Wife, Mother, Reluctant Hero: Part One

Allius Vatcher, the high king of the combined kingdoms of the continent of Therion, rode the lift in silence. The magitech made the gears softly turn, making him feel as if he were in a titanic clock. The thought made him smile, despite how much he knew his world was about to change.

Time. It was all about time.

Three generations.

His watch.

A slight ding. The doors of the lift slid open. Before him the grand meeting hall of his most trusted advisors spread out, the great circular table already filled, waiting for his arrival.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, marching into the room, his robes flying behind him. “Let us get this meeting started. I believe I do not have to beat around the bush. The Sickening arrives.”

“Allius, I know how much of a fan you are of the legend of the Hero's Blade and the Vile Sickening…” one of his advisors said, adjusting his glasses nervously.

“All young people in the kingdoms are at one point,” Allius said, a slight smile gracing his lips. “Even those destined to be king dream of holding the Blade of the Hero’s Light.”

“Then why should we believe the Sickening is here again? It has only been three generations since the last emergence of the Hero. It could be five, possibly even six…” an older woman started to say.

“Brigot, the statistics, please,” Allius said.

A young woman with wide glasses and two thick braids stood quickly, holding a stack of papers.

“Murders are up 22%. Robberies 57%. Sexual assault, 38%. Then there are the day to day interactions. We have conducted polls hidden in general surveys across the kingdom. There is an overwhelming feeling of the people becoming angrier, more frightened, more distant, more hopeless.”

“We did recently end a war,” the older woman said.

“Don’t blame the military for this,” a gruff man with a scraggly beard said. “We all know post-war fatigue. This isn’t it. This is taking advantage of it.”

“Riktar is right,” Allius said. “These are all early signs of the Sickening. We know what comes next. Monsters. Demons. A central figure rising, possessed by the spirit of Vigon, the Lord of Madness. But also…the coming of the Hero’s Blade. The choosing of the Master of Light. The birth of the Hero.”

The older woman sighed deeply. “I was hoping to die before this ridiculous cycle happened again…”

“Not me. I can’t wait to meet the little guy who finds the sword,” Riktar said, a manic glint in his eyes.

“It could be a girl. Of the seven known Heroes since the cycle started, two have been female,” Brigot said.

“Gods above, I know the stats,” Riktar moaned into his hands. “Why do you always make me sound like a sexist?”

“I do not think you are a sexist.”

“I know the hero could be a girl!”

“I know you know.”

“And stop staring at me! Learn to blink!”

“Now you’re being childish.”

“And you’re being…”

“It could be anyone,” Allius said loudly, breaking the argument. “I do not want us to be delayed in training them. We know the Hero often comes from humble beginnings. We need to identify them as quickly as possible. From this point forward, I want all official eyes of the kingdom to be on the lookout. Do not release it to the public, though.”

“Why?” Riktar asked.

“I want the choosing to happen naturally. This shouldn’t become a contest. This is a holy rite. The sword must choose on its own a person who is kind, virtuous, patient and wise. Somewhere out there is such a person. The Hero in waiting, and they have no idea…”

*

“Hunter! I could use some help in the kitchen! Violet wanted to assist in baking!”

Samara stood in the kitchen of the Willingham’s modest home, the magitech oven humming softly as an apple pie baked in its warm glow, her apron covered in flour and dough goo.

“I thought I did a brilliant job for a princess,” five year old Violet said, wiping some mess from under her eye, her makeshift princess dress and tiara still somehow immaculate.

“Oh yes, utterly brilliant performance, my little creative whirlwind. I’m sure your father and siblings will love your mini pie with red pepper and licorice,” Samara said cheerfully, wiping her daughter’s face.

“Okay mom, what’s all the…whoa. Didn’t we agree to leash Violet so things like this wouldn’t happen anymore?” sixteen year old Hunter asked as he entered the kitchen. His tall frame seemed to tower over both his mother and sister as he surveyed the mess before him.

“You cannot leash Princess Violet of the Pie Kingdom!” Violet said, proudly standing on her chair.

“Pie?” Hunter looked to his mother. “Edible?”

She shook her head vigorously.

“Ah. Okay. Well, I’ll take the little princess here outside and hose her off. Come along, you little disaster.”

He gently grabbed her hand and led her through the back door and out to where the other girls were. Nine year old Daisy was the first to look up, two squirrels hanging from her pigtails as a bright red bird perched on her head.

“Wowie! Vi looks like she beat the hell out of a pie!” Daisy said.

“I added a secret ingredient!” Violet whispered to her sister.

“Was it love?” Daisy asked.

“More like fear. Your squirrel’s leg feeling better, Daze?” Hunter asked.

“Scampering away like a good little critter! He...oh, shoot! Where is he? Please don’t be in my pants again, little guy…”

“Yeah, this is a normal reaction,” Hunter said, suppressing a grin. He made his way across the lawn to where his twelve year old sister Lily was painting his fifteen year old sister Rose as she practiced her strike ball moves. Rose leapt as the magical floating balls shot towards her, punching them into the goal with practiced, confident strikes.

“Good technique,” Hunter said.

“Me or her?” Lily asked as Hunter drew water from the nearby well with the magitech hose.

“Yup. Hold still, Vi. You’re sticky and gross.”

“She’s always sticky and gross,” Rose said, wiping sweat from her brow.

“Look who’s talking,” Hunter smirked.

“Who is talking is the captain of the champion girls strike ball team three years in a row,” Rose said, wiping some batter off Violet as Hunter scrubbed her face. “You, meanwhile, stay glued to the training dummy you built.”

“You wait and see. My training dummy is going to get me ready. One day, I’ll take the entrance exam and become a real knight. I’ve had enough practice policing you four creatures.”

“Yeah, sure, and I bet you’ll be like the legendary Hero and save the world, right?” Rose asked.

“You never know…” Hunter said, his eyes gaining the spark they always did when talking about the Hero.

Samara watched her children, smiling, happy with her simple life. Her husband would be home soon from the magitech power generation plant, full of the quiet, ridiculous charm she fell in love with. Her children were each stars in their own ways. The story spinning princess, the animal charmer, the dreaming artist, the sports goddess, and the faithful knight.

It was the knight she worried about most.

I would do anything, her heart cried out. To help her children find their place in the world, she would split the heavens themselves.

But a simple homemaker would never have to.

Merely two days later, her simple life would end.