A large swath of rocky, mountainous, and arid land extends south of a continent, past a great red mountain range. To the west, deep dry valleys and great sandstone cliffs dominate the landscapes, and to the east, desert extends as far as the eye can see. Rivers are few yet vital.
A young man, wearing light, breathable clothing covering his entire body, including his face, was walking alongside one of these life-giving rivers in the mountainous West. He carried a sheathed sword on his right hip and a satchel filled with supplies on his left.
Despite the beating sun and sweltering heat, he showed no indication that it was taking any toll on him, except for the occasional sip of his waterskin.
The next few hours continued the same way: he walked along the river, stopping once to refill his water skimmer and eat some dried rations.
With the sun setting, he decided it would be best to look for a place to set up camp. Somewhere away from the river.
The reason for wanting to set up camp away from the river is that with it being the only reliable source of water for miles around, animals and people flock to it. And while he was more than sure of his sword skills, he'd rather not take any chances.
After gathering anything that could be used for kindling and sustaining a fire, since the desert is blazing hot in the day but becomes freezing at night, he found a small cave in the mountainside that he decided to use as his resting place. And not a moment too soon, as the sun had fully set and darkness had consumed the desert.
With the fire started he decided to remove his headwear, revealing a rather handsome face with fair skin that looked like it had not seen the sun in ages, dark shoulder-length hair, and dark blue eyes.
He sighed in relief after removing the headwear, finally being able to breathe unimpeded.
"Still a long way to go." he mumbled in coarse language, sounding harsh and clanging.
As for his destination, he was traveling away from his family in hopes of finding work as a sellsword for he was not suited to the peasant life his family lived and dreamed of one day rising above his station.
After eating some rations, he exited the cave to urinate away from his resting site. As he urinated, he kept vigilant with one hand on his sword.
As he finished urinating, he looked up into the sky and saw a sight he would never forget for the rest of his life; a multicolored streaking light falling across the sky towards the south.
Mouth agape in wonder, his eyes followed the light until it disappeared over a ridge before he felt the ground tremble closely followed by a thunderous sound.
"Heavens." he said, realizing that whatever streaked across the sky had made landfall not far from his location.
Realizing that whatever the object may be could be his ticket to rising above his station much faster than he could have anticipated, he ran to the cave to get his satchel before sprinting toward where the light made landfall.
As he sprinted along the river, his imagination began to soar at the possibilities that awaited him. He imagined it was a sign from the Gods that he was their chosen, a weapon of unimaginable power, or something beyond his wildest dreams.
Whatever it was, he felt it would change his life forever.
After a few minutes of sprinting, he reached the area of the river where it opened up into a large shallow lake with a forested island in the middle.
Thanks to the moonlight, he could see some rising smoke coming from the island, leading him to believe that whatever the falling object was landed on the island.
Filled with anticipation, he didn't hesitate for a second, wading into the lake before swimming to the island. Though the water was cold and the temperature was dropping, his adrenaline-filled body kept him warm as he reached the island and made his way to the center.
As he reached the center, he could see that whatever had fallen had created a crater he would have to climb up on before being able to see the object. And thanks to the fire that was created from said object, the darkness had been alleviated a little, allowing him to see much clearer.
Taking in a deep breath, he started to climb up the crater. His heart started beating faster and faster until all he could hear was the sound of his own heart beating against his chest as he crested over the ridge and laid eyes on the fallen object.
And what he saw left him beyond speechless.
In the crater surrounded by small fires and earthen debris, casually sat a man with clothes in a style he had never seen before with some object emitting smoke in his mouth. Not only were the clothes/robes in a style that he had never seen before, but the man did not look like any man he had seen before.
While looking over the unknown man, they made eye contact, surprising the young man.
"gnvajpoghqon gbnoqi gpoqong[1]?" said the unknown man, speaking a tongue that was unrecognizable to him.
"Who - what are you?" he asked even though he did not know if the man understood the Common Tongue.[2]
"glarpa fiba." said the man before snapping his fingers.
"Can you understand me now?" he said with a more perfect pronunciation than anyone the young man had ever spoken to.
"I-I can understand you." said the young man after a few seconds of being baffled.
"Good." he said as he stood up in the crater and started to stretch, "Sorry about that. Hadn't needed to have Allspeak until now."
"All Speak?" said the young man, confused.
"Don't worry about it." he said with a smile before flicking the smoking object onto the ground and stomping on it.
"Who are you and why did you come from the sky?" the young man asked the question that had been at the forefront of his mind.
"Who am I, hmm..." said the man rubbing his chin in contemplation for a few seconds before looking back at the young man, "Just call me Arthur."
"As for why I came from the sky, let's just say I wandered here." said Arthur, "I seem to have introduced myself yet I find myself not knowing to whom I am speaking to. Rather manerless don't you think?"
"Galahad." said the young man.
"Come again?" said Arthur, not believing what he just heard.
"My name is Galahad." said Galahad.
