Forgotten Mage (4 page)

“Time to get up,” A soft voice said as
Bren felt a light pull on his shoulder.

Opening his eyes Bren saw Faye standing
above him. Instinctively, Bren pulled the covers tight around his
chest getting a light giggle from Faye. As his eyes focused, he
noticed that the small window still showed no light coming in from
the outside. “The sun isn’t even up yet,” Bren declared
groggily.

“Is that so?” Faye said before yanking
the covers hard, threating to expose him. Bren looked desperately
at his trousers that lay a few feet away, casually thrown over the
back of a small chair. “If you don’t want me to see your bits and
bobs, then you better promise that you will be down for breakfast
as soon as I leave,” Faye said with a wry grin.

“I promise,” Bren pleaded, his face
turning a dark red. He let out a sigh of relief as Faye released
her hold on the covers and headed for the door. Before leaving, she
turned her head around and gave him a sly wink. “You better be
awake tomorrow or I might just uncover you before I wake
you.”

As soon as the door shut, Bren jumped
out of bed and grabbed his trousers. He wasn’t sure what Faye
really meant by her parting words, but his heart was pounding
incredibly fast and he was sure that he wasn’t quite ready to find
out either. Bren had met plenty of ladies his own age in the
capital, but they had all been reserved daughters of nobility who
acted refined and more than a bit entitled. Faye on the other hand
showed no reserve in her actions. She was frank and all too free
with her words, but Bren still couldn’t help smile when he thought
about her.

When Bren was fully dressed and reached
the dining room, he found that it was filled with new faces. Upon
his entrance, everyone looked at him and he could see a wide array
of smiles and smirks from the gathered family.

“Boy, you look like you’re dressed for
the mid-summers dance. If you wear that to work, not only will they
be ruined your body will be covered in blisters that will leave you
laid up for a week if not more,” A large man with a grisly beard
said with a chuckle. “Maggie, think we can spare a few of Joseph’s
clothes? Might be a bit big on him, but it will be better than
sending him out in what he’s wearing,” The man said to the woman
sitting at his right.

“I am sure we can find something. That
boy has out grown more clothes than I have been able to sew. After
we eat, I’ll see about finding you something dear, and don’t mind
that old blowhard. My husband Peter loves to pick on anything and
anyone,” Maggie said, pinching her husband on the back of the
arm.

“I guess we might as well get the
introductions out of the way,” Doren said, offering Bren a seat
next to him. “You already met Clair’s brother Peter and his wife
Maggie. The house sized boy next to Maggie is their sixteen year
old son Joseph. Dang boy eats more than the cattle. There used to
be a lot more of the family, but the war was hard on
everyone.”

“Doren that’s enough,” Mercy said
sternly. “I’m sorry Bren, Doren lost a lot during the war and he
likes to remind everyone about it when given the
chance.”

“I have heard numerous stories about
the war,” Bren replied humbly. “When I was younger I spent a lot of
time staring at the monument in the center of the palace gardens
with the names of those who died during the war.”

“I got to see it once. Doren took me
there and pointed out my uncles and other granddad’s name. He said
they fought with the army until they were pushed back to the
palace,” Faye said proudly.

“Well enough of that talk,” Clair said,
placing a large plate of sliced ham on the table. “The foods going
to get cold,” she said, patting Bren on the shoulder as she took
her own seat next to him.

As soon as Bren finished his meal, Faye
grabbed his arm and hauled him out of his chair. “I’ll show him
around the farm,” She said, as she pulled him from the
room.

Bren could hear the laughter coming
from the house as he was herded outside by the forceful Faye. A
loud rumbling bark caused the lithe girl to jump. Bren laughed as
he reached down to pat Avalanche hard on the head. Still laughing
he turned back to Faye who was holding her hand over her chest.
“Did he scare…” Bren started to say, but the words and the wind was
knocked out of him as a large heavy object bore him to the
ground.

Twisting and turning, Bren was able to
get on his back and wrap his arms around Avalanche’s thick neck. He
pulled as hard as he could, but moving the rock hound when he was
in a playful mood was like trying to move a mountain. After a few
seconds, Bren was able to get out from underneath Avalanche and
swing on the dogs back where he once again pulled hard. The muscles
in Bren’s arms bulged as he pulled and finally Avalanche toppled to
the ground where she rolled hard and easily shook off the strong
young man. Before Bren could make his next move, Avalanche butted
him hard in the chest with her head, sending him onto his back
where she stood over him and gave a loud bark declaring her
victory.

As Bren’s head cleared of the sharp
pain, he could hear Faye’s laughter coming from beside him.
Propping himself up on his elbows, Bren looked to Faye and laughed.
“Faye I would like you to meet Avalanche the most stubborn and
hardheaded animal ever born.”

“I don’t know about that,” Faye said
with a hint of laughter still hanging in her voice. “I think my
granddad still has him beat,” Faye said as she leaned down and ran
her fingers across Avalanche’s back. “Her skin is so smooth,” she
said admiringly.

Bren had hoped that Faye would allow
him a few moments rest after his tussle with Avalanche, but he was
disappointed. Before he even had the chance to dust off his
trousers, he was once again being pulled around the
farm.

By midday Bren had seen most of the
farm and found himself once again back at the large farmhouse where
he found Clair and Maggie waiting on them. “I see that my daughter
has finally decided to bring you back,” Clair said with a slight
giggle.

“Here are some of Joseph’s old clothes.
I think most of them will fit you just fine, but were going to need
you to try them on so if they need adjusting we can get it done in
time for you to start your work in the morning,” Maggie said,
holding out a large bundle to him. “I am sure that Faye explained
what you were expected to do on the farm during your escapades,”
She added with an odd look toward the small girl who quickly began
to whistle as she moved toward the door to the house.

