A Travelers Demise

Chapter 1: A Warning

The breeze from the east gave a chill as sky's of black formed above. I stood in the middle of my farm staring towards the capital. The smoke, so dense, began to block out the two suns. The shock wave of sadness and loss could be known in every fashion.

"Belamy?" My wife called out to me. I turned slowly and looked down at the ground as I realized the soil I had been hoeing a few moments ago began to shake slowly.

A Young woman, my wife, she'd been threw a lot over the solstices. I feel bad that she had to be forced by her basterd of a father into a marriage with a poor farmer.

It was a punishment for her, she had fallen for a soldier more worthy of her love than me. Her father didn't approve of the man because of his position on the front, more like a side soldier instead of a main rider.

I walked into a small shanty village called WinterVale just outside Li'an to buy some Ferral feathers (small, golden, exotic bird feathers from a large bird in the North Helm) for a potion I had been experimenting on. He stopped me as I wondered by and asked if I wanted a woman to call my own and to give me every satisfaction to my needs. At first I thought I had a choice, but in the end that General had forced us both into marriage. I am a poor man, so he took that and had said if I wouldn't he would find men who would burn my old farm to the ground.

"Yes dear?" I would reply, turning around quickly. She came around the corner of our small hut made from trees of oak and waved with a small parchment in hand. She wore brown overalls with a white button up shirt underneath. Her brown hair hung low below her shoulders and blew around in the breeze. I could just make out the slight tears running from her green eyes. The trees around our hut and barn blew in different directions giving loud creaks as the breeze got stronger.

"We've gotten a letter from the capital! The news is... is terrible," she yelled as she ran towards me. The lightly tinted orange sky above was almost fully covered in black, bringing the cold along with it.

I dropped the scythe I had been holding and wiped my dirty hands on my pants. The button up shirt I was wearing had a couple of buttons missing, Lillian would laugh as she would find them in different areas of our home.

"Damn shirt always losing these blasted things."

The fields in the distance swayed with a burst of wind that had felt like some sort of magic. She had made it to me quick and held out the letter.

"Read it Belamy. It's from Adam, he's saying something about an on coming battle!" She began to weep as she said:

"The rider dropped it off this morning." Grabbing the piece of parchment I began to read out loud:

________________________
To my friends in the west,

Today is The 3rd of Jul, on the 186th Winter solstice.
(Three days ago)

I regret to inform you that by the time you read this I have probably been sent off to fight on the front. Castellum has fallen, and The kingdom of Li'an has been made the new capital of the human empire. I've sent this letter ahead to warn you my friends, you need to leave. Get out of the farmlands. The Marsh is getting stronger, they'll probably be sent to destroy Li'an soon... I can't be anymore serious Belamy. Leave.

                                              Sent by,
                   General Adam G.
________________________

I looked passed the parchment to my wife, she was still weeping into her hands. I grabbed her and pulled her closer to me as I turned and looked towards the origin of the smoke.