Chapter 2: Tides of Change

The sun rose slowly over the distant horizon. The calm waters of Oakvale's shore lapped quietly as the first signs of dawn emerged. A cock crowed loudly down near the barns, but nobody there seemed to notice. The only signs of life on the dirt-road hills were the few farmers that wanted to get an early start on the hard day of work ahead. Beams of light reflected off of windows and glittered the streets.

"Son, it's time to wake up." A soft voice echoed in the boys head. "Roy, it's time for you to go to school. You don't want to be late again, do you?" Roy nearly leapt out of bed. He forgot that he needed to go to school that day. He turned to see his mother standing next to his bed, with a slight smile on her face. She had aged quite nicely, the laugh-lines and wrinkles barely showing. She wore a simple sundress and an apron. Her hair was up in a bun. It still showed signs of blonde, but had turned mostly grey. Roy paused momentarily, trying to orient himself with the rest of the room.

Roy himself was pretty scrawny. He had a very slim build, and showed very little sign of muscle. His hair was brown and messy. It was short medium length, but he never combed it. He wore simple villager's cloths, which was only slightly worn. A few frayed edges, but other than that, they were fine. He had no scarring to speak of, and his hands weren't even calloused. He was just an ordinary boy, living in Oakvale.

The boy ran down the dirt roads of western Oakvale, traveling toward the schoolhouse. He passed by traders, townsfolk, and a hero, but this one was not very renowned. Entering an area near the graveyard, Roy got a strange feeling. The somewhat warm air had quickly cooled. Roy stopped, crossed his arms for warmth, and began to shiver. He stood in place, and his eyes scanned the surrounding buildings. The occupants of the homes in that area had yet to awaken, he figured, because their doors were still closed and locked tight. Peering up the graveyard path, the boy noticed a very faint blue glow, somewhere near the gate. As he continued to look, he also began to hear a faint voice, nearly inaudible, and completely indecipherable. The cold got more and more intense, and the bluish glow brightened, and the voice got louder. The cold soon became intolerable, but Roy didn't move. The glowing then seemed to move toward him, and a few words could be understood "You… hero… Kingdom… Guild…" Roy suddenly snapped out of his trance, and ran away from that place.

Roy approached the schoolhouse. The school had just recently been added to Oakvale. The parents of that town were worried that their children might not grow up with a decent education. They looked at the example of Deathbringer, who had no formal education, and became afraid for their children. The schoolhouse itself was paid for and built by the residents of Oakvale. Orchard Farm had supplied the wood at no price, the workers were beggars who worked for food and shelter during the building project, and the nails and tools were supplied, free of charge, by the blacksmiths in Bowerstone. It seemed that most of Albion was also concerned about the children's welfare.

The schoolhouse was humble in appearance. It was simple, made mostly from apple wood and cheap timber from Greatwood. The roofing matched all the other building in the area. A tiny, grass-covered area near the front door provided an area for the children to play before and after their lessons. The interior was simple: colorful chairs, a desk for the teacher, a globe and some wax utensils. There were no pictures on the walls, no hanging artwork, but two or three windows allowed enough of the outside beauty inside to keep the place from seeming too dull.

Roy walked quickly through the front door. He looked back at all the faces staring at him. The teacher had a look of frustration on his face, and it had become clear that Roy was late yet again. He quickly shuffled toward his seat, and sat down, facing forward, trying to act as if he wasn't late. The teacher simply glared at him, and continued his lesson. They were going to be studying out of the book "The Legend Of Deathbringer." The book stated that, in legend, Deathbringer supposedly had an offspring, the one who would either continue on with his empire of evil, or undo the damage it caused. However, it would be difficult to tell exactly who it would be. The legend also said that there would be small hints at who that person would be. The book said that this offspring would be born in Oakvale, would be called to attend the hero's guild, and would befriend the daughter of the one who struck down Deathbringer, using the Sword of Aeons.

As soon as Roy heard all of this, he got to thinking 'Who could that person be?' The last person out of Oakvale that became a hero was Deathbringer himself, and that was nearly a century beforehand. And before even that, the only other person to become a hero from that sleepy town was known as the slayer of trolls, Kirk the Mighty, who fought along side Hew the Giant. While Hew wielded the Harbinger, an enchanted sword that was said to be second only to the Sword of Aeons during it time, Kirk wielded a holy Greataxe, that's weight alone slew many trolls upon the first strike. But the axe has long been lost, and the Harbinger was lost after it was pulled from the living rock by Deathbringer 5 decades before his death. So it didn't seem possible that anyone currently living in Oakvale would ever be mighty enough to be called Son of Deathbringer.

The school day seemed to drag on forever after the discussion about Deathbringer. Monotonous lecturing about adding and subtracting apples, proper diction, and Albion's political history had long ago become tiresome. The town's clock tower echoed loudly, signaling the end of the school day. The children immediately leapt from their seats and bolted outside to enjoy the few hours of daylight remaining. Roy slid out of his chair and slinked quietly toward the door to avoid catching the teacher's attention. But before he could reach the door, he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. He turned slowly to see the teacher with a look of disappointment on his face. "M'boy, I'm becoming worried about your attendance."

"But I'm here every…" Roy started, but was interrupted.

"Yes, I know. But it's more than just your attendance. I know you're here everyday, but there's more to school than being here in body. You also need to be here in mind." The teacher removed his hand from the boy's shoulder, and began to walk across the classroom. "I've noticed that you seem to be keenly interested in the lore of Albion's greatest heroes. So I think I know how to get you to focus more on your school work."

Roy cocked his head in question, "How is that, teacher?"

"Well, since you seem to be so interested in the lives of the hero's, I'm giving you a choice. You can either work as a stable hand for Farmer Mackie to learn some work ethic…"

"No! Please! I'll work harder! I promise!"

"Now hold on, you haven't heard the rest of my offer yet."

Roy calmed himself, and looked his instructor right in the eyes.

"Now, as I was saying: You can either work as a stable hand, or you can attend the classes at the Hero's Guild near Bowerstone for a year."

Roy's face lit up at the very mention of the name. "I would LOVE to go to the Hero's Guild! It would be so amazing!"

The teacher laughed at the boy's reaction. "Okay, okay, okay! Calm down. Now, I've already talked it over with your mother. She believes that that would be an excellent way for you to learn some work ethic."

"Thank you, teacher, thank you!" Roy hugged his teacher tightly around the waist, and then sped home.

Roy ran as fast as he could, right until he reached the graveyard road. Remembering what he heard from the voice that morning, he began to question what was happening. He also thought about how he was going to miss everyone in Oakvale while he was away. 'But it's only for one year.' He thought to himself. He said the same out loud just to reassure himself. After that, he didn't give it another thought, and continued his way home.

As soon as Roy entered his home, he moved quickly over to his mother, and hugged her around the waist. She was startled slightly by the suddenness of that embrace. "Oh! Roy, you're home! I guess your teacher must've told you the news."

"Yes mother! It's so great! I've always wanted to go to the Hero's Guild!"

"Well son, we have some things we need to talk about before you leave."

Roy's face contorted in question. What could she want from him?

She lowered her head, and spoke in a low, very serious voice "I want you to promise me that you won't be absorbed into the life of a hero."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want you to become a hero. The only thing that comes from it is heartache and pain. Please, promise me!"

Roy nodded his head in acceptance, and his mother hugged him tight.

That night, the young boy's dreams were filled with the expectations he had of the Guild. He envisioned sparkling towers and mighty warriors, their swords glowing with expensive and powerful augmentations. Soon, however, his mind faded black as sleep took over for the night.