《The chronicles of the Tenien Empire: Farmborn》 Chapter 1: Truck-kun strikes again Five people were waiting for the streetlight to turn green in order to cross to the other side. A teenager was looking at his smartphone, wholly engrossed with reading a story. The smell of the warm pizza held by the couple standing next to him broke his attention as he started craving taking one slice for himself. He chuckled to himself as he noticed that the child in front of him was innocently staring at the pizza box, with the desire to devour it all, evident in his eyes. The child was holding an elderly man¡¯s hand, the man looked frail and could barely stand on his own two feet - he had a loving look in his eyes as he looked at the child. As if noticing what the child wanted and knowing he can¡¯t give it to him at the moment, he tried to distract him. ¡°Ryley, Do you want me to tell you the story of how I met your grandmother?¡± ¡°Can you tell me the story of when you were a soldier in the second world war?¡± Sadness appeared on the grandfather¡¯s face as he answered: ¡°that is not a pleasant story.¡± He has lived a long life, he lost a lot of loved ones, he couldn¡¯t spare the child from losing his mother, as she slowly died from an illness, but he wanted to spare Ryley from more sadness, he wanted to leave behind happy stories before the grim reaper came to claim him from old age. The light turned green, the couple was the first to move, the teenager followed right after, and the child impatiently let go of his grandfather¡¯s hand and ran across the street. Everyone noticed and kept an eye on the child to make sure he doesn¡¯t get himself in danger until his grandfather slowly crossed the street as well. This was the moment that a truck swerved from the sides of the road, and fell from the bridge right on top of the elderly man. Killing him in the process. *** The sound of a child crying is heard in a small damp room in the remote village of Karya, the midwife has a proud smile, having been able to deliver her very first child.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°A healthy baby boy, now our small village grew a bit more! Someone call Ward over, let him meet his brother.¡± Upon being called, a 6-year-old boy with brown eyes and soft brown hair walked into the room. He was wearing tattered muddy pants, with a shirt that matched, something that was passed down to him by a slightly older neighbor. It conflicted with his overall look, as he looked to have clean hair and hands. Ward held his brother gently. He had a smile spread on his face and a soft look in his eyes ¡°Can we call him Ryley?¡± Traditionally, the name of the child is given to them when they are six months old after the village chief ascertained the baby¡¯s characteristics. Ward had many meanings to it, bringer, flower, and a lion because he was as delicate as a flower, but as fierce as a lion when he needed to be. ¡°I don¡¯t know what Ryley means, but we can not¡± A clear voice that just walked into the room answered. The voice belongs to the village chief, which is about forty-five years of age and is the oldest person in the village. ¡°How can we name one of our own, a name used by the foreigners? A name not from our ethnicity? We must protect our traditions especially because so few of us are left.¡± The mother had a conflicted look on her faces, but she also agreed with the chief. Ward, turned a sad smile but didn¡¯t argue anymore, instead, he got out a small toy he had prepared. He had carved what looked like a small cage by himself. When everyone in the room looked at him in wonder, he answered the questions they didn¡¯t ask yet. ¡°It is a rattle toy. My baby brother can shake it to amuse himself. I¡¯ve been working on it ever since I noticed mother was due.¡± The baby being handed the rattle started laughing, which brought back a smile in a room that was feeling awkward. As soon as Ward was old enough to walk and talk, everyone thought that he was odd, with weird, unconventional thinking. They also believed it was very troublesome as he tried to get them to do things that made no clear sense to them, which would be too hard for him to do on his own because of his age. *** Everyone left the room to let the mother rest, and Ward went outside and sat under the shade of a tree. A 5-year-old girl came running toward him, until she got closer and started walking cautiously, noticing Ward had a sour mood. Her eyes were sparkling like the moon, and cheeks as red as the flowers she was hiding behind her back. She quickly brought out the flowers to show them to Ward and congratulated him on becoming an older brother. Ward took the flower and put a smile on his face, but the child in front of him was unconvinced ¡°Did you want something else?¡± ¡°I was just thinking how I am craving some Pizza right about now¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°I promise to feed it to you one day. Right when I can go to a place where we can find any sort of materials more than what we have here¡± He returned a smile that was genuine this time, and even though she didn¡¯t understand what he was talking about Annie was happy. Chapter 2: Protect your happiness ¡°Well, should we go back to class now? The chief said the break is over.¡± Two children walked back from the biggest tree in the village to the house of the village chief. The house looked shabby from the outside, as if it was rundown and to be avoided ¡ª a house fitting of a beggar, not respectable villagers. ¡°You know Annie, I find it pretty funny that I learned how to speak and write in 3 languages, but even though they are from another world and there is no one to converse with these languages, I don¡¯t consider them dead. Yet, it pains me to feel like the language we learn now is dead. No one still speaks it, the only reason we learn it is to read the Old books, but wouldn¡¯t it be easier just to translate them?¡± With wisdom beyond her years, Anika repeated the words she kept hearing from the elder ¡°It is important to learn these things to preserve our culture, our traditions - it is important to memorize the books in case..¡± Suddenly another voice joined in, and in a complete synch two voices as one continued with a sarcastic smile ¡°... we need to rewrite them; we must guard the knowledge against those who don¡¯t yet understand it¡¯s importance.¡± The voice that echoed belonged to an 8-year-old boy, with a cheeky smile, and thin soft hair. Two more kids that seemed to be the same age came from behind him and slapped his back ¡°Let¡¯s go in Wayl¡± Once they noticed that Ward was there, they congratulated him on his new brother as they walked into the classroom. Contrary to how the house looked on the outside the main room was sturdy and clean, some stairs went to underground chambers and banners were hanging in front of every door. On the Classroom door, the words read ¡°In Nasha''s Knowlege we trust.¡± Each of the kids jumped with their hand raised as they walked into the room, attempting to touch the banner but failing to do so. They didn¡¯t give it more effort and continued to their seats, which were specially made to fit their size. Before the chief returned to continue the lesson that was abruptly stopped to greet a new baby into the world. The students started chatting with one another. Wayl who sat in the middle between Ward and Anika started asking. ¡°I heard you gave your baby brother a toy, now that you finished it, does it mean you will be continuing to work on the game you explained to us before?¡± ¡°Yes, it is almost done. We can play so many different games with a card deck; I promise they are fun.¡± ¡°Looking forward to it - maybe this time it will be a game I will be able to defeat Annie in.¡± Anika chuckled at what she heard, but did not participate in the conversation and instead picked up her pen, dipped it in ink and started practicing the letters in front of her. It wasn¡¯t long for the Cheif to turn back his attention to his five students. ¡°Let¡¯s continue where we left off and learn a new letter today. If you all continue to be this good, we can start reading Aklmat text, and learning the words our ancestors used to speak very soon.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Before the chief could continue, Ward¡¯s bright voice asked ¡°Chief, I have a question that I thought about earlier. Why do we learn two languages? Why learn a language that is only written but not spoken? Why not translate the Aklmat books into Kieran for convenience?¡± The Cheif¡¯s tone as he answered was a delightful one as if he waited for the question ¡°It has been over five generations since we sought the protection of the Northern Kingdom, per our agreement with them - we taught them how to make glass and calculate with advanced math. We then assimilated into the kingdom not as refugees but as citizens, to make sure they continue seeing us as such, we abandoned our language in favor of their language, a language that is spoken by the majority of the kingdoms around us, who knows what the problem with this is?¡± Kyel, a child sitting next to Anika, with brown eyes and so much fat that he looked like a barrel, immediately answered without waiting for a heartbeat ¡°Aklmat books are still being found, and if we can¡¯t read it who will?