Part 1

5 years prior to the main part of the story, Peregrin works on his father's farm and obtains the quest of retrieving a pair of gauntlets.

I can remember the pain on my back that he gave me. He would take his belt and slap it across my back. The sting from the metal on the belt was the worst part. He wouldn’t stop taking his anger out on my back. I didn’t understand what I had done. No one was around to help me. The belt always left bruises on my back, usually 6 or 7 at a time that were dark red in colour. Was he drunk? Had I done something wrong on the farm that day? I was just a boy; I hadn’t done terrible things to deserve this. If I tried to struggle, he would hurt me even more. He did this to me so often that it seemed like he enjoyed it.

I was awakened by my mother dabbing a cold wet cloth on my back. I could still feel the leather strap whip across my body. I tried to turn around, but the pain from my back wouldn’t allow me to do so.

“Easy, Peregrin,” her soothing voice said.

“Oh, hello mother,” I replied back, weakly. Thinking about the pain made it hurt even more, but there was nothing that I could occupy my mind with that would distract from the agony. Eventually, I decided to stop trying to get up, and relented in just lying on my bed. My room wasn’t much. The wooden mahogany walls were brightened by the sun beaming in the solitaire window in the room. I kept my belongings in a box that I had found. A pouch of money was stored away in my pocket; I felt it was the safest place to keep it.  There was a curtain that acted like a door to my room.  The rest of the rooms of the house were almost identical to mine, except for the master bedroom which had the luxury of being wider.   It was a typical three-story Halfling farm house and it was the only home that I had ever known.  The home I liked; the abuse I hated.

“It looks like father gave you a beating last night. I’m sorry he’s so hard on you. Your father had a meeting last night with Borin Kaldzak, the dwarf that sells the crops that are harvested on our farm. Mr. Kaldzak gave your father the disturbing news that he is demanding more crops to be produced.  I am afraid you will have to do more work on the farm.” A small frown clouded her beautiful face and she turned her head slightly away.

“Are you being serious, mother?” I asked glumly.  More work handed down to me meant more abuse from my father if I did something wrong.

“Unfortunately, I am being quite serious. It shouldn’t be a lot more you have to do, but it will be worth it when you grow up and become a cleric.” A cleric - the path that my mother desired for me.  For years she had wanted me to become a religious man that could heal people with his book.

“Mother, I have told you before, I wish not to be a cleric. I wish to be a rogue. I will help out with clans, they would pay me a large amount of money. I will make sure to bring some home too!”

“Honey, it is important to me that you become a cleric. If you wish not to, that is your decision, but my family was born to be clerics. Although I’m not one myself, you could pass on our family heritage instead of becoming like your father.” Mother rubbed my arm slowly, and lovingly, but I ignored it. I jumped up from my bed and sat upright. It was a little too quick, because the pain in my back started to increase.

“I am nothing like my father. I am 11 years old, and I will be better than him,” I angrily said, turning my face away from her.

“I know honey.” She always called me honey. She called Jamamros and Berhin, my two brothers, honey as well. It was her way of keeping us calm and relaxed. According to other races Halflings weren’t exactly ‘pretty’, however, my mother was very beautiful. She had soft brown hair that came to her shoulders. She always wore gold earrings that had belonged to her mother. Her mother had told her years ago on her deathbed that she did not want her to sell those earrings.  “They are a symbol of hope,” my grandmother had said.   Mother promised that she would never sell them and had kept her vow all these years.  She was neither large, nor was she skinny. She had soft brown eyes, and of course, she had a slight point to her ears, a typical characteristic of a Halfling. Mother turned away and walked to the kitchen to make some soup, and told me to change my bloodied clothes so I could start in the field.

My father had two new slaves, Baris and Cal, but they wanted to be referred to as ‘helpers of the savior’. Father had rescued the two Halflings from a death penalty (father never told us the reason why they had been condemned to die) on one condition: they would become his slaves. If it weren’t for that reason, my father would have watched the two slaves burn if he could. After eating the soup and getting ready for work, I met up with the two who were already working with my brothers. My back was still stiff from the previous night’s beating.

“Peregrin, how are you feeling?” my brother Berhin asked. My brother was 2 years older than me, and was extremely kind to me. He had short brown curly hair. He also, like everyone in my family, had brown eyes and had a point to his ears. He wore a torn shirt with overalls. He was my favourite brother.

“I have had better days,” I grunted. Berhin chuckled and grabbed a bucket of water from his side.

