I've been working on the character Zach Rendar's biography for a little over a year now, (and I only have six chapters, lazy! lazy!) and I thought that posting it here could get me some reader insight and possibly whet my appetite for more writing (since I need to be motivated to write)

I'll be posting the chapters every three days or so, as I finish them.

Feel free to question or comment on it. I'll be glad to respond!

A Hidden Life

Chapter 1

Blaine had been a hunter and a farmer since his childhood, his father had been a hunter, as had his grandfather and all other ancestors for as long as his family history had gone. He had been trained to sneak through the forest silently, to be unseen, and to have the best shot with a crossbow to be seen in four generations. He stood tall, with hair the color of dead grass, with eyes to match.

Now he sneaked through the forest, looking for something to pay his landlord, possibly an eight-pronged buck, or maybe a few rabbit-skin shoes. He had been in debt to Lord Haver for several months now, and he had to pay his dues or he and his wife would be kicked out of their home, or imprisoned. . .

Blaine’s train of thought was interrupted by the snapping of twigs off to his left. He whirled around, and fired a taut arrow through the throat of an aged she-wolf. The moment before she fell stretched out into an eternity. She stared at him, he stared at her. Her body hit the floor with an echo that silenced the forest.

Blaine approached the fallen animal with caution; it was well known that wolves could bite even after death. He felt its fur, soft and sturdy, just the thing he needed to pay off his debt to Lord Haver. He picked up the still-warm body and threw it over his shoulder. He turned to leave when he heard a shrill cry come out from somewhere in the depths of the forest.

Blaine whirled around, dropping the wolf corpse off of his shoulder. He couldn’t tell where the cry had come from; it seemed to have surrounded him. He moved to pick up the body when the same, short cry came from the forest again. He picked up the wolf and fell to curiosity.

The cry seemed to come at irregular intervals, and only from a singular point in the forest. Blaine was a hunter though, he knew where sounds in the forest came from, and he knew how to trace them. He spent a long while tracing through the woods, following the sound. Soon, he found a collapsed tree, of which the roots created a deep hole in the ground where he found two wolf pups and, to his surprise . . . a human baby.

Blaine froze for several minutes, looking at the child. It couldn’t have been more than two years old, and the poor thing looked starved, he could see its ribs beneath its pale and blotched skin. It lay in the corner, afraid of the newcomer, while the two pups approached, intently sniffing the newcomer. Blaine reached into the den for the baby. He was greeted by a sharp pain in his hand as the more arrogant of the two pups leapt and bit into his hand. He swore and shook the pup, throwing it to the ground. The pup yelped as it hit the dirt on its back and scampered to the back of the den, still giving a feeble yelp at the intruder. His brother closely followed.

Blaine reached into the den for the child again, this time hooking his right arm around the baby’s frail body. He picked it up and noticed that it was a baby boy. Blaine held the boy for a moment, wondering where it had come from. He looked around for evidence of deceased parents, leather sole from a shoe, a button from a shirt, any trace of blood; but he found nothing. Where had this child come from?

Blaine sighed and got the baby into a firm grip to get a better look at him. The baby had bright green eyes and a trace of blonde hair on his head. He looked up at Blaine and stuffed his hand in his mouth with a happy gurgle, no longer crying.

Blaine shouldered the she-wolf and held the baby as he headed off for home, not quite sure of what he was doing. The two pups cried as he left their hiding place. He continued without looking back, he’d have to worry about enough tonight, if he didn’t have to worry about Emiele rebuking him for bringing home barely enough for a fur cloak, but a child as well, one that they probably couldn’t provide for, as they could barely support themselves. He left the cubs, they would die, but so did hundreds of wolf pups, all around Eire. Two more wouldn’t make a difference.

***

Blaine arrived home around sunset, the scent of cooking vegetable soup wafting though the grass-woven door. He opened it wide and entered, not knowing if he should announce that he was home.

He dropped the wolf on the floor by the fire. The body had gone stiff, and the blood had leaked out of the hole in its neck. The baby was asleep, but at the sudden movement, started to cry.

A woman of short stature and ragged, filthy hair appeared from a separate grass-woven door leading outside. “Blaine! Blaine!” Her raspy, nasal voice cried over the baby’s screams. “What is that?” She asked, pointing to the child in Blaine’s arms. “Where did it come from- Did you steal it?” She took the child from Blaine and held him under his armpits; the baby saw this as something fun and burbled happily as he was swung around in this strange woman’s hands.

“It’s a baby boy, Emiele” Blaine said, in his low, perpetually solemn voice. “I found him in the wolf’s den.” He pointed to the softening body in front of the fire. “I brought it here to see what you wanted to do with him.”

“You should have left it-“

“Him.” Blaine interjected.

“My, my, my…” Emiele said, bringing the baby into a cradle hold. “You’ve already become attached to… to him.” She sighed and looked over the child. “I can see you’ll object to leaving him for the wolves again, seeing as how you’ve dragged him all the way here.”

Blaine said nothing, it was the best defense he had against his wife. She could go on talking for hours if he said nothing, always implementing her own ideas and thoughts into what would be a one-sided conversation. “Do you think we can support a child, Blaine?” she asked him roughly. He didn’t answer. “This means you’ll have to do extra hunting, we’ll have to make extra clothes for him, and we’ll have to pay Lord Haver’s child tax on him. How do you plan to do that? Did you even think about that, Blaine?” Blaine said nothing, hoping his wife’s good heart and maternal instincts would take over. “You never think, Blaine. You bring this child home without thought, because you found it in a wolf’s den. You expect me to feed it, clothe it, and pay for it. Your contemptible love of life has burdened us again, only this time; it may have landed us something we just can’t handle! Did you ever think of that?”

She looked powerful, despite her short stature. She stared ferociously at her husband, still holding the baby in her arms. Another strained silence ensued, which was cut short by a gurgling noise that came from the baby as he blew bubbles with his spittle.

Emiele’s hard glare softened into a smile. Blaine could see that she was about to crack under the child’s charm. “Alright then.” She said, succeeding her temper, “We’ll keep it. However, if it becomes out of our range of care, we’ll set it out in the woods and return him to the wolves.

Blaine nodded and looked down at the child, its bright eyes looking intently around the room. “I’ll go and scavenge some of your tunics to create something for this child to wear, since you’re the one who decided to bring it home.” Blaine nodded as his wife left the room. He tended to the wolf and started skinning it; he was going to make a wolf skin cloak.

Emiele put the baby on the bed, where it squirmed on the sheets, trying to take in the new surroundings, while she searched through her husband’s clothes to look for a soft tunic to use on the baby. A mint-green one was the best she could find. She took a nearby knife and sliced it from the head to the end, making a single, long sheet of fabric. She held one end to the baby and doubled it over; she now knew how much fabric would need to be used to clothe this baby boy…

She needed a name for the baby, she couldn’t just continue on calling him “It” now, could she? She’d have to ask Blaine for suggestions on a name for the baby. Emiele reached for her pincushion, and knocked her bible, the one book in the entire town, onto the dusty floor. She picked it up and read the page carefully.

“...and so Zachary led his village through the forest of wolves to the field of grain, where it was ground into flour and baked into bread, as was The Lord's bidding, and all was well.”

Emiele looked from the excerpt, to the wriggling child on her bed that was now chewing on the tunic material, and then back to the excerpt, there was no mistaking fate when she saw it.

***

Blaine was cooking several servings of wolf meat and stitching the inside of the wolf cloak when Emiele came out with the baby, dressed in a swath of mint-green fabric. “Blaine,” she said, he looked up at her in acknowledgement. “Zachary is sleeping quite soundly in your fabrics.” She looked down at the dozing child. “I think we’ve been blessed with a child Blaine. I love him as my own already.”

Blaine finished the final stitch on the cloak and moved over to his wife, bringing her into a short embrace, the greatest statement of his affection, before going back to the roasting meat.

That night, the child now known as Zachary slept comfortably for the first time in his life.

Chapter 2

A white-tailed deer looked up as it heard the scampering of five-year old Zach, energetic and happy, frolicked through the field happily. He had finished his chores and was now doing the thing he loved to do: run.

