Will was lying awake in his bed one morning to find a herd of wonderbeast grazing upon his freshly cut lawn. The annoying sound the creatures made did not come from the mouth, more the stomach, it sounded like a deep bellowing coming from the pits for the lost kingdom. It was not the most pleasant of noises. 

 He quickly ran downstairs, got dressed and escorted them right into his neighbor Tarlin's pasture. Tarlin came out of dwelling in nothing but his trousers with a look of bewilderment on his face. 

"Oh it's only you will." He realized. "What brings you up at this ungodly hour."  

Will checked his timepiece, quarter to six. "Your wonderbeast escaped their pen again sir." This pattern had gotten old because many a day will found the monsters in the strangest places. One day one was even inside of his dwelling. 

Well found it best to not try to go back to sleep. He had to go to work in an hour anyways so going back to be would be rendered useless and fairly redundant. 

The only other person will knew that would be up when it was still dark out was Shara the blacksmith. She loved to get an early start to the days work so she could relax all afternoon when it was warm out. Sure enough when Will got closer down the road, he heard the clanking of a hammer against newly forged metal. Will always knocked on the door to her shop after he had already entered it, he knew it bothered her. 

"What will we be working on today?" Asked will, finally understanding that she couldn't hear him. He went up and tapped her on the shoulder obviously catching her by surprise, she jumped backwards right into will.  

"Great beard of the mighty wonderbest Will." Shara said sounding a little startled. 

Will always had liked King Reymond so he couldn't help himself from asking why she would have been bothered if it were him. She explained that her and the king no longer got along, she and the king and her were good friends in their childhood, but something happened she wouldn’t mention between them, she said it was a futile subject that was inexplicable. He knew that the matter was actually of great importance, he figured it best not to bother her about it though. 

Will had almost the same exact day for three days in a row, waking up before dawn because Tarlins wonderbeast were on his lawn, continuing to make swords, shields, armor in the smithy, and on the third day, an extra latch for Tarlins gate. The next morning, he was very pleased to not hear the constant chattering of the herd that basically lived in his front yard, he knew Tarlin did not care to even use the latch... 

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His bed was so comfortable that morning that it took him 15 minutes to mosey downstairs. He made his breakfast of some nice warm cream filled pastries called pofs. He knew these were Shara's favorite food so he filled a basket full to bring them down to her when he went to work. When he got to the smithy's front porch, he was just about to open the door when he head a slight whimpering from inside. He pressed his ear up against the door to listen closer and he heard a deep voice, almost of a man or a beast's, saying. 

"You said you would have done what I asked... it appears that you have not!" 

Will wasn't all too familiar with this voice, but he was sure it wasn't King Reymond. He had to find out more so once again he leaned against the door to hear a softer higher pitched voice that he was positive was Shara's 

"My apprentice has done his share, please spare him." Will was very confused with what she meant, for he had not done anything, or at least in his knowledge for anyone other than the king. Then the deeper voice played again,  

"You have 24 hours, if they are not done by then you will both suffer the consequences, I don’t care if the boy is special or who he is... Get. It. Done." 

Will had no idea what "they" were or what the voice meant by "special" because Will was positive he was not that. 

Soon after that will heard footsteps so he quickly ran up the trail to make it appear as if he was just getting to work. But to his surprise, no man nor beast walked out, it was a woman he had never seen in the village before. She waved at will almost acting neighborly, then quickly, took another path. He tried to follow the woman like figure but as soon as he turned the corner, she was nowhere to be seen. Will tried to just think about what he a just seen, all he could recalled was that she had a dark hood on, he remembered so little he felt almost as if his mind had been wiped of the image. 

Hesitant and trying not to reveal he had heard the conversation, he goes into the smithy to find Shara with a dazed look on her face. 

"Who was that? The woman who just came out of your shop, I've never seen her around her before?" Asked Will. 

She just stares away into the distance with the same lifeless expression on her face not looking at will. Shara felt that way as well, as if in some way, somehow apart from all the, the squalor and wretchedness in her life, and the constant fear of being discovered she managed to muster a few words. Finally what seemed minutes later, still in the exact same position she responds. 

"That was... um... She... was um... an old... … … Friend?" Almost as if asking herself that.