He was born in a time before and after witches; the great witches of the long ago had either been vanquished or died peacefully in their sleep. The thought of an old witch possessing a young princess was a distant thought. The kingdom was at peace and those around the world rejoiced in the prospect of life without the thought of war, famine or disease. He was born to a young farmer and his beautiful wife, a teacher for the small village in which they lived.
Early in the morning, just as the sun peeked it's shining head above the mountains, Mary gave birth to a tiny baby boy. After he screamed and hollered and shook his tiny fists with all the might he could muster, he opened his eyes and looked up into his mother's worn-out face. She stared down into two giant spheres, as blue as the skies above, and swore she would never let anything hurt her baby boy. She promised him that, as long as she was breathing, she would watch over him with all the tenderness a mother could. He sniffled his little red nose, yawned a squeak out of his small mouth and then fell into a deep sleep. Mary and Laurie could not have been happier, even if they wanted to. They had wanted to have more children, but with Mary in her weakened state, they agreed that little Wyatt would be all they could ever want.
As the happy couple watched their little boy sleep, they knew he would be special. He would be caring and dedicated to his cause. He would help those unable to help themselves and he would be the stuff of legends. However, now, he was a little baby, peacefully sleeping in his mother's arms.
"Please stay as young as you can, as long as you can," Mary whispered in her baby's ear. "Please."
AGE 5
"WYATT MATTHEW CAIN!" Mary called from the doorway. She wiped her flour-covered hands on her faded apron before placing them on her hips, tapping her foot impatiently as her head shook. "WYATT MATTHEW CAIN!" she called out again.
"Why, that boy is going to be the end of me," Mary muttered to herself as she turned to her husband and shook her head. "I am afraid we may have to send out the infantry for our son," she sighed. Laurie looked up from his well-worn book and frowned.
"Just give him a moment. He heard you and he'll be running back in a moment's notice. Now sit down and relax." And, with that, he turned back to his book. Mary sighed again and looked out at the setting sun.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Wyatt Cain stuck his head out of the hole and turned to his friend, Zero.
"Did ya hear that?" the young boy asked. Zero shrugged and pointed towards the hole. Keep digging. Wyatt paused for a second more and then went back to digging. Deep in the rushes of the forest, the two boys were digging for the sake of digging. Neither one knew what they were digging for, but they knew it got them very dirty and muddy and it made their mothers red with anger.
"Ooh, I found a button!" Zero said, holding up a small, round metal button. Most likely, it came from a uniform of some sort. He threw it up and out and into a pile of found items and it landed with a clank on top of an old tin can. Zero and Wyatt had been friends for their entire short lives; their mothers had been friends when they were little. Matthew Edward Banks - or "Zero", as he was known, due to his small size and statute - swore to Wyatt over a bundle of sticks that he would be his friend always. The sticks represented a fire, as the two five-annual-olds were too young to play with fire, much to their disappointment.
After a second call from his mother, Wyatt stuck his head out of the hole again and peered towards his home. He raised a hand up to his ear and cupped it around the rim, trying to funnel in the sound. All that accomplished was the muddy dirt clumping in his hair. He looked straight up at the sky and noticed it was turning black. Night was falling and he knew his mother would be waiting for him.
"Do you think we should head back?" Wyatt asked Zero. Zero popped up, holding an old shoe, his own face just as dirty as Wyatt's. He threw the shoe onto the pile and rubbed his nose, causing a streak of dirt to smear on his face. "Remember the last time we were late?" Wyatt asked.
"It still hurts to sit down." Zero rubbed his sore rump and frowned. He looked over at the holes they had successfully dug and nodded as he hopped out of the hole. "I guess we have done enough for the day." He walked over and helped his best friend out of the hole. They shook off the excess dirt that covered their growing bodies, covered up their holes with sticks and straw and grabbed the loot they had found.
"You better take it with you," Zero said. He pushed the mismatch of items into Wyatt's arms. "I don't have any more room in my hiding spot."
As the boys rushed down the dirt path and onto the main road, the sun began to fall deeper and deeper into the sky. Their shadows soon became nonexistent and, by the time they entered the village gate, they could hardly see in front of them.
"Uh oh," Zero muttered when they entered the village center. His mother stood in the front door of their small house; her expression cross and angered as her hands sat firmly on her hips, digging into her apron. "Beware of the witches broom," he hissed at his friend. Wyatt started to laugh and then his own expression fell when he saw his mother peer out from his own house.
"WYATT MATTHEW CAIN! YOU GET IN HERE RIGHT NOW!" she yelled. Wyatt lowered his head and began walking to the house. "And don't even think about bringing that junk in this house!"
"But, mooooooommmm," he wined. "It's our special collection of priceless stuff." Wyatt stood between the two houses and clutched the items close to his heart. "Please!"
"Absolutely not, young man. Now, unless you want a beating to end all beatings, you will drop that junk and come in this house right now. I mean it." Wyatt sighed and looked over his shoulder at his friend. Zero was being pulled into the house, his mother already starting to give him a good lashing. Wyatt jutted out his lip and turned to his mother. She stood there, hands still planted firmly on her hips and he let out a heavy breath as he dropped their day's find onto the dusty road. He took a few steps toward the house and then stopped to bend down.