“Well, you might as well get started. Here, take this and help us water the crops.” Berhin handed me the bucket.

Unexpectedly, Baris motioned me toward him.

“Come here,” he whispered. I walked up to him, curious to know what he wanted. His back looked a little sore as well.

“I need you to go to town for me,” he instructed. “There will be a man standing by a statue. Tell him that I sent you and ask him for my gauntlet. I was forced to leave it, however a friend of mine stole it back for me, but he doesn’t know my whereabouts. If I leave, your father will fire me or … worse.” He hesitated and emphasized the word ‘worse’. “Would you be so kind as to do this favour for me?”

I wasn’t too sure what to do. I barely knew this person. Should I trust him? I decided it couldn’t hurt to help him.

“Sure,” I said.

“Be warned. He may… bribe you,” he hesitated again. I accepted the so called ‘quest’. I walked back to continue my work, excitement beginning to fill me as I did so.

Father always let us have a break at 3 in the afternoon for an hour. If I took the carriage, it would take me five minutes to get to Kemadri.

“If I’m late,“ I thought, “father will hurt me tonight. Baris better be grateful when I return.” Father was sleeping in the house, so I took the advantage of being away from his watchful eye. I told Berhin what I was doing, took a slice of bread, and then left. I hurried to the carriage and hitched the horses to it. A welcoming breeze lightly caressed my skin. For once, it actually felt nice to be outside doing something other than working. I got myself into the carriage and left.

As I approached town, I saw something move through the forest: the forbidden forest. Ages ago, a dark magician had cast a curse on this forest to protect his fortress from the Humans and the Halflings. Mother had always told me never to step into that forest. Who knew what would kill me? A goblin, an orc, a wolf, even a troll could be in there! I ignored the movement, tethered the carriage to a post at the edge of town, and walked the rest of the way. I had 50 minutes left. I was surrounded by large buildings that stood 10 feet in height. I passed a blacksmith, a tavern, a few shops, and finally I reached the center of the town. There was a wide open circular area with buildings around the perimeter. Rarely was there ever anyone but Halflings seen here. In the middle of the town was a statue �" a noble structure of a warrior Halfling, Reen, who defended Kemadri from goblins and orcs that were trying to take over the territory. War had erupted between the dark magician’s goblins and the Halflings, and Humans from a nearby city had sent all their soldiers to help out. However, no one was as brave as Reen who battled with the dark magician. Instead of killing him, Reen forced him to retreat and he was banished to live in the forest, upon which he subsequently cast a curse. Anyone who walked into that forest without the wizard’s permission would surely die. Eventually, the dark magician got his revenge and killed Reen, but no one knew why the forest was still dark. The Halflings in town believed he would attack again. Reen was a rogue and I wanted to be just like him when I was older. In front of the statue was a Halfling twirling a coin in his hand. His face was slightly hidden and his clothes were torn. To be honest, he looked very intimidating, even from a long distance. I walked up to him cautiously and when I got an arm’s length away, he spoke to me.

“What do you want?” he demanded impatiently. I gulped.

“I am Peregrin Old-fur,” I stated. The man looked more interested when I said my name. “Baris sent me here. He told me that you have his gauntlet and he would like me to take it back to him.” For what felt like the longest minute of my life, he was silent.

“Okay kid,” He started with a low and raspy voice, “I’ll tell you something. I don’t like your father. He stole something from me, so why should I trust you?” He looked at me for a little while, and then sighed. “Fine, if you give me 30 pieces of silver, I will give you my dear friend’s gauntlet.” I reached into my pocket. I only had 10 silver coins.  How was I going to get the remaining 20 silver pieces?  There was only 40 minutes left.

“I shall return with the money,” I replied. I walked down a gravel pathway crowded with Halflings. As I walked by, I noticed one selling scrap metal to a blacksmith. He retrieved his money and as he headed in my direction, I nervously watched him approach. The last time I stole something was a month ago, and it had not ended well. He continued walking in my direction, getting closer and closer as I walked slowly toward him. We were surrounded by about 50 Halflings that I could count. “Here we go,” I readied myself. My heart was beating faster and faster every second. When I got close enough, I bumped into the Halfling, quickly got my hand into his pocket and as soon as I felt something, I yanked it out, trying not to touch his coat. Bull’s-eye, he didn’t notice. Quickly, I put my hand up my sleeve, hiding the necessary coins.

