Chapter 3: A Young Man
12 years had passed from that night Helios arrived from the heavens, now a boy full of energy and happiness. As his parents first suspected when he was delivered to them he was no ordinary boy, blessed with the strength of many men and speeds that no living creature could match. This did not effect his parents love for the him, it made it all the more important that he knew right from wrong...that he would not become arrogant with that which has been given to him. These are the lessons that all children learn and it was all the more important that Helios understood and put into practise these lessons. His father made him work each day in the crops, not allowing him to use his gifts, he had to realise the struggle that was life and the sacrifices that must be made in order to sustain it.
He and his father were working in the fields, the boy silently carrying out his fathers instructions not complaining about being made to work on his birth date. Jeremiah smiled at the child,
"Go on" Jeremiah said kindly, motioning to his son to leave, "Go off and enjoy yourself"
"Thank you father" Helios replied smiling, disappearing in an instant
"Be careful!" Jeremiah called out in the direction of the path Helios had cut in his crops
"That boy will never learn" Erin said softly, walking towards her husband, "He is young and dreams only of life"
Jeremiah took his wife's hand,
"Would you have it any other way?" Jeremiah asked his wife as he kissed her
Helios ran to the mountainous cliffs that overlooked the entire land, there seemed to be no end in sight to world that surrounded him. Turning east he saw the Grand Fortress of King Ikranas, only a few times had he been there with his parents, so many people...on every corner there was another stall or person selling something different. In times of war four thousand men can line the great towering wall that surrounds it, no army had ever penetrated its core. The guardsmen and their pristine weapons, Helios imagined fighting in a great war...being a hero to the people of the land, making his parents proud. He fought imaginary enemies on the summit of the cliffs, making the actions of a swordsman...scything through the enemy hoards that his mind littered in front of him.
His playful antics were suddenly interrupted by screaming and shouting from the base of the mountain, Helios fell quickly to the ground laying on his front. He crawled the edge of the cliff and stared down at the skirmish below. A nomad and his family and been cornered against the cliffs base by a gang of desert riders, the riders pick off the weak...kill them and take what they can, living from one encounter to another. Helios counted 4 riders, he had ran too far and had no time to alert his father to help, only he could stop the bloodshed that was about to occur. He remembered his fathers warnings,
"You cannot reveal your gifts to anyone"
"If anyone found out about the things of which you are capable, they would look on you with fear...they may reject you because your different...there are some that may try to kill you!"
"Heed my words son, keep yourself safe, your gifts hidden"
Helios continued to look on at the events below, the nomad had grouped his wife and three children behind him, swinging wildly around with a wooden staff. The desert riders drew their swords, the leads riders horse stood on its hind legs and snorted and neighed menacingly. There was a conflict within Helios, from wanted to keep himself safe and do the right thing...those people below were going to be slaughtered unless he intervened. Helios closed his eyes briefly as further words from his father ran through his mind,
"Know right from wrong son because there will be a time I will not be there to guide or help you and you will have a choices to make"
"I hope to have taught you all that you need before that time but all I can tell you is to look in yourself and find the answers you need"
Helios' eyes opened, his face steely and resolute...he had found his answer, he would not let that family stand alone. He quickly got to his feet and took a few short steps back, he then ran and jumped off the cliffs edge falling into everything that his father feared...exposure. The desert riders had dismounted from their horses and were closing in around the family ready to kill, Helios landed between the family and the riders with a thunderous boom, kicking sand high into the air blinding both the nomad, his family and the riders. The riders stumbled around confused and dazed, Helios acted quick disarming the riders with his speed and throwing them against the cliffs face rendering them unconscious.
The sun stood directly behind Helios as the nomad and his family looked up, the sand and the sun combined to make Helios a dark blurry figure,
"Wh-Who are you?" the nomad asked gratefully
Helios turned away remaining quiet, heeding this fathers warnings to keep himself hidden and safe,
"Please, let me at least thank you" the nomad pleaded as he attempted to rub the sand from his eyes
"I do not require your thanks nomad, your lives are all that mattered" Helios replied strongly, "Take their horses, get your family to safety"
"But!" the nomad tried to reply but the stranger disappeared in front of his eyes
Helios watched safely from a distance as the nomad gathered his family onto the horses and led the safely in the direction of the Great Fortress. He looked up into the sky and breathed heavily, hoping that the nomad had not seen his face...that he would not come back looking for him, he turned and sped off back to his home. On his arrival home he caught his fathers eye and Helios turned his head away in an almost shameful manner, his father could always tell when something was bothering him or when he had done something wrong.
"Son do you want to tell me something?"
Helios shook his head,
"Helios, talk to me" Jeremiah continued reassuringly as he approached his son, "Did I do something wrong?"
Helios sighed and hung his head,
"No father" Helios replied sombrely, as he looked up into his fathers eyes, "There were desert riders out there father, th-they attacked a nomad and his family. He was trying desperately to protect them but all he had was a wooden staff, the riders had drew their swords..."
Helios paused and turned away from his father and crossed his arms across his chest.
"Did the riders kill them?"
"I stopped them father...I could not let those people die just to protect myself"
Helios replied with his back turned, expecting some form of anger from his father. Instead he felt his fathers hand on his shoulder.
"I'm proud of you son, it was a brave decision to help those people" Jeremiah informed his son, "Did any of them see you?"
"I don't know father" Helios continued, "the nomad perhaps, he had sand in his eyes...but I cannot say for sure"
"Helios you are quickly becoming a man and what you did today proves what a force for good you can be for this world" Jeremiah spoke with conviction and truth, "Your decisions will be your own and your mother and I will always be here for you, if the nomad one day arrives here looking for you...we will deal with that as a family"
A tear ran down Helios' face,
"Do not cry my son, you have performed a great deed here today and a family will be ever grateful for your actions" Jeremiah said to his son softly, getting down on one knee and wiping away the tear, "Go to your mother, tell her of your actions and see how proud you will make her"
Helios ran into their home, Jeremiah let out a heavy breath and stared into the distance with an uneasy feeling. Everything that he protected and loved could be under threat, he took a handful of sand and it ran easily from his hand. He clenched his fist in defiance, he would not let his family slip away so easily come that day...not without a fight.