Chapter 2

  The letter

  After spending a majority of the morning worrying about my future, I felt like I had made very little progress at all. The more my mind endlessly circled around the potential problems I might face, my anxiety only increased. I hated this feeling.

  One of my father’s favorite sayings was, a tired body makes a quiet mind, that’s why we work all the time, and I fully intended to follow his advice.

  It was early summer now and the wheat crop had finally ripened to maturity. We typically waited till after the Choosing Day to begin our harvest, but I found, like my father had this morning, sometimes you just had to process your feelings through hard work.

  My scythe cut through the wheat with ease, it’s sharp blade making quick work of the thick, golden rows around me. Sweat beaded across my skin, cooling me as the sun steadily rose overhead.

  I've always had a deft hand with a scythe. There's a simple rhythm to the work, a swift cut, bundling the grain, and stacking the sheaves against one another so they can dry throughout the week. The steady sound of the blade sweeping through stalks is almost musical, a soothing melody that always allowed my mind to drift far beyond the farm.

  Ever since I was old enough to hold a scythe, I always imagined myself as a warrior, cutting down monsters and collecting the loot they leave behind. Sometimes the traders passing through town would tell stories of adventurers braving terrifying creatures, only to be lured back to the wilds time and time again by the promise of glory and riches.

  I can understand why Uncle Lucian wanted to leave the farm and chase a more exciting life. Our family's creed has always been "family first," but what does that really mean? Does it mean I have to follow the path set for me, no questions asked?

  The idea of putting family above all else has always seemed noble, but the more I thought about it, the more I wondered; why would having different goals make me any less a part of this family? Shouldn’t I be able to carve my own path without it being seen as betrayal?

  Maybe I am selfish. Maybe I am immature. But now, standing on the edge of adulthood, I felt like the most adult thing I could do was the act of making my own choices, consequences be damned.

  After working for several hours lost in my own thoughts, I was finally brought back to reality by the sound of my mother’s voice.

  “Sam! It’s almost time, you need to start getting ready.”

  With a final glance at the neatly stacked bushels of wheat, I wiped the sweat from my brow and headed toward the barn. The scent of sun warmed hay and earth filled the air as I hung my scythe back in its place.

  Just as I was about to leave the barn, a loud bray echoed from one of the back stalls as Blue began to make his usual racket. Sighing, I grabbed another handful of grain and walk back toward the donkey to see what the problem might be.

  I couldn’t help but voice my complaints out loud to the stubborn animal, whose head was now hanging out of the stall, looking at me expectantly. “Blue, I don’t have time for this right now. I have to get ready for the ceremony.”

  As expected, his response was a long, drawn out bray, followed by an eager stomp of his hooves at the sight of the grain.

  Blue happily munched away as I scratched the stubborn ass’s head. He is difficult but he’s also unapologetically himself. I supposed there was a lesson in that.

  With his snack finished I gave Blue one final pat before making my way back to the house. Just as I was about to walk away, something caught my eye on the floor of Blue’s stall. Buried under the hay at his feet was a crumpled piece of parchment.

  Hopping over the gate, I gently pushed Blue aside and reached for the papers resting underneath his hooves. Brushing off the dirt I finally got a good look at what it was and my eyes grew wide with realization. It was my uncles letter.

  Just this morning dad had snatched the letter away, refusing to let me read it even though it was addressed specifically to me. But now, here it was. When he brought Blue back to his stall earlier, it must have slipped from his pocket… or maybe Blue pulled it out, hoping to find a hidden treat.

  Regardless of how it ended up here, I finally had a chance to see what advice, if any, my uncle had left for me. My hands trembled as I broke the seal on the letter and begin to read.

  Dearest Nephew,

  It is likely that my beloved younger brother has withheld this letter from you. He, no doubt, has held onto his grudge all these years and thinks of me with a bitter heart. However, if you’ve managed to take the initiative, or if fate has guided you in some way to find these words..then please, take a moment to consider what your Uncle has to say. Though I have been absent from your life, know that I love you and your brother dearly.

  As you know, our family has a creed that has been passed down through the generations: “Family First.” While noble in its simplicity, it is also a shackle for those of us who may have greater ambitions beyond the confines of our family circle. Your grandfather, my father, wielded that saying like a cudgel, using it to beat away any youthful desires I had to explore the world outside of our family’s farm. Obviously, those efforts failed.

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  To be honest, I almost resigned myself to give in to the demands of the family on my own Choosing Day. But when the moment finally came, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the choices before me, they gave me a way out, as long as I was willing to bear the cost of my father’s retribution.

  As you likely know, this decision led to the loss of my inheritance, rejection from the family, and being left to navigate the vast world on my own.

  And believe me, nephew, the world is far wider and grander than you can ever imagine.

  Samuel, if you are still reading and bear me no ill will, I would like to offer you some advice and, if you are willing, an opportunity.

