Taraquin

Chapter 5

Zane slowly opens his eyes as sunlight creeps in through his window. He rolls away from the sunlight and stretches while making animal like noises. He yawns and rubs his eyes to get the sleep out. He lays staring at the ceiling for a minute before he decides it's time to get up. He throws his legs over the side of his bed and looks around the room still dazed from just waking up. He hears the commotion of his Aunt and Uncle moving around in the other room. After a few moments, he finally stands up and begins to pull on his clothes. There is a quiet knock on the door.

"Come in!"

The door opens slightly and his Uncle Charles pokes his head into the room. "I just wanted to make sure you were up."

"Yeah, I'm up," answers Zane with absolutely no enthusiasm as he crawls out of bed.

"Well, everything is ready and waiting. The townspeople should be gathering as we speak, so you might want to get a move on," insists Charles.

"Alright, I'm going," declares Zane as he quickly pulls his tunic, trousers, and boots on. He grabs his satchel and slowly heads through the house and out the front door. His eyes squint tightly as he steps out into the sunlight. He stops and yawns loudly as he rubs his eyes. He covers his face for a moment as he allows his eyes to adjust before he walks over to put his satchel into the back of the wagon. His horse side steps and stomps his hooves impatiently. "Simmer down boy, we're leaving soon," he states calmly as he pats his horse on the neck. "Well, I guess it's about time for me to head out."

His Aunt and Uncle put the last of the supplies in the wagon as they say their goodbyes. His Aunt squeezes him tightly. "Be careful. We love you."

"I love you too," replies Zane.

Charles grabs and embraces his arm firmly. "If you run into any trouble, just remember what I taught you."

"I will," agrees Zane as he hugs his Uncle. Zane pats his Uncle on the shoulder and then climbs up into the wagon. He grabs the reigns and gives them a flick and gives a nod to his Aunt and Uncle as the wagon starts to pull away. They stand and watch as he slowly moves down the road toward Gelwyn, until he finally disappears off in the distance.

As Zane nears the crossroads just outside of town, the spot where everyone meets up every year, he can see the townspeople already gathered, waiting for the remaining few. As he gets closer, he can see Beedo's father Gabriel, so he pulls his wagon up next to his.

"Zane! It's about time you got out of bed," jokes Gabriel.

"Yeah, I was anxious and had a little trouble sleeping," reveals Zane.

"Anxious to see the young women I presume," Gabriel proclaims with a smile.

"Well, that might have had a bit to do with it," admits Zane as a grin emerges on his face.

They both laugh and as the last two wagons pull up, someone yells out something too faint to understand and the wagons up front begin to move.

"Well, I guess it's that time. I'll see you when it's time to bed down for the night," declares Gabriel as he gives a half wave and pulls in behind another wagon.

Zane follows Gabriel's wagon and takes in a deep breath of fresh air as he smiles at the thought of the journey ahead of him. Most people would think the journey to the city market was long and tiresome, but not Zane. It isn't very often he gets the chance to leave Gelwyn. He loves being in Gelwyn, surrounded by family and friends, but he wishes that he can one day just get out and see the world. The thought of traveling around Taraquin from city to city and meeting new and interesting people excites him. Just once,  he would like to stand in front of the palace on Brinon Isle.

Ever since he was young, he's dreamed of an adventurous life of doing more than just farming, and going to the city market helped to make that dream become reality for him. The hundreds of shops and the thousands of people that crowded into the market to buy and sell their goods was exciting. People from all over Southern Taraquin come to the city market during this time of year. Every year, he wishes that it could last longer than it did.

After traveling for many hours, Zane realizes that the sun is high in the sky. The morning seems to just have just vanished away. Up ahead, he see's a large brick wall that surrounds multiple buildings. He remembers the first time that he and his Uncle passed the Elite Guard compound on the way to the city market. He also remembers how his Uncle had told him all about the Elite Guard that day, and how the compound was the headquarters for the Elite Guard in Chora Province. Zane thought it amusing that ever since that day he had been dreaming of being part of the Guard.

All of a sudden, he catches an overwhelming smell of fresh food, which sends his stomach into spasms. He reaches into his bag and pulls some bread and meat out to silence the rumbling of his stomach. He was in such a hurry this morning that he had forgotten to eat anything. After he feels that his hunger has ceased, he rewraps the remainder of the bread and meat and puts it back in his bag to save for dinner later on in the night. After the food is carefully packed away, he goes back to admiring the scenery. The waving green fields and the turquoise colored ocean stretches out as far as the eye can see. He sits and stares in wonder of its striking magnificence. 

As time goes by and the further southeast they get, it becomes harder to see the turquoise waters off in the distance. As the sun starts to set, Willow Grove becomes visible up ahead. Seeing the forest makes Zane excited because he knows that the city market isn't too far away now. Once they are through the murky forest, they will bed down for the evening on the outskirts of the Fegan City Market. He always hated going through Willow Grove at night though. The forest is very thick with weeping willows, which makes it very dark even during the day. The willows hang low over the road, creating a very gloomy looking tunnel. Goosebumps engulf his arms as he recalls how creepy the forest is, especially at night. He wishes there were a faster route from Gelwyn that didn't go through the forest. 

"Not much further," he whispers.

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