¡± The chief shook his head with a complicated look on his face and said ¡°We must preserve our traditions, our language. Even after all this time have passed, even after abandoning our origins, the citizens of this kingdom still don''t see us as one of them. This is something you will understand when you grow, but we are still at risk of genocide, if not by dying then by the complete ideological and theological wipe.¡± The room was completely silent as if the children suddenly found out a secret that shakes their core, they understood what their parents were doing, but never realized why, but now they had a glimpse of that. They were not allowed to leave the village; all the adults were too vigilant and too cautious. They avoid implementing many things that they know off but are not used anywhere else in the kingdom in order to keep prying eyes of foreigners from coming to their remote village. And most importantly, they are ready to abandon the village at any time, to scatter to another point. ¡®It is wisdom to learn from history, but is it wise to not settle out of fear of history repeating itself?¡¯ The thoughts kept remaining in Ward¡¯s head. ¡®Dad should be aware of mom¡¯s due date and should be back any day now. I wonder if on his next trip outside, I can join him and see the foreigners myself - I don¡¯t want to live in fear for the rest of my life; I don¡¯t want my family, my tribe to have to go through that.¡¯ ¡°Okay, let us end the class here for today. If there is any work you haven¡¯t finished yet which was assigned to your family, go finish it - ¡°may the knowledge of Nasha guide you¡± ¡°May the knowledge of Nasha guide you¡± everyone responded with one voice, as they always do before leaving the rooms. Ward wanted to head out to his farm to continue tying the wheat, the farm required a lot of efforts, but because his father¡¯s work was outside of the village for months on end and his mother just gave birth, the responsibility of taking care of the farm was given to other villagers. As a child, his job only consisted of tying up sheaves of wheat, the sheaves that were stacked by other children, and cut by adults around the time the children were studying. After tying ten bundles, and finishing up his quota for the day, he rushed to his house in excitement, looking forward to meeting his brother again. The mother was tired, with a white face that showed signs of her still feeling after birth pain. She was too tired to greet Ward, and was instead trying to sleep it off. The baby had already fed and was sound asleep in a wooden cradle which is passed around the village from house to house each time someone gives birth. The baby was tied like a bundle and kept warm. The house was in reality just two small wooden room with the beds in them, the cradle was kept in the parent¡¯s room, but Ward decided to drag it to his room so that in case the baby woke up, he could take care of him. His room had a stack of paper in it and what looked like a stack of wooden cards. Some soft to the touch and could fit in his hand, but another wooden plate, that was thin but rough. Ward looked at his brother¡¯s brown eyes and brown hair that matched his and gave a happy smile. ¡°I remember, the comfort of living in a stone house, sleeping in a warm bed, with easy access to water, food and oh glorious bathroom. I would¡¯ve easily bought a toy for you now, the way I did for Ryley, instead I spent days trying to carve it myself - but I am honestly happy right now, so I wouldn¡¯t trade it - and I will protect your happiness as well, I promise.¡± Chapter 3: Taxes It has been almost two months since Ward¡¯s baby brother was born. His father returned briefly at night while he was asleep, but he rushed to leave along with the other merchants. They took the reserves of wheat seeds in store and headed out in the morning before Ward woke up. The merchants had an important mission, but before that, they were going to pay the tribute in the capital on behalf of the village, then continue on their journey. It was decided that Ward¡¯s father will be the one to return and notify the villagers that the payment is complete, and then he could stay home for the next year since he has a newborn baby. The villagers started feeling stressed. Ward¡¯s father should have been back already, which means something went incredibly wrong. When they first came to this kingdom as refugees, they lived in a town but having left behind their livelihoods, their homes and their religious temples, they were seen as a burden to the Kingdom. They also endured a hostile environment as the philosophies of the east had spread to the north. Even if the law protected them, the people were very displeased and did everything to try and drive them out. At first, they became like nomads, going from one area to the next in search of a suitable environment - in the end, they started to understand that they would not be able to live in dignity for as long as they are not self-sufficient, and as long as the north is hell-bent on killing every last one of them. Hence they decided to seclude themselves. They traded the secret of making paper which was taught to them by their country¡¯s founder in return for permission to live under the kingdom¡¯s protection. Which was decided to be a location ten days of walk away, in the middle of the forest. They could be self-sufficient; They have food, all the people they want to interact with, and they only have a couple of travelers passing by them every month on their way to the port town. These travelers usually take a short rest, ask for directions and then continue on their way. However, like every citizen in the kingdom, they still needed to pay tribute. Each town has a collection office, but villagers had to go to a designated town and pay it themselves. If they are late, an official will come with a group of soldiers in tow. Then they might demand something from every family that was akin to a worst case scenario for the close-knit community. Such as taking one child from each family and forcing them into slavery. Every year, they have a group of adults, including Ward¡¯s father, who travel to neighboring towns trading the wheat collected from the village then buying and reselling valuables from one town to the next. They would always return before the tribute term with enough money to pay on behalf of the entire village, or they would take from the reserves enough to cover the rest. This year they were in a predicament, the merchants have taken all of the seed they stored. With only the new harvest left to be used to feed the village. The villagers themselves did not trade in Drei, the kingdom¡¯s coin. In fact, the village¡¯s philosophy was ¡°out of sight, out of mind,¡± they tried their best to be as far away from the other towns, which included not traveling to them or trading with them. Only the merchants did that, and when they did, they hid their ethnicity and pretended to be traders from another area kingdom who simply returned to that area to trade once a year.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! The entire situation was a mess: the village of almost 300 people, 223 of which were adults were expected to pay the tribute, yet the finances left aside for that did not reach their destination but the tribute still needed to be paid. The journey to the nearest town was ten days walk away, they still had 15 days to go to pay their tax, if they couldn¡¯t get there on time, the soldiers will be at their door within three days, if they rode a horse. Which means they have at most 18 days left to magically manifest money, with no capabilities of doing so. One option was to take all the new harvest they made so far, enough to fit 2 carts. And head straight to the capital and plead their case. The problem is that the merchants have all the horses and the carts, and there is not enough time to remake a new decent one. When the merchants left, they did so with all the wheat seeds they could carry and all the coins they had. It was a hefty sum, but the money was of no use to the villagers, what they wanted instead was what the merchants brought back with them from their travels. But because they received no words of what happened, the chief started worrying.He sent a man to check the situation and he returned with news that the tribute was not yet paid and the merchants were not seen. As an intellectual but peaceful group - the chief knew he couldn¡¯t fight off the soldiers, and he couldn''t risk the wait until the last day to see if the merchants will appear. Villagers were asked to share anything they had in their houses that was of any value. So he started evaluating everything he could sell in order to turn a profit. He was going to sell everything that wasn''t vital that the merchants brought back with them in the past 30 or so year, some of which were valuable enough to be hidden in the underground rooms. ¡°If we work on making a makeshift cart today, and made the cows drive it - we might be able to carry some of the seed sacks. Once we arrive at the capital, we can ask some merchants to follow us to buy these things directly from here.