Journey's Beginning

[Forgefire 36]

Marinus glanced out at the wide Petran valley beside him. The sun was just beginning to set in between the two steep cliff faces that stretched far ahead, slotting neatly into the angled space between two hills. In front of him, a path was set along the side of a towering wall. Far below, he could see the deep blue Petran River, and he could just barely hear the rush of its rapids over his own footsteps on the stone path. Clack, clack. His leather boots were putting in quite a bit of work that day, more than the usual amount their scholarly owner gave them.

 

-

 

He thought back to everything that had transpired over the last two years, after his return. The places he had gone, that he never thought he’d get to see. The opportunities he had taken, that challenged him to dedicate himself to. But mostly, he thought back to the people he had met. Every kind soul that had taken the time to assist him. He smiled to himself, as he pictured their smiles. One day, that would be him. He imagined himself, older and wiser, smiling with the joy only a teacher can experience by watching their student learn.

 

-

 

In the small library, Marinus paced back and forth, examining each shelf from top to bottom. This had become something of a habit for him in recent days. Of all the books, he could not find one worth reading that he had not already read. He sighed and sat down on one of the uncomfortable benches, pulling a few sheets of paper and a quill out of his bag, and wrote about nothing in particular. Between the dim candles and the faint moonlight he could hardly see the words on the page, yet he continued. 

Until… something moved. The turn of a page. Barely audible, but stark in the otherwise near complete silence. Then once again. Marinus looked up, confused. He hadn’t heard anyone else enter. Again, the faint slip of a page turning. This time he saw it. Against the wall, on a desk, was a large book. Marinus brought a candle over to it. The book, already open, was slowly turning its own pages. He gently closed the book to take a look at the cover.

 

-

 

Marinus sat cross-legged on the ground, closing his eyes and relaxing his body. He allowed his thoughts to slip away, as he had done many times by now, letting them flow like leaves in a river. All but one. He held on to one memory, imagining every detail, painting every color. It could have been the subject of a child's first drawing. Green grass spread out from under his feet to the edges of his imagined landscape, moving with the gentle breeze. The sky was a calm blue background behind wispy white clouds. Tall, dark brown spruce trees were interspersed throughout the plains. And in front of him, a simple log cabin. He stood still looking at it for a while, noticing each detail that he was intimately familiar with. The worn path to the porch, the dirty windows, the heavy door, the golden brass handle, the slanted dark green roof. It was all there, exactly as he’d remembered seeing it, at exactly the spot he would stop at every day to admire this very view.

He opened his eyes. For just a fleeting moment, a faint bluish-purple glow appeared around his hands.

 

Spoiler

Just a quick character story update. Thank you to everyone in this amazing welcoming community for your continued help!

 

Edited February 9 by Forgefire
adding picture