2024 NanoWrimo Story

The journey begins

"Thank you for your advice and for listening."

"You are welcome. Let me know if you need any more advice."

"I will. Wish me luck. Apparently I am going to need it. I will get outside and cut that wood we agreed upon"

Jacob went out and spent most of the day cutting the wood. He saw that he had just enough time to get home before dark. He made his way back to their tent.

Harold was already there and had some bread on the table. "Hi, son. How did your day go?"

Hi, dad. I went to see the prophet today."

"How did you pay him?" Harold asked.

"I chopped some wood for him."

"Good, I am glad you were able to pay him for his advice. What did he have to say?"

"He said he would have turned us in if I had come to him before I became a man. He said it was up to me and that the journey would be long and difficult."

Have you decided what you will do?

"Yes, I am going to persue my destiny if I have your blessing."

"You have my blessing, son. Do what you feel is right for you to do."

"Then it is decided. I will travel to talk to Hagar if she is still living. I will go to her in disguise so I can find out more information. I will do some more research at the library too. Once I gather the information I need, I will begin to travel where I need to go to break the curse on my family. Once the curse is broken, I will reveal myself as the rightful heir to the throne. If I survive, I will be the king. If I fail, lives may be lost. Lives may be lost either way, but I will do my best and will try to save the kingdom."

"You are a good man son. I am sorry for all the hardships you have had to endure with me, but I raised you the best I could and kept you alive until you were old enough to make your own decision."

"Thanks, dad. I hope I can make you proud."

You already have son. You already have.

The next morning, Jacob began his 7 day journey to the city of Townsend. He had to walk. He only took what he needed. He had a small loaf of bread, a jug of water, a blanket, a pillow, and a change of clothes for his disguise. He had never walked this far before and he had no shoes. He only had some potatoe sacks that he had wrapped around his feet. It was rough traveling on foot, but he did it. He had several blisters on his feet by the time he made it to Townsend.

He only had the maid's first name to go on, and hoped that he coud find her alive. He decided to start at the town's library. Many of the towns people were poor too so it wasn't hard to blend in. He quickly found the records of the people who had been living there. Fortunately, there was only one woman named Hagar who was near his dad's age. She had an address towards the end of town. She was one of the few people who had their own property in town. He wrote down the address, and traveled to the end of the town near where she lived. He didn't know what he would say when she saw him. He stood at the end of the street, took a deep breath, and forged ahead. He strolled up to the door and knocked.

A woman of about 58 years old came to the door. It was a very small cottage. Jacob introduced himself. "Hi, my name is Jacob, and I am looking for a woman named, Hagar."

"Why are you looking for Hagar?" She eyed him suspiciously.

"I just need to talk to her. She help my dad with a bundle at the castle one day several years ago when she worked there and I was hoping to discuss the bundle if she would be willing."

"Shhh! Come in. You couldn't be...You are him!"

Jacob walked in and shut the door. "I'm who?'

Trembling she replied quietly, "You are the son of King Richard and Queen Ann."

"That's what my dad, Harold, told me. Can you tell me more about my parents?"

"I am so glad you are still alive. It has been years since Harold sent any word to me. It was too dangerous. Won't you sit down on the chair there? I don't have much furniture, but it's a roof over my head. For that I am greatful. How are you? How have you been? Oh, I am so sorry! I will tell you more about your parents in a minute. Are you sure no one has followed you hear?"

I have only went to the library since I arrived in town and I think I blend in very well with the other poor people here. As far as I know, no one knows who I am or has paid me much attention."

"Good. That's a relief. This town used to be so much different than it is now. It was flourishing when Richard was king. I much be careful what I say. You never know when someone in the town will be evesdropping. These walls are so thin." She made sure all the curtains were closed. "Ok, I think it is safe to talk but let's keep our voices down just to be safe."

"I don't want to put you in danger. I just want to know as much as I can about what I am up against and what I must do to face this curse and whatever my destiny may be."

"Oh, you poor young man. I would hate to be in your shoes. I don't envy you with this burden that you bare. It is a very hard and dangerous task you are face with my dear."

Yes, it is dangerous. That is why I want to know as much as I can before I take on this task."

"I will help you as much as I can. Tell me what you do know and I will fill in the gaps." She said.

