2 Chapter 2: The journey begins

The road to Laskin was not a long one though Nefre was sure that his rear would still be blistered as he rode on the back of a massive warhorse that made him bounce. As the clearing came into view from the canopy of trees, he gave thanks to Nyx God of travel that this small ordeal was at an end even if it meant a much bigger trial was at hand. The thought made him tamp down his delight at the moment and look at the armed group he was traveling with, which had been quiet since they had left his home. He hadn't minded it had left him time to think, but at the same time, there were so many things that were bubbling up that he just wanted to let out in a cry of frustration, yet he kept it down for now.

As they broke through the clearing and the sun reinserted itself blinding his eyes for the moment before they could readjust and see the small town of Laskin, which looked the same as it always had. A couple dozen or so homes spread out from the main road, along with a few buildings that were traders of some sort, a quaint looking inn even if it had seen better days. A few women were in front of their homes doing the laundry while young children ran across the road before stopping to stare at the group of knights heading down the road. Nefre could only continue to ride with this group until they finally stopped at the inn.

He slid down off the horse as Servius did, though, by that point, a growing number of people were already beginning to come up, all of the common laborers like him. It was only a moment later that Nefre saw two people come through the small crowd, an older man and woman both wrinkled and grayed with age. "I am Jan, and this is my Sister Ell. We are the Elders of this town. What brings an Emissary of the King to our small village m' lord." The man's voice was raspy as if his throat was damaged though Nefre could see no wound upon it.

Looking to Servius, he watched the man's shrewd blue eyes look upon the crowd, and though Nefre couldn't be sure of it, he was sure he saw disdain in those eyes. "King Decus, lord of these lands, has sent me to conscript all able-bodied young men into the militia as the northern kingdom of Ducomor has declared war upon us. Also, a large enough wagon and horses will be taken to carry all the men that we bring from here back to the kingdom." Unlike at Nefre's place, he pulled out a rolled scroll with a wax seal on it, handing it to the Elder. "In case you need proof." The Elder meekly shook his head, knowing better than to argue.

Nefre watched the older man read it anyway, though if only for a show until he spoke. "It will be done M'lord though it will take some time, and the sun will be lowering soon. Might you spend the night at the inn and leave at first light?" Servius's lips turned into a small sneer at that point. "No, now get this done quickly we will be leaving back to the castle shortly." With that, he dismissed the Elder, as the crowd murmured and looked at each other in shock before a flurry of activity began to comply.

As the crowd dispersed and the action began, Nefre found himself by himself for the moment as the armored knights and Servius did head into the inn to grab a drink it seemed. He decided against heading in with them for the moment. Instead, moving to sit on a small stump that had been left beside the inn and took a seat grabbing his water flask and taking a long sip off of it before grabbing some bread, his mother had packed him eating a few bites of it his eyes looking up at the sky. 'What is happening,' he thought, still in a state of shock almost from how quickly his life had changed.

He had little time to dwell on it though as quickly the area in front of the inn started to get crowded with young men just like of all different heights and sizes though most were stocky like him from years of hard labor. Soon a horse-drawn wagon came up pulled by two horses nowhere near the size of the massive warhorses; no, these were beasts of burden. Nefre watched as mom's and dads came up as well, hugging their sons most with tears in their eyes some stoic. The emotions of the other men like Nefre were just varied. Some seemed excited, some nervous and some downright scared, but it didn't matter as this was happening.

A few moments later, Servius and the knights came back out looking at the dozen or so men standing there "Show me your marks." He ordered his voice dry and cold. Something Nefre had noticed it always was. Watching as the men pulled up their sleeves, Servius would go and inspect each one verifying the black zero that looked tattooed on each of their arms. When he was satisfied, he nodded his head and stepped back. "Good now load up into the wagon, and one of you drive it. Hurry up."

Another flurry of activity began as parents hugged their kids once again; even little brothers and sisters did crying because they didn't understand what was going on. Nefre stood and headed to the wagon, pulling himself up and into the driver's seat, grabbing the reigns while everyone finished their goodbyes. With that, they were soon back on the road, a wagon full of young men following behind armored warhorses and knights. Nefre felt for those in the wagon that he was driving if only because he was in the same boat as them, and he had only said goodbye to his family prior. Yet he might get to see them briefly one last time as they headed back down the road past the farm, not that he was sure it would be helpful to see them so soon after leaving. He felt like it might make it even harder to go the second time around.

The group would pass back by his farm, but his parents weren't outside, and they didn't come out either probably feeling like Nefre did that it would be too hard to see him so soon and watch him leave all over again. With that, he began his journey north to the king away from everything he had ever know on this one lonely road to the world beyond. The men riding in the back of the wagon must have felt the same as they had been chatting with each other to that point before going quiet. As they headed into the northern tree line as if feeling the weight for the first time of how much their own lives were forever changed.

Nefre was mostly alone with his thoughts for the rest of the journey nobody seemed to want to speak to him, which made sense to him while he knew those from the town he wasn't close to any one of them due to the distance between his house and the village. The road through the forest back was quiet, there was the occasional eerie howl or movement in the woods of something large, but it never came towards the small convoy of people. Even as the sun slowly began to descend and it would soon become pitch, black Servius pushed forward. When it became clear that it would be impossible to continue anymore in the pitch dark of the forest, they came out of it underneath an open night sky. The sun had set, and billions of stars littered the sky. Nefre looked towards the two large moons overhead, casting a glow across the vast open land.

"Wow..." Nefre breathed out in awe as he looked from the moon to the open stretches of land, and what he was sure were other villages and farms in the distance that he couldn't make out in the dark. He could make out to the north the large Castle that stood like a symbol of the kingdom of Lenwall's power. Even far off, it was noticeable, and that's where they were heading without stopping. 'This is it...this is happening," Nefre thought, the ache of his back and ass from driving the cart all but forgotten. With one last look thrown back at the life he was leaving behind, he gave a silent prayer before looking back to the road and towards the kingdom.