Year 1243, Seventh Month
The grass and ground were clear, with no snow in sight. Summer had arrived in the north, and the harsh, cold weather had subsided. Aedric and Rinella had already turned 3, and the difference in Aedric's height compared to an average child was quite noticeable.
Garreth watched proudly as his son split small pieces of firewood in half with a real axe he had given him this year for his birthday.
—Mildred made quite a fuss, but she finally allowed him to use it, though on the condition that I was watching him— Garreth began to recall the events of several months ago.
He was grateful that summer had finally arrived.
—My son has finally stopped wearing his old, extra-thick wool cape; instead, he now uses a thinner wool cape with linen clothes underneath— Garreth thought to himself.
On a bench not far away, Rinella was sitting, playing with wooden dolls Garreth had given her. She was already capable of speaking and stringing several words together.
—That girl will probably grow to be as tall as me, but Aedric, at this rate, is going to look like an orc when he's an adult. Those red, muscular beasts scare me— A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered his time in the Marquis's army.
—Among the many knights who guarded him, there was an orc who was 9.8 feet tall, and don't even get me started on the muscles. I only measure the average among the empire's men, at 6.2 feet tall, I barely reached his chest. Damn, his eye was as big as my fist— That day, he decided never to discriminate against other races, for the sake of his survival.
"Papa, why is the sun yellow?" —The curiosity was palpable in his tone of voice—.
"I ask myself the same thing" —It's starting... These past few weeks, he's been very curious and hasn't stopped asking silly questions. The worst part is he makes me look like an ignorant person, and Mildred makes fun of me, even though she doesn't know the answers either—.
"Why don't you know?" —He questions his papa—.
"Why should I know?" —He manages to turn the tables—.
Checkmate, he manages to make him stop.
"…"—Aedric falls silent, thinking—.
—I just made a terrible mistake; I only caused him to ask more questions, and now he's going to question me all day long—.
Garreth spent the whole afternoon cutting firewood with his son, who wouldn't stop reminding him how ignorant he was.
Year 1244, Eighth Month
The sun shone brightly high in the clear blue sky. Aedric was visiting the village for the first time. Mildred had to go buy different spices and provisions for the following weeks; it was better to buy many things in one day than to have to buy things every day.
The village of Velmor's Rest was full of houses made of mud with thatched roofs, but five buildings stood out from the rest. Thick stone walls characterized them, the roofs were covered with clay tiles, and glass windows decorated the exterior.
Aedric couldn't help but stare at them. Since he entered the village, his eyes had been wide open, but this was on another level. Each chapel had a unique symbol that distinguished it from the rest.
The first chapel had the symbol of a golden sun surrounded by a halo of shadows; its rays pierced the surrounding darkness, creating a contrast between light and shade.
The second chapel was different; it had a serene eye, with no pupil or emotion, from which a single tear fell toward a still sea.
The third chapel had a huge human hand holding a mountain that rose from the palm; the veins of the arm merged with roots.
The fourth chapel had a bird in full flight with a broken chain hanging from its feet.
The fifth and final chapel had a phoenix wrapped in an incomplete circle of flames, ascending with its wings spread.
Aedric watched the last chapel intently. He thought the bird was very beautiful and stood still, admiring the construction he was seeing for the first time; something about it caught his attention.
Mildred turned around when she noticed her son was not beside her as she walked. Luckily, she found him quickly; her heart had almost stopped for a moment. She noticed what he was looking at, followed his gaze, and discovered something that made her smile.
"Are you interested in going inside, son?" —she asked her little boy gently—.
He nodded, seeming very interested in going in.
"I'll go buy the spices; you wait for me inside, understand?" —Although she didn't like the idea of leaving her son alone, she knew this day would come; it was time to teach him about the Gods—.
They went their separate ways. He slowly approached the large wooden doors and pushed them open. There was a large window on the other side, and the entire chapel was naturally lit by the sunlight.
Aedric's gaze swept across the chapel, surprised by the majesty of the place. The wooden floor beneath his feet creaked with a pleasant sound. In front of him were two rows of long wooden benches that looked freshly polished, creating a path to the front where a long table with an apron for leaving offerings was located.
His attention was drawn to an elderly gentleman leaning on his cane. He put the cane aside and knelt in front of the statue, involuntary groans of pain escaping his mouth.
Aedric, full of curiosity, walked toward the older man without concealing his steps.
For his part, the man was praying deeply, absorbed in making sure his most sincere prayers reached the God he adored. It was then that he felt a touch on his right shoulder. He slowly opened his eyes and saw a child behind him, smiling innocently.
"What are you doing on the floor, sir? Are you okay?" —He asked, concerned and interested—.
The old man didn't know how to react to the curious child but gave him a gentle smile on his face, aged by the passage of time.
"I am fine, I am kneeling and praying so that my pleas may reach Ignis" —the old man responded honestly—.
"Praying?" —Aedric responded, confused, scratching his head at the new word—.
"Praying is when you speak to a God, sharing your deepest desires, your worries, your pleas, or anything you want him to hear" —The man explained to the child what praying meant to him—.
"What is a God?" —He was very curious about so many new words and knowledge—.
