kaza125
Lord of Altera
What is it?
The Hard Times is sort of a book I've working on, just a fun little pass time so obviously it's not perfect so I am open to criticism. Anyway in a nutshell the book looks at the grey characters in the world, its set in a fictional medieval world where kingdoms are starting to be swept by empires and I show the effects of this on the smaller people. The story follows a few characters, the main one is Marcus who supports his family and is a victim of the empire. I also plan to show the view of a soldier of that empire and a few other characters, anyway enjoy! I will add a chapter each week, but just for today I will show you the prologue and first chapter.
PROLOGUE
His wishful blow tinted down the amber light in the room, a swift pitch of darkness took a chunk out of the well-lit haven of his daughter’s shelter. Marcus turns from the candle and began to slowly, but steadily peer across to the hallway, but before he could even reach the door a voice called for him.
“Father”. Called a childish voice of a young girl. A grin comes to Marcus’s face as he faces the door, he turns back to see his seven year old daughter Eli covered by a green cloth blanket comically too big for her.
“Yes Eli?” He asks with a velvet tone.
“You didn’t tell me a story, you always tell me a story”.
“I do don’t I, I was just… taking the time to think of a good one”. Marcus drifts back to the mattress sitting by his daughters’ side and begins to think of a tale he could send her to sleep with. He clicks with correctness with his fingers.
“Ahh, yes, yes I have a good one”. At that Eli stirs in her blanket eager to her the tale.
“The rock and his pebbles-“
“The rock and his pebbles?”. She gives a youthful laugh.
“Yes the rock and his pebbles. Now it began with a poor man who sowed the seeds of grain for the king, but he was never allowed to reap them. You see Eli the man who reaps gets more gold then sowing, and this man wanted more gold so he could help his family who lived in a wooden cabin with broken windows. One day while he was sowing another man in a jesters outfit came screaming through”. Marcus attempts to his imitate his voice.
“Rock hopping contest! Winning gets a thousand gold!”.
“And so, obviously the man talked to the jester asking about this contest and a day later he arrived at the swamp where other people came to compete and watch, but the trouble is he had tiny toes, like you”.
“Like me?”
“Yeah”. Marcus pulls up the bottom of the blanket and tickles her toes as she begins to laugh.
“These tiny toes are just like the one man had”. He lets go of her feet and pulls the blanket back down.
“You see the man was desperate for the gold for his family and he was up against men with toes of a giant, but he did it, he won and got the gold”. She smiles for the man.
“The point is Eli through all the cuts and bruises he got from his toes, he did it for his family. Always for his family”.
“That was a good story, can you tell me another?” She asks knowing what the answer will be.
“What do you think?” He laughs and so does she.
“I’ll leave the other candle on as always, but soon enough Eli I want you to sleep with no light ok? You’re becoming a big strong girl and I’m very proud of you”.
“I will, I promise”. He gives her a big kiss on the head and he takes leave of his daughter’s room. Once he came into the hallway he quickly emerged into his own sanctuary, the room was dark, but still visible inside. A double bed with his wife Isha lying wishfully on the left. A great big smile comes to his face as he proceeds to his throne taking an admiring look to Isha’s long brown hair. He lays down with his hands resting behind his head, he turns to the light peering through the cracked window and resignedly puts his eyes to a close with a frown wrinkling on his lip.
CHAPTER ONE
1 MONTH AFTER PROLOGUE AND THE VILLAGE SACKING.
"Marcus, we haven't found any food for days. What are we gonna do?"
"I'll figure it out," Marcus says to his wife… "Just give me some time." I hope I'll figure it out, Marcus thinks. They've been in the woods for a month since the siege of their village happened, Marcus, his wife Isha, his son Beric and daughter Elisha were living off what they found and slept in what even seem to fit, other villages or settlements they had passed have had the same fate as their home… Food has been the main priority, but anything that's edible is extremely scarce.
"But, we're going to starv-" Isha starts.
