CHAPTER 2
- VIRTUS -
The town of Lemar was bustling on this fine, sun filled day. Eyeing up all the goods and gawping at the large variety of weaponry up for sale in the large shops and small, wooden stores alike was Virtus and his friends. Virtus was a handsome young man, wearing nothing more than a light brown shirt and some light brown trousers which made him fit in perfectly with the rest of the group. His friends had been out in the centre of the small town for most of the day. Virtus however, was enjoying a rare treat which was going out and seeing his friends. His mother and father had many different plans for Virtus’ life and ‘stupid’ things like friends was not in them. ‘Friends are not needed to join the army or make the family’s fortune’ his father had said many times. And although it left Virtus frustrated and upset, he had learned long ago not to argue with his father.
Virtus’ family was not the poorest nor the richest in the town, they coped, just. But of course, with Virtus’ father, Trictus being such a proud and stubborn man, he would not let anyone see that. Which was another reason why Virtus’ many friends were not allowed in the house and Virtus was not allowed out, his father thought he might tell the ‘secrets’ of the family.
Virtus’ mother was very caring for Virtus which led to her being over protective. She hated the idea of Virtus joining the army, it was ‘dangerous’ and ‘cruel’. But like Virtus, Tutella, Virtus’ mother, was very obedient and knew not to argue with Trictus.
The whole family had brown hair. It had almost been like a tradition that all of the children of the family would have exactly the same, brown hair. Virtus, like the rest of his family had a slim face, small nose and small ears. He always had a shaved, smooth face and kept himself very clean and tidy, making sure his hair was always brushed, despite the very small amount he had on his head.
Virtus walked through the town with his friends staring at shops and looking at the huge variety of things on the small stalls stationed outside them. On the stalls, there were the types of items that would be sold in the shops near by. The outside sellers would retail the things inside the shop at a slightly lower price, the scruffy look and the foul stench of the stalls and sellers though was enough to make any buyer get the goods for that little bit more in the shop itself. As Virtus looked into the many purple windows of the fortune teller’s shrine, to his annoyance, there was a poster hiding one of the purple panes. The poster read:
Order Of The King
WARNING
The great army that once walked on our land, burned villages, killed women and children are back again. Our lookouts on the towers on the Western coast spotted them sailing into Kirphan waters.
Then there was a picture, the Kirphan emblem, a white circle with a thick, deep blue line making an equator around the circle, the line had a smaller circle in the middle and a tiny white circle in the immediate centre.
THE KIRPHAN ARMY IS ASKING YOU TO JOIN AND HELP FEND OFF THE INVADING ARMY OF SPROSTA.
MAY THE POWER OF KING SEPTIMUS GUIDE YOU.
‘Just wait ‘till my father sees that.’ Virtus thought to himself.
“Wow have you seen this?” one of Virtus’ friends called over to the rest of the group. The friend was staring at one of the newest weapons on the market, it was called a ‘Hand’, the object however looked nothing of the sort. It had a thin golden tube that was about six inches long, an arrow head would fit into one of the many different sized grooves at the end of the tube and sit, ready to be fired. To the back of the tube, there was a golden compartment, a little thicker and about half the length of the thin tube. The compartment had a small hatch, when opened, fuels like gun powder and a rare type of magic powder called Vox could be put in to fuel the device. Exactly two seconds after the device had been loaded, the arrow head would shoot off in a perfect strait line for one hundred and fifty yards if loaded with gun powder and about one hundred and fifty miles if loaded with Vox. Vox was one of the strongest and most powerful and the rarest substances known to the Kirphan kingdom. It could only be found in the awful, sometimes freezing, sometimes boiling conditions in the northern country of Garda. And this was the King’s biggest hope of defeating the incoming army, using Vox.
“How much is the Hand?” one of the friends asked.
“fifty four thousand, seven hundred and forty nine gold and sixty two bronze” replied the salesman with a slight grin on his face. The friend’s blank expression after the impressive sum had his friends, including Virtus laughing. Virtus knew he could never afford one of them, his mother didn’t work like most of the wives, his father brought home one hundred and two bronze a week and anyway, the salesman would never let someone underage buy a weapon of that power for any sum of money, it was against the code of the traders, they knew they would all be closed down if they were caught breaking a national law like that.
