they were going to be served spaghetti. Matthew knew it wasn't fun. As for a Helper, Matthew thought that if he was denied Brotherhood, he would go into this. He plucked up his courage and signed,
“Well, Father Jonathan, sir, um, you haven’t exactly put everything on this list.” He finished in a rush.
“Oh, of course I haven’t. There are all sorts of jobs around here, but you and I both know you have to be…”
“I want to be a Brother.” Matthew cut in.
“Matthew…”
“No. I know exactly what you are going to say. ‘Matthew, that job hasn’t been given out in years. You are to different, and no one wants precious little Matthew to be hurt’ ” Matthew could feel his temper rising. “In fact, no one wants little Matthew to do anything at all, because…”
“Matthew, you may train to be a Brother.”
“See? See? I told you that you would say…Did you say yes?”
Father Jonathan smiled. “Of course Matthew, if you wish it.”
Suddenly there came a piercing scream from floors below them.