MarkWarrior
Well-known member
Chapter 1
“Come on Graham, we’ll be late to the Elder’s campfire stories!” Sigrid called out to her best friend.
“I’ve got to finish these arrows up first,” The apprentice Fletcher replied. “You know that we have to finish our responsibilities first.”
“Alright,” the girl sighed. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Can you grab the bag of feathers in the next room over and bring them to me?” the boy asked. “I’ve still got a dozen of these to finish for the hunters.”
“Alright,” Sigrid said, her red hair flowing behind her as she went inside the storeroom of the Fletcher’s house. “This bag?” She asked as she brought out a bag that had many white feathers in it.
“That’s the one,” Graham said with a nod as he stood up from where he was melting beeswax and getting the finishing touches on six arrows. “Thanks, Sigrid.”
“You’re not going to make it to the Elder’s house in time for the story today, are you?” Sigrid asked.
“Sorry, Sigrid, but I’ve got responsibilities that I’ve got to see to first,” Graham replied as he stopped talking to stick his tongue out while he worked on precisely fletching an arrow, sealing the feathers in with a mixture of beeswax and silk. “I’ll join you if I can, but I don’t want to make you a promise if I can’t keep it.”
“That’s alright,” the young girl said cheerfully. “I’ll just stay and help you. Who cares if we miss a story or two?”
“Alright then,” Graham replied as he began to show her how to heat the bellows for the small forge that was kept in the Fletcher’s workshop. “You’ve got to be strong to do this,” he told Sigrid. “It’s not exactly like the training that you’re doing to be a Valkyrie, it’s a different kind of strength.”
“I can see that,” Sigrid said with a roll of her eyes as she pumped the bellows just enough to keep the beeswax and other mixtures used in the correct state without burning or scorching them.
“Graham, Sigrid,” Charles, the Fletcher that Graham was apprenticed to greeted the two inseparable children as he entered his workshop. “Let’s see what kind of progress you’ve made today.”
“Graham, these look good,” Charles said as he picked up each of the arrows out of the pile that Graham had already finished. “You should be mindful about this slight bend though,” he pointed out where one of the feathers wasn’t quite set into the seal straight and where it had curved. “This will fly decently straight for one of our hunters, but for any sort of long-range practice this could spell disaster.”
“Can you show me how to do it better?” Graham asked as he continued working under both the eyes of Charles and Sigrid.
“Maybe later,” Charles chuckled. “You’ve been hard at work all day, why don’t you and Sigrid get over to the Elder’s house before you miss his story, eh?” Charles patted the young boy on the back. “If I remember correctly, tonight’s story is about the War in the Heavens, and you don’t want to miss that.”
“Come on!” Sigrid pulled at Graham. “I don’t want to miss the story!”
“I’ve got to put my tools away first,” Graham said as he took off the apron and gloves along with the small set of apprentice tools and began putting them away. “My family needs this apprenticeship, so I need to do things right.”
“I know,” Sigrid said as she helped Graham take the heavy gloves off.
“Thanks for the help,” Graham pulled Sigrid in for a hug before giving her a gentle shove. “Race you to the Elder’s house!”
“Oh no, you don’t!” Sigrid said as she burst into a sprint, quickly catching up to Graham and maintaining an even pace with him.
Reaching the Elder’s house, they burst in through the door just as the Elder had begun his story.
“You almost missed it,” Graham’s little sister whispered to him as he and Sigrid sat down next to her.
“Sorry sis, I had work to finish,” Graham whispered to Brenda as he pulled her into his lap so she could see the Elder’s shadows better.
“Shh,” Sigrid hushed the siblings. “He’s starting.”
“Long ago, the world was a vastly different place,” the Elder began his story by drawing the door closed for effect, casting shadows over his house and causing the children to immediately stop whatever conversations they were having so they could listen to the Elder.
“Cities and towns, villages, all of it was in the sky, for that was the domain of us all, the magic that drove the world was inset into our cities, and we lived peacefully in the heavens with no need for war or strife.” The Elder paused for a second to breathe as he looked around at the children. “The gods were pleased with us then, and we had plenty of everything to eat and were all satisfied. But then, a man named Alexander who ruled one of the cities began to dream of ruling all of the Heavens. And so he prepared his weapons of war, made ready his armies, and began to take over the Heavens, city by city he moved, establishing his rule and authority on them, until one day the other cities were finally ready to strike back and to take what he had stolen. And they did so. Retaking much of the cities in the Heavens that Alexander had taken. And this continued for generations. Until one day, Alexander set forth a challenge to his opponents. They would meet on the field of battle, and whichever one of them was the victor would be the Ruler of the Heavens. But on the day that the two armies clashed, the gods were angered and the cities fell from the sky. The magic of the world ceased to provide except for in a few locations, and the cities lay scattered and in ruins, waiting for an intelligent and noble adventurer to find what secrets lie within.” The Elder ended the story and began lighting candles for light.