Virtus and his friends walked around for a little longer, with Virtus, feeling free, making jokes and entertaining his friends; almost to celebrate the day he was having. They went into the bakery for some bread to eat and to the town’s unique, crystal clear lake to get a drink. Virtus went home that afternoon having one of the best days for a long time. Virtus had only just stepped through the front door when his father sped up to him, holding one of the posters that Virtus had seen in the shop window. Small rips lay around the perimeter where the paper had been excitedly torn from a wall or window.
“Have you seen this?” his father asked beaming.
“Yes father.” replied Virtus with a sigh. His father started reading the last part of the poster out loud.
“‘The Kirphan army is asking you to join.’ Hear that Virtus?”
“I hear it father” replied Virtus with another sigh and, realising where the conversation was going, he retreated upstairs to his bedroom, leaving his father standing alone by the door, looking up the stairs.
Virtus’ bedroom was small. He had a small bed which he had had all of his life, he hadn’t managed to fit properly into it since he was nine, now, eight years later, he struggles to get to sleep at all, but his father mustn’t be told, he’ll just shout about how ungrateful Virtus is and that the family hasn’t much money, the usual tantrum his father has when challenged or asked for anything. Also in Virtus’ bedroom was a chest of drawers, the drawers had been there far longer than Virtus had, they were his mother and father’s wedding present, a gift from Virtus’ mother’s mother and father. Trictus, Virtus’ father, never got his parent’s blessing on their wedding day and received no present, Trictus’ mother and father couldn’t afford one anyway.
Unable to face his father, Virtus spent the rest of the night in his room, on his own, hoping, one day, he would make something out of himself, one day, he would come home and make his father proud.
Virtus had never thought about what he wanted to do with his life, he knew his father wanted him to join the army, but was that what Virtus wanted? Virtus didn’t know. Maybe joining the army would not be such a bad thing. Maybe it would. After all, Virtus saw nothing wrong with joining, if he did join, he would be fighting for the magnificent and beautiful island and kingdom of Kirpha. Is that not what Virtus wanted? Did he not enjoy being outside? It didn’t help that he and his father had never actually sat down and talked about Virtus’ life.
The next day, Virtus made the effort to consult his father.
“What would it mean to you if I did join the army, father?” asked Virtus.
“It would mean the world to me son, your mother on the other hand would not be so pleased” replied Trictus with a slight frown on his face.
“So, if I was to join, I’d be going with the next group of recruits on Thursday to the army camp in the royal city?
“Yes my son, you would, and if you do want to go with the next group, you’d better get your self ready. Thursday is only two days away. Virtus thought for a minute. Did he want to go through with this? He was desperate to make his father proud and if he came back a well respected general, hopefully, his father would be happy with him for once. After a long silence of thinking, he came to a decision: he would go.
“I shall go with the group on Thursday” Virtus finally said with a slight smile. His father had been tortured in the long silence, his son’s agreement made him so proud, and with a beaming smile on his face, he said:
“Thank you son, now you go and make our family and our country proud.”
After another hour of talking to his father in a way that he had never experienced before, Virtus did eventually ascend to his bedroom. Lying on his bed, Virtus wondered, had he made the right decision?
The next day, Wednesday, Virtus was allowed out again, his friends were happily shocked, but they did not make jokes, they knew a little of what it was like for Virtus. It took most of the day before Virtus told his friends about the conversation he had had with his father the day before. His friends didn’t know what to say, they were sad he was leaving.
“Is this really what you want Virtus, I mean, your father hasn’t pushed you into this?” asked one of his friends suspiciously.
“I’m not sure.” replied Virtus. “My father does want me to join the army, you know that but I think this is my decision”
“Well if this is your decision, then we’re happy for you.” and a mumbled agreement came from the other friends in the crowd.
Virtus and his friends carried on walking round the many shops they hadn’t found the time to explore the day before, but all except Virtus had visited the distant shops many times. The group walked up one of the many narrow side streets that led to the magical shops on the outskirts of town. The group stayed there until sunset (when the shops closed) looking at the wands and the magical animals and tools. When they got back to the centre of town, it was deserted, all the shops had been closed and the stalls had been taken down and gone home with the sellers. In the dying moments of sunshine, one of Virtus’ friends noticed something shining on the floor. He departed the group and walked over to the attracting shimmer. The boy picked the strange object up and quickly and quite excitedly realised what it was…
“The seller must have dropped it when he was packing the stall down” said the boy when he had rejoined the group. The other boys, including Virtus stared in awe at the golden object the boy had found, undefended on the floor.