“Sorry,” I said as I looked back at him. He gave me a wary look, and then he continued to walk away. When he turned around, I quickly checked to see the amount of coins I had taken from him. There was only 5 pieces of silver. I now had 15 all together. With 35 minutes left, I let out a sigh of relief that I had escaped his notice and continued down the pathway filled with people and their loose change.

Twenty minutes had passed and I was still two silver pieces short. I was beginning to get nervous, as if I wasn’t already quaking. I saw a man attacking a barber and he looked like he had been injured. I walked up to the abuser and managed to get some money from his pocket. He turned around and pushed me.

“Get out of here, kid!” he yelled. When he pushed me, I dropped the money that I had stolen from him. I picked up the money as fast as I could, hoping he didn’t realize that I had stolen his silver. The Halfling checked his pouch and noticed there were a few pieces missing.

“Thief!” he yelled. He tried to grab my arm, but I ran away. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him chase after me.  Adrenaline pulsing through me gave me the boost I needed. I quickly ran around a corner and hid under a haystack. Luckily, this pathway was filled with even more Halflings than the previous one. My predator ran down the path, unaware of my whereabouts. I checked how much money I had taken from him. Four pieces of silver were in my hand. “Perfect,” I thought. There was 11 minutes left. As he left, I ran towards the center of Kemadri trying to get back to the statue as fast as I could.

When I saw Baris’ friend, I gave him the silver, keeping the extra two coins for myself. He looked at me suspiciously, but then gave me the gauntlet. The iron-clad glove was silver with a dark trim around it, not covering the fingers when worn but, instead, only barely reaching the knuckles. There were symbols along the trim which were foreign to me.  Hurriedly, I thanked him and ran to my carriage. As I exited the town, I quickly got in the carriage and raced home.

I had only two minutes to spare before I had to return to work. Through the window, I saw Baris  cleaning up the dishes. I released the horses from the carriage and let them roam in a fenced area. There was no sign of my father when I walked into the house. Jamamros finished up a glass of water, and then sighed as he walked back outside. He looked at me with a slight frown.

“Where were you?” he demanded. His tone was most serious, not showing any concern for me.

“I was in town,” I confessed. With a brief glance, I could tell there was a person missing. Berhin was not in the room like he usually was on his break.

“Where’s Berhin?” He pointed towards the basement. That could only mean one thing. Father had the whips out. Berhin must have defended me, or father had taken his ever-present frustration out on him for some likely undeserved reason. I frowned and Jamamros, looking at me, walked outside in disappointment. I was quickly feeling like going into town wasn’t worth it. I walked up to Baris and gave him the gauntlet. He looked at me, and then bowed.

“You have done me a kindness. I am ever so thankful,” he said quietly. I heard father coming up the stairs. Expecting that he might go after me next, with the energy I had left, I ran to the door, put on my work shoes, and went out to work again.

A few minutes later, Berhin came out, limping and favouring his back with every step. His head was down, as if his body refused him to look up. His arms were covered in bruises. It was hard to tell, but it looked like he had been slashed on his back. When he walked up to us, he said nothing.

“Berhin, I’m really sorry. I never meant for this to happen. Can you forgive me?” I said, feeling wretched and guilty. I had absolutely no idea that my father would hurt him. Berhin nodded his head in acceptance.

“You shouldn’t,” Jamamros mumbled to Berhin. There was a slight second when we focused on our work, and then Jamamros became angry. “What were you thinking?” he yelled. I gripped my shovel tightly; I didn’t like being yelled at. “Do you think you will be a hero for ‘rescuing’ this slave’s gauntlet? We don’t even know this person. What if he intended for this to happen?” He pointed at Berhin as he said that.

“Baris is a nice person,” I informed him, trying to sound as relaxed as possible. “Also, please don’t call him a slave.”

“I will call him what he is. Besides, why does he ‘need’ those gauntlets? He’s a slave, not a prince. He has no purpose for them.”

“He wants to keep them because they belong to him.”

“Then why is he here?” he interrupted. I had nothing to say to that question. “Exactly. You shouldn’t go around trusting everyone.” His angered tone confused me. To me, he should have been sympathetic. A squeaking door opened. We turned to see Baris frowning as he closed the door. As he approached me, I asked him what was wrong.

“The gauntlets,” he sighed. “Master took them.”

“Did he throw them out?”

“No, he is keeping them in his room.” He looked up at me. “Thank you for bringing them to me. At least I know they are in safe hands.” I wasn’t sure what he meant by ‘safe’, but I nodded my head.

