Alec the Wanderer: Generations of Eredwynn #4

Alec, The       Wanderer

Copyright © 2015 Daniel Harris

All rights reserved.

ISBN
:

ISBN-13:

Disclaimer

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Alec the Wanderer

Chapter One

I
kicked up dust as I walked along the road. The weather in the late spring had been unusually dry but crops weren’t suffering yet. I was doing what no one else in my family ever did. I was walking from a town that I’d be visiting and going to where ever the next stop turned out to be. I didn’t have a plan, just a pack on my back and the world to explore. I knew the family thought that I was strange because I chose to walk instead of
flying
or
porting
everywhere. I was capable of those things but I felt that I could see more of the world if I actually touched it.

I was coming from the mining town of Clodfey because that’s where I’d found myself. There were a few cute girls that worked at the pubs that I liked to say hi to from time to time. Unlike my brothers I didn’t run off on a freedom trip when I was offered a castle. I told Father no thank you and didn’t take the job. I couldn’t even picture myself behind a desk or on a throne. I could be of more use to more people being out here with them. If they knew me, that would be fine and if they never knew that I was a famous ‘sib’, that would be fine too. My mother, Alice, is a very soft spoken lady and has the most powerful control of telekinesis known to a caster wizard. She has made quite the name for herself through her love of construction with stone. She has been known to make a huge two story stone building in a day and a half. Even one of the siblings would be hard pressed to pull off that feat.

By the time that I was seven I was known as ‘the wanderer’ due to my aptitude for not being where I was expected to be. When I was supposed to be in the nursery I would usually be found down by the firing range watching the novices and giving pointers. Of course they would rarely listen to a little boy and would sometimes shoo me away. Then one of the adults would show up and make me put them back on the ground so they could learn their silly spells.

Down by the intersection where the road came to a ‘
T
’ I saw a man struggling with a two wheeled cart loaded with freshly cut hay. I ran to catch up with him and grabbed a handle as he turned north.

He grinned and said, “Hello young man, are you going to Edil this morning? It’s another five miles and my farm is a mile past that. I’m happy for the help but won’t be able to pay.”

I smiled. “Edil seems to be a good place to be. Since I’m going that way there won’t be any need to pay me. Maybe I could talk you into dinner and a spot in your barn to spend the night?”

The farmer nodded. “Now those are wages that I can manage. My name’s Kyle, I don’t think that I’ve seen you around Edil.”

“Naw, I’m from all over. I just wander around waiting for my fortune to catch up with me. My name’s Alec by the way.”

“Well Alec someday you might find that your fortune has soft skin and pretty eyes. Then you’ll be glad you had the chance to wander the world for a while.”

I laughed. “I don’t think that I’ll ever meet the woman that will put up with me. She’d have to hate having a home and love to wander.”

Kyle chuckled. “Women can be odd creatures sometimes. I never thought I’d find someone and now I have a wife, farm, animals and children. I think it would be nice to be rich and live in some castle somewhere with servants to take care of everything for me. You know the royal family must have it made and you’d never see them out hauling a load of hay!”

I sighed. “That does sound nice but I don’t think I’d give up my freedom to wander, not even for servants. Besides, I’ve heard that the King’s Sons are hounded by all those girls that they have in the wizard’s school there. I’m a man and enjoy the company of women but I don’t know about having them chasing me all the time.”

Kyle said, “Maybe when you’re older you’ll find that one special girl that you can’t live without. It happened to me and even after three kids I wouldn’t trade her for the world. My boys are a great help in the fields and with the animals but my daughter needs to get married soon or I’m going to pull my hair out. She does have some young men from neighboring farms call from time to time so there’s hope. She’s great at milking the cows and has turned into a good cook too. I guess I shouldn’t complain about her too much.”