“Do you think that the story is real?” Brenda asked as Graham stood his sister up in front of him so that he could get to his feet.
“I don’t rightly know,” Graham responded after a moment of thought. “But I suppose that if it is true then one day we could see about trying to locate some of those ruins.”
“Aye,” Sigrid said as she helped Graham to his feet. “Maybe one day we’ll be able to go see the ruins. But for now, we’ve got to get back to our homes. We’ve a long day tomorrow after all.”
“We’ll walk you home,” Graham said as he hoisted Brenda up and onto his shoulders to her squeals of delight. “Onward my steed!” Brenda pointed towards Sigrid’s house.
Graham just laughed and began walking beside Sigrid toward her house. Playing with his sister and best friend the entire time.
“Night Sigrid,” Graham said as Sigrid walked into her home. “I’ll see you on the morrow.”
“Aye,” Sigrid said. “Night Graham, Brenda.”
“Thanks, Graham,” Ødger, Sigrid’s father nodded at me.
“Aye,” Graham replied.
“Let’s go home,” Brenda yawned from her place atop Graham’s shoulders. “I’m tired.”
“As am I,” Graham said as he yawned in tune. “Let’s get you home and into bed,” he said as they walked into their home. “Mother, we’re home!” he called out as they entered the front door.
“You’re just in time,” Cathrène, their mother said as she set the table with a couple of bowls of soup. “I managed to bargain one of the hunters down enough for us to afford a couple of hares.”
“Mother, are we sure that we can afford this?” Graham asked as he helped get Brenda to a place where she could properly eat at the small table.
“Yes dear,” Cathrène replied. “The fees you’ve been earning from your apprenticeship have made our meager funds stretch much further than normal and so I was able to afford some meat.”
“Alright then,” Graham said as he dug into the stew that his mother had made. “I’ll take care of the chickens and the garden come morning, and I’ll have Brenda work on the stitching so that you can get some rest.”
“I’m fine,” Cathrène said with a soft smile. “I feel better now that I’ve gotten some rest.”
“Mother,” Graham said bluntly as he met her eyes. “You have just recovered from that sickness, and should not be out of bed. Now, please try and go get some more rest, I’ll take care of the rest of dinner and the cleanup.”
“I am capable,” his mother said as she nearly fumbled with her own bowl of stew.
“Mother,” Graham pleaded, his eyes making his case clear. “You need to continue to rest. Once you have recovered your full strength then you’ll be able to help again, but until then allow Brenda and I to take over your duties.”
“Fine,” Cathrène gave in finally as she began to eat some of her own stew. “But I will at least help with the stitching, Brenda will not work on it alone, she still needs to be taught many things about how to properly stitch some of the clothing that gets commissioned by the merchants from out of town.”
“If I need to I can remain home,” Graham told his mother. “Master Charles knows that you are not well, and will grant me some leave to tend to you until you are well enough.”
“Nay,” Cathrène shook her head. “That will not be necessary. I shall rest until my body has recovered from this ailment.”
The family ate in silence after Cathrène had stated that. The warm stew filled their bellies as it settled. Once they had finished eating, Graham stood up and collected the wooden bowls and spoons to wash them while Brenda and Cathrène began to change their clothes for bed.
Walking outside the small house on the outskirts of their village, Graham took the dishes over to the barrel of water that had been collecting rainwater over the past few weeks. Removing the lid of the wooden barrel, he took a sip of the fresh clean water before dipping a pitcher into it to collect some and began clearing the dishes of the remnants of the stew. Once the bowls were clean, he spread some sand over them and scrubbed the sand off with a rough piece of cloth, thus removing any of the water or sand that might have been left over. Then, taking the dishes inside, he kindled the fire again, keeping it low so that the embers would keep the rest of the stew warm for a breakfast in the morning.
Graham, now that his chores had been completed, checked on his mother and sister to find them both asleep in the room that used to solely belong to both of his parents, and looking at the sword and shield that hung over the fireplace turned and walked out of the door to look at the stars.
“The War of the Heavens huh?” He said as his mind churned over the story that the Elder had told him and the rest of the children in the village. “I wonder what that was like,” Graham mused to himself as he lay down in some of the grass that was outside of their fenced-in garden while he continued to look at the stars.
Graham did this for a little while before making his way into the house, closing and barring the door before moving to the table, and unrolling a blanket, he prepared to sleep in front of the stove, wanting to make sure that breakfast would be ready for both his mother and his sister come morning.
