This chapter is going to be HUGE on background of what this version of Jim has witnessed. I want to do this thing where every so many chapters I'll do a chapter like this where we learn more about his past and the things that had brought his world to the way it is. So this chapter will be the first of many and I hope you enjoy it! Warning of a somewhat graphic death scene.
I felt my breathe become harder to catch as my father placed his hands upon my shoulders. "James, calm down. You need to breathe." I looked to my father as if he was crazy and then instantly whipped my head back to the giant being of rock and grass that was using a tree branch as a toothpick. We followed the screams of a woman into the forest, it seem the screams were found sooner than we could as the blood was noticeable on the Gum-Gums teeth. All that was left of the woman was the torn cloth that was laying in the dying grass of the opening of the forest.
"How am I suppose to calm myself if a being of that caliber is standing not so far away? Father, what do we do?" He took his left hand back and patted my left shoulder with the hand that remained.
"We slaughter it. Keep it from killing anymore innocent lives."
I had always admired my father. He fought for those that could never defend themselves. He would always have a smile on his face no matter the circumstances as long as he did his job and was able to help himself and others be able to go home to their families. Especially now as he's sitting in the grass beside me, pointing out the different creatures running around us with the family sword laying in it's scaffold on the ground.
"And that over there is a goblin. They are a pack based creature, kind of like a wolf, they follow what is like an 'alpha' who leads them to what is believed to be the best option for it's pack. When that alpha is killed though, they will attack the cause with another goblin taking the leader's place instantly." I watched the small green being running after a Gum-Gum with a group of others with it. "It seems our earthly friend has made a grave mistake." He chuckled to himself as he grabbed the sword's handle and strap and brought it up between us. "And all of this realm. What other humans deem as fictional, what we know as truth, and all that is in between is what your mother and I protect. Even if they deem people of your mother's kind as demonic, we still find ways." He twisted the sword so that the engraved handle was in front of me. "And one day, you'll be beside us. Fighting for the rights of all beings. A warrior of daylight."
My eyes searched over the silver and blue handle as if it was a priceless valuable like that of da Vinci's masterpieces. I remembered the stories of the work of metal had acquired over time. Father spoke endlessly about how it was hand made by his grandfather for his very own father to protect him against the evils of the world. It would shine a bright blue when something a pure malevolence was near due to a magical spell that was placed upon it by a family friend that wanted his friend's son to come back to them alive. He knew that normal humans could only be able to be aware for such a certain amount of time and figured the change of color would make the wielder check his surroundings. My father joked that he personally never believed of this story himself because he had never witnessed the sight himself, but kept it close to his heart since it was the first thing his own father had taught him about the blade.
The handle was embroidered with elegant twist as well as carves of the trollish language from where the hand would lay to the tip of the blade.
"Forever in daylight, I'll call it my home." I looked up to my father to see a smile plastered on his face.
"Forever and always, I'll protect it like my own." He looked down at the handle of the sword and back to me. "You'll carry this one day. When I am laid to rest." He gently grabbed the blade and placed it within my lap. "And when that day comes, know that I will always be beside you. Whenever you swing, it'll be with me. Whenever you battle, I will be your cry. Whenever daylight shines, I will be by your side." I felt my eyes start to fill with tears as I glanced up to him once more. I watched as his smile disappeared to a small frown.
"Don't worry, my son. That day will not come soon."
"Father?" My whisper was heavier than any scream could be as the cries of war surrounded us. I watched as a blood soaked smile cracked itself to be seen.
"Yes, my son?" I choked on a cry as his voice came out broken from what was obviously a dying man. I clenched my teeth and screwed my eyes shut as I felt tears cascade down my cheeks. I felt a hand place itself on my face, it's armored thumb carried some of the weight off my cheek. "Shush, my boy. It is no time to cry." I opened my eyes and for a moment I saw the man that laid with me on the side of a meadow when I was young and taught me about the creators of the land. The man that taught me how to hold a sword for the first time. The one that helped me dress myself whenever mother couldn't lend a hand. The one that was there as mother was chased by chaotic character all due to her helping a blind child see.
Now who was going to be there to fight beside me when mother wasn't? Who was going to teach me the way?
"I know that you-, are frightened." A coughed caused his sentence to pause as a chunk of blood appeared on his chest from when he tilted his head up. "But remember," He took his sword that he placed in his scaffold once he took down the Gum-Gum that stabbed him from behind with his spear. "I will always be with you. Whenever you swing, whenever you fight, whenever you walked with this on your side." He cough once more, a bit more violently this time. A weak smile appeared on his lips as he looked back to me. "I will be there." He took my hand that was on his chest and placed it on the hilt of the sword.
