Chapter 1A Chapter by Addi Here's the first chapter- if you like it, I'll post the second please please please review Sebastian walked, the ground frozen beneath his feet.
The smell of winter hung in the air, and the sun was just beginning to creep
out from behind the clouds in the distance. It was a cold morning and the
meadow was still thick with fog from the night before. A gust of wind hit
Sebastian squarely in the chest, almost knocking him over as his feet slipped
on the ice. Not exactly perfect weather for a nice stroll in the sunshine. “Over here!” Kerry called, a couple of steps behind
him. She bent down to pick up the
wounded bird from where it lay in a patch of thawed grass. Sebastian turned
back and watched as she gently held the dove in her palm. The poor animal’s
wing was broken and twisted at a painful angle. “What should we do?” she asked. The concern was
evident in her eyes. That was Kerry, always worrying about everyone but
herself. “There’s not much we can do,” replied Sebastian. “We
might as well put it out of its misery.” “Well, you do it. I can’t watch.” Kerry passed the
dove to Sebastian and started walking back along the path, but she halted after
only a few steps. “Sebastian?” “Yes, Kerry?” “There’s an envelope over here, where I found the
bird. No, hold on, two envelopes!” “Um, ok, good to know…” She grabbed the first envelope and broke the seal. In one glance she took in the carefully crafted stamp at the top of the letter. She unfolded the rest of the page, and reached for the other envelope. “Sebastian!” “Kerry, come on, I’m in the middle of something here. So
there’s some envelopes. What do you want me to do about it?” snapped Sebastian. “I think the dove was delivering us a message. They're
from the King.” Sebastian read through his letter once more, for about
the hundredth time. Bobette, the grumpy old cat, lay curled at his feet,
licking her paws contentedly. She kept one eye on him at all times, with the
affectionate gaze she saved for him only. She was a fussy old cat, but, for
some God forsaken reason, she loved Sebastian. The fireplace crackled and spit,
illuminating the corner where stood a tattered armchair. In the chair, knitting
needles clicking furiously, sat Sebastian’s mother. “Thomas?” she began, staring at her son with absent
eyes. “It’s Sebastian, Mum,” he said patiently, his tone
gentle. “Sebastian? Do I know a Sebastian?” “I’m your youngest son. I’m eighteen next month.” “Well where’s Thomas? Go get him for me, would you? I
want to have a word with that fool about what he said to me earlier,” murmured
Mrs Worth. “Dad’s dead, Mum,” sighed Sebastian. About two years
ago, his mother lost her memory. No herbalist, doctor or healer could explain
how or why, only that it was almost certain to be a permanent thing. His older
brothers had already moved out and had families of their own, so ever since,
Sebastian had been left to look after his mother all alone. Kerry visited from
time to time: she was the most patient person he knew, and that really helped
with the situation. But mostly, it was just the two of them: Mrs Worth, the
madwoman, and her son, the live-in nurse. It was true, he would never be able
to do anything with his life. His mother needed constant care, and he was the
only one there to give it. His siblings all had jobs and lives outside of their
nondescript little hometown, but he would never get that chance. Kerry smiled her strangely crooked smile. Her features
were a muddle of intense black eyes, thin lips and a long nose. No one could
ever call her pretty, but she had a beautiful smile. However, Sebastian was one
of very few people who knew what that smile meant: she wanted something. “What is it?” he asked, grinning. Kerry attempted a
confused look. As always, her face reflected exactly what she was thinking no
matter how she tried to hide it. “What is what?” “I know you want something, so out with it.” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kerry
responded defiantly. “But I have been thinking…” Sebastian laughed. “You know
those messages from the King?” “Yeah.” “Well, that’s… it’s amazing, don’t you think?” She
pulled her letter out of her pocket. Dear
Kerry Alice Rollens, It is with
the utmost pleasure that I invite you to my courts to partake in the
newly established Battle of Larion. This battle involves competitors from all
walks of life, the young, the old, the talented, the beautiful, the powerful,
the brave. There shall be thirteen of these competitors, and each will train
for a period of eleven weeks at my castle. Then the thirteen will be put to the
test in a series of challenges and battles. After each
challenge, the lowest achieving contender will be eliminated from the Battle of
Larion. And so it shall continue until there is one person left, the Champion.