¡± ¡°This will leave us extremely exposed to the capital. However, I don¡¯t think we have another choice Chief.¡± ¡°All right, help me with picking enough escorts to help protect the carts in the journey.¡± From behind the door, Ward was eavesdropping, and the more he heard from the Cheif and Elenor¡¯s discussion, the more mischievous the smile grew on his face. At first, he was concerned, the way a child would be worried if he heard his parents arguing about the lack of money. But, he soon realized, that the only reason the chief was concerned was that his father did not return yet. Since he had faith in his father, he was no longer troubled, interested excited for the opportunity to see the outside world the way his father does. He could remember his past life; it was bound to help him. However, because he was still very young, he didn¡¯t comprehend everything yet. It is the same as jamming to a song at a very young age, and only understanding the words when you get older. Or, reading a story and interpreting it one way when you are five years old, but then seeing another meaning to it when you reread it at 25. He couldn¡¯t wait to grow up and contribute to the village the way the great founder did, but until then he wanted to experience more than just the village. Chapter 4: What are you doing here? Sixteen days are left until the tax collection day, everyone skilled with carpentry was working on getting two carts ready by pulling an all-nighter. ¡°Mr. Bree, how much do you think each cart will hold?¡± A bulgy man with rough, dry hands that showed that he worked hard replied ¡°About ten acre''s worth of bushels, but the driver needs to be extremely careful - the roads through the forests are rough, and if we stack the bushels very high, they are bound to fall before reaching town, this is not something we have the capabilities to prevent. If can follow the route the merchants usually take, you will be able to add more to the cart.¡± ¡°The road the merchants usually take require almost double the time, they walk to the river, and then they follow it north until they reach the capital. The roads next to the river are well traveled and steady. The horses also make the journey easy. Time is against us, so we will have to go in a straight line to the capital through the forest, either way, it is still spring, we should be able to sell what we have in store and then harvest enough to feed us through the year.¡± ¡°With Nasha¡¯s wisdom, all will be well.¡± ¡°With Nasha¡¯s wisdom, all will be well¡± Ellanour responded. She then returned to the Cheif¡¯s house to report. She was 20 years old; she had a wavy dark-brown hair, rosy lips, and a skin color slightly lighter than everyone else¡¯s. She touched a hanging banner that read "Be true to your responsibility" as she walked into the room. The room had stacks of papers, and the chief was so engrossed in looking at them and doing his calculations, that he didn''t even notice Ellanour walking in. She coughed, to bring the attention to herself, and then reported ¡°The Carpenters are working hard and will probably finish the cart in the middle of the night. I believe the men will be ready to leave at daybreak.¡± ¡°You should prepare to go with them.¡± ¡°Why? It is a clear cut journey - I won¡¯t be able to protect the cart, and the men are more than capable of dealing with any issues that come up when they are in town. Even Zaki is going with them¡± ¡°Ahh, Zakki is very reliable, but you have a certain charm that might prove better when dealing with the towners.¡± ¡°I believe that charm only works on you, dad.¡± ¡°Elly, you will one day lead us, for five generations we prayed every day but the Gods did not answer, they did not think we needed help. This generation has a miracle, which means this generation is going to face trembles that we don¡¯t see yet. If something happened to the merchants¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that¡± Ellanour interrupted, but the Cheif disregarded her words and continued. ¡°If something happened to the merchants, we need someone who can understand what the kingdom¡¯s citizens are thinking. We can only seclude ourselves by knowing what is going on out there and avoiding it. Without any news and information from the merchants, we are blind and inexperienced. So you must go and must see for yourself¡± the chief¡¯s voice was clear and showed confidence, but his hands were shaking slightly, enough for Ellanour to pick up on his body language, but she did not say anything. Most of the villagers did not sleep that day. There were those who took shifts working on the cart, those who prepared food for them, those that layed the bushels in each cart once they were ready, and those that needed to fit saddles for cows.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. As estimated, at the break of dawn eight men alongside Ellanour were ready to go. They bid their farewell and headed northwest, in the direction of the capital. Not the strongest, but rather the most docile cattle were chosen for the journey, as there was not enough time to train them to drive the cart well. As the animals dragged the carts, the men walked next to them. The accompanying men were the scariest looking men in the village according to Ellanour. She wanted to avoid fights, more than she wanted to win them. However, 4 of these men have never wielded a weapon before. Only two of them were trained in defending, and 2 were hunters by trade. Everyone in the village, studies and learns everything from a very young age, and then according to their aptitude, they focus on a specific area. The ones that train to fight are usually merchants and their companions. There are some wild animals in the forest, and so the hunters also train with bow and arrow. As a village, they focused on the art of the mind, and on achieving their goals, more than they focused on their immediate comfort. After about 3 hours on the road, with no hitch in the plans, everyone was starting to feel relieved. Along the way, one thought was running through Ellanour''s head ¡®They are kind and have a heart of gold, but had I known I will be accompanying them for the next 20 days or so, I would¡¯ve picked Alby to join us instead. Days on end with him, through hardship and nights - he would''ve been bound to share my feelings for him at the end of the journey. Ahhh, how did I not predict I was going to end up on this journey, predicting stuff is my job¡¯ Nabih, a hunter with a scar on his face caused by the claws of animals he tried to hunt, kept looking to his right, at Ellanour driving the cart and sighing. Upon noticing his glances she asked, ¡°is it time to switch places?¡± Nabih¡¯s face immediately turned red, but his eyes turned sharp, and suddenly, he started glaring at the cart. ¡°I can see you, get out here, right. now!¡± The anger in his voice was apparent, and the trained men among them immediately got out their weapons and had a defensive stance. The rest of the men followed repeated their behavior. From on top of the cart, among the bushels, a small child¡¯s face popped up. ¡°Ward, what are you doing here? Does your mother know?¡± the tone was still angry, but the anger was fused with worry and concern. Ward was holding back tears, ¡°I wanted to join you, but I knew you weren¡¯t going to take any kids, so I snuck before you left. I did write a note explaining what I did. By the time they will notice that I am gone, it will already be too late. As Nabih started screaming at him, Ellanour sighed again. ¡°One of us has to walk back now to take you home, do you understand how bad that is? When did you intend to show yourself?¡± Ward looked down for a moment, before saying ¡°Well... Now that we stopped, can I go to the bathroom.¡± ¡°There are no bathrooms in nature!¡± Ward¡¯s face turned red, but Nabih''s voice got softer, he carried the child down from the cart and took him behind a tree. Zakki, stepped next to Ellanour to discuss the situation at hand. ¡°I can take him back, and run straight back in this direction. I¡¯ll be able to catch up with all of you when you stop to rest at night.¡± ¡°Out of all the children in the village, he was the one to come with us. Perhaps this is fate? Maybe we should let him accompany us after all.¡± ¡°Because it is that child, we must send him back - we can¡¯t risk putting him in danger¡± Zakki retorted. When Ward returned with Nabih, Ellanour asked. ¡°You said you left a note, I know your curriculum, you didn¡¯t learn all the letters yet. Are you sure your mom knows that you are with us?" ¡°Yes, I am familiar with the letters, they are similar to what I used before." Ward paused for a moment, and then he took out thin wooden, hand-sized plates from his pants and continued "I also brought these cards with me. I can teach you card games that will pass the time as we rest¡± He put on an innocent smile and pleading eyes. Ellanour smiled at Zakki and raised an eyebrow and her shoulders, in an I-can¡¯t-help-it look, and met a sigh from Zakki who then said ¡°The journey is dangerous, why do you want to come with us so badly?