The Legend of Hanolay, Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hanolay was in his house before the third bell rang, searching for his father. Looking in all of the usual spots, the front room, the kitchen, and the bedroom, he finally found his father in his study, scribbling furiously on a piece of parchment. Hanolay stood at the doorway for a few moments waiting for his father to realize that he had entered, but his father gave no indication of such. Impatience taking over Hanolays body, he pounded on the door and watched his father jump from his work, and in the process, knock over a cup of tea that was sitting on the edge of his desk.

“Hanolay! Can’t you see I’m busy? I have a report to finish!” his father growled, as he tried to dry his soaking wet pants.

“I’m sorry father, but the Warmongers are here!” Hanolay exclaimed, a joyous smile slowly stretching across his face.

His father paused, then an indiscernible look flashed upon his face before he stood up and stared at his son. Hanolay wasn’t quite sure what to think; he had never seen his father look at him this way before. It seemed as if his father was looking at him with a mix of sadness, understanding, and pride all jumbled together into one expression. Lakhil continued to wear that expression for many moments more while Hanolay still stood at the doorway, awkwardly playing with the ring, that bared his family crest, on his finger. Finally, his father threw away that expression and replaced it with a smile.

“Alright son, here’s what you must do before they arrive.” his father said in all seriousness, “First, you must pack. In the front room is my leather bag. Get it and take everything out. Then take it back to your room and start packing. Make sure you pack light though, because you don’t’ want to be burdened by the weight of your pack while you journey to the Warmonger citadel. Sometimes the road there can prove difficult, and believe me, you’ll want as little as possible to carry. Also, pack only one spare set of clothing; they will provide you with tunics once you arrive at the citadel.” His father paused and thought for a moment, “Pack your knife, a small supply of jerky and a canteen of water. They don’t always provide you with too much food on your way there, but do not share it with anyone. If your escorts find out that you have extra food with you they’ll take it. Once you’ve packed all of that return to the front room, I have something I need to give you,” he added.

Hanolay paused at that last remark, curious as to what his father was planning but he bounded off only a heartbeat later. He went to the front room and grabbed his fathers pack, emptied it on the table where it sat and went back to his room. He searched through his drawers for his best clothes, but as he started to put them in his pack he paused. Did he really want to take his best clothes with him? If he would be changing into these while he traveled then not only would they get ruined, but they would also be impractical because they provided little warmth and stability. So instead, he grabbed his working clothes and threw them in to his bag.

Next, he traveled to the kitchen where he found his canteen. He filled it with water from a bucket sitting by the kitchen counter, taking extra care to fill it to he brim. Then he searched the kitchen for jerky. That task alone took him five minutes because he knew where he had left his jerky but it wasn’t there! (His mother had an annoying habit of moving things to different places minutes after he set the item down). An impatient Hanolay finally found the jerky in the upper right cupboard, which was technically where it belonged, but regardless, Hanolay was still annoyed that it had been moved. He wrapped the jerky in a thin piece of leather and slid it in to his bag. Then he made his way to the front room, along the way checking his pocket for his knife, and was happy to feel its familiar shape in his pocket.

When he reached the front room, he found his father already there along with his mother. Sitting on his fathers lap was a small box. Before Hanolay could try to image what the contents of that box were, his father began to speak to him.

“Did you get everything I told you?” his father asked.

“Yeah.” Hanolay replied

“Are you sure?” his father replied, unconvinced, “You can’t afford to leave any of it behind; list it off for me, for my own peace of mind.”

Hanolay shifted his weight impatiently, “I have the knife, I got the jerky from the cupboard, a canteen full of water, and one spare set of work clothes.”

His father smiled, “Very good, son. Now there is just one more thing you need.” Lakhil tossed his son the box; Hanolay caught it and pulled out a jet black ring, which conveniently matched his hair, with a silver bird imprinted on the outside. “This ring was created by your great grandfather, a very powerful mage. When his son, my father, was to be sent off to the Warmonger’s, your great grandfather gave him this ring. And my father, and his father before him, have given it to their sons and so I am now giving it to you. Take care of it, for this ring has many magical enchantments placed upon it. I will not tell you what the enchantments are however, I think it will be better suited if you figure them out on your own. Just know that if you are in a dire situation, this ring could save your life. Never take it off, because you‘ll never know when you might need it.”

After that, an awkward silence fell over the room. No one seemed to know what to say. At the same time they all wanted to talk carelessly, in a way that would make them forget what day it was, but at the same time, all Hanolay’s family wanted to do was hug and cry. Before anyone could do anything though, however, three heavy thuds resonated from the door.


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