This champion will become my supreme advisor, and when they reach the age of
twenty-two (if they have not already done so), they will also be chief
commander of my army. My Champion will live in the castle and have all the riches
he or she could ever dream of. You may in
fact be wondering what the purpose of the Battle of Larion actually is. I am
not prepared to disclose my reasoning at this point, but I will tell you that I
am in search of a person who might protect our lands and be put forth as
Champion of the Kingdom to serve me in future endeavours. It has been
brought to my attention, Miss Rollens, that
you have a powerful mind and several uncanny abilities that would serve me
well. So I, the King, personally request you to compete in the
Battle of Larion. I hope you
are well and I look forward to hearing from you in the next week. Yours truly, King Siotan
Sebastian's own letter, which was folded carefully under his pillow, was almost identical, except that it mentioned his bravery and skill with a sword. He had read it so many times that he knew it off by heart. “I mean, the King specifically requested us,” Kerry gushed. “I just think it’s
worth considering, don’t you?” “No.” “But-” “Look, Kerry, you do whatever the hell you want. I’m
not stopping you from becoming just another pawn in Siotan’s little game,” said
Sebastian. “Just don’t bring me into this, ok?” She rolled her eyes at him. “Sebastian. Think about it. I can’t force you to go,
but at least think about it. The King is offering us the opportunity of a
lifetime. It’s not chess. This could be the beginning of a change in luck for
you. And even if it’s not, it will be an experience.” “And what about my mum, huh? You think I can just
leave her here by herself?” he demanded. “She’ll be fine…” mumbled Kerry. “You say that, but deep down you know that she won’t.
There’s any number of things that could go wrong if she’s left alone.” “Think about it.” After that they just sat there in
silence, comforted by each other’s presence, but content inside their own
thoughts. Kerry was Sebastian’s best friend. They had grown up together and she
had been there for him when no one else had. But sometimes she just couldn’t
understand. She tried to, but she couldn’t. She didn’t know what it was like
for Sebastian, to have his mother not even recognise him most days. To be stuck
with the shadow of a person he used to know, and have to stay there and endure
the heartache no matter what. He couldn’t just get up and leave. That wasn’t
the way it worked. Besides, “The Battle of Larion” sounded fake and stupid
anyway. As Kerry slammed the door behind her, she was greeted
by a loud keening sound. She ran down the hallway and turned left into the
kitchen, where her father was trying to boil water. “What’s all that noise?” she asked. Mr Rollens whipped
around and gave her a well-rehearsed death stare. “Well if I knew then I would’ve stopped it, wouldn’t I?”
he shouted at her. Just then, her mother hurried in, her face and hands coated
in sawdust. “What’s that noise?” she demanded, gesturing wildly as
she often did while she spoke. “I’m trying to fix the bloody porch step,
because you’re too bloody useless to do it! All I asked you to do was get me a
flaming cup of tea! What the hell have you done?” Mr Rollens flinched under his
wife’s stony glare. “Well, I-” “Don’t you start making excuses, now! Oh get out of
the way, you’re bloody useless!” Kerry couldn’t help smiling to herself as her
mum pushed her father aside and sent him staggering back into the wall. Mrs
Rollens bent over and set to work on getting rid of the noise, amid repeated
mutterings of “bloody useless!”. Kerry
quickly exited the room before her presence was noticed, because she would
surely be told to “pull on some overalls and fix the bloody porch step, bloody
brainless girl!”. Her parents were rather an odd pair, constantly screaming at
each other and holding grudges that seemed to last forever. Her father was more
likely to scream at his children, but when her mother entered a room, he turned
to jelly and she was the one doing the screaming. But they were loveable once you
got to know them, and they really did care about their family, which wasn’t
something that could be said for everyone in the town. Sebastian made his way through winding alleyways and
crowded markets, until he reached the little yellow house on the corner of
Teller and Jone Street. It could’ve been a nice place, except the lawn was
unmown, vines were growing up the house, paint was peeling, and good old
Mergol, peering out of a foggy window, couldn’t care less. Mergol was a hard person
to describe. On first glance, it was difficult to tell whether he was a man or
a woman. He was one of the best healers in the Kingdom, but a definite oddball,
which put off some of the customers. Sebastian walked up to Mergol’s home and
knocked. After a moment, the door creaked open and there stood the old man.
Dull blue eyes bore into Sebastian’s. The unruly grey curls down to the
shoulders, brightly coloured robes and a tribal necklace completed the look of
a lunatic charlatan, but Mergol was far from what he looked like. “Good morning, sir,” greeted Sebastian politely.
Silence. “Uh, can I come in please?” “I think not,” replied the healer. “See, I need to talk to you. It’s about my mother.” “Very well then, wipe your feet on the mat,” sighed
Mergol. Sebastian followed him inside and found himself in the strangest living
room he had ever seen. Every inch of the space was covered in black. Black
furniture, black carpet, black walls. There was just one thing that wasn’t
black: a white owl, perched on the arm of a chair. “This is… nice,” Sebastian said finally, at a loss for
words. “Don’t lie,” Mergol tutted. “Never lie to me,
Sebastian. You will regret it. Now, have a seat and tell me what’s wrong with
that stupid old mother of yours this time.” “Well, it’s not so much her, it’s more a problem I
have with her. I need some medical advice.” “Need some medical advice, or want some medical
advice?” “Want, I guess. I want to know if it would be alright
to leave her on her own for a while.” “How long?” “I don’t know, forever?” Mergol laughed, more of a
cackle really. Sebastian flinched at the sound. “You want the harsh truth? If you want to leave,
you’ll need to find someone reliable to stay with her, and those people are
hard to come by. She’s very unstable, anything could happen if she’s alone or
left in the wrong hands. You can’t just go, that’s never going to be possible.”
