The glistening morning rays of sun shot through a semi-opened window, adorning a young man with its’ morning glow lying peacefully under the covers of his worn and old blankets.

He began to stir from the intrusion of the sun’s brilliant rays. With an indignant sigh, the young man rose, blinking briefly as his eyes adjusted. He loosed a lazy yawn and approached his window, drawing the drapes shut. With a sigh, he sprawled upon his upturned blankets, lying down again.

Now that he was surrounded by the cool darkness again, he could be spirited away into a slumber-willing embrace, whisking him off to his dancing dreams of adventure and fantasy.

It wasn't long until a pair of delicate footsteps approached the young man’s door. The light oak door creaked open with the slightest hint of protest. The only sound breaking the room's silence was a light sloshing, which could be heard from the threshold. A small, faint, menacing giggle from a young girl at the door entrance subtly echoed around the room where the boy lay with one leg hanging off the side of the bed. The girl stood there carrying a bucket of ice-cold water, cool from the previous night's air. Her raven hair was neatly brushed well past her shoulder, and she had quite the tormenting scheme in mind.

With a sudden and epic splash, the young lad jumped with a jolt of shock from the chilling water. Panting heavily, the boy looked around his room, wide-eyed at his sudden and rude awakening. To his dismay, he noticed his dearest sister standing there, guilty of the crime, with the empty bucket hanging carelessly in her hands, which swayed slightly. She held a wide grin that haunted his waking stupor.

A brief chill ran down his spine, causing the tiny hairs, invisible to the naked eye, to stand up on end, coaxing little goose bumps to run along his exposed arms from the sudden temperature change, from the soft winter breeze that gently whispered through the room, lifting the coarse linen drapes of the open window.

The window let small rays of light through, causing his fair skin to glisten slightly from the thin film of water on his exposed skin, revealed by his sleeveless, worn leather tunic. The cold wetness had made his hair darker than night, and a single droplet of water ran down his brow. His eyes fired like hot coals, and he furrowed his brow from the rude awakening.

“What the hell, sister!” The young lads' faces reddened into a deep shade of red, taking on the form of a beet.

“Mum said you had to wake up, Kosef. So, get out of bed, you lazy sod.” The young girl smiled inwardly, almost evilly, as her blond hair blew gently in the light breeze.

“And I suppose mum told you to use a bucket of ice water?”

“Of course, brother dear, I wouldn’t ever do such a thing on my own,” she said slyly.

“Sure...” Kosef replied sarcastically, his temper slowly cooling, partly from the cool air whispered into the room from the heshen drapes. He couldn’t stay angry at his sister for very, very long. She had always had a form of maniacal innocence that would make him calm down. Though bratty and ill-considerate she may be, she was still family. Kosef understood that you couldn't choose your family better than most his age, at the tender age of sixteen.

It was a little-known fact that the families that lived in Trudid were not the wealthy sort. Most were trappers, shepherds, tradesmen, and hunters. Like most, his family had never been favoured by luck either; this had been the case for as long as Kosef could remember.

His mother never earned much from her work as a scullery maid for the mayor of Trudid. She had to maintain two jobs just to keep bread on the table. His mother's day-to-day life was simple with her three children, Kosef, Alethea, and Samson. During the day, she would help Kosef and Alethea with the flock of sheep, which, for the most part, was Kosef's job as a shepherd of his family's sheep, providing them with food and warmth during the winter. His sister didn't do much around the house except for occasionally mending the worn clothes, which were primarily hand-me-downs.

His older brother, now 24 years old, also contributed to the household by serving as a renowned warrior. As part of Alkieth's grand army, he used steel and chain mail to fight against the Avarosian rivals in the distant Southern Kingdoms. He often sent most of the gold crowns he earned to his mother, but they were still insufficient for the cost of living around Trudid. The main reason he joined the military in the first place wasn't for money or fame; it was to find his father, who had abandoned their family when Kosef was only four years old. However, Samson's search had provided no results.

Kosef viewed his older brother as a father figure, but Samson was more than that; he was also his best friend. When he thought about his brother, he remembered the great war he was fighting in the southern kingdoms.

He sighed at the thought. He hadn't seen his brother in years, and the war had only escalated. It seemed like it would never end. He was worried that his brother might be killed in action if this war kept escalating. He wasn’t a superstitious fool, but when it came to Samson, he worried it would come true if he thought about his demise.

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He could remember happier times when they would play games together late into the evening. Once Samson joined the military at the age of sixteen, the fun times ended. Most of the fighting took place in Death's Plateau. A desert that had been at the forefront of many wars past and present, though never as severe as the current war.

It had been going on for millennia. While Kosef’s anxious mind became a whirlwind of woe, he picked up the smell of bacon, eggs, herbs and spice, which distracted Kosef’s train of thought. He wondered why a lavish breakfast was being served. The only time they usually had such a breakfast was on special occasions. When he could no longer resist the tantalizing fragrance, he briskly trotted down the stairs filled with excitement.

