Chapter 1: Desperation

𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘬! I wake up to the sound of a knock on the door. As I lie half-asleep in my bed, I hear the creak of my front door opening. I overhear the conversation happening from the floor below.

"The king is stationing our troops down to the south, so we can no longer keep guard at the northern border." Says the voice of an older man.

"I understand." my mother says in a concerned voice.

"Your farm may be at risk while we are gone, so stay cautious." says the man before he closes the door and walks off.

Our farm lies directly outside the northern wall of the kingdom, so we have always been protected by the guards of the north. The northern sector of the kingdom is by far the safest area due to it being dedicated to the upper class. The western and eastern sectors are mainly for the middle class, and the southern sector is for the lower class. To have access to the northern sector of the kingdom, there is a costly toll, mainly to keep out people 'unworthy' of entering. The north consists primarily of nobles and very wealthy folk, but we fall under neither of those categories, which is why we have to live outside the secure stone walls of the kingdom. Due to my family's skill in farming, we are allowed to enter the northern sector whenever we desire, as long as we continue to sell our crop yield to the citizens of the north. Living here is safe, but it is hard work and dull. I'd rather live here than in any other sector, though. My path in life is pretty much set in stone. I will inherit this farm when my parents die and I'll work until I'm old and senile, as every previous generation did.

I hop out of bed and put my beige cloth pants on. I threw on my loose white tunic and grab my coin pouch. Mother gave me two silver coins to celebrate my eighteenth birthday, so I'm going to take a trip to the northern sector. It is a beautiful day outside, spring weather is beautiful in Eastoria. After about 10 minutes of walking, I arrive at the northern gate.

"It's me, Jakov of the Gray family," I proclaim to the gatekeepers.

They each pull on a rope, which allows the massive gates to open. After about a minute of pulling the ropes, they welcome me into the northern sector. The city is blooming with life from the moment you step foot into it. As I walk further along the cobblestone path, I see a musician performing a joyous song on his fiddle.

I have a great fondness for music, so I decided to sit on a nearby bench and listen to the musician play. I sit in peace until I see a man, who looks to be about my age, begin to walk toward me. His height is average, but he looks a bit stronger than the average teen, and most notably he has bright orange hair. He is wearing light leather armor and he has a dagger at his hip. He takes a seat beside me on the bench.

"Hello, I'm Micah," he says in a friendly, yet serious tone.

"I'm Jakov, whats with the gear?" I ask out of curiosity.

"Well, there's a reason I came up to you. I am part of the adventurers guild. We are located in the northern sector, near the gates to the eastern sector. We currently are looking for more recruits." he explains.

"Why would you be stationed in the northern sector if you want more recruits?" I questioned.

"We are quite an elite guild, but we are running low on people to take our lower-grade contracts. Since many of our members have the skill to do the higher-grade ones, they always choose them. So I came here to see if you'd like to join." He states.

"YOU want to recruit ME?" I exclaimed. I was shocked that this man thought I would be of good use to an adventurers guild.

"I do want to recruit you. you are young and I can tell you are a hard worker based on the calluses on your hands. You truly have the potential to be a great member of our guild. So would you like to join Jakov?" he asked.

"But I don't know how to fight," I explained.

"We train every one of our members, and you will be treated like family," he proclaimed.

I wish I could join but I knew mother and father wouldn't approve. I don't want to worry mother too much. "I decline," I firmly stated.

Micah tried to hide the disappointed look on his face, but it was still apparent. "If you ever decide to change your mind, you are free to join. This invitation will allow you into our guild and you may speak to our leader, Dante. He will teach you everything from there." he kindly stated. He handed me an old-looking envelope, with a red wax seal. Below the seal was Micah's signature.

"I appreciate it, Micah, I will be sure to visit if I change my mind.

Micah seems like a very nice guy but unfortunately, that was probably the last time I will speak to him. I begin to continue my trip through the bustling northern sector...

I keep on walking until I reach my destination, my family's go-to blacksmith, Igor. Igor's smithy lies in the shopping district of the northern sector. The shopping district is a very long alley where people sell anything you could imagine. Igor has been forging and repairing farm equipment for my family for decades, but today I have a special request. As I walk up to his small blacksmithing stand, he greets me.

"Jakov! How are you, young lad?" he says excitedly.

"I'm doing well, Igor!" I reply happily.

He knew why I came. Igor has had a birthday gift planned for me since I was nine years old. He told me that when I turned eighteen, he would forge me the finest sword he could for only two silver coins. An average sword of his costs five gold coins, so I am grateful for his discount.

"I have spent countless days and nights forging this sword for you, lad. It might be my finest work." He comments.

