The Calendar Year 1114
[Village of Savoda, Southeast of Santoria Kingdom]
{Friday, 12th March}
"Nozna!, Oi hey Nozna, wake up will ya!"
A young boy dressed in brown ragged clothes laid sprawled over a narrow bed, his limp arms were dangling off the edges.
BANG!
The door to his room swung open, the door frame shook from the violent force. A human figure resembling a wild bear stood at the door, his face an illustration of anger. He had peach white skin that unexpectedly complemented his short bushy soil-brown hair. A swamp of facial hair and round cheeks added to his handsomeness. Draped over his broad frame was a dark woolen jacket. Beneath it, he wore a faded olive tunic. His trousers were nothing exciting either, wrinkled and worn at the knees.
"NOZNA! Wake up! The sun's already up, we don't have time to waste."
The young boy suddenly snapped awake, the confusion visible on his sleepy face.
"Ugh…"
"Hmph, who told ya to stay up late in th' tavern yestnight!" the man at the door scoffed.
The young boy collapsed back onto his bed with a loud thud.
"Boy, if you don't get your ass up, I'll drag you out of bed myself."
This immediate threat forced the young boy wide awake, as if he was never sleeping. A cloud of frustration welled up within him. Just a few more minutes would've been fine.
He sat up slowly.
"Now that's more like it, I've filled your bowl. Wash yourself and get to the kitchen." The bear-like figure grinned as he walked away.
The young boy stared around his room with a frown, before pushing the shutters of his windows open. With an annoying creak, the planks pivoted outwards on their hinges, followed by warm sunlight flooding into the room. The room was small. Its walls consisted of vertical wooden planks hammered together. On the wall opposite the window sat a clothes hanger and a cupboard, both crafted from lumber. The bed too, was made out of wood.
Next to the bed sat a small wooden table, on top rested a small bowl filled with clear water reflecting the intense light from the sun. The young boy washed his face, using his hands to scoop the water. After a few splashes, he remained still as his eyes gazed at the water.
An innocent face was reflected on the surface of the water: A pair of sapphire blue eyes lay beneath two thick dark brown eyebrows. The handsome face bore a sharp jawline with high cheekbones, the short and messy hair was a shade of natural blondeness.
Nozna Aurelin.
The only thing betraying the perfect beautiful face was his dark eye bags that sat beneath his tired eyes. Even with lack o' sleep I'm still handsome… Nozna admired whilst water was still dripping from his face.
"Nozna!" a voice shouted from the kitchen.
Hmph, I was born to be a prince not a lumberjack!
Nozna stood up quickly and opened his cabinet, retrieving two thick wooden cups both covered with a lid. From the first cup, he carefully picked two oval-shaped leaves, with its edges curling upwards: Sage leaves.
From the second cup he picked out another oval-shaped leaf, but this time its edges produced jagged points like a saw: a mint leaf.
He then threw the mixture into his mouth and began chewing, the heavy crunches gradually fading as the leaves became finer, eventually melting into a slurry-like paste. An icy breeze of freshness followed by a bitter, earthly taste both intertwined within his mouth.
This was the most simple way for poor villagers like Nozna to keep their teeth and mouths clean and healthy daily. Slightly wealthier people may opt for the addition of crushed-cloves, whilst the rich would prefer to rinse their mouth with water and a bit of wine. To people living in villages, they could only afford sages and mints, cloves were too expensive and wine was simply a luxury.
Disgusting as usual. He rinsed his mouth with water and spat the remaining congestion inside his mouth into the bowl. In one fellow swoop, he dumped the contents of the bowl outside his window.
Nozna slowly stepped outside of his room, his feet were covered with white woolen socks, the fabric warm against the cool wooden planks. The space he was in now was thrice the size of his own room, boasting 3 windows and a fireplace. Flames danced on top of chopped lumber, enveloping the large space with a burnt but gentle aroma accompanied with a touch of heat. Four thick and sturdy wooden beams, twice the height of Nozna, held the weight of the roof overhead. The room scattered multiple desks, one heaped with books and paper, and the rest were cluttered with whetstones, sharp tools and strips of leather. At the far end stood a doorless arch which led directly into a kitchen. Next to Nozna's room was another identical room, his father's.
