Chapter 1 of Creatures of The Past [Coming-of-age fantasy, 2500 words]

Good evening! I have never attempted to write a story before, but here I am. I’ve never been into writing, but I felt inspired to write a novel after watching game of thrones and house of the dragon. I spent about a hour or two typing away and coming up with the first draft of my first chapter. I really just wanted to get some words on paper and see what I came up with. Let me know your thoughts!

NOAH

The fifty pounds of black leather padding covering his body had the young knight struggling. His legs felt like twigs and his mouth was begging for thirst. Fortunately, it was a practice day. The knights of Hedgefield weren’t using heavy steel swords, but instead using swords of rough-edged stone, ideal for practice. His leather boots were filled with wet mud from the light drizzle that came from the cloud-filled sky. He slowly picked up his sword above his broad shoulders, ready for the fight. “Look at him!” said one knight from the heckling crowd, trying to hold in his laugh but failing. Despite the crowd, Noah remained focused, looking into the eyes of his opponent, William. The townsguard called him Big Will because of his height and beefy stomach, he was also one of the best knights that Hedgefield had to offer, if that means much. But he and Noah were good friends, all the knights of the townsguard were close. There was only a dozen of them, all young and in their teens. Hedgefield was one of the smallest towns in the realm, housing about two hundred. The town was small, but the community was tighter than a knot. Everybody knew each other very well, maybe too well. Noah was the middle child of the Lord, but nobody really treated him differently, he was just another member of the community, and he liked it that way. “Keep your shoulders up, remember what we practiced.” A voice cut through the noisy heckling like a knife, it was his eldest brother, Jackson. He was two years older than him and was the leader of the townsguard. Everyone loved him, he was friendly, charismatic, and was a Hollister. After his words of advice, the crowd’s heckling grew quiet. Jackson’s support gave him newfound confidence. He took a deep breath and waited for the draw. “Swords up… Fight!” The lord shouted. He didn’t usually attend practice days, but he made an exception to spectate his son’s fight. The knights were gathered around the lord, but his attention remained undivided on the fight. Noah and Big Will never fought before but today was different, he was beating everyone and was up for the challenge. The townsguard were eager for Noah, if he were to defeat Big Will, he would never hear the end of it. The muddy battlefield was filled with boot imprints. William came out aggressively, slashing his sword repeatedly, but Noah was blocking it all. A look of concern painted Big Will’s face, and Noah could sense that the momentum was turning. He dodged an attack and delivered one of his own, making direct contact with his padding. The crowd grew louder, townspeople starting to circle around the fight, they were now all chanting for Noah. A smirk came across the lord’s face, he was now clapping and joining in with the chants. Through the chanting Noah could still hear Jackson’s voice, he was the loudest voice of crowd. Jackson was Noah’s role model throughout his life, always being a great older brother. He wanted this win more than anything and to hug him afterwards. Noah continued with his offensive attack, piercing through Big Will’s defense, he grunted after every attack. Noah could feel the adrenaline in his veins, and he swept Big Will’s legs, taking him into the mud. The wet dirt covered both of their paddings. The crowd could barely tell what was happening, the rain had begun to pick up and was now pouring. Noah began screaming after every hit, he was swinging his sword uncontrollably at Big Will, who was on the verge of yielding. Noah picked his head up and noticed a familiar face in the crowd of spectators, who had grown to cover the entire training ground. It was more than the dozen knights watching, it had turned into nearly half of the town watching this battle. Noah had noticed Clara, wearing her dark green vestment which was drenched in the rain. She always had a bright smile on her face; she came to watch the battle. Noah had dreamt of spending his future with Clara, she was his age and was a dressmaker for Hedgefield, but occupation didn’t matter, she was the most beautiful woman in the town, Noah thought. Big Will quickly flipped over Noah into the drenched mud, he was furious with rage, pressing his stone sword on the young knight’s throat. Noah could see red in his eyes, he was terrified. “I yield!” Noah shouted