“It’s a Hand isn’t it?” asked one of the boys excitedly. Although the boys already knew exactly what it was, their faces lit up even more.
“Wow, a Hand, one of those things costs a fortune, you’re lucky Arthur!”
“I know” said the boy who’d found it, still mesmerised by the sheer luck of his find. “Well I am lucky for finding it, but…” the boy looked at Virtus and held out his arm with the golden object in his hand “I think Virtus should have it, take it as a leaving present from me and the boys, and besides, from the sounds of where you’re going, you’ll need it more than we will” finished the boy laughing slightly. Virtus reached out his hand and took the object. Virtus stared at the Hand, amazed that he had received such a gift. Virtus smiled at Arthur; Arthur was his best friend, not that they saw each other very often.
His friends walked Virtus home that night. They wanted to say good-bye properly but the exchange of handshakes was a subtle but meaningful farewell. When the group got to the small brown gate that opened into the small front garden of Virtus’ house, Virtus turned round to say his last words before his departure. Virtus glanced over at his white house, now grey with the darkness and saw his father looking out the window, warning Virtus to hurry up. So with a hug, his friends walked off into the distant darkness of the road.
Virtus’ father greeted him with a smile when he walked through the door.
“Hello son. Have a nice time?” his father asked, beaming from ear to ear.
“Yes father, it was brilliant” replied Virtus, wondering whether or not to tell his father about the Hand, and after deciding he wouldn’t, he just smiled at his father once last time before ascending once again to his bedroom.
Virtus’ bedroom had gone from being nearly empty to being full of the tools and equipment he was to take with him on the long journey to the army camp. Virtus jumped from the doorway, over the many things that lay on the floor and onto his bed which was the only thing that hadn’t been swathed in the many items that lay on the base of the small room. Virtus looked at the mass of objects. There were hammers, there were lanterns, there were clothes, boots, small weapons, and now, under the rubble of items, Virtus hid the newly found Hand which he would retrieve first thing the next day.
Just as Virtus was about to put head down and get some sleep, his mother came up into his room to see him.
“Nervous?” she asked. Virtus hadn’t had much to do with his mother in the last few days but did enjoy her company and would sorely miss it when he was gone.
“A little.” Virtus replied.
“Well that’s understandable isn’t it.” said his mother sympathetically.
Virtus got off his bed and made a path in the objects, pushing them into the sides and corners of the room, inviting his mother to come and sit with him. She did so and they talked for an hour or so. Trictus, Virtus’ father appeared, standing in the doorway, wondering whether to join his family or not. Virtus saw his father standing there and signalled to him to sit with him and his mother by beating his bed with his hand. Nervously smiling, his father walked down the short path and sat on the bed next to his wife. And as a family, they sat and talked and laughed in a fashion they hadn’t done for many years.
Virtus woke the next morning, his head spinning. Still lying in bed, he thought about the dream he had just woken up from.
In the dream, he had been out in the rain, it was a stormy night. He took shelter in an old manor house. After letting himself into the house, he noticed the house was spot less, no dirt, no dust, no cobwebs. Virtus moved forward to the main feature in the vast opening room and it‘s wide, clean red carpet running up it. The staircase Virtus was walking to was very wide, it had a banister on the right hand side but strangely, not on the left. At the top of the staircase there were two turn-offs, one led to the left and one off to the right. Virtus started walking up the majestic staircase, slightly hypnotised by the soft orange glow issuing out of the room to the right at the top. One step after another, Virtus climbed the stairs, until, about three or four steps from the top, he felt something pressing against his chest, it was a force knocking him back down the stairs. As Virtus pushed harder to get up the stairs, the force pushed down harder also. As Virtus and the strange force pushed and challenged each other, Virtus noticed something, the force had started to take shape on his chest, it felt like two hands on him, pushing him toward the steps to the bottom. The hands felt cold on his chest. He soon felt numb, the feeling gone from his arms and his body. Virtus, crippled, came spiralling and rolling down the stairs and landed on the cold stone floor at the bottom. The storm outside got wilder and Virtus now saw a shadow walking calmly down the stairs. When the shadow got to the bottom, it stood before Virtus. A huge bolt of lightning rocketed across the sky outside and at that exact moment, the shadow turned into some kind of being, the shadow now had pale skin, other than a mouth and two thin nostrils, the being had no facial features, and it vanished with its black cloak around it in the blink of an eye. Then Virtus woke up.
