So, I got this new book from the market last week and I finally thought of a good use for it. Which was to write down all my travels from Harwick to here, Bree-town which I only arrived in two weeks ago. I suppose I should introduce myself then get on with it. My name is Alfneath, Alfie for short, I’m from Harwick which is in the Eastmnet. That’s all you need to know for an introduction anyways so I’ll get started and I suppose this would be a good start.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
So I was in my family’s stables that were quite close to our home tending to all of our horses. Yeah, I was the stable-boy. But I didn’t mind too much as I loved the horses. You see, there are five horses here for us five. One of them is Beorlwine’s (my first eldest brother who is a warrior and according to my parents the ‘rebellious’ one but we’ve all got his rebellious streak so I don’t know what they’re talking about) and his horse is large and proud and strong as well as shining white.
Another is Eoswurd’s (he’s my eldest brother after Beorlwine, he’s a hunter and is the ‘patient’ one in the family, I don’t disagree with that one for sure) and his horse is more agile and alert and he was bright brown. Then there’s Heofrith’s (the third son of Beorstan, my father, my third eldest who is a bard and is the more ‘relaxed’ one of the family), his horse is small yet he is strong and very aggressive. Only Heofrith and his family members could tame his horse.
Then there’s mine, I’m the fourth child of my mother and father, don’t ask me to tell me of myself because I don’t really know what other people thinks of me or how my parents would describe me. I guess they’d say I’m the ‘nice-and-peaceful’ one which is true as I don’t like violence at all. My horse is small yet it is agile not as agile as Eoswurd’s of course, my horse is also pretty smart and is bright white. And last but not least is Brynswith’s (she’s my little sister and my parent’s only daughter, well they were bound to have a daughter sooner or later this family can’t be all boys, right? She’s the ‘mischievous’ one I guess, as she does like to do pranks and jokes on us. For example, there’s this one time that she --- Actually, I better not write this down in case someone got hold of this book), her horse is more on good looks and beauty than usefulness.
We all each had our own horse since our ninth birthday (when we each turn nine, I mean) but of course, I was mainly the stable-boy of this stable as I’m always here. “Hey Mildwine!” I cried towards my horse. I stroked his mane and fed it a little hay. “What’s up, Mildwine?”
Mildwine neighed wearily, “You tired, huh?” I looked up and saw why. “Oh wow, it’s nearly nightfall. I better be going.” I said goodnight to Mildwine and all the other horses then headed home which conveniently for me was right next door. And luckily for me, I got in right in time for dinner. Dinner with our family isn’t always what you could call ‘normal’ or ‘family-like’ as Beorlwine eats by himself, the fact that we don’t really talk to each other while eating and the fact that I had a completely different dish to everyone else.
You see, a couple of years ago when I was ten (and I’m fifteen now), I announced to the family that I will be a vegetarian which actually surprised them. This was because that after I saw my neighbour, Greoldryt butcher a sheep with an axe, I had the image that animals shouldn’t be eaten and were friends. So, that night I had some salad and vegetables rather than roasted beef. Before, I used to feel angry at that and tried to convert the rest of my family into vegetarians but there’s no way I can do that. They simply cannot live without meat and over time, I dealt with it that they had meat.
It was only AFTER dinner did we actually all talk. And my father usually always starts up a conversation, “So, how was your day then?” He asked us all once he was finished.
“Boring.” Beorlwine said, I didn’t blame him he’d been stuck at home after the only warrior-stuff that he did recently was fight off an angry cow. Harwick is too peaceful for the likes of warriors so Beorlwine would have to go maybe into Westmnet perhaps?
“Crap.” Eoswurd said. “Hunt didn’t go well.”
“Well my day was good!” Heofrith cried out. All he did was play music and drink ale in the tavern here.
I shrugged my shoulders and said, “All right.” And Brynswith gave the same reply.
“Nice to have talkative kids…” Father grumbled. “Well Alfneath, I need to have a chat with you. About tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Then I remembered. Tomorrow was March 16th or in other words my birthday. It’d be my sixteenth birthday tomorrow. And everyone’s sixteenth birthday is a big deal here.
“Aye. Follow me.” I hiked behind him as we walked to his and mom’s room.
I suppose I should tell you of how house – our house was pretty big (which makes sense as there’s seven of us!). There were four bedrooms in the house but seven of us. So Mom and Dad got one, Brynswith got her own (so unfair), me and Heofrith shared the third one and Beorlwine and Eoswurd shared the last one (lucky for him, I heard that Beorlwine is a massive snorer so rather him than me). I don’t get why Beorlwine still lives with us, I mean he’s twenty six years and he still doesn’t have a ‘proper’ job nor a wife and children. I mean I can understand Eoswurd as he’s only twenty one but Beorlwine?
“Sit down.” He told me so I sat down at the bed. My parents were kind-hearted and were fair, they never lost their temper not once at one of us (not even at Beorlwine which I found surprising). My father was an ex-soldier of the Mark, he had sandy hair like mine and all my siblings and blue eyes that were a different shade than ours. My mother had golden blonde hair and sky blue eyes the same shade of ours. We got dad’s shade of hair and mum’s shade of eyes so yeah.
