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Chapter one-The realized dream

“Upon the throne that swallows whole the king,
A power corrupted he will bring,
A single man will shed his light,
And throughout the darkness bring his light,
The king upon this man will spit,
And the man will drag him into hells pit.”

High in the trees of the Felwoods lays a dreaming man, thoughts of his life flowing through his darkened mind. One could only imagine the thoughts on the mind of a man whom had lived such a hard life already, and was only at the age of twenty springs.

His apparel was a brown leather vest over a long, loose white shirt, his trousers a dark blue with a pitch black leather belt. The man’s brown shoes were left at the bottom of the tree that he lay upon, exposing his bare feet to the rough bark of the Selene tree, the only type of tree any of the normal townsfolk would get near.

The Selene tree was a peculiar tree not found in our world. They are a strange shade of blue, the darker the healthier. They have large veins inside them, and at night these veins fill up with strange bitter nectar, that turns sweet during the day. This nectar can be harvested either by cutting a whole and sticking a tube inside, or by cutting it and gathering what pours out like water before the tree quickly heals itself using the nectar. Occasionally the man would stab the tree where he lay to drink the smooth liquid. The specific tree the man lay on was a good 35 feet tall, and 12 feet in diameter , rather large for such a young tree.

The man himself had long black hair, that fell strait to his shoulder, his face was slightly gaunt, his jaws stiff, and his eyes a strong hazel color. his face said that he never smiled, and in fact he never did, not even as a boy. He was tall, and slightly well built, with lean muscles, but not so muscled that he looked like Hercules, but not so thin he could not fend for himself. He had enough muscling to show he worked hard, but the townsfolk knew the man had never lifted a finger to help anyone. Of course there was a good reason for this, and his mind was thinking of this very reason. The mark of a dragon on his right forearm. Though it was covered now, many had already seen it. Many of the superstitious believed such birth marks to be a bad omen, and shunned such individuals, but his was worse than a normal birth mark. It was a small black dragon, barely the size of a quarter, but with so fine a detail you could almost see the scales. The dragon mark was curled into a ball, so that its head and tail lay right by each other, like that of a sleeping dragon. The man thought of the terrified look on each of the townsfolk's faces as they beheld with their own eyes such a dangerous mark, the kind in stories that brought about doom and death.

There were only two people in the village not afraid of this mark, the woman caretaker of his, his so called mother, Maria, and the local age old adventurer story teller, whose age matched the amount of adventures he claimed he had been on in his long lifetime. As the man, Alastar, thought of this he smiled and laughed, not a sight many a person ever would ever wish to experience, something only Maria had ever heard. The laugh was evil, it chilled the bone, the smile was sinister and villainous. He had a very uncaring attitude to match these crimes, and only Maria and the old story teller could stand to be around such a visage. Though Maria cared for Alastar, and the old man found him interesting, Alastar cared very little if even at all about the two, he even wished the old man to hurry and die of old age. both people understood his feelings, but cared little for the facts, knowing that someday he would change...and perhaps he would, who knew?

Alastar's thoughts turned as he noticed sundown coming, knowing Maria, at the age of 53, had been slowing down, and would need help preparing her concoctions for the next day, especially the ones that would sit over night, as they were harder to prepare, and had a much stronger smell produced during their production. Alastar found it ironic that the oldest man in the village was active as a child, and the one woman who was said could cure old age, was growing more and more weary.

Alastar began his quick and acrobatic decent from the tree, graceful and safely he flew down the branches without breaking, bone branch or skin, his amazing feat would have made jaws drop, and circus acrobats look like bumbling oafs.

This was Alastar's least favorite part of living...going back to the town.. Children were pulled back inside, smiles vanished, scowls appeared, men and women who had been working would stop and pass on false tales of Alastar and his caretaker Maria, his mother as they called her. They were only trying to work him over, he knew better than to talk back, or even shoot them dirty looks. The townsfolk would do anything they could to wrong him and Maria. Lucky for Maria she never left the shop without there being a crowd around, and no man was brave enough to come by her house. Maria's excuse being better herbs bloomed at night. Alastar swore he knew better though, Maria even at an old age of 53 was a very attractive woman, and many of the men were drunk brutish pigs.