Not everyone in Savoda village had such large houses like Nozna, the most common houses actually had the kitchen and the fireplace merged, leaving only enough space for 1 more private room. For larger families, additional beds had to be added to the kitchen. Such was life in rural villages. However, lumberjacks usually had the privilege of owning a large hut, with the only downsides of it being on the outskirts of the village to be in close proximity with the forest.
Nozna made his way into the kitchen where the huge figure from earlier sat on a small table that hugged the wall.
This was his father, Jack Aurelin.
"Let's eat".
Nozna locked his eyes onto a piece of rye bread on the table before quickly grabbing it and taking a huge bite. An immediate sour tang further complemented with the faint sweetness of grain took place inside Nozna's mouth. A simple taste yet very filling.
"Why'd you stay so late at th' tavern yestnight?" Jack eyed Nozna with suspicion. "I didn't even know when you got home."
"Grant showed us a new table game and we spent the whole evening playing."
"How much did ya lose?" Jack raised his eyebrows.
"We didn't gamble da", Nozna took another bite before frowning. "Wait, what d'ye mean lose. I always win more than I lose!"
Jack chuckled, "Heh, whatever you say, we've got to be off soon," He sighed, "Long day of work ahead of us."
Nozna gave a slight nod before popping the last piece of bread into his mouth. At the same time, his father rose and stretched. "The suns fully up, must be 'round midday"
Jack circled back into the fireplace room before approaching an axe hanging on the wall.
The broad iron blade plastered with shallow nicks was securely fitted onto its sturdy oak handle. Additional iron wedges were hammered into the blade and handle to ensure the blade's stability under heavy swings.
He gave the blade's sharp edge a feel before giving a small grunt of approval. Reaching for a second axe, he repeated the motion with his calloused thumb before grabbing them both off the wall.
Slinging one over his shoulder, he gave the other one to Nozna who had already appeared behind him. Nozna's fingers curled around the worn handle, exuding a sense of familiarity. He then grabbed a leather satchel filled with a flask of water and 3 rye breads wrapped in a rough cloth.
"Put on your boots and let's get going."
Nozna opened the front door, the familiar croaking creaks filling the quiet air of the still hut.
He stepped outside, his leather boots softly tapping on the dry ground. A soft blanket of warm sunlight brushed against his dry skin, only to be chased away by a sudden cool breeze of early spring. The heavy smell of earth and trees mingled in his nose. He was greeted with a thick forest a few paces in front of him, the dense shadows of the trees stretching endlessly into the distance.
The morning was tranquil, broken only by the harmonious chirping of birds and the rustle of swaying leaves.
His wooden hut was surrounded by a short weathered fence, in one corner lay a huge wooden cart with two wheels and a handle large. Its front was large enough to fit half a cord of wood. On the other corner stood a small wooden shed with a pointed roof.
Having been holding it in since morning, he quickly went into the shed to relieve himself, filling up the wooden bucket.
Emerging from the shed, his gaze drifted eastward. Towering over the landscape was the Prodsign mountain range, its unseen peaks stood like giants in the far distance, lost in the endless blue canvas of the cloudless sky.
Nearby, his father was occupied with preparations. Jack threw a bundle of coiled rope onto the wooden cart, before tossing Nozna a leather jacket and putting one on himself. "Here," Jack grunted, signifying Nozna to wear it. Strapped on his waist beneath his jacket was a leather belt, where a small hammer and a knife hung.
Nozna followed his father after wearing his jacket. The cool breeze no longer bothered him.
He began to walk behind his father who was pushing the wooden cart, their boots crunching against the dirt path that led to the forest whilst the wheels of the cart rumbled against the rough ground.
Nozna snatched a quick glance behind him, staring at the dirt pathway that led towards the river Savole, and eventually the centre of the Savoda village.
As they approached the forest, the swarm of breezes seemed to stop, being obstructed by the dense array of tall trees. Most trees stood at twice the height of Nozna, some even higher. The further they ventured in, the more complicated the forest became.
Nozna didn't even dare look towards his right: the south of the forest.
Dense webs of branches and vines interlocking like fingers laid everywhere in random patterns. Gnarled roots of old trees protruding from the uneven ground tangled with moss-covered trunks and decaying leaves, however, there was still a small path carved in front of them. Within a short while, the pair arrived at an unnatural area. They were in the northern expanses of the forest.
The forest opened into a brief clearing where fresh tree stumps stood like broken teeth amid the ocean of leaves. Scattered on the ground were several branches and cleanly shaved wood.
