Conversation with My Father

As I made my way back home, my heart was pounding with nervous anticipation.

The conversation with my father had been weighing on my mind, and I knew that I needed to find the right moment to bring it up. When I saw him sweating in the forge alone, I knew that it was now or never.

Rolf was probably somewhere in the village, taking orders or delivering tools.

I paused for a moment to collect my thoughts, running through what I wanted to say in my head. I knew that I needed to appear confident and resolute if I was going to have any chance of convincing him.

With a deep breath, I gathered my courage and approached him.

"Ah, Darian, what brings you here?" My father asked, wiping his hands on a piece of cloth. "Finally showing some interest in my trade instead of running in the village with that girl of yours?"

"Her name is Myra, father, and no, that's not why I'm here," I replied, trying to keep the nervousness from my voice. "I have something different I want to talk about."

My father raised an eyebrow in surprise, clearly intrigued. "Alright, so tell me," he said, setting down his hammer.

"Do you remember those rabbits I managed to hunt by the stream?" I asked, hoping to ease into the conversation.

"Oh, yes, those were delicious. Did you manage to hunt some more?" he replied, a hint of excitement in his voice.

"No, they seem to have stopped coming close to our house, so I was wondering if I could go into the Forest to try and hunt some more."

"Into the Forest? Don't even think about it! Didn't we tell you how dangerous it is for small kids to go there? Your mother wouldn't bear the thought of losing you."

"Wait, father! I wouldn't go there alone. I met a hunter in the village, and he promised to teach me how to track animals. And we would only go to the edge where it's safe."

"Hunter? What hunter?"

"He never told me his name, but he's old and rugged looking, and he's always sitting under a tree at the corner of the village square."

"Ah, you mean Old Sven. He still hasn't kicked the bucket? He's some sturdy old bastard, that one. You must leave it to him."

"But how did you manage to convince him, of all people, to teach you something? He's always so stubborn and keeps his distance from everyone."

"I guess he was impressed by my radiant personality!"

"Haha! You wish! Well, if it's he who we're talking about, then I might consider it. He has some crazy survival skills since he's managed to make it so far. And besides, I'd like some more meat at the table."

He then leaned forward and grabbed my shoulder, his expression becoming grave.

"But you mustn't tell anyone about this. Your mother would be sick with worry if she were to find out. Everything you hunt, you bring directly to me; do you hear me?" he whispered.

"Of course, I will take this secret to my grave," I promised.

"Haha! I'm sure you will. Now, run along, Darian. I have work to do," my father said, shooing me away.

I quickly ran away so that he didn't change his mind and then went back to the village to tell the happy news to the hunter, whose name was apparently Old Sven.

He then reluctantly agreed to take me with him, and I was supposed to meet him at the edge of the forest in a week after he finishes repairing his traps. I can finally go into the forest, yay!

It's not like I didn't sneak into the forest all the time, but now I'm finally allowed to go there officially, so now whatever I find, be it more herbs or prey, I can bring with me home and then sell openly in the city without any need to cover up.

Of course, I must make sure my mother never finds out about this, but that was not any different from what I was doing until now, so I wasn't too worried about it.

Meanwhile, as I waited for my first lesson with Old Sven, I decided to seek out Myra.

I hadn't seen her all winter, thanks to the snow that covered the entire village and forced us all to spend most of our time indoors.

Both my reading and writing studies have progressed greatly; only my writing is still a little shabby, but that will get better with enough practice.

I went to look for her, and sure enough, I found her sitting at our usual spot under the old tree.

When I arrived, Myra was looking angry and pouting her lips.

"Where were you? I was waiting for you here the whole week, and you never showed up!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry, I had a lot of work at home, so I couldn't come sooner," I apologized.

I then proceeded to update her on everything that had happened over the winter, carefully avoiding mentioning my powers or my trips to the forest.

Since unlike Helga, she wasn't my family, and I still didn't know if I could trust her with any of my secrets, especially since she was the Vogt's daughter, and I absolutely didn't want for him or even our lord for whom he worked to know about any of my abilities.

At least not until I made it to the city and learned more about magic.

"I still can't believe how fast you learned how to read. I've been learning it for almost two years and still can't read anything at all!" Myra exclaimed in amazement.

"I guess I have a talent for it," I replied with a shrug.

"You're so good at it, I think you could even work as a scribe in the city."

I shook my head. "Even if I wanted to, they would never take me as an apprentice."

Myra nodded in agreement. "Hmm, I guess so. So, have you decided where you want to start your apprenticeship?" she asked, curious.

"I have a few ideas," I replied mysteriously.

"Tell me! I want to know!" Myra demanded playfully.

"It's a secret for now. It all depends on whether my parents will allow me to go to the city or not. But I promise you'll be the first to know," I said, grinning.

Myra's pout quickly turned into a smile. "You better tell me, or I won't lend you any of my stuff ever again!"

"Sure, sure. Now, what do you want to do today?" I asked, eager to spend the day playing together and catching up on lost time.

We spent the rest of the day playing and laughing, our worries and troubles momentarily forgotten. For a moment, it felt like nothing else in the world mattered except for our friendship and the present moment.

But I knew that I couldn't let my dreams and ambitions fall by the wayside. I had to continue with my plans since time was of the essence.