THIS IS THE FIRST PAGE OF CHAPTER ONE OF MY NOW NEARLY COMPLETED FANTASY TRILOGY[u][/u]
The sunlight shone with a strange magnificence, turning the grey frost into silver diamonds and the brown rain puddles into glassy lakes. The berrys on the trees were as bright as rubys and the leaves that hung from the shrubs were like glowing emeralds. It was a fine morning and the inhabitants of Ye Old Village, were more than happy to receive it. When the sun had finally risen from the east, the village came alive with it’s daily rush of people. The market stalls opened as did the shops and inns, the farmers began to move their cattle across the vast fields and the smell of cooking breakfasts filled the air.
The local inn was soon fall as the people began to have their morning ale and the bacon that sold from every farmshop in the land was quick to disappear. Most of the village elders were now in their gardens picking weeds and watering plants or simply spying with eager eyes on the local road that lead past their door.
The reason for all this movement and excitement was what the village people consider as the most exciting event of the time, the great election. The election of a new Mayor had been the talk of the village for many weeks and now at last the banners and flags had been raised and the many parties had began. The inn would soon lower it’s prices and the carpenter stores would organise sales. The Dwarfs, Elves and Men, would soon gather in their huge numbers to honor the new leader of Ye Old Village.
The entire election however was soon over and the village was quite pleased with it’s new Mayor. Once horseman of the local stables, Brudy Buds, was the top candidate for Mayor and had won the vote by an honourable seventy percent. Infact so well received was Mayor Buds that the local houses that had been up for sale for damn near a year had all sold in the last week. The local inns had taken their prices for ale back up to their usual extortionate price and the carpenter stores had stopped trying to please foreigners by making the finest furniture that they could.
Peter Erithan, had never had any interest in politics and because of this the election of a new Mayor had meant very little to him. He had enjoyed the cheaper ale and local parties that the election had brought but as an eighteen year old farmer he had been forced to enjoy them at a distance. Working long hours on the largest farm in the village had given Peter little chance to interact with the local goings on and this he counted as a blessing. He knew for a fact that the Mayor’s popularity would soon be spent and that the village elders would soon begin their campaigns to be rid of him, reminding Peter why he had no political ties.
Despite his mutual feelings about politics and politicians, Peter would definitely be present at the new Mayors first speech, which was soon to begin. This was not because of the people he might meet or the Mayor’s new policies, it was because of the food, the ale and the music, that would all be present at the town hall.
After many hours of working on the farm in the beating heat of the sun, Peter was glad to be dismissed and told that his days work was over. His walk home from the farm should have been an easy task but the crowds of people that had gathered to catch a glimpse of the Mayor in his horse and cart, had essured that this wasn’t the case. Now usually Peter could have simply said ‘excuse me please sir’ but the desperation to be the first to see the new village leader had created a hostile atmosphere and the fear of losing their place in the crowd had caused the gathering people to be quite defensive.
“Don’t you dare try and steal my place,” they would shout, “if you wanted to see the Mayor then you should have got here earlier, likes we did.”