His bare feet glided over the blades of grass, leaving hardly a ruffle in the dirt as he almost flew over the field, his breath short, his legs sore, and his heart racing. Zach had grown over the last three years, his eyes still had their bright-green shine that seemed to fill the area he looked at, and his head was now covered in dirty blonde hair. He flipped over his head and landed softly on his back, laughing. He looked up at the crystal-blue, cloudless sky. This place was his sanctuary, where the grass was soft, the ground was flat, and where the animals were unafraid of him. He lay there silently, listening to the occasional chirp of a bird, the gentle wisp of a breeze, and the overall feeling of joy he constantly had.

“ZA- ACHARY!” Emiele called. Her voice was soft over the trees. Zach leapt to his feet and sprinted the opposite way of which he came. That was the problem with coming to his field, the time spent there was always far too short.

The trees flew by Zach as he sped through the forest; he had memorized the short trail he had foraged through these woods to his field. He knew where every tree, every sapling, every rabbit-hole and every bird’s nest surrounding this trail. He loved his home.

He burst out of the tree line and entered through the back of the house. “I’m home!” He declared. Zach bounded through the house, wondering where Emiele was. He popped out through the front door, and his happiness faded. A tall man on a horse was standing menacingly in the front yard. Nearby, Blaine was hauling sacks of their hard-earned grain into a wagon being driven by a very large knight.

Emiele took Zach’s hand and spoke to the man on the horse. “I’m telling you, we have more than enough grain to support the castle through the winter and the next spring!” she cried. Zach suddenly wished he had stayed in his field, he was used to Emiele arguing with Blaine, but when she was yelling at someone so furiously, it scared him.

The tall man on the horse sneered and flared his nostrils. His face gave the faint impression of being like a horse. Zach also noticed the man had a silver chain-link glove on his left hand but not his right. He didn’t like the man on the horse. “I have given you more than lenience.” He said sharply, with a reedy voice. “You never spoke to your priest about having a child, and as I can plainly see, that one is yours.” He pointed to Zach with an unsheathed dagger. “Therefore, your child isn’t on your family list, so we take as much grain as we did before.”

“You can’t do that!” Emiele shouted harshly enough to startle the horses hauling the cart driven by the knight. “We will starve this winter if you take that much! There isn’t enough left for three people!” She glared at the man on the horse, whose face remained unchanged.

The man on the horse sighed. “Are you sure there isn’t enough for three people this winter?” he asked resignedly.

“Yes, I am quite sure.” Emiele said, her victorious grin plastered on his face.

“Well then I can only think of one solution.”

Like a flash, the man on the horse leapt off his horse. He grabbed Emiele and slung her backwards. He grabbed her with his right arm and sliced her throat with his dagger before she even had a chance to scream. He then pitched her forward. The body landed on top of Zach. He stared up at Emiele’s eyes, covered in the glaze that only the dead can master. Her blood poured over him, still hot from her body.

Zach couldn’t do anything. He could only stare up in horror at Emiele’s face, which an instant before had been so full of intensity, now grey and fading. He heard shouts from Blaine, the clanking of metal on metal, some more shouts, a body hit the floor, and then he heard some mumbled words...

Emiele’s body was picked up off of Zach and tossed aside by the tall man. He leaned in close to Zach, lying pitifully on the ground, drenched in Emiele’s blood. The man looked him over carefully. “He can be a farmer someday.” He said, presumably to the knight. “We should let him live. No need in killing off a family legacy in less than an hour.”

With that, the man bounded onto his horse. Zach looked up. Blaine was on his back on the ground as well, clutching a cut on his arm. The knight’s sword was tinted red. “Let us move on, then.” The man on the horse said. “I think there’ll be plenty of grain for these two to have for the winter.”

The knight climbed clumsily into the seat of the cart and pulled the horses up behind the man on the horse. Blaine watched them intently from the ground, and waited until they had passed the first bend and out of sight before moving.

He leapt to his feet and picked up Zach, ignoring the body of his dead wife. He felt Zach’s arms and legs, feeling for wounds or broken bones. Zach gave a long, snotty sniff, his eyes brimming with tears. “Come inside, Zachary, I’ll go fix you some tea.” Blaine cautiously stepped over his wife’s body and took Zach inside.

Zach was told to put water on to boil over the fire and not put in the tea leaves until it was bubbling green bubbles. Blaine stepped outside as Zach moved stiffly to prepare the tea. Zach watched the water, but he heard the familiar sound of Blaine digging outside. Zach wiped his eyes as they started to overflow. He didn’t understand what had just happened. All he knew was that a man on a horse had hurt Emiele so that she couldn’t move, and that she bled a lot.

Blaine came in about an hour later, Zach had stared intently at the pot, waiting for the green bubbles to arrive, but the water had almost boiled away. Blaine put a hand on Zach’s shoulder. “The bubbles look green enough to me.” He said as he added the tea leaves.

Something about green bubbles made the tea Zach drank very strong, he soon felt very sleepy, sitting silently on his straw-woven chair. He looked up at Blaine, “Where did Emiele go?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Blaine looked up at Zach. The boy had never understood why he had to call his adoptive parents “mother” and “father” after he had learned to talk. After a few months of trying to get him to change the habit, the two had given up on it. “She went to heaven.” Blaine said shortly. There was nothing more to say. Weekly church masses had given Zach all he needed to know about heaven and all the implications about it. He stared down into his tea, his slightly greenish reflection showing his confusion and inner pain.

Blaine looked at Zach and decided that being quiet was no way to help the poor boy through what had just happened to him.

“Zachary.” He said after a few long minutes of silence. “I want you to go bathe yourself and your tunic.” Zach wordlessly went into the second room and poured a bucket of water into a washtub.

Alone, Blaine stopped to cry.

***

The winter was very forgiving on the two men, having but a mild coolness and limited snow. Blaine and Zach milled about in their daily activities in silence. Zach never had so much work to do. He was now cooking and helping Blaine cut down trees for firewood. He had noticed a strange slowness in Blaine, especially after the day Emiele left. Blaine was constantly rubbing his right arm, which was turning an ugly shade of brown, which along with the overall somber demeanor he had, was slowing him down.

One day, in the middle of January, Blaine could not bring himself to get out of bed, the brown on his arm spreading and becoming a dull and sickly green. Zach went into his room, wondering what could be wrong. “Zachary.” Blaine said softer than usual. “I want you to go outside, and dig up oleander roots. There will be a patch near that pile of stones you asked about.”

Zach wordlessly went outside to the small pyramid of stones where a beautiful batch of oleander had been grown that autumn. He struggled to dig up the roots from the frozen ground. In a few minutes, he had a few handfuls of roots and went back to the small hut.

Blaine took the roots and chewed them. “Zachary,” he said between clumps of frozen roots. “The man on the horse will be coming again today. He will want the pile of firewood that we chopped up. You will carry the wood to the cart and load it silently. When you are done, you tell the man, whose name is Lord Haver that you wish to be a squire.” Blaine stopped and swallowed the oleander roots. “You will then do whatever Lord Haver tells you to do. Do you understand?”

Zach nodded unsurely. He had never heard Blaine talk so much at once. It scared him. As though on cue, the sound of horses was heard outside the house. Zach walked outside and immediately started loading wood into the cart. The tall man, Lord Haver, seemed somewhat agitated by him. “Boy! Where is your father?”

“H- He’s inside.” Zach said quietly enough that Lord Haver had to strain to hear him. He continued loading the wood dutifully; trying to ignore the glares he was getting from the same, large knight from before. Lord Haver gave the knight a signal, and he stumbled off the cart and went into the house as Zach finished up loading the wood.

The knight came out a few seconds later. “Dead.” was all he said before getting back to his seat on the cart.

“Pity” Lord Haver said as he took out his dagger again. “Boy, your father is dead. What do you wish to do now?”

Zach’s mind raced. What had Blaine asked him to do? “I… I wish to become a squeer.” He said, voice squeaking.

This took Lord Haver by surprise. “You wish to what?”

Zach caught his error this time. Trying not to stutter, he tried again. “I wish to become a squire!”

There were a few moments of strained silence as Lord Haver looked over the scrawny young boy in a ratty tunic in front of him. He doubted the boy would survive the trip back to the castle, much less become a knight, plus, it was another mouth to feed for- A thought came to Lord Haver and he smiled.

“Fine then, boy.” He said triumphantly. “You will ride in the cart back to the castle, where your first assignment as a squire will be to maintain my daughter’s stables.” The knight driving the cart snorted as he tried to suppress a laugh.

