The Tale Of The Wooden King

Chapter 1 The Leaving

"Roger! Wake up already! You're going to be late to start your apprenticeship over at Tom Williams," says Lewis. Roger got up and rushed to his window of the cottage he and his grandfather lived in. It was morning and it looked as if the sun had been up for a while now. Roger hurried up and got dressed. "Roger are you up yet?" hollars Lewis.

"Yes, Grandfather! I just have to get dressed!" yelled Roger. Roger finished putting his shirt on and headed down the wooden stairs from his bed room. His Grandfather was waiting at the bottom of the stairs holding a bucket of scraps.

"Don't forget to feed the pigs on the way there," Lewis said.

"Yes, Grandfather," pants Roger as he runs pasted taking the bucket of scraps with him. Roger looked around before heading out to feed the pigs. The place was a mess. The roof was caving in and the floor was covered with mud from the rain leaking in. Roger and his grandfather had planned to fix it, but they lacked the money for resourses to get the tools they needed. They spent all the money they had to keep themselves alive. 

Roger shook his head in disappointment. "Hey, Gramps, when are we going to have enough money to fix this place?" Roger asked.

His grandfather looked down as if he was tired. "Soon, my dear grandson. Soon." he said. Roger felt as if his grandfather was giving false hope now a days. He remembered back when his father and mother were around. The place was always so lively, until his father was asked to go to war for the kings army, and his mother was kidnapped by a mercenary who took her over a year ago. He felt a cold loneliness creep over him. Roger shook his head and headed out the door, he started running to the pig pen. He threw the scraps into it and placed the bucket at his feet. He took in a deep breath and looked around. At that point Roger knew he wouldn't be back for a while. The smell of the pig farm and the almost ran down cottage in the middle of the woods was all he knew after his parents disappeared.

Roger stretched his back and headed back to the cottage to get his bag, and he was off. Roger wouldn't be back until three years later from completeing his blacksmith training. He stepped inside, seeing only his grandfather with a nervous smile on his face holding a leather bag full of his stuff. Roger reached out and slowly grabbed the bag, as his fingers wrapped around the bag he saw a tear fall from Lewis's face. 

 Roger knew that this goodbye didn't need words; it would only make it harder for both of them. As he stepped out of the home he has been in sense he was a young boy. He could not hold back the tears from falling from his face. He tried his best not to make a sound that would worry his grandfather. As Roger left the door stayed open long enough that Lewis could watch him leave. Roger stopped at the gate he could not hold it back anymore. He turned around and fell to his knees and placed his hands on the ground. Lewis stood there motionless in complete shock.

Roger Yelles out Thank You For everything old man! and he begans to cry. His grandfather as a tear fell from his face he started to run out of his home. He stops before Roger, As roger looks up he could see that his grandfather was cry even more then he was. Roger he says you are not just my grandson you will be a grand blacksmith. Make my your name know to all. Although that not what roger wanted to hear he was happy that his grandfather and so much hope for him. 

Nether one said anything that day as Lewis watched his grandson leave the farm gate. It was becomeing dusk and Roger walked though the woods and was heading for the next city where he would began his apprenticeship under Tom Williams. He heard storeys of the great blacksmith makeing sword that never failed in battle and tools that would never dull.  Roger would sometimes find him self day dreaming of making a sword used by a great Hero or even a king. Roger wiped away the little day dream.

He looked around darkness was falling apond the trees adding a reddish glow to the leaves. I should proibly set up a camp soon Roger says to break the still sounding voice of the woods. Roger lowers his bag on the ground nest to a fallen tree. He looked back to the place when he onced live as a young boy. I hope gramps will be ok by himself Roger wondered. As is grew darker the cold did as well, Roger shivered he could began to feel his body shake with the chill. Roger looked inside hisbag to see what his grandfather has given him. 

With in the bag Roger fines and takes out a few items. His Grandfather has packed him a half eat loaf of bread, some rope, extra clothing, a small steel dagger no bigger then 5 inchs, and a flint stone, and at the very bottom of the bag he saw a medallion. When he picked it up he forgot all about the cold and was clouded by memories of when he first saw this medallion.

When Roger was about the age of 5, his parents had left him in care of his grandfather. He saw that before his father left he had given his grandfather somthing. It was too long for Roger to remember the words that were spoken that day. The thing that Roger remembered was a worried look on his mother and father's faces and they gave him their last goodbyes and hugs before heading down the same road he is on now. Roger was holding his grandfather's hand, he could feel his grandfather's hand tighten. He looked up and saw that his grandfather and shed a tear but said nothing. Now what he thought about it he only saw his grandfather shed a tear when he saw his parents and himself leave. Throughout the whole time he stayed with his grandfather he had never seen him cry once.

The medallion that was given to his grandfather by his father, he vaguely remembered that his grandfather turned it in to a pendant. He always weared it and if he lost it, it would be like he lost his mind cause he would scearch for weeks on end until he found it. Roger remembered asking him, "Why is it so imporant?" Lewis said that this medallion was more important then his own life, for it was the key to life and knowledge as he was holding it within his palm.

Other than that he didn't know very much about this thing, only that is was important to his grandfather. He stared at it for a bit to see the details of  his grandfathers medallion. It was a perfect circle with a gold ring around and with gold looking vines that slowly creeped into the center circle. Within the center of it was the look of a silver wing and a crown. There was also a lot of strange symbols between the vines. When he rubbed his finger across it he could have swore that he heard a voice whisper the words, Find the man made of wood.

Roger dropped the medallion out of fear. The voices stopped and yet again the night was peaceful and quiet. He fell back and stared at it, a look of worry crossed his face. He was speechless. He heard a owl in the tree above him. When he looked up the owl had taken flight and disappeared within the darkness of the woods. Within moments the coldness creeped over him again. Roger got up and ran to the end of the fallen tree and broke of branches from it. He learned the skill of  how to make a good fire and living in the cold wilderness from his grandfather.

He threw them on the ground by the fallen tree, and now he knew he needed smaller sticks to create a small fire and light the woodpile. Roger ran off into the woods again in search of some sticks and something dry and easily flammable. The darkness was almost too dark to see as he walked though the darkness. The ground fell out from beneath him.

Everything went dark.