1 Chapter 00 "Basically a Trailer"

A quaint village of 25 houses, the village was surrounded by a forest on three different sides, it was a warm day with a clear blue sky overhead. There was a hill to the west and plateau of flowers in the east, only one side of the town was open and barren of trees, the green grass plains to the South. It was the best and easiest way of travel, unless you knew how to navigate the forest. Most of the shops and stores were in the center of the village but in the far back of the village to the north laid one house and a farm. Aaron was working there, he was tending to the carrots, cabbage, and potatoes. He slung his farming tool over his shoulder, wiping sweat off his brow, it was in a hot day and farming was very rigorous and tiring work. He absolutely loves work and his family but what he always loved more than anything was running and hang out in the forest. When he was younger his parents would often find him there after he'd been having a bad nightmare. He would give them quite the scare. Aaron was just about to get back to work when he heard someone call his name. "Aaron! Mother wants you to go and grab some firewood for dinner. Oh, she said there has been sighting of bears in the northern side of the forest, she wants you to go to the east to gather it. And please do be careful, would you?" It was his younger sister, Veronica, only 10 years old but she was a feisty one and a troublemaker at that. She always had a bit of a sassy tone to her voice, if you listened close enough. Nevertheless, he absolutely loved her and his whole family, in fact he do absolutely anything to protect them. His father didn't want Aaron in any fighting though, not even a friendly brawl. Aaron didn't quite know why but he learned to respect his father's wishes. After all, he's working hard to protect the village. And since his mother, Susanne, was now pregnant again, his father was having an even more of a hard time with less sleep and more work. He also had an older sister and brother, Eric and Clarice, both of them were rather protective of Aaron. "Alright Veronica, thank you. Now get back to mother, you can't make her do all the cooking and cleaning you know. And you be careful too don't get into too much trouble." he teased his younger sister. At least he tried to, by the time he had turned around Veronica was already gone. She was like a sprite in the wind or maybe an assassin would be more accurate. Veronica could be very scary sometimes, it was always in everyone's best interest to not get on her bad side. Aaron put away his tools and started walking to the East side of the village towards the forest. He stopped for a moment to admire the flowers in the huge field around him when he reached the center of it.The eastside of the village always had a beautiful field of flowers for decades. No matter how bad the droughts had been, and no matter how much it rained they had always managed to survive. They practically glowed and sparkled with untamed radiance. There were many different types of flowers, in fact he couldn't name them even if he tried. He knew one thing for sure though, they were all beautiful. In a way, it was the village's prized possession. Some of the flowers shouldn't even be there: lilies, daffodils, roses, sunflowers, tulips, and so many more. Some even seemed exotic and made of magic. That made the patch even more mysterious and beautiful. Aaron absolutely loved it, sometimes he would just lie in the field in the middle of the day enjoying the breeze and the sounds of nature. It made him feel at home, it felt natural,almost all nature did. Aaron continued to walk towards the forest with the axe in hand, he didn't go far into the forest but he wasn't exactly close to the field of flowers by any means anymore. Aaron was about to chop down a tree when he sensed something he rather he didn't. As his instincts flared, he could sense there was danger nearby. Aaron began to run back to the village at surprisingly fast speeds, axe completely forgotten. He didn't think anything of it, he had to get there quick, he had to warn his father. He knew what the danger meant, he didn't need to investigate. The First time that danger came to their village was in the form of the Riders of Furlan. They were a fierce and merciless group of criminals, they would steal: food, water, and even...people. No kingdom has ever caught them because they always patrol around the very edges of kingdom boarders and for a while now they've been here in Velvane. It has always been a struggle for people living near the boarders, kingdoms just can't afford to spread their forces that thin, the just can't reach us. As such, when they first came to the village we had no protection from their tyranny; however, soon after Aaron's father, Baron, began to train the people in the village to defend themselves rather than let them overrun the village like so many others had. Men and even some capable women were trained. Although his father trained him better and harder than anyone else he still wouldn't let Aaron fight under any circumstance. Aaron had no idea why, but he respected his father's judgment so he never asked about it, even though he really wanted to. Aaron's instincts were flaring more than usual, more than he has ever felt before, something really bad was going to happen, he had to prevent it. This time he had to try to convince his dad to let him fight. When he reached his house he banged the door open, one hand on the door the other on his knee, he was sweating heavily and trying to regain his breath. His family were all shocked and confused but they were just worried overall. His mother asked with concern,"Are you all right? What happened?" Aaron had finally caught his breath, he looked towards his father panic in his eyes, " Father... they're here."

Baron knew what he meant immediately and was about to  run out the door to prepare for the upcoming fight, but Aaron grabbed his elbow. "Father! Wait please, there's something different about it this time. Something bad is going to happen I know it, feel it. Please let me fight with you. I want to do my part to protect the village and my family." Aaron told his father desperate to help. His father wouldn't have any of it though his eyes narrowing almost into a pained expression. "No, Aaron. If what you sensed is right then it's even more reason to keep you off the field. I can't have you fight in this and hopefully you'll never will have to. It's just too dangerous... now stay here protect your mother and your family that is your job now. You've already contributed enough, Aaron. Simply telling me of possible danger in advance could give us an advantage that could save many lives in the battle ahead." Baron placed his hand on his son's shoulder and Aaron sighed and nodded his head. Walking past him, Aaron's father reached the doorway, stopped once more and turned around looking aaron in the eye. His face had a soft smile, worry lines, and an undecipherable emotion in his eyes. "Aaron...you are far more important than you know...I love you all..."

As Aaron watched his father leave he couldn't help but feel like...it would be the last time he saw him. His family went to comfort and reassure him making it very clear that he was the only one who was feeling this way. Perhaps his feelings were wrong, but they never were before. Knowing that he couldn't contain his storm of emotions anymore. Aaron cried.