"Yes sir.” Zach said as he climbed up and sat on top of a short pile of logs. Lord Haver spurred his horse, and he started south, with the cart close in tow.

wow o.o that's a lot of small print :: gets out her reading glasses for this one :: and about the getting motivated to write thing? yeah, I know how that is. I think up a story and start it, I get a few chapters into it and then get inspired to write something else, so I start that story and the other one eventually fades away *sigh* oh well....I guess I just really need to focus on my webcomic right now.

:o hey, that's pretty cool. It actually reminded me of those Grimm Brothers fairy tales. I like the writing style too. Not overly detailed, which i like. it leaves more to the imagination. The dialogue was good and believable, and the characters were very well thought out. Keep us posted, I'd like to see where this story is headed! Nice Work Zach! ^.^

~Mika

uuhhh, nice :)

:: has finally read it :: O.O .....wow, that's really cool. I think you could publish that if and when you finish it. And I agree with Mika-san, the characters were very well formed. I like the variety of personalities.

Wow! Thanks for the responses guys. It helps to know that there're some good things to my story. I sent it to my mother, who's an editor, and all I got back was "Fragmented sentence there, there, and there. You need a semicolon there, and you misspelled 'conscious' every single time."

She's been reading for error so long she's forgotten how to read! :o
Anyway, since chapter three is so short, I'm going to post it alongside chapter four. Enjoy!

Chapter 3

The cart’s wheels squeaked as they rolled dutifully over the well-worn dirt road to the castle. It had been two days since Zach had left his home, two days with only a quarter loaf of bread and a few swallows of water. He was hungrier and thirstier now than he had ever been in his life. The dark rings under his eyes showed the lack of sleep he had, spending the previous evening shivering under his thin tunic for warmth in the back of the cart in which he sat now. He tried dozing off, using the steady rocking of the cart as a backdrop, but was always thrust back into the waking world when it hit a bump or a hole, which jostled the entire vehicle.

He dared a peek over the edge of the cart. He watched as the armor-clad knight directed the horses as they steadily followed behind Lord Haver and his horse. The road had been getting steadily wider as they moved south; Zach wondered why a road this big would be necessary, when he got his answer.

As the travelers topped the next ridge, Zach saw the castle.

It was a sight to behold, almost overwhelming for the young boy. The castle was perched over a steep hillside, leading down to a river, with a large, open field on the other three sides. Three towers rose into the sky, casting long shadows over the ground. Zach stared up at them in awe; there was no way a building this big could have been made by people, just no way…

The castle doors were open, and Zach watched as Lord Haver rode into the main gates. The cart moved aside, off the road and around to the side of the castle, where the stables were. The knight plodded out of the driver’s seat.

“Take the horses back to the stable, boy, and unload the wood.” He said as he walked through a smaller set of double doors, leaving Zach alone.

Zach had never worked with horses before, so he nervously went about leading them to the open stables and tying a loose knot to secure them. He then went around back to the cart and started piling the wood onto the already small pile of wood near the stables. The hunger and lack of sleep was taking its toll on the boy, as he stumbled carrying the large loads of wood to the ever-growing pile.

Nearly a half-hour later, the day found the boy sleeping peacefully under the sun in the cart, exhausted from the day’s work, his job only half done.

A tall figure strode up to the young man. A wrinkled, yet strong hand gripped the boy’s shoulder and shook him awake. Zach awoke with a start and gave out a small yelp of surprise. A second hand came down on his mouth to muffle the sound.

“Do you know what will happen if Haver finds out you’re sleeping on the job?” a raspy voice asked.

Zach, wide eyed, looked up at a wrinkled face, topped with wild grey hair and dotted with two crystal-blue eyes. Zach stared into those eyes for a few seconds before shaking his head slowly. He didn’t know what would happen if Haver found him sleeping-

“I’ll tell you what’ll happen. Haver will set you free, although not through the trail, he’ll drop you off in the forest, with all the creatures.” The man said the last word with a feeling of utmost fear in his voice. It sent a small shiver down Zach’s spine. He jumped to his feet and grabbed some more logs and proceeded to add to the pile. The old man followed Zach intently, watching him add to the pile.

“I have not seen you anywhere around the castle.” The man said after a few seconds of silence. “Are you a new squire?”

Zach nodded, feeling uneasy about this old man hovering over him while he was doing his work, but he continued hauling logs to the stables. “I’m Quint” the old man said as he followed Zach from the stables to the cart. “I work with the silver around here. I can make any kind of jewelry, as long as it’s with silver. I don’t want to work with gold. Anyone can work with gold. I like working with silver.”

Zach stopped and looked up at Quint. Beneath two deep wrinkles glistened two bright-blue eyes that gave off an aura of hidden youth and wonder. An instant curiosity took hold of Zach. What was this man doing here?

“Let me help you.” Quint said as he picked up a pile of logs and followed Zach to the stables where the two of them dropped them off. “Say, do you have anywhere to stay tonight?” he asked, looking down at the silent blonde child. Zach shook his head as he made his way back to the cart to retrieve more wood. “You should come down by the forge-house tonight and I’ll lend you something to sleep on.”

Zach picked up the last few scraps of wood and smiled.

***

The forge house was a dingy, dusty place, filled with the scent of fire and small globules of silver were littered like glistening dew strewn about the floor. Quint smiled as he shook the dust out of a moth-eaten blanket that had been hidden in a back shelf behind silver replicas of a dragon and a unicorn, which clattered unceremoniously to the floor, without so much as a glance from the spacey elder.

Zach stood in the open doorframe, surveying the area with a look of shock plastered onto his face. Blaine and Emiele would never have allowed such a mess, much less in somebody’s house! Zach walked over to the shelf and replaced the silver dragon and unicorn, with a chip out of its horn. Meanwhile, Quint took to bunching up the blanket and casting it upon the floor. It suddenly looked like a grey bundle with a divot in the middle, big enough for a small child to curl up in. Quint turned and smiled at Zach. “I made a bed for you. It should be warm enough, but it’s summer so it should be warm anyway.” Quint turned to his anvil and draped a soft cloth over it. “Desdemona needs to get a good night sleep to, because we need to work tomorrow. Haver wants us to keep busy.”

A small twinge of fear came over Zach. What kind of person gave names to things that already had names? He sat on the grey blanket and for the first time, wished he had stayed at his little house by the forest.

Quint’s snores echoed from the neighboring room, rendering sleep impossible to the young, scared boy. Zach stood up and started picking up the small balls of silver off the floor, and soon collecting a small pile. While picking them off the floor, Zach found a discarded broom, which was nothing more than a pole with a few stray bristles on it.

Instinct took Zach, and he proceeded to sweep out the forge-house.

Chapter 4:

The morning found a bleary-eyed and hungry Zach finishing his late-night project of cleaning out the forge house. As dawn broke, Quint emerged from his room, rubbing his eyes. “How did you sleep? I slept fine. I like waking up in the morning, especially knowing Desdemona’s smiling face will be there!”

Zach opened his mouth to answer, but a roar from his middle spoke for him.

“Ah! It’s time for breakfast!” Quint announced as he donned his socks. “Let’s head over to the castle and get something to eat!”

The hike up to the castle was difficult, especially on an empty stomach and a lack of sleep. The forge house was located at the bottom of the gentle slope of the castle, and it took a good quarter-hour for the old man and young boy to make it up the slope and in through the castle gates. Once inside, Zach couldn’t help but gape in wonder. The walls stood high and solid, with people milling about on the inside, more people inside one building than in Zach’s entire village! A twinge of sorrow pierced Zach as he reminded himself that he lived here now.

Through a large set of double doors was the dining hall, two long tables running parallel to the walls seated groups of people eating and talking easily. Most ate strips of pork and beef with knives from communal plates, and only Lord Haver, who ate at the head of one of the tables with several young women crowding around him, had a plate to himself. Zach only realized that he was blocking the doorway when two tall men shoved him out of the way while they entered. Quint was nowhere to be seen.

After a few minutes of searching for the old man in the crowded hall, Zach took a seat near an emptier section of the table near a plate of roast pork. He reached out to tear a piece off the animal when a knife came down and stuck itself in the table between his thumb and forefinger.

“Git yur grubbly li’l paws off our meat.” A filthy man yelled at Zach. He fell backwards out of his seat in surprise. He landed on the stone floor with a dull thud, much to the amusement of the knife-wielding man and his companions.

