The Story
Patton Elred woke up, just like any other day. The morning sun bright
through the window of his room. He liked not having to attend all the formal
parties and engagements. However, his parents were still required, they left
early in the morning to Perna. Most likely they would be gone for the week,
things had been heating up lately. Over the years, the royal family has lost
most of its influence to the Trades Guild in Perna. However, they still made
an effort to keep up the decorum. Essentially, his parents were just state
figureheads. The Trades Guild President, Evan Maxwell, would have them
banished if he could.
His room was modest, they lived on a farm village at the edge of the forest
on the outskirts of Chara. A small community, comfortable. They moved
from the castle quite a few years ago. He immediately liked this place way
more than the cold castle. He still had his own room and not much was
asked of him as far as work around the farm. A couple of hours in the
morning then the rest of the day was his. He enjoyed the horses the most,
he had his favorite, Firezip. They would spend countless hours exploring
throughout the forest.
Getting out of bed, there was a chill in the air, a forewarning of things too
come. The Winters were cold and dark in Chara. Weather changing
instantaneously this time of year. On the way to do his daily chores, Patton
came across Shizyen, the Ranch Manager for a lack of a better title. “Good
morning Shizyen.” Patton greeted cheerfully. “Good morning young sir. Did
you sleep well? Do you have plans while your parents are away?” he replied.
That was a good question. He had not really thought about it. He could
probably get away with saying he was going hunting and disappear with
Firezip for a few days. “I’ve yet to decide, Shizyen. Could you possibly do
without me for a couple of days?” Patton replied in a mischievous voice.
“Firezip will be packed and ready for you after lunch my prince.” Responded
Shizyen. Patton appreciated that Shizyen knew his habits. It felt as if he had
just been given permission to go play. “Thank you” Patton replied as he
continued walking.
Shizyen was hired just after the royal family took over the farm village. It was
hard to tell his age, but Patton got the impression he was pretty old. Also, he
was a friend of his parents as they were growing up. At first it seemed as
though he had never ran a ranch before but settled in quickly. Shizyen, or
his parents did not talk much about their past. It was rare to hear a story
from any of them. “It would be nice”, he thought to himself. When his
parents were away, Shizyen had always kept his third eye trained on him. He
was the Uncle figure in his life. He had taught him to ride, to camp, to be
independent of his parents.
It had went from cold this morning, to sunburn hot at this point in the day.
Patton had finished his farm duties and was heading back to the house. He
was ready to eat, he was ready to get into the shade of the forest. Walking
into the kitchen, there was the smell of fresh baked bread and steamy stew
on the stove. Ella was a great cook. One of the best. “Hello Ella, thank you
for lunch”. He said as he got a plate and began to serve himself. He always
tried to be nice, but he had a special affection for Ella as well. When his
parents were away, she would always make sure he was well fed and kept
on schedule when he was younger.
The Stew was the best as always, he ate quickly. “Ella, I will be in the forest
for the next couple of days.” Patton was letting her know. “Thank you prince.
You be careful now, its been getting awfully chilly a night. Be sure to stay
warm” she replied. He already knew he would get out in the woods this
evening and wish he had stayed for Ella’s cooking. “Thank you Ella” Patton
said as he got up and headed for his room to change and make a small bag
up.
After gabbing a few item. Patton was off to the stables to get Firezip. It
would be nice to disappear for a while. No matter how well people treated
him, he knew he was different. As if the wings weren’t enough. Well, I tell
you… Getting treated awkward was a small price to pay to be able to
freaking FLY. Yes, he had wings, the down side to it was. It was incredibly
tiring. You can fly just a little better than holding your breath underwater.
You don’t want to go to high for fear of falling. And, anyway, it was really, I
mean really hard work. That’s part of why he loved Firezip so much. He
thought he kind of understood the horses better than regulars. Anybody
descendant from the Royal line has wings, regardless of color. He had been
told the Royal Blue and Green Gummie bears had wings also.
Patton arrived at the stables and Shizyen had Firezip ready as he said he
would. He went strait to his stall and greeted him. Talking to the horse, he
was excited to get away. “Young prince, I will escort you to the tree line.”
Shizyen said to him. Patton was a little confused by this. Shizyen had not
“escorted” him anywhere in a very long time. “Okay” he responded. Saddled
Firezip and proceeded out of the barn. Shizyen was right behind him on
another horse.
It didn’t take long to reach the tree line, he was suddenly not as excited as
he should be. He could tell, something was a miss. As they passed the tree
line and could no longer be observed by anyone. Shizyen spoke up, “Patton,
come close boy”. At this point his stomach dropped and he started to feel a
little nauseous. Shizyen got close, “Patton, Boy, Run! Run like you have never
run before if you ever want to fly again. Your parents have been ambushed
and it is not safe for you here. Take the east direction until you come across
the Blue village of Alyahten, ask the Hadrin family for sanctuary. I will follow
when I know it is safe. Go!”.
Then suddenly he was riding through the woods and Shizyen was gone.
What was happening? Was his parents alright? What was going on? He had
no indication anything was wrong. Shizyen would not have sent him away
without good reason. As he rode through the forest he started to feel afraid.
Too Continue…
Page 1