"Forever in daylight, I'll call it my home." I felt my voice cracked as I responded with the other half.
"Forever and always, I'll protect it like my own." He let out a small laugh as he heard the soft cracks within my whisper.
"You know what I finally realized?" I gave him a questionable look as he just gave me a chuckle. "You have the crinkle between your eyes like your mother does when she's worried." He cough once more as he laughed a little. I watched as his features fell to be more serious setting. "Son, you've got to be there for your mother. My-" He turned to his side and coughed up a good handful of blood to the grass beneath him. "She- She has been through hell and- oh god, I know that you missed a lot of time with her, but she loves you as if nothing has ever kept you two apart."
"I know. I love her as well. But father?" I watched as his black eyes softened at my voice. "I love you too." All I got was smile in return.
"Don't act like this is a farewell, my boy. You will see me again. In a different light. In a different land. No need to say final words if there never will be."
I held my father's sword that was still in it's scaffold against my chest as I sat against a rock as the dust of war started to set. I never took my eyes off my father's corpse that was now several feet away as I ran to safety off the battleground. I tried my best to keep my eyes dry and my breathe steady, but it was quite difficult while staring at the bloodied still body of the man that raised me.
"What do we have here?"
I pulled my eyes away from my father's laying to my right to see a woman in a golden helmet and a black cloth cloak with matching armor to her helm. She lowered herself from where she was floating not far from me. There was green eyes that scanned my features as she seemed to catch my eyes the most.
"Oh my, I know those eyes. You are James' child, aren't you?" I nodded my head slowly as I pulled my father's sword closer to my chest. I watch as she looked over to where I was staring prior to see my father's body laying still. "No, this not good at all." She flicked her head back to me and put her hand out toward me to take. "Come with me child, I'll take you to somewhere much safer than here." I looked at her face to try to see if I could pull anything familiar from her features, but I was only greeted by a face plate that covered almost all but her mouth and eyes.
"Who are you?" I just saw a small smile dance on her lips after I spoke.
"I'm Morgana, apprentice of Merlin. I was a friend and fellow warrior that knew your father. You'll be safe with me, I promise." I hesitated as I looked down to her hand and back up to the green orbs that were tempting me to take it with no further questions. I reached my hand out and took it before I could fight myself on the idea. I kept my father's sword close to my chest as I was pulled to my feet.
"Good, now let's go. You never know if there is a Gum-Gum still lurking in the shadows. Rather not lose you as well."
"Morgana!" I ran into the taller woman and hugged her at her waist as she made herself lower to the ground after making her presence obvious by the purple streaks in the air that she made with the wave of her hand.
"Hello my favorite muggle, how have you been since I left?" I smiled up to her as I pulled back after she patted my back. It had been only two years since she had found me in the battle that took my father's life, but she quickly became a member in the makeshift family that her and Merlin made for me in my mother's absences. She was over a ten years older than me, but she openly stated often that I was like a little brother to the sorceress. Personally, I couldn't ask for a better 'sister'.
"Morgana, I'm the only muggle you know." She laughed as I remarked against her statement. She placed a hand on my shoulder while giving me a smile.
"Yes, you are. After all, your kind is very rare these days. But you still haven't answered my question, young man." I laughed back at the golden armored witch.
"All is well. Merlin has taught me how to use my father's sword better. He states that I'll make a fine knight soon!" I watched as her face fell for what felt like that shorter than a second before she pulled me back to a makeshift hug.
"Let's both hope that you will, but won't need to show if for years to come."
I never understood why Morgana always acted as so when it came to me talking about practicing as Merlin's knight. I knew what I was getting myself into. I was only ten, yes, but I knew that I wouldn't be able allowed onto the field until I was at least fifteen. But even that thought caused Morgana to act as she does now. I've always chalked it up to my father's death, but I've always had doubt in that as well. But instead of dwelling on the thought, I hugged Morgana back. Throwing the tension of the scene to the back of my mind.
"He's but a child Merlin." I hid myself at the base of the staircase as I heard Merlin and Morgana speak calmly between each other about myself. I leaned over just slightly to see that the witch was siting calmly with her right leg crossed over the other in an older leather chair as her teacher had his hand above the fire place. Leaning heavily on the hand as he stood by it. Merlin had appeared slowly after his apprentice and usually when the two would arrive, they wouldn't speak in such a tone of just dread that took my body to a state full of unease.
