Knightingale [THE FIRST DRAFT.]

CHAPTER THREE

"Where a knight gets his sword and the quest begins."

[ THIS BOOK is available illustrated on my KOFI @/2ndstarart ]

Morning broke over the village and bright rays of burning light consumed the land as the citizens' dreams came to a close whilst those select few sacrificed their limbs in lieu of feathers and wings once the first rays hit their town. In the centre a snoring emanates from a small body, drooling in his dishevelled bed.

The smell of fresh bread wasn't an oddity in the morning yet it was always a good start to waking up the teenage boy in the early morning, a plate with two fluffy, freshly baked slices set upon the edge of his bed by Mallory, who currently watched over him as he slept; perched on his headboard.

Unfortunately, as the sun rose in a cloudless sky, the girl grew impatient, her black and white feathers twitching with anticipation. If she could, she would shout or yell, shaking him awake with a force that would certainly wake him up, but for now, all she could do was repeatedly peck at the wooden frame of the bed - which resulted in a great annoyance of noise and a rather gently, yet persistent, rattling of the entire frame.

Adric, who wished to hold onto his sleep with all his might, flung his hand at the magpie, brushing her away to turn over, away from the small window and the bright light. Mallory rolled her eyes, or she would've if she were not stuck in a form that couldn't so much as move their eyes to the left without bringing her entire head with it.

Deciding that the incessant tapping was not enough, she lifted from her perch and flapped her large dark wings in his face, much to his surprise. "Hey!" He shouted, flapping his own limbs around trying to bat the winged beast away from him, but she persisted.

After another 10 seconds of constant flapping, both Mallory and Adric grew tired, and it was the younger that conceded first - as it usually goes. "Okay, okay. I'm up." He relented, finally pushing his body, heavy with sleep, to sit up in his bed. Mallory however tilted her head, not believing her brother for one second, expecting the moment, she left he would fall back and drift off into a blissful sleep once more. Standing her ground, she stayed put, her big black beady eyes staring down at him, and he rubbed the morning crust from his eyes.

"Seriously, I'm good." He mumbled, flicking his hands at the magpie as he stepped onto the harsh wooden floor, with heavy steps he trudged towards the small window, lifting the thin metal latch with ease. Adric pushed on the two glass panes framed by thin blocks of wood, white paint chipping off and revealing the natural colour underneath, he turned back to Mallory, wind rushing through his unkempt hair, "Get Going." He demanded.

Mallory did as told, scooping up a small cloth bag in her talons, nodding to her brother, a gesture to mean many things: "Thank you." "Good luck today." and most importantly, "I'm watching you." She flew through the window ready to deliver her baked goods before she could finally sleep, taking a moment to look back at her brother before he disappeared from view.

Adric watched his sister leave, noting how tired she seemed. Her wings could hardly keep her up at first and her grip on the cloth became loose before she had realised and gripped tighter, he wished her could help her in some way, any way, but she simply wouldn't take it. Not from him anyway, the boy she is supposed to help through life, not the other way around.

He sighed as he brushed back his hair, fingers getting caught in the numerous unrelenting knots and took his light cloth headband, tying it at the nape of his neck and positioning it just at the top of his head. A few strands broke free from it, which didn't worry him as many more would emerge as the day progressed. Stuffing as much bread as he could at once into his mouth, he started down the stairs, ragged rucksack on his back, boots unlaced and urgency in his step.