"I said I'll figure it out, alright?" Marcus says with an edge to his voice.
"Hey, keep it down," Beric mentions. "Eli's sleeping." At that, Eli stirs in her blanket on the back of the horse, rubbing her eyes. "Well, not anymore..."
"Good morning, sleepy," Marcus says affectionately to his daughter, looking at her behind his shoulder. "Had a nice nap?"
"I guess..." Eli says sleepily. "I'm hungry."
Marcus clenches his jaw at this. "I know. We all are. But there's just not enough food to go around. You understand?"
Marcus distastes saying no to his daughter, especially in desperate times like this. He wants the best for her, but he feels like he's failing her. Thinking about this measure leaves an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He knows what will happen to all of them if he doesn't find shelter or food soon.
"Yeah, I understand," the 7-year-old says dejectedly.
"It's getting dark," Isha observes as the sun continues to come down. "Are we going to find a cave, like last time or sleep on the dirt?"
Marcus scans the woods eagerly looking for some sort of shelter, just enough to keep his family safe. Nothing appeared in his sight, just and forest of trees that nearly blacked out the sky.
"I don't know," Marcus replies. "Let's ride for a little while longer and see what happens." He said with heavy doubt in his mind.
After riding for another hour, they see a small lone cabin, Marcus rubs his bushed and unkempt beard in thought. "Beric, get the weapons from the bag," Marcus orders. "We don’t know if any there might be bandits, tribes or…Arbers." Said with disgust on last words.
"Yes father," Beric replies. He hurries off the horse and ties it to a nearby tree with the park peeling off. Out of the bag tied to the horse he pulls out two short iron axes, both blunt and out of shape.
"Isha stay with Eli by the horses. If something happens, you take her, keep heading south, always head south, the less north we are the better”.
"Of course. Come on, Eli. They'll be done soon." She says pushing Eli along.
Beric silently comes over to Marcus from the horses and hands over an axe to his father.
Marcus holds his axe at the ready and signals his son to stay behind him. Marcus approaches the cabin door with his son close to him.
"Youready?" Marcus inquires to his son.
He nods in action. The cabin. It was small; it couldn't be more than one room. The wooden panels that made up the walls were falling off. The twowindowswere boarded up tight, but cracks could be seen through the gaps. Marcus and Beric silently position themselves near the door.
"You hear anything?" His son whispers.
"Nah. You?" Marcus asks. Beric shakes his head.
He grips the handle of his axe and takes a deep breath rubbing the back of his bald head. He locks eyes with his son and gives a slight nod of his head. Marcus tentatively reaches for the doorknob and slowly opens the door. He steps in first, surveying the small room.
An unmade bed stands along the left wall. Next to it is a nightstand with a dry blood stained dagger. Along the right wall was a hanger which held a green cloak. Towards the back of the cabin is a small table with a butcher’s knife and a dead rabbit, still fresh. A wooden chair was pouched under the table.
Nothing looked dangerous to Marcus though another door still remained, so he seized some more hesitant steps into the cabin. He turns to Beric, who is still standing by the door, and gestures for him to come in.
"My god. It fucking stinks," Beric whispers.
“Watch your language, your fifteen old boy not a thirty old drunk”. Marcus shoots him a glare and puts a finger to his lips. Marcus bends down and takes a look under the sagging single sized bed. Nothing. He gets up and points Beric to the only door in the cabin besides the front door. It could have been a closet, but Marcus wasn't sure.
They slowly approach the door and listen for any noises. Silence He thinks. Beric reaches for the handle.
In quick motion, Beric opens the door and finds spare clothes and sheets, with scattered arrows.
”We should stay here father, it seems safe”. Marcus shakes his head in disagreement.
“What you smelt before was that rabbit, it’s a fresh kill. Someone lives here, they might return soon… Though… Maybe we could reason with him, get some supplies and head off”. He looks towards his son in a hurry.
"We're done here. Go get the girls," He orders his son. Beric hurriedly jogs back to the horses.
