We didn't have much, just like any other villager on the outskirts of the empire. It was a rural location too far from any major city to see any sort of growth. However, it wasn't so far that we didn't have to pay taxes, unfortunately.
I've never seen the slums of the capital, but I reckon our lives were not so much different.
Living day and night off the bare minimum. Waking up early to till the fields, tend to the animals, and hunt for meat in the woods before returning home to your family. There is a lot more to just that, even for a common farmer. However, those were some essentials, and that was enough for many used to this routine.
I enjoyed our daily lifestyle, regardless of how mundane it was. We weren't the poorest of the villagers there, thankfully. But my family wasn't the most well-off either. My father often came home injured from hunting, and there were days when he couldn't find or catch any game.
We would have to eat berries or fruits that could be found everywhere. They weren't the good kind either and were barely filling at all. They had a horrible taste and smell to them that often reminded me of the dead carcasses found in the woods, where every piece was bitten off by a different animal.
Those days when we had so little made me think about life in the capital. I've never been there, but I, just like any others my peers, knew everything was better in the capital. What precisely, I couldn't say for certain beyond the fact that we probably wouldn't go starving now and then, at least.
The yield from he crops had to be put aside for the taxes that dreadfully and inevitably made their way our course. The leftovers had to be kept to trade for money, goods, and, in general, other daily necessities, especially what little medicine we could acquire.
The sick or injured, more often than not, stayed that way. If lady luck were on their side, their lives would be spared, but death would not be much worse for most who manage to live through the pain in such a backwater village.
Sickness had claimed many, friends and strangers alike, and will continue to do so, regardless of how you feel. I felt sympathy towards those afflicted, family who have lost their loved ones, grieving their deaths, painfully aware that they will soon follow.
That's why medicine is so essential, whatever scraps we could somehow manage to acquire for emergencies. The expensive services of a priest, which I happened to see because they were passing by on a missionary, were practically guaranteed to resolve the issue. However, their skills and reputation came at a hefty price, one we could never afford. Their grace was limited to what we could afford.
Money was never something we had in surplus. But I didn't think our family was so desperate for it. We were satisfied with what we had, albeit a little, but something nonetheless.
I had a secret, though. Well, it wasn't so much of a secret since my parents eventually found out. But to me, it was something I tried to keep hidden. Not out of a sense of guilt because of a wrongdoing. I had my fair share of troubles, like making my younger sister cry. However, I knew better than to hide something I was at fault for. That's why I went out of my way to ask to be punished when I felt guilty of something.
I would sneak out at night, specifically on those frequent days when my parents were tired from working too hard. Our village is surrounded by woods and a nearby lake.
Besides a few wild animals, monsters have never been prominent around our village. We would've died a long time ago if that were the case, according to the village chief. There was a distinct difference between the monsters he talked about and the wild animals we ate or were told to be wary of. It wasn't a difference I was made aware of, nor did I try to find out. It didn't have anything to do with our village, that much I was certain of.
Regardless, I snuck out when I could to practice with the wooden sword a traveling merchant gifted me. He said I had the disposition of a knight in the making and was investing in my career. I didn't understand what he meant by that exactly. All I knew was that he was a nice yet strange person since he sold weird stuff nobody cared about.
Wielding that blade made me feel like the knights from the stories my father used to tell me. Their tales of epic proportions, slaying dragons, protecting their lord, fending off hordes of monsters and foes. Lives are saved thanks to them, countless numbers of them. People who would've died otherwise are spared for moments longer, able to share the joy of living in this wretched world a day longer at the very least.
I found the tale of knights to be all the more enchanting as I grew older in that humble village. I knew I would never have a chance to be anything remotely as capable or righteous. The limits of my status and upbringing make it all the more unfortunate. But those dreams kept my ambition afloat. It gave me a greater purpose and meaning to my stale life. It felt like I had a goal to strive for beyond the village.
I felt bad towards my parents, but I wanted to be so much more than a villager's son.
I wanted to be a knight.
I knew just how taxing it would be on my parents to support my career. With how kind and caring they are, they would find some sort of way to do so. I didn't want that burden on them. This was a goal I had to pave the path forward for on my own.
Swish
Each swing of the blade felt clean as it cut through the air. I've been practicing for a while now, so I've gotten some sort of feel for it. While it was just a flimsy and light wooden sword that would probably break from hitting someone else, it was mine nonetheless.
As I held it lightly with both hands stretched out in front of me, I tightened my grip, raised the sword above my head slowly, and swung straight down!
The grass rustled with the swing, or perhaps it was with the wind flowing from behind me. Either or, I felt powerful with that sword despite it being only a little taller than half my height. I knew the responsibilities that came with the power of an actual knight. The finer details I had no idea of, as formal training was something you could never expect in a small village.
The core of the burden those with power bear is to protect the people.
I envisioned myself as a knight in full plated silver armor atop my trusty steed, whose possible names I have already thought of. My subordinates flanking right behind me in an orderly fashion, marching in sync, silent but deadly to their foes. The cheers of countless welcomed me on either side, filling the wide streets to the brim. The applause and whistles from the people leaning against the windows of their homes, congratulating me on a successful expedition.
Between the visage of my helmet came a narrow view forward of the lord I serve. His crimson red cape was flowing fiercely against the wind. The crown atop his head was a symbol of his status that spoke of greater power than one could imagine. The beautiful snow white horse that elegantly strode forward with confidence and nobility, reflecting her master.
I envisioned a more fulfilling life than my own, one that I would hopefully have within grasp eventually.
Just as I was sheathing my sword into my imaginary scabbard, holding it by my hip, signalling the end of my daydream, was a chilling voice from the depths of the woods.
I had been so lost in my fantasy that I belatedly realized someone was calling to begin with.
At first, I feared my secret outing had been discovered by my parents and was prepared to be scolded. However, moments had passed, and nothing happened, so I slowly turned around only to find nothing before me.
With a sigh of relief, I thought I was probably being too paranoid and prepared to take my leave. That was until that blood-curdling growl echoed faintly yet resoundingly within my ears.
Terrified, I found myself walking backwards, hesitantly and slowly, akin to a snail, before I recollected what little courage I had and came to a halt.
I found myself reflecting on what a knight would do in my situation.
With an audible gulp resounding in these especially silent woods, seemingly notifying all that which is threatening to my existence, I confronted the direction in which the sound had alarmed me of its presence.