A boy in an open field. Four knights surrounding him.
“Give it to us,” they shouted, trying to grab something from him.
The nine knights had now become sixteen knights.
“Give it to us,” they continued shouting. “Give it to us, you traitor!”
“There is no it,” the boy responded in confusion. “The it you’re looking for is no longer.”
It was raining fire.
“Wake up!” a deep voice shouted. “Wake up, you idiot!”
The idiot didn’t wake up, so the voice shouted even louder.
Finally, Evan awoke and looked around in confusion. His trainer was leaning above him looking angry as usual. A crowd of trainees had gathered around Evan, all grinning and laughing. I must have fallen asleep again, he thought and yawned.
“Get up and continue your training, you fool! This is the third time in only a few days!”
“You know this is a waste of my time, Dirk” Evan sighed, hoping to provoke his trainer, “You know I should be an archer or something... I’m not fit for a swordsman.”
More than anything he hates that he can’t control his destiny. His father was a swordsman and so was his father’s father. Evan wanted to become a spy. Often he dreamed of the freedom he would have and the places he could travel to. The people of Northbury are afraid of spies for their ability to suddenly disappear into the surrounding, so he didn’t dare admit that he wanted to be one. It didn’t even matter, he had no chance of ever becoming one.
Dirk is a tall muscular man who enjoys being in charge. He feasted with the queen once, which in his mind makes him better than everyone else. Evan can’t stand taking orders from him, but he has no choice.
He hit Evan hard on the shoulder while his trainees continued laughing. Those cowards are just scared of him, Evan thought angrily.
“Get up and continue with your training! You’re never becoming an archer. Not on my watch!”
Annoyed with the attention he’s getting, Evan quickly stood up and started walking away. He quickly realized his mistake. Dirk was close behind and grabbed him by the neck.
“Hey, where are you going, boy? We’re not done here.”
He pushed him towards another trainee, Rodrick, the best swordsman in the group. He didn’t need any more training but only stayed around because he enjoys beating up beginners. He was three years older than the rest.
Evan slowly walked towards him. He’s not afraid of Dirk, he might appear strong but he’s surprisingly weak. Rodrick, on the other hand, terrified him. One wrong move and he was done for. Fortunately, he’s very fast and not so big which makes him a harder opponent compared to Carl. Evan discretely glared at him. Don’t wanna end up like Carl, he thought while looking at his bruises.
“Move it, boy!” Dirk shouted impatiently. He threw Rodrick and Evan each a sword.
Evan stared at the sword lying on the ground. It wasn’t a regular wooden sword. It was an actual metal sword. He took a step forward, picked up the sword and faced his opponent. There is no way this will end good, he thought shaking with fear.
“Now then… Fight, you coward!” Dirk shouted and laughed hysterically.
Picture from pixabay.com