When he rounded the corner, he nearly fainted from the surprise. His elder brother was sitting at the table. His hair was chestnut, his skin fair and polished, his body taught and toned, his golden eyes gleaming over the table toward Kosef. After the initial shock faded, he smiled widely, brimming with joy.

“Kosef, my brother! it’s about time you joined us early birds!” Samson greeted, his voice gruff and stern but gentle and loving, before he continued, “Though I'm not alone, I brought a friend with me. I think you may know her.” Samson gestured toward a girl with crimson hair, fair skin, and a brilliant smile.

Kosef peered at the small kitchen table. After noticing the old and worn silverware, his eyes met with the girl sitting at the table. It was his childhood friend Aideen who had decided to join his family for breakfast. He swallowed hard as he took in her beauty, though for Kosef, her most beautiful feature had been her raven-coloured eyes. They would entrap him in her gaze he was enamoured by her beauty. His heart fluttered, beating rapidly like a hummingbird in her presence. He cursed himself for not finding a nicer pair of clothes.

“Hey… hey Aideen,” Kosef stammered.

“Good morning, Kos,” Aideen replied gently, affectionately smiling.

“Did...did you sleep well?”

“Yes, I did. You’re so cute when you get flustered.” Aideen's delicate voice enchanted Kosef when he heard it. It would always remind him of songbirds chirping a beautiful sonata. Aideen smiled; she always liked to make her best friend feel flustered. She found it rather endearing, but to her, it also meant that he was relatively thick in topics of the heart. She was always smitten by Kosef; they were both of legal marrying age, but Kosef was unfortunately to nieve to get her hints about her feelings towards him, though she really just enjoyed spending time with him, although all of her female friends had already found suitors. She would propose to him, but it was an unspoken rule in Trudid that it was taboo for the women to propose to the male, and if someone did, they'd generally be exiled from Trudid, forced to become a Nomad.

“That’s… That’s good.” Kosef swallowed hard as he replied; his mouth felt dry, and his palms began to sweat as he took a seat across from her. Once seated, he nervously grabbed a small plate of lightly seasoned, hot bacon and eggs. Kosef had been happier than he had been for quite a while. He dreamed it could always be like this.

“Sam, why have you returned? It's great to see you here alive and well. But isn’t the war still going on?” Kosef asked, puzzled, as the euphoria faded and his thoughts returned to reality.

“Aye, it is good to be back. Oh, how I have missed you all. The war is over now, and no one could best your older brother." Samson laughed heartily, then took a large swig of the wine from his goblet.

It wasn’t long till Alethea nonchalantly walked downstairs. Her hair was still damp from the basin of water in the bathroom. She looked upon the set table, and her eyes caught sight of her elder brother. “Samson! You have returned!” she exclaimed, her eyes gleaming with elated joy. She always liked her older brother and was often the most excited when he would visit.

“Aye, I have little Alee,” Samson replied, digging at his sister’s pride.

“You know I hate it when you say that! Oh, Aideen, you're visiting, too. Is my dumb brother still trying to woo you?” Alethea smiled when she noticed Aideen; they were good friends, and she was well aware of Aiden's feelings towards Kosef and her brother's inaptitude to understand subtle clues.

“Alethea, you should know better. Kosef has already stolen the hearts of many maidens, but he cannot hope to woo them. He turns into a stuttering mess!” Aideen chuckled, watching Kosef blush profusely at being teased. She knew full well that he hadn’t looked at another girl the same way he looked upon her. However, that never stopped her from teasing him playfully.

Kosef felt like he had shrunk several feet from embarrassment. He wished he could hide from the girls who were teasing him. Slouching slightly, he replied, “Come… Come on, this isn’t fair,” sounding more like a mouse than a man.

“I believe I heard a mouse!” Alethea held a humourless grin.

“Aye, that may be the case, but you shouldn’t tease him when there is hot food to eat,” Samson interjected.

“I think it’s cute when he’s bashful,” Aideen stated, giving kosef a look of deep affection.

“My gorgeous daughter and my brilliant boys, I must head to work now. Kosef, after you have finished your chores today, there is fresh bread in the bread box for you. Aideen, it was nice of you to join us for breakfast," Kosef’s mother instructed.

“You're welcome, Ava. I always like to visit, especially when Kosef is around, so that I can make fun of him.” She smiled, blinking slowly with her big, dark, almond-shaped coloured eyes.

"You're very welcome, Aideen. Alee, can you take Aideen home?"

"Yes, Mum, I can do that. Come on. Let's go, Aideen," Alethea replied before leaving with Aideen.

"Goodbye. Make sure she gets home safely. I'll be home later when the sun sets over the green knolls," Ava concluded as she went to start her daily farm duties.