You’ve just arrived in a swampy, dim town. As you look around, your gaze is met with shacks and cabins. It smells of rotted wood and wet moss. You duck and step into a tattered tent, illuminated by a series of candles suspended in the air. At the back of the tent, an old hag raises her head, “What brings you to this dingy town? she begins, then pauses to study your face—”Ah, it’s you. I’ve been expecting you. Sit,” she gestures at a cushion, “Tell me your story.”
Lothar, not a man that would travel far for no reason, carried a small sack filled with berries. It appears his curiosity got the better of him, for he would usually not wander in to such a suspicious looking area for no reason. Already wishing he never entered the tent, he stood at the entrance. "Er. . . You probably got the wrong person, m'lady. I'm jus' collectin' berries." Lothar held up his small sack that was filled with berries, rattling it a bit. "I'm just a farmer, as my pa was, and his pa before him. Honestly, I don' even know how I got here in the first place." Lother chuckled nervously, hoping the old woman would forgive him for wandering in to what he would assume was her town. " If you don' mind, I'll jus' head back t' my farm, I've got enough berries fer' the day." Lother clearly was out of his element, he knew he was nothing special, just a simple farmer trying to make a living. With that, he'd give a quick bow of his head and turn to leave, assuming he'd be allowed to.
However, the smallest nudge at the back of his mind told him he should take the hag’s offer. He turned to see the hag smiling still, so he decided to walk over and sit as she requested. “As I became a man, my ma said I should be more open with people, said it’ll help me find a woman to settle down with.” He shook his head, digging in to his pouch of berries for a quick snack. “My father was a farmer, that’s true, but he did his duty to our kingdom and served for a while. He was . . Ambitious, you see, and his time in King Richard’s ranks had him away from the village a lot, so my mother watched over my sister and I.”
Lothar glanced to the woman, slowly growing more uncomfortable with her presence. “At home. . It was as good of a home as someone like me could ask for. My pa was gone, yes, but my ma made Adeline and I feel loved. My ma taught her how to cook, and she taught me how to sew. Perhaps the only smile he has shown recently formed on his lips, the memory of his mother’s love returning to him. “But she was naive. . Telling Adeline and I that pa’s fighting would help us, . Get us a better life. Lothar’s distant demeanor returned, with a sigh. “Rest her soul.”
As Lothar continued, he did not make eye contact with the strange woman, mostly because of her appearance, but also because of his tendency to not share. “One of the battles in the war. . Think it was the last one, the siege . . The Covenant saw victory, but my father did not live to see it.” Lothar shook his head, digging for another berry. “With pa gone, I was the man of the family now. And I wouldn’t abandon them as pa did. I picked up the hoe, the rod, and I farmed ‘till I could not, and I fished ‘till I could not. Maybe I wanted more, but the field is all I know.” Lothar’s rant slowly came to an end, and he came to his senses, standing up quickly.
”Ma grew old and died, and just before she left us, you know what she said? She told me I’m still young, and to chase my dreams. Even serve, as my pa did. My sister went off to chase her dreams, and now only I remain. Farming and fishing for ghosts, it seems.” Lothar shook his head quickly, the spite he has for feeling forced in to his farmer’s life clearly being the reason he does not open up. “There it is, lady. As I said, I’m a farmer, as my pa was, and his pa before him. . And that is all I can be.” His voice shook with his final remark as he exited the tent, though perhaps he was not the same man he was before he entered. Perhaps now, he might find a deeper purpose in life.