"I understand your feelings on the subject, Morgana, but we need to train him. We'll need him in the future."
"You've told him that he'll be able to fight at the age of fifteen."
"Well yes, but that is only if we-"
"Times are no longer like the ones of Arthur, Merlin. Children are no longer sought to fight at such an age. He should be taught about his powers, given time to be taught the species and kinds that he will encounter, and just taught in gener-"
"Morgana, don't tell me you feel like that of a mother to the child." There was a silence that hung between them as the statement seemed to answer it itself to the echoing silence. "For the mother of Daylight, Morgana, I've already heard this from his actual-"
"You mean to tell me you're reading a child for battle against his mother's will?" Rage seemed to raise as their voices seemed to also meet the level of emotion.
"He's going to be needed! Did you see that the child his not effected by magic? Yes physical attacks of this kind still seems to cause harm, but normal forms of magic doesn't seem to have an effect. That will be greatly desired in a number of-"
"So you want to use the child like that of a magical shield?"
"Will you let me speak-"
"I will tell you this right now, Merlin." I watched as Morgana slammed her feet to the ground and rose to stand before her teacher. "If you force that child into war, I will slaughter you myself." Merlin just gave her a slanted grin.
"I'll like to see you try. You've always threatened me, my student, but you've never dared to do as such." Next thing I saw was Morgana heading toward the exit, so I took myself right up the stairs as soon as I could and put myself back into my room.
The flames of the small forest burned brightly as I was searching through the blaze and dust to find the source of the chaos. I felt my armor back at the cabin that had been my home for six years now, but my sword was on my back due to the possibility of it getting stuck within the fallen branches and logs. Once I heard the screams and the flame start their torment, I grabbed what I could and ran toward the scene.
There's people trapped. I can heard the screams of death. If I can find them and who had done this, I've done what I can.
I jumped over another fallen tree to see a clearing in the middle of the forest. A floating being with a cloak over their shoulders that flicked in the wind as they stared at the flames. I watched as what seemed to be a mortal tried to free themselves from under a fallen tree to only be bet with a blast from the person floating high above them.
The thing that shook me wasn't that fact that this person was the source to the hell around me and not due to the fact that I watched them slaughter a random villager with ease, but it was the purple energy the surged from their hand that I knew all too well from previous encounters.
"Morgana?" My voice was barely a whisper, but it caused her to turn quickly toward me. I looked deep into her eyes to see if she felt any remorse from what I could see, but her eyes were glazed over and her lips in a straight line. "What in the name of daylight are you doing? These are simple villagers!" Almost instantly, Morgana fell from the sky to her feet and walked slowly toward me.
"James, leave this place. I will see you back at the cabin."
"But these people are innocent! Why are you doing this? This was a sacred land! The land between mortal and magical. The land you always taught me was to always be protected."
"I don't expect you to under-"
"Then make me understand!"
"James, please go back home. I will speak with you-"
"No! Tell me why you're doi-" Morgana's powers surged around her, showing a purple light glowing beneath her armor.
"I told you to go home!" She swiped her hand at me and struck me with a wave of purple wind that flung me across the small opening and right into a tree not far away. I fell down to my hands and knees, coughing as my chest ached from the impact of the strike as well as impact against the sword on my back. I looked up to Morgana to see a look of regret flash across her face. "James." I coughed heavily as I tried to stand but Morgana came to my side almost instantly. "I'm just trying to protect you from a war that is not yours to fight. You are still but a child." She tried to help me stand but I backed away from her until I leaned against the tree.
"How are you protecting me if you're slaughtering the peace between kinds?" Her eyes scanned mine. A look of dread flashed over them as they instantly returned back to the glazed over look that I knew instantly would haunt me within my dreams.
"I don't expect you to understand." I tried to speak to her once more before she blasted off into the sky, leaving me alone surrounded by flames and chard bodies she left behind.
"MORGANA!"
I shot myself awake as I felt myself scream from my dreams. My skin was like glue to my clothes as I felt cold to the touch even though my heart beat was rampant. I held my chest and leaned myself back onto the bed as my mind floated through the memories that haunted me.
I still was flabbergasted by what Morgana meant all those years ago. The idea that she killed so many people was still something that I had to fight to understand it wasn't just within my mind. Along with some of the battles I had witnessed. Same to the deaths that I had taken part of myself.
I shook my head an pulled myself out of bed as I noticed that it was Monday, the first day of my new life.
Thank Daylight that I may never have to understand any of it. May there be peace for me for a while.
At least, I can hope.