"Let's get going, we've got at most a couple hours." His father rested the cart before unslinging his axe.
"Alright."
Nozna made his way to the far end of the clearing, where another wide path led into the dark depths of the forest. A series of loud thumps reverberated through the thick forest, followed by heavy grunts from his father swinging his axe.
Nozna continued into the wide path before entering another clearing, almost identical to the one his father was working on. He continued further north, his feet crunching on the fallen leaves and twigs, before stopping at the third clearing. The thumping grew distant, instead the sounds of other animals can be heard. The chirping of birds, the soft rustling of branches and leaves, and heavy grunting echoing from further north.
He was almost in hunting territory.
There were about ten clearing in this forest all from the work of the father and son duo over the past decade. By spacing out their lumberjacking, it ensured that the forest would be able to slowly regrow faster. It was an impressive feat for just a father and son duo, as other villages usually had groups of lumberjacks.
Approaching a tree slightly wider than himself, Nozna planted his feet firmly on the ground. The sharp blade struck the trunk at a sharp forty-five degrees angle as Nozna swung with full strength from above. He then repeated the motion, now swinging from below instead. The axe felt light in his grip. With the back of his axe, he broke off the loose wood, forming a V-shaped groove.
He repeated this motion around fifty times, widening the groove until it was over half of the tree length. He proceeded to axe the other side of the tree in a similar fashion. The tree groaned under the merciless onslaught of swings. Eventually, the tree could not hold on, generating a trembling crackle, it began to fall. The tree hit the ground with a thunderous thud as branches snapped and leaves scattered everywhere. Nozna instinctively stepped back, shielding his face as dust and debris flew everywhere. He stood still for a moment, breathing heavily. The earthly scent of soil and tree sap filled his lungs as beads of sweat trickled down his face, stinging his eyes and kissing his dry lips.
Nozna dragged the log towards the first clearing, the rhythmic sound of his father's axe striking the trees grew louder. His father was already onto the second tree.
"Help me clean up the trees." his father grunted in between the swings.
Nozna swung his axe downwards, snapping the branches off the felled trees one by one. He then trimmed the tip of the tree, removing any leaves and larger branches. When he finished, a neat log lay in front of him. He did the same with the second log as his father hauled another felled tree towards him.
"Nice work son," his father grunted, wiping sweat from his brows.
The father and son both continued their lumberjacking, felling and trimming 6 more trees before the sun began its descent.
"Let's clean these and tie them to the cart, we'll bring some back today".
Nozna threw his knife onto the floor before kneeling down with a tired sigh. "Wait," his father interrupted. "Eat first."
He tossed a loaf of rye bread to Nozna who caught it with ease. Upon catching the rich and grounded whiff of the bread, he stomach began to wail. The hunger that he had been ignoring now surfaced with full force.
Jack and Nozna wasted no time eating, their fatigue was slowly replenishing.
Upon finishing their meal, they began to strip the trees off its bark by scoring the trees with the axes and then scraping off the bark through their knives. The sky grew into a dull shade as countless shadows began to darken. The sounds of scraping and laboured pants emanated across the clearing. The chirping of birds present all noon was now silent. His father then proceeded to cut each log into thirds before loading half of them onto the cart.
The two made their way back through the forest path before emerging in front of their cabin. Jack unloaded the cart with practiced ease before instructing Nozna to pick up the rest of the logs. "We'll keep this half for ourselves and sell the other half, try to be quick, the market's gotta be closing soon"
Nozna gave a quick nod, as if already knowing all of this. Holding the cart, he hastily returned into the forest, the rustling of the wheels against the thick and tangled ground emanated through the tranquil forest.
Arriving at the clearing, he loaded the cart with the remaining wood from today's harvest and began to steer the cart back to his cabin before catching something out of the corner of his sight.
Nozna froze.
Emerging from the thick cascade of the forest were two figures, shrouded in a dark-maroon robe. What alarmed Nozna was that they did not make any noise! Their footsteps were completely silent.
"Don't be alarmed," a deep voice called from the figure in front, his voice carried a thick unfamiliar accent. "We're travelers from the south, is there a settlement nearby?"
Nozna, with one hand on the tilt of his knife, tensed up. After a long moment of consideration, he relaxed slightly. "Yes. just follow me."
"Thank you," the man nodded.