It was 9 o’clock, and father let us come inside. We were used to long days like this, especially on nice days like today. I was uneasy, fearing that father would hurt me if I went back into the house. Everyone, except for me, was walking towards the house eager to be done their long day . I called out Berhin’s name. He stopped and turned to me, slowly walking forward with his eyes glued to the ground.

“I’m going to town. Join me,” I offered. “When we come back, I’ll take the blame from father.” I attempted to convince him with the most honest tone possible. He stared at me like I was an idiot.

“Do you know what I just did for you?” he asked the slightly rhetorical question.

“I know. I’ll make sure father won’t hurt you. Also, I will share one quarter of my profit with you.” Berhin hesitated. He looked down momentarily.

“Fine. I’ll go with you.” I smiled at him and he walked around the house together.

We walked up to the carriage and hitched the horses. When I stared at the night sky, the stars twinkled in the vast, empty space. We got onto the carriage and left for the town.

By the time we reached the town, Berhin was in a lighter mood. He didn’t care as much that he had taken the blame for me earlier and got hurt. We were talking about how I got the gauntlet, and we shared a few laughs as we wondered what the life would be like of the Halfling I had met at the statue.  We arrived on the outskirts of town, and I got off the carriage. I secured my horses to a pole, and then Berhin and I walked into town.

Hardly any people wandered the alleyways of the town at this hour. Even so, there were still a few town folk out. We walked by the tavern. At this time of night, the majority of the people entertained themselves by going in to get intoxicated. They blasted folk music while their boots thumped and their hips moved to the beat. I remember Father coming here every once in a while. It would be a great place to steal some money, if we were allowed in. A human that lived in the city with the Halflings stood on guard to prevent unwanted people, such as criminals and children, from entering.  

We walked past the tavern and saw a woman drop her pouch on a window sill of a nearby store so she could pick up a box of clothes that she had dropped.  I looked at Berhin, and he nodded his head. We walked up to the elderly woman, who was wearing what appeared to be a nightgown.

“Let me help you with that,” Berhin offered. The woman looked up and smiled, her face showing her wrinkles as she did.

“Thank you, that’s so kind of you,” she grinned. As my brother helped the woman pick up the scattered clothes, I waited until she looked away, and then as deftly as I could, I grabbed her pouch and took one silver piece, knowing that if I took more than one it would be obvious that I stole something. That was one important rule that I set for myself. Trying not to get caught was a hard trick to master, but once mastered, one can become rich!  I slowly placed the coin into my pocket, so she wouldn’t notice. Berhin picked up the box and gave it to the woman. I stepped aside and she smiled at both of us. I watched as she picked up the pouch and placed it on top of the box and walked away. A grin came over both our faces when I showed him the stolen coin. We walked away in the opposite direction to the woman that had unknowingly benefited us.

We reached a courtyard where there was a small fountain and a few benches to sit on. We found a seat and sat on it. We both let out a sigh.  When I looked at Berhin, he seemed like there was something bothering him.

“What’s wrong Berhin?” I asked. As usual, his eyes were glued to the ground.  It took him a little bit longer than normal to respond.

“Do you trust Baris?” he asked me. I wasn’t sure what to say.

“I…think so,” I admitted. “We’ve only known him for a while, but he seems trustworthy.” His eyes were still glued to the ground.

“From what Jam said, why would he need that gauntlet? Why does he have it?”

“I don’t know.”

“You should find out.”

“He told me that it’s in ‘safe hands’ when father took it from him.”  Berhin and I were both confused by it. We stared at our surroundings for a minute. The grass was greener than any grass I’ve seen. The four walls surrounding us were white and had no doors. I saw a figure walk by with a couple of others. They were slowly walking closer to the courtyard. It took me a while, but I recognized the person as the one I had stolen money from while he was beating up the innocent barber.