So Jacob began to tell her all that he knew. "What I don't get is how Jon was able to become king and the rest of the family seemed to have disappeared." He added.

"That is another story all of it's own. He either killed or had someone kill the remaining family members, but no one can prove it. Then he got the town's people in an uproar and convinced them that he should be king. By the time anyone realized what had truly happened, it was too late. They had already made him king and he had control over the whole kingdom. No one dares to speak against him or their life is in danger. If he feels a threat in any way, the person will end up dead or missing."

"How did the curse get placed on my family?"

"Aparently, he has formed an alliance to the great sorcerer. Everyone is too afraid of the sorcerer to challenge it. King Jon knew of the missing baby, which you now know was you, and in case he missed any other family who would threaten his place on the throne, he had the sorcerer cast the cursed spell on your family."

"Do you know how the curse can be broken?"

"There is a locket that was broken up and hidden in places around the kingdom with guardians placed around the spot the pieces of locket were hidden. You must recover these pieces of locket, put it back together with the medallian you have there, and wash in the Angel's pool while wearing it and saying the enchanted words. There should be more information on this curse in the library, but gettting to the information may not be easy."

"How do I get the information then?"

"You don't want to go just looking for that information. It will make them suspicious of you. Anyone who looks for that information is considered a threat. You may have to try to sneak into the library after hours. I have no idea how you will accomplish that. It is guarded even at night. They will especially be watchful because they know it's been 16 years since you were born and if you are still alive, you will want to look into this information."

"I guess I will need to come up with some kind of plan then."

She watched him thoughtfully. Maybe I can get you a map of the library and the general layout without bringing too much attention to myself."

"I would appreciate that if you would be so kind."

"I will go out tomorrow. Stay here in my cabin and lay low for now. When I come back in the evening, I will hope to have you some information."

"Ok works for me. I have some blisters on my feet from walking so far. It will give me a chance to rest. I haven't eaten in a couple days. Could I please have some bread or something?"

You sit right there and I will have you something cooked up shortly. I thought you looked a bit thin."

Hagar quickly prepared a bowl of soup for Jacob and some biscuits. She gave him some goats milk and laughed. "You know? This is what I fed you the day your parents were killed. It's ironic don't you think?"

"Very. Thanks so much for your kindness. Do you still work at the castle?"

"Oh no! I was married a couple of years later. My husband and I started a bakery. He got sick and died about a year ago and we were never able to have children of our own. I have been able to keep the bakery open and have been able to take care of myself. I have been one of the lucky ones. I help the town's people as much as I can without putting myself out of business. Times are really hard right now."

Jacob had sucked down the soup and was eating a biscuit. "I am sorry to hear of your loss. I am glad you are doing well though."

"Everything happens for a reason. I'm doing alright, but thank you."

The next morning, Hagar went to work at her bakery. After she had closed her business, she stopped by the library and got the map she had promised Jacob. While she was there, she found a history book that would help explain what had happened without bringing attention to herself and checked it out as well. She had always read books about history so it was nothing unusual for her and she had checked it out before. She made her way back home and gave the information to Jacob.

Jacob studied the information while she prepared a meal. It was getting late, and Hagar wanted to take care of Jacob's feet.

They had a quick meal. Then Hagar asked, How's your feet? I didn't get a chance to check them last night. You mentioned having blisters?"

"Yeah, but its nothing I haven't dealt with before. It happens a lot when you don't have shoes."

Oh? I hadn't even noticed your lack of shoes! Let me take a look."

Jacob let her see his feet. "They definately don't look like royal feet." She observed.

Jacob laughed, "No, I don't imagine they do."

Hagar replied, "Let's soak your feet in warm water and we will clean them up a bit." (97)

Hagar got the stuff together to take care of Jacob's feet. She heated water, poured it in a bowl, grabbed some bandages and ointment, a towel, and soap.

She spent about 30 minutes fussing over Jacob. By the time she was done, she had soaked, washed, dried, placed ointment on the blisters and bandaged his feet. Then she put everything away while Jacob sat there and enjoyed being pampered a little bit. It felt good to be cared for. He almost fell asleep in the chair when she returned with a pair of socks and shoes in her hand. "You are just about the same size in feet that my husband was. I had this pair of shoes in my closet for a while. I didn't even know why I was keeping them. Something just told me not to throw them out. Now we know why." She said with a smile as she slipped them on his feet.

