Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 14: Perspective (1)

Aries Vermont

Aries Vermont was a farmer, like his father before him and his father before him. They have always been a farmer.

It was said that his family migrated from Vangua; his grandfather was one of the first, with the Village Chief Rudolf, who built Danoba Village.

They farmed here and they live here

In his teenage years, Aries went to Vangua and had a fateful encounter with a girl. That girl is Julia Aquitane.

Aries fell in love with Julia Aquitane, the daughter of a minor noble.

She was beautiful, graceful, elegant, smart and deserve so much better than him.

In his teenage years, he met the most beautiful woman he had ever seen his lifeand his life has never been the same since that day

Despite the immense difference in their status, Aries and Julia married even though she had to leave her noble family and they enjoyed many years of blissful happiness together, and were eventually blessed with a beautiful baby boy.

He remembered those past moments.

"He looks healthy, Aries," Julia had cooed as she cradled him. "My handsome little prince."

Aries could do nothing but stare in wonder at his son. The boy had a shock of brilliant white hair and piercing blue eyes set into alabaster skin just like him.

He has white hair like him and his father before him, and his father before him. It is weird but his family always have white hair like snow.

Though having a color hair does not mean anything weird.

For example, people in Renasia, their royalty has blue hair.

They named the boy Arial.

They were trying so hard for many years to get a child and finally their wish is granted by God. So of course they are beside themselves.

Having Arial in their family motivated Aries to work harder, and as the years passed he saw a spark emerging in his son.

He insisted on helping with the farm as soon as he could, and suggested to Aries a new way of farming.

He had been so enthusiastic, Aries thought, that he had followed Arial's instructions; he wasn't able to offer Arial much in his early years, and would have done anything to see his precious son smile.

He certainly hadn't expected the harvest to multiply like it did.

From that day on Aries's family had enjoyed great fortune, he never experienced in his life before.

Under Arial's instruction Aries bought land and shops, and their profits doubled and tripled.

He often watched his son in bewilderment, wondering where his knowledge could possibly come from.

He was just a child, after all, and the farm was all he had ever known, yet he had the wisdom of kings.

Arial is a bright and beautiful boy and he grew more and more engaging every year that passed.

The villagers all knew of Arial, and many had admired his talents; he could carve beautiful figurines in a matter of minutes, he could read and do arithmetic (which was rare for a farmer's son), and he also knew some very obscure knowledge.

The village children had taken a shine to him too, and followed him around like ducklings chasing their mother.

Aries had seen them playing soldiers, Arial ordering the others around like miniature troops. He had a strong spirit and leadership skills that set him apart from the other children.

He would marshal the other boys of the village, usually Kyle and his sister Lisa and few other boys in the village, his little soldier, Arial once said to him, into a little troop, and train them around the village surroundings, in the river, in the creek, at the hill, in the thick bush, just as ardent and aspiring boys do with their comrades now.

He possessed a certain vivacity and spirit too, which gave him, even then, a great ascendency over his playfellows.

He invented their plays; whether to fight with swords or learning to defend themselves bare hand, he led them in their mischief; he settled their disputes wisely for a little kid of 6.

Many of his playmates are older than him but no one dares disobey him.

Sometimes Aries couldn't believe the boy was his son.

Their shops flourished, the farm expanded, and the Vermont family became rich and widely respected.

Aries watched his son become a tall seven-year-old in fact he was the tallest child in the village.

He was adamant on eating the healthiest food available, which Aries thought was a very strange quality to see in a child.

Whilst the other village children were trying to sneak sugary buns and sweet treats, Aries often found Arial eating rather revolting looking concoctions with questionable aromas.

"Why do you eat that stuff, Arial?" Aries had once asked, wrinkling his nose as the boy chewed on a greyish-green lump.

"I have to grow bigger," Arial had tersely replied.

"Is that so?" Aries smiled.

