Post by Sable on Feb 6, 2012 13:58:12 GMT -5
As he walked into his house, Fabian was greeted by the hearty smell of mushroom stew that bubbled slowly over the fire. Smiling warmly at his wife, he began to serve himself some stew. He had been out since the crack of dawn working the fields, and he had just enough time to eat and spend some time with his family before he had to leave the house for the second time in one day, to go on guard duty. Much as he hated guard duty, times were tough for him and his family, and they needed the money. As he sat eating in the warm of his home, his youngest son grabbed his tunic.
“What is it son?” Fabian asked, seeing the excited look in his son's face.
“When you go out tonight papa, you'll see the fire in the North.”
Puzzled by his son's remark, he inquired “fire in the North? What are you talking about?”
“James says that he woke up last night and looked out of his window, and saw the sky on fire in the North”
Fabian turned to his eldest son, giving him a stern look.
“James, what have I told you about scaring your brother with stories?”
“It's true pa, I saw it last night. It was like the whole sky to the north was on fire. It was just red all over.”
“That's enough, James” Fabian said quickly. “I'll not have you filling your brother's head with nonsense and stories.”
“...but Pa..”
“No buts...now shouldn't you be helping your mother with something?”
As his eldest son walked off grumpily to help his mother with the cleaning, Fabian looked once again at the excited toddler.
“And as for you...let me tell you....The sky wasn't on fire, and at night time....it is dark.”
The cold wind bit into Fabian, even through the coat and warm clothes he had put on in anticipation of the long night ahead of him. Guard duty was a pointless ordeal here in Hassja, nothing of any danger ever came to the town, the goblins very rarely came this far north, and that was the most danger Hassja had ever seen since it was first built. Nonetheless, the pay was good, and the work was easy. Fabian sat down on a rocky outcrop that overlooked the town, and before long, he had entered his usual routine of staring into the distance, watching the sun go down.
The sky was a dull orange as the sun was disappearing over the horizon, and Fabian was bored. This night was going to be especially long he felt, and he shifted slightly on the rock he was perched on, reaching into a small pouch at his belt. Taking a large gold coin out of the pouch, he realised that this was his last Crown, and felt a pang of panic as he thought about what would happen if he ran out of money completely. He nervously flipped the coin over his fingers, and as the coin turned over his hand, it glimmered red. Surely the sun had already set?
He cast his gaze around the sky, and sure enough, the sun had long since set. With disbelief and terror, he saw however that the sky to the North was filled with a grim red glow. He stared for a minute at the strange phenomenon, unable to believe what he was seeing. It was as though the entire landscape to the North was on fire, but that wasn't possible. Although...the strange lizard people had been spreading tales of something terrible coming from the North...perhaps they weren't exaggerating. Whatever this glow was...the town council needed to know about it, Fabian decided as he stood up and began to run back towards Hassja bearing the urgent news.
“What is it son?” Fabian asked, seeing the excited look in his son's face.
“When you go out tonight papa, you'll see the fire in the North.”
Puzzled by his son's remark, he inquired “fire in the North? What are you talking about?”
“James says that he woke up last night and looked out of his window, and saw the sky on fire in the North”
Fabian turned to his eldest son, giving him a stern look.
“James, what have I told you about scaring your brother with stories?”
“It's true pa, I saw it last night. It was like the whole sky to the north was on fire. It was just red all over.”
“That's enough, James” Fabian said quickly. “I'll not have you filling your brother's head with nonsense and stories.”
“...but Pa..”
“No buts...now shouldn't you be helping your mother with something?”
As his eldest son walked off grumpily to help his mother with the cleaning, Fabian looked once again at the excited toddler.
“And as for you...let me tell you....The sky wasn't on fire, and at night time....it is dark.”
The cold wind bit into Fabian, even through the coat and warm clothes he had put on in anticipation of the long night ahead of him. Guard duty was a pointless ordeal here in Hassja, nothing of any danger ever came to the town, the goblins very rarely came this far north, and that was the most danger Hassja had ever seen since it was first built. Nonetheless, the pay was good, and the work was easy. Fabian sat down on a rocky outcrop that overlooked the town, and before long, he had entered his usual routine of staring into the distance, watching the sun go down.
The sky was a dull orange as the sun was disappearing over the horizon, and Fabian was bored. This night was going to be especially long he felt, and he shifted slightly on the rock he was perched on, reaching into a small pouch at his belt. Taking a large gold coin out of the pouch, he realised that this was his last Crown, and felt a pang of panic as he thought about what would happen if he ran out of money completely. He nervously flipped the coin over his fingers, and as the coin turned over his hand, it glimmered red. Surely the sun had already set?
He cast his gaze around the sky, and sure enough, the sun had long since set. With disbelief and terror, he saw however that the sky to the North was filled with a grim red glow. He stared for a minute at the strange phenomenon, unable to believe what he was seeing. It was as though the entire landscape to the North was on fire, but that wasn't possible. Although...the strange lizard people had been spreading tales of something terrible coming from the North...perhaps they weren't exaggerating. Whatever this glow was...the town council needed to know about it, Fabian decided as he stood up and began to run back towards Hassja bearing the urgent news.
