Kid

Chapter 1

Strolling through the village with my hands deep in my pockets, I looked like a player. I had a sly grin on my face and my black hair was shaggy which hung below my eyes. I had been told before that I was handsome and that girls would have a hard time letting go of me.  The only problem was: I wasn’t a player. Yes, I looked the part but that wasn’t really me. I had never really been with a girl and I certainly never played any. Girls tended to stay away from me. I didn’t blame them. Who would want to date a guy named Kid?

            Yes, that’s my name, Kid. My mother had died after my birth, so she never got to name me. After her death, my father became awful. He would beat me and yell at me. When I was old enough to even remember my name, he would call me Kid. Guess the name sort of stuck.

            I stayed away from my father a lot, staying in the village as much as possible.  Besides, I had heard a rumor that old King James’ knights were looking for a replacement and that intrigued me. I had always been looking for a way to live a better life, to make someone proud. That was the real reason that I had come into the village today. 

            After strolling around, smirking at people and winking at girls who rolled their eyes at me, I reached the village center.  It was a pavilion where announcements were posted from the king and others. As I came closer, I saw a crowd of men which spiked my interest. I jogged over and shoved through people. They scowled at me as if I was a pest, which I wasn’t but I really didn’t care at the moment. Once I reached the board of announcements, I read what everyone was crowding around.

            It was a slip of paper with slots to sign your name up. There were only a few slots left. The slip read; Do you have what it takes to protect the King, to do secret missions and live in glory? Tryout for a spot to become a knight! Tryouts are tomorrow. Bring your choice of weapon. My heart fluttered and I couldn’t sit still. I grabbed the pencil right as someone let go of it and stole a spot on the sign up. Then I pushed my way back through the crowd.

            I couldn’t believe it. I could be one of the king’s personal knights. That was a big deal and I couldn’t contain my excitement. I bounded down the road like a schoolboy. My whole life could change tomorrow.

            Before I had time to dodge, a young girl ran right into me. We both stumbled backwards. My chest throbbed from the hit. I blinked my eyes to see the girl who had hit me. She was very pretty with hair that reminded me of nuts and eyes that were bright blue. I had never seen such vibrant eyes before. She looked scared as she wore a dress that hung to her knees. It looked very fancy, fancy for any ordinary village girl, but the dress was ruined. Mud was splattered on it and the hem of it was frayed. There was a rip in the sleeve and I could barely make out the original color of the dress; yellow.

            “I’m so very sorry!” She gasped as she bowed her head in shame. She looked about the same age as me, 19 but something told me she wasn’t a village girl. Besides, I didn’t recognize her and I had seen all the girls in the village. She sounded proper as well, which was strange.

            “It’s fine,” I replied, easing into a charming attitude.

            “No, it’s not,” She cut me off, now sounding angry with herself. “I am terribly sorry. I wasn’t looking and I was in a rush and-”

            “Calm down!” I interrupted her long apology. She looked up, a little shocked that I had talked back. “It’s okay! I forgive you.”

            “Oh.” She mumbled, her cheeks suddenly getting bright red with embarrassment. “I tend to ramble on when I’ve done something wrong. It’s just how I’ve been raised.” I stared at her, with questions swirling in my mind. Who was this girl? Where did she come from? How was she raised?