A small red-haired boy bowed as he came into the study belonging to the Lord and Lady of Pirate's Swoop. He was a small, slender, with a stubborn cast to his features, and odd purple eyes.
"Please Mama," he said, perfectly seriously. "May I go to Shang?"
"Now Liam," his mother said, just as seriously. "It's a very big decision you're making. Are you sure this is what you want to do? I know that you want to be a warrior, and you certainly have a gift for it, but you could go to the palace to be a knight when you're ten, if you want. King Jonathan would be happy to have you there."
"No Mama, that's not what I want to do when I'm older. I want to be a Shang."

The copper haired woman sighed - the boy was as determined as she had been about becoming a knight, and if she refused, she knew that he'd run away and do it anyway, he was that sort of child.
"If it's really what you want, I'll see what I can do. They don't normally take nobles, so don't be too surprised if they turn you down."
"Thank you Mama, I'm really sure. It's the only thing that I want to do. I'll make you proud of me, I promise."