Chapter 3: Fateful meeting? Pt 1

Sub name: Just normal folks' family

///

[Before the man met a child]

A family of four were living in a small hut, and they had a single room for all of them to sleep in and a room for cooking and eating. The hut looked old, with wood already turning into dark colour from the number of struggles it had to survive.

The family of four never represented anything special. They were normal peasants that lived their short lives, enjoying momentary happiness and struggling through long periods of hardship.

Living in the isolated area in the kingdom of Kaedwen in the village that bears the name Chillsilk. The village was located in an area lacking things that could be done there. Most of those that lived there were living off things they were able to sell to travelling merchants.

Their main money channel was silk that they could produce and rare herbs that could sell for some coin for alchemy. This family of four lived off the herbs they gathered from nearby forests. It didn't allow them to make a lot of money, but they were able at least to survive.

This village had a different culture to the rest of the Kaedwen and didn't pray to the god like the rest. They were believers in magical forces, despite not possessing one. However, it was rumoured that the mother of this family was a witch and could send curses or give blessings.

In the village, they were respected family, but it was nothing compared to the rest of the world. Their entire population was only 300 people, making it quite a small settlement.

A family of four lived a simple life without luxury, but they had each other and were able to share warm emotions with each other, making them a happy family. They never desired to live differently since nothing beyond this village existed for them.

A man that looked in his thirties and had a small beard and brown eyes said, "Lera, we returned", said the man walking inside of the small hut with a cloth bag over his shoulder that was filled with various herbs.

"It is good to see you back Stend, were you able to find something worthy?" asked Lera, a woman in her thirties. She had blonde hair that was hidden behind her shawl. She continued searching for something with her eyes. "Did August help you? And where is he?"

Stend took off his hood, hanging it on the chair, and replied with a slight sigh "He is too young, darling. I already told you he needs to grow before we can teach him something. Right now, I think he went to play with his sister."

Lera walked from the kitchen toward her husband and lightly kissed him, "He needs to learn from a young age. If he doesn't try, he won't grow into a worthy man in the future"

"But is it really that important, darling?" questioned Stend, his wife, "He is just four and right now, all that is going on in his mind is running around and dreaming of being a knight."

"Dreams won't earn him money in the future" replied Lera with a slight snort. "He only has ten more years before he will have to find himself a wife and care for his own family."

Stend scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Alright, I will try to teach him next time."

"That is what I wanted to hear from you, darling!" replied Lera with a nod to herself.

Meanwhile, wife and husband were having a small talk, two kids outside were running around without much going in their minds. "Elese! Just you wait, and I will catch you!" shouted a boy with short curly hair and brown eyes like his father. He had a happy face and was full of energy like any 4 years old kids are.

A girl that looked like she is reachung teenagehood replied with a small chuckle and snort, " You bet! You are twenty years too early to catch me!". Like her mother, her hair were colour of the sun, and her eyes the colour of the sky.

Two kids were running around, playing tag with each other. They had a lot of fun doing so, but it didn't last for long when the boy got bored and complained, "I'm a tired, El. Let's do something else."

"August, I think I already need to leave to meet with my friends", replied Elese with a pang of slight guilt in her voice, for turning down time with her brother. She grew up as a firstborn in the family and wasn't treated like August was.

She was a girl, and the main skills a girl should have are knowledge of how to satisfy her husband and household skills such as cooking and cleaning, while a man should have many skills by 14 years old. Such as ability and skills that will earn money.

In the case of this small boy, he had to learn how to navigate inside the forest, how to avoid encountering a wild beast that could end his life, way to behave in front of someone of higher status and a lot of knowledge about how to gather and care for plants that later could be sold for some money.

But like any boy that was only 4 years old, he liked to dream. Dream of being a knight who will kill dragons to save the princess, earn riches, and live like a Lord.

Wearing shining armour and a sharp sword that will cut through anything, having a beautiful white horse walking beside. However, for most, it was just a dream, something that is almost impossible to reach.

In a world such as this, it is very rare for one of the peasants to turn into a knight. Only those bearing an ineradicable talent could walk the ladder towards riches, whether most of those dreamers will slowly forget about those silly thoughts that went through their minds.

The boy pouted slightly and, with his cheeks inflated hit the ground with his foot, expressing his frustration. "Come on El! I just came back, can't we play a little bit more?"

But at the same time, all Elese had on her mind was her friends and a boy that she liked that was supposed to show up today when they will meet each other. So it was normal for someone young and naive like her to dump her brother and follow her own dreams.

She came closer to her brother, that instead of looking up into her eyes looked down to express his anger and muttered while keeping his mouth shut "What do you need?"

She ruffled his hair and released a small laugh. "Don't be angry, August. We will be able to play tomorrow or after tomorrow. There is nothing to worry about."

Lifting his sight towards hers, he clarified "Promise?"

She smiled cutely and said with an assured nod, "That it is!"

The boy turned around and ran back to the house while also turning his head around and pointing his finger towards his sister, shouting, "Don't forget, it was a promise"

He ran inside the house while his sister turned around to walk toward her friends.

August ran inside the hut and met the eyes of a tired father sitting on the chair and looking outside the window while his mother was behind the stove cooking some soup.

Lera turned around and looked at her son, asking "Where is your sister?"

"Ah, like always, she left to play with her friends" replied August, showing a slight frustration by blowing air from his mouth towards his hair.

Lera quickly walked outside of the hut shouting "Elese, come back before the sunset!"

Elese, that didn't have a chance to walk far, waved her hand and shouted back, "Alright," before saying to herself with a wince "Ahhhh, I can't even stay longer to be left alone; with Erik."

…

When the sun was reaching a horizon slowly dimming the world giving it path to the moon Elese was still with her friends having no intention of returning back home.

At home mother of the girl Lera was getting angry at her daughter for not listening to her instructions, this promised quite a punishment with a horsewhip.

Stend was already in his bed, going for early sleep to recover for the next day. The time was closing towards the start of the winter and they had to prepare a lot of herbs for sale before the snow will cover the ground.

Lera was doing household chores and the only option for bringing her daughter back home was her son that was running around having nothing to do.

"August, go and get your sister back home," said Lera looking at August who looked up to his mother.

Without any complaints boy showed some excitement about going out in the dark. Since he was still quite young, his parents didn't allow him to go outside after the sunset, and it was a rare occurrence that he could do that, making him quite hyped.

"Alright", replied August energetically quickly throwing some cloth around himself and walking outside of the hut.

It didn't take him long before he reached the place where he found his sister sitting in the silence, crying to herself. She had red puffed eyes and eyes flooded with tears.

August slowly approached his sister and asked "El, what happened? Mother told me to bring you home"

Elese looked up to her brother for a fraction of a second before going back to drowning in her tears, ignoring her brother.

August took a seat close to her and asked, pushing her slightly "Elene! Why are you crying? Did someone hurt you? Tell me who and I will fight those bad guys!" he said in a proud and inspiring voice, inspiring for 4 years old.

Before long he heard a small giggle coming from his sister that had a chance of seeing her brother speaking in this manner, she wiped her tears and said, "It's nothing, let's go back home"

She started to walk toward home when she saw that August froze like a snowman and looked at one spot in the distance, without blinking or breathing.

"August! Let's go back home!" repeated his sister in high tones, but even that didn't have any effect on the boy, who was startled.

Instead of going back home or answering his sister, he pointed his small finger in the direction of the village entrance and said with his voice stuttering, "T-t-he-re!"