The Hard Times is sort of a book I've working on, just a fun little pass time so obviously it's not perfect so I am open to criticism. Anyway in a nutshell the book looks at the grey characters in the world, its set in a fictional medieval world where kingdoms are starting to be swept by empires and I show the effects of this on the smaller people. The story follows a few characters, the main one is Marcus who supports his family and is a victim of the empire. I also plan to show the view of a soldier of that empire and a few other characters, anyway enjoy! I will add a chapter each week, but just for today I will show you the prologue and first chapter.
PROLOGUE
His wishful blow tinted down the amber light in the room, a swift pitch of darkness took a chunk out of the well-lit haven of his daughter’s shelter. Marcus turns from the candle and began to slowly, but steadily peer across to the hallway, but before he could even reach the door a voice called for him.
“Father”. Called a childish voice of a young girl. A grin comes to Marcus’s face as he faces the door, he turns back to see his seven year old daughter Eli covered by a green cloth blanket comically too big for her.
“Yes Eli?” He asks with a velvet tone.
“You didn’t tell me a story, you always tell me a story”.
“I do don’t I, I was just… taking the time to think of a good one”. Marcus drifts back to the mattress sitting by his daughters’ side and begins to think of a tale he could send her to sleep with. He clicks with correctness with his fingers.
“Ahh, yes, yes I have a good one”. At that Eli stirs in her blanket eager to her the tale.
“The rock and his pebbles-“
“The rock and his pebbles?”. She gives a youthful laugh.
“Yes the rock and his pebbles. Now it began with a poor man who sowed the seeds of grain for the king, but he was never allowed to reap them. You see Eli the man who reaps gets more gold then sowing, and this man wanted more gold so he could help his family who lived in a wooden cabin with broken windows. One day while he was sowing another man in a jesters outfit came screaming through”. Marcus attempts to his imitate his voice.
“Rock hopping contest! Winning gets a thousand gold!”.
“And so, obviously the man talked to the jester asking about this contest and a day later he arrived at the swamp where other people came to compete and watch, but the trouble is he had tiny toes, like you”.
“Like me?”
“Yeah”. Marcus pulls up the bottom of the blanket and tickles her toes as she begins to laugh.
“These tiny toes are just like the one man had”. He lets go of her feet and pulls the blanket back down.
“You see the man was desperate for the gold for his family and he was up against men with toes of a giant, but he did it, he won and got the gold”. She smiles for the man.
“The point is Eli through all the cuts and bruises he got from his toes, he did it for his family. Always for his family”.
“That was a good story, can you tell me another?” She asks knowing what the answer will be.
“What do you think?” He laughs and so does she.
“I’ll leave the other candle on as always, but soon enough Eli I want you to sleep with no light ok? You’re becoming a big strong girl and I’m very proud of you”.
“I will, I promise”. He gives her a big kiss on the head and he takes leave of his daughter’s room. Once he came into the hallway he quickly emerged into his own sanctuary, the room was dark, but still visible inside. A double bed with his wife Isha lying wishfully on the left. A great big smile comes to his face as he proceeds to his throne taking an admiring look to Isha’s long brown hair. He lays down with his hands resting behind his head, he turns to the light peering through the cracked window and resignedly puts his eyes to a close with a frown wrinkling on his lip.
CHAPTER ONE
1 MONTH AFTER PROLOGUE AND THE VILLAGE SACKING.
"Marcus, we haven't found any food for days. What are we gonna do?"
"I'll figure it out," Marcus says to his wife… "Just give me some time." I hope I'll figure it out, Marcus thinks. They've been in the woods for a month since the siege of their village happened, Marcus, his wife Isha, his son Beric and daughter Elisha were living off what they found and slept in what even seem to fit, other villages or settlements they had passed have had the same fate as their home… Food has been the main priority, but anything that's edible is extremely scarce.
"But, we're going to starv-" Isha starts.
