CHAPTER 1
THE BLACKSMITH`S FAMILY
As said before, Jamma Village is known for its iron and farming. There was only one man that did both and that's Ray Smith. He didn't do it all on his own, though. He had his wife, his dear mother and his two children.
He had a son and daughter name Kai and Nya. Kai was the oldest at seventeen while Nya was the youngest at fifteen. Kai would one day take over the farm and the blacksmith shop while Nya would be expected to marry and work in the household of her husband's home. Until then, the young girl had to work on the farm with her brother.
At that moment Kai was busy getting his farm chores done. He was collecting the daily supply of eggs from the henhouse, a chore he hated doing, but it was the only way they could eat fresh eggs. Taxed eggs were too expensive to buy and use. Plus he didn't like the kind of eggs that were shipped from another country to Nin. They weren't fresh.
It was a warm summer day. The heat was enough to make a man pour sweat all over his body, but Kai was used to the heat. Besides working on the farm, he also helped out in the blacksmith shop from time to time as his father's apprentice.
Some say Kai was heat resistant. He was a lot of things. He was hot-headed. He had a head full of brown spiky hair. Nobody knows how it stays up like that in such a way. Some say its natural while some think he sticks it up with tree sap. His eyes were also a dark brown color. He wore a white shirt and a tan colored apron. He wore tan colored tights and black boots. He also wore a straw hat on his head, but you could see a few of his spikes sticking out from underneath it.
As he continued collecting the eggs, doing his best not to get pecked by the fiesty chickens, he heard someone walk inside, startling the hens and causing them to run off from their nest. Kai looked to see one of his best friends Kitty Armegon. Her first name was Katina, but some call her Kitty because she was always caught knitting something wherever she was at.
Kitty had long, curly red hair. Her eyes were the color of emeralds and she had freckles sprinkled on her cheeks. She wore a fresh green grass colored dress with a white apron that was tied around her waist and covered around the skirt. She also wore brown flats on her feet. In Kai's mind, she was the definition of beauty. He met her when she and her family were introduced into the village during one of the Sunday services by Governor Garmadon. They were travelers from Ireland searching for a better life in a different country. Her father was the village book keeper, also known as the librarian. Her eldest brother Nicolas owns a newsprinting shop in town. She had lost her mother a year back, but she still had her grandmother who looked after her and taught her the ways of a woman. Plus her father was a kind man and would share things that he would normally share with her mother, keeping life going strong because he knew that's what his wife would've wanted.
Kai smiled when he saw Kitty. She just made his chore easier. "You should come over and scare the hens more often." He walked over and kissed Kitty on the lips. It only lasted a few seconds before he had to resume back to his work.
"You still haven't told your parents that you and I are together, have you?" Kitty said in her thick Irish accent.
Kai and Kitty have been secretly in love for a year now. Kai hasn't told anyone in his family. He was sure Nya knew and probably his grandmother, but his parents were clueless about it. He was sure Kitty hasn't told her father, either. Kai looked at her. "I'm pretty sure you haven't told your father."
"I have plans to."
"So do I."
Kitty sighed, remembering why she came over. "Have you heard the news this morning?"
"What news?" Since Kitty's brother was a newsprinter, he always brought over a copy of the morning paper to his father. The librarian would share the news with his daughter before he had to leave for work. So Kitty would always make her morning visits to Kai to let him know the news. The spiky-haired boy didn't read the paper much.
"Cole Brookstone failed to send supplies to Elizabethtown."
Kai sighed. "Why do they even try to attempt it? It's too difficult to get past those Warriors."
"Villages are gonna start running out of money if we continue paying these high taxes. Few villages have already went bankrupt."
"I'm surprised we've made it this far."
"It won't be too long now. Soon we'll all be forced to stop growing produce and raising animals. We'll probably have to stop farming altogether. Me father said if that starts happening, we'll have no choice but to return to Ireland."
"We'll figure something out. Jamma Village has been through worse. We'll make it."
"I hope so."
Kai had finished with egg collecting and set the basket down. He wrapped his arms around Kitty and looked into her emerald eyes. "If you do happen to go back to Ireland, may I journey with you? Because wherever you go, I go."
Kitty giggled. "But what about your family? What about the shop?"
"It'll survive without me. I'm not the only one skilled with iron. I can open up a new shop in Ireland. It doesn't matter where I am as long as I'm with you."
The two shared a moment together with a long passionate kiss. It was a moment to last until a voice called out that said, "Kai! Where are those eggs?" That voice only belonged to one person. Kai's sister Nya Smith.
Kai sighed. His work was never done. "I should probably be getting back to work now."
"When can I see you again?" Kitty asked.
"I wish we could see each other at night, but it's too risky. The Warriors guard pretty much everywhere." Kai thought for a moment before forming up a plan. "Tell you what. I'll be sure to finish up my work by noon. Meet me inside my shed after the midday meal."
"I'll be sure to finish up with the house cleaning." With one last peck to Kai's cheek, Kitty walked to the door to leave, but not before saying, "I love you, Kai."
Kai nodded. "I love you, too, Kitty."
With that, Kitty left and started heading back towards the village. Kai made his way over to Nya who had four buckets of milk in her possession. Seeing that her brother finally arrived, she gave him a smirk. "I take it Kitty came over again?"