He got up and walked around for a couple of minutes. Wow! These fit me well! Thank you."

"You are welcome. I think I can get you a horse too if you will stay with me another day. Besides, it will give your feet another day to heal."

"I could get used to this, but I can't get too comfortable. However since you insist, I think I can relax one more day" he said smiling.(233)

Hagar said, "It's settled then. You will stay here another day."

The next morning, she went to work as usual. This time, Jacob decided to have something ready for her to eat when she got home. He got some goat's milk to drink. Then he cooked a little ham and some beans. He had just finished setting the table when she came in. "What a nice suprise! Thank you"

"it's nothing fancy. I hope you like it. You have been so nice to me and you have worked all day so I thought I would make dinner tonight. I hope that's ok." Jacob replied.

"Oh, yes! That's wonderful. I have someone coming over in a while to bring me the horse. He is a pretty grey and white one, about a year old. It is nothing unusual for me to help a stranger. I would suggest you don't stay long after you visit the library. It won't be safe after that. I will do the best I can to cover up your visit to my house. You haven't been seen by anyone have you?"

Aside from seeing some smoke from the fireplace or stove, I haven't been outside for anyone to see."

"Smoke from my house is nothing unusual either. Sometimes I keep a fire lit in the fireplace while I am at the bakery"

"Well, hopefully no one will suspect anything. I will leave early in the middle of the night. Thanks for everything." Then Jacob began gathering his things and getting ready to leave.

About 3 in the morning, he snuck outside. He made his way to the street accross from the library to take a look around, but left the horse tied up outside of town. He didn't want to get Hagar into trouble so he determined he wouldn't use the horse when checking out the library. He observed the guards for around an hour then saw his oportunity.

He ran up to the side window that was cracked open and slid in. This time it came in handy to be so skinny, He knew he would need to bulk up to face some of the challenges ahead, but for now he was just gathering information.

He made his way around the library using the map and a candle. He made his way upstairs to the forbidden knowledge section of the library. It was behind a locked door. He stopped to think for a moment. He had a small pocket knife, Maybe he could pick the lock, He carefully handled the lock, He had picked a couple locks before with a couple of his friends back home. This one looked similar to those. A couple of manuvers with the knife and he had the lock open. Fortunately he popped the lock when he did because just then he heard a guard at the bottom of the stairs. He quickly ducked behind the closed door again before the guard could catch him at the top of the stair. His heart was racing.

Jacob made his way to the desired section of the forbidden knowledge section. He found the information he was looking for. Did he dare steal it?

Jacob knew he would eventually draw attention to himself with the adventure, but he wasn't sure he was ready for that yet. Could he take it and no one notice? He didn't know if he could remember all the information. He decided to take the risk. Afterall, he had already taken the risk by breaking into the library. He still wasn't sure he was going to get out without getting cought. He may as well make it worth his while. If he got into trouble because of this, it may as well be for a good reason. He made the decision then that he was in this for the long haul and all the way or not at all. He slipped the book and a couple of other secret documents into the small bag he had brought with him.

Now he had the task of getting out of the library. He went to the door and peaked out. All was quiet. He slipped out and went quietly back down the stairs. He peeked around the corner. He could see the slightly open window. He was amazed that he had been able to slide through the small space and needed to do it again one more time. He made his was to the window just in time as the guard had made a pass and went up the stairs. At the same time, the guard outside was about to be near the window. He had to get outside before the guard that had gone upstairs came back down again. His heart was racing again. The guard outside had barely passed when he could hear the other coming back down the steps. He thought to himself, "It's now or never." He slid quickly out the window.

Jacob made a thud on the ground and the guard outside heard it. He was up on his feet and running away before the guard turned around. The guard saw him! "Hey you! You stop right there!" The guard gave chase.

Jacob was not as familiar with this city so he just ran as quickly as he could to where he left the horse. Fortunately, he was able to run faster than the guard and was able to mount the horse and gallop away before the guard got there breathlessly. Other guards had also given chase, but they had all lost sight of him. Upon further investigation, they discovered a book had been stolen from the forbidden section. The new papers printed the report of the library break in the next day and word began traveling throughout the kingdom, but no one knew who had done it. It had been too dark for the guard to give an accurate discription. However, their was a large monitary reward offered for any information leading to the Perpertrator's capture.