"I said I'll figure it out, alright?" Marcus says with an edge to his voice.
"Hey, keep it down," Beric mentions. "Eli's sleeping." At that, Eli stirs in her blanket on the back of the horse, rubbing her eyes. "Well, not anymore..."
"Good morning, sleepy," Marcus says affectionately to his daughter, looking at her behind his shoulder. "Had a nice nap?"
"I guess..." Eli says sleepily. "I'm hungry."
Marcus clenches his jaw at this. "I know. We all are. But there's just not enough food to go around. You understand?"
Marcus distastes saying no to his daughter, especially in desperate times like this. He wants the best for her, but he feels like he's failing her. Thinking about this measure leaves an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He knows what will happen to all of them if he doesn't find shelter or food soon.
"Yeah, I understand," the 7-year-old says dejectedly.
"It's getting dark," Isha observes as the sun continues to come down. "Are we going to find a cave, like last time or sleep on the dirt?"
Marcus scans the woods eagerly looking for some sort of shelter, just enough to keep his family safe. Nothing appeared in his sight, just and forest of trees that nearly blacked out the sky.
"I don't know," Marcus replies. "Let's ride for a little while longer and see what happens." He said with heavy doubt in his mind.
After riding for another hour, they see a small lone cabin, Marcus rubs his bushed and unkempt beard in thought. "Beric, get the weapons from the bag," Marcus orders. "We don’t know if any there might be bandits, tribes or…Arbers." Said with disgust on last words.
"Yes father," Beric replies. He hurries off the horse and ties it to a nearby tree with the park peeling off. Out of the bag tied to the horse he pulls out two short iron axes, both blunt and out of shape.
"Isha stay with Eli by the horses. If something happens, you take her, keep heading south, always head south, the less north we are the better”.
"Of course. Come on, Eli. They'll be done soon." She says pushing Eli along.
Beric silently comes over to Marcus from the horses and hands over an axe to his father.
Marcus holds his axe at the ready and signals his son to stay behind him. Marcus approaches the cabin door with his son close to him.
"Youready?" Marcus inquires to his son.
He nods in action. The cabin. It was small; it couldn't be more than one room. The wooden panels that made up the walls were falling off. The twowindowswere boarded up tight, but cracks could be seen through the gaps. Marcus and Beric silently position themselves near the door.
"You hear anything?" His son whispers.
"Nah. You?" Marcus asks. Beric shakes his head.
He grips the handle of his axe and takes a deep breath rubbing the back of his bald head. He locks eyes with his son and gives a slight nod of his head. Marcus tentatively reaches for the doorknob and slowly opens the door. He steps in first, surveying the small room.
An unmade bed stands along the left wall. Next to it is a nightstand with a dry blood stained dagger. Along the right wall was a hanger which held a green cloak. Towards the back of the cabin is a small table with a butcher’s knife and a dead rabbit, still fresh. A wooden chair was pouched under the table.
Nothing looked dangerous to Marcus though another door still remained, so he seized some more hesitant steps into the cabin. He turns to Beric, who is still standing by the door, and gestures for him to come in.
"My god. It fucking stinks," Beric whispers.
“Watch your language, your fifteen old boy not a thirty old drunk”. Marcus shoots him a glare and puts a finger to his lips. Marcus bends down and takes a look under the sagging single sized bed. Nothing. He gets up and points Beric to the only door in the cabin besides the front door. It could have been a closet, but Marcus wasn't sure.
They slowly approach the door and listen for any noises. Silence He thinks. Beric reaches for the handle.
In quick motion, Beric opens the door and finds spare clothes and sheets, with scattered arrows.
”We should stay here father, it seems safe”. Marcus shakes his head in disagreement.
“What you smelt before was that rabbit, it’s a fresh kill. Someone lives here, they might return soon… Though… Maybe we could reason with him, get some supplies and head off”. He looks towards his son in a hurry.
"We're done here. Go get the girls," He orders his son. Beric hurriedly jogs back to the horses.
