Uninvited Guest

High fantasy novel? Reviews are preferred.

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In a barn there lived a family. Not the disgusting ones that gave the stench of manure and urine while the floors only were covered by the straws and hay, none for sitting or eating: this was a proper home for a family, and justly clean as so.

A door was carved into the long side of the barn, an ashy brown as the rest of the wood that made up the structure, with a copper handle placed on the left side of the door. The door opened to tiled and carpeted floors, with polished wood walls and beams supporting the well-arched roof that covered soft cushioned chairs and seats of a long table placed in the middle. The barn house was built on the Plains - The Plains, as many called the land, and its people, favored the barns for homes. The stairs led upwards to the balcony that overlooked the polished dinner table, and each wooden post of the railing was beautifully carved and decorated with etched floral designs that mirrored each other. The bedrooms and wardrobes were all placed above ground, the remaining dining room, kitchen, pantries, bathrooms, and gallery were tightly placed on the ground floor. The bedrooms were the ones placed next to the short sides of the barn, for each room had its little balcony, enough room one to stand but not quite be able to place a chair to sit down and enjoy the sun that rose from the East.

The family that lived in this home were the well-to-do Simpletons. The family was seen in good light and manner not only for their reputation for generous donations in support of the midsummer's fair but because of their distinguished lineage. The Simpletons splintered off from the bigger and more prominent group of merchants that ran trade from the Ports of Fideo up to the snowy ramparts of Arpeakwich. But one day, the son of the merchant's guild leader, in either defiance or pride, left the safe havens of his father's influences and took upon himself the surname 'Simpleton.' Perhaps the man took the name in spite to anger his father, or to pay homage to the first treaty of 'Simple,' that signified the start of the prosperous age of trading in Velteria, no one knows. Either way, they found success in their specialty of spices and dried herbs.

From the mother, who married into and later took upon her husband names, came the line of the Elts. While not as well-known and prodigious as the money-inclined Simpletons of the Plains, the Elts had a history to them. The great-grandfather of the present-day Simpleton-nee-Elts was once a knight, bearing oath and fealty to kingdom Milider of the upper Northeast. When relieved of his duty, the Elt Knight sought a new life and went to the Plains along with many others to colonize the grasslands. But it seemed the life of valor and action did not end with Sir Elts retirement. The wanderlust ever-present in each Elts appeared ever so often, taking them away from the Plains and into the broader world. The neighbors and residents of the Plains looked down poorly at such actions, afraid that their children would hear of such tales and be inspired themselves to jump headfirst into such folly.

But for Kiara Simpleton, formerly Elt, no such wild or adventurous spirit had arisen in her heart like those of her brothers or uncles. Whether it was still buried deep down or skipped her generation was unknown and untested for she had already settled down. She married the eldest son of the then young Samase Simpleton, who inherited along with his two younger brothers the Simpleton Trade Company. Samase's father Silverton Simpleton commissioned the skilled hands of Bollow Balgins to build a large and luxurious barn house for the newlyweds there was to be seen in Plains and maybe a little more past its borders. In the barn house, they raised their two sons and daughter, all of which differed in age no more than three summers.

The eldest of the Simpleton siblings was the ever serious and studious Harrifold Simpleton. As the burden of many older siblings, the eldest held the most responsibility and expectations to one day take part in the trading ventures. It was apparent that, like his father, he placed more capital and interest towards money than manners, quick to howl slurs and profanities when angered, and in the rare instances when happy, do the same. His desire and drive to one day take the mantle from his father's hands led many to look upon the young man as a prospective son-in-law in the making.

Next came the eldest daughter and the delight of the Simpletons was the lovely Lynne Simpleton. While admittedly not the most attractive young lady to grace or walk the Plains grassy knolls and hills, her natural grace and gentle demeanor along her honeyed words trapped many hearts of men young and old alike. But her greatest strength lay in tremendous skill for arithmetics. Her affinity for the numbers was first discerned by Mother Simpleton on a morning trip to the marketplace, where miraculously, the girl was able to count the numbers of apples stacked on the stand as well as accurately tell the amount earned by the seller casually as one would talk about the weather. The young woman has become an integral part of bookkeeping and the weighing of gains and losses of delving into the seasonal goods and such. But such work has latched the smell of ink and paper that faintly permeates the air around her.

Last, but certainly not the least, was Seöran Simpleton, the youngest of the Simpleton children. Unlike his older siblings, whose looks favored the father's, it was visible to any that the boy took after his mother if she was born male. Mild-mannered, the boy did not have the drive of the eldest brother, nor the talents of the eldest daughter, Seöran took interest to elsewhere. As the youngest child, the rest of the Simpleton's spoiled the boy, assigning no work unless necessary. No jealously arose from the other Simpleton children for they too adored their younger brother; Harrifold always brought the boy to the nearby town of Belshand to see the world outside of the Plains or Lynne taking upon herself to educate the boy in sciences and histories. And time flew, and soon the boy was now at the cusp of manhood at the age of sixteen summers. But there was still the chance, that maybe Seöran who took more to Eltan heritage would also inherit the queer characteristics and one day take the chance to leave home. And that chance did arrive.