Jacob had ridden hard all day and knew he would have to give his horse a rest soon. He would also need to take some time to eat. He stopped at a pasture by a stream. This would give him a chance to get fresh water too and the horse could eat some grass. He would check in at the next town he passed to see if there was any news on the previous day's events.

After taking a good rest, Jacob got up when the sun came up to continue his journey back home to Havensville to let his dad know what had transpired. He traveled about 3 hours before he came upon the next town. He stopped there to see if he could hear the latest news and a loaf of bread for the ride home.

Jacob found out the news had traveled fast. It had already made it into the papers. He knew someone had to have ridden hard all night to beet him to this town with the news. It made him wonder if he would make it home before the news got to Havensville. He knew he would have to stop to rest along the way.

He only stayed in the town long enough to hear what he needed and to get his bread. He decided he would not try to travel faster than the news. He would not push his horse or himself more than necessary at this point. He traveled normal speed the rest of the way home.

Six days after the library incident he had made it back to his and Harold's tent in time for dinner. Harold said, "Hello, son! I am glad you are back safe. Did you find out what you wanted to find out?"

"I sure did. What's the latest news?" Jacob asked

Well, they say someone was in Townsend last week and broke into the library and took some forbidden material. Two guards have been put to death so far and a reward has been offered for information about who did it. You wouldn't know anything about this would you?"

"You wouldn't think I could do something like that?" He said jokingly.

By the look on his face and the that response, Harold knew he was right. "No, couldn't have been you. You were on an errand for me. Did you take care of the errand you went to accomplish?"

"Yes, I did, Dad. I met a nice lady who says she helped you with a bundle one day. She told me all about it"

"I'm glad you took care of what I sent you to take care of."

They were talking in code sort of just in case someone was close by and could hear them, especially since there had been a reward offered leading to the capture of the one who had broken into the library. Harold had been preparing dinner while they were talking. There was some stale bread and some cow's milk. Jacob was so hungry by this time, he scarfed it down hardly without tasting it. After he had eaten, he bagan to speak again. "Dad, I think I need to work some and make a plan. I think I may need to get some friends involved in finding my true purpose in life. I need to get a little healthier and gain some strength. There is a lot expected of a young man such as myself and I need to be in the propper shape and have the right tools to accomplish all that I need to accomplish."

Harold considered it carefully, "I think you may be right. Are you going to try to find a job and earn some money to start out with?"

"I think I should. Don't you?"

"That would probably be wise son. Don't go rushing in to fast before you are ready. That is a good idea."

"Thanks dad, I will begin looking tomorrow for work."

No more was said as they cleaned up after themselves and went to bed. The next morning Jacob began looking for work.

Jacob just started walking around town to see what he could find. Toward the end of the day, just before he was about to give up, he noticed there was a group of lumberjacks coming back from the woods. He decided he would ask them about a job. The boss was hesitant at first because of his lean figure. He wasn't sure he was going to be strong enough to cut the wood, but he decided to give him a chance anyway. Jacob thought this would be great because it would give him a chance to build up some of his muscles.

The next morning, Jacob rose early so he could be at work on time. He was there almost before anyone else. As the other lumberjacks saw him, some of them made fun of him, but Jacob was determined to do the work. He struggled at first, but each day he got a little stronger. He was no stranger to pain, so he was resiliant in the fact that he could still work even when he was sore. He even worked when he had blisters on his hands. Because of this, after a while, the other lumberjacks began to be impressed by his determination and stopped making fun of him.

Day after day, he worked as a lumberjack for almost 2 years, getting stronger and saving money. The incident with the library finally died down and was soon forgotten about. More guards were placed at the library and more security had been put in place.

Jacob studied the information that he had during his spare time and when he could study it properly. Once he was confident that he had saved enough money to go on his journey, he wondered how he could train himself to fight. The more people that knew about his mission, the more dangerous it would become. He decided to go back to the prophet for advice. He made a point to arange for a day that he could go visit him.

Once Jacob got to the prophet's house, the prophet didn't recognize him until he explained why he was there. The prophet said, "Oh, yes! I remember you now. You have definitely put some meat on your bones and filled out a bit more over the last couple of years."