The White Mage

Chapter 1

Eren ran. His feet hit the soft earth hard, leaving little divots. He could hear the baying of the dogs as they chased after him. Just a little farther. He held his precious cargo tightly. So close. He'd be safe on the other side of the fence. The dogs were close at his heels, snarling and barking. Eren vaulted over the fence, skidding to a stop.

"Beat you again," He said with a smile.

He turned back to the fence, giving each of the panting dogs a well deserved scratch behind the ears. They wagged their tails as they tried to lick his arm. Mechi and Snuff were good guard dogs, but Eren had always been able to give them a run for their money. They were sweet, until you stepped on Farmer Hanson's field. Which happened to be the quickest way back to the village. They almost looked like bears, big and sturdy with a thick fur coat. Sure needed them this far north.

"See you next week!" Eren chirped, hoisting his box of vegetables up. He waved over his shoulder as he made his way to the main road. Frost's roads consisted of one wide dirt road and little pathways from years of walking. The village was named Frost for the sole reason of being the marker for where the northern frost stopped in the winter. Eren loved his village, but he felt like he had used up all the potential it had given him. He might have decided to leave, if he weren't worried about the fate of the most important person in his life.

He spotted her running with a group of children. Her dark hair a telltale among the light haired villagers. Dark hair wasn't common this far north. Between Eren's dark brown hair, and her raven black hair, no one would mistake them for anything other than siblings. Their matching green eyes might have given it away too.

"Ey, Selena!"

His sister waved goodbye to her friends, before running over to walk beside him. She was far shorter than him, despite the mere three years between them. It led to playful teasing on both their parts.

"You said hello to Mechi and Snuff for me, right?"

"Of course. In what universe wouldn't I pet a dog? How was training?"

"Bleh!" Selena stuck her tongue out as she scrunched up her face. It earned a laugh from Eren.

"That bad?"

"Sewing is boring and useless! I don't want to be a tailor. Why can't I be something useful? Like a nurse, or an animal trainer?"

"It's not useless, and there's good money in it." Eren feigned hurt, sighing dramatically. "I know how to sew. Is my sewing useless? I don't recall you complaining when I fixed your dress after you tore it climbing that tree."

"Okay, so it's not completely useless. At least you get to run the shop." Eren could feel she was hinting at something. He was worried it'd be the same conversation they always had. "Or you could go south if you wanted, go to a magic school."

"You know why I can't do that, Selena."

"I'll be fine! You should go. Go to Illandrya like you've always wanted. Like mom wanted."

"I couldn't risk it. And what if I don't get in? Come back and have everything be worse? No thanks. Besides, Illandrya is where nobles go, I doubt I'm even half as good as anyone there. Please, Lena, let's not talk about this today."

Selena huffed when her brother refused to talk, ignoring all her pushing. She dropped it however when they approached the family store. Eren kept his head down as they entered, keeping his eyes away from the man behind the counter. He said nothing either, not looking at his children. For the moment, there seemed to be no tension. But both children knew it was never far behind when the two men were in the same room. Especially since Eren had been growing bolder in the past few months.