¡± ¡°The village is too small; there are not enough things to see and learn, I want to understand everything better.¡± At hearing his response, Zakki gave a nod, Ellanour a smile, and the other men a conflicted look. ¡°All right, let us continue on our journey than" with Ellanour voice ringing in the forest, it was decided. And a fresh mile showed up on Ward''s face. Chapter 5: Bare the wild It has been a day since the journey began. The cows were never used to drag the carts, or as mounts by the villagers. They had nowhere to mount them to. They were sturdier and faster than they expected them to be. Soon enough the estimated time of arrival was shorted from 10 days to 7. Moreover, now all the men were riding the cart. In one cart, one man sat behind the saddle to direct the cows, behind him a man was standing up with his arms raised stopping the stacks from falling forward. To each side of the car from the right and left, another man was latching on and making sure the stacks don¡¯t fall. On top of the cart, Ward was sitting like he was the king of the world. The other cart was following them, and Ellanour was laying down with her hands spread trying to make sure the seed doesn¡¯t fly up. ¡°Elly, the sacks don¡¯t fly up, you can sit normally¡± suggested Ward, but while she did not retort him, she didn¡¯t change her position. ¡®Sitting on sacks of seeds is really comfortable, maybe she is enjoying laying down on it.¡¯ Soon after, they decided to take a rest, to not exhaust the cows. ¡°I was thinking, but we should¡¯ve stayed behind a bit and pressed the seed, the value of flour would¡¯ve been more,¡± Zakki said ¡°True, but we are going to need to show that we came with utmost urgency and explain how this is all that we have. We must avoid an inspection at all costs. So, that wouldn¡¯t have worked.¡± Responded Ellanour To which Ward responded to ¡°If you wanted to show you came with urgency, and to stress this is all we have, you shouldn¡¯t have brought eight strong men.¡± Zakki looked at Ward thinking he was joking and continued the joke ¡°we should¡¯ve bought you instead of all of us?¡± ¡°No, I mean, we should¡¯ve gone with our weakest and most frail and cried our eyes out as we begged for an extension - me a child can only help with this image, not eight strong men who at worst case scenario can find other work to do other than farming.¡± Suddenly, Ellanour immediately understood what Ward meant, and realized how her logic had failed her. ¡°Well, I will be the one to speak to the official, so when he makes the decision he won¡¯t see them, it should be fine.¡± Ellanour ruffled up Ward¡¯s hair. ¡°If you have suggestions on how to make this journey more comfortable though, this would be a great time to say it.¡± ¡°The cards I bought include many entertaining games - should I teach you how to play?" Zakki¡¯s sigh could be heard, but Ellanour continued to smile as she affirmed she wanted to play. ¡°Well, this is a standard 52 card deck, there are many games we can play with them, I will first explain¡­¡± It took half an hour for the first game to complete. Tam stood up, raised his fists in the air, and started flexing his muscles and said in a dramatic tone ¡°I WIN!¡± Breaking his previously, quiet and shy demeanor. Everyone had listened to the explanation tentatively; some wanted to enjoy the games, others wanted to see if there is a second meaning to it. In the end, five people played, while the others watched. However, all of them enjoyed it. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.They then all returned to their positions and continued on their way. At night, they would prepare campfire and then they would eat the food they brought with them. On the 3rd night, they were able to catch two hares. Finally, they ate their fill before going to sleep. The nights weren¡¯t cold, and the breeze was perfect for sleeping outside. It was decided that each night someone would keep watch, and then in the day, that person got to sleep on the seed bags in the cart. Dejj and Raz were keeping watch that night. Ellanour was holding Ward in her hands as they slept. The first night, Nabih wanted Ward to sleep next to him so that he could keep him safe, but Ward instead attached himself to Ellanour and proclaimed that they would sleep on the seed bags on top of the cart, while others can use them as pillows. Everyone was amused and laughed, but later Ellanour divide who slept when in a rotation instead. That night they were sleeping on the ground when they heard Dejj and Raz screaming. They quickly stood up, and the other men also woke up while trying not to doze off. A black bear was walking toward them. And Dejj kept waving the fire trying to scare it off. While Raz was preparing his bow in case the wild bear kept moving forward. Ellanour was shaking, but she immediately hugged Ward and whispered ¡°Don¡¯t worry, no matter what, we will keep you safe, I promise¡± reassuring and calming him. She then immediately put him on top of the seed sacks and took our a small knife she brought for fearless self-protection. Ward looked down, and he felt concerned for her safety more than he did himself, he felt concern for every one of them after bonding with them firmly. Nabih immediately jumped from the second cart where he was sleeping and ran toward Ellanour ¡°Ride the cart and don¡¯t bother with that toothpick. I¡¯ll protect you if the bear got closer!¡± He withdrew his arrow and was ready to see if to shoot. They did not want to aggravate the bear if they could instead drive it away. Luckily their plan worked. Ward had a tear in his eyes that he removed before anyone noticed. They were unable to go back to sleep. Even the cows were aggravated. They decided to try and walk through the night, to find another area without bears to stay in. On the 4th day, they were tired earlier than usual due to the excitement of the previous night. It was decided that Ward and Ellanour will sleep on the cart, regardless of when the rotation was supposed to be. Ward was still very wary and was unable to sleep. She tried to hug him, but it didn¡¯t work, so she honestly asked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I was wondering if dad faced something like that?¡± Ellanour gave a sad smile, trying to reassure Ward, but not knowing what to say. Surely, if the merchants were safe, they would¡¯ve returned to the village already. She then checked the bag she had brought with her, and from it took out the map they used on their journey. ¡°This is a copy of the map, I believe was made by your father. It doesn¡¯t show all the locations he¡¯s been to, just a copy of the East of the East. Spoiler: Spoiler ¡°See our home is in the middle of the map. We are going to the capital in the north. You see those mountains to the left in the south-west. I heard that mystical creatures could be found there.¡± Ward excitedly responded, ¡°My dad told me the story, he saw it all with his own eyes!¡± he opened his hands wide and continued, ¡°he told me he found the skeleton of a dragon as big as this¡± From underneath the Cart, Nabih¡¯s voice could be heard as he asked ¡°you are still a pipsqueak! Are you sure it is not as big as his hands were? In fact, what I heard was that the skeleton they saw was big enough to eat you whole! So if the dragons ever came back, you will need to dig a hole and hide in it!¡± More laughter from all the men was heard, showing that no one was able to sleep yet. They were only able to sleep, after relaxing thanks to the laughter. Only until the morning of the 7th day, did their journey go according to plan. Which was when they finally arrived at the capital. Chapter 6: Beyond the gate The group has finally arrived at the capital. The city was surrounded with a wall, making it look more like a fort. To enter, they needed to wait in line as soldiers checked everything and everyone coming in. The group was in awe, everyone else waiting in line had either gold or red, almost orange hair color. They met a traveler or two per month that had such colors, but never did they see so many people that didn''t have the brown hair color their village is famous for. A whisper could be heard ¡°It is the same color dad dyes his hair.¡± Worried glances traveled between Zakki and Ellanour, and before either of them could say anything, Nabih jumped in, carried Ward up, and put him on his shoulders. ¡°You can sit there quietly for a while.¡± In the meanwhile a sense of worry traveled through Ellanour''s back ¡®we are doing nothing wrong, why do I feel stressed?¡¯ Finally, it was their turn. One of the soldiers had a curious look in his eyes as he asked them for their reason to visit. ¡°We are here to pay the tribute.¡± From behind him another soldier with scorn in his eyes asked: ¡°With just these two carts? are you perhaps part of the tribute?¡± ¡°We have sent another group ahead of us, but they never made it here, so this is all that we have left,¡± responded Zakki, trying to hold back the irritation he was feeling. The two soldiers looked at each other, the curious one simply shrugged his shoulders and continued ¡°you arrived early, the office will open at a later time today, you can leave the cart to the right when you go in, and simply return when the sun is right above us.