Penname: Hasu [Contact]
Real name: Adam
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A light drizzling rain fell from the murky grey clouds as Arren made his way down the road to Camelot. The road itself was wet and moist, diminutive puddles forming in the deep mud. The trees above him drooped slightly as tiny water droplets cascaded down from the trees leaves. This wasn’t the perfect day on the road he had envisioned the night before but something about being on the road made him feel strangely at peace with himself, something that he had not experienced since his mother had died.
I’ll probably reach Camelot this evening, he thought to himself. His legs ached with fatigue at the thought of the full day of travelling ahead. As much as Arren did enjoy travelling, he wished he had a companion to keep in company. In all the stories that Arren remembered, on every adventure there always seemed to be a faithful companion that followed around the hero and they laughed and talked together. But you’re not a hero, he told himself with a smile. It would be nice to have someone to talk to though. His smile vanished at this thought.
After a few hours of travelling the rain stopped and the sun came out. To occupy himself Arren sang songs that his mother had taught him when he was a child. Arren thought back to his home and his sister. I’m doing this for you Juliet, he told the sky hoping that far off Juliet would know he was thinking about her.
Arren chose to take a rest at a small lake to get a drink. The water was perfect placid, crystalline blue. Beautiful water lilies floated upon the water. The great willows surrounding it gave the oasis a feeling of age and wisdom. It reminded him of a tiny lake in the forests surrounding Carthen. Since he was a child Arren always had a hunger for adventure so he took to exploring around Carthen. In one of his excursions, Arren had found a perfect lake. He had christened willow lake because of the giant trees surrounded it. After this discovery, whenever Arren was feeling upset, alone or lost he would go to willow lake and eventually it became a quiet sanctuary for him.
Arren shook his head. He needed to forget Carthen. He could never live there again and thinking about it would just upset him. However, almost sub consciously his thoughts fell to Juliet. Then, without even thinking about the consequences Arren extended his arm and made the water lilies levitate in the air and form the perfect image of his sister floating above the lake. A rustle came from the trees. The lilies dropped in an instant, disturbing the tranquil water with a splash as Arren turned around in fright. Nobody was there.
He breathed a sigh of relief. You’re such an idiot, he told himself. Performing magic this close to Camelot was nothing short of suicidal. I won’t make the same mistake again, he thought. However this wasn’t the first time. Back at home in Carthen, Arren had accidentally given his magic away many times. Half the people in the village had found out and the other half seemed to know about it anyway. Sometimes it was because a lack of control but other times it was just stupid mistakes. Arren felt he had quite the knack for those. He used to laugh at his obvious carelessness but now that he was so close to Camelot it seemed much less funny.
Then Arren heard another sound coming from the woods. He could hear heavy breathing and the swinging of a sword. This time he was sure he wasn’t imagining things. Arren made his way into the forest silently, kneeled down infront of a rotting log and slowly peered over it. Through the thick trees he saw a man practicing with a long silver sword in a small opening in the forest.
It was clear that he had camped there the night before, as there was a campfire and a cot had been rolled out on the grass. The man himself was tall with dark brown hair. He was quite skilled with a sword. Arren watched in awe for he himself had always dreamed of learning how to use a sword. He had heard stories of great knights performing deeds of chivalry and longed to be among them but it was clear that it was not meant to be.
“Are you going to come down or are you just going to keep watching from up there?” the man said looking up at Arren with a smile. Arren felt pretty stupid but he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Sorry, it’s just I’ve kind of always wanted to know how to use sword,” Arren said, somewhat awkwardly, “And you’re really good by the way. Not that I would know.”
The man laughed and said, “I’m Lancelot.”
“I’m Arren, Arren Severin.”
“Where are you headed Arren?”
“I’m going to find some work in Camelot.”