“You’re going to be sixteen tomorrow.”
“Yes. That happens at every birthday – you grow up by one year!” I said sarcastically.
“And sixteen is your coming of age.” He ignored me.
“So?”
“So?” He asked. “So! You’re going to start making choices and what you want in life.”
“Why?” I asked. He only started giving this talk after Beorlwine’s sixteenth.
“Because I do not want you ending up like Beorlwine, he had so much potential yet he wanted to become a warrior and look at him now.” He didn’t need to explain further.
“But I don’t know what I want in life?”
“Hmm… It helps if you say the stuff you like.”
I shrugged, “Horses. Reading. Writing. Drawing.”
“You could become a Stable-Master or work in the riding academy. Or an artist. Don’t know about reading and writing though.”
“They’re so boring though.” I moaned.
“Look Alfneath, you’ve got to do SOMETHING in life. And not stick around in the stables all day long.”
“Charming…” I murmured.
“You know what Beorlwine and Eoswurd did at their sixteenth? They travelled the whole of Rohan to help ‘decide’. And Gondor, mind. You could easily do the same if you wish.”
“Hmm.” Travelling does seem to interest me.
“Give me your answer tomorrow night as to what you want.” Then I left the room and approached mine and Heofrith’s room. And unsurprisingly, there he was on his bed in the right side of the room playing a lute.
“Hey there, Heofrith.”
“Hey. Dad, gave you the ‘talk’ didn’t he?”
I nodded, “Yep.”
“So what you gonna do, huh?”
“Don’t know. What did you do?”
“Duh. I just declared that I’d be a bard and they were cool with it. With you, maybe you’ll say that you’ll be a Stable-boy for life.”
“Haha, you’re hilarious.” I grumbled.
“I know, right.”
“Sarcasm.” I crashed into my bed then slept knowing that tomorrow I’ll enter my sixteenth year. And tonight after working in the stables all day, I literally slept like a dog. I soon woke up in the morning with Heofrith shaking me up.
I said groggily, “Uhh… What year is it?”
Heofrith grinned, “Happy Birthday, brother.”
I sat up, “Thanks.”
“I have a song for you. Wanna hear it?” But he played it before I could even say ‘no’. His song went like:
“Sixteen years ago, you were born.
And you were seriously annoying and honked our horn.
I’ve always hated you till you threw up on Beorlwine when you were one,
But I still hate you a little and I’ll be real happy when you’re gone.
So Happy Birthday, little brother.
And don’t go running to your mother!”
“What’d you think?” What can I say? It wasn’t the best song I’ve heard especially from Heofrith who can make good songs. But I suppose he left his birthday gift to the last minute like he does at everyone’s birthdays. I suppose I should be glad that it wasn’t completely unbearable at least it rhymes.
“It’d great!” I gave a fake smile.
“Oh, that’s good. Because I only was working on this for two or three hours!” Explains that, as he usually needs TWO or THREE days for a good song.
Now that I was awake, I might as well get changed and check up on Mildwine. After changing (which was a green tunic and dark green trousers, I probably must have looked like a green man or something) I headed to the stables with a green (yeah that green too) apple in my hand.
“Hey, Mildwine! Here you go.” I stroked his mane and fed him an apple. About what Heofrith said last night about being a stable-boy for life, I wouldn’t mind that. As I really love horses (well all Eorlingas do! If an Eorling doesn’t… Well let’s just say he isn’t exactly an Eorling) but I guess father has higher expectations of me. I still didn’t know what would my choice be but I kind of tried not to think about it. It’s my birthday; I should be enjoying it right? And not worrying about my future (although if there’s any worrying it should be Beorlwine as he really is the one who should consider his future here not me).
“Thought I’d find you here, little brother.” I heard a voice say from behind but I knew who it was instantly. Beorlwine.
I grinned, “Hey Beorlwine.”
“Got you a little present.” And sure he was holding a box that was holding something in it. I took the box and opened it to find a pocket-watch. Now, I didn’t usually care that much for watches – I never need to know the time and if I do, just look at the sky and you can roughly guess. But the decoration really struck me. The pocket watch was blue (wasn’t it supposed to be gold or whatever?) and covered in horse shapes and trees and stuff like that.
“Wow, it’d great.” I said genuinely.
He grinned, “Lucky for you that some guy was selling this cheap in the market. Have a good sixteenth.”
“Hey Beorlwine?”
“Yeah?”
“Dad, gave me the ‘talk’.” I grumbled. I had to be careful about this subject in front of Beorlwine. He was a nice guy really but he wasn’t called rebellious for no reason.
“Oh.” He said. “Guess, he told you not to end up like me.”
“I can’t tell a lie. He’s on about choices and all that. Said you went travelling.”
“Aye. I left the home after my sixteenth and you remember that I came back like a year later. I went all over Rohan both East AND West then Gondor as far as Minas Tirith.”
“Wow. So what do I do?”
He blinked, “The long version or the short version?”
“Preferably the short.”
“Good. Because I was starting to get hungry… Ok, look, just listen to your heart. It’ll tell you what to do.” Then he went away.
