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Yayy I read them!! Congrats in the new project and the progress. :-p
Thx
Is this futuristic or not? Sometimes I felt like it was, but sometimes the setting felt older (like in story four).
No. Baron’s story is set in the Middle Ages (MA) of Wond. Note: what we consider the Middle Ages isn’t what the Wondians would call the Middle Ages. MA refers to the time period between the ancient ages of Wond and the invention of space travel.
In this specific era of MA, such things as automobiles do exist, but they are rare enough that only human royals own them. Elves don’t own them at all and despise them since they still view such advances in technology as witchcraft, leaving them to still cling in some ways to the traditions of the Ancient Ages. Personal clothing styles are a blend of 1900-1940 with some 1800s styles as well at times. The overall feel of this era is similar to the mid 1800s in other regards. I described this MA era in my notes as a “mix and a mash of our centuries into one point of Wondian MA.”
It’s kinda hard to explain otherwise. Hopefully I didn’t confuse you.
How do these factors clash or mesh with each other?
Most of Baron’s story is set in the sister countries of Albandra and Rand. Both these countries have a population of mostly humans, though there are some part-elf people with elemental powers such as Faren, Baron, and the Handel’s (who you’ll meet later). For the most part though, the two countries are merely human in population.
Loria is the elven country next to Albandra. They mostly stick to themselves, the elves and humans not always getting along well, though Princess Eldia has many human friends. Besides Eldia’s visits to these human friends and a few efforts to try and destroy the Bloodsilver, the two countries keep to themselves.
As far as the other civilizations and species go, they aren’t in the story.
As an assassin, Baron is familiar with the elements and powers that his hits may have, but he has never had to kill more than a human or elf. He is aware of the other species like Shyiad and Slyiad, but these he has never come across (the Shyiads and Slyiads are rare at this time, and keep to the Snake Head, or the island of Elqeth).
As for Rya and Ruby, who both possess the third type of magical ability in my world, they could be considered a different species or merely human. Their parents and family all appeared to be normal humans, but it is a debate if they truly were or not. Some powers (such as with part-shyaids) can lie dormant for generations before being revealed in a child. As an example of this, Chase’s family for generations all appeared to be normal humans, and there was nothing to suspect that they carried shyiad blood until Chase developed his powers. It is unknown if this third type of power does this or if it randomly appears in a child.
Whether they are a different species than elf and human or not, the two of them are still similar to humans.
And finally, how old is Baron?
In Clash of Winds, he’s 22.
I hope you enjoyed reading the stories. I also hope my dumping on you of information in this post didn’t bore you.
STOP!!!!!!! Have you eaten Breakfast???
#AnduthForever (hopefully 💕)@ellette-giselle @whalekeeper @keilah-h @hybridlore
Sixth story (Note: I did post parts of this one in The Snowball Fight. To all those who read those parts, they have been slightly altered since then, but not by much, so feel free to skip those pieces)
fyi, it might take me a couple days to post the next story after this.
What Kind of Love is This?
Spring came dancing over the country, breaking the cold hold of winter as she once again restored the land to life. Snow melted away. Buds peeped up from the cold ground they had long laid dormant in. The horses, goats, and cattle were laden with coming foals, kids, and calves. The male birds preened and displayed their brightest feathers, and sang their prettiest songs hoping to find this year’s mate. Green began to overcome the sorrowful brown until the fields were almost lush with grass, and the trees had baby leaves still tender and small. The air breathed of renewed life and joy.
Baron was glad to have survived the freezing winter, though he was much weaker than he had been before. It had been six months since he had left the Bloodsilver, and he hadn’t seen an agent searching for him for a couple months. Maybe he could find some little place to work at for food and board, somewhere out of the way of the Bloodsilver. He had never dared to settle for more than a few days at one place, fearing that Faren would come after him. He began traveling along the outskirts of the city, daily going farther and farther away from the cluster of buildings, going deeper and deeper into the peaceful countryside with its vast fields and sparse patches of trees.
While traveling upon a rough road where houses were sparse and there was mostly just miles and miles of farm fields with only the thin shade of one row of trees along the road, Baron passed by an old lady, slowly traveling by herself on the uneven ground with her cane. Baron stopped.
“D-do you need help, ma’am?”
The lady reached up with an age-withered hand and adjusted the glasses on her nose, peering up to see Baron’s face. “Why, yes, thank you, young man.” She held out her arm for Baron to take and steady her. “I live just a little ways down, if you could help me there, I’d be very grateful.”
They walked in silence for a time, until the old lady spoke again. “What’s your name, Dearie?”
“Brutus, ma’am.”
“Brutus. A strong name for a kind young man.”