Walking off in silence and with as much dignity as he could muster, Zach sheepishly walked between the two long tables, looking for an area that wasn’t filled with scary-looking men who wielded knives. At the end of the table opposite Lord Haver sat a girl about Zach’s age, eating alone, and not holding a knife. As he approached, she looked up at him with a look of surprise.

“Hello,” she said. “Who are you?”

“I’m Zach. May I have some food” he asked, his hunger outweighing his manners.

“Daddy says I’m not supposed to share.” She said softly, indicating the strips of meat on her plate. However, before he could ask why, a strong pair of hands whipped him around and pulled him off his feet.

“What are you doing, talking to my daughter, boy?” Lord Haver’s voice boomed throughout the hall, freezing all movement and directing all attention to the boy he was holding up.

“I… I wanted some food.” Zach said softly.

“Then why didn’t you get some from the other plates?” Haver asked, his voice like acid through Zach’s body.

“A man with a knife told me not to take any with my hands.” Zach whispered, scared to shaking by Haver’s intimidating glare.

Silence covered the hall like a blanket, suddenly broken by an amused snort from Haver. He then broke into soft chuckles before casting Zach to the floor. “Well then by all means! If you can’t take it with your hands, and you don’t have a knife, what the hell are you doing here?” Zach sat on the floor, unsure of how to answer. “Get out!” Haver said, with such intensity that Zach was immediately on his feet and making for the double doors as quickly as he could. Over the laughter of the patrons, he heard Haver’s voice one last time. “Get to cleaning my daughter’s stables! I don’t want those horses rolling in their own filth!”

Once outside, Zach stopped to catch his breath. Not only had he been sentenced to clean stables, he missed another meal and his stomach was now throbbing with pain. He headed out to the stables.

Zach arrived at the stables and knew why cleaning the stable was set to the new squires. Fifteen horses worth of droppings were piled throughout the half-shed, with a huge pile, brimming with flies and maggots, set off in the furthest corner. Zach picked up a small shovel and started transporting the vile excrement over to the big pile.

“Hello? Is anyone in here?” A small voice asked.

“I am here.” Zach said as he shoveled another load of dung onto the pile without looking up.

“I… I thought you might be hungry when Daddy kicked you out and brought you some food.” The girl from the dining hall walked into the stable, carrying a small plate of scraps.

“Oh! Thank you!” Zach shouted as he dropped his shovel and pounced upon the food.

The girl giggled. “My name is Lainnir, what’s yours?”

“I’m Zach.”

“Well, Zach, Daddy says you’re my new stable hand, I guess that means we’re allowed to be friends now!” Lainnir said, a broad smile crossing her features, her light brown hair framing her young face. Zach was immediately taken. He had never before had a friend, and the concept intrigued him.

Lainnir climbed up onto a small pony and smiled. “Good luck cleaning the stables, Zach!” she said as she guided the animal out the front gate and onto the grassy area at the base of the castle hill.

With renewed enthusiasm, Zach returned to his work.

***

It was midday, and Zach had gotten around to filling the troughs with hay for the remaining horses when Quint entered the stable, his frizzy grey hair black as soot along with his face. “Zach!” he called out. “I knew I’d find you, even though you lost me at breakfast, I was able to find something to eat and got to work with Desdemona, and look what we made!”

Quint held out his hand and on it was a miniscule jester, standing comically on one hand with his feet in the air; it glowed with an inner light that only came with true craftsmanship.

“It’s a beautiful piece.” Zach said, noting all the fine details.

“No it isn’t!” Quint said, giving the young boy a confused look. “It’s a jester. See? It’s upside down!” The old man frowned. This boy obviously didn’t understand what his work was all about. “Say, I’ll make you a present today, so you can go to sleep easier tonight!” With that, Quint turned on his heel and left the stables, leaving a confused Zach in his wake.

The sound of wet splats brought Zach back to reality; he grabbed his shovel and started working again.

***

It was sunset when Lainnir came back on her horse. The stable seemed to have a whole new look about it; hay was strewn about the floor and gave the building a subtle smell that overpowered the pile of feces in the corner. She nimbly leaped off her horse and handed the reins to Zach, who proceeded to secure them to the bar. Without a word, she headed back to the castle.

Zach returned to the forge-house late that night, he found Quint leaning over a desk, making minute strokes to a small object in front of him. “Ah! Zach, I’m glad to see you! I finished your charm!” with a quick flick, Quint tossed a silver chain to Zach, who caught it. It was a silver necklace with a small wolf attached to it. It seemed to glow in the dim firelight.

“Well, try it on!” Quint said, with a slightly maniacal grin.

Zach slipped it over his head. The metal was slightly warm, as if it had come straight from the forge. He could hardly feel its weight on him as he looked at the wolf staring up at him; a rush of dim memories came to him. Roaring wheels, rain, lightning, flying, falling, cold, screaming, darkness-

“Zach?” Quint’s voice broke through his reverie “Zach, are you alright?”

The light broke through the darkness, and Zach returned to the forge-house. Quint was looking at him with concern. “You need to get some rest; you almost fell asleep on your feet. Well, I’m going to bed. Goodnight Zach.”

Zach lay down on his pile of blankets, held his new wolf close to him, and drifted into a dreamless rest.

lol! Quint is almost exactly like my elderly friend Chris! Creative with a most obvious talent, excentric and young at heart, and loves to make things for people. ^.^

I have a suggestion:

"Zach was wondering why a road this big would be necessary, when he got his answer"

But that's really all the corrections I can find at the moment ^.^

*claps* very very good I likeies I agree with Mika Saigo!! :D

Umm....do you mind if I coppy this down and print it out so I can read it some time later? This is the kind of thing that could easily be published ( at least, I think so ) but if it end's up not being published, I would like a copy to keep around and read every now and then.

Would that be alright?

Feel free to print the story out! Share it with your friends! I'd like to get as much input on this as possible before I consider sending my resume to any publishing company!

Chapter 6

“I swear, Zachary, sometimes your habits confuse even me!” Quint whined as Zach poured solidified droplets of silver into a bucket. “Those should not be used again if they’ve already been heated, they’ve had their turn and they’ll have to wait again!”

Zach, six years later and with six years of squiring under his self-fashioned horsehair belt, replied “Well, if you do decide to reuse all of this, we won’t have to spend any of our gold on new silver… besides; I think Desdemona might feel better working with silver she’s met before!”

The last six years had left their mark on Zach, no longer the bumbling six-year-old that had left the village so long ago, but now an able-bodied twelve-year-old and carriage assistant to her highness Lady Lainnir. Quint looked over at his prized anvil and shook his head as though answering an unspoken question. “Alright, but these pieces have already had their turn! It won’t be fair to the others!”

“It’s alright! They’ll all get their turns sooner or later!” Zach yelled as he ran out the door towards the castle. The slope up to the castle, which used to be an impediment to the boy, was now just a part of the daily routine run up to the dining hall.

Crawling under the tables was a bit more difficult, now that Zach was bigger, and more likely to run into someone’s legs, but that wasn’t important now. He wedged himself between two large men and grabbed some pork off the plate with his bare hands.

“ ‘ey now! We’ve got Gopher here! How you doin’ today, Goph?” Zach turned to smile at the large man. Ever since he had developed the habit from popping up under the table, snatching food, and diving under again, he had been nicknamed “Gopher” by the knights and other patrons of the dining table. No longer threatened with knives, Zach amused the diners and let them laugh at his antics for a free meal. With another quick grab at some mutton, Zach dived under the table to the raucous laughter of the men above.

Lord Haver sneered at the laughing men. They were allowing a mere child to steal their food, an impertinent one at that. He chanced a glance at his daughter, who was smiling knowingly at the men. The boy and his daughter had become friends during his run as stable boy, so Haver had decided to stem their time together by promoting the boy to carriage assistant, a job so distracting that the boy could barely keep his wits about himself, much less talk to his daughter. Yet, despite all his efforts to keep them apart, Lainnir always found a way to get together with the boy and get into all sorts of mischief, the most memorable event being when the two had stolen sheets off the drying line, and terrified his patrons that evening, pretending to be ghosts of the undead. The boy got ten strikes with a cane for that, and his daughter was returned to her quarters until the following evening.

As the boy left the dining hall, his cheeks stuffed with food, much like a squirrel, the familiar feeling of loathing took hold of Haver, though he didn’t act on it. The only way the boy could earn true respect would to be knighted, something Haver had absolutely no intention of doing; ever.

