The Lies of the Immortal Queen

The journey begins

Several days had passed since that heated conversation took place, and the old man had since started preparing the items Alex would need for his journey. The progress was slow, but it was there nonetheless. Steadily, he would drag his old body across the small house, filling the bags with food, utensils, and much more. The young boy offered his help many times, but he was turned down each time.

"I may be old, but I can at the very least prepare a few travel bags for my grandson" he would grunt offended, resuming the steady process. As he began loading the now-filled bags on the back of their old farming horse, he started humming a quiet song, an action that surprised Alex.

"I don't think I've ever heard you hum in my whole life" he pointed out "Or sing, as a matter of fact" the axe he carried on his shoulders was heavy, but his body had gotten used to carrying it by now. When he first started cutting wood, at the age of ten, it felt more like he was lifting a huge sledgehammer, impossibly heavy and hard to swing around. Now he was twenty-three, and it felt more like a light stick.

"I used to do it when you were a baby, to lull you to sleep" he clicked his tongue "Your mother quickly put an end to that, saying that all I did was make you cry" earning a snicker from Alex "I can see why" the old man shot him a glare but didn't say anything as he watched his grandson head towards a group of trees that were near the house, prepping up to cut them down.

"You know" he started "I've heard they are always searching for manpower, you could get a job as a lumberjack" he casually mentioned, talking about the kingdom where Alex would soon head to, as the young boy swung his axe hard at the tree trunk, making an evident dent in it "Good idea, that could earn me a pretty penny too" he swung again, aiming a bit higher, this time a whole chunk of wood came off, leaving behind a V-shaped dent in the tree.

"The money I gave you won't last you a whole month, so you better find a job quickly once you get there. Don't worry, last time I checked, they were pretty welcoming of newcomers" another swing, which deepened the cut "Oh yeah? Are they welcoming of bastard children too?" and another one.

"Yes, yes they are" Alex let out a sarcastic laugh "Yeah, as fucking if!" his swings became more aggressive "Quit telling jokes gramps" the wood began to crack.

"I'm being serious Alex, everyone is welcome, bastard or not, they even welcome ex-slaves and prisoners-" the old man wasn't paying much attention to what his grandson was doing, but he suddenly began to when he saw the axe swing right past him and embed itself on the wooden wall of their house. 

He quickly turned around and saw him standing beside the tree, which was almost completely cut down, with an angry expression on his face, glaring.

"I thought I'd already told you that I don't like jokes, old man" he growled "Next time avoid making new holes in this poor stack of old wood, it's already a miracle it's still standing on its own" he shook his head "And it's not a joke, I don't like jokes either" Alex clicked his tongue, delivering a strong kick to the tree, giving it the last push it needed to tip over and fall to the side with a loud crash.

The old man sighed, stopping what he was doing to walk over to his grandson, who sat on the freshly cut tree trunk, his gaze low on the grassy ground. He sat down beside him.

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's the truth" he mumbled "I've seen it, with these very eyes" he tapped his gasses "People from all classes and species, living together in harmony" he huffed "Of course, that doesn't mean there weren't conflicts, but law enforcements were always patrolling the streets and kept everyone safe" he nodded "It was a safe place... where you could have grown" there was a hint of resentment in his voice, perhaps directed to himself, perhaps to Alex, who could tell.