The Fate of a Kingdom; Chapter 1

I crept through the trees and shrubs, I hid behind a small tree stump and steadied myself. I was hunting for dear in the forest of Arbor in the north eastern part of the Kingdom of Vigeo, which was part of the land of Calria. My target was about twenty to twenty five feet in front of me. My father, Beorn, had taught me how to hunt. How to remain as quiet as possible and how to stay upwind of the animal I was hunting.

I edged ever so slightly closer and drew back my bow. My hand shook a little but I took one deep breath, narrowed my eyes and let loose. The arrow silently sailed through the air and struck my target, it fell instantly to the ground.

“Good shot” my father called out from behind some trees.

“How long have you been watching me?” I asked, completely unaware my father was anywhere near.

“Long enough to know you’ve been listening to your old man and have become a good hunter!” He smiled as he approached me. A bow and quiver of arrows across his back. “Come now though, we must complete the ritual.”

My father had always taught me about the meaning of life. That this deer and other animals like this sacrificed their lives to fed us and we should always respect that. The animal may not always be killed by an arrow shot and therefore we must put the animal out of misery and pain.

We both came across the deer lying in a heap on the ground, it’s legs moving slightly and it’s breathing ragged.

“You know what to do” my father spoke to me as he kneeled next to the wounded animal and stroked it.

I knelt down near its head and pulled out my dagger. “Lord we thank ye for the gift that has been bestowed upon us and we pray for this animal. May it go in peace!” With that I thrusted the dagger into the deers neck and sliced it open. It’s never a pretty thing to do but my father has taught me that the animal won’t go to waste and it’s what we must do, to help survive.

“Good lad!” My father said as he stood up. “Now let’s return to the village and get back to your mother and sister!”

I pulled the arrow from the deer and put it back into my quiver.

“I’m sure you can handle the deer?” He smirked as he walked away.

“Yes father” I said as I grabbed the deer by the front legs and lifted it up. I managed to manoeuvre it up and carried it across my shoulders. This would not have been possible a few years ago but at the age of nearly twenty now I was well on my way to being a strong man. My wavy dark blonde hair rested just above my broad shoulders. My large muscular arms held onto the deer as I followed my father back out of the forest to our small village of Tamrin.

“Our hero’s return!” My mother, Elinor said as we returned to our small home.

“What did you bring me?” My sister, Luna came out of our home with a small skip to her step and hugged our father. Luna was a year younger than me and was quite the beautiful young woman. She was about a foot smaller than me at five foot, one. We had the same colour of hair which hers grew down to middle of her back. Her eyes were an ice blue compared to my darker grey blue. I don’t like to admit it but her figure was certainly developing. Every day she was growing and turning into the double of our mother. Her chest was becoming larger and her cleavage was beginning to stretch her dresses that our mother would make. Some of the dresses my sisters wears now, are our mothers.

“Only the finest flower for my little sunshine!” Father mused as he presented Luna with a small yellow flower.

“I love it, thank you father!” She hugged him again and skipped off back into the house.

“Hunt well today?” My mother asked my as I placed the deer down onto the ground.

“Very” I nodded “someone even had the presence to watch me without me knowing!”

“The lesson of life is never over!” My father said as he pulled a small wooden stool and placed it next to the deer.