Chapter 1. Life Truly Started

My story began like most- a very long time ago, in a very far away place. My Mother had no husband when I was born; so I never knew my father's name or face. One day, Mother left the house to buy a loaf of bread and never returned. I waited for days for her return; only to realize I was abandoned. I was  7 years old.

After the 5th day, I left the house in search for food. It had been day's since I last ate, and  was dizzy from hunger. Our home was outside the perimeter of a small village. I made my way into the village then, finally overwhelmed, collapsed. A carriage was heading towards my body laying there in the dust, the driver no longer in control of the horse. I closed my eyes, and waited for death because I was too weak to move. The carriage stopped ,suddenly, dead in it tracks. I opened my eyes to see a old man standing in front of me, and the horse stopped. He asked if I could stand; I couldn't. This stranger picked me up off the road, and asked" Are you hungry?"

I said," yes very much so."

He laughed and with a big grin on his face, giving me some salted meat and bread from his satchel.

He asked," why are you so hungry and wandering around without your mother or father?" I told him what had happened to me, and a river of tears ran down his face, as I told him about my mother.

He told me that he worked for the King ,and he had been on a journey and was returning back to the kingdom.

He asked, "would you would like to come along. I could use a assistant, and you could live with me in the castle." This stranger saved my life, gave me food, shed tears for me, and wanted me to follow him. I said, yes without evening questioning it. A small part of me wonder; why did he want me to be his assistant on our journey. It would be another day before we reach the castle, and I decided to ask him a question.

"What is it that you do for the King?"

The older man answered, "I am the Mage that works for the King, and you will be my assistant and perhaps my replacement. I could tell when I met you, that you could have great potential to be a great Mage just like me ; perhaps even greater then I."

We arrived at the castle, and the castle was breathtakingly beautiful. The gardens were amazing, the walls were massive, the towers were so pointy, and the guards were scary. We entered the castle, and met with the King. The Mage bowed his head, and he placed his hand on my head, so I would bow too .

The King said, "Great Mage Fairday, I see you have returned from your trip to gather supplies, and I see that you brought someone along. Who is he?"

Mr. Fairday cleared his throat so he could be heard clearly," He is a boy I found from the village not to far from here; he was starving, motherless,  and fatherless. I sense great potential in him, and I would like to ask you King, if I could teach him to be my assistant and perhaps my future replacement. I am getting on in years, and I have so much to teach the boy. It's the job of the King's Mage to find a worthy replacement for him ,if he or she dies."

"Very well. I will allow it, he will be taught by you, live with you, and eat the same food as you. But if he does anything I disapprove; he will be thrown out of the castle or be executed."

" I understand your Majesty, said Mr. Fairday."

We left the throne room ,and proceeded to the mages home in the castle. A great weight was lifted off my shoulder when the King let us go; I believe I held my breath the entire time Mr, Fairday spoke to highness . When I finally looked up from my daze I saw my new home.   He had his very own tower to live in and work in, in the castle. The outside was beautiful maybe a bit overgrown with brambles, but the inside was a pig sty.

Mr. Fairday told me, " the first thing you do is take a bath and rest until lunch time. Then we will get to work. "

I took my bath and napped like he told me to; it was the best sleep I had in a long time. Later that evening, one of the cooks  brought some food to the Mage tower; it was delicious. I spent the rest of the day cleaning and organizing his books, supplies, and potion bottles. Whenever he would dozed off, I would read some of the magic books he had. One day, he played possum ,and caught me red handed slacking my chores to read his magic books. I thought he would be angry, but instead he was happy. We skipped the rest of the chores to read books, and he even read me one as a bedtime story. My mother never read me a bedtime story. Mr. Fairday was strong and reliable like a Father, and sweet and caring like a Mother. He was at this point my only family. He began teaching me the basics, and I was decent at best. Everyone in the castle started getting to know me, and started teaching me what they knew. The guards told me to stand up for myself, the cooks told me how to bake, and the gardeners told me how grow vegetables and herbs .