Leaving Soon

A bug buzzed around a silent room and landed on the sleeping Henry's forehead.

At the sensation of something on his face, the dark-haired young man sat up straight. He immediately regretted his actions as his head started to throb.

His brown eyes looked left and right and he started remembering the previous day.

Hanging on a wooden chair next to his bed was a leather water skin he knew to be Trenton's. His mouth was unbelievably dry and he dove forward to get a drink he so desperately needed.

At his sudden action, a searing pain shot through his side and he remembered what had happened to him.

Despite all the discomfort, a smile spread across his face.

He won.

Not only did he win, but he got to see the princess, and she even called him sweet.

He ran a hand over his face and through his hair as he remembered how he couldn't stop thinking or talking about Princess Marie the more intoxicated he became.

"How embarrassing," he muttered to himself. "Probably gave those guys a good show."

He wondered if they were laughing about how ridiculous he was for being so taken by the princess.

But she called him sweet so he could live with that.

Deciding it was best to head to the stable so he could continue as he always did, he stood up and stretched one of his arms. The other arm grabbed his side and covered his stitches so Maximus's hard work from the previous day wouldn't go to waste.

Trenton had helped him out of his armor, but he was still wearing his clothing from the previous day. The regular tunic he wore was soiled with blood and the material was ripped anyway. He would have to find a way to wash it and sew it later.

Henry quickly changed into his only other shirt but kept the same pants and boots as the previous day. He made sure the onyx sword was tied correctly to his belt and he held the handle of the blade affectionately, thinking of how much they had been through together.

He couldn't help the lightness in his step as he walked out of his house. He could have started skipping and singing if he didn't think he would be judged for it.

Even if none of the other peasants knew of his win, it wouldn't stop his good mood.

There were clouds in the sky, but they were starting to burn away as the sun slowly ascended upwards.

As he got to the stable, he saw Leo sweeping the cobblestones and he wondered what the old man was doing out so early in the day.

"Good morning, Leo," he started, but he stopped talking, hearing the commotion from inside the stable.

He quickly went to the doorway and looked inside. There was a boy no older than 14 brushing one of the horses.

"Who is that?" Henry asked Leo.

Leo stopped what he was doing and crossed his arms, allowing the broom to fall against the wall of the stable. Instead of answering Henry's question, he gave him an order.

"You need to train the stablehand before you leave," Leo said. "The kid's name is Otto."

"Leave, sir?" Henry echoed.

He had never said anything to Leo that would make him believe he was leaving.

"You have one week to bring the new stablehand up to speed," Leo said, still not answering the question entirely. "Now rake the hay while he brushes that horse."

"Sir, what a–"

Henry was immediately cut off by a deep voice using an accent he had never heard in his life.

"There you are," the man said, leaning against a fence across the cobblestone road. "He said you would be here today."

The man had shoulder-length blond hair that was mixed with grey hair. He had to have been approaching his 50s. He stopped leaning against the fence and stalked towards Henry.

The closer he got, the more Henry noticed how intricate his red tunic was and how fine the leather of his brown boots was. This man certainly wasn't a peasant.

Henry couldn't help his hand going over the handle of his sword when he noticed the man carrying a large sword that was in a brown leather sheath. The sheath had intricate lettering burnt into the side, but it was a language Henry didn't understand.

"I mean no harm, Henry," the man said. "I'm here to give you a sword from someone who saw you in the competition yesterday."

"Who?" Henry asked.

"Can't say," the man responded quickly. "I'm merely delivering it for someone else. Accept the blade and think hard before you decide where you'll apprentice."

Henry's eyebrows lowered.

None of the knights had told him this would be something that would happen after the competition.

Henry was on a thin line feeling he wasn't worthy enough for such a beautiful gift but wasn't in a position to deny it either.

He hesitantly accepted the sword and the man bowed his head and quickly walked away.

Now it made sense, Henry thought. He imagined to Leo it must look like he was trying to escape at all costs.

It wasn't far from the truth, but he had intended to go through the process slowly. He didn't know the first thing about what was next and he wanted to talk to the older knights about it.

Henry had no other choice but to put the other sword on his belt next to the other one. He didn't even bother opening it, not wanting other people to see it and judge him for it.

Peasants were protective of each other and didn't take kindly to outside things. Many found pride in their status saying they had real freedom compared to those living in the walls. Henry wished he could be like them and be satisfied with a simple life.

With no other choice, he got to raking hay and tending to horses, working beside Otto in silence unless the boy asked a question.

His side ached with each movement, but he had no choice but to earn money. The future felt far away and uncertain.

Eventually, Leo came out and told him it was time to eat lunch.

Henry quickly finished his task of refilling a horse's water before he got away from the stable quickly.

Normally by now, he would have eaten a meal from the knights and he was beyond starving. The bread his mother had waiting for him sounded like heaven on Earth.

He could already smell the bread as he walked through the shabby door into his modest house.

Hearing her son, Celia ran forward and wrapped her arms around him protectively.

"My boy!" She shouted. "I was so worried when I heard the knights bring you home. I wasn't expecting you'd be out all day."

"Ouch!" Henry shouted and winced. "Mother."

He pulled her arms from around him and quickly pulled up his shirt. Where the poison had spread through his body was now raised and red as his body tried to heal from the trauma. He felt lucky the stitches were still intact after half a day of moving his body.

His mother gasped and put her hands on her cheeks at the side of such a gruesome gash.

"What on Earth happened?" Celia shouted. "That was from the sword fight? You must have been knocked out of the match quickly. I'm sorry, dear…"

Henry pulled back down his shirt and his eyes narrowed.

"Mother," he started. "I won the competition."

He wasn't going to tell her about the poison or get into the details about his match. She would overdramatize the situation and he couldn't handle it when he felt so hungry.

"You what?" She shouted again and Henry wondered how his neighbors weren't constantly knocking on his door. "I told Sylvia it was impossible and yet here you are!"

He shushed his mom and led her to a chair so she could sit down. After a whole lifetime of this, he knew how to calm down her excitement.

"I'm hungry," he stated and went to grab the fresh bread.

Once he was settled in one of the three chairs at the table, he decided to divulge his mother in the information she was dying to hear.

"I won, mother," he said. "I won four rounds of sword-fighting. Now I get to be an apprentice to one of the greatest knights in the land."

"An apprentice," she echoed with a dreamy look on her face.

He further explained what it meant and answered any other questions she had about the fight. However, the time for his lunch was ending and she was starting to get ideas based on his win the previous day.

"I have a new idea for my main character!" she cried suddenly.

Henry shook his head. There was never an end to her daydreaming, but he was sometimes just as bad.

As long as she was happy doing whatever she did, he would support her for as long as he lived.

Eventually, Henry had to get back to the stable in order to finish up for the day and finish telling Otto what tasks he did before he could consider the day to be complete.

The sun was starting its descent down the sky and he knew it would be time for dinner.

The afternoon was quiet except for the occasional noise from birds and he allowed himself to get lost in thought again as he swept the final bit of his mess.

"Henry," he heard Trenton's deep voice from behind him.

He quickly turned to see the older knight with Maximus in tow. Alix wasn't anywhere to be found.

Trenton's carefree smile quickly turned into a confused frown.

"Why on Earth are you carrying a Chemoian sword?" Trenton asked.