“Come on Graham, we’ll be late to the Elder’s campfire stories!” Sigrid called out to her best friend.
“I’ve got to finish these arrows up first,” The apprentice Fletcher replied. “You know that we have to finish our responsibilities first.”
“Alright,” the girl sighed. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Can you grab the bag of feathers in the next room over and bring them to me?” the boy asked. “I’ve still got a dozen of these to finish for the hunters.”
“Alright,” Sigrid said, her red hair flowing behind her as she went inside the storeroom of the Fletcher’s house. “This bag?” She asked as she brought out a bag that had many white feathers in it.
“That’s the one,” Graham said with a nod as he stood up from where he was melting beeswax and getting the finishing touches on six arrows. “Thanks, Sigrid.”
“You’re not going to make it to the Elder’s house in time for the story today, are you?” Sigrid asked.
“Sorry, Sigrid, but I’ve got responsibilities that I’ve got to see to first,” Graham replied as he stopped talking to stick his tongue out while he worked on precisely fletching an arrow, sealing the feathers in with a mixture of beeswax and silk. “I’ll join you if I can, but I don’t want to make you a promise if I can’t keep it.”
“That’s alright,” the young girl said cheerfully. “I’ll just stay and help you. Who cares if we miss a story or two?”
“Alright then,” Graham replied as he began to show her how to heat the bellows for the small forge that was kept in the Fletcher’s workshop. “You’ve got to be strong to do this,” he told Sigrid. “It’s not exactly like the training that you’re doing to be a Valkyrie, it’s a different kind of strength.”
“I can see that,” Sigrid said with a roll of her eyes as she pumped the bellows just enough to keep the beeswax and other mixtures used in the correct state without burning or scorching them.
“Graham, Sigrid,” Charles, the Fletcher that Graham was apprenticed to greeted the two inseparable children as he entered his workshop. “Let’s see what kind of progress you’ve made today.”
“Graham, these look good,” Charles said as he picked up each of the arrows out of the pile that Graham had already finished. “You should be mindful about this slight bend though,” he pointed out where one of the feathers wasn’t quite set into the seal straight and where it had curved. “This will fly decently straight for one of our hunters, but for any sort of long-range practice this could spell disaster.”
“Can you show me how to do it better?” Graham asked as he continued working under both the eyes of Charles and Sigrid.
“Maybe later,” Charles chuckled. “You’ve been hard at work all day, why don’t you and Sigrid get over to the Elder’s house before you miss his story, eh?” Charles patted the young boy on the back. “If I remember correctly, tonight’s story is about the War in the Heavens, and you don’t want to miss that.”
“Come on!” Sigrid pulled at Graham. “I don’t want to miss the story!”
“I’ve got to put my tools away first,” Graham said as he took off the apron and gloves along with the small set of apprentice tools and began putting them away. “My family needs this apprenticeship, so I need to do things right.”
“I know,” Sigrid said as she helped Graham take the heavy gloves off.
“Thanks for the help,” Graham pulled Sigrid in for a hug before giving her a gentle shove. “Race you to the Elder’s house!”
“Oh no, you don’t!” Sigrid said as she burst into a sprint, quickly catching up to Graham and maintaining an even pace with him.
Reaching the Elder’s house, they burst in through the door just as the Elder had begun his story.
“You almost missed it,” Graham’s little sister whispered to him as he and Sigrid sat down next to her.
“Sorry sis, I had work to finish,” Graham whispered to Brenda as he pulled her into his lap so she could see the Elder’s shadows better.
“Shh,” Sigrid hushed the siblings. “He’s starting.”
“Long ago, the world was a vastly different place,” the Elder began his story by drawing the door closed for effect, casting shadows over his house and causing the children to immediately stop whatever conversations they were having so they could listen to the Elder.
“Cities and towns, villages, all of it was in the sky, for that was the domain of us all, the magic that drove the world was inset into our cities, and we lived peacefully in the heavens with no need for war or strife.” The Elder paused for a second to breathe as he looked around at the children. “The gods were pleased with us then, and we had plenty of everything to eat and were all satisfied. But then, a man named Alexander who ruled one of the cities began to dream of ruling all of the Heavens. And so he prepared his weapons of war, made ready his armies, and began to take over the Heavens, city by city he moved, establishing his rule and authority on them, until one day the other cities were finally ready to strike back and to take what he had stolen. And they did so. Retaking much of the cities in the Heavens that Alexander had taken. And this continued for generations. Until one day, Alexander set forth a challenge to his opponents. They would meet on the field of battle, and whichever one of them was the victor would be the Ruler of the Heavens. But on the day that the two armies clashed, the gods were angered and the cities fell from the sky. The magic of the world ceased to provide except for in a few locations, and the cities lay scattered and in ruins, waiting for an intelligent and noble adventurer to find what secrets lie within.” The Elder ended the story and began lighting candles for light.