One evening, where the small breeze brought down from the north chilled the air slightly cooler and the Plains people prepared for the summer's solstice, and Seöran Simpleton sat on the ground, leaning against the cobblestone well and reading a well-worn book. To take his mind off matters related to his strange dreams, he sought refuge outdoors in the peaceful sprawling farmland before him. Then came Belfost, who sat down next to the boy under the small roofing of the well.

Looking up from his book, Seöran noticed that the man wore a tanned, pointed hat with brims that extended about a hands length outward, a white beard that covered half his chest, a long brown cloak that appeared almost baggy and weathered tied together at the waist with a white sash that held a scabbard along with a sword, and a dark brown boots. The old man left his staff leaning against the well next to him as he was sitting down. But something in his mind told him he knew the elderly man.

"Hello there, happy solstice day," Seöran said politely. The old man was seasoned and looked well-traveled, perhaps the stranger was another merchant who had arrived from the neighboring towns or cities, in which case, as a merchant's son, obligated to greet the man. If not, it was the mannerism trained into him to do, hours of his mother's spanks carved these polite greetings and actions into his very body. Belfost turned to face him, the man's eyes bushy eyebrows and mustache dyed a white color with a sprinkle of light brown hair strands here and there. The imagery reminded Seöran of when he added a touch of pepper to salt.

"Greetings to you, young man," he said. "But can you direct me to the Elts? I'm afraid my mind is a bit muddled and I lost my way on the road here. It is difficult to find their residences since most of these barns resemble each other so closely."

"No wonder you got lost," Seöran said out loud. "The lands of the Elts barn house along with others were taken down some time ago in place for more area for farmland and roads. You look quite tired, maybe you should rest and drink some water from the well before continuing with your journey." Then Seöran dropped a bail into the well before dragging it up, filled with sloshing water. He handed the bail of water to the old man, who drank from it with great gulps of water that trailed like small rivers down the mane of beard.

"Very refreshing," Belfost said. "Thank you for the offer, but I must be on my way. I have no time for rest, and must find an Elt."

"Well, you have found one already. Let me properly greet myself. I'm Seöran Simpleton, son of Samase Simpleton and Kiara Simpleton, formerly of the Elts, at your service." said Seöran, giving a slight bow towards the old man. But as he rose from his small bow, he saw the old man stare momentarily at him before he raised a hand himself.

"Well to do, young Simpleton. But I'm afraid we've already met before, haven't we? It has been some time, but I recognize you, the youngest of the three Simpleton's children, Seöran. Does the name Belfost sound familiar?"

"Oh, yes! Belfost, Belfost the wizard!" Seöran exclaimed, the memories of his childhood flooding back to him as he remembered the few times he saw the wizard. "The fellow who gave Carnegie Carnold the magical spinning top that only stops when water is poured on it? The wizard who told the tales of dragons, knights, goblins, and princesses? Ah, if my memory serves me right, you talked in lengths with my father once to purchase large quantities of - correct me if I'm wrong - over twenty barrels of pummeled hydrandragas stem? But the bigger question is why are you in search of the Elts?"

"So it does seem you do remember me," Belfost chuckled, gingerly grasping his staff between his hands. "It warms my heart that children of young still remember my tales. I take upon myself to educate children that the borders of the world do not end at the Plains. And you were wrong."

"Wrong? I was quite sure that you were discussing trade over such materials."

"Oh no, you're right, but that was not only the thing I discussed with your father. But I am here to continue my discussions, and this time, you can be a part of our conversations as well."

Belfost stood up from his seat on the well, taking time to wipe any dirt there was to be on his cloak. The wizard turned to face the sun before words were too quiet to be heard. Then he turned to face Seöran.

"Come now, we must leave for your home, there's much to discuss."

Broken from his thoughts, Seöran began to walk back home, with the wizard following close behind. Meanwhile, Belfost was carefully examining the young man's back, his eyes scanning and searching for something.

Eventually, the duo had arrived before the Simpleton's barn house. The sun had set, and with it came the many glow of yellow light emitting from the windows of each barn house. The residents huddled inside, celebrating the festivities of summer's end and welcoming the winter. Opening the door, Seöran was greeted by the sweet smell of his mother's honey-glazed, the roasted pig that brought forth saliva to his mind and mouth. He had restrained the sparks that tingled in arms and legs from bursting forth towards the dining room, keeping in mind that there was a guest. He had trouble like these every so often - the unwillingness to wait when wait was not wanted, needed or desired by the hungry belly of a growing boy. He'd been admonished numerous times by his sister and mother for it.

Taking Belfost to the dining room, he found his family had yet to begin the feast.

"Father, mother, brother, and sister. At his request, I've brought Belfost before us. I hope you would allow him to join us for supper," said Seöran, eyeing the tender meat of the roasted pig as he licked his lips.

Annoyance flashed across Samase's face before his wife placed a hand on his shoulder, giving the man a stern look as well, to dissuade the man from barring the wizard as a guest.

"Belfost," said Samase unwillingly, which Seöran took note of. "We offer you hospitality."

