“You can’t just stare at them all day. Hurry up and open them!”
Traven didn’t need any further prodding. He quickly began to unwrap the bundle nearest him. Out of the package appeared a new black shirt, new black breeches, and knee high black boots with the tops turned down. But they were not just plain clothes. The billowing black shirt had silver embroidery along the collar and the cuffs, and the dark breeches had silver embroidery winding its way down the outside of each pant leg. Even the boots had silver embroidery ringing them. Traven had never seen such fine clothes in all of his life. He thought they looked so expensive that he was not sure if he dared to actually wear them.
“These are for when you need to look really nice while at school. You will be in a big city, not a little village anymore. I think that you should be wearing these when you first arrive at the school. First impressions are very important. It won’t hurt for people to think that you have money and belong there. Now go on and open your other presents.”
Traven broke his gaze away from the splendid clothes and focused on the next bundle in front of him. He proceeded to bare the contents of the second bundle. This one contained almost the same contents as the first but in a very different style. From the bundle he produced a clean white shirt and heavy traveling breeches. There were also dark brown traveling boots lined on the inside with fur. On top of all the rest there was a heavy brown hooded cloak. These clothes were not as fancy as the others, but they appeared to be well made and extremely durable.
“We figured you would need some traveling clothes for your journey. It’s starting to get cold, and we don’t want you to freeze before you get to school.”
“Thanks so much Pops and Mams. I don’t think I’ve ever had a better birthday.”
“Oh it’s not over yet. Open your last gift.”
Traven got up from the table and slowly unwrapped the last package that was sitting on the floor in the corner. It was an old, well broken in saddle. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with the saddle and turned to his grandparents with a confused look on his face. They were both grinning crazily. His grandfather began laughing when he saw Traven’s face. Finally, Traven’s grandmother spoke up.
“The saddle belonged to your dad Traven. The gift really isn’t the saddle. The gift is out back. We thought . . .”
Before she was finished, Traven shot out the front door and raced around the house to the back. There, tethered to a tree was a horse. He could not believe it, his very own horse! It was not a young, fiery horse, but it was a horse nonetheless. It was an old gray horse dappled with white spots. He was skinny and not all that tall, but he was Traven’s. He ran over to the horse and began stroking its muzzle and patting its side.
“His name is Dapple. He’s not all that great, but it was the best we could afford. Better to ride an old horse than no horse at all,” explained his grandmother. Traven had been so busy with the horse he had not even noticed that his grandparents had followed him around to the back of the house.
“There’s nothing wrong with him at all. Dapple’s beautiful. I can’t believe how lucky I am. I love you both.” Traven broke away from the horse and gave each of his grandparents a hug. “I’m going to miss you both so much. I don’t know what I’ll do without you.”
“Don’t start blubbering now boy. You’re eighteen years old. You’re a man today. I’m sure you’ll get along fine without us. We’re probably just holding you back.”
As his grandfather turned to head back into the house, Traven patted Dapple one last time and followed with his grandmother. Now that he had opened all of his presents, they had to get to work. It was still early, but he needed to leave before midday and still had to get all of his things together.
Traven took his new clothes into his room and added the fancy attire to his ragged pack. He also put the hunting clothes he had been planning on wearing for his journey into the pack. He quickly washed up and then set about putting on his new traveling clothes. The breeches were snug and very comfortable. He knew he would be thankful for the extra padding when the nights began to get colder. The shirt was light enough that it was not hot, yet heavy enough to keep him warm. Lastly, he pulled on the boots. They also fit well and seemed to mold to the form of his foot. He folded up the cloak and stuffed it into his pack with the other clothes. It would come in handy later, but it was still too warm for it now.
Traven took another look around his room to see if he had forgotten anything. He noticed several snares sitting on his washstand. He had often used them when hunting small game such as rabbits. Those would come in handy if he got really hungry on the trip to Calyn. Laying in the corner he also saw his sole book, The Wanderings of Gelan. He promptly snatched it from the ground and deposited it and the snares in his pack on top of his clothes. It was this book that had first made him dream of seeing things beyond the village. His grandfather had given it to him when he was twelve years old, and he had read it front to back several times. At last he would see some of the things that he had read about. Glancing around the room, Traven realized for the first time that he really did not have many personal possessions. After he had gathered up his clothes, a few snares, and the book, the only things that were left in his room were his small bed, a washstand, a small mirror, and an old wooden stool that was about to break.
With one last glance at the room he had lived in for so many years, Traven threw his pack over his shoulder and deserted the room. In the kitchen, he took the large piece of wood he had been whittling and put it into his already bulging pack. He then hung his hunting knife from his belt. After securing his knife, he grabbed the full water skin that was on the table and swung it over his other shoulder. He took his father’s saddle from the corner and went around to the back of the house. When he reached Dapple, he saddled the old horse and tied his pack to the back of the saddle. He then untied Dapple from the tree and led him around to the front of the house. His grandparents were already seated atop the wagon, and Traven swung up onto Dapple. He didn’t have very much experience in riding, but Dapple was very mellow and gave him no trouble at all.