"I take it the two cow ladies had some extra milk on them today?" Kai asked, putting the basket of eggs down and taking two of the milk buckets to the house.
Nya walked behind him. Her ebony hair hid underneath her straw hat, but you could tell that her hair was short. She wore a white kimono with red flower designs on the legs. She had on a pair of black flats that didn't really go with her outfit at all. She also wore a red apron that tied around her waist, covering her legs. Unlike the other ladies of the village, Nya didn't like wearing skirts or dresses. She was more of a girl that wanted to feel comfortable working in the outdoors. Some judged her for her appearance but she didn't care. She enjoyed being who she was.
The siblings brought the buckets of milk inside the house. Kai rushed back outside to get the eggs. He came back in and gave them to his mother, Maya. The mother smiled at her son. "Thank you, Kai. And I see the cows brought in some extra milk today."
Maya was as beautiful as rumors say she is. Her long ebony hair went down to her elbows. She wore a blue hair scarf on top of her hair. She also wore a blue dress with a white apron over the skirt. She wore a pair of dark blue flats. She was dressed like your typical housewife and mother, but even back in her day and today, she was one of the most beautiful women in the village.
"Well they haven't been milked in three days," Nya told her mother.
"This should be plenty to last two weeks. I'll start cleaning it."
"The cows have been getting better with their milk supply, I'll say that," Kai and Nya's grandmother said. The old woman was sitting in her rocking chair knitting away like she usually did. She looked at Nya. "By the way, Nya. Have you finished that wool coat I had you made?"
"I have, but it may not be what you're expecting." Nya took out a wool coat that had a huge hole in the back. "I was making it for father."
"Speaking of father, where is he?" Kai asked.
"He should be coming home soon," Maya said, "Do you both mind waiting for him outside?"
"Of course, Mother," Nya said as she and Kai went back outside, watching for their father on the front porch.
Kai laughed. "How do you create a hole knitting a wool coat?"
"It's not funny," Nya said, "Knitting takes lots of practice. You don't know what it's like."
"And I probably never will."
Nya sighed, placing her elbow on the porch railing and resting her hand on her head. "It probably won't matter, anyway. Sooner or later we'll all have to start wearing the clothing taxed by the Warriors' goons."
"You wanna know what Kitty told me that happened this morning?"
"Somebody failed getting supplies to Elizabethtown? Yeah, that's pretty much normal for us."
"I wish there was something we could do about it."
"One Warrior can snap a man like a twig. A whole army of Warriors can disintegrate a man from ever existing."
"There's been a rise of Warriors in the last week. I have a feeling something's gonna happen."
"That topic gets on my nerves more than anything else. It's bad enough our taxes are rising."
"We're trying to figure out a solution, Nya." The voice didn't come from Kai, but from their father Ray.
Nya walked over to her father. "Father. We're glad to see you home safe."
"Have you both finished your farm chores?" Ray asked his children.
"I still have to collect the water, Father," Kai said.
"That's fine, son. Nya can handle it. I need to speak with you."
Nya took the water buckets and walked over to the well. As she gathered the water, she overheard her father and brother's conversation. Whenever they spoke, she knew it had to be important.
"Kai," Ray said, "There's a village meeting going on tonight. I plan on taking you along with me." Kai was about to say something, but Ray stopped him. "I know you can't start attending the meetings until your eighteen, but I believe this will be a good experience. It will prepare you for future meetings." Kai was about to try and say something else, but Ray stopped him again. "I know how Dr. Julien's son is. Don't worry about it, Kai. I'll help you get in."
Kai nodded. "Thank you, Father."
Nya couldn't believe her ears. Kai would be going to the village meetings now. Nya had always wondered what they were like. She always thought about what they talked about. What kind of secrets they knew. All her father ever told her was the topic and that was it. He wouldn't tell her anything else. Nya could've given everything she owned to her father if only she could go to the meetings.
But he would always give her the same answers: Women weren't allowed to attend the meetings.
Well Nya was a different type of woman. She wanted to be a part of everything. She even walked up to her father as she carried the water buckets back up to the porch. Before she could utter one word, Ray handed his daughter a berry basket. "Go over to the village orchard and pick some blackberries. I have a feeling your mother wants to bake a pie tonight."
Come on, Nya. Just tell him. Tell him you want to go, Nya told herself in her mind. But all Nya did was nod and say, "Yes, Father." She walked away, making her way towards the village. Stupid me.
Ray knew exactly what Nya planned to do. He would've loved to take her along as well, but women weren't allowed to enter the meeting hall during village meetings. If only there was a way to change the laws. How he wanted to let his own daughter be a part of everything. If only it were possible.
I'LL GO AHEAD AND WARN YOU THAT SOME OF THIS STORY IS BASED ON NYA. THIS WAS BACK DURING THE TIME WHEN WOMEN COULD ONLY OBEY INSTEAD OF GOING OUT AND DOING WHAT WAS BEST TO HELP.
DON'T WORRY, NYA. WE'RE ALL HERE TO SUPPORT YOU. EVEN YOUR FATHER IS HERE.
WELL, HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER.
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