Ripe for the Picking

On a cool November evening, the sun began to set as Joshua made his way up the stone steps to the top of the watchtower. It was his ritual, his way of meditating and relieving any stress. He would just sit down and relax while he took in the gorgeous view as the day slowly turned into night. Sipping on some hot tea, he cherished this day as it marked an important milestone in his life. Today was Joshua's 18th birthday.

Joshua lived in a small castle just right above a river. Inside the stone walls was the home to over 30 people, including Joshua's parents...King Gerard and his wife. Its stone walls provided excellent protection from the outside world and was the perfect place to stay in if a war ever broke out. Unfortunately, his home had seen better days as it once housed over a hundred people. That was before the struggles began.

Two months ago, there were sightings of a witch with hair as red as the blood moon. Since the sightings, crops have started going bad and more people began getting sick. Though none have died from the sickness, the people in the castle stormed towards their King, demanding to find the witch and put an end to her reign of terror.

Many people left the castle while others stayed. Few men have even tried to hunt this witch, only for them to show up face down in the river days later. After weeks of discussion, King Gerard's new plan was about to be set in place.

While watching the stars glowing in the sky, Joshua heard light footsteps coming up the stairs. Taking another sip of his tea, he closed his eyes and smiled.

"Looking for me Clara?"

Making her way to the top step, the little girl stopped and leaned over towards Joshua.

"Yup!" She cheered, "Your dad wants to see you. He says it's important."

"Hmmm...I wonder what the old man wants now."

"I don't know, but I am going off to play now!" Clara smiled.

"Don't go outside these castle walls." he warned, "You know what happened last time..."

"I only went down to the river to play. I didn't do anything wrong!" She argued.

"I know, we...we just want to make sure you weren't hurt." He sighed.

As the little girl pouted, she marched down the steps. Joshua waited for a few more minutes before he gathered enough motivation to get up and head towards his father's living quarters.

Walking throughout the castle, Joshua began mentally preparing for his meeting with his father. King Gerard came from a troubled family. With Joshua being his only child, his father was strict and tough on him growing up. Excessive training, lack of empathy and high expectations was what Joshua had to deal with. His father spent a lot of time in the wars and it would be an understatement to say it took a toll on his body.

King Gerard was dying. From physical damages that never fully healed to sicknesses like malaria, it was only a matter of time before he would part from this world. In the meantime, Joshua's mother has been assisting her husband in the past year...and that's not a good thing. While his father isn't in his right frame of mind half the time, Joshua's mother lets her emotions get in the way.

As Joshua walked up to the front door of his father's living quarters, he took another sip of tea before opening the door. The fireplace was lit and there sat his father sipping on a pint of ale. Joshua's mother was cleaning the last part of the kitchen as one of the servants assisted her. Closing the door behind him, Joshua slowly walked over towards his father.

"Your grace." Joshua bowed. "I was told you need to see me?"

"Have a seat." His father grumbled.

Sitting down in the chair across from him, Joshua took a deep breath before responding.