I nodded and we walked along lost in our own thoughts. I hoped that the farmer wouldn’t think that dinner and a bed of hay in a barn would be enough for me to take his daughter off his hands. The last thing I needed with my lifestyle was someone else to look out for. We trudged along dragging the cart and I thought back on my early teen years. While my brothers and sisters were working on cool spells like flamestrike and energy bolt, I was sitting in the grass with my Aunt Gwen. I knew that I’d leave the castle someday and move around the country, and maybe other countries too. I felt that if I learned nature magic from Gwen, it would help clear paths and cross through swamps more easily. I didn’t have the control that a two hundred year old elf would have, but I could use it more easily than the others could in the family. My reflections were interrupted when Kyle said, “Town ahead!”

I looked up to see we were entering the mouth of Main Street. I saw a pub up on the left and asked Kyle if he’d like to stop for a drink before we finished our trip.

He smiled and shook his head. “I have no coin, young man. It does sound good though.”

“I have some and wouldn’t mind buying, at all.”

“Well, since you’re twisting my arm, I can’t refuse!”

We walked in and sat at a table. The waitress came up and I ordered ale for myself. Kyle nodded his agreement and the waitress brought us two mugs. I discreetly slipped her two silver coins and winked for her to keep the change. The girls on the stairs picked up on the signal that I was a tipper and became quite flirty. If I wasn’t helping the farmer out I might have gone over to visit, but today they’d have to survive without me. We sat and talked about everything from crops to politics, until we finished our drinks. We made our way back to the hay cart and pulled it the last mile to Kyle’s farm.

We pulled up in front of the farm house and I looked it over. It was quite nice as far as some of the local farm houses I’d seen went. Kyle must have some talent with a hammer, as well as crops and herds. It was a cozy building with two bedrooms, a kitchen/dining area and comfortable living room. As we walked in Kyle called ahead, “Mitri, we have company my love.”

A lovely lady in her mid-thirties came out of the back bedroom and welcomed me into her home. “Make yourself at home, young man. Are you here to call on Caroline?”

I was confused but Kyle stepped in. “Alec is just wandering through and gave me a hand with the cart. I think you’ll have to look to the local boys to find a match for our daughter.”

I smiled as I understood. “No, my lady, my intention wasn’t to call on your daughter. However, if she is half as lovely as her mother I might just change my mind.”

Mitri smiled happily. “I hope you can stay for dinner. It is plain farmers’ fare, but it is filling and will help you keep your strength up.”

I said, “Your husband was kind enough to invite me for dinner and a spot in the barn for the night. I’m happy to know that you’re inviting me also. Things can go wrong when a man speaks without checking with the woman in his life.”

Kyle smiled at me, knowing my flattery for what it was. “Alec earned it by helping with that cart. I would have had to have stopped a dozen times to rest, if he hadn’t had the other handle.”

There was a commotion outside and two burly boys and a cute young lady piled through the door. There seemed to be an argument going on and I went unnoticed. “Father, tell Caroline that she don’t want to take that test to go that wizard’s school. She don’t know that the trainees there all gotta sleep with the King’s sons. I’ve tried ta tell her but she won’t listen to me.”

I rolled my eyes without being seen. So this was the latest rumor that was going on about Wizard’s Castle. There seemed to be a new one out every month or so. Kyle shook his head. “Alain, the King’s sons are mostly all married off now. There is that one that goes around helping folks, and no one knows if he’ll ever marry. The King put a stop to the trading of girls as bed slaves and I’m sure he wouldn’t stand for his own children being disrespectful to women. I doubt that anybody is being forced to do anything they don’t want to do. If Caroline wants to take that test and the Princess Alba is around, I wish her luck.”

“But Father! You ain’t even going to check to see if that’s goin’ on? You’d just send your only daughter off to be deflowered by some Prince that thinks, just ‘cause his father is the king, he can do as he pleases?”