Taking a seat, Seöran, as he usually did, sat between his mother and sister. Samase sat at the head of the table with Harrifold sitting across from his mother. Belfost took a seat on the other end of the table, across from Samase, his hat, robes, and staff placed at the pegs next to the door. Samase glowered at the old man across the table who stared back. The tension between the two men became tangible to Seöran as he looked back and forth between the two, wondering what might occur next.

"Let's eat now, shall we?" His mother said loudly, cutting through the tension like a knife. While the tension had evaporated, the meal was eaten in silence. But after a whiles, talk soon resumed at the table.

And so conversation began again. Samase would talk of his day at store house supplemented by the occasional inputs provided by Harrifold. The rest nodded and said their thoughts on matters and topics to the best of their knowledge and opinions what should be, could be, would be, and definitely shouldn't be. Belfost would quip up as well, always drawing the sore eyes of Samase as he did, before the man would continue on as if he had heard nothing from across the able. Intrigued by the strange play before him, Seöran leaned closer to his sister Lynne.

"Why does father look as if he wants to ram pen down Belfost eyes?" Seöran whispered into his sister's ears quietly. But it seemed that more than Lynee had heard his question.

"Your father blames me for the death of Caecilius Elts." Belfost said calmly.

A bang came from the other end of the table. Samase stood, his right fist balled tightly as his body shook in anger. His mouth was positioned into a snarl and his eyes bulged seemingly outward in rage.

"You dare still speak of his name! Was it not you, Belfost the Bearded, who filled the thoughts and vivid imagination of his mind to seek the glories and excitement of adventures and quests and talk of sailing to distance shores! And what happened to him, hmm? A body charred beyond any sane's mental ability to recollect any resemblance to a person. My wife cried for weeks upon seeing her father's dead body, I bring it upon myself to let my children bear the sight of such a disfigured and grotesque remains of their grandfather. Mark my words - no good has come from the Elts from associating with you, or my family has." said Samase. "You can stay the night, but I want you far away from my home and my family by the first light of tomorrow morn."

With that, Samase left the dining room, Kiara looking at Belfost with conflict in her eyes before following after her husband upstairs. Left behind were the three Simpleton children and the wizard.

"I do miss Caecilius terribly, but I have not come here to drudge up old misfortunes," said Belfost. "I came here seeking aid for a quest. As I did with your fathers and their fathers before them, I ask if anyone one of you may join this journey, to help restore the rightful heir to his place on the throne."

This was puzzling to Seöran. Belfort was called many things by many people by the folks of the Plains, but a fool was not one of them. He wondered why the wizard would choose them over the many more experienced combatants and warriors from the neighboring kingdoms.

"You are here because you believe one of us has inherited the fabled skill that our forefathers had. The gift of the mind that leaves no creature, mountain crest, or tree root unturned; foresight." Spoke Lynne, who gave the cloaked man a side-eyed look. "But I'm afraid no such gifts exist in this generation of Elts to the best of my knowledge. And hasn't since the death of our deceased grandfather."

Harrifold snorted not too different from a pig as he crossed his arms, a sneer directed towards Belfost. "Perhaps there existed such a person among us, why should we relieve ourselves of our duties and livelihoods to go prancing about for adventures? Would this seer not be better used for our family's prosperity than at the behest of an aging crone? What happened to our grandfather was a mistake, a mistake that our family paid dearly for. And to some heir presumptive at the very best? Excuse me, but I must get going, the night's end wanes near and I must wake early in preparation for the midsummer's festival."

Harrifold left the table and headed upstairs with the vigor and energy that betrayed a tired man he said himself to be. Lynne excused herself as well, albeit with a more polite manner of tone before heading for bed herself, leaving behind once again Seöran with Belfost.

"How about you, young Seöran? Will you excuse yourself as did your family to hide back in the safety of the Plains?" said the wizard, taking out a foiled peppermint before tossing it into his mouth. "There is much out there to be learned from then by the candlelight and books. While I can not promise you that you will find what you seek outside the Plains, I can guarantee you that the second-hand accounts from a book do not compare to witnessing it yourself."

Seöran kept silent. The young man lived in luxury. He never wanted or craved for which he could not get in some way or form. Every day, he went to sleep with a full belly and woke up expecting the same. But he slowly began to yearn to in the stories he read so much himself. To experience the rain and muddy roads. To smell the fresh pine of giant pines north. To feel the ocean spray hit his face on a voyage. To touch the coarse sands of the desert. But he shook his head; he was no one special, simple Seöran Simpleton of the Plains, nothing more.

"Sorry, but I must decline," said Seöran. "I can not place the idea of a person such as myself taking purchase in this grand adventure of yours. The farthest I've been away from the Plains was no more than a day's ride. I'm sorry Belfost, but I am not the person you seek for your journey."

The boy guided the aged man to the uninhabited room by the stairs. Wishing the wizard good night, Seöran left for his room down the hallway. His door opened to a small, but comfortable room that shined under the window's refraction of the crescent moon. A small desk stacked high with books and papers and adjacent to it was a bed with fresh linen and wool blankets so soft that it invited both the body and mind into a deep slumber. As the Simpleton rested his eyes in the wrappings of blankets, his mind wandered back to kings and wizards.