Chapter 1

This farm is old, many centuries old in fact. The family that had farmed it had lived there for more generations than any alive could remember. Even the old books and records didn’t go back more than a few generations. The family was not wealthy, but they never starved and were generally happy with life.

Then the tragedy struck and they would never be happy again. It was early spring and the men of the family were out in the fields plowing and planting. It was then that the bandits struck. First, they rounded up the women and children, killing the boys and teen-aged males. Using their bows, they shot the men as they came running towards the farm to try and save the remaining family. It was then that the evil men began a local reign of terror on the surrounding farms. Kidnapping, burning and robbing and raping as they saw fit.

The local Duke heard of this and sent a squad of soldiers to deal with the problem. The bandits got wind of the approaching troops and ambushed them in a heavily wooded section of road. This did not sit well with the Duke when he heard of it a few days later. Rather than throw away more troops, he hired a small band of adventurers to clear the problem up. He could see that most of this band happened to be older and well seasoned in combat so he figured they would be able to do what was needed and his hands would be clean on the matter.

They agreed to the simple job of house cleaning as they had just come off a major exploration in which over half the team failed to survive. They needed the break. The Duke sweetened the deal by gifting them the lands of the farms that had been wiped out. One warrior couple took him up on the offer of a farm and a place to finally settle from the life they had been living for over fifteen years.

The clearing out of the bandits took a few weeks and what they found at the farm the bandits had used as a headquarters sickened them. The treatment of the women and girls fell into the category of something from the abyss, or one of the nine circles of hell. It was the raping of the girls down to near infant that decided the final fates of the bandits and several unassociated camps of Highwaymen in the area. Word was sent out across the local lands that the region was guarded and any lawbreaker would be killed without trial.

The couple, Lann and Lorna Markenin claimed the farm that was the headquarters of the bandits, cleaned it out and saw to the needs of the few surviving women. They had all been badly abused and used, most would not survive the coming weeks. The team saw to them and cared for them as well as they could until the last had died from her injuries. The last was a young woman of no more than twenty. She took her own life to escape the pain and nightmares. The team’s healer had tried to repair the damage, but he didn’t have the magical skills needed and none in the area were willing to assist, even with the offer of the coin. They truly regretted the loss of their warrior cleric a few months earlier to a soul eater, but they knew nothing could be done about it now.

They cleaned the buildings of the surrounding farms and soon new families moved in to farm the rich lands. Lann and Lorna had married once they had everything cleaned up and soon after settling down had their first child together. A son, then three more boys in rapid order. Lorna called it quits after she had a daughter.

This is the story of Andrew Markenin. He was the fourth child of the two mighty adventure seekers that had tired of the hard life they had been living. As time passed, the farm prospered and grew. The boys and girl grew and soon helped run the expanding lands the family-owned. Things started to change when Andrew reached his 15th season...

Journaday, 5th of Planting

Andrew Markenin had just reached his 15th season. As yet he had not achieved his full growth, but he knew that would come as he grew older. At five feet and a few inches, he was shorter than his older brothers, but only larger than his sister, though not by much. She had grown faster than was proper for a girl in his view. He was at that age were boys began to question their purpose and the reason for their doing what they were doing. He already knew that the eldest son, Bertran would run the farm when their parents retired from farming, and it looked to be soon from the sounds of the talks within the family. Bertran had wed and his wife would have their first child in a few more months. His second oldest brother was soon to wed and that would strain the family even more as the wife intended to join the farm rather than start one of their own.

Andrew knew he had no future on the farm. Looking at the south end of an ox with dust and shit in his face just did not suit him. He had many thoughts and ideas from reading his parent’s journals from their days as fighters for hire and asked his father about training him in the ways of the sword and arms. Lann didn’t even take a moment to think about it, “No,” was all he said as he turned and walked away from the staring boy, leaving him to wonder if he was in trouble for asking this of the former hero. Andrew considering for a few seconds following and asking, no demanding to know why he was refused this simple request but stopped himself as he knew his father had his reasons for saying no the way he did.