through the rain. The crowd sighed all at once, and they slowly began to disperse. Noah laid in the mud defeated, he was on the brink of winning, but it all slipped away immediately. The dozen knights circled around Will, celebrating with him. Noah noticed someone coming over, it was Jackson, reaching his hand out to help him up. Noah tried his best to wipe the dirt all over his padding, but it didn’t do much help. He looked around for his father but couldn’t find him. “Father left.” Jackson said quietly, knowing exactly who Noah was looking for. Noah began to cry, he fell to his knees and wept. “I’m sorry” he shouted through the tears… “I failed you… I failed father… I failed everyone!” he was screaming in anger, clenching his fists into the ground. Jackson stood above him, holding in a laugh. “It’s not the end of the world you know” he put his hand out, “Get up brother, you didn’t fail anyone” Noah looked up with tears drying on his face, standing up with his brother’s help. He gave him a pat on the back with reassurance. “That whole crowd of people was because of you, nobody thought that match would be close. Hell, even I thought you were going to yield immediately. “I could have won, I had him on the ground, then-” “You saw Clara” Jackson said with a smirk, finishing his younger brother’s sentence. Both paused for a second and smiled at each other briefly, nearly everyone knew that Noah had a crush on Clara. Noah’s face was as red as a tomato. Clara and he grew up together in the town, always seeing each other at the feasts. Her smile lit up every room she was in, and her hair was always braided like she was the princess of the realm. The only problem was he didn’t know if she felt the same way. “There’s a feast tomorrow, she will be there.” Jackson stated to his brother, “I think it’s a good time to tell her your feelings” Noah thought for a moment, the idea made him nervous. “You think?” he asked his brother, “What if she doesn’t like me, I’d make a fool of myself.” “What if she did like you?” his brother answered back. Jackson’s words hit him like an arrow, the thought of Clara feeling the same way he did brightened his mood, but in the back of his mind he knew it was unlikely. Both brothers grew quiet for a moment, they were heading back to the Lord’s Hall, where they would eat, bathe and call it a day. Before they arrived, Noah had a thought come into his mind, turning to his brother. “Where was Eddie today?” he asked. Edward was the youngest of the three brothers, he disliked the outdoors and spent most of his days reading books, the opposite of what Hollister’s are known for, but if half the town came to watch him fight, why didn’t he? “That’s a good question brother; I have not seen him today.” He also stated “I am sure he is probably at the town library reading about leviathans, giants, and all the other creatures of the past. “The library is shutdown at this time of sky I thought” Noah questioned. “You are right.” He paused, noticing his brother still looking at him, “Do I look like I know where Eddie is? I have no clue where that nerd could be.” His voice was growing louder. “Sorry brother…” Noah looked down in disappointment “I’m just confused why he wasn’t there for me today.” Even though Edward was a bookworm, he still valued family over everything. The Hollister’s phrase was “Family. Fight. Protect.” Which they have always lived by for decades. The brothers arrive at the Lord’s Hall, being greeted by Lady Maria, the lord’s wife and their mother. She had wrinkles on her face, but she was soft and loving. “Supper has been ready for half an hour” She said, turning her head to her oldest sons “you guys should probably bathe first, we will meet you in the dining hall.” Her smile slightly evaporated, noticing the dirt all over the wooden floor. Noah arrived after bathing and walked into the dining hall. At the long table sat his parents, Robert and Maria, as well as himself and his two brothers. Sat at the table also included some town council members, they usually sat around father and talked about politics and war the whole time. The ham and salad arrived shortly after sitting down, but Eddie was still not present at the table. “Where is Eddie” the Lord finally said, “Jackson, do you know?” “No father, I have not seen him, we were wondering the same.” The Lord had visible frustration on his face, and the table remained silent, he had gestured to one of his assistants to come over. “Find Eddie, tonight… tell everybody in town to search for him” He demanded while pointing his finger at the assistant’s green cloak. Just as the assistant began to leave the room, Eddie made his way through the entrance, causing the whole table to stand up. “Eddie” The lord said with relief, “where