They were soon heading down the forest road. Traven did not look back, he needed to be strong. He was not going to think about all that he was losing but rather about all that he was gaining. They rode silently through the woods with Traven’s grandmother glancing sadly at him when she thought he wouldn’t notice. Traven spent most of his time staring off into the trees. He had always felt at home in the forest. When he was young, he had often gone hunting through the woods with his father. It would be just as strange to leave the woods as it would be to leave his grandparents’ house and the village behind. He knew from an old map that he had seen several years ago that there were not any major forests between Kavar and Calyn. There were just rolling plains and hills with trees dotting the landscape only once in a while. He was sure going to miss the familiarity of everything that he had been surrounded by since his birth.
Slowly, the village came into view. People milled from shop to shop and from house to house around the village going about their daily tasks. Traven had never been really good friends with anyone in the village, but he was going to miss many of them just the same. At least here he knew everyone’s names and what they were like. Soon he would be surrounded completely by strangers. It was going to be different. It was definitely going to be different.
As they entered the village, several people stopped to wish him a happy birthday and offer him good luck on his journey. Mrs. Crenshaw even gave him a fresh loaf of bread to take with him. She was matron of the small inn that sat next to the park. She was the best cook in the village. Anyone that stopped in the village was always treated to some of her cooking. They always left raving about the good meals at the inn. Traven was surprised at how many people knew that he was leaving. He hadn’t even found out until the day before. Yet, not much ever happened in Oak Tree, so if someone was leaving, the whole village usually knew.
By the time Traven had finally said all of his goodbyes, it was nearly midday. He was finally across the village, past Hand’s lumber mill, and ready to begin his journey. He glanced back at the village. This would be the last time he saw it for a while. He realized that he really wasn’t going to miss the village so much, but he was going to miss his grandparents. They had raised him for a good part of his life, and he hadn’t been away from them in the past twelve years for more than a few days. He was going to be strong though. It would not make his grandmother feel any better seeing him crying. He put a smile on his face and turned to his grandparents.
“Well, I guess this is it.”
“Not quite yet Traven,” his grandmother replied. “We still have a few things to give you and some advice for dealing with people in the world outside of our blessed village.” Out from under her seat she pulled another small pack and handed it to Traven. As he peered into it he found several dried biscuits, a large chunk of cheese, and some dried fruit. “We don’t want you to starve on your journey. This isn’t a lot, but it should be enough for you to snack on until you reach the shepherd community tonight. When you finally get to the city of Kavar you can purchase more traveling food.”
With the mention of purchasing more food, Traven realized for the first time that he didn’t have any money. It was going to be a very long trip indeed.
“Mams, I hate to tell you this, but I don’t have money to buy anything when I get to Kavar.”
“I still haven’t given you my gift,” Traven’s grandfather said.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag. He tossed it up to his grandson. Traven realized immediately that it was full of coins. By the feel of it, there were quite a few. When he looked into the small bag, to his surprise he discovered that more of the coins were gold than they were silver or copper.
“I can’t take this much money from you,” he protested. “You and Mams need it more than I do after all the money you’ve spent on me already. Here, take it back. I’ll get along alright.”
“I thought you had some common sense. How do you expect to pay for food and lodgings on your way to Calyn? Did you expect everyone to just give you stuff for free?” His grandfather paused before continuing to let what he was saying sink in. “You’re also going to need a little extra money once you get to school for any unexpected expenses. You’re not going to be receiving money every month from your wealthy parents like most of the other boys. It’s just the money we got yesterday from the load we took to the mill, and we already have another small load to deliver. Besides, how else do you expect to get money if you don’t take this with you?”
“I guess I really never thought about it.” Traven knew that he really did need the money. Maybe not quite so much, but his grandparents would probably be hurt if he refused any of it. It was technically half his anyway. He decided to make them happy. “I’m sorry. Thank you so much for it.” He began to tie it onto his belt next to his own money pouch that held just a few coppers.
“Are you crazy boy! Don’t leave all of that money out in plain sight or you’re just asking for trouble. Take out a few coins and put them in your money pouch. Leave the rest in the bag and hide it among the clothes in your pack.”
Traven immediately followed his grandfather’s instructions. He took a gold piece and two silvers and put them in his money pouch. He then buried the rest in his pack.
“You’re not going to be in a small village anymore. You need to be careful about how you present yourself and who’s watching you. Once you get into the cities, there are thieves everywhere just waiting to steal anything they can get their hands on. They don’t care who you are or what you’re doing. The shop keepers are just waiting to cheat those who are ignorant. If they think you have lots of money, they’ll charge you more than they would a poor person. You need to make sure that you think carefully before you do anything.”
“Thanks Pops. I’ll try to remember that. It’s just sometimes I . . .”
Traven’s words were cut off as all of his breath suddenly disappeared. He felt as if he had just been thrown against a stone wall. The world began spinning around him, and he fell out of his saddle, crumpling to a heap on the ground. He was swimming in a cold darkness. It was so cold that he thought he would freeze to death. Suddenly in the distance he noticed a speck of light that grew slowly larger as he drifted towards it. With the light also came warmth. The light and warmth grew until there was no darkness left. He suddenly felt tranquil and wonderful. He had never felt such a wonderful feeling in all of his life. He rested in peace. Everything was perfect, yet something in the back of his mind said something was wrong.
Back of his mind, what was a mind? Who was he? What was he? He was a man. He was Traven!