“Like hell you are!” cried Franco’s mother, and Franco ducked as a still sizzling fry pan soared past his head, swiftly followed by the two pieces of bacon that had, until very recently been the pan’s contents. Normally, Franco feared nothing, and certainly not his mother. While not particularly muscular, Franco stood at an impressive 5’11”, with his light brown hair and dark brown eyes giving him the appearance of a man twice his age. His mother, Alice, was a woman of nearly forty with the same light brown hair which came down to her shoulders (although she always had it up in a bun or ponytail), and green eyes, and even if she drew herself up to her full height, she only came up to Falco’s chest. Falco had bested boys twice her height in brawls, but at this moment, his mother seemed to tower over him like the mountains tower over the hills.
“Please, Mother!” said Falco, falling to his knees and putting his hands together in a placating gesture, “You know that it’s always been my dream to be a knight. Why should I stay here and take up a trade when I could follow my heart and take up the sword?”
“You think that it is easy to take up the sword, you uneducated boy?” demanded Alice, “What if you fail or get injured? Who would care for you then? I’ll have no more of these reckless ambitions.”
“But mother–” began Franco, but he was swiftly cut off by a half-peeled potato that flew by his head, followed by a carrot, and then the rest of the breakfast ingredients. Knowing that this was a battle he could not win, Franco turned and beat a hasty retreat down the cobblestone path that led to the village center. Perhaps Alex’s mother had been more understanding of her son’s aspirations.
Franco found Alex sitting next to the little brook that ran a few hundred feet south of the village, holding a half-eaten apple. A boy with jet-black hair and grey eyes, Alex's normally pale face was mostly covered by his hand as he nursed both a black eye and a welt on the side of his head.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Greeting Alex with a wave, Franco asked “So you told your mother?”
“Where do you think I got this welt?” replied Alex sarcastically, “it certainly wasn’t because I fell.”
“Was it a pot, pan, or ladle?” asked Franco, pointing to the welt.
“Ladle. The eye’s because of a mason jar.”
“And what about the apple? I think it safe to assume that it isn’t from one of the village girls who took pity after seeing you in such a sorry state.”
“And that’s where you’re wrong,” said Alex gleefully, “Jona saw me sulking through the market and gave it to me. I think she likes me”. Jona was a slender girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was a head and a half shorter than Franco and half a head shorter than Alex. Her family owned the fruit orchard west of town and was well-liked by all the villagers. Jona was not only beautiful, but also kind, and this combination of traits proved to be very popular with the boys. It seemed that every day, one village boy or another would knock on the door to their cottage or approach her at her fruit stand with a bunch of flowers in his hand and promises of undying love on his lips. She turned them all down nicely, but this seemed to cause the boys to become even more infatuated. Even Franco and Alex were guilty of this at least a few times a month.
“Lucky bastard,” muttered Franco, “I’m going back home.”
“Why?” asked Alex.
“I’m going to get myself some matching injuries and then sulk in the market too. Maybe she’ll take pity on me and marry me.”
“Ha!” laughed Alex, “She only goes out of her way to do nice things for handsome boys.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” Replied Franco.
“And why not?”
“She gave you an apple didn’t she?”