“Do you think that the story is real?” Brenda asked as Graham stood his sister up in front of him so that he could get to his feet.
“I don’t rightly know,” Graham responded after a moment of thought. “But I suppose that if it is true then one day we could see about trying to locate some of those ruins.”
“Aye,” Sigrid said as she helped Graham to his feet. “Maybe one day we’ll be able to go see the ruins. But for now, we’ve got to get back to our homes. We’ve a long day tomorrow after all.”
“We’ll walk you home,” Graham said as he hoisted Brenda up and onto his shoulders to her squeals of delight. “Onward my steed!” Brenda pointed towards Sigrid’s house.
Graham just laughed and began walking beside Sigrid toward her house. Playing with his sister and best friend the entire time.
“Night Sigrid,” Graham said as Sigrid walked into her home. “I’ll see you on the morrow.”
“Aye,” Sigrid said. “Night Graham, Brenda.”
“Thanks, Graham,” Ødger, Sigrid’s father nodded at me.
“Aye,” Graham replied.
“Let’s go home,” Brenda yawned from her place atop Graham’s shoulders. “I’m tired.”
“As am I,” Graham said as he yawned in tune. “Let’s get you home and into bed,” he said as they walked into their home. “Mother, we’re home!” he called out as they entered the front door.
“You’re just in time,” Cathrène, their mother said as she set the table with a couple of bowls of soup. “I managed to bargain one of the hunters down enough for us to afford a couple of hares.”
“Mother, are we sure that we can afford this?” Graham asked as he helped get Brenda to a place where she could properly eat at the small table.
“Yes dear,” Cathrène replied. “The fees you’ve been earning from your apprenticeship have made our meager funds stretch much further than normal and so I was able to afford some meat.”
“Alright then,” Graham said as he dug into the stew that his mother had made. “I’ll take care of the chickens and the garden come morning, and I’ll have Brenda work on the stitching so that you can get some rest.”
“I’m fine,” Cathrène said with a soft smile. “I feel better now that I’ve gotten some rest.”
“Mother,” Graham said bluntly as he met her eyes. “You have just recovered from that sickness, and should not be out of bed. Now, please try and go get some more rest, I’ll take care of the rest of dinner and the cleanup.”
“I am capable,” his mother said as she nearly fumbled with her own bowl of stew.
“Mother,” Graham pleaded, his eyes making his case clear. “You need to continue to rest. Once you have recovered your full strength then you’ll be able to help again, but until then allow Brenda and I to take over your duties.”
“Fine,” Cathrène gave in finally as she began to eat some of her own stew. “But I will at least help with the stitching, Brenda will not work on it alone, she still needs to be taught many things about how to properly stitch some of the clothing that gets commissioned by the merchants from out of town.”
“If I need to I can remain home,” Graham told his mother. “Master Charles knows that you are not well, and will grant me some leave to tend to you until you are well enough.”
“Nay,” Cathrène shook her head. “That will not be necessary. I shall rest until my body has recovered from this ailment.”
The family ate in silence after Cathrène had stated that. The warm stew filled their bellies as it settled. Once they had finished eating, Graham stood up and collected the wooden bowls and spoons to wash them while Brenda and Cathrène began to change their clothes for bed.
Walking outside the small house on the outskirts of their village, Graham took the dishes over to the barrel of water that had been collecting rainwater over the past few weeks. Removing the lid of the wooden barrel, he took a sip of the fresh clean water before dipping a pitcher into it to collect some and began clearing the dishes of the remnants of the stew. Once the bowls were clean, he spread some sand over them and scrubbed the sand off with a rough piece of cloth, thus removing any of the water or sand that might have been left over. Then, taking the dishes inside, he kindled the fire again, keeping it low so that the embers would keep the rest of the stew warm for a breakfast in the morning.
Graham, now that his chores had been completed, checked on his mother and sister to find them both asleep in the room that used to solely belong to both of his parents, and looking at the sword and shield that hung over the fireplace turned and walked out of the door to look at the stars.
“The War of the Heavens huh?” He said as his mind churned over the story that the Elder had told him and the rest of the children in the village. “I wonder what that was like,” Graham mused to himself as he lay down in some of the grass that was outside of their fenced-in garden while he continued to look at the stars.
Graham did this for a little while before making his way into the house, closing and barring the door before moving to the table, and unrolling a blanket, he prepared to sleep in front of the stove, wanting to make sure that breakfast would be ready for both his mother and his sister come morning.
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