the hell were you?” he asked with a slight smile on his face.” Eddie was wet from the rain outside and had wet dirt stuck in his curly brown hair. “Sorry for being late, I was helping some townspeople with their crop picking” he said looking around the table. Lady Marie smiled “Just like a Hollister should” but was quickly cut off by her husband. “Crop picking doesn’t start till days from now, why so early” he questioned. Eddie hesitated for a moment “the rain sped up the process.” He told his father. “How did the fight go by the way, I heard you almost beat Big Will, that’s great!” he said proudly. Noah finished his sip of juice “Yea, it was a good fight, I’ll get him next time.” He said, briefly glancing at his older brother, nodding with approval. The Lord stood up, looking over the table of his family and friends. He was tall and his long curly hair sat comfortably on his broad shoulders. He wore his green vestment with pride, with a golden pin on the left upper chest. He had been Lord of Hedgefield for a little over a decade, just after his father passed away. None of the lord’s children remember that though, they have just heard stories of him. The Lord of Hedgefield began to thank everyone for being present, giving thanks to his assistants and the cooks, announcing the food to be served. The table was divided into two parts, one half of the table was Lord Robert and his wife, as well as the town’s council members, and then the other half were the three brothers. They liked it that way though, Noah, Jackson, and Eddie all enjoyed each other’s company. Occasionally, they liked to act like they were talking but secretly eavesdrop on what the others were saying. They were talking about some attack on the Realm’s Capital; a group of outsiders snuck into the capital city with the goal of killing the emperor. It was all political nonsense, but Noah knew that if the emperor ever got assassinated, a huge war would follow. However, he knew that Hedgefield would not be able to handle any battles. If any group of outsiders were to attack them, it would be a dozen knights with the responsibility of protecting the town, him included. Eddie came back from changing his clothes and sat down next to his younger brother, “How has things been with you and Clara?” he asked eagerly. Jackson answered for him, “he lost the battle in front of her today” teasing his younger brother. Noah couldn’t help but to laugh with them, “I might have gotten a little distracted.” “A little?” Jackson added. “A lot” Noah corrected himself.” All three of them laughing hysterically as the other side of the table noticed their laughter, their parents curious about what could possibly be so funny. “What are you guys laughing about?” Their father asked as the whole council looked over. Jackson leaned forward, pointing at his younger brother, “Noah saw Clara during a fight in practice today and got distracted.” The whole table was laughing, the council members included. “I’m good friends with her dad, let me know if you want any arrangements” one of the council members said. The Lord turned to him, “that wouldn’t be a good idea, my son doesn’t need any distractions in his life right now.” He said with little emotion, “He’s our most promising knight of the townsguard and you want him to have a partner, are you serious? “I’m sorry my lord” the council member answered. Everyone continued eating their supper, the night was growing old. Tomorrow is a big day for the town, as there is going to be a feast to celebrate the marriage of two townspeople. Feasts happened about once a month, give or take, and they were always a good time. The knights of the townsguard always sat at one table and always got drunk on wine. The council, lord, and lady of the town always sat at the grand table, overlooking the room. Then everyone else sat in a common area. Noah knew that Clara was going to be present, as the bride was her aunt. Suddenly, a man entered the room, pacing towards the lord with sweat all over his face. He didn’t dress like he was the town, but like he was from Pheros, one of Hedgefield’s greatest allies located on the northeast islands. In his hand was a note with a blue stamp on it. The man bent a knee, “my lord, a note from Lord Serion of Pheros” he said. The lord grabbed the note from his hand “thank you, now be dismissed” he demanded as the man went to leave the dining hall. He began to unfold the letter, his eyes hovering over the words slowly. Everyone at the table stopped eating and was staring at the lord reading the letter, the brothers were eager, but the town council looked concerned. Suddenly, Robert crushed the note in his hand, stood up from his seat and left the dining hall with a concerned look on his face.