¡± The soldier with the golden hair then gave a smile to Ward who was sitting on Nabih¡¯s shoulders. Who returned a smile to him. As they walked in, the second soldier started smirking maliciously. ¡°Can we buy tomato seed while we are here?¡± ¡°Why tomato? None of our dishes use tomato.¡± ¡°I promised Annie I¡¯ll bake her a Pizza, it is something delicious - you will not regret growing tomatoes, you can make so many dishes with it.¡± ¡°Take my backpack. There is a bracelet in it, see if you can trade the seeds for the bracelet. I¡¯m going to ask around town about the merchants.¡± Ward eyes grew wide and quickly asked: ¡°can I joi..¡± Before he could continue asking to join her, he was denied. Nabih¡¯s hand held onto Ward¡¯s two feet, and without a second word headed directly into the city. The city looked mismatched. At first, the buildings seemed old, small and cramped on one another, it felt like the houses were prisons. Yet, the people were lively. They continued to walk in the city, when suddenly they started noticing a different kind of buildings, the buildings looked newer, and they had dirty-glass windows. Some were opened, some closed, but it all seemed good. Throughout the entire walk, they noticed stares from everyone around them, but they didn¡¯t know why. Soon enough, they could only continue searching for someone selling tomato seeds. They finally reached a market and found someone selling tomatoes. It was Ward that pointed out the vegetables stand, Nabih just followed his directions.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. A man as old as the village Cheif was sitting and smiling to himself. When Nabih walked toward him, his smile turned into a frown. Before Nabih could say anything, he already started talking ¡°You can¡¯t scare me here, go away I won¡¯t work with you.¡± A woman standing in the next stand returned a worried glance and whispered to the older man ¡°just do what he wants, look at that battle scar on his face, just because he is carrying a child, doesn¡¯t make him any less of an Aklamatian.¡± Another man from across the streets said ¡°Yah, even the child he is carrying is Aklamatian.¡± Nabih looked up, and his eyes met with Ward - they were both confused. A child came out of nowhere and screamed. ¡°We don¡¯t want the likes of you in our streets!¡± his eyes conveyed deep hatred. Nabih, shocked to hear the child¡¯s words, started mumbling ¡°is it because of the scar? All the children are afraid because of this cursed scar, all I want to do is play with those children, why am I cursed to have them hate me¡± he mumbled on an on. The aura around him got darker and more depressed as the seconds ticked by. Suddenly, Ward used Nabih''s head as a drummer which he slapped, waking him out of his mumble. Disregarding what was going around them, he directed his voice to the man operating the stand ¡°We would like to buy some tomato seed.¡± Before the man could reply with the scorn that was ready to leave his mouth, the woman from the stall next to him intervened again, she took the seed and threw it to Nabih ¡°Just take it and go.¡± The people who stopped to watch the interaction started agreeing ¡°this is why women live longer.¡± Nabih felt like there was some misunderstanding, but he also felt rejected and dejected. So, he wanted to leave the area as soon as possible. He said a light ¡°thank you¡± which was echoed by Ward, and he walked back to the cart at the city entrance, even if it was earlier than they agreed upon, he suddenly felt it is unsafe to walk in the city for reasons he did not understand yet. Nabih was only 18 years old, but he looked like he was 35, and that always depressed him. But today, he felt rejected as he has never been before. He knew it wasn''t personal against him, but he didn''t want Ward to be affected by it either. As they sat at the cart to wait for the rest of the group to return, Ward noticed the curious soldier walking back from the gate. The soldier saw them and gave them a nod, then he took out a small book from his pocket and started reading. ¡°Sir, I have a question.¡± The soldier who was near enough to hear Ward, pretended not to and continued walking away while keeping his eyes directed at the book in his hand. It wasn¡¯t long before everyone returned to the cart. They had split into two groups, with four people in each group. ¡°So, this is what my dad wanted me to learn? I feel sick to my stomach. Seeing how everyone returned here quickly, I assume you all had horrible experiences?¡± ¡°I think the fact that we split into four people group and that the people here were so afraid of us, is the only reason we aren''t physically hurt right now.¡± Zakki tried to lighten up the mood ¡°see, this is why we shouldn¡¯t have switched the eight-strong men with eight sickly people.¡± Some chuckle was forcibly heard, but the mood of the entire group was extremely dark. After a moment of awkward silence, Ellanour spoke "Nabih, walk back with Ward to the edge of the forest and wait for us there. I have a horrible feeling about our next meeting.¡± ¡°If anyone should go, it should be Zakki or you Ellanour! If need be, I will bash anyone¡¯s head who would dare try to harm you or Ward.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t risk turning their wrath against the village, so no matter what happens we can¡¯t fight back. Just protect Ward, and wait for us, it should only be a few hours.¡± Nabih clenched his fist, and before Ward could say anything, he picked him up and walked out of the gate. No one stopped him upon their exit, and when he reached the edge of the forest, they just stayed there, hidden behind a tree where they can''t be seen, but could see everything in front of them. ¡°Let¡¯s play one of your card games¡± to pass the time, and relieve some of the stress, Nabih urged Ward for anything distracting ¡°How can we when they could be in deep danger. We can help them. We shouldn¡¯t just stand here like statues¡± Ward¡¯s eyes conveyed conviction ¡°If you are a man, you won''t let Ellanour be at risk.¡± Upon saying that, Ward¡¯s head was met with a fierce hit ¡°If you weren¡¯t here, I would be there. I can¡¯t leave you, and I am certainly not taking you to where I can¡¯t protect you.¡± Either form being scolded, or getting the hit, or the from worry. Ward started crying. ¡°Don¡¯t cry¡­¡± Nabih already felt guilty for pressuring him ¡°We just have to wait a bit, they will be fine.¡± ¡°If¡­ any.onee.. thought that, we wouldn¡¯t be waiting at the edge of the forest.¡± Their worry was in its place. It wasn¡¯t long after that, that the curious soldier they met before, came out of the gate and walked straight toward them. Chapter 7: Knowing the unknown Nabih immediately pulled Ward behind him and took a defensive stance. ¡°Woooh, calm down - I won¡¯t harm you¡± the soldier took out his sword in return for Nabih¡¯s stance. ¡°How about we both calm down and have a small chat?¡± he continued. From behind Nabih Ward¡¯s voice was heard ¡°how did you know where we are?¡± ¡°You were wise to leave when you did, but it is not every day an Aklamatian passes through our gates. I just kept an eye on you from the watchtower - luckily you didn¡¯t move much ever since you left¡± the soldier remained seven steps away from Nabih as he spoke. Nabih was seething with anger about the idea of being tracked. He always tracks his pray when he hunts. He did not like being hunted himself. ¡°What happened to our group?¡± The soldier ignored the question and repeated: ¡°It will be preferable if you walked back with me.¡± ¡°He asked you a question, must we repeat it?¡± retorted Ward. ¡°Well¡­ the Marquese didn¡¯t accept your excuse of sending merchants before coming today. There were no reports of them going to any of the nearby towns, and there were no corpses. A group of men can¡¯t possibly vanish into thin air.¡± ¡°But, it is true! My father was among them!¡± retorted Ward without a second thought. ¡°Your father?¡± The soldier raised his sword once again ¡°I thought the merchants were foreigners, not Aklamatians... This is the first I hear of it¡± upon hearing this, Nabih¡¯s face turned red. ¡°So what of it?¡± ¡°Either way, you will need to come back with me, the Marquese does not like being lied to, but in his benevolence, he had accepted the carts, the cows and the group that came along as part of the tribute.¡± ¡°What do you¡­?¡± ¡°Well, if I remember correctly, the vow between your ancestor and my lord ancestor. Was in return of sharing the advance knowledge you have, you will receive protection. It was a surprise to all of us that the location you were given behind the barren mountains turned out to be farmable, but to think you would not pay your tribute from that, honestly what a shame.¡± ¡°Again, I would very much appreciate it if you walked back with me, you don¡¯t want an army to go find you in your village - now would you?