When we were young we were taught to notice everything. From mountains to the bumps in matter that Father called molecules, which we could only feel with our telekinesis. We were also taught to read people, and by the way that Caroline flushed and turned her head, I knew they didn’t have to worry about her virginity. Someone had already taken that sometime in the past. I decided that I should step in to uphold the family honor, without revealing myself. “Excuse me, but I’ve met James, Davie, and Seth and know they would never force themselves on anyone. They’ve all married and no longer even live at Wizard’s Castle. I’m sure that your lovely sister would be just fine if she chose to go there. But since you don’t know me, I know you’ll believe whatever you want.” At my mention of the ‘lovely sister’ I got a sly wink from her followed by a blush, and she looked away.

Kyle nodded. “You see, even Alec agrees that she wouldn’t have anything to worry ‘bout. Now you need to see that the cows are in the stalls tonight and not wandering. Alec is just passing through and is goin’ to sleep there tonight and I don’t want him bein’ walked on.”

Alain looked at me sideways. “Your name’s Alec, huh? Ain’t that the name of the King’s son that wanders?”

I nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, I believe it is. I wonder what kind of things he does when he’s on the road. Alain, you seem to know a lot about the royal family. Have you heard what that Alec does?”

“Well, I heard that he just explores the country and helps folks that need it. In fact, I reckon that he’d help a poor farmer haul a load of hay if he needed a hand. There have been stories of him giving money to poor farmers and beggars just because he can. But there are also stories that he likes to play with the ladies too. I’m sure if he were around, I’d keep a close eye that he didn’t get his paws on my sis.”

I smiled and nodded. “That’s what I’d heard about him too and I think you’d be right to keep an eye on him around your sister. She is a very fine looking young lady, and if a man was prone to play, she’d be a fine one to choose. I’m sure that she’d be the best guard of her virtue, and would be able to fend off that kind of man.”

Caroline was blushing cutely and Alain was starting to get upset. Kyle stepped in and said, “Boys, this is all guesswork. I’m sure that the King’s Alec is a good boy and wouldn’t take advantage of a girl, just as I’m sure this young man would never force himself on your sister. Now you and Adam go out and get the cows squared away then wash up for supper.”

After they went outside, I said, “I’d be happy to give them a hand. They are putting the cows up to make it easier for me to sleep, after all.”

Kyle chuckled. “It is better that they do it. They’re very protective of their sister and that’s why she doesn’t have many second time callers. They’ve scared off most of the boys that have come to visit, or chaperoned by walking between them. Now if you said that you wanted to hang around and court Caroline, I’d make sure that the boys stayed clear of ya.”

Caroline gasped. “Father! I’m standing right here. You can’t say things like that to a young man right in front of me. What if he said that I was too fat or ugly to court?”

I shook my head and gave her a stealthy wink. “I was raised to be honest, Caroline. There would be no way that I could say that you were too fat or ugly to court. In fact, I find you quite attractive, but I’ve told your father that I like to wander and couldn’t commit to a relationship right now, if I had to stay in one place. I’ve been doing this for many years and have loved every moment on the road. Since your protective brothers aren’t here, and I don’t think your father will throw me out, I’ll say this. If you or someone that was as friendly and attractive as you would be content to live on the road, then I’d consider having a relationship. But what beautiful young lady would want to spend all of her time without a place to call her own?”

Kyle cleared his throat. “Young man, that little speech almost sounded like you were trying to get my daughter to run off with you. If that’s your intention, we need to talk. You seem to be a fine, upstanding young man, but talking a young lady into sneaking off would be over the line, and I’d let my boys come looking.”

Caroline shook her head. “Father, I think that he was trying to say that I shouldn’t look for a relationship with him because he isn’t the settling down and getting married type, right, Alec?”

I nodded. “That’s exactly right and I’d never run off with a young lady and leave her family to wonder what had happened. If I hoped to gain a traveling companion, I’d talk to her father first before making any plans for her to join me.”

“Good. So if you and Caroline decided to leave together you’d come to me first. I’ll tell you this before the boys get back in here: if she wanted to go with you, I’d give my blessing. You seem to be a good sort and I know you’re not afraid of work. Helping me pull that wagon for six miles proved that. But here come the boys and I suggest that we change the subject before they get riled up again.”