"Don't think about it. Let's go." His mother entered the house and went to work fixing him a bath. Wyatt peered quickly towards the house and then picked up a small horse from the pile, jamming it into his hand. He'd hide it later on, once he got inside.
AGE 8
Laurie stood in the back door, watching his son pull a large board across the back yard. He laughed as the young boy nearly took out a fat pig in the process. The hog oinked at Wyatt as he ran to find safety. Wyatt hummed contently as he blocked out everything that didn't include building his precious contraption. A few days prior, Laurie had taken Wyatt into Central City. Rumors circulated throughout the city and the surrounding villages that man of mystic magic would be presenting in the city square. The man was rumored to have seen distant worlds, strange flying contraptions and things capable of taking a man into the stars and heavens above.
The young man, not over the age of 20, entertained the crowd with tales of his travels and even pulled young Wyatt onto the stage. He placed a cap on the head of Laurie's son that was used for flying and Wyatt was hooked. All the way to their house on the outskirts of the kingdom, Wyatt sat on his father's shoulders and did nothing but talk about the amazing Mystic Man. Laurie placed him on the path and laughed as he watched Wyatt run around him, his hands far out to his sides. He zoomed around, pretending he was a plane.
When they got home, Wyatt went straight back and began to piece together a flying contraption of his own. The Mystic Man called it a rocket and Wyatt would make one to take him to the moons above.
"I'm leaving," Wyatt called as he raced across the kitchen the following day. He grabbed a shining apple and a few cookies from a plate. They were still warm and fresh as he jammed them into his bag. Mary looked up from the bread she was kneading, blowing hair out of her strained face.
"Where are you off to?" she asked slowly, always unsure of the answers that came from her son's mouth.
"To the moon!" He raised a small fist into the air. Mary shook her head, exasperated. "Zero is my second in command." His head gestured to the small, thin boy in the doorway. Mary waved kindly at Wyatt's friend and he bashfully waved back. "We'll be back by noon," Wyatt shouted over his shoulder as he pushed Zero out the back door.
"Noon?" Mary asked. Wyatt sighed loudly and poked his head back in.
"Yes, for lunch." He nodded and ran outside. Mary smiled as she wiped her hands on her apron. She walked to the doorway and watched as her son helped Zero into the makeshift box the two of them created. Zero pressed imaginary buttons and Wyatt made all sorts of noises, as if the box was actually taking off.
Mary smiled and closed her eyes as her husband slid in behind her. He wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and kissed her neck softly. She leaned her head back onto his chest and sighed.
"He's growing up so fast," she said solemnly. Laurie shook his head.
"Nonsense. He's only eight, he has plenty of time." He kissed the top of her head and laid his chin on its spot. "All the time in the world." Both looked out onto the back of the house.
"Captain Wyatt Cain and his trusty companion, Zero, are off into the wide open world!" exclaimed Wyatt. Zero cheered with his friend and both children could never imagine a world without boxes as rockets and home-backed lunches at noon. Neither one could picture what would eventually happen in their own lives, down the line.
AGE 18:
"Really, Laurie, I think this is a horrible idea. He's far too young to go away from us." Mary snatched up a pillow and threw it on the bed. She walked around to the other side and picked up the other one and threw it at her husband. He ducked and turned as the pillow whizzed by his head and into the hallway.
"What was that for?" he asked.
"You encouraged this. You wanted him to be more of a man. Well, there you go!" Mary grabbed her apron from a nearby chair and tied it quickly around her waist. "If anything happens to him out there, so help me. . ." she trailed off into silence, tears filling her words. "I can't give him up. Not just yet. He's my little boy, Laurie."
"If you haven't noticed, he's quite a young man now." Laurie walked over and pulled his wife into his arms, allowing her to sob in his arms. "He needs to get away, to see the city. He won't be able to do that, stuck in this place." He reached down and turned her face up to his. "It's for the better and you know that."
Mary nodded and pulled away from her husband.
"You'd better be right about that." She walked towards the door, headed for the kitchen.
Laurie stood there for a second and then headed down towards Wyatt's room. The small room that housed the young man for so many years seemed so empty as Wyatt packed up his clothing. What little possessions the younger Cain man had were now jammed into a large duffel, ready to see new things, new worlds. Laurie watched quietly as Wyatt walked around the room, grabbing various pairs of socks and underwear, undershirts and button downs. After a moment, he cleared his throat, making his presence known.
"You about set there, boy?" Laurie asked as Wyatt looked over at him. Wyatt took a deep breath and looked around, sizing up the packing and then slumped his shoulders over.
"What if I stay here and make use of myself, you know, get a trade." Wyatt looked up from his childhood room. Laurie groaned and ran a hand across his face.
"Not you, too," he murmured.
"I don't want to grow up and I don't want to go to the Academy." Laurie walked into Wyatt's bedroom and pulled the boy over to the bed.
