CHAPTER 1: THE WAKE-UP CALL




        A rooster’s crow echoed throughout the barn, awakening both the livestock and the twelve year old boy who also slept there.  He fell out of the makeshift hammock that hung from the posts over the hay stacks, creating a mess of hay everywhere. He clumsily climbed out of the pile only to find he was staring into the eyes of a most fearsome beast. “MOOOOO!” the spotted creature bellowed then promptly went back to its grazing while the boy gave it a gentle yet affectionate pat on the neck. The rooster crowed once again.

                The young lad scooped up the mess of hay and through it back on the pile he landed in. He tried to pick out most of the hay that stuck in his hair. He had neatly cut shaggy golden blond hair that almost matched the hue of the straw perfectly.

                He exited the barn followed by his fearsome friend (who started grazing on the fresh morning grass). His eyes adjusted to the change in light quickly and he soon spotted another young lad sitting on the fence-the one responsible for the rooster crows. The boy on the fence made the motion of whistling but instead of a high-pitched tune a rooster’s crow echoed around once more--an act of magic.

                “ARTHUR!” he yelled at the fair-haired boy, he rose up two loaves of bread for the means of breakfast for them today.

                Arthur walked over to the fence and took a seat on the somewhat uncomfortable plank of wood. He eagerly took a loaf of bread and cracked it open. The aroma of freshly baked bread and burnt mushrooms fill his senses. “This was once a mushroom, wasn’t it Merlin?” he said as he stared at the boy to the left of him.

                “’Ey, what was once a poisonous mushroom is now a delightful and in no way deadly loaf of bread.” Merlin replied taking a bite out of his loaf. Arthur bit into his as well and what he tasted both shocked and amazed him. The taste of fresh bananas covered his taste buds. He swallowed and calmly asked, “Merlin, why does by loaf of bread taste like bananas?”

                “That would be the taste…of...um…Magic. Unfortunately I’ve only tried the spell only a handful of times and well…It could use some work,” Merlin replied almost ashamed of his spell going awry. “Better then it tasting like mud,” Arthur muttered. Merlin chuckled at this remark.

                As the boys devoured their meal in silence, their differences became apparent.  Merlin had striking ginger colored shaggy hair. Unlike Arthur’s neatly cut hair Merlin’s was rough--like he did it himself, quick and uncaring. Arthur’s sapphire irises seemed to brighten with delight after having the satisfying banana-tasting meal.

                “ARTHUR!” this screeching sound came from a dark-haired boy standing at the front door of an unkempt house. Those he was only eighteen years of age his glaring look could put him in his twenties. He walked toward them, back straight, head held high. His freshly polished armor only added to the arrogant look to him.

“Hi-ya Erick!” Merlin said almost in a way to chipper voice.

  “Hello Merlin”, Erick said and continued, “Time to get a move on! Don’t want to keep your future king waiting now do you?”

                Arthur and Merlin both rolled their eyes looking at each other with expressions that said, ‘really?’, but they didn’t argue and instead headed off to the barn. Erick headed back to the house in attempt to get things gathered up.

                Once in the barn the boys gather up a few grooming supplies and headed to the back of the barn to find two horses in their proper stables. Arthur’s horse was an off white color with small dark chocolate colored dots coving her whole body. Her face was almost completely covered in brown. Arthur had named her Lady.

                The one Merlin was grooming was Erick’s horse and was far simpler then Lady. He was fully black with a simple white strip from his eyes to his nose. This horse had no real name. Erick never named him, but Merlin, who was usually the one grooming No-Name, had unofficially named him ‘Skunkstrip’.

                After a quick groom, both horses and groomers relaxed, and a treat or two here or there Arthur and Merlin saddled up Lady and the unofficially named Skunkstrip—Saddle pad first, saddle, girth, and then bridle.

                They all exited the barn and a few moments later Erick reappeared, carrying a small number of bags full of gear. He loaded the bags up the best he could on the back of the horses, then without a word he mounted his horse. Arthur and Merlin both hopped on Lady, Arthur faced forward while Merlin sat crossed legged facing the back getting comfortable for what they all knew would be a long road ahead.

                And with that Erick, Arthur, Merlin, Lady, and Skunkstrip the unofficially unnamed horse set off only a few hours after dawn. The most fearsome beast mooed them goodbye.