The Journey - Chapter 2

Al had never forgotten what Dunrik had told him. The lands beyond the mountains, S’with, were lush with many forests of various types of woods, many that Al certainly had never seen but in the most expensive keeps in the area, which there were few of. The land was a mixture of rolling hills, small rivers and fertile green pastures. The cities are large and industrious, but full of culture and art. The people are warm and friendly, kind and generous, welcoming in strangers and the down and out.

All considered his own home, Conval. Here the people were friendly, but guarded. There were those who were scared of strangers knocking on their doors. Farms very distantly removed from the towns. Farms that rarely dealt with the local town, except for supplies. It was rumored that if someone wanted those lands, they would simply wait until after a farmer got his bi-annual supplies, then attack the farm, kill the family and simply take the farm as their own. By the time anyone realized there was a new owner of those lands, it was much too late to prove there had been foul play. Many farmers “moved away” in the more remote areas of Conval.

Al really didn’t expect that there would be no crime in S’with, however the draw was great to find a new home. Perhaps Conval really wasn’t all that bad, but Al was caught by the dream of a new land and couldn’t escape it.

Now all that Al needed was the confidence to make the jump. It wasn’t easy. His friends urged him to stay. Some of his family felt he should stay close to home and help the rest of the family. Thankfully his mother and father encouraged him. Later he would understand better why they had.

Day after day went by while Al made up his mind. He continued to work, but it was even more dreary and mundane now than it had ever been. His dreams were elevating to near mythic proportions. With those dreams came confidence. The confidence to go make those dreams come true. Al had become blind to the fact that he had no idea where he was going or what he’d do when he got there, but that didn’t matter now.

He began packing what few things he needed and sold much of the rest. Knowing the journey was going to be a difficult one, Al elected to sell many of his tools as well. It would be less costly to buy new ones than to attempt the trip with a packhorse or a cart. Just him, a horse and what they could carry was all he would take. A tent, some clothes, some food and water, and his sword were all he took. Hopefully he would not need the sword, but there were some wild and scary tales about the mountains ahead.

Almond