The old man let out a small chuckle at Aedric's innocence and insatiable curiosity.
"A God is a very strong being who participated in the creation of our world and those who inhabit it, like us" —He responded cheerfully—.
The man stood up and decided to sit on one of the wooden benches nearby.
"My turn to ask questions" —A playful tone echoed in his words— "How old are you, boy?"
"My name isn't boy, my name is Aedric" —He retorted against the man— "I am this many years old" —He held up four fingers with his hand—.
"My, you're quite tall for your age!" —the old man was surprised— "I am this many years old" —He held up five fingers, joking, and a smile naturally appeared on his lips—.
"You're lying!" —He shouted accusingly, feeling very smart for uncovering the man's tricks—.
"Ha, ha, ha, you got me, Aedric" —The man laughed from the bottom of his heart— "I'll introduce myself properly; my name is Duncan, and I am 110 years old."
"Wooooah" —He shouted in awe— "That's a lot of time!, I think?" —He can barely count to ten, but he was sure that was a long time—.
"Hehehe, indeed, Aedric" —Duncan laughs jovially— "If you'll excuse me, I'll continue praying; you can do it too."
"What do you pray for, Mr. Duncan?" —He asks his new friend respectfully—.
The old man's friendly smile slowly fades, he clenches his teeth slightly to avoid looking bad in front of the child, and a sad smile appears on his face, a smile that Aedric was not yet able to understand.
"I pray to Lord Ignis every day, asking that my daughter doesn't suffer from the cold and is warm, wherever she may be" —Duncan responds softly—.
"I don't like the cold either, I think I'll ask Lord Ignis to stop making it so cold" —Before continuing, something the man said confuses him— "Where is your daughter, sir?"
He stays silent for a moment, gathering the courage to respond.
"She's far from home right now…" —He sighs softly—.
"And why doesn't she come home? Does she like the cold?" —The child continues, not understanding why she wouldn't want to come home if she was cold—.
"She liked the cold very much, but that day was too much…" —Duncan closes his eyes, clearing his mind and continues— "Enough questions, I will continue praying. If you want to join me, you can."
Forgetting the other subject, Aedric decides to kneel just as the old man is doing.
One prayed for the well-being of someone else, and the other for his own well-being; his hatred for the cold was now personal.
Meanwhile, outside the chapel…
Mildred had already finished her shopping and chatting with her friend, Lysa.
She had returned to look for her dear son, although she didn't have high hopes that he was doing anything good inside the chapel; maybe he was running around like a maniac in there.
The large wooden door was pushed open, and she entered with her footsteps echoing on the elegant wooden floor, which stopped short at the sight in front of her.
Aedric was kneeling, sitting in front of the statue, and beside him was Duncan, a villager she greeted every time she saw him. Seeing her wild son in such a calm state left her mind completely blank.
"Excuse the interruption" —She approaches the two with soft steps— "Thank you, Duncan, for looking after my son, I am very sorry for any trouble he may have caused you."
The old man laughs heartily at the surprise.
"I didn't expect him to be your son; that certainly caught me off guard" —He continues laughing— "Don't apologize, in fact, I very much enjoyed your son's company. Bring him whenever you want; I will take care of teaching him the path of faith."
This took Mildred by surprise but also relieved her; she didn't know how to teach her son about religion, and since he was blessed by Ignis, he was destined to believe in him.
"I gladly accept your offer, Duncan" —She bowed slightly, grateful for his kindness— "I will bring him here constantly; I trust you. With that said, I bid you farewell."
Mildred left the chapel with Aedric holding her hand. The old man, alone again in the chapel, continued with his prayers for a while longer, and for the sake of that child.
Meanwhile, once again…
A small, quite hairy and dirty stray dog approached Aedric, with a thick branch in its mouth, while its tail wagged excitedly from side to side.
The dog stopped in front of him and just laid the stick on the ground while staring intently at him. Mildred knew this animal; it was known for not having a family and playing with children. It made her uncomfortable for her son to get close to such a dirty dog, but she wasn't so cruel as to interrupt what was about to happen.
As expected, Aedric approached the animal, took the stick, and threw it as far as he could down a little-used path in the village.
The dog shot off like a bullet in the direction of the stick; when it reached it, it returned with the same speed.
This cycle was repeated for a long time; the animal panted for air and was thirsty, but it wanted to keep playing, while Aedric seemed able to continue for the rest of the day.
Mildred, losing patience, shouted at him.
"If you like playing with that dog so much, take him home and let's go, it's getting dark!"
Her son's eyes seemed as bright as stars when he heard her words.
"Can I take him?" —He asked with a radiant smile.
She instantly regretted her impulsively spoken words, but it was too late for that.
The dog was taken home, and on his mother's orders, he had to bathe it and clean off the dirt. He was dumbfounded when the dog, which had seemed black, turned out to have long, white fur with coffee-colored spots all over, a long tail, and its most prominent feature, its jaw. Its lower jaw was set forward, giving it a stupid look with its lower teeth always sticking out.
And that is how Angel was adopted by Aedric, the name he gave him after remembering a dog that constantly appeared in the fragmented dreams he used to have every now and then.
—End of Chapter 3—