***

Zach arrived at the stables, to whinnies and stamping, the horses were hungry and needed their droppings removed, after attending to these things, Zach took to his new duties of making sure the carriage was ready for travel at any moment, that included not only the essentials, such as making sure the wheels spun and the reins were always fastened, but constantly cleaning it, making sure the golden edges could show a reflection, and blind a passerby caught in its glare. This took considerably more time than just maintaining the stables, but it also had greater rewards…

“Zach, I’d like you, McArthur, and Arede to take me for a ride,” Lainnir said as she approached the carriage from behind Zach. He smiled at her reflection in the golden sides and said nothing, he instead ran to the stables to fetch the two named horses and hook them to the carriage.

***

“So father wants me to go to this ball and choose a suitor!” Lainnir said as the carriage turned onto the main path around the castle. “I don’t even know that many! None of them really seem know about anything except themselves and their lineage, I won’t be able to talk to them about anything now, will I?”

Zach sat in silence as he guided the two horses down the path, not that they needed guiding, they knew this path well, it was the longest one to go around the castle, around and down the steep slope to the river, across it twice, and up around the other side. It was used almost everyday now, with Lainnir needing to say so much, it was best used for when she had big problems to sort out.
“Why must you go to a ball with someone you do not wish to go with?” Zach asked neutrally, watching the sides of the road.

“My father wants me to meet someone I can be betrothed to soon. My birthday is coming up soon… and father wants to make sure I can get someone wealthy enough to keep our part of Eire running.”

Zach sighed, he never understood the caste system of the world he lived in. What made a royal family royal? If knights were so respected, why were they not invited to all these balls and formal events that he had wished he could go to ever since he had learned about them? He drove on in silence, hoping Lainnir would start up with a problem he could help her work through, but the ball had been weighing heavily on her mind for a long time now. The castle itself spoke in excited tones about her “Coming out”, despite her coming out of the castle everyday possible. Even Quint had been working hard, designing shelves and shelves of exquisite silverwork, a silver hearts on chains, each with a set of initials engraved into it.

The carriage rumbled over the wooden bridge on its way back to the castle, the sun was sinking in the sky. Lainnir looked out of the window, seeing the castle silhouetted against the orange and red heavens. “I wish you could come, Zach.”

Zach was taken aback, Lainnir knew as well as he did that squires weren’t allowed into balls. He decided to remain silent about the matter; after all, it was a statement, not a question.

***

Arede was fussing as Zach hitched her into her stall, she had been feeling antsy ever since he had unhooked her from the carriage, she never liked returning to the stalls. One day, when Zach was knighted, he’d choose her as his horse, sure the other knights would laugh at him for choosing a mare over a stallion, but Zach saw fire in Arede…

Footsteps alerted Zach to a present, he rounded with a start, hoping against hope that Haver hadn’t caught him idling and petting a horse when there was cleaning to be done. Luckily, Zach was greeted with the bright blue eyes of Quint, who was standing wearily by the open stable doors. “Zach, I need to see you immediately!” he gasped and ran out of the stables towards the castle. Zach followed, wondering what could be so urgent that even soft-minded Quint was concerned about it.

Into the castle and down several flights of narrow steps Quint flew, followed closely by Zach. At the bottom, there was a crowd of boys at and around Zach’s age. Zach had seen these boys around the castle, escorting knights, doing chores, and working in the kitchens. They were squires as well, that Zach had never met before, as he lived with Quint, who was known as “The Silverman” to the other boys.

In the center of the crowd, lay a shivering form of a shirtless boy, blood oozing from lines criss-crossing his back. One of the older boys, cane in hand, stood over him, looking as though he were in a dream. “Lord Haver said thirty strikes, and I didn’t think any more of it… I didn’t know that this would happen to him…”

Quint parted the crowd easily and picked up the bleeding boy. He looked around at the fearful faces of the young boys around him. “My Zach will take over this one’s job; just tell him what he needs to do.”

The two dozen boys turned as one to face Zach, the stranger in their presence, the squire who had never progressed beyond stable-hand. The boy with the cane, the oldest, shook himself out of his stupor and faced Zach, looking him up and down with disdain on his features. “He can’t do it. I bet he couldn’t take one day-“

“He can, and he will.” Quint said with a sharpness that neither Zach nor the boys had ever heard come out of the old man. “Tell him what he must do and anything that will help him.” With that, Quint stormed up the stairs, the bloodied boy flopping in his arms with each step.

Zach stood there, outside of the other squires’ ring of protection. Once again, the oldest boy looked him over, and sighed. “How well do you know Lord Haver?”

“Not very, I just drive the carriage for Lainnir-“

A collective gasp came from the younger boys as their eyes widened as one, the oldest boy’s eyes instead narrowed, as though trying to see Zach’s words and analyze them further.

“I don’t know what kind of rules you live by out there in the stables, but we in the castle refer to Lord Haver’s daughter as ‘her lady’ or ‘her highness’.”

Zach decided not to push the subject anymore.

“Anyway… I guess the Silverman chose you as Lord Haver’s next assistant. Whatever Lord Haver wants, it is your duty to get it for him, doing whatever is necessary.”

“Did… the squire that Quint helped-“

“He decided that he wanted more than Lord Haver’s good graces and stole some of the food that is being prepared for the ball, which is too rich for us. Lord Haver sent him down here to be caned… but that doesn’t matter now. You have to learn the refineries of being in the presence of royalty before the ball tonight!”

The oldest boy, Joshua, spent the next half hour teaching Zach rules for interacting with royalty, how to handle strange utensils such as a fork and spoon, and how to do a sloppy, repetitive shuffle he should do if requested to entertain to music. At the end of the hour, some of the younger boys had salvaged the bloodied boy’s fine attire for the night, which was slightly too large for Zach, but stayed on like it was supposed to.

Music started in the dining hall, now lit with thousands of thousands of multi-pronged candles lining the tables illuminating foods such as Zach had never seen before… but before he could take in anymore, a plethora of hands pushed him out as Lord Haver passed, setting him into stride behind him. Zach followed silently, being careful not to tread on Haver’s flowing cloak.

Haver sat at the head of the center table, looking over the guestless hall, a smile crossing his horse-like face. He turned towards Zach, standing at his left as instructed. “Samuel, fetch me some satin, I wish to-“ He had turned to face the figure standing by him, but instead of coming face-to-face with his lackey, he saw the boy that had been spending every sunny day out in the carriage with his daughter! Sudden comprehension passed over his face.

“YOU!” he bellowed to the empty hall.

:o you continue to amaze us Zach! It looks really good. I only saw a few typos and some grammar errors, but the style is very nice. You've really got some talent! Can't wait to read more! :D

~Mika

Oh wow! This just gets better and better! keep going!

I think you meant "Quint" ^.^

Thanks for the feedback guys. Here's the last two chapters I have written up so far, so you may have to wait a little while for the next chapter injection. I have my resume typed up, now all I need is the nerve to print it out and send it to Dorling/Kimberly, Scholastic, and some other publishing companies that I'd like to read the manuscript (when it's finished, of course.) I actually have the entire plot thought up, I just need to organize the thoughts in my head and get it down onto paper- er... the hard drive.

So now, for your reading pleasure, chapters eight and nine of A Hidden Life. (I'm going to have to do something about the title. -_-; )

Chapter 8

Zach stood his ground, unsure of what this man wanted of him. He beckoned with a finger once more. “Come…” An unseen force tried to push Zach towards the dark-cloaked man, but with every ounce of will that his terror could muster, Zach forced it away with his mind. The dark man put his head down and his shoulders slumped in what appeared to be disappointment. “I will see you later.” He said, as a bright light consumed Zach.

“Zachary? Zachary! You must wake up now!” Quint’s voice echoed in Zach’s head. “You must wake up now!” he repeated. Zach opened his eyes and instantly wished he hadn’t done so. The forge house seemed far too bright to be natural, and his back, as well as his head, throbbed with his pulse, creating a double beat of pain every second or so. Zach closed his eyes tightly and tried to get adjusted to the light. Quint shook him again and insisted he wake up fully.

Zach grudgingly sat up and hissed as jolts of pain shot up and down his back, he went to grab at the pain, but Quint stopped his hand. “Zachary, you must take things slowly, I’m not sure how well you can recover from such a terrible episode. It’s a miracle you’re here right now.”