  By now I am sure the priests have taught you the basics for your upcoming choosing day. They likely alluded to the fact that farmers raised by farmers should expect to be farmers. While there is some truth in that, it is not the whole truth. The Path has been studied for generations and despite all their learning even the priests don’t know everything.

  With that in mind Samuel, I want to offer what little I have learned and hopefully it will help you to make a choice entirely of your own choosing.

  Before your Choosing keep these three things in mind as they contribute greatly to the choices that are offered:

  1. Upbringing: this is determined by the skills you have acquired before your choosing day.

  - This means that whatever skills you have studied, trained, or practiced will be taken into account by The Path. If you grow up in a family of farmers, you can very well expect your choices to reflect that upbringing, as you’ve already been told. I imagine you have talents related to working with animals, planting, and harvesting; but that doesn’t mean you don’t have other latent talents that have been neglected which leads me to my next point.

  2. Natural Affinities and Talents: These are the innate talents and alignments that individuals are born with, regardless of effort or training.

  - Every person, nobles and commoners alike, are born with unique gifts and talents. Some are born naturally attuned to fire, able to summon heat with ease, while others may have an instinctive talent for craftsmanship, music, or even the art of war. Affinities are as vast and varied as the stars, some highly coveted, others more subtle but no less valuable. Whether grand or humble, these gifts shape our potential and influence the classes we are offered on our choosing day.

  3. Personal Will and Legacies: This is the most unpredictable of the three conditions. It reflects your internal desires, ambitions, and passions

  - The Path does not only look at your upbringing or your talents but also at what drives your ambitions. What do you aspire to be? If you have shown a consistent desire to break from your origins, like I once did, it may influence the choices offered outside the expectations of your family or station.The most curious thing about this third point is the concept of legacies. I do not know the exact parameters of how it is applied, but there are instances in which the lingering will and desires of our ancestors may impact the choices we are offered.

  Samuel, there is nothing you can do to change the first of these three conditions. Like myself, the majority of our time and skills were developed in our youths through the hard labor of the family farm. Do not curse this, as it provides more benefits than you would expect, especially when you make your own way in the world.

  Your innate affinities are as I said before, granted at birth and we have very little say over how those things are acquired. Though I could be wrong, it has been my experience that families tend to pass down their affinities in some capacity to the next generation.

  Imagine my surprise when I found that my own affinity was death, which explains a lot, as everything I ever planted seemed to curl and die despite the effort I put into it. Your father on the other hand was quite the opposite, our father always praised his green thumb. My personal suspicion is that because we are twins our affinities were split at conception, which means our family may have a lineage of life and death affinities. I do not know the origins of our family but it has been something I have spent many years looking into when I have time.

  The final condition, however, is the key that can unlock your freedom and give you the power to shape your own destiny. Before your ceremony take time to examine yourself: What do you want? Where do you want to end up? What drives you? Who do you want to be?

  The Path may offer us choices based on the circumstances we are born into, but our own will and determination play a crucial role. If you can form a clear vision of the life you wish to lead, it will influence the choices presented to you. Focus your heart and mind, and you may find the path that best suits the person you want to be.

  That being said, if your heart belongs to the farm, and if everything I’ve written here means nothing to you, I will respect that. A life spent doing what you love, no matter where, is a life well lived.

  However, if you considering taking a leap of faith, to step beyond the familiar and into the unknown, then I want to offer you my support. The road ahead will not be easy, but you don’t have to walk it alone.

  After all, as your uncle, it is my own way of honoring our family’s creed. I may have left, but that does not mean I ever stopped putting family first.

  Below, I have written my address, it’s leads to the city of Salt Brine in the South Shores region down by the coast. It’s about a weeks journey or more from Wheat Hollow, so prepare accordingly. It was the first piece of land I ever claimed for myself, a home built on my own terms, and the source of many fond memories.

  If you choose to walk this path, then it shall be yours, an inheritance all of your own. Let it serve as the foundation for your own journey, should you accept my offer after your Choosing Day.

  Once you have taken your first steps onto the path be sure to read the letter again.

  As I read my uncle’s letter, my heart pounded with excitement at the possibilities that laid before me. For the first time in my life, it felt as though I had a real choice about what my future might hold.

  I tucked the letter into my pocket and let out a relieved sigh. According to my uncle, I just needed to envision the type of life I truly wanted for myself and then have enough resolve to follow through with that choice. Easier said than done, but the more I thought about it I couldn’t help but remember another one of my fathers sayings, that most things worth doing aren’t easy, and most things that are easy aren’t worth doing.

  Blue rubbed his head against my arm, so I took a moment to scratch him between his eyes as I smiled at all the possibilities that laid before me. The anxiety that had gripped throughout my morning finally began to fade as I pictured the future that lay before me.