"Well, I'll be damned." said Arthur with a smile back on his face.
"Are you a god or some heaven-sent being?" asked Galahad.
"No, no, nothing like that. I'm just a regular person who happened to fall from the sky." said Arthur, waving his hand in refusal.
"No regular person can fall from the sky like that and survive." countered Galahad.
"Bah, come on, let's stop dwelling on the past." said Arthur as he walked up the crater toward Galahad who warily put his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Calm down, kid. I'm unarmed, there's no need to be wary." said Arthur as he raised his hands to show he was unarmed.
Even hearing that, Galahad did not let go of the hilt of his sword, though he did not know if it would make any difference against a man who had fallen from the sky and lived without a single scratch on him.
"Fine." said Arthur, lowering his arms, "So, I'm guessing you saw the light trailing across the sky and followed it in hopes of finding some mystical rock or item that would let you rise above your station and fulfill your wildest dreams."
"And if I did?" asked Galahad with an eyebrow raised quizzically.
"Not going to fault a guy for trying to better his position. At worst you would've wasted a couple of hours, at best you would've found something special." said Arthur shrugging his shoulders.
"Which scenario do you believe this is? The best one or the worst one?" asked Galahad with a small smile.
"Better than you could have imagined." said Arthur, "At least that's my opinion."
"Hmm." said Galahad before letting go of the hilt.
"Good, now that that's out of the way, I'm starving. Let's go find something to cook." said Arthur, patting his stomach as he walked away from the crater and out into the forest.
Galahad warily eyed the mysterious Arthur for a few seconds before following after him.
"So, do you know how to use that sword or is it just for decoration?" asked Arthur as he picked up a few stones from the ground.
"I can use it. I was defeating grown adults who had many more times my experience when I was half their age. I've only gotten better since then." said Galahad with pride evident in his voice.
"Impressive. So, is that why you were on a journey? To keep testing your skills and bettering yourself? Or were you hoping to get rich with your sword skills? Or both?" asked Arthur before throwing a stone out into the forest followed by the death cry of an animal.
"H-how'd you do that?" asked Galahad, completely taken aback that he was able to kill an animal without it being visible and with a simple flick of a rock.
"You didn't answer my question." he said as they walked in the direction of where he threw the stone before coming upon a big, fat, rabbit, "Dinner is served."
"I have a dagger." said Galahad, about to get his dagger from his satchel.
"No need." said Arthur, as he quickly and easily skinned the rabbit, once again leaving Galahad stunned.
"Are you going to answer my question?" asked Arthur, continuing his trek through the forest.
"B-both." said Galahad, snapping himself out of his stunned state before quickly catching up with Arthur.
"Liar."
"What? I'm not lying. Why do you think I'm lying?" replied Galahad.
"I asked earlier if you thought the streaking light across the sky would lead you to something that would help you rise above your station. You said yes. So, it can't be both." said Arthur, once more throwing a stone into the foliage and killing another rabbit.
"It can still be both. I can want to rise above my station and want to better my sword skills." countered Galahad.
"You can, but you were proud of your sword skills. Which means you thought you were already the best or at least good enough." said Arthur as he once more picked up and skinned another rabbit.
"Someone who strives to constantly better themselves is never happy with where they are. They think they can always be better." he continued as he picked up a twig and slashed it toward the tree line before looking into Galahad's eyes, "There is no limit to technique. There is always room for improvement."
As Arthur finished talking, the sound of dozens of creaking trees resounded throughout the forest followed by a large swath of trees falling and crashing into the ground, creating a sight that left Galahad's mouth agape and mind completely blank.
"Come on, let's eat." said Arthur, slapping Galahad on the back as he passed him by.
~
Back at the crater, Arthur had skewered the two rabbits and was cooking them using one of the fires that had not gone out yet while Galahad had blankly followed behind him and was still out of it.
If Galahad believed that Arthur was not ordinary before, he definitely knew that he wasn't ordinary after that display.
"Here." said Arthur, holding out a perfectly cooked rabbit to Galahad, who dazedly grabbed the rabbit.
"Thanks." he mumbled as he bit the rabbit.
With that first bite, he fully snapped out of his stunned state. The rabbit was the best thing he had ever eaten. The meat was juicy and perfectly cooked, while the flavor was not too strong, but just right. It was so good, he voraciously ate the whole thing without leaving a single scrap of meat on the bones.
"Glad you liked it." said Arthur, amused at his reaction as he slowly ate the rabbit.
"It was the best thing I've ever had." said Galahad.
"Well I don't know about that, but thanks for the praise." said Arthur, silence falling between the two for a minute.
"So ... you're not normal, are you?" said Galahad finally, now that his mental faculties were back to normal.
"No." replied Arthur.
"What really are you?" he asked.
"A wandering swordsman." said Arthur taking another bite of his rabbit, thoroughly chewing it and swallowing it before continuing, "I was wandering in an area far from here when I may have accidentally/on purpose wandered into a certain lord of blood's domain[3]. One thing led to another and I killed them which led to me being launched with such force that it led me here."
