The Last Summoner

Chapter two

Chapter two

Rakelstake was the capital city of the Freljord, home to the King Tryndamere and Queen Ashe. It was a safe haven for citizens of the Freljord, and a thriving city. My uncle and I lived here, though I'm not too sure why. My uncle is a quiet and reserved man, so we could have easily purchased a cabin in the woods. After a few days travel from the village that we rid of bandits, my uncle and I finally arrived home.
As I walked towards open city gates, the towering statue of Avarosa seemed to welcome me home. I pulled my hood over my head further, as I made my way towards the guards at the gate first, showing my citizenship pass. Reading it once, the guard grunted.
"You're fourteen this year kid," he stated, handing it back. "Hope you're prepared for the enlisting next season."
I raised an eyebrow curiously.
"Enlisting sir?"
"Yes," he answered. "For the army."
"Aren't we in times of peace? Why would there be any need for enlistment, especially at the age of fourteen?"
The soldier opened his mouth, but he stopped what he was about to say.
I was told that we were in times of peace. But everywhere I go I swear I see things that tell me differently. Bandit attacks becoming more frequent. No guards in small villages. Now enlisting children at the age of fourteen.
I stared into the guard's eyes, trying to read what he was thinking. I saw his eyes waver slightly, as if he was hiding something from me.
"It's a tradition of the Freljord," he finally answered.
I tried to argue back that it definitely wasn't, as this was the first time I heard about it, but I felt my uncle's hand placed on my shoulder
"Leave it," Darius stated coldly. "We'll be waiting for the enlistment. Carry on with your duty."
The guard was shocked at my uncle's interruption. It took a second to regain his composure, as he handed my citizenship pass back. Pulling my hood further over my face, I nodded, before entering the capital city.
Ah, the feel of the fresh cold evening air, and the smell of cooked food would have brought anyone drooling. It was good to be back home.
"Kid."
I turned around and saw my uncle walking away, to which I quickly followed after him. It wasn't crowded, but the main streets had people in them. They would turn away from the sight of my uncle. Though I guess if a hulking man with a hood covering his face and a giant axe strapped to his back were walking towards you, you would move as well.
Rakelstate was a simple structure city. In the center of the city was obviously the castle, where the King and Queen lived. Right next to it was a tower, easily dwarfing the castle in terms of height. I don't know what this was, but I heard rumors of a cry of a bird at the top of the tower. It probably belonged to some mage that the King and Queen trusted.
My uncle and I lived in the common folk area, nearer to the western gates. Here the housing was simplistic, with sturdy wooden structures and the like. Continuing past the residential areas, and closer to the northern gate was where the market was, and our place of destination.
No matter how many times I have come here, the mercenary guild still made me nervous. The last time I came here was about a year ago. Inside there were many warriors, assassins, and even the occasional sword masters from other regions. Today thankfully wasn't that crowded, with the only people being a couple of drunken mercenaries wasting themselves in the back corner of the guild.
The room reeked of alcohol, but I chose to ignore it as my uncle took a seat at the bar, which I followed, sitting next to him.
"Alex!" Darius called out, his voice booming.
"Already back Darius?" a cheerful voice replied, coming from in the room behind the bar.
A middle-aged woman walked out from the room behind, a glass mug in her hands, a washcloth in the other. She wore a grey tattered apron over a black vest and green skirt. She was slim, lightly muscled from years of fighting. Her auburn hair was tied into a bun, keeping the hair from her face. This was Alex, or Alexandria to be exact, the current guild master and bartender. Though she doesn't look it, I heard that she is actually a very powerful fighter. The last unfortunate person to cross her is currently buried beneath the ground after a brawl that ended with a single punch.
"It's been a while hasn't it?" Alex continued. "Thought you would be gone a month, like most members would. Here you are only a couple of days back."
"You give me too much credit," my uncle answered, tapping the table. "The normal...and get the kid water or something."
Alex cocked a smirk, putting down the glass she had been cleaning, before preparing the orders.
"The bandits give you too much trouble?" she asked again.
Darius scoffed.
"This kid would have been enough for them," Darius answered. "Barely any effort."