The events of the previous night flooded back into Zach’s mind, pushing away the last images of the dream he had before. It all still seemed like a blur to him as he groaned with the thought of having to explain himself to Lainnir when she came around to ride a horse that day.

Quint seemed to read the boy’s mind though. “Zachary, you have been given a new job from here on…” he hesitated, trying to decide how to break it to him. “Lord Haver says that due to your back injury, you may not work in the stables anymore.”

Zach snapped his head up, ignoring the shooting spasms that were slowly dimming. He opened his mouth to speak, but Quint shushed him with an outstretched hand. “He says that bending your back will keep the scars from becoming too obvious… and he decided that you… you are now to scrub chamber pots for your squireship.”

Zach opened his mouth, shut it, and opened it again. He may have been stable boy, but even that was a step above chamber pots, and he’d never be able to see the horses again! What would McArthur, Arede, and the others do without him? Quint, seeing this, put an arm around the boy’s shoulder. “Come on now, Zach. You know squires don’t cry, and you know that in a little while, Lord Haver will come to his senses and put you back in the stables.”

Zach shook his head. How could that have been a good thing? His back shot with pain with every motion he made, he was going to clean chamber pots from now on, he’d never see the horses again… and there was something else.

Quint smiled, despite Zach’s apparent turmoil. “I do have some news that you may enjoy though.” He said softly. “Her highness was here. She wanted to know if you were alright.”

Zach’s head shot up. Lainnir had come over to the forge house? Had she possibly forgiven him for last night’s events? Not only that, but she also came down, just to see if she was okay?

The sun shining in the forge house suddenly seemed so much more cheery, the silverworks now glistened with something of happiness, and even Desdemona the anvil looked wonderful. A sly smile passed over Quint’s face as he saw the boy visibly come to life. He also knew that sitting in this dingy hut wasn’t getting the chamber pots cleaned, and he didn’t want Lord Haver going at Zach with the cane for a long time. “Well Zachary, since you are on you feet now, I guess we must both go about work.”

***

The trip up to the castle took much longer for Zach today. The pains from last night on his back, and from lack of food slowed him as he forced himself up the slope to the castle. It was midday, so breakfast had already passed…

A familiar sound broke Zach’s concentration. Galloping horse hooves came from his left in a dull crescendo. He turned and saw a magnificent sight; Lainnir was riding McArthur towards him, a wonderful smile on her face, and a beautiful silver heart bouncing on a chain around her neck. She pulled to a stop in front of him and leaped off, throwing her arms around Zach.

“Oh! I’m so glad you’re alright!” she said, letting him go. “I was so scared last night that I almost had to leave before I could choose a suitor!” She fingered the silver heart around her neck, LD clearly engraved upon it. “Fortunately, my maids had a second dress on hand to replace the one you ruined! So the rest of the evening went off without a hitch!” she said, mounting herself on McArthur’s back and taking off. Zach watched as she made her way down the hillside to the open fields below.

“I can understand how you feel.” A soft voice started from behind Zach.

Zach whirled around and his jaw dropped. A man dressed in white was standing very nonchalantly behind him, hands clasped behind his back, watching Lainnir ride off into the fields. “I just wish they made them like that when I was your age.” He smiled and looked down at Zach. “I’m dreadfully sorry; I almost forgot to introduce myself. I am Tobias.” He said, taking a small bow. Zach couldn’t think of anything to say. This man was handsome beyond even what fairy tales described. “I saw what happened to you last night.” He said softly, his tone becoming melancholy “It’s truly a shame, everyone could tell that it was an accident… now you’re probably scarred for life because of one little incident…”. His eyes suddenly lit up, and Zach almost shielded his own. “I’ve got it!” Tobias exclaimed. “I’ll give you something that’ll put balance into the world, and make sure that the truly good get what they deserve!”

Zach was taken aback, but was able to stammer out one word. “W- What?”

Tobias checked over his shoulders to make sure the two were alone. “I am a wielder of magic.” He said softly. “I’m offering you anything you can wish. I can make it so that Haver will never have the upper hand on you ever again. Just think of something, anything, and I’ll see that it becomes reality.”

Zach’s mind reeled at the sudden release of all this information upon him at once. A wish? From a handsome stranger? There was so much that Zach could wish for, so much that he needed, but he couldn’t wish for them all in a short phrase, could he?

“Please hurry, Zachary, I feel that people may soon be upon us, and I do not wish for my magic to be discovered!”

Zach pushed his mind as hard as he could. “I wish I could have whatever I wanted, when I wanted!” He suddenly frowned. How lame was a wish like that?

The man named Tobias smiled though. “I’ve never had such an… original wish before, but I will see what I can do.”

Tobias hunched over a patch of grass and grimaced. An infinitesimally small black spot appeared in the ground, Zach watched on in wonder as the spot grew into a hole, the darkness seeming to absorb the light all around. With a hiss, Tobias shot his hand into the hole and withdrew an object quickly. The hole vanished, leaving Tobias holding out a bundle out to Zach from a steaming arm, the sleeve of his shirt no longer the illustrious white it had once been.

“This satchel…” Tobias started slowly. “Can produce anything, at anytime. It will never leave your person, insuring that it remains in your possession. However, matter cannot be created from nothing, so a bit of your energy will be used every time you pull something out of it.” Tobias smiled showing teeth that were nearly as white as his suit. He thrust the pack into Zach’s hands. It felt warm, as though it had been sitting in the sun for too long. “Use this to impress her. Make her love you like you do her. Everything will become apparent soon.” He lifted his gaze to the field. Zach looked as well; he could just barely make out Lainnir, riding without a care in the world through the grass. Zach watched for a long time. Wait, had Tobias just said that he loved her? ‘Make her love you like you do her?’ He turned to face Tobias-

He was gone.

Zach panicked there was no sign of the man in white anywhere; there weren’t even impressions in the grass to indicate if he had walked off in any given directions. Zach stood there stupidly for a moment, before being called to his senses. “Zachary?” Quint’s voice rose from down the hill. He was standing in the doorway of the forge house, shouting towards Zach. “What are you doing just standing there? I know you don’t want to wash chamber pots, but it’s Lord Haver’s orders… you must hurry now!” Quint shook his head as the boy tied something around his belt and made a run for the castle. He turned to go back inside. He stoked the fire under his anvil. “Some people are just very strange, aren’t they Desdemona?” he asked as he watched Zach run up the hill to the castle.

From atop a castle wall, Tobias watched Zach as well. He smiled, revealing his newly sharpened teeth.

Chapter 10

The weather had taken a turn for the worse the next morning, but Zach awoke with high spirits. He had slept exceptionally well the previous evening and was ready for whatever the world could throw out at him today. He threw on his brand new (although convincingly worn and faded) tunic on, gave Quint a hurried goodbye, and jogged his way up the slope to the castle.

Zach had seen the castle this crowded on rainy days, but had never noticed how much activity went on inside, as he was usually out in the stables. Knights were pacing back and forth, on their patrol duties inside, making sure cabin fever didn’t get the best of people, squires were doing their best to comply to every order given to them, and for the briefest second, he saw Lainnir hurriedly walking next to Lord Haver as the two crossed the room before they were lost in the crowd again.

Squeezing through the large group of people took some doing, but Zach made his way to the staircase, up to the second floor, and into the very pink room, where the handmaids, instead of standing at attention, were now casually chatting, scattered throughout the room. A few of them looked over at him as he entered, but went back to their conversations. Zach saw no sign of Madam Lethir anywhere. He smiled as he tried to picture her forcing her large frame through the large crowd downstairs.

Zach made his way to the other end of the room and looked out the tall window, draped with drapes the same shocking pink as the rest of the room. Outside he could see the considerably steep slope that headed down to the river, and the forest beyond. The forest stretched out for miles, and drew itself out towards the horizon. Zach remembered the first day he had come to the castle, how Quint told him that Lord Haver would throw him into the forest if he caught Zach napping, and how the creatures in the forest would get him shortly afterwards.

The forest was never spoken about in the castle, or anywhere for that matter. There was no actual fear of the forest, more of a healthy respect for it. None of the creatures ever came out of the forest, because if they did, they’d have to cross the river and make their way up the slope to the castle, as arrows from the guards rained down on them. Nobody ever went into the forest either; even the knights knew that their armor could only protect them from claws and fangs. In the back of his mind, Zach wondered what made that forest so much more dangerous than any other. Maybe it was magical… just like his bag, now neatly strapped to his left side, as Madam Lethir told him.

