Chapter 1

The forest had its peace. The light rustling of the branches and leaves in the wind. While walking among the numerous trees, Alex Tolbert hummed a tune. He carried steel bracers on his forearms and thick leather boots on his feet, dressed as a peasant in a wool shirt and cloth trousers. The single strap that held the satchel bag at his side was slung across his shoulder. A large steel shield with a roll of bedding strapped to the top behind his head and a water canteen tied to his belt were on his back.

After a long day of traveling, he decided to take a break in the cool shade of the trees. He put his satchel on the ground after taking it out of its bag. After that, he took out his shield and leaned it against the tree closest to it. He laid out his bedding roll in the dirt and leaves. He sat on it and looked up at the blue sky through the brown and green branches.

A map-drawing roll of parchment was pulled out when he reached into his satchel. He briefly considered it and noted his location. He didn't know where he wanted to go, but he thought the village that was closest would be a good place to stop. He checked the sun's position and noticed that he needed to go northeast. After that, he turned his shield in the required direction. He put the map back in its place and relaxed by closing his eyes.

He awoke to the sound of rustling and the setting sun. When he got up, he saw a young man of no more than twenty years approaching."Ahoy there," Alex said. "And ahoy to you sir," the young man replied. "May I join you for an evening?" "Of course, I have little food, but what little I have can be shared," Alex said.

Alex looked at the man. Although he wore loose, nonrestrictive clothing, he appeared to be unarmed and could have easily been concealing a dagger. Alex gave him half a loaf of bread, which the stranger quickly consumed while Alex ate each torn piece.

"Thank you, that was good bread," "You're welcome, so what's your name?"

"Who are you, James?"

Tolbert?, "Alex of the Tolbert family,"“Are you a sell-sword?” "We hail from the province of Korryn, but I'm not surprised, we are not of noble birth nor royal standing," "Please excuse me if I've never heard the name."“No, I do not use combat for profit,” James said as he pointed to the shield. “Then why the shield?”

“A shield has many uses other than defense; when held overhead, it keeps me dry in the rain, sleds beasts after a hunt, signals others with sun reflections, and many more,”Explorer? Hunter? Merchant?”

"None of those; I'm just a simple traveler who goes from town to town looking for work," "So how do you make money?"

“You are a poor and beggar then,” "I do not beg, I offer assistance and am rewarded with necessities," "But is coin not a necessity? I have means of obtaining food and water, and many inns will give a room for a helping hand," "I do not carry coin, I have means of obtaining food and water, "Do you not long to own a house in the future? Any land? Build a family or live in luxury?

“So, you are a fool then, men do not recognize goodness of heart, only wealth and status,” "Maybe for a thief like yourself my motives may seem foreign, but I have slept peacefully every night since I began my journey and that is the only luxury I prefer,” "How dare you impugn me with such slander, I am not a thief,” and "I’ve never known a thief to tell the truth, so why should you

In an effort to fall asleep, Alex then rolled over on his bed and pulled one of his quilts over him. “Hold, first you accuse me of being a criminal, then you turn your back on me leaving me in clear sight of your possessions?” "Hold, first you accuse me of being a criminal, then you turn your back on me leaving me in clear sight of your possessions?”

"Well, what do I have to fear if you are not a thief?"

“Ah!You intend to test me,” "I mean to sleep, but if you're intention is to steal, I ask that you do so quietly, I'll need my rest for the journey tomorrow,"

James was left alone as Alex began to fall asleep. He scrutinized the quilt atop the shield and the ground-mounted shield. As the night air began to chill him, he trembled. While sitting against a tree trunk, he took it back and wrapped himself.

He waited until the strange Alex Tolbert was deep in sleep and watched him.After that, he went to the shield, which he struggled to lift and flip. Roses and dragons were intricately arranged on the exterior. Inside was a beautiful sheath that was securely fastened in place. The sheath cleverly concealed the sword. The handle made up piece of the safeguards configuration close to the top.