Baron made no comment, but his stomach grumbled.
“Oh, when did you last have a bite to eat?”
“Yesterday,” Baron replied quietly.
“Oh, you poor dear! I’ll make you a big lunch as a thank you for helping me.”
“That would be much appreciated, ma’am.”
As the thin line of trees came to an end, the old lady told him to stop, lifting a crooked finger to point at a quaint little farmhouse next to a paddock with a few horses and cattle. “This is my house. Do come in.”
As they made their approach, a man probably about Baron’s same age came running out to meet them. “Granny! I was so worried! Who is your new friend?”
“Andy, meet Brutus. He’ll be staying for lunch.”
Andy gave Baron a quick greeting, before helping him bring Granny into the house. Granny set aside her outdoor jacket (for she was prone to cold while outdoors) and bustled about the kitchen for a while, sometimes calling upon Andy for help.
In between helping Granny, Andy began to talk with Baron, who was awkwardly standing by the door of the room, as if ready to run away at moment’s notice.
“I’ve never seen you around here. Where are you from?
“I’m passing through, looking for a job.”
“Oh, we could use an extra hand, couldn’t we, Andy?” Granny interjected, before asking Andy to light the fire in the stove for her.
“Yes, Granny, but we don’t have enough money right now to pay for a hand, unless we sold your Lucky or Prince,” Andy replied as he worked at lighting the requested fire.
Granny seemed offended at the idea of selling whatever Lucky and Prince were. “You will not touch them! They will stay here until they die of old age!”
“I don’t want pay,” Baron quickly exclaimed, “I only want a little food and a place to sleep.”
Andy thought for a moment, but before he could answer, Granny did for him, “If that is all, then you can easily stay here and work with Andy! What do you think, Dearie?”
“How much do you know about horses and cattle?” Andy asked.
“Nothing, to be honest.”
“Well, I guess I can teach you. After lunch I’ll show you around.”
“Now, while I prepare lunch, you should go wash up.” Granny adjusted her glasses again and examined Baron. “You look as if you haven’t washed in months!”
“That is the case,” Baron replied, softly enough that Granny couldn’t hear, but Andy did.
As Andy led Baron to where he could wash, he questioned him about it.
“I…lost my home a few months ago. I’ve been wandering ever since.” Baron spoke hesitantly, his eyes aimed downwards.
“I see. Well, Granny always had a thing for taking in lost and pitiful creatures.”
After Baron washed, he returned to find lunch almost ready. Within a few minutes, Granny commanded him to sit at the wooden table, and asked Andy to pray. Baron knew nothing about this strange thing called ‘praying’ but he copied Andy’s actions of bowing his head and closing his eyes. Afterwards, Granny set a plate of food before him.
“Thank you, Ma’am.”
“Oh, do call me Granny.”
Baron nodded with affirmation, before beginning to eat. He was starving, and Granny and Andy seemed to notice, for they excused his breach of manners as he ate.
After they had eaten, Andy took him outside, showing him about the barn, instructing him on basic duties, and telling him about the animals.
As Andy was talking about the cows, a brown horse with a white star and snip trotted over to the paddock fence and whinnied. Andy stopped talking and walked up to the fence, with Baron in tow.
“This is Lucky,” he said, petting the horse. “He’s not much use to us besides an occasional ride but Granny won’t let me sell him. He’s one of her lost and pitiful creatures that she’s taken under her wing.” Andy pointed at the other horses out in the paddock; a dark dapple and a black with a blaze and four stockings. “Those two are Prince and Flight Risk.” He pointed to another paddock that had a faded dapple laden with an unborn foal and a chestnut mare with a pretty little fellow trotting along. “Whirlwind will foal in another month. The other mare is Lady and her foal is Fish.”
Baron looked at Andy in perplexed surprise. “Fish?”
“He was born early. When I told Granny, the first thing she said was ‘fish! I forgot to get fish from Ben!’ She was only half-awake,” Andy chuckled. “So we named him Fish.”
Baron nodded. Lucky whinnied again.
“Go on, pet him,” Andy told Baron.
Baron hesitated. “I’ve never pet a horse before.”
“He won’t bite. Go ahead,” Andy coaxed.
“But-”
“Oh, just pet him already!”
Baron haltingly reached out a hand, touching Lucky’s nose. The horse blew out a breath of warm air. “Why is his nose so soft?” Baron wondered aloud.
Andy laughed. “See? It’s not that bad!”
Baron cracked a smile. He believed he’d like this new life. As he pet Lucky, he called to mind how Andy had prayed before the meal. “Can you tell me what praying is?”
Andy seemed shocked at the question. “You don’t know?”
Baron shook his head.