“I thought as much,” sighed the young man, standing
up. “Thanks for your time.” “Is there a particular reason why you want to go, or
is it just teenage selfishness?” asked Mergol, frank as ever. Sebastian turned
back to face the old man as he made his way to the door. “I got an interesting offer from the King,” he
replied. “The Battle of Larion?” said Mergol. “How did you know?” “I recommended you to His Majesty.” “You did? Why? You barely know me.” “Most people would just take it as a compliment and
walk away, Sebastian.” “Well then, Mergol, I suppose I’m not most people.” “I know you’re not. That’s why I recommended you.” Mrs Worth was in the kitchen, making stew. Thomas
Worth’s favourite, beef and potato. She wandered out into the living room to
finish off some knitting. And soon enough, she forgot that stew was cooking.
She was busy searching for Christmas decorations when Sebastian burst through
the door, screaming. “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?” he yelled, startling
his mother. “What are you moaning about? I want two cups of goat’s
milk. Make it snappy,” cried Mrs Worth. But Sebastian had already disappeared
into the kitchen. Flames had erupted and begun eating up the room, angry red
beasts demolishing their prey. It took fifty buckets of water and lots of screaming
for help before the fire was out. The whole room was a mess, blackened
furniture, charred floor. Sebastian couldn’t bear to look at it anymore, so he
retreated to his bedroom. This room contained the bare minimum, with only a bed
and a chest of drawers. Kerry had always wanted to decorate it, but Sebastian
was adamant on the issue. He flopped onto the bed, and buried his face in the
pillow. This was not usually something done by an eighteen-year-old boy, almost
man, but he was just sick of it, of
everything. How can I be stuck here for
the rest of my life? he asked himself. This
can’t be my destiny. As Kerry would
say, I’m meant for something better. Kerry piled on the dirt and flattened it with the back
of the shovel so it had a smooth surface. She plucked a stick from the ground
and carved: Here lies an innocent
creature. Peace be with him. Most people would have just thrown the dove’s
body away and thought nothing more of it, but Kerry believed in equality and
justice. She was a sensitive girl, with a heart so big it was sometimes
overwhelmed other people. She would treat the tiniest insect the same as she
would a Baron; that’s who she was. She felt something strangling her legs and
looked down to see her younger sister, Lea. Lea was five, at an age where
nothing but playing, eating and sleeping seems to matter. Kerry picked her up
and held her, looking out over the setting sun. It was so beautiful; reds,
blues, oranges and golds all moulded together, seeping into one another like an
abstract painting. That was it, the whole world right before their eyes, Mother
Nature at her best. Lea leaned her head on her sister’s shoulder and watched as
the sun slowly sunk into the ground. “Where does the sun go at night time?” she asked. “I don’t know,” Kerry responded. “But I do know that
it always comes back.” At home, it was just her, her parents, and her little
sister. She didn’t want to leave all of it behind, but somehow, she was
starting to feel like it was her destiny, that fate had given her this chance
for a reason. Though she knew Sebastian would never leave, she felt she owed it
to herself to explore outside the tiny town of Hansville that had been home all
her life. “Sebastian?” called Kerry, poking her head through his
window. Her best friend was lying underneath his sheets. “Kerry, what are you doing?” he screamed. “I’m coming in.” She started climbing through the
window. “Stop, stop! At least let me get dressed first, would
you?” “Oh, come on Sebastian, I’m like your sister, and
you’ve got a sheet anyway,” said Kerry, laughing. “Yeah, well I’m pretty sure sisters don’t go around
climbing through windows when they’re brothers aren’t dressed.” “Sure they do.” Kerry grabbed the sheet and whipped it
off Sebastian, grinning. He wasn’t exactly seeing the joke. “What are you doing?”
He jumped up and ducked around the side of the bed, but it was so low, it provided
very minimal coverage. “I’ve seen it all before, Sebastian. Anyway, I didn’t
come here to see you naked. I wanted to talk to you about the Battle of Larion.”
“I thought I made my opinion very clear.” “I know you did, but have you had a chance to think
about it? I have and I figured you can always find someone who’ll stay with
her,” said Kerry: hopeful, almost pleading. She had made up her mind to go, but
she wished Sebastian would come with her. “But who can I trust with my mother’s life?” Sebastian
demanded. He smiled up at her, still trying to hide himself behind the bed.
“Look Kerry, I want to come, but I just don’t think it’s the right thing to do.
You’ll have fun there, though.” “I hope so.” © 2013 AddiFeatured Review
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