Early in the morning, carts passed through the village, picking up all the conscripts. They were being sent to the training grounds near the border town of Talvikar, and from there — to the fields near the village of Niverholm. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. For now, our heroes are saying goodbye to Kael.
"Well, it's time. Zenirius, you're in charge. And you guys... have fun," he said as a farewell.
At that very moment, Kael walked out of the house and got into the carriage, not giving his relatives a chance to say a word.
Kael's thoughts:I hate goodbyes — that's why I skipped the most pointless part.
"He's gone! Didn't even let us say a word! Who does he think he is?!" Lilith screamed through the house.
"Easy, easy, little sister. Maybe he had his reasons," Syrelia tried to calm her.
But Zenirius wasn't with them. He was lost in thought, realizing that now he had to feed his sisters and take responsibility for them. But snapping out of it quickly, he remembered — school starts in three hours. Time to go fishing. Saying a quick goodbye, he ran off to the fishing hut.
"Well, those idiots finally left us alone. So what now? Or rather, where do we start?" Lilith grumbled irritably.
"I think we should fetch some water and go to the market for bread. What are you getting?" Syrelia asked quietly.
"I'll get the water. You don't need to carry heavy stuff. Besides, I'm older," Lilith snapped and left the house.
Syrelia's thoughts:And here I am, alone… in a house that smells of herbs. Alright, time to get ready and head to the market.
Meanwhile, Kael was already halfway to his destination. The carts stopped in the city of Isengard. He stepped out, a bit stunned by the number of people and dwarves. Although this was normal for large cities, he could hardly imagine what the heart of the kingdom — the capital, Vigrad — must be like. Not wanting to overload his mind, he headed to the market to get some food — this was only halfway there.
At the same time, Zenirius was approaching the fishing hut. Two soldiers came up. One of them stopped abruptly:
"Hey, you! Miss the cart? Or are you a deserter?!" he shouted sharply.
"Sorry, but I'm not going to war," Zenirius managed to say.
"A deserter, huh? Why you—" growled the second one, drawing his sword.
"Wait, wait! I can't yet, I'm only 14!" Zenirius blurted out just as the sword rose.
"Fine, get out of here and stop crawling under our feet, shrimp!" the soldier grumbled.
Zenirius quickly backed away.
Meanwhile, Kael had bought some bread and water from a kind old dwarf. A conversation started.
"What's this, lad? The army at your age?" the old man said with regret.
"Time to defend the homeland," Kael replied, though deep down he knew — it wasn't truly his homeland. But blood always reminded him. He felt the injustice but remained silent.
"Eh… Sending such young lads to the front... We didn't do that in my time. Don't waste yourself," the dwarf said sadly.
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine!" Kael answered with enthusiasm.
"Listen, boy, wait here and watch the stall. Suspicious types lurk everywhere… I'll bring you something."
"You don't have to," Kael tried to decline.
"Quiet, don't argue!" barked the dwarf with surprising strength.
As Kael waited, he saw a boy running, chased by a soldier with a sword. Kael tensed but held his ground. He stepped into the boy's path, and the boy crashed into him. Bread and a couple of apples fell from his shirt.
"Finally caught the rat!" the soldier panted.
"Yeah, you caught him, alright..." Kael thought ironically. He decided to play along — people don't steal for fun.
"Hey, kid, I politely asked you to buy bread, gave you money, and what's all this mess?" Kael said loudly.
The boy froze, glancing around in confusion.
"Ah, listen, friend, forgive him. He was just being stingy. I'll pay for it," Kael said, pulling out his last coins.
"Is this enough?" he asked.
"It'll do. But I don't want to see him again!" the guard grumbled, taking the money.
"Unpleasant type," Kael thought, bending down to the boy.
"Look, I understand people don't steal food for fun. But there are ways besides stealing. At least, that's what I believe," he said.
"Alright..." the boy snorted. "Thanks, kind sir!"
