Way home pt.1
Chapter 3. Way home pt.1
Magnus realized that he had been thinking so hard that he had missed the sunrise. He has already left the very dangerous mountain areas, thanks to his smart horse, Sentim. He is much happier now that he used to train Sentim right from the very beginning. And riding at night was also on the list of exercises. By the end of the day, he'll be home, where his family is waiting.
By the way, I forgot to tell you, my dear friend, about Mr. Magnus. So let me say it in the next sentence.
Magnus's full name is Quint, Quint Magnus. A man just turned 27 about a month ago. But his life was full of things that were interesting. Because his father was a trader, he was able to make trips to many places. From Rakia and Altena to the Far East princedoms. He has seen so many things that he can't even remember them all. But he'll always remember the most important ones. Since you can't even stop thinking about these places. He had been to the amazing cities and towns where the biggest festivals in the world took place. There were thriving villages where farmers worked hard to grow fruits and vegetables that were out of this world. Stunning port towns along the blue coast, where ships of all kinds and from all over the world docked to trade exotic goods. Beautiful royal houses that showed how powerful and wealthy their owners were. He wasn't only attracted to places where people lived. Nature's hidden beauty in deserts, steppes, mountains, forests, and other places. They also surprised him and made him grateful to his father for letting him see how wonderful the world might be.
He lived his whole life with his only family member, his father, Gnaeus. Quint never had a mother in the way that other kids he has seen did. When he asked his father, he kept telling him the same thing: "The woman who gave birth to you is gone forever." Please don't worry me with such a stupid question again!" He kept bothering him, but each time Gnaeus Magnus didn't say anything.
Speaking about his mother... All of a sudden, Quint instantly recalled one very peculiar situation he got into when he was a child.
***
When he was still a kid, a terrible incident happened in one of the Far Eastern harbors. Magnus was playing outside of the tavern, where they checked in. Someone suddenly put a hand on his shoulder and said, "My dear Quint. Here are you!".
The kid was surprised and took a look around. He was standing next to a certain woman. Her skin was dark, and she was wearing clothes that were very "impure."
"…Emmmm. How may I help you, ma'am?"
"Wait, you don't know who I am?! My name is Susanne, and I am your mother!"
He wasn't expecting a strange woman to pretend to be his mother. When he was nine, he didn't take it seriously at first. But in the end, he believed her because she was polite and sounded like a mother who had done something wrong and was asking for forgiveness. Then she told him that they were going home and that his father had a surprise for him there.
"Hey, Quint, you know what? Let's go back home together. Your dad is waiting for us to come home. Then she whispered, "And I'll tell you a little secret. He has a very big surprise for you!"
Surprisingly, another voice came from behind her after she spoke...
"Who should be waiting for baby Quint if it's not a secret?"
Both the boy and the woman have turned around and seen a man walking slowly toward them in the dark.
"Who the hell are you?"! Susanne yelled at him.
The way she spoke surprised Quint. She was just a moment ago, she was a nice woman whose voice was full of love and care. Now, though, she's kind of like a drunken sailor without a drink and a ring.
"Mom, are you okay?" Quint asked with some worry.
"Yes, baby, don't worry. Mom will save you no matter what!" She said that and gave him a hug.
The man stopped talking and laughed.
"Hahahahahah, holy cow! Do you know how sad your imitation looks from the side?"
The woman started to shake. Quint had nothing on his mind.
He asked him, "What do you mean by imitation, sir?"
"Well, I tell you what, kid. I meant that this woman is awful for pretending to be your mother. That's what I meant when I said "imitation."
Susanne told him right away, "But we're not making it up, you idiot!"
"I know you tricked the kid, but luckily I'm old enough to wonder why an Amazoness would have given birth to a human boy. Hahahahah!" and carried on his way toward them.
When he came very close, he whispered in Susanne's ear, "If I see you next to this boy again, you are as good as dead. Roger that?!"
Then she realized that there was a knife on her neck and screamed. The man put a gag in her mouth and told her to stop.
"Shut up! And get out of here!"
Right away, Quint's "mother" ran away.
"Hey, boy!" said the man to Quint.
"Go back to your room and wait there for your dad. You don't have to say anything about what just happened. BUT!!! Tell him, that Jolly Roger paid him back. Got it?"
Quint just nodded.
"Good. "Now, hurry!"
He has run as fast as he can and reached the tavern. When his father came home in the evening, Quint just said, "Jolly Roger paid you back." For the first time ever, his father didn't know what to do. But he didn't give any response, and he took him to dinner.
The next day, Gnaeus asked Quint to go to the fish market with him. Quint agreed with no hesitation since he was afraid to play outside alone and didn't want to stay indoors all day. But when they got there, there was a "Jolly Roger" with the smile of the devil on it...