When Virtus felt comfortable to get out of bed and face the world, he did so, taking care not to tread on the many things that had been sitting on the floor for the last couple of days. Virtus put his foot down onto the old grey carpet and sighed, he knew this would be the last time he would wake up in his own bed for a long, long time. As Virtus sat up in bed, he saw the room was spotless, all the objects that had been sitting and lying around on his floor had vanished and, to Virtus’ horror, so had the Hand. Dread soared through Virtus’ body like the lightening in the dream across the sky. Violently throwing the covers back, Virtus sprang out of bed and scurried around on the now bare carpet to find it, but it was nowhere to be seen. Disappointed, Virtus gave up searching for the missing Hand, the dread swept over him again, he didn’t know how his father would react to Virtus having such a dangerous weapon lying under the clutter of his bedroom. Virtus walked out into the small landing that lay outside his bedroom, the carpet was grey, like his room and the wooden beams that held the roof up could be seen, dark brown against the white of the ceiling.
On the landing, there were three rooms, the first from the stairs was Virtus’ bedroom, second the bathroom and third, the master bedroom, where his mother and father slept. The dirty grey carpet that covered all three rooms, the staircase and the landing was exactly the same. As Virtus was heading into the bathroom, a thought struck him: Where had all the clutter from his room gone? But Virtus put this down to his father being over enthusiastic and wanting to sort through the junk and pull out what Virtus would need before Virtus was even up and ready to make his own decision. Even though his father had given Virtus a lot more lee-way, Trictus was still very controlling and after Virtus had made the decision to go to war, his father had carried on with his plans for Virtus’ life.
After getting himself ready: getting washed, having his shave, brushing his short brown hair. Virtus walked comprehensively down the staircase and made a right turn into the living room to greet his mother and father. Immediately, Virtus saw it, the Hand, on the small wooden table in front of his father. As Virtus moved further into the room, his father spotted him and slowly leant over to pick up the Hand off the table.
“And what is this?” asked his father sternly.
“Just a leaving present from my friends” replied Virtus calmly, but he felt anxious inside.
“Just a leaving present then hey?” his father said again, suspiciously. He Didn’t seem to know what the strange golden object was. “So what exactly is this leaving present?” his father said again, piercing into Virtus’ eyes, almost bringing tears with the intensity of the look.
“I’m not actually sure father, but, it’s the thought that counts isn’t it?” said Virtus with a slight smile, still looking very calm but definitely not feeling it.
“I suppose so” said Trictus, yawning, he’d been up most of the night sorting Virtus’ things. The large, room sized pile that had been in Virtus’ room had been completely sieved and the useful things from the pile could now fit into one bag that would be carried on Virtus’ back. The other, un-useful things all lay in the corner of the room, waiting to be filtered again, some would be thrown away, some made useful around the house.
As Virtus was sitting, eating his breakfast and treasuring the last moments he would have with his parents, he noticed the start of the groups marching past the window, all with their bags. The parade would last for a couple of hours so Virtus was in no hurry.
When breakfast was over, his father was the first to come and hug him, his mother followed after and lent on him, Virtus thought she would surely fall if he let go so he held her until the time came after the passing, awkward minutes for her to let go of her own accord. Picking the bag up and swinging it onto his shoulder, Virtus made for the door, not knowing what was coming next. His mother stopped him to give him another hug as Virtus approached.
“You make sure you come back to me, you hear?” she said sternly, looking into Virtus’ eyes, reminding him of his father.
Virtus opened the door and walked along the short path that led to the road. Looking back he could see the white of the house, the thatched roof, his parents waving. He liked it here but he knew this was not his home, his home was out there and Virtus had now come to the decision that he had made the right decision to go to battle and fight for his country, made the right decision to find his true home. He got to the gate, looked back once more and was gone, he had left the security of the house, but he had also left the cage, the rules and the pressure that resided there.