“Praying is how we talk to God. Do you know who He is?”
Baron’s brows knotted, recalling to his memory the night when he had visited Max and Ruby, asking for help. “An all-powerful, all knowing being, who is divine and holy. He is also just, and does justice to all who have sinned. But God is merciful and sent his only Son, Immanuel, to wash away our sins, so that all who believe in him are righteous and sinless before God,” that was how Max had described him. “Yes, I do. I didn’t know you could talk to Him.”
“That’s the beautiful thing about God, we can, anytime, and without the rituals that others have to do to talk to their dead gods. We still do show respect by bowing our heads, closing our eyes and folding our hands, but it is not necessary to do so to pray.”
“And He talks back?”
“Yes, in His own way. He doesn’t talk back like a normal person would in a conversation, but He speaks through His Holy Word, a book written by Him. I’ll show it to you sometime.”
Baron scratched Lucky’s chin. “Thank you.”
Andy and Granny were both as kind as Max and Ruby, and they both believed in this God of theirs. Maybe, Baron wondered, that was why they were so kind. Maybe that was why they were so different than those with whom Baron had spent his life with before. Maybe that was why they were so much better than the Bloodsilver.
Cool water splashed in Baron’s face as he washed before heading into the farmhouse to eat. Coming back out later with a piece of bread, he leaned against the paddock fence and fed Lucky.
Almost a year and a half had passed since Baron had come to live with Granny and Andy. Despite himself, he grew close to them, allowing Granny to take him under her wing as if he was her own child. He had gained his strength, and for the first time in forever, he felt happy and safe.
Andy laughed as he came down the steps from the front door, “From not knowing a single thing about horses to sneaking lunch bread to one!”
Baron smiled. “It’s hard not to like Lucky.” Baron scratched behind Lucky’s ear and straightened his forelock.
“Hey, Granny would like it if you could run out for groceries later. You can take Lucky. I have a few things I need to do about the house. The roof is a little dilapidated, and a few sections of shingles need to be replaced.”
“Can Granny wait until after I finish repairing the fence from Flight Risk’s antics last night?” Lucky’s lips made a loud op op sound as he reached for the other small chunk of bread in Baron’s hand.
“Yes, I think she can wait that long.”
“Good, I’ll get to that then.” Baron patted Lucky as he gave him the last bit of bread. “I’ll be back later to ride you, bud.”
By the time Baron mounted Lucky with his groceries for the journey home, evening was already setting. The ride was peaceful. Baron enjoyed the feeling of Lucky’s shifting muscles underneath him (for he rode without a saddle) and the relaxing sound of his slow hooves as he walked along the road home.
“It seems like a dream, Lucky. Almost two years ago, I was an assassin, now I’m a farm hand, and you know what? I wish I had been a farm hand my entire life. This has been a blissful time.”
They made their way along in silence for a bit, before Lucky pulled to a stop. His ears snapped to attention, and his nostrils widened as he caught a scent in the air. He nickered.
“What is it, bud? What’s wrong?”
Seeing Lucky’s gaze shift to the horizon where home was, Baron looked up and saw a flash of red. Fear struck Baron’s peaceful heart. He dug his heels into Lucky’s sides, and the horse began to run. Running, running, his hooves pounding against the ground. It was a short time to get within sight of the house with the galloping horse, but to Lucky’s rider it felt like an eternity. As Baron finally caught sight of home, his heart sunk.
“No, no, no, no!” Water formed in his eyes. He dismounted Lucky, running to the house, which was being licked by flames. He burst through the front door, which was not yet consumed, calling out for Granny and Andy. Entering the smoky kitchen, he stood transfixed, fear and shock making him no more than a statue.
Granny was on the floor, whether alive or dead, Baron didn’t know. Andy was held fast by a man with blond hair and ice cold eyes. Faren, the Fire Wielder. Baron’s old friend when he was the greatest Bloodsilver assassin, the Silver Streak.
“Let him go, Faren!” Baron yelled over the roar of the flames.
“No,” Came the cold reply. “You’ll have to come and take him.”
“Get Granny out of here!” Andy commanded, before a coughing fit took him.
For the first time in months, Baron called upon the wind. It welled about him in a small whirlwind. Sending a wind towards Granny, he carried her outside with the gust, taking her to safety.
After she was out of the way, Baron sent a sudden burst of strong wind at Faren, knocking the man back. His grip around Andy loosened, and the farm boy slipped from his grasp, coughing from the smoke as he put distance between him and Faren.
“I’m sorry, Andy. He came for me.”
“I figured that. Don’t worry about the house, Brutus.”
Baron nodded. He sent Andy out of the house with another gust of wind, before turning to Faren. “You were foolish to arrive alone! You know I am stronger!”