¡± Nabih was shaking, and he kept looking back at Ward, being genuinely concerned for him, not for himself. ¡°What if we paid the rest of the tribute soon? We only need an extension¡± Ward spewed. ¡°Once the tribute is paid, why would we want to keep and feed Aklamatians? However, if what you claimed is true, you won¡¯t be able to pay it or else your village would starve¡± the soldier shook his head and continued ¡°truly a predicament isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I need to do my job, so please walk back with me - it will be a pain otherwise.¡± Ward jumped back into the conversation ¡°the first group we sent did not return if we also don¡¯t return what will our families think? Please, sir, be considerate - let us return and notify them about what happened to the rest of the group¡± Ward said with pleading eyes, and as a cute look as he could muster in such an intense situation. ¡°Very well, I read a riddle - it originated from a story in an Aklmat book which was translated into Kieran. The book, like many others, was mostly burned in the great library fire, procuring the original, getting what was still intact from it and having it translated took me quite a while. Sadly I could only read the riddle, but not the answer - since you are Aklamatians, you might know it. Appease my curiosity, and I will turn a blind eye and even convince the Marquese not to attack your village.¡± he said with a mix of sarcastic and threatening voice, with the curious look still plastered on his face. The soldier was amused, he knew that his words held an entire village hostage, with the people in front of him being completely cornered, with or without a sword pointed at them. He had been thinking about the answer to the riddle for days but was still unable to come up with an answer. He doubted anyone would be able to answer it in such a limited time. Even if they were, Aklamatians and their great founder wrote the story. The fact was that the Great library had burned five generations ago, and he doubted such information was passed down to anyone. With a smile on his face, that disregarded the frown on the faces in front of him, the soldier asked. ¡°Apparently, there is a creature with the head of a man, and the body of a lion that asked the question [Which creature in the morning goes on four legs, at mid-day on two, and in the evening upon three, and the more legs it has, the weaker it be?] the creature devoured those who couldn¡¯t answer the question. Your fate will be sealed if you can¡¯t answer it either. Nabih was a vigilant person, but he wasn¡¯t the best when it came to riddles, and he did not expect anything from a child. He was already feeling despair and trying to think of a way to save Ward without bringing an army down on the village.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Ward¡¯s eyes sparkled as he started remembering something from his past life. *** A small child, almost as old as Ward was, had jumped into bed, and with pleading eyes, he said: ¡°grandpa, read me a story!¡± As was their ritual, the grandfather had already picked a story from the library to read that night. ¡°Travelers from all the lands have heard of the great treasure of Thebes. The rich, the poor, the educated, the dumb - everyone dreamt of possessing it all to themselves. However, the Greek city had a protector: a Sphinx with a body of a man, and a head of a lion. Travelers were asked a question if they knew the answer they were given passage to the great treasure. If they didn¡¯t know the answer, they were sent to the dreamland. [Which creature in the morning goes on four legs, at mid-day on two, and in the evening upon three, and the more legs it has, the weaker it be?] What do you think the answer is?¡± The child tilted his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Well, I guess it is time for you to go to the dreamland.¡± ¡°I love you, grandpa!¡± ¡°I love you too Ryley.¡± ¡°Seriously though, what is the answer?¡± *** Upon remembering, tears welled in his eyes, even across time and space, he had still wondered about what happened to his grandchild. Nabih saw tears stream across Ward¡¯s face and his resolve returned, he would first save the child and then figure out what to do about the village. He got ready to attack when suddenly he heard a soft voice ¡°The answer is... man¡± the soldier¡¯s curiosity peaked. Ward then explained ¡°Mankind crawls on all fours as a baby. As adults, we walk on two feet. As elderly, we walk with a cane for support.¡± ¡°Well¡­ that makes no sense. Barely anyone uses a cane¡± the soldier sighed, disappointed over his excitement. ¡°Yet, that is the answer to the riddle of the Sphinx. The monster you spoke off, is named the Sphinx is it not?¡± The soldier looked conflicted. He took out the book he had in his light coat¡¯s pocket. He then flipped to about the middle of it. ¡°The name is... Zphinx.¡± Impressed he continued ¡°Now I want you even more, but by my word you are granted passage.¡± Ward had a proud and delighted face, and Nabih had sighed in relief. Before he heard what happened next ¡°But not you¡± he pointed at Nabih ¡°What? This is not the agreement¡± Shouted Ward back at him. ¡°He was ready to strike me just now; I can¡¯t let someone like that go¡­¡± Nabih wasn¡¯t concerned about himself. His fate was to be the same as the other members of the group. However, he was concerned for Ward. He knew that the soldier wanted to take him back no matter what, so he tried to argue for something else. ¡°What about the child? He can¡¯t walk back on his own. Even if you don¡¯t believe us - we sent a group of experienced merchants more than two months ago, and they did not return. How would a child be safe?¡± ¡°Children travel alone to the capital all the time,¡± the soldier thought for a moment, and then changed his tone to a softer one. It was getting dark outside, and not even strong adults start a long journey at night. The soldier decided to invite Ward to spend the night in the city. They were both reluctant to do so, but the soldier insisted in a way they could not resist. He promised that Ward would not be harmed in any way, and then to even introduce him to merchants in the morning that are headed to the papermaking city which allows Ward a safer passage to his village. Nabih, had no intention of escaping, out of fear of the might of the capital being the doom of the village. However, if the soldier was telling the truth, it would be a preferable outcome. As they returned to the city, they first headed toward the Marquese¡¯s mansion. Upon entering, a young man about 16 years of age excitedly ran toward them, until he noticed their eyesight and switched to a more elegant walk that he believed was fitting a noble. ¡°Brother, you are back, and you brought a gift with you!¡± ¡°There is certainly a lot to be done, the more people there are, the fast it is will be¡± The soldier who looked older by a couple of years directed his words toward the prisoner and guest ¡°this is the marquise, he is slightly weird but treat him with respect and you will be respected.¡± No one at the village learned the etiquette of dealing with nobles, so they did not give the proper greeting even after being warned. Neither of the two men in front of them or the attendants around them said anything. Nabih then looked at the soldier who he now understood to have better standing and hinted with his eyes that he wanted reassurance that Ward will remain safe. The soldier obliged. ¡°The child is my guest, he will return with me to the duke¡¯s manor, and will join the merchants tomorrow to return to his home.¡± The marquise did not delay longer. He told his attendants to direct Nabih to where he was going to sleep. Before being interrupted by the soldier. ¡°I want to speak to the other Aklamatians before they meet¡± upon hearing the weird request, the Marquise responded that they were allowed to sleep when they arrived, and they took the offer. Apparently, their trip was intense, and they did not sleep well for the past few days, so the idea of not possibly being attacked at night was welcomed even if they did not know their future in the morning. ¡°Then, I shall return in the morning, don¡¯t let this man and the others meet under any circumstances until I do.