“Boy!” Madam Lethir’s thunderous voice interrupted. “Get in line. Now!”

Zach broke out of his thoughts and joined the ranks of girls now facing Madam Lethir. She did what she did yesterday, pacing the line, examining each girl’s clothing, posture, and cleanliness. She came across Zach and looked him over with a scrutinizing eye. She said nothing and moved on, unable to find anything to comment. Zach forced down a smile, at least he was on the right track today.

“Ladies,” Madam Lethir started. “It’s going to be a rainy day today, so the castle is going to be full of people, their messes and…” Madam Lethir sighed, as though trying to work up the nerve to say what was coming next. “…mud.”

The rumble of thunder in the distance brought the Madam Lethir back to reality, she sighed and looked back at the girls. “Now, I want you all working your hardest. Keep your eyes on the boy, and make sure he does not have any contact with Lord Haver. You’re all dismissed.”

Madam Lethir left the room, and immediately the girls went into hushed, worried whispers. From what he could overhear, Madam Lethir had never just dismissed anyone before, but instead had always told them to get to work and made them rush out. Ania, the tall girl next to Zach took him by the arm. “Come with me, while these idiots are talking, we can get you started on your work.”

Ania led him out of the pink room and across the castle’s second story to a large room, lined with statues and tapestries. Zach noticed a great look of awe on Ania’s face. “This is the hall of royalty, every lord and lady we have ever had resides in this hall. The only time it changes is when a lord or lady resigns their position and gives it up to their heir.” With an aura of reverence, Ania handed Zach a scrubbing brush and a small bag of sand from her belt. “Let’s get busy, boy. This room is huge, and I want to be done in time for lunch.

Zach silently went to work on the other side of the room, while watching Ania for what to do. She sprinkled sand across a small area of the floor and began to scrub it. Zach did so as well, noting that the sand rubbed away small pockets of filth wherever he scrubbed. Ania spoke up again, talking to herself more than Zach. “Lord Haver once came in to talk to us handmaids, it was wonderful. He gave us a speech on how horrible change is. He said that the only way to ensure a good kingdom prospers is with predictability, stability, and security. He also told us how it was our job to be predictably cleaning the castle at all times, making sure that things remain stable and orderly, and make the people feel secure, knowing that the castle will be immaculate at all times. That’s why we do what we do, but you wouldn’t understand that now, because you’re a boy. All you want to do is be knighted and ride off on a beautiful horse, never to come back…”

Those last few words stung Zach. He did want to be knighted, but not so he could run away, he just wanted to be one of those men that he respected so much, to be one of those men who were unafraid to do anything necessary to achieve their goals. He wanted to say this, but decided against it. Instead, he focused on getting a particularly stubborn green stain out of the foot of Lord Treble Haver.

Another long silence went between the two as they cleaned the large room together. It was now raining outside, the dull roar of it on the castle walls and the occasional roll of thunder in the distance set the backdrop for the scrubbing.

“Why was Madam Lethir so… nice today?” Zach asked, more to himself to Ania.

“She’s like that every rainy day. We think the weather affects her mood, or her mood affects the weather, either way, it’s not like we’re asking for her to be so mean everyday.” Ania said. Her eyes suddenly brightened and she faced Zach, a mischievous grin crossing her face. “Did you get a look at the boy her highness chose to be betrothed to? I just wanted to scream I was so shocked!”

Zach whirled to face Ania. The prospect of Lainnir being married to someone he hadn’t even seen before was unnerving. “Develin Larse!” Ania squealed, “He’s is so handsome, so rich, and so… perfect!”

Ania smiled at Zach, gasped and blushed. “Oh… my…” she said, putting her hands to her face. “I should have known!”

“W- What?” Zach asked, wondering what had become so glaringly obvious ever since he had finished the green spot on Treble Haver’s boot.

“You like her! You like her highness!” Ania squealed and giggled. “The look on your face gave it all away! No wonder you tried to ruin her coming out ball! Oh! Oh! This is just too good to be true! No wonder Madam Lethir wanted you to be no where around her!”

Ania was bouncing around the room, going on with herself about her own sense of intuition and logic, while Zach just sat there, and wondered for the second time in three days if he really did love Lainnir…

“What’s all this commotion about?” A familiar voice echoed through the hall. The two children spun around to look Lord Haver in the face. “May I remind you both that you still have two other floors to clean? Madam Lethir will hear about this. Get back to work, girl; and you, boy. You’ve already crossed me and survived once. Don’t make that mistake twice. Get back to work.” With a turn and flourish of his cape, Haver stormed out of the room, leaving the two children to get quietly back to work.

***

“Embarrassment! Shame! Insult!” Bellowed Madam Lethir as she yelled at Ania and Zach as they stood at attention after the other girls had been dismissed. “Not only did Lord Haver rebuke me, but in front of other people! Ania, I had better expectations of you, and boy… I thought I made myself clear about everything. You are no better than anyone else, so don’t think you can get away with shirking your duties in idle gossip and chatter.”

Madam Lethir took a deep breath. “You two may go now. Ania, don’t expect a full dinner tonight, and you,” she said, glaring at Zach. “I expect that Silverman will know what to do with you.”

***

Zach trudged down the slope to the forge house that evening, wondering what Quint had in store for him that evening. Had Madam Lethir told him about what Lord Haver said to her? Was he going to get caned again? Would Quint wallop him with his hammer?

Before he could get in the door though, Quint opened the door, and beckoned him in. Without a word, Quint took a chair on one side of Desdemona, and pointed Zach to the chair opposite him.

Zach sat down and stared at his old friend. Quint’s silver-grey hair stood up in all directions, but there seemed to be less and less of it every year. His crystal blue eyes still held the same bright sparkle they did the first day they met, but seemed glazed over in thought. Quint rested his head on his hands and sat in silence for a long while. Zach sat there, worrying about what was going to come next.

“Zachary…” Quint started softly. “You are one of the most honorable, most pure-hearted people I have ever met. Those are wonderful attributes for anyone to have.” Quint looked up and stared Zach straight into his light-green eyes. “However, circumstances just seem to… go against you whenever they can. Your honor and sense of righteousness can only redeem you to those who know you. Her highness and I know that you would never do anything malicious. We know that inside of that scrawny body of yours lies a heart of silver.” Zach smiled at these wonderful praises, but wasn’t sure where Quint was going with all of this.

“Lord Haver, though, does not care if you have the highest code of chivalry, or would spit in a woman’s face. All he wants to see are his whims obeyed and carried out quickly. You must focus on whatever you do, because you never know when Haver will be watching you. He can move silently like water over stone. Some say he has put hidden passages in the castle that only he knows of.” Quint leaned over Desdemona close to Zach, with an intensity that he had never seen in the old man before. Quint leaned back in his chair, looking at Zach with a curious expression. “In private, Zachary, I feel that Haver fears you. You just look so much like Thamas Rendar that it must give him nightmares.”

“Thamas Rendar?” Zach asked, wondering what Quint was referring to.

“Oh yes… it was before your time Zachary.” Quint started, looking over at Zach. “Years ago, a man named Thamas, made a substance that could produce fire at a rapid rate, it was a fire so violent that when he discovered it, it almost killed him. Of course, he went to Haver to demonstrate the substance’s potential. Thamas set up a tall pile of stones and masoned them together to form a miniature castle tower.”

“At the demonstration, Thamas poured a goblet of the substance into the tower and told Haver that the goblet of substance would be a keg of the same in a real tower. Thamas poured a trail leading to a safe distance, and lit it. I didn’t see it personally, but I heard that the small tower was consumed with fire and that stones were thrown by its force, beyond what was believed to be the safe limit.”

“Haver told Thamas to never concoct the substance again, but Thamas refused, claiming that an innovation such as his could allow Eire to progress and have a better future. Haver lost it then. He ordered the knights to hunt Thamas and his family down and kill them all. Thamas fled to the north with his family. For weeks they hid in small towns, hoping not to be noticed, but it was all in vain. They were all killed. Lord Haver claimed that such a substance went against religion, and was unnecessary for the predictability, stability, and security of Eire…”

Zach sat there; shocked that Haver would kill a man so eager to help Eire. It didn’t strike him as out of Haver’s ability though. He frowned and felt tears coming on. Was it because he looked like a dead man that Haver didn’t like him? Was he reduced to handmaid work because of it?