“Maybe, but I have grown stronger as well!” Fire ignited in Faren’s hands, and he cast it towards Baron. Baron pushed back with a gust of wind. He called upon a stronger gust overcoming Faren with such a powerful burst that Faren was pinned against the wall. He was saved by a flaming beam almost collapsing on top of Baron.
Baron searched through the fire for his opponent, finally catching a glimpse of him. Rather than use his wind, Baron risked the flames and ran straight towards Faren. Having closed the distance, Baron drove his elbow into Faren’s chest. The two men fell back against the back door to the little house. The door gave way, and they tumbled out onto the grass.
They recovered their feet almost at once and clashed again, wind against flames. At the second clash, blood began to trickle from the corner of Baron’s mouth.
So that is Faren’s plan. To fight until my stamina gives way and my powers tear me apart. It’s the only way I can see him winning. I need to end this fight quickly, it’s been too long since I’ve practiced my abilities.
Baron looked about frantically. He needed to do something, anything to stop Faren long enough so that Baron could get to Granny. That was when he saw Flight Risk. Frightened by the fire, the horse was frantically pacing and neighing by where Baron had fixed the fence earlier. With a stab of pain in his chest, he gave one last strong gust that threw Faren underneath the hooves of the already panicked horse. The horse reared and bucked, his hooves trampling Faren before the horse took off with a great speed to the other side of the paddock and jumped the fence, disappearing into the night.
Baron approached as Faren slowly picked himself up. “I said I would no longer kill, but if you don’t leave now and leave these people alone, I will kill you.” The moon had risen, and Baron’s hair became silver in its rays. He could become the Silver Streak again, one last time, if it meant protecting Granny and Andy.
One of Faren’s arms was broken, along with a few ribs. He wasn’t in any condition to fight, and he knew Baron could easily kill him if he so wished. The Fire Wielder fled, and Baron turned his attention to Andy and Granny. Running to the front of the house, he found Andy kneeling over Granny’s body of the grass. One look from Andy’s tear-filled eyes told Baron all he needed to know.
In agony, Baron let out a cry, and though it hurt him, a great wind swirled about him. Baron fell to his knees by Granny, tears running down his face. “I’m so sorry, Andy. Her death is my fault.”
Andy’s tear-filled brown eyes met Baron’s. “Yeah, I can’t deny that, but she wouldn’t want me to hold it against you. Besides, she probably died more of worry for you than from what Faren did.”
The two wept together.
But Baron didn’t understand. How could Andy be okay with the fact that Baron was the cause of Granny’s death? How could he not hold it against Baron? Yes, Andy was always a kind, loving person, but what kind of love extends that far?
Almost as soon as Baron posed the question in his mind, the answer came.
The love of their God. The love of the One that they prayed to everyday. The love of the One whose great book they took joy in reading.
Andy had explained it to Baron before, that he tried to love others, to be kind and merciful to them, just as God had been to Andy.
Baron got to his feet, looking to see Lucky still patiently ground-tied where Baron had left him near the end of the tree line along the road. The good old horse! “I should go. I will only bring more trouble. Lucky is there on the road, with all the groceries.”
“Brutus, wait….”
“My name isn’t Brutus, its Baron.”
“I know, that’s what that man called you by. But I want you to wait before you go, I know Granny would want you to help me bury her.”
Baron hesitated. Faren might return, but Baron also dearly wished to say his last good-byes to the old woman. Suddenly, he shook his head. No, he couldn’t. If Faren returned, he might kill Andy too. Besides, what business did the one who caused her death, her killer, have being at her funeral? “No, I can’t be.” Baron’s voice cracked, and before Andy could stop him, he was gone, calling upon the wind one last time to take him away. The last thing Andy saw of him was the silver streak of his hair.
Granny was buried in a little cemetery on a hilltop, overlooking the beautiful farm land she loved, the place where she had been born, and had died. The place where she had fallen in love and married when she was still in the bloom of her youth. The place where she had been widowed. The place of all her sorrows, and all her joys. The place where she had taken in all those lost, pitiful creatures: Lucky, Flight Risk, Prince, Whirlwind, a few calves and her favorites of all, Andy and Baron.
STOP!!!!!!! Have you eaten Breakfast???
#AnduthForever (hopefully 💕)Thx
🧐 I need more convincing of your self-confidence. 🥳🤩🎉
I hope you enjoyed reading the stories. I also hope my dumping on you of information in this post didn’t bore you.
Nope, does not bore me! The reason I asked those questions was because the answers were not evident in the story, so now you know. Of course it’s up to you what information you want to sprinkle in.
#ProtectAdolinKholin
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