¡± The marquise had a similar curious look to what the soldier had displayed earlier. His face suddenly seemed more similar to the soldier after exhibiting the same behavior. Without further question, the marquise promised to do as was requested. In the meanwhile, Nabih got down on one knee to be in a similar eye level to Ward and looked him in the eyes. He had many words of warning he wanted to tell him, but none of them came out, he just said ¡°Once you go home, please tell my family that I am fine¡± he then put ruffled up Ward¡¯s hair. Ward gulped, and rushed into Nabih''s arms and hugged him. ¡°You will be back soon to show them just that¡± The soldier and Ward then continued on their way to the Duke¡¯s manor. Upon arriving, the Duke had insisted on Ward taking a shower, mumbling something about being unable to house someone who reeked. Ward had clean habits when he could, he would wash up, but he didn¡¯t have easy means and access to do so. After spending seven days traveling through the forest, even he agreed that he smelled. A bucket of water was laid out for him, and a maid helped him shower. Once he was done, he noticed that his clothes were taken away and instead of them, clothes of an even higher quality than his father usually wore, were laid out for him. Even an olive green coat was added ¡ª something he didn¡¯t need to wear inside the manor. Ward was very tired, and it was already dark outside, by adding a warm bath to the mix he managed to fall asleep before being shown where the bed is. Chapter 8: Trap of the wise Ward woke up to find himself asleep in a warm bed. He got up and went to exit the room only to quickly see the same maid who helped him the day before cleaning in front of his door. She smiled at him and asked him to go back inside the room and wait while she notified the duke he is awake. However, before she had the opportunity to leave, Ward latched himself to her seeking information. He found out that his host is The Duke of Veis, heir apparent to the port city, the biggest city in the entire Eastern Kingdom, bigger than the capital itself. He had given up the claim of the city to his younger brother. When Ward asked why, the maid suddenly paused and realized that perhaps she should not be sharing any information, so once again she urged Ward to go back to his room while she headed out to call the young duke. *** ¡°I heard you asked about me? Am I that interesting to you?¡± ¡°You decided many things for me yesterday, yet I didn¡¯t even know your name¡­ so yes¡± ¡°Then how about I answer one of your questions, and you answer mine¡± the Duke¡¯s curiosity was exploding, and he quickly got an agreement from Ward, so he took the first opportunity to ask a simple question ¡°Do you know the tale of the ugly duck? It talks about a duck that is the ugliest duck among all of his siblings and is abused because of it. Then when he grew up..¡± Ward continued on his behalf ¡°It turned out that he was a swan, the most beautiful swan in the lake.¡± ¡°So you know it? Is it a story told around your village?¡± Ward thought for a moment, and while this is the type of story he used to tell his grandchild on earth, he had never heard it in his current life. ¡°My turn, why are you asking me this?¡± ¡°Just curious, I found a book with stories in them - you already knew the continuation of the story of the Zphinx, I was wondering if you knew other stories as well. So these stories are famous in your village?¡± Ward without hesitation responded, ¡°Yes, my father used to tell me these stories all the time.¡± ¡°You are the Duke of the port city? Why did you leave it and come here?¡± ¡°Because the princess wanted me here. What the princess wants, the princess gets. Plus, it is a good opportunity to try new things and expand my knowledge of how each section of the capital operates before my responsibilities catch up to me.¡± ¡°You said one of the merchants that vanished was your father, I looked them up, these merchants don¡¯t look Aklamatians, and they¡¯ve been going back and forth between the northern and southern kingdom for years. What is their goal?¡± Ward was thinking about his next question when he heard the duke¡¯s question. He started to feel pressure as if suddenly realizing he had fallen for a trap laid down by a hunter. He wanted to change the narrative quickly ¡°My father only joined the merchants to pay the tribute in the capital. He didn¡¯t want to travel with so many valuables without protection.¡± ¡°If you are lying to me, the punishment is death¡± the duke empathized sarcastically, then added ¡°Did you lie to me?¡± Ward couldn¡¯t help but gulp, but quickly he calmed himself and brazing retorted ¡°is this your next question? Because mine is going first¡± He then asked ¡°The people in the city, they were very malicious toward us. Why is that?¡± ¡°I am not convinced you spoke the truth earlier, so this game is over.¡± Ward understood that the Duke was trying to put pressure on him because he was just a child. He wanted to get information from him that could prove to harm his village - but he understood enough to try and divert his attention from the truth. He then wondered if he was caught lying he could be killed, so why would he admit to doing so? The conversation had ended, with the Duke no longer willing to answer any questions, and not asking any of his own.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The Duke was curious. However, he had nine other people to ask, that were likely to know more. Moreover, he intended to head out to ask them about the stories first thing. The duke switched to his soldier uniform and headed out taking Ward with him. He introduced him as a guest of the Duke, to a solo merchant that was intending to return to the papermaking town, and asked the merchant to take care of him. He bid him farewell with a smile on his face. He then went to the Marquise house to ask the other aklamatians about the riddle. *** The merchant was traveling alone, without guards or a group, as merchants usually have, she didn''t seem to be holding anything in the cart that had two horses attached to it. She had shown displeasure about being asked to take care of the child, the dissatisfaction was not because he was Akalamatian but rather because she did not want the responsibility that was laid on her. ¡°We will arrive at the crossroad between your village and the papermaking town in about four days. You can continue on your own from there, right?¡± After receiving an affirmation, the merchant insisted that Ward will not be making trouble for her in the next few days, and will instead help by feeding the horses. She had felt conflicted about the whole thing. The kid was brought by a soldier who said it was words of the duke, the child was wearing beautiful clothes and a fine green coat. Yet, his home was in a simple village. She felt conflicted regarding how to treat the child since he seemed to have an important sponsor. In the end, she just went with a casual treatment toward a villager child, but slightly better by not making him help in anything heavy. So he ended up just quietly sitting in the cart, and coming out to relax whenever they would stop. She thought he was an extremely quiet and shy kid. However, while Ward did not speak a word, his head was racing with ideas, and with the single thought of how weak he was, how he had no way of protecting his friends, how he did not ask what was going to happen to them. How, the only thing he was able to do, was to get himself out of trouble and even get nice clothes - while his neighbors are likely dealing with a terrible fate. He thought about asking the merchant the questions he had, but he remembered that all the people he met in the Capital were very hostile toward him. So he preferred to being ignored than feeling any of that again. However, on the second day, the merchant herself got the boy to ride next to her ¡°It is very creepy. You have not said a word since yesterday! What is on your mind?¡± Her directness dumbfounded ward, so he tried a bit of his own ¡°The people I met in the capital were very hostile toward me, why aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Hostile? I am born and raised in the papermaking town. The town is rather new, and our livelihood is based on what we learned from Aklamats, so I don¡¯t know anyone hostile toward you. Rather, there is a bit of admiration to your legacy. Regardless of what is being said.¡± ¡°What is being said?¡± The merchant did not want to tell a child what children should be spared from ¡°Nothing that will reach you in your little village, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Do you know the Duke of Vies?¡± Finally relieved that the boy has gotten a bit more lively and started talking, she responded ¡°Is he the one who sponsored you? I don¡¯t know much about him - except for that fact that he is the princess¡¯s fiance. Are you honestly sponsored by him without knowing that?¡± Ward¡¯s eye grew wide, and he started probing for more about the situation ¡°What do you know about the princess? ¡°For a kid, you are really interested in the politics of that place, aren¡¯t you?¡± she expected an answer, but did not receive one - instead she received expecting eyes that wanted answers of their own ¡°Princess Viola Verai of the Northern Kingdom, she is the oldest of two children, she is 15 years old, and her younger sister is 13 - which makes her the crown princess, though I think her younger sister is the one with real potential. Both of them apparently know how to play the political game really well. There was supposed to be a conflict of war with the northerners earlier this year- it was the princesses interference that stopped it from happening. The relationships are still tense, they¡¯ve been tense for the past five generations, but it is getting even worse now.