Savoirs

Joseph

I brought the hammer down on the red hot metal. The clang of metal hitting metal rang in my ears but I kept hitting it, forming the metal into a blade and plunging it into the water bucket. The steam rose into the air and I heard the door slam closed. The actual blacksmith was slumped in a corner, passed out so I walked up front to take care of the customer. It was a man in mid fifties with a young girl with him. They both visibly moved away from me when I entered the room and I had to keep from smiling. I'm known in this town as someone who could kill you with a look, of course that's not true but I like not having to deal with as many idiots as there are in this village. The man looked over my shoulder and when he realized the blacksmith wasn't going to come in he wrung his hands in front of him and smiled grimly at me.

"I had a horse that needs its shoes looked at. If you wouldn't mind?" He says quickly. I nod and follow him outside to where a horse was standing in the stable. The horse didn't seem to care much that I was there and bent its head to eat some grass that was growing in the pen. I swung the door open and walked in with the animal. I crouched down and picked up its hoof which had dirt clumped in it. I dropped the hoof and stood. The man took a step back as I turned around and leaned over the side of the pen, as if he were afraid I was going to club him over the head. I picked up the hoof pick and turned back around, a smirk spreading across my face. I picked the animals hoof back up and started to clean all four hooves. The man and girl stood quietly a few feet away from me while I worked and checked the shoes. When I stood back up and walked out of the pen the man tensed and I put the picker away.

"What exactly is the problem with the shoes, sir?" I asked. The man glanced at the horse and pointed at it.

"It's limping." He stated and I raise an eyebrow. I walked back and hooked a lead rope on the horse and walk it out of the stable. It walked fine and I led it back into the pen. I looked up at the man who was staring at the horse with hatred.

"She seems to be walking fine to me, mister." I say bluntly. The man walked over and lifted his hand and the horse pulled away from him, terror in its eyes. I grabbed his arm and looked down at him. "I'd be careful about your actions around me, mister." I growled. He glared up at me and pulled his arm from my grasp.

"It's my horse!" He exclaimed. I crossed my arms over my chest and he moved away.

"It's in my stable. If you are going to hit any animal in my stable then I'll have to ask you to leave." I saw the girl stifle a giggle and the man's face turned red. He jerked his arm and his fist connected with my jaw. I took a step back and glared at him. I walked towards him and my hands balled into fists. The man retreated quickly as I advanced towards him and soon ran off with the girl following him. I stopped as they scampered off. I smiled as they ran off and I went back to the stable. The horse tossed its head and I took the lead rope off and went back to work. Slowly the sun set and I walked back out to the stable and put the lead back on the horse. I walked it out of the stable and walked towards my home. When I got there, there was a girl from the village standing at my door. When she heard the horse she turned around and saw me walking towards her.

"Hello." I said as I passed her on my way to the ramshackle barn. I let the horse go in there and took its bridal off.

"I need your help. My father disappeared a few days ago and I'm worried about him." She said quietly. I turned around and looked at her. She had long black hair and light blue eyes. She was pretty but I knew who she was and she knew who I was, although she still looked at me like I was a wild animal.

"He's passed out in the blacksmith. I locked the door and there's plenty of weapons there that he can defend himself with if he needs too. He's safe, I promise." She nodded and I walked back to my house. She followed behind me and I opened the door. I walked inside and when I turned around she was standing in the doorway. I sighed and picked up the sword that was leaning against the wall. She gave me a small smile and we walked to her house. I watched her as she walked inside and closed the door behind her. I turned on my heel and walked back to my house. When I got back a good part of the night was gone and I cursed. I went inside quickly and made sure everything was still there. I had been getting the feeling of being watched for a few days now and I was a little on edge after the neighbors house fire the other day. The woman had been out in her front lawn doing her laundry and her husband was at work when her child came running out of the house screaming about a fire. Everyone knew that it wasn't accidental, that someone had set the fire and everyone thought I had done it but a young traveler had stepped up and told everyone that I was at my job making him a dagger because his had broke. The young man had left a few days ago and everyone was back to doing the same things they always did. I was getting ready to leave in the next few days so I threw more items in my pack and lay down on my bed. I woke to yelling and stumbled to my door, half awake. When I opened it the world was bright and orange. It reeked of smoke and I saw people running down the street yelling or screaming or crying or all of the above. I swore and raced inside and shoved the few belongings I had left out in my pack and tie my sword to my belt and raced outside to the ramshackle barn. The horse was scared and when I ran in it reared back on its hind legs. I calmed it and then quickly put the saddle on it and led it outside. I swung up onto its back and it took off. I raced towards the blacksmith's home to find it swallowed by the flames. The blacksmiths daughter was standing in the road staring at her home when I got there. I raced by and pulled her onto the saddle as we headed towards the blacksmith. I heard her crying as she buried her face into my back and we sped down streets of burning buildings. 

When we arrived at the blacksmith, flames were consuming the old building. I swore and swung down from the horse and ran inside the building. I had hated the old stone building but now I was glad that it was stone with very little wood on the outside. But there was hay on the floor and plenty of other things that could catch fire once the fire got inside. I saw the old drunk slumped in the corner and rushed over. The building was filling with smoke now and I coughed as I inhaled a large amount of it. I took the bucket of water and threw what was left on the man who woke up sputtering and swearing and slashing a knife at the air. He smelled the smoke and looked up at me as I hauled him to his feet and rushed him to the door. I shouldered it open and thrust the old man outside with as much force as I could muster. I followed him and dragged him to his feet and half carried, half pulled him away from the burning building. I saw things that weren't there and heard a girl scream and shook my head as memories I had long forgotten fought their way to the surface. I heard the blacksmiths daughter sobbing and heard him shushing her but I heard my name being shouted from inside the building. I heard children screaming in pain and the groan of wood as it started to give away. I saw the fiery house start to fall and heard the terrified screams of my family as the building fell on top of them and the screams stopped suddenly. Someone touched my arm and I whirled around to face them. The old man's daughter flinched as I went for my weapon and turned an angry glare upon her tear stained face. I turned away when she just stared up at me and swung up onto the horse, the memories chasing after me.

"Thank you for saving my father." She called and I nodded once before the horse and I took off into the night. I heard my wife's screams once again when I saw the orange glow of the village and heard my children crying as I searched to no avail for a way inside the burning building to save them and then heard the sickening groan of a building started to collapse.

"I promise you Lord I will find the man who killed them, who did this and kill him." I growled at the night as I put the burning village behind me and raced into the darkness, my memories following me.