“There’s the scoundrel that stole from me!” he yelled to his companions. “Get him!” We immediately jumped off the bench, running, desperately heading for the way out. When we reached an exit of the courtyard, another Halfling appeared from nowhere and blocked us from escaping. We backed up as he pushed us away from freedom. All exits were closed, and the Halflings were walking closer to us. Berhin ran towards a wall. The Halflings ran to attack him. I took advantage of the distraction and ran out of the courtyard. Berhin always had his ingenious ways of escaping. I looked behind my shoulder to see a Halfling close at my heels. I bolted away from him. Turning the corner, I frantically searched for a place to either hide or escape. The Halfling was still chasing me, like a lion desperate to devour its prey. When I looked down the alley to my right, I saw Berhin running in my direction. Behind him were three other Halflings running towards him. I had no doubt he could run away from the bullies; Berhin had always been a fast runner. He turned a corner to evade the lion.  Panting like a dog, I only saw buildings around me.  Berhin met up with me and together we ran. Nearing the edge of town and the wall that surrounded it, we saw a building to our left with a ladder leaning against it for roof repairs. A bench rested next to the wall that protected the town. Berhin ran to the bench, while I ran to the ladder. Two of the Halflings were following me now, while two chased Berhin. Berhin jumped onto the bench, and kicked off of the wall, giving him the boost he needed so he could scale it. I grabbed the ladder and made my way onto the roof. One of the Halflings grabbed onto the ladder and climbed up. With adrenaline kicking in, I pushed the ladder away from the building. With an alarmed look on his face, he fell, landing on his back. Another lion jumped in vain, trying to grab the roof, but he was too short. I turned around to see Berhin kicking at the Halflings that were trying to get onto the roof. I looked in front of us. On the other side of the wall surrounding the town was where I had left the carriage. Lying beneath us was a haystack and a 10 or 12 foot jump. Quickly, I grabbed Berhin and we jumped into the haystack, thankful that it slowed our landing, and prevented us from getting us hurt. I took the strap off the pole and got onto the horse as the Halflings were chasing after us. Furiously, I urged them to go faster. With cries of outrage, the Halflings picked up rocks nearby and tried their best to stop our escape. A stone hit one of our horses. Startled, the animal turned to the right, directly into the forbidden forest.

 

I was too scared to jump off the carriage. Slightly dazed, Berhin was just beginning to realize what was happening.

“Are we in-“His unusually high voice revealed his nervousness. I nodded. It was dark and we were enclosed by dead trees. The horses raced through the forest, out of control. Up ahead I saw an opening in the eerie forest, but there was something different about these trees. As we raced ahead, we watched as they sprouted from the earth and started to grow. Trees grew as tall as the other ones right before our eyes. We were surrounded.

The horses stopped and we jumped off the carriage. Berhin and I were terrified. Something dark moved quickly behind a group of trees.

“Stay with me,” Brother told me. Gladly, and with a bit of relief, I followed him.  I felt safest when I was with him. The scariest part of the forest was the silence, the only noises coming from us, the branches moving, and the shadowy figure.

“We need to get out of here,” I urgently demanded. Brother agreed and we tried to squeeze between the trees; after all, we were Halflings. Despite our small size, we didn’t fit. The rough, wooden skin of the tree dragged across my face. We pulled back. The horses whinnied as they nervously stared at something and I ran up to them.

“What’s wrong?” I asked them while I slowly stroked the head of the horse that was closest to me in an effort to calm it down. It didn’t work. They continued to stare at something behind me. I turned around. In the distance, I could make out a figure that stood motionless. It had something in its hand. I couldn’t make out what it was.

I heard Brother gasp as if he cried for help. I immediately turned towards him to see Brother standing there looking frightened. A green dirty hand covered his mouth. I followed the arm to the body. The blood-chilling figure had a torso covered with very little clothes. The face was ugly. “Must be a Goblin,” I thought. It had a pointy nose that stuck out longer than my tongue could. Its ears were also pointy. It had cold dead eyes and it occurred to me that this being was thirsty for blood. Brother’s only expression was fear. I watched as the figure took a knife from its pocket and placed the point against Berhin’s skin. Slowly, he pushed the blade into Brother’s neck. Blood ran down his neck and onto his clothes. A tear raced down his cheek. I became furious. I picked up a piece of wood from my carriage, screaming at the Goblin. The Goblin threw Brother aside as if he were a piece of trash. The evil figure flashed the blade at me, leaving no doubt in my mind as to what I was up against.  I did not take my eyes off the Goblin. When Brother regained his balance, he ran towards the Goblin, holding his neck where the cut was. I quickened my pace. Berhin dove towards the Goblin’s feet, tackling it to the ground right in front of me. With every ounce of strength I possessed, I whacked its face with the wood in my hand. Brother sat down, not letting go of his neck. It appeared that the Goblin was unconscious, but I didn’t for a moment think that was enough.

I grabbed the blade that the Goblin used, wiping off brother’s blood on my shirt and stared at the Goblin. I bent down to my knees. Anger and aggression took over, but I didn’t care. I stabbed the Goblin right into its heart. My breathing was quick, and taking deep breaths, I tried to slow it down. This was the first Goblin I had ever killed; however, it certainly wouldn’t be the last.