Obsidian, granite, sandstone, and this one; well, I didn’t know what to call this one. It didn’t have a name; I had asked, but many times some rocks are simply known as rocks. That saddened me a bit, why didn’t anyone bother naming them? It’s not like they were all the same, they were different in sometimes the most extraordinary of ways. The ways they reacted to water, or the way some glistened in the morning sun as you tilted it to that perfect angle. Or.. or.. I stopped myself before it became too awkward, I tended to do that when I showed others my fascination for my collection of precious stones. They weren’t precious to others after all, most likely only to me. But in a way, that made it even more precious. A collection of stones in which I only knew the value.

I held out the unnamed stone for her to hold.

“ So this is it?” she said as she held it in her hand and squinted making a face that said she didn’t quite understand why I had brought her all this way for such an average looking rock. She probably expected something reminiscent of the stones that sparkled when held up to the sun or the ones that throbbed when held to another. This wasn’t one of those, it was unique in a mundane type of way.

“Yes, it’s the unnamed one I told you about,”

“Okay, well it’s nice and round, I guess.” She motioned for me to take it back.

“No, no I want you to keep it.”

She blushed, “Didn’t you say this is the only one of its kind?”

“Well it’s the only one I have ever found like it. I am beginning to think that a bird must have brought it from some far off place, that would explain why no one knows its name, or maybe it has simply never been named.”

She smiled, “So it’s a parting gift then?”

The grin that had begun to spread across my face as soon as I had started to talk of my precious stones, quickly faded as she reminded me of why we were here again.

“Yeah, and I wanted to name it for you?’

“Name it? You can do that?”

“Someone has to, right?”

“I guess you’re right, then tell me Troy, what’s this rock's name?” She smiled, revealing her all to perfect teeth. Everything about her seemed perfect to me though, she was the only thing that had ever rivaled my love for these stones. Collecting and studying stones was soothing, a relaxing hobby that took patience, while she was like chasing a kite trapped in the currents of the wind. Always within view, but  beyond my reach, yet, I still continued to chase, I would never stop, well that’s what I had told myself when it was only the village that I was fighting with for her attention. Now with her departure, it seems the world is to be my rival. And I would be kidding myself if I was up for that challenge.

“The name I’ve decided on is hope.”

She looked confused.

“Why? The name is beautiful and all, but what is your reasoning?”

“My reasoning, well it’s simple. I hope that you are safe on your travels. I hope you enjoy the next town as much as you’ve enjoyed it here. I hope your dreams are beautiful and free of fear. I hope you fall in love and never shed a tear. Unless they are tears of love, then all is good, but most of all I hope to once again be near.”

Her eyes smiled at my response. Her mouth followed suit and before I knew it she was holding me in an embrace that only minstrels could properly describe. I held her back, closed my eyes, and tried my hardest to simply live in that moment for as long as I was allowed to.

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 We talked and walked around like usual, but there was an odd pressure around it all. We both acted as if it was just another normal day, but it wasn’t. 

Then it was over.

 I walked her to where her parents had set up the wagon, and waved as they began down the road. The kite was once again caught in the wind, this time though, it had flown out of sight.

I sat perched on a stump and watched the road on which they departed. My stomach growled but I didn't feel like eating, I didn’t feel like moving, I didn’t feel like anything. Why hadn’t I said more? Why hadn’t I chased her? But how? Her father was a lieutenant in the Royal  Military, and they were going to a battlefield town, I could never survive there. Even if I could, if I didn't have a trade I wouldn’t be able to support myself. 

“Damn, Damn,” I shouted as I began hitting my thighs in frustration. Why hadn’t I been more productive with my time instead of collecting these dumb rocks. I flung one of them in anger. A couple seconds passed by and I went to collect it. I gently rubbed off the dirt that had gathered and put it gently back into the pouch that carried my friends.

“Sorry I didn’t mean that, you guys aren't dumb, Im dumb. I let her slip away. But not anymore, I need to find a way to make it back to her. If I could do that, I could do anything. I made my way back to the stump once again.

The first thought that struck my head was the easiest one, I would simply need to become a soldier, but then reality struck. If I became a soldier I would simply be at the mercy of whoever was in command of me. They wouldn’t care where I wanted to be stationed, they would simply throw me into whatever squad needed filling.

Then I just needed to become a knight, not any Knight, one of the royal guards. One who fights for who he chooses, one who is becononed not simply thrown into the pits of war. 

I got up from the stump once again. Now that I know what I must do, how do I precisely come about it? I couldn’t become a knight overnight, I knew that at the very least it would take  a couple of years, but I was fine with that. Patience leads to virtue, and waiting never hurts anyone.

First I needed training, for that I needed a retainer, I had to be recruited into a training camp. Thankfully I knew of just the boys to ask.

I heard they’re huffs and puffs and felt the air around me grow heavy with sweat before I even saw them. They always trained a little after midday and would continue for a few hours or so, or until they got bored and moved on. They were motivated, of course, but they were still only 13, you couldn’t expect much in regards to dedication when it came to us kids.

One of the older boys stopped his sparring and held a hand out for his partner to stop. His name was Ronald and he was older than us by about a year or so, he was usually the only one to stay and train past the hour mark each day. He was built rather wide for his age, broad shoulders and a chin that seemed much too defined for his age. The girls rather fancied him, the warrior in training, always seemed to get more girls than the rock collector. The rock collector was met with laughs, but never the joyous kind, unless it was her.

“What’s going on Troy? What brings you around?”

“Umm hey Ron, I just wanted to know if it was okay if I joined up and trained with you guys from now on.” 

The other boys stopped what they were doing and almost seemed to laugh, some of them simply glared at me. A lot of the boys didn’t like me. They found my collecting of rocks as a sign of privilege, just because my father was a doctor and didn’t own land for me to crop meant I had more time to myself than most of the other boys. Ronald gave them a glare that set them back to sparring.

He walked over to me.

“Sorry Troy, if you would have asked sooner I would have gladly taken you into our group, but you asked at the worst time possible.”

“Why what's going on Ron?”

“The tournament in Ravendale is only 3 months away now, we all have been doing fundamentals for a year now in preparation for it. It wouldn’t be fair for the boys to help train you, or rather yet train with someone who wouldn’t be testing them.”

He saw my face drop every shred of hope.

“Sorry Troy, it’s just a big opportunity for some of the boys to gain a sponsor or be admitted into a real training camp, one that actually carries weight into they’re futures. You understand, right? 

“Yeah Ron I understand.”

He started to walk back to his partner who was now drawing what seemed to be a stick figure with his practice sword in the dirt.

“Hey Ron,'' I said before he was too far away, he turned “What is it troy?”

“When exactly is the tournament? And how are you all getting to Ravensdale?”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. I smiled, I wasn’t going to give up that easily.