Quint drew the boy into a hug. “Don’t worry, lad. I shouldn’t have worried you like that. It’s an old story from long ago and nothing for the youth to worry about. You need to get some sleep now, for I believe Madam Lethir is going to work you hard tomorrow.”

Zach nodded and went over to his bed, no longer a blanket on the floor, but a cot with a soft woven blanket covering it. He sat down on it and tried to think it over while Quint made his way over to his bed. He lied down in it and put out the lantern. “Let it go, Zachary, it’s not your fault, and as long as you know that. You’ll be able to withstand whatever Lord Haver can do to you.”

What the? Is Zach back? I guess so, since our troupe finished our run of "The Wizard of Oz", I've been back home with a lot of free time and inspiration to keep on writing! I feel great to be back!

Chapter 11

The clouds had finished their rainy attack on the castle and were now being ushered out by a strong wind. Zach pulled steaming sausages out of his satchel as he made his way up the slope to the castle, Quint’s words still echoing in his mind. The story of Thamas Rendar haunted his thoughts as well.

Upon entering the castle, he saw that it was still filled with the usual rainy-day bustle and banter. Presumably because everything was so wet and dreary outside, everyone would rather settle for the stuffiness of the crowded castle. Zach made his way up to the pink room in record time and settled in. Much to his delight, he received fewer dirty looks than the other days as he got into line behind Ania, who carried a knowing smile on her features. Madam Lethir stormed into the room, gave her usual ranting speech and sent the girls and Zach off to their duties.

Once Lethir was out of earshot, Ania pulled Zach aside. “You’ll never guess what I did!” she squealed.

Zach shook his head. He had no idea what Ania or any of the girls did in their free time, and his curiosity suddenly piqued.

“I was able to talk to Her Highness last night, and she agreed to meet you in the stables when we’re done with our work!”

Zach’s jaw went slack. Not only amazed that Ania had done such a thing for a boy who had gotten her in trouble two times in as many days, but that Lainnir actually wanted to see him again. He moved his mouth, but nothing came out. Ania laughed.

“Okay, you can thank me later, but promise me that you’ll get all of your work done and not get us in trouble, okay?”

Zach nodded, far too shocked to say anything. He just stood there, hoping that his synapses would kick in sometime that day.

“Well, you aren’t going to see her if the pots aren’t cleaned! Get moving!” Ania said with half a laugh. She watched Zach run off to the chambers, wondering how such an odd boy wormed his way into her heart.

***

Zach scrubbed the pots with renewed enthusiasm. He skipped using his satchel for the job because he realized how suspicious it would be if he was able to clean all the pots in the room before the others had even started their duties. So he went: Dumb, scrub, and dump again. Through all the pots, their contents raising a foul odor in the room, Zach didn’t care though. All his thoughts rested on his goal, to be able to see Lainnir, apologize for what happened during the ball, see the horses again, and best of all, be free from the ever present Lord Haver, even for just a few minutes.

It was a while before Zach finished. He must have been done on time, because when he left, he saw that some of the girls were still doing their duties. He came across Ania, scrubbing the dried mud off the hallway floor. She didn’t look up at him but kept scrubbing. “If you’re done, you can wait in the pink room until we’re all finished. There are books if you can read and cushioned chairs if you want to rest your-“ Ania stopped scrubbing and looked up from the floor. Zach was there on his knees in front of her and scrubbing with a cloth she could have sworn he hadn’t had before. He looked up at her from his scrubbing, smiled and went back to work. She smiled and continued; nothing had to be said to convey Zach’s thanks.

***

Zach raced through the castle and out the main gates after dismissal. He ran down to the stables, letting out all the energy that had pent up inside of him since his whipping three nights ago. All the things that made his life worthwhile were coming back to him in one short evening. The trip down the slope was tricky, because of the mud from the rains, but Zach made it to the stables and burst inside, much to the surprise of the horses.

Zach’s joy evaporated at once. Mountains of feces were piled up behind the horses, the trough was littered with polluted water, and the hay piles were dangerously small. Whoever had been taking care of these horses hadn’t been doing so. McArthur was missing; Zach assumed he was out on a run with Lainnir and that she’d be back shortly. In the meantime, he started cleaning up the mess that had accumulated in his short absence. His back stung every time picked up a shovelful of mess; a reminder that Haver had forbade him to come back, but Zach didn’t care, he was in his element, among the horses that responded to him so well, the smell of hay and coarse fur… had he forgotten so much in only three days?

The door was pushed in and McArthur entered, being led by a young man Zach didn’t know and carrying none other than Lainnir herself. She leapt off the horse and ran to Zach, arms open. She stopped short though, and put her arms down, blushing as though she had done something wrong.

“Stable boy,” she said calmly, “I’m glad to see you with the horses again… this is my fiancée, Develin Larse.” She said indicating the dark-haired boy behind her. Zach got a good look at him and instantly hated him. Larse wore a look of intense superiority, his face was handsome, and his body was thick and muscular, apparent under his royal garb that he took pains not to get filthy in the stable’s mess.

“Well, boy.” He said, in a voice that reminded Zach of stories of the devil that he had heard when he had still lived with Blaine and Emiele. “You better take in this beast and see that it’s killed. It can barely keep at a gallop, it’s pitiful really.”

“It’s muddy out and he’s old.” Zach said, trying to keep his temper under control. Who was this Develin Larse to storm into his stable and insult his horses?

“Don’t try and justify its inadequacy to me, boy.” Develin spat. The two boys stared at each other, hatred bubbling under their calm exteriors.

Lainnir stepped between them and gave Develin a soft hug. “We need to get back to the castle; can you get our things ready?” She let go as Develin went outside to gather their belongings. She turned to Zach and whispered “He’s really nice, if you don’t disagree with him so much. I’m glad we got to see each other again.” She smiled and left with Develin towards the castle. Zach watched the two go into the castle.

With a shout of frustration, Zach kicked over a bucket of grain, making a ruckus and startling the horses. Without bothering to clean it up, he left the stable on the verge of tears. There was nothing for him now. The stables were going to fall apart without him, he’d never become a knight at the rate he was going, Lainnir was betrothed to a boy who hated him, and he would most likely spend the rest of his life cleaning chamber pots and being yelled at by Madam Lethir.

He stormed into the smith house, much to Quint’s surprise. He threw himself onto his cot, which tipped over sideways, spilling him onto the floor. Quint dropped his tools and ran over to see if he was alright. Zach lay in a miserable heap on the floor, the scabs from his whip-wounds torn open, sobbing with pain in his back and pain in his mind and other pains he couldn’t begin to bring up. It was a long while before he finished.

Silently, Quint wrapped the boy in bandages to soak up the blood. He didn’t need to ask what had happened. It was only a matter of time before Zach realized how horrible and unfair his life had been up to this point. Sadly, Quint had hoped that the moment would come much later and realized that he couldn’t find anything to console the boy.

***

That night, Quint sat with Desdemona, watching the young man sleep. He realized that Zach had to be at least fourteen and still had trouble talking to people. There had to be something he could do for this boy to save him, to allow him to be knighted- Knighthood was the only thing that could save Zach from leading a miserable life, but being out of favor with Lethir and more importantly, Haver was not helping. Was it possible that Zach was hated because he stood out so much?

It would make sense… Zach was so unlike the other squires, he lived out with the dreaded “Silverman,” he had nearly ruined her highness’ coming out ball; he had survived fifty lashes and was working with the maids the next day. There were so many things that separated him from the crowd… Would pushing Zach into mediocrity really be the solution to his problem? All logic pointed to yes.

That night, Quint made a decision that would hurt Zach, but could possibly save his future.

you call that lazy? I've been writing a story for a bit over a year (well, if you only count the current version...I started writing on the idea 5 years ago, and the most similar version 2 years ago, and then the current version sometime in the fall of '03) and I have 4 chapters done! lol....

I'd love to read your story, but I really shouldn't even be online right now (soo....much....schoolwork.... <_< ) but I'll check it out later! ;)

Hey, check this out. I found this on the "Adds by Google" thing on my Invision forum and decided to see what it was. It looks pretty good to me.

http://www.lulu.com

it's a publishing company. I think you should try it out, Zach. And you too Mika ^-^ Once I get a little further on Xm, I might just try to publish that....I dunno *shrug*