As Alastar walked his eyes passed over the newest addition to the town, a pretty girl named Kristina, a traveling magician, so she said. Alastar made a nearby boy nearly jump out of his skin by letting out a slight chuckle. The boy had been reading a book and was had not noticed Alastar walk up near him. The chuckle came from the fact that the local bully, Lance Coolwind, the smithy's son was trying his hardest to interrupt the magicians coin act she, which was pulling off in front of a group of children, and try and court her for the third time.
"Hey cutie, quite playing with these little boys, you have a real man standing right here", as he spoke he flexed his muscles and soon after came her smart retort, "I'd sooner breed with a three legged mule, than so much as tough an a** like you." The six children giggled with wide eyed amusement, and Lance, flustered, tried again, "I'll be your three legged mule, if you will be my four legged mare." At this Kristina shooed off the kids, slipping the coin, unnoticed by the children, into the pouch on her left hip. Kristina then whirled around, her hands on hip, a horribly angry scowl upon her face, "That was crude and uncalled for, you need not act such way, especially not in front of such young children." Her anger showed in her voice from her northern accent, and the finger she was waving at Lance was inches from his nose. Lance of course paid no mind to her anger, and knowing he had her attention now, he began trying his best to act 'cool', "you know they have to learn sometime, you know that...or do you? Maybe I could uh, show you sometime? Maybe now?" With that he reached out a large hand and attempted to pull her towards him. Alastar moved to help her, but stopped as she made her move. Kristina stepped to the side grabbed his arm, twisted it behind him, and kicked Lance's legs out from under him. He landed on the stand and the supplies behind her, causing quite the mess, causing everything from clothes to magical instruments to fly everywhere. Kristina began muttering, and Alastar only caught a small verse of what she said, "damn oaf, mayhap you should watch what your doing, then ya wouldn't make such messes..." Kristina bent down and began picking up, pushing her colorful robes out of the way. Lance stood up cursing and clutching his right arm, the one he grabbed with and had twisted, and he stormed off past Alastar, "what you looking at? Huh you filthy cursed tree hugging demon? Who cares anyways, you can have the filthy wench, take her and leave this town, we don't need your kinds around here." The thought of leaving was very appealing to Alastar, unfortunately he could not leave, he would not survive well in a world he knew only what books had told him. The thought left him as he walked over and watched her clean; it was a silly idea anyways.

Today was the second time he had paid attention to her for the first time since she can here a week ago, he noted that she had a stout body, just like the northerners that usually sailed over. She had long blonde hair, and she came up to about the same height as Alastar. When she stood up he noticed her light green eyes, and had he not reminded himself that he did not care, they would have put him in a trance, as she had a face that did not match the rest of her northern look, it was perhaps the second most beautiful woman he had seen, save for Maria. Of all the things, it was her northern accent that really got him, “What? You come to try to? Yeh ought not listen to him, I am NOT all yours. I won’t simply fall into your arms, and I do not give a rats tail aboutchou pig.” Alastar folded his arms and raised a brow, she was odd that was for sure, “I am no pig, and I care not for you either, I am glad we agree at least there, the most I care is to watch your tricks.” Her face had gotten very close to his, and she squinted a bit as she looked at him, “You don’t sound like the other men around here, your clothes match, but the rest of you don’t, and you have scrawny arms, even for a fishmonger, course I come from a place where every man woman and child is a bit hefty. Course that be hefty with muscle, not fat, you fish mongers usually are hefty with fat if you’re hefty at all.”
Taking a step back she looked Alastar up and down, “yeah your not that strong, I could easily take you” She spoke more in a mumble than anything else. “Ya know, this is the first time I’ve seen you since I have been here, and that is saying a lot, I notice a lot, and I have been here a week…I never forget a face” She scratched her head and thought for a few more seconds, “Course this be the day before I intend to leave, You must be a bit slow to be approaching me now.”

The villagers generally did not want outsiders to know about Alastar, he was their curse, and they knew their reputation would drop even more because of him if anybody found out about his mark. It was very common for people to come and go and never see Alastar. Alastar never minded though, as he did not want anybody to notice him anyways, so he never stayed to chat, and the villagers never spoke of him around guests to the village. If anyone had it would be unheard of, and perhaps the villagers would have gone as far as banish them from the village.