I watch him pull out a black cloth from the back of his small stand. He places it gently on the front counter. He slowly unveils the beautiful blade as I gaze in awe. He reveals a steel shortsword, polished to perfection. The blade is about 12 inches long, and the handle is made out of black ebony.

"It's magnificent," I say with amazement.

I pick up the blade and swing it around a few times. It is unbelievably light.

"I love it, Igor." I proclaim.

"I knew you would, Jakov. Now be careful, and don't hurt yourself!" Igor responds.

I excitedly run back home to show father...

I see my house in the distance, but something's not right. My father is outside with bags packed and formal clothing on.

As I arrive at the front of my house, I question him.

"Where are you going, father?" I ask.

"I'm joining the military to help them with their efforts." He sternly states.

My parents and I have been living together on this farm since I was born. We have rarely fought or argued. Neither of them has ever been gone from home for an extended period, but I guess this is what war does to families like mine.

My excited feelings were gone, and they soon turned to sorrow. I didn't want my father to leave. My sorrow slowly turned into resentment. I imagined how hard life on the farm would be with just me and mother.

"Don't you dare leave mother and me alone!" I shouted.

"You don't understand, boy." he calmly replied "war isn't something I can hide from. I need to support our king just as he supported our life outside the walls," he stated.

I was always an emotional kid, but I wouldn't take things out on my parents... until now. I was in disbelief that he was about to leave our farm without even planning to tell me.

"What if you die!" I yelled.

"I will be safe and I will return to you guys as soon as I can," Father proclaims.

I walk into the house with my back turned to father.

"I love you and your mother, I am doing this for you guys." He quietly says to me.

This statement made my anger grow even more, but I didn't want to say a word to him. I heard the door close behind me and listened to my father's fleeting footsteps. As soon as the sound of his footsteps became inaudible, I began to cry. I tiredly walked up to my room and lay in my bed. The only sound I could hear was my mother's cries from her room. Despite my pain, I drift off into a deep sleep.

I jolt out of bed to the sound of a spine-chilling scream. My mother bursts into my room panicked.

"Jakov, gather your belongings and get out! Our house is on fire," she said frantically.

Upon hearing this, my heart dropped. The countless memories in this house were all going to be gone in an instant. I quickly look out the window to see that it's the dead of night. I begin to gather all the things that have meaning to me and I place them in my leather backpack. I run out of my room. The upper floor feels like I just opened the gates of hell. I feel extreme heat along with smoke burning my lungs. I sprint downstairs. I see my mother gathering as much as she can, while I run to the door. She quickly follows me out. We were safe.

"We made it, mother," I say with relief.

"Stay here Jakov," she says in a serious tone.

She walks towards the burning house.

"Mother no!" I shout with worry.

The house is burning brighter than the sun, and she is walking directly into it, without fear. As she walks into the front door, I lose sight of her within the thick layer of smoke and flames. I wait outside, fearing for my mother's safety. With every passing second, my worry grows. I continue to wait until I see her figure walking out of the smoke. She is holding a thin, rectangular object, about the size of a chessboard. I can faintly make out a distressed look on her face. She is walking unusually slowly.

"Mother hurry! It's dangerous," I shout with concern.

As she comes closer, I can make out all of her features. My stomach drops as I glance at her broken ankle that she is painfully dragging along the floor. My house is beginning to fall apart before my eyes, and my mother isn't coming out fast enough. I swiftly run up to the house to help her make it out safely. As my body gets closer to the front entrance, I hear a loud crash. Smoke and embers aggressively fly toward me, causing my eyes to burn and my lungs to struggle to take in oxygen. Despite the immense pain, I open my eyes to a shocking view. Directly behind the front door, all I can see is burning debris. My mother is completely trapped inside.

I stare into the inferno with shock. I look down to see the object she went into the house to retrieve. I pick up the object and shout for my mother.

"MOTHER PLEASE FIND A WAY OUT!" I shout using every bit of energy I have in my body.

I get no response.

"Please mom, please..." I quietly mumble to myself.

I once again get no response, but instead, I hear the most horrific, terrifying scream I have ever heard. I begin to uncontrollably sob. I continue to hear my mother's torturous screams coming from inside the raging flames. I turn my back to the house, taking the things my mother and I were able to retrieve. I run and don't stop running. I run as if running would free me from all of my pain. I run until my legs give out and I fall to the hard dirt ground. The pain I feel from the fall feels comforting compared to the suffering I just went through. I lay on the ground, in complete darkness and I sob. I feel nothing but anger and sadness. I feel anger toward myself, my father, and the kingdom. "I could've saved her, if I just tried harder, she wouldn't be dead," I thought to myself. I laid myself down on the cold hard dirt. The only noises I heard were the wind and the sound of my crying. I felt completely hopeless, yet as I looked up to the sky, I feel a sense of peace...