"Listen, you and Zero have a wonderful opportunity at the Academy. This is a chance I never dreamed of. Now, I really think if you deny yourself this, you'll regret it. Think of all the adventures you can have."
"It's peacetime, Father. The only adventures I'll be having will be deciding which way to clean my gun. I want to stay here and help you all."
Laurie switched the brown package back and forth in his hands. The rustle of the paper filled the void the silence created.
"I was going to give this to you later on, but I figured now was the best time." He handed it over to his son carefully. "I found them in the attic the other day when I was searching for the luggage. I had it when I was around your age and thought it might help you one day. Open it."
Wyatt tore into the light paper and looked down at the neatly-folded items. First, he found a felt fedora. The brim was lightly turned up and, although a tad dusty, it looked as it it had never been worn.
"I always thought I looked silly in it. I think I wore it once for your mother. I won't go into the occasion because it would be a bit inappropriate. Hopefully it will look better on you." Laurie looked down into his well-worn palms and waited for Wyatt to continue.
Wyatt set the hat on the bed and pulled up on the final item. The heavy coat unfolded itself and Wyatt stood to see the full length of the garment. The coat looked like it had been well-loved and worn often. However, the age did the duster justice. He looked over at his father and Laurie looked over at his son sheepishly.
"Women love a man in a duster. Trust me." He watched as his son slid into the coat. Although Wyatt was a growing boy, worked hard on the farm and was much bigger than his father, it still engulfed the young man. "You'll grow into it," Laurie smiled.
"I don't know if I can do this," Wyatt frowned.
"Just eat your vegetables and fruits and you'll grow. I mean, at least you're not the size of Zero. Gee, he's a munchkin. . ." Laurie trailed off and looked at his son.
"I meant I don't know if I can go away. You guys mean so much to me. You're all I have." Laurie swatted him away.
"Come on, kid. You'll meet an amazing person, have a family of your own. You may even rescue some damsel in distress or even a princess or two. You have grown to become a fine young man and your mother and I are proud you are our son and we have been able to spend even a fraction of our lives with you." Laurie stood to his feet and pulled his son over and into a giant hug. "Just remember who you are, who you represent, and everything will be fine. Remember, you're a Cain."
Later that evening, Laurie and Mary Cain watched as their son took off down a dusty road towards Central City. There, he and Zero would take a bus to the Academy on the other side of the Kingdom. Laurie held Mary in his arms as she sobbed onto his chest, her tiny fist clutching a handkerchief. It would be the last time they would see their son there. Life was such a funny, fickle thing. Time seemed to go by so quickly, 18 annuals seemed like 18 days in the life of a parent. To a child, 18 annuals seemed like a lifetime.
AGE 20:
Wyatt Cain stood at the makeshift tombstones next to his childhood home; it had only been two years since he left home to go to the Academy. Time was a funny thing in the O.Z. One minute, you are saying goodbye to your parents, wishing them the best and planning details for the holidays. The next, you are standing in front of their graves, wishing you could go back and change things. Standing there, in the fedora and duster his father gave him, Wyatt was a changed man. No longer gawky and scrawny, he'd filled out the duster quite nicely.
Cain, he'd dropped the Wyatt when in Academy, was a young man now. No longer did he play in the dirt - unless he was ordered to - nor did he run around acting like a plane. Academy hardened him, left his heartless. There was no need to have a heart when in the battle, it would only get you killed. The only light in his life was a young girl named Adora, whom he met in Central City on one of his few weekends off. She was a young, thin thing, with wide eyes and a shy demure. Zero also clung to his old friend, making sure Cain didn't shoot first and ask later. Zero was the sidekick, the second fiddle and, eventually, this would get old and Zero would get even.
Cain stood up and brushed off his pants then looked at the cemetery around him. So many people he once grew up with were in their final places. Old men who used to cackle from within the old pubs, and babies who never had the chance. He closed his eyes and pictured his own mother's bright shining eyes, the way they sparkled in the sun. He thought about his father's gentle nature and the way he would sit on his father's shoulders and feel as if nothing could ever harm him.
The world was changing. News spread around the kingdom that a baby princess was born just a few days before. Named Azkadeillia, the young princess would be the hope for a promising future for the people of the kingdom. As part of their training, the soldiers would be around the family in case any were to be recruited to protect them. Cain laughed to himself. What a life, to wait around, protecting rich, snobby children who may never know true heartache.
Wyatt cast one last look down at his parents and nodded finally. He wished time were not as cruel as it had been towards him. 20 annuals was not enough to get to know one's parents and to learn everything one needed to. He wished he were still a young boy, hopping from hole to hole in search of treasures in the mud. He pulled the little metal horse from his pocked and squeezed it gently, making a promise that when he had a son, he would be there for his son the way his father had been there for him. Every tear shed, every scraped knee or broken limb, he'd be there.
Here he was, 20-annuals-old. No longer was he a boy, but just becoming a man. He thought back to all the annuals since and wished, occasionally, that he could turn back the time, spend just a second longer with his parents. All he could do now was look towards the future and hold on to the memories of his past.