"Y-you're a swordsman? Is everyone as strong as you? Do I know nothing about the world?" asked Galahad, wondering if his entire worldview was wrong.
"Hahaha! You think you're a frog at the bottom of the well?" said Arthur while laughing.
"What does that mean?" asked Galahad, unfamiliar with the saying.
"A frog who lives in the bottom of a well can only see a piece of the sky as big as the mouth of the well, it has no idea of the vastness of the sky." explained Arthur.
"So it's about a person who doesn't know how vast the world is?"
"Essentially, but don't worry, you may not know a lot about the world, but you are no frog. There are no others like me in this world. Of that you can be sure." said Arthur with a smile.
"What's your story?" asked Galahad, curious about the inconceivably strong man in front of him.
"I was born, and here I am now." said Arthur, "What's yours?"
"I was born to a family of farmers in a village along the Torrentine river. I hated working the fields and I hated that we were barely able to feed ourselves." said Galahad as he stared into the fire, "I wanted to be free of those shackles, so I started to practice with the sword. I was good. So I started to put all my free time into the sword, asking whoever I could to spar until no one was able to beat me. Then I decided it was time to leave and use my skills to make money. I was on my way to a city when I saw the light."
"And if you got all the money in the world, what would you do then? Become a king, start a mercenary company, own some land, what?" asked Arthur.
"I-I've never thought that far." said Galahad, "But being a king sounds like too much. I'd settle with establishing a house, maybe even raising a castle."
"Houses have surnames. What would yours be?" he asked.
"Dayne. It means valley." said Galahad, as he reminisced, "There was a valley near the village where I would go to train with my sword and I never felt more at peace than when I was in that valley. All my worries slipped away and there was nothing but me and my sword."
"Galahad of House Dayne, First of His Name, King of the Torrentine, Lord of Starfall." said Arthur.
"King of the Torrentine I understand, but Lord of Starfall?" asked Galahad.
"Starfall, the name of your seat once you get to that point. It can be this island." said Arthur, gesturing at the area around them, "In the future, the story will go that you followed a falling star to this island and found a mystical stone from which you forged a sword. Then you raised your status to that of a noble founding House Dayne and you made your seat the very same island where you found the star, thus Starfall."
"But I didn't find a mystical stone, and I don't think I'll be able to do all that in my lifetime." said Galahad.
"Well, you didn't find a star, but you did find me. And truth be told, I like you. We're also connected in a way that you don't understand but I do, so I'll help you out." said Arthur, standing up and dusting himself off.
"H-help me? How?" asked Galahad, excited at the prospect.
"Well, first of all, like this." said Arthur before a greatsword whose blade was as pale as milk glass appeared in his hands.
"H-h-how did you do that?" asked Galahad as he stood up.
"Just consider it a quirk of mine." said Arthur before he raised the blade causing it to catch the moonlight, making it gleam, "This sword is made from the heart of a dying star. It shall forever rank amongst the best swords to ever have been or will be created. It's stronger and sharper than nearly anything today and will rival a certain dynasty's creations in the future. It will not rust or dull, but only a knight whose blood is Dayne and are worthy shall be allowed to wield Dawn, whose wielder shall be henceforth known as the Sword of the Morning."
The moment the sword caught the moonlight, Galahad was mesmerized. The sword was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He was so mesmerized that he didn't even hear what Arthur said about the blade.
"Ahem."
"W-what did you say?" asked Galahad, snapping out of it.
"Haha. I'll tell you later." chuckled Arthur before tossing the blade to Galahad who clumsily caught it before carefully holding it, treating it like a treasure.
"It's beautiful." he whispered as he ran his fingers over the blade, feeling the perfect surface.
"Glad you like it, but in about five seconds, you're not going to be able to wield it anymore." said Arthur.
"What are y- oof!"
Galahad, who was holding up Dawn, was now on the floor along with the sword, which had gotten unbelievably heavy.
"Why can't I lift it?" strainingly asked Galahad, trying with all his might to lift it to no avail.
"Because you are not worthy." said Arthur, who put his hand out, causing Dawn to shoot into his hand, "I said that only those who are worthy shall be allowed to wield Dawn. And you are not yet worthy."
"Yet?" asked Galahad.
"I will train you into the greatest swordsman of your era. Your name will go down in history as the first Sword of the Morning, the creator of Dawn, and the first Dayne." said Arthur, lifting the sword into the air right as the dawn peaked across the horizon, leaving an image that would forever be imprinted in Galahad's mind.
[1] random letters
[2] I say Common Tongue because it's called the Old Tongue in modern times but it can't be called the Old Tongue when it's the predominant language, so I decided that calling the predominant language of the time the Common Tongue seemed more logical.
[3] Was originally going to make it so that he killed R'hllor but decided to do a little Warhammer reference since I was watching Warhammer lore videos