"Kid, no one cares about your problems. And honestly, neither do I. I don't have the time or the resources to help you. Go in peace," Kael replied harshly.
"Thanks anyway!" the boy shouted and ran off.
"Kids these days…" Kael muttered.
Turning around, he saw the old dwarf clapping.
"I'm impressed," the dwarf said with satisfaction. "Thought I'd give you a few coins, but you've earned more. Come to my hut."
"You don't have to, old man…" Kael tried to refuse.
"Quiet! I said — follow me!" the dwarf barked sternly.
Inside the hut, Kael saw armor black as a moonless night, and a sword that looked fragile next to it. The air smelled of herbs and hot stew.
"Sit down, have breakfast," the old man ordered.
"Alright. But I don't have much time — I'm already late."
The stew had mushrooms and was delicious. While eating, the dwarf introduced himself:
"My name is Targen. I'm just an old man now, but I used to be a warrior at the king's court. Ah, those were the days…" he said thoughtfully.
"I was drafted too, just like you. Only I was three years older. I saw myself in you. I have a son — he runs a forge in the village of Bjordal, on the outskirts of Winteror. If you visit, he won't hold back. But I brought you here to give you my armor."
"Sir, you don't need to—"
"I know. This armor is special — it fears neither fire nor cold. Few weapons can pierce it. There are only ten sets like this in the world. It's Dragonslayer armor. See?" He pointed to the breastplate, where a sword was engraved in a dragon's mouth.
"How much do I owe you for it?"
"I don't need it anymore. And my son's not involved in the war. Only the sword is missing — I gave it to someone ten years ago. He died in the war. Only an old blade remains from the border wars. It's flimsy, but it won't fail in battle. I'll also give you a backpack made of light material — no matter what you carry, it'll always feel light."
"Wow... That's a treasure! Why not sell it?"
"I want to pass my legacy into good hands. Now get ready, suit up, and go — the carriage to Niverholm leaves soon."
Kael finished, thanked the old man a thousand times. He even gave him food and water for the road. And Kael set off again.
A little earlier, Syrelia had arrived at the market. It was unusually lively — vendors shouting over each other, the air full of spices, fresh bread, and sweat. She approached a familiar stall.
"Miss Karel! Are you here?" Syrelia called out.
"Oh, darling, hello," replied a kind voice from behind a wall.
"Hello, Miss Karel. I need some bread and a bit of salt."
"Sweetheart, I don't have much salt... but I'll run to Rita's and get you more."
"There's no need, Miss Karel," Syrelia said gently.
"How could I not bring a little salt for such a good girl? I'll be right back, it's no trouble!"
As Syrelia waited, a group of soldiers approached the market. Some vendors quickly closed their stalls, others froze, wary. Two of them walked up to Syrelia.
"Hey, kid, my buddy and I need some coin. You got any?" one asked rudely.
"Mmm-me?..?" she stammered in fear.
"'Not me,' huh? Heh, look how cute she stammers… Hey pal, maybe we should..."
"GET THE HELL OFF MY MARKET, YOU BASTARDS!!!" Karel screamed.
"Shit… It's the Cerberus Stall!"
Karel burst from behind the stall with a rolling pin in hand and charged the soldiers. They bolted, but she caught one and beat him mercilessly. Syrelia watched, mouth open. The other vendors didn't even flinch — as if it was routine.
After driving away the intruders, Miss Karel returned to Syrelia, breathing heavily.
"Sweetheart, did they scare you badly?" she looked into her eyes.
"A lot… but after what you did to them," Syrelia smiled, "I even laughed."
"Those bastards… Alright, here's your bread and salt."
"What about the money?"
"No need. I'll be fine. Go!"
"Thank you, Miss Karel!" Syrelia shouted and ran off.
"Next time, I'll show them even worse…" Karel muttered, gripping the rolling pin again.
And now, in the present, Zenirius and the sisters, having eaten breakfast, were already on their way to school.