“Listen to my heart? Helpful.” I grumbled as my heart was saying ‘Thud. Thud. Thud’ but I guessed he didn’t mean literally otherwise my heart would be telling me to play the drums or something. I carried on in the stables feeding the other horses and cleaning up. I didn’t have many friends in Harwick (and by that I mean none) as I spent a lot of my time at home or in the stables and I don’t think horses counts as ‘proper’ friends.
When it was midday, I headed back inside for lunch. Good thing, I did because I was just in time for lemon cake (and I really do love lemon cake) and a few extra snacks. Huh, mom made an entire birthday lunch that was big enough for all of us. After I ate lunch, I felt stuffed. “Mom, this was a great and delicious lunch.” I said.
And there were no arguments about that in the family. Mom smirked at me and took our plates away to wash up. I then went up to mine and Heofrith’s room and went on my bed. I did some more thinking as to what I want in life. Before yesterday, I never really thought about it that much and I’ve always put it off. But I do want to do SOMETHING in life.
“Knock, knock.”
“Who’s there?” I replied.
“Eoswurd.” Then he came in. He was dressed in his usual clothing which was light clothing that was greenish-brown easy to help with camouflage, his longbow and his quiver of arrows. “How’s your birthday so far, little brother?”
“It’s pretty good.”
“Well it’s about to get better. Got you a present as well.” Wow, I’m a lucky guy. I got a bad song and a good pocket-watch so I didn’t know what to expect from Eoswurd. He drew out a dark brown shoulder bag and passed it onto me. I put it on and it fit great.
“Wow, thanks Eoswurd. But umm, why did you get this for me?”
“Because I think we know what you’re going to do. After all, me and Beorlwine did the same.”
Yeah, I think he’s right. I mean I don’t know what else to do anyways. Brynswith came in later as well to give me her present which was a map of Rohan. I found this weird at first but I guessed Brynswith was smart enough to know as to what I’ll do like Eoswurd. The day passed rather quickly and when it was late evening, dad came in and asked, “Well? Have you decided, Alfneath?”
“Yep.” I started. “I don’t know what I want in life just yet but I do want to explore Rohan and maybe further than that.”
“Hmm so you’ve decided to follow Beorlwine and Eoswurd in what they did in their sixteenth. I’ve expected as much. When do you plan to leave?”
“At dawn.” I said.
“Rather soon isn’t it? But nevertheless, pack your belongings. Your bag is big enough to hold your belongings and a few supplies that me and your mother will gather for you. You better say goodbye to your siblings.” So I did, I said goodbye to Beorlwine then Eoswurd then Heofrith and lastly Brynswith who I probably would miss the most. Well, I’d miss everyone of course and I didn’t know when exactly I’d be back. I then packed my bag with the supplies my parents gave me (a water bottle filled with water, a couple of fruits, enough for a day at the least), the pocket-watch and the map of Rohan.
I went to bed soon enough and I had a ‘funny’ dream. And by ‘funny’, I meant strange. It was a bright day and a clear sky. The plains were nice and vast, they were obviously Rohan’s plains but maybe they were the Sutcrofts’ or the Norcrofts’ because they didn’t look much like The Wold’s Plains. Amongst the plains stood two figures – one was a beautiful, proud, strong white horse and the other was a man cladded in heavy grey armour and helmet.
The man was cruel and evil for he took out his right hand and struck against the horse therefore harming him. The white horse neighed wildly and attacked back – he head-butted the man which was seemingly effective despite the fact that the man was wearing armour. He landed in the ground onto his backside. The horse then galloped over the figure and onto him. The man groaned from the weight but punched the horse and got back up. He took off his helmet to reveal a bloody nose and furious steel eyes. He dropped the helmet onto the ground and approached the horse. He slowly started to get up onto it but then the horse went completely mad and started shaking him off sending him flying to the ground headfirst. The horse neighed satisfyingly and galloped off into the distance.
When I woke up, it was dawn already. I yawned and got up as quietly as I could as Heofrith was still sleeping. I was a little confused about my dream as I usually don’t dream crazy things like that but I soon dismissed it – it probably meant nothing. I got my bag and approached downstairs where mom and dad were conveniently waiting for me. “So you’re ready to go then, son?”
I nodded, “Yep, dad.”
Mom wrapped her arms around me, “Oh, my little baby is going away exploring. You’re growing up! Have you put on new pants, Alfie?”
“Mom!” I said. “I’m not a baby anymore. And yeah…”
She wiped away tears and nodded. Dad butted in, “Well, as soon as you get into a town. You will write to us, right?”
“Of course.”
“Well then. Take care of yourself and enjoy yourself.” I nodded and shook his hand.
I stepped out of my house and firstly walked to the stables. I mounted onto Mildwine and rode out of Harwick. Once I did, I turned back and sighed to myself. This is it. This is the last time I’ll see Harwick and my family for ages. Reluctantly, I turned around and started to think as to where to go as I didn’t know where I’m aiming to go exactly. This was the start of my journeying to the North, to Bree, of course at the time I didn’t know that. “Let’s go, boy.” We galloped to the south, starting my adventures.
