THE GOLDEN HILT 1 | PROLOGUE | MEDIEVAL SERIES

ADVENTUROUS MEDIEVAL SHORT STORY SERIES

 

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THE GOLDEN HILT

Lakmeer sat on the high mountain of a sand dune looking at the far stretching road in front of him. He had been sitting there most of the days since his father had left. He was a fine young man going to turn five and ten after three to four moons, he had fine long hair, silkier than any he had ever seen even his father said so. This was both his and his father’s favorite spot, usually he would sit here with his father and would listen to him speak about his travels. His father had met many different types of people through his travels. All sorts of learners and warriors and he had talked to them about their life and his own life. The learners would teach him of the secrets of the world, about how Earthquakes are caused and what the Earth really is and all sorts of things. While the warriors would proudly show him their scars and tell their story, Lakmeer wanted to be a warrior and fight for the right cause the whole his life.

His father would talk about all of them like once he met this young man, who told his father that the sky was a shield from the Giant snake that resides in the sky and that if the sky weren’t there so this giant snake would come and devour whole of humanity. His father knew many things and had many interesting stories about his travels but he wasn’t here now, how he wished that his father had been here telling him about his travels.

His father had left with a new caravan, that consisted of people from different parts of the world. There were people who would tower over the tallest person Lakmeer had ever seen, people with copper skin and almond shaped eyes who were from the far southern deserts. And others that were as short as his younger brother with eyes that seemed totally shut, people from the Eastern grasslands. But the ones that scared him were the people from the dark lands, with skin as black as charcoal and bushy hair, people said that they killed and ate their weak children and the ones who got injured and couldn’t walk or didn’t have a hand or any disability. Any weakness meant being killed and eaten by the ones who eat dinner with you. His father had told him about each of these people, their origin, and where they were going and what they were like, the copper-skinned are famous warriors he had said.

Lakmeer remembered all of it like it was yesterday but really all of that was long ago, everyone said it was two moons ago but to Lakmeer it seemed years had passed. Every day he would sit here in the hope that he would be the first to see his father’s party return but all in vain. Now it all seemed stupidity. One day he had seen a caravan coming towards the village, he had happily run towards it thinking it was his father’s but when he had reached it, all he had seen were fat merchants riding in front of their merchandise’ carts and riders with their long swords, some had it in the scabbards on their backs and some had it on their hips and singers with their strings one of the singers was singing a travel song at the top of his voice and playing the strings, the others were just enjoying the sweetness of the song. In the past this would have made him happy to see new faces and meet new people and listen to folktales and folk music of different people from different areas, but now all it did was disappoint him.

When his father’s return was due but he didn’t, his uncle had gone to the nearest city to get some information, he had been told that the caravan had stayed the night under the city walls but had left at first light. Uncle believed that something bad must have happened. Due to the war going on around the capital, where his father had gone, the peace of the whole country didn’t exist like it used to.

He was thinking about all of it that suddenly he heard the crunch of sand under someone’s feet, he looked behind and saw that it was his uncle. His uncle stood there by him and said, “waiting for someone?” He wanted to say “My father, your younger brother upon whom you have given up.” But he kept silence, he knew that his Uncle loved and cared for his father but he was too old and tired for long travels and even if he wanted to go he couldn’t he had the duties of the whole village upon him and he was nothing if not dutiful. And he had already sent more than one person and all they had said was that the whole country was at war and soldiers and kings and commoners were all dying alike. They had news about the country but no news of his father, except one messenger said that there could be news of him at the city of Gordor which was the capital and that’s where his father had gone, but nobody could go there due to the war going on in the country. Sometimes he felt he should go but his uncle would never let him leave the village.

Got a sweet tooth for poems?

Looking at his uncle, Lakmeer didn’t know what to feel about him whether to pity him or to get angry at him, but he soon got the answer when his uncle sighed and sat down like an old tired man. He kept staring at his uncle and his features while his uncle kept looking at the far stretching road, this old man who was his uncle about whom his father had talked with pride, the one who had fought wars and was made the chief of the village by a living chief and that is not something that normally happens, looked way older than he already was and even more tired.

He stood up and said,” Uncle, I didn’t know you liked this place as well.” His uncle looked at him and smiled,” This place is charming yes, but I didn’t come to see at the length of the road. I came to see you.” He knew what his uncle was talking about but he didn’t show it,” Me?” He smiled at his uncle but he felt the tears that were blurring his view. His uncle pretended he had not seen it,” Yes, you. your mother asked me to talk to you. You are always sitting here and looking at the road, what do you think that will give you. People die son…” This made him angry and he snapped at his uncle,” He is not dead” Now tears were rushing all over his face but he didn’t care anymore and let it all go down. His uncle sighed and stood up and left without saying any other word, and Lakmeer looked at his uncle go, and all remained were his footsteps on the sand and the wind was clearing even that.

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