Book 1 - Chapter 4 : Tius

 

            Renn slept peacefully on the soft bed. For two days Renn slept without waking up. Upon arriving at the gates of the village Renn collapsed on the saddle. His owner quickly grabbed hold of him and rushed inside his home and placed Renn on his bed.

The man only smiled at Renn childish behavior and left him without any disturbance.

            As two days passed slowly Renn opened his heavy eyes and began to glare at the neat wooden floor below.

pant's, Renn was amazed at the comfort of the clothes. Standing up Renn began to walk around in curiosity. The hallway was large and the other rooms were as large as the main room.

            Renn kept walking and walking and soon found himself at the kitchen. His eyes met the plate of fruits before him and without any control quickly began to chew on the skin.

            “Alas, you are awake,” came the voice of a man who walked past Renn with a pail of milk, “You got me worried. Here have fresh milk.”

            The man with the silver hair placed a cup of milk on the table and grabbed an apple and began to eat beside Renn.

            Renn slowly began to chew on the apple as he eyed the man suspiciously. With the events that occurred to in a short time, Renn realized not to trust anyone no matter how kind they may seem at sight. Renn slowly picked up the glass and drank a sip without removing his glance at the man.

            The man kept smiling at Renn’s behavior and watched with curiosity. Soon a maid appeared before the man and whispered something to the man’s ear. The man placed his head low for a second and said out loud, “Tell him I am sick, and bring some food for the boy here.” The maid bowed low and left quickly.

            “My name is Tius, and yours?”

            “Renn…”

            “Listen, I am not here to hurt you. If I were I would be angry for the food you took without asking.”

            Renn looked dumbfounded and placed the apple back on the table. Embarrassed Renn began to move away but Tius continued, “Go ahead and eat. Like I said I am not here to kill you.”

            Renn picked up the fruit and continued to scavenge on the juice. Tius let out a slight laugh and continued, “Renn, where is your home located?”

            Renn stopped and looked at Tius, memories of Yaroh and his town began to reoccur as a small tear fell from Renn eyes without knowing.

            “Clestia, within the province of Ginshire.”

            “Clestia!”  Tius exclaimed as he edged closer to Renn, “Where there any Elven’s like yourself in Clestia?”

            Renn slowly moved back as Tius soft voice began to be replaced by a hard tone. Out of fear Renn remained silent and stared down on the floor.

            “Renn were you the only Elven,” Tius said as his composure returned to normal.

            “No….” Renn slowly replied, “there were a few of us but not many.”

            “Did the schools teach you ancient magic or any arts?”  Tius continued as he pressured Renn.

            “No, only crafts,” said Renn quickly out of fear.

            “Tell me this Renn!” Tius said as he stood up, “Are your parents Elven?”

            “….no.”

            Tius looked away from Renn as a rush of anger protruded on his face. Tius clenched his anger for a moment but released it as he noticed that Renn began to cower in fear.

            “Have you ever explored Elven Lore?”

            “I don’t think so,” Renn said as tears began to flow from his eyes.

            Tius stood upright and said in a loud voice, “From this point on, I will adopt you as my son. As my son you will address me as Master Tius. You will go to school as every Elven boy in this town, and after school you will learn the magic arts and swordsmanship.”

            The maid that came earlier returned and gave a slight bow as she said, “Master Tius, your guest stays in waiting. He says you are a liar and orders me to bring you forth.”

            Tius placed his hand out of head as if suffering from a migraine and replied, “I shall go and meet with her. Give the boy some food and dress him in Elven attire get rid of those rags.”

            With that Tius rushed off dragging his cloak on the ground. Renn continued to shed tears as Tius left. Renn wanted to meet his mother and hold her in his arms. He wanted to play a game of ball with his friends and explore the bazaar. However, Tius harsh words penetrated deep within Renn’s soul, sprouting seeds of sadness and hate.

            The maid placed a tray of food for Renn and sat beside him stroking his tears. She lightly kissed his head and said, “Do not worry little one. Do not be afraid our home is no different then yours.”

            “I just want…to …go home,” Renn said.

            “Listen why not we become friends. It can become lonely sometimes, my name is Sylvia, yours?”

            “Renn…”

            “Alright Renn,” Sylvia said, “Starting tomorrow I will show you our town, perhaps you may like something that you like.”

            “..okay..” Renn replied as his tears dried up.

            Sylvia kissed Renn on the head and said with her green eyes, “Eat your food before it gets cold.”

            Renn looked at his plate and wondered how long his life would last here. He wondered what everyone at home was doing. How were his father and mother. Are they safe? Realizing that his chance of returning was slim, Renn picked up his fork and began to chew the piece of meat.