Alan slid a cup of water towards me, which I picked up gratefully, drinking half of it in one go.
"Haven't seen you in a year Marcus," Alex continued. "How's your uncle been treating you?"
"Like shit," I answered.
She responded with a laugh, while my uncle grunted in response, shrugging his shoulders.
"Oh that reminds me, Darius," Alex said with all seriousness. "One of them royal messengers came this morning to deliver a letter to you."
Reaching below the counter, Alex grabbed a white envelope, placing it on the table.
A royal messenger? But they only take orders from either Queen Ashe of King Tryndamere...
"Do you know why?" Darius asked.
"No idea," Alex answered. "You better hope you didn't cross them or something. I hate to see another good man executed."
"Don't worry. Tryn and Ashe aren't stupid enough to officially execute me."
Hearing my uncle mention the King and Queen's name so casually came as a surprise. I'm even more surprise at the fact that he hasn't been executed for showing no respect to the monarchs.
"Saying our leaders names so casually and you still have your head..." Alex muttered, shaking her head. "You must have been one hell of a person when you were younger."
My uncle fell silent. He stared at arm where his hand should be. I could see the slight expression of pain on his face. Guilt? Sorrow? I couldn't tell. This was my uncle that we were talking about.
"Maybe I once was Alex," Darius finally stated. "Now I'm just a mercenary."
Standing up, he grabbed the letter, stuffing it in his coat pocket.
"Kid, stay in the city for a bit, I'll see what our rulers want with me," my uncle said. "Don't cause too much trouble."
And with that, I watched as my uncle left the guild.
"You can never get anything from that man," Alex stated. "I wonder how he even brought you up without killing you Marcus. That will forever remain a mystery."
Alex laughed at the joke, while I shrugged finishing my cup of water. I wonder who my uncle would have been when he was younger. I assume he had connections with King Tryndamere and Queen Ashe. He even nicknamed the king. So many things don't make sense.
"You're confused," Alex stated, interrupting my thoughts. "I'm not surprise. I am too...though honestly, Marcus...do you think Darius is your uncle?"
I nodded.
"I don't know," I answered. "He's treats me coldly and pushes me to hard. But there are some good parts about him. He gave me this sword on my birthday and taught me to fight. I know he doesn't tell me about himself or about my past for that matter. I think it hurts him when he remembers, that's why he is always cold to me. But I don't mind waiting for when he does tell me. Regardless of whether we have the same blood running through our veins or not, he's still my uncle."
Alex stayed silent. A warm smile was on her face, before she ruffled my hair.
"You're a good kid Marcus," she stated. "Oh, that reminds me, I need to get some firewood so I can cook for the next couple of days. Mind getting me some Marcus before nightfall?"
I shrugged.
"I have nothing else to do."
"Great. Follow me."
Just as she said that, she flipped the latch around the counter and lifted the hinge enough for her to get out. I slipped off the seat and followed her to one of the back rooms, where she grabbed something from inside. When she exited the room, she was holding a bag and an axe.
"Normally I hire someone to do it, but he broke his hand yesterday," Alex said. "So just fill the bag with firewood and come back immediately. Don't get side tracked. I swear to god if something happens to you, your uncle won't let me live."
I couldn't tell if that was a joke or not. It was the evening, so I had to quickly get firewood. Grabbing the bag and axe, I slung the bag onto my back, and held the axe over my shoulder. They were slightly big for me, but I don't think it would hinder me too much.
"I'll be back before you know it," I told Alex, before leaving the guild.
I made my way through the streets towards the Western gate. I looked at the sky, seeing the sun setting pretty quickly. At this rate I probably have another hour or two to collect firewood. Just as I neared the gates, I saw a small crowd. There were some gasps and someone crying. What was going on?
I knew I had to get firewood quickly...but the curiosity was killing me. I made my way through the small crowd, seeing a woman on the ground, with a guard by her side. She was bleeding through her simple clothing, and he long black hair was covering her face.
"M-My child...they took my child," she sobbed. "Someone p-please...they have my child."
I wish I could have known what was going to happen to me in the future. I would have done things so differently. Little did I know, that the gears of fate, are already turning for me.