When he drew it, he noticed that the blade and hilt were perfectly balanced, the blade was extremely sharp and tempered, and it was made by a master blacksmith.He murmured, "Nothing of value my hind." "This is worth at least fifty coins, with the shield seventy." He went after the satchel after replacing the sword. A map, quill, ink, and a small metal object were contained within. He took it out and held it in the moonlight with it. The crest of the king of Korryn was on the medallion. I knew that; He returned the items to the satchel and slung it over his shoulder before calling me a liar. After that, he put the shield on his back and wrapped the quilt around himself before disappearing through the trees, leaving Alex alone with nothing but his bed and the water canteen.

James entered the village as the sun rose and immediately set out for the blacksmith's shop. The forge's grit covered the smithy, which was hard at work making tools.

"Good sir, would you be interested in acquiring a shield and sword?" James asked, and the hefty man replied, "Show me." James removed the quilt and placed the shield-sheath on a nearby counter with the front side down.

"This is excellent work; these are only made by Korryn craftsmen; where did you get it?"

"Korryn, exchanged it for it with a traveling merchant," "How much do you want?"

“Eighty for the set,” "I'll give you fifty," "It's worth seventy at least," "And that's how much I'll sell it for, fifty-five," "Sixty-seven," "Then you can take it somewhere else, fifty-five or nothing," "You're a tough haggle sir, but I will take the fifty-five," and so on. The blacksmith took a bag of coins and counted them. James took a dagger from the counter and a silver sapphire ring from the nearby jewelry display while he carefully counted.

James turned and left with his new coin bag, saying, "Good doing business with you sir."

As he flipped the ring in the air and retrieved it once more, he murmured under his breath, "That fool was too easy." He took it to the market and put it in the satchel bag he had stolen the night before. He swiftly dove into an alley as he passed the hotel. Alex was hard at work repairing the damaged lumber on the roof with some tools.

"How did he arrive so quickly?" "I had half the night to gain my lead," he mused aloud.

“You!” A man shouted, and after that, he grabbed James by the collar, yanked him into the street, and yelled. James remembered him.In a different village, months earlier, he had taken some belongings from him. Here, we have a thief! The man yelled, "He stole the necklace my wife gave me and tools from my farm!I propose that his greedy hands be severed!

“Aye!” "And what's this?!" he yelled at the now-circling crowd. A blade and ring that I'm certain our metalworker will search for,"

"Goodness, well..." he began and afterward hit the man in the gut to release his grasp. When James was about to break free, he was tackled from above as he sprinted down the street toward the village's edge. Both he and the other man fell to the ground. He noticed that Alex was staring at him and obstructing his path when he looked up.

After that, the villager men grabbed him and helped him stand.I need a sword! The first man yelled, "Here, use this one," and the blacksmith handed him the sword that James had sold him.

“Hold!” Alex yelled, "What offenses does this man have?" with a powerful boom.

The man who was holding Alex's sword said, "He has stolen from me." The blacksmith added, "And I," "A dagger and ring are missing from my shop and he had them." "Are they returned now?"

The blacksmith took James' items and said, "Well... yes," adding, "I have them again." "Then that justice is fulfilled, and you?" He thought to himself, "He stole from my family months ago," "What is the price for his crimes?" as he looked at the swordman.

James looked at Alex in disbelief and said, "At least ninety in coin," "I have no coin, but I can give you labor to pay off this man's debt," and "I have no coin." He wanted to pay off his debts after stealing from this man just the night before. He had no faith in it.

The man stated, "Ninety coins in labor is a lot of work."

"I'll get it done, work is no stranger to me," he said.

"Why would you desire to assist this man? “He may be, but no one should be without compassion, now what labor do you have for me?” "He is nothing but a thief and scoundrel."

"Very well stranger, if you insist I have horses that need to be fed and stables that need to be cleaned, you can start there," and "On my way."

James was then ordered to march in front of Alex after Alex grabbed him. James replied, "You want me to do the work," "No, you're free to choose to work or not, but I'll not have you leave until the work is finished," " Why? I thought so." Why would you even consider working on my behalf?

"Prison would have sufficed, but this way is better because I will not stand by while people hack your limbs for their own barbaric satisfaction,"