¡± Ward was listening to the explanation as if he was listening to a bedtime story. The merchants passed through the usual route next to the river, which is safe and well traveled, nothing exciting happened for the rest of the journey, and on the 5th night Ward arrived at the intersection, he stayed the night with the merchant, and as soon as he saw break of dawn he started walking toward the village The path wasn¡¯t well traveled, but it wasn''t dangerous. Yet, it seemed like he needed to walk two days to arrive on time. After walking for an hour, he was already too exhausted to try and walk more. After all, he was still a child. This, coupled with his thoughts on how he couldn''t help his friends earlier, frustrated him even more. He still had the Ellanour¡¯s backpack with him, but there was nothing useful except for a knife. He thought he could try to make a skateboard with it, but he didn''t have the strength to cut pieces of wood the way he needed to, and the branches he found wouldn''t work. Instead, he used his time to make a bow and arrow to try to hunt with in order to eat. He then continued walking for as long as he could, but it was too exhausting, so he needed to take more breaks than he expected. That night he collected wood to start a fire and continued to do so until the fire was big enough. He then tried to flame it out in hopes that someone from the village would see it, and get him. No one noticed, no one knew. The journey that he thought was going to need three days, ended up taking him 7. He had to hunt on his own, cook on his own, and make it all the way back on his own two little feet. He was only lucky that no dangerous animals made their way to him. When he finally saw the village, he was extremely exhausted. Both physically and emotionally. But, upon seeing one of the villagers, he cracked a smile as he fainted in his hands. Chapter 8: Let there be ideas! It has been a week since Ward returned to the village, when he woke up he found concerned eyes of the neighbors pointed at him. Some were concerned for his sake, and others were worried about the men that he traveled with. After he explained what happened, there was a mix of relief that the village does not need to pay more tribute, and anger that their children were kidnapped just like that. The villagers convened and prepared a plan to accumulate as much wealth as fast as possible to get their people back. They also prepared backup plans in case something like that ever happened again. Someone was sent to the papermaking town to call on merchants in order to sell them some all the valuables they could find around the village. Others started working on handcraft. They did a variety of products, they wanted to show them to the merchants, and whatever sold well, they intended to start producing in full capacity. The rest continued working on the farm, they were almost done with harvesting, but because Ward sneaked out of the village and skipped his duty, he was punished with more labor than a child his age was usually given. The adult men were the ones to cut the wheat, once they did children would pick up the sheaves and arranged them together. Afterward, an adult would throw these sheaves in the wind. The seeds would fall in one place, but the seedless sheaves would fly a bit further away. Ward¡¯s new responsibility was to collect these seeds and store them in sacks later to be transported into the village warehouse. Once he collected as much as he could, he needed to feed the cows. They have lost two cows in the journey, luckily they still had some left. As he was feeding the cows, Ward heard Wayl calling out to him from behind the barn¡¯s window. With a cheeky smile that was looking for trouble, he excitedly told Ward "the old man set up the grinding process but went to do something else, hurry up before he returns!¡± Ward forgot his worries for a moment, and with a child¡¯s innocent and sparkling eyes he followed Wayl where he found three other kids already waiting in the warehouse. A bull had a metal sledge attached to it. The sledge was dragging on the floor behind the animal as it walked around stepping on seeds in the process. Usually, an adult rides the sledge adding weight to it, grinding the wheat in the process, turning it into flour. The kids were switching turns, each time a two would ride the sledge and get dragged by the bull. As Ward looked at the situation, he started remembering what the adults have explained. Flour sold for much more than the seed did. In their rush to pay the tribute they couldn¡¯t grind the seeds previously, and now the seeds that remain are what they need to eat for the rest of the year - they can¡¯t give them up either, but the villager decided that this time it would be better to store everything as flour instead of letting each house grind it on their own. So in the future, if there was a need to immediately tap into the village food rations, it would still be at a better benefit. As he remembered those words, he also recognized the predicament the village was in, and remembered the friends he made on the way to the capital that were unable to return with him. Everyone was rushing and working full time, even through the night in order to prepare everything they could think about before the papermaking town¡¯s merchants heard their invite and came to their village. Ward started thinking about what he can do in order to help speed up the process.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. In his past life, when he was young, he did not live in a farm, but in a city - however, he still knew that machinery did all the heavy lifting, and he had ideas for a machine that he could make himself. As he kept thinking about what he could do, he suddenly had the idea of creating a windmill, he understood the concept behind it so he reckoned that with trial and error he would be able to make something similar. He did not continue waiting for his turn on the sledge, and instead ran out of the warehouse and headed to the chief''s house to tell him about his idea. The chief was plagued with guilt, but he did not show it to Ward. Instead, he smiled to him when he saw him, he was grateful that he got to know what happened to his daughter, and he knew that the entire village was putting all their efforts into getting her and the others back. As he started listening to Ward¡¯s explanation, the chief started getting excited. It was because he was learning new information. Windmill had existed for even before the great founder. But the chief¡¯s eyes sparkled that Ward gave him information that he couldn¡¯t possibly know since his village never saw a need to work on a windmill. ¡°Do you have any other idea we can work with?¡± Ward figured he could make a bicycle with scythe attached to it, to make it easier to cut the wheat instead of making someone bend down for each batch. His idea was once again shot down by the chief. ¡°We are almost done with harvesting, we can work on that next year, but do you have something that can work immediately?¡± Ward had no immediate response but promised the chief he would return once he thought of something. As he headed out back to feed the cows, he remembered the tomato he brought, and the pizza he wanted to make. He changed the direction he was headed into and instead went to his room. He went through the dark living room that doubled as his parent''s room and his little brother¡¯s crib, and into his small dark room to rummaged for the seeds. He suddenly got the idea to revolutionize the new world with light. However, he just as quickly banished the thought, while he knew how to do it, he did not think there is anything he could do at the moment, he needed copper and tungsten. Perhaps the green mountains next to his house had copper, but what about tungsten? He saw on the map that to the south of the village there is a mining town. He carried the tomato seeds with him and returned to the chief to tell him about his new idea. When he returned, he saw the chief shaking in anxiety as he sat in his chair. Once the chief spotted the young child, he immediately appeared to be much calmer, with the excitement returning to his eyes. ¡°Did you think of something?¡± ¡°Light! I can turn the night into the morning when we will it, without needing fire¡± the chief''s eyes sparkled like the stars were in them, before he could ask anything, the boy added ¡°I just need material like copper and tungsten¡± The chief was conflicted ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard about tungsten. When the merchants come, we can ask them about it.¡± Before anyone could add anything, Alby, a handsome man with a head full of golden hair fluttering in the air, coughed to bring the attention to himself. ¡°Cheif I am ready, shall we discuss preparations now? Or should I return later?¡± he asked after he felt the excitement in the room. The Cheif sighed and asked Ward to continue thinking about more ideas and to tell him about them as soon as he does. Once Ward left, the chief directed his words toward Alby ¡°I think the boy should join you.¡± Alby was surprised ¡°It is a perilous journey, and I am not experienced, I only trained because...¡± there was silence, neither of the men wanted to speak about the disappeared merchants. ¡°The boy returned from his journey, with new ideas, new goals - if he saw the world, saw the state it is in, understood more of it and the materials we have, once he returned, he would already have the experience and better understanding of what he needs to do. This would be of great benefit to us¡± the chief then smiled and continued ¡°perhaps you can gather information more easily this way, no one will suspect a child afterall"