"I have something I need to protect. I need to grow strong," Arial said adamantly. His ferocity had taken Aries by surprise.

Finally, after Village Chief Rudolf had retired, the responsibility of Village Chief was passed on to Aries.

"I'm afraid I know nothing of administering," Aries had modestly protested.

"Treat the villagers as you used to and you will do fine," Rudolf told him. It was clear the decision had already been made and to refuse would be to turn down on the kindness

He accepted at the urging of his wife.

That night Aries ordered a feast.

The entire village was celebrating: dancing, singing, laughing, sharing stories. But the mood was abruptly broken.

A priest informed the merry gathering of a bandit attack and the feast froze and everyone was filled with anxiety and nervousness.

Aries quickly formed a group of hesitant volunteers to ride into the forest on horseback and confront the villains.

"Be careful dear," Julia had said before he rides, her voice laced with worry.

Beside Aries, Arial jumped up and steadied himself on top of a horse.

"Arial what are you doing?" Aries gasped.

"Get down Arial," Julia said, her voice stern. Aries could swear he sees a grin on his son face

"I'll be fine Mother, I'll only watch," Arial said, not moving from his horse and staring straight ahead.

Aries knew he didn't have time to argue with the stubborn boy, and so he led the obscure army into the woods while Arial followed close behind.

Arial shows another surprising talent--he is talented in riding horses.

In the forest, the bandits came into view, and a lump formed in Aries's throat. Swallowing hard, he commanded his amateur troops into battle.

Their opponent was not weak and their numbers are not low, and Aries grew fearful; he had just been made Village Chief, and now it seemed certain that the village would perish.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, he heard a voice roar.

"Dodge the arrows!"

Men fell, but many had heard the warning and were spared.

Aries couldn't hide his amazement as Arial appeared before him, dancing between the arrows, and forced him behind a tree.

He realized it had been his son who had yelled the warning, and watched in astonishment as he threw himself into the battle like an experienced warrior.

What the hell is he doing, Aries thought frantically, why court death?

Aries quickly realized he needn't have worried.

Bandits dropped all around Arial, who was waving his sword expertly, as if he had been doing it for years.

It wasn't long before he was surrounded by a circle of blood and bodies, and Aries's heart was thumping fit to burst.

He spotted the bandits begin to focus their attention on Arial, and Aries yelled at him to retreat. Arial ignored him.

Aries trembled in fear of losing his perfect son, his brave and brilliant little prince. Arial had never shown any indication of being strong.

But he didn't care about whether his son is strong. He only cares that his son to survive. He would not mind dying for his son.

"Charge!" The cry came from his son's mouth.

He was a natural born leader, Aries thought.

Every man in their group obeyed him without question. Aries watched the fight unfold, awestruck, and a thought dawned on him: his son would be a great man.

The battle was ongoing and slowly it revealed that Arial is overwhelming the bandits with his superior attack

But that does not ease Aries heart. He is still worried.

Finally, Aries heard the patter of hooves heading towards them. Knights from the House of Alan burst through the trees and joined the battle.

The other villagers backed off as the knights took over, but Arial hadn't noticed and continued his battle, breaking through the line of defense of the bandit.

Men on horseback stood back and watched the boy intently. Aries could say that they had never seen anything quite like it either.

Before Aries could see what had happened, the bandits began running to the trees. His eyes fell to the blood-drenched child, and the head of the bandit leader at his feet.

Aries thought wildly of the stories of great heroes he loved so much.

The knights caught and arrested the bandits, but they didn't dare approach Arial.

Lord Adrian eventually stepped down from his horse and examined the boy, who hadn't moved from the bloodbath.

Arial stayed motionless until Adrian was finished, then walked over to Aries.

"Father, let's go home. I need to clean myself."

Aries could do no more than nod in bewilderment as he looked at that heap of bodies that formed a hill behind his son back

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Part one of the chapter. Next chapter will come in a couple of minutes

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