“She just showed me around,” Bren said
honestly.

“Drats,” Faye said as she made a break
for the door.

“Faye Ann Bergeson,” Clair said, her
words stopping Faye in mid stride. “Young lady none of us minded
that you hauled the young man away after breakfast, but we expected
that you would have enough sense in that head of yours to at least
tell him what he would be doing for the next few weeks.”

“Yes mother,” Faye said, hanging her
head slightly though Bren could see a small smile still teasing at
the corners of her mouth.

Clair must have seen it too as her
scowl deepened. Walking up to her daughter, Clair grabbed the young
lady by the ear and promptly pulled her inside the
house.

Bren grabbed his own ear in shared pain
as he watched Faye being led away. Seeing the look on his face,
Maggie gave a short laugh. “Don’t worry, her mother isn’t really
that mad. Now come with me so we can get you fitted into your new
clothes.”

Bren quietly followed behind Maggie
though his attention was drawn to the raised voices from a nearby
room. He could hear Clair and Faye arguing, but he could only pick
out a few words. When Maggie closed to door to his room the only
thing that he could hear was raised muffles, just enough to know
that the two were still arguing.

“Ok, strip down and try these on
first,” Maggie said, handing Bren a pair of trousers. When Bren
took the clothes and looked around the room, his face turned a rosy
pink Maggie laughed. “Don’t mind me. I promise you that you don’t
have anything I haven’t seen before child.”

Still furiously blushing, Bren did as
he was told and stripped down to his small clothes and tried on the
trousers. They were a bit loose around the waist and a good few
inches long in the legs. “Ok now try on these,” Maggie said handing
him another pair of clothes after making a few marks on the pair he
now wore.

Bren was subjected to trying on
different clothes for the better part of two hours. Thankfully, his
embarrassment eased after the first few times, but each time he had
to disrobe, a small spark flared back up.

Once his torment was over, Maggie fixed
Bren a hearty lunch and called Doren to come in from the field.
Maggie explained that Bren would need to be shown what his job
would entail during his stay and Doren seemed all too pleased to be
the one to do it.

“Joseph will be plowing the field so
you don’t need to worry about that,” Doren said as Bren followed
him to the field. “Your job will mostly be feeding the livestock
and sowing the fields. Not hard work, but under the heat of the
sun, it can still be draining,” Doren said with a sly smirk. “Make
sure you drink plenty of water boy. I don’t know how we would
explain to your mother should you die of the heat.”

Doren continued to show and lecture
Bren over what to do on the farm until late that evening. Bren had
never been so happy to see a place then when Doren finally showed
him back to the farm house, well after the sun had set.

That night as Bren sat in his room, he
looked out his small window to the stars. He had never taken much
time to look at the night sky when he lived in the palace. They
were always there, but he just never thought about looking. Now
that he was miles away from home he felt lost and for some reason
those distant points of light seemed to ease his troubled
soul.

A loud bark let Bren know that
Avalanche was off causing some sort of mischief. He hoped that the
dog didn’t cause too much trouble.

Don’t worry about avalanche,
that beast is smarter than you give it credit for. I wager that she
knows and sees more than even you or I do. What you should really
be concerned about is that little girl that keeps dragging you
around all over the place giving you those dopey eyes. Trust me
Bren, a girl like that will only cause you trouble in the
end.

Rolling his eyes, Bren looked to where
the staff sat in the corner of the room. “You think any woman means
nothing but trouble,” He said, pulling back the covers to his bed.
“How did you know about that anyway? I left you in the room all
day.”

Just because you don’t have
me with you doesn’t mean I don’t know what you are doing. I can see
just as well through your eyes as you can Bren.

“I told you before to leave me alone
about your issues with women. I think she’s a nice girl… and
pretty,” Bren added, smiling.

Thurman continued to rant, but Bren
paid little heed to the staff. The time he had spent with Faye had
been far more fun than his time with Doren. Laying his head on the
pillow, Bren fell asleep thinking about Faye and what he imagined
the next few weeks would be like.

CHAPTER IV

For the first time since his arrival at
the farm, Bren woke without Faye’s aide. It wasn’t that he didn’t
like to see her face in the morning, but she had started finding
more humorous ways to wake him. The previous morning she had even
poured a bucket of water on him and he had been forced to hang
everything out to dry. His sheets had dried well before nightfall
but his mattress was still slightly wet and after a few hours of
laying down that wetness started to sleep through to his night
clothes.

Bren had been on the farm for a little
under a week and his body was starting to grow accustomed to the
harsh work. His muscles still ached and were still when he woke,
but most of the pain was gone. His hands were blistered and raw and
he had a few sunburns, but overall he was enjoying his time on the
farm.

The field was almost planted, but Bren
planned to stay on for a few days more to help make sure that the
seeding took root. He knew that he was just trying to find an
excuse to spend more time with Faye, but it wasn’t like the Mage’s
Tower was going anywhere.

Bren made his way to the dining room
where he was surprised to find only Clair cooking. “Did I wake up
too early?” Bren asked, slightly confused.

Clair gave him a warm smile. “I guess
no one told you,” She said handing him a fresh glass of milk.
“Today is Fallensday. It is a day of rest and celebration for the
farmers. I thought Faye would have told you. She has been anxious
of late, maybe it has skipped her mind. I thought it was because
she was hoping to dance with you during the
festivities.”

“Festivities?” Bren asked, slightly
confused.

“Yes every Fallensday we and the other
local farmers all go into Tillman and eat and dance. It would be a
good time for you to wear the clothes you wore when you
arrived.”

“Those are hardly fit for a
celebration,” Bren said skeptically. “I wish I had brought some of
my dress clothes from home,” Bren continued, wringing his hands
nervously.