Throughout the rest of the day, he was distracted in his thoughts. He wanted to try to figure out a way to go to Terins Crossing then head west from there. He was not paying attention at one point and he nearly got himself crushed by a flying hay bale in the barn. He was supposed to guide it down from the loft, but he missed it and it nearly came down on him. His oldest brother, Bertran berated him for wool-gathering and told him to get on with the chores or face a thrashing behind the barn. Slacking was not tolerated and his oldest brother tended to take it to extremes. That Andrew knew would make Bertran a good farmer as it suited his way of thinking, but not his. It was something he knew he lacked when it came to the farm. He just wasn’t interested in it to the degree necessary to succeed. He did pay better attention to his work for the rest of the day, but the worry he felt over upsetting his father gnawed at him.

His next oldest brother, 16-year-old Windel asked him what his problem was while they finished another chore in the barn and prepared to clean up for the evening meal. At first, he considered not answering but thought better as this brother was huge compared to himself. “I asked if our father would teach me the way of the sword, he said no.”

“That’s not surprising. I’ve read some of his old journals little brother. He didn’t have an easy life of fun and excitement, you know that as I’ve seen you going over them line by line as well.” Windel picked up his hayfork and hung it on the wall. When they had both finished cleaning and securing the tools used that day, Windel went on. “What will you do about Kaara, that girl I swear is completely smitten with you, you know that, right?”

Andrew snorted, “I know, but there is nothing I can do about that. She will get over me and find another poor fool to latch on to. Windel, I am not interested in getting married right now. I don’t know that I ever will be for that matter.” He finished wiping down a shovel with an oilcloth then hung it on the tool stand with the rest.

“Don’t bet on it brother, she is just stubborn and crazy enough to try and follow you once she finds out you’ve fled her grasp,” said Windel. “As to the rest, you will be interested when you find the right woman for you. Now, let’s get cleaned up so we can help finish the inside chores and last meal set up.”

The two boys washed at a nearby trough that had been set up for this purpose outside the corrals to keep the animals out of it. When they went in, Lorna looked at them and frowned, “Both of you, go change, I won’t be having walking hay bales at my table.” She turned without another word and went back to preparing the dough for a fresh bake of bread in the morning. They both left and didn’t see her glance back at them, tears starting to form unshed in her eyes at what her husband and she would be doing to Andrew later this night. Lann had told her what the boy had asked of him. She wasn’t happy at the prospect of losing Andrew, but she knew the blood of farming was not in the boy. She could see the look in his eyes when he was off somewhere else in his thoughts.

That evening as the family gathered for the last meal of the day, Lorna called for attention and the room fell silent. “Everybody, Andrew has asked to be trained in the sword by your father and me.” She turned to Andrew and spoke, “We are both too old to be able to do you justice son, but we know of one that can train you and he owes us a debt. In training you, he will be clearing that debt.”

Now Lann stood, “Andrew, you will go to the Fairhams Cove and report to the owner of the Broken Sword Tavern. He will see through your basic training and advancement in the art of the sword. Before you go, I will teach you enough to help you survive and not stick yourself the first time you draw a blade.”

This pronouncement caused an immediate uproar as the older sons started to complain that they needed Andrew for the upcoming planting and harvest season. Lann rapped his knuckles on the table and silence once again fell about the room. “He doesn’t have a future as a farmer, it’s not in his blood.” He looked at his wife and went on. “He has our fighting blood, the need for adventure and excitement is strong in him my wife.” Lorna just nodded and glanced at the fireplace, He nodded back and stepped away from the table, went to the large main fireplace that covered the north wall of the main gathering room. He looked up at the swords and bucklers that hung on hooks above the stone mantle. He spoke in a low voice, almost a whisper as he looked up at the old weapons. “I swore that once we hung these up that they would remain here for all time. Now I will break that oath and pass my blade and guard to the next generation.” He reached up and gently pulled one of the pair down and stood to look at it in the firelight. He spun and the sword seemed to flash with light, it seemed to leave a silvery trail in the air as it moved swiftly through its arc, and the sword made a whistling swoosh as he moved through a series of sword forms. He then pulled a wood and leather scabbard from the shelf next to the mantle and sheathed the silvery blade. He stood a moment longer breathing deeply, his eyes and mind were seemingly deep in some memory from long ago. After a minute, he shook himself back to the present to look up at his watching family.