“I simply wanted to know if you could show me a few of your tricks, as I said earlier the only interesting thing about you, even in the slightest bit are your tricks” Kristina made a very horrible face, “Well you’re the nicest b*****d! I am too interesting, you can’t say I am not! You don’t know me boy, don’t bother to talk to me again you town outcast! Speaking of that, why do you even bother trying to blend in? If your not gonna blend in, might as well blend out, in style, take this, It oughta help you out there” as she spoke she threw a green cloak at him, covering his head, and somehow wrapping him up, “Watch closely, this is one trick you won’t wanna miss!” As Alastar pulled the cloak off, which took only a second, he saw that she had literally vanished stall and all.

“yeah thanks” Alastar mumbled under his breath, as he threw on the cloak. Perhaps she was right, he thought, since he did not fit in, why try? Either way this girl had to be his one ticket out of here, perhaps she could take him as far as Gaeldenred, or Highwind, the golden town of riches, or the treacherous town of adventures, not too far when looking on the map he thought. As he thought about this, he saw something sparkle on the ground, looking down he noticed a parchment with a small golden coin on top, the same one the girl had been using for her petty magic tricks before she left. Pocketing the coin, Alastar read the parchment aloud, “To whomsoever reads this note, your talents and crafts are a needed asset in the southern lands. As soon as you can take the first ship to Felwood port, your fees will have already been paid, the only thing you need is the old imperial coin to show the man whom you be. Your help will earn you unimaginable riches and a most satisfying feeling of helping someone in dire need. Once in Felwood port, wait until the darkest night of the unborn moon and meet behindthe fourthclover inn, there you will meet a man named Andor Aliesmer, to receive further instructions.” Alastar thought about this, though the adventure itself would more than likely be a bore, but if he could convince her to let him join her he could be out of this town…tomorrow! The idea struck him like lightning, the darkest night of the unborn moon, was tomorrow, Alastar ran with all his might to Maria’s house. He surprised her by preparing her more mundane concoctions faster than ever, as she knew he loathed preparing even the simplest ones, and would take all the time in the world just to get one done. Upon asking him why he hurried so now rather than before, he simply answered that he did not want to spend his time preparing her medicines for so long anymore. At nightfall upon hearing her fall asleep, hearing the deep breathes people take when they sleep, he began packing, the next day was a day he had been waiting for his entire life.

As he finished packing he noticed Maria was standing in the doorway, “I had a feeling that you would be leaving soon. There was no way all that excitement would come from simply wanting to get done, not from you.” Alastar stood up and dropped his pack, “your not stopping me” he more or less growled at her, but she smiled anyways, “no, no I am not, I never planned to.” Alastar was confused, “Than what do you want?” Quick as an elf she grabbed him, embracing him in a soft hug, one that he did not return she spoke softly, “It is a cold and cruel world out there Alastar, it took your parents at sea, and my love at war, you’re the only thing I have left, and I don’t want the world to take you too. I just ask you don’t forget who you are, or where you’re from, and only ask a question that can be answered.” Alastar shoved her away, “I don’t even know who I am, and not a thing about where I am from, so what questions would I ask? Who am I? Is my name even truly my real name?” Maria frowned, “Alastar, I love you even if you do not share this love for me, your name was inscribed upon what was left of your torn and tattered shawl that was attached to your poor body.” Marria pulled an object from behind the doorway where she stood, “Take this with you, you will need it more than anything else, I bought it from the smithy a while back, as I expected you would want to leave soon. I knew you would search for the truth eventually.” Upon looking at it he noticed a sword in it scabbard, and not a cheap one at that, but he gave it no care, taking it and slinging it over his pack, “I am not looking for the truth, that’s one thing I hope not too find. I will escape the truth, and forget about this mark upon my arm” Maria sighed and shook her head, “Alastar you cannot escape what you cannot see, and you have not seen the truth” Alastar decided Maria knew more than she was letting on, but decided against questioning her further, he did not want more riddles, and assumed she would not tell him until he returned, as she probably expected him to. She more than likely wanted him to have a fuller understanding of the world, the same thing she has tried time and time again to teach him, he assumed she expected him to come back with many more questions. Of course Alastar knew this would never be the case if he had anything to do with it.