My mothers name was Janan, and my fathers name was Eitan. They had both met each other through their friends. For the longest time my father liked my mother, without anyone knowing. I was told that he would usually observe her every move when she was around, but never said much to her.
Day and night my father thought about her, though. Sometimes he'd fantasize about actually being able to say something to her. One night it got so wanting that he decided he'd meet her the next day after her hunting, and ask her if she'd like to have a drink.
So he waited, sitting in front of a dilapidated cobblestone road, which led to rats with ambers, stones, and minerals in their stomachs which could be sold, and hounds. As he sat there, he went through what he'd say to her, in his head. He twiddled his thumbs, and drew things in the dirt with his feet, as he anxiously awaited Janan to walk in from the dilapidated cobblestone. After awhile she limped out onto the wide cobblestone road, and collapsed. My father jumped at sight of this, and removed his sack and threw it off in the distance, and picked my mother up, and walked her all the way along Vetallun road, to the crossroads. Then walked to Fiona.
He then went to the bank and made a withdrawal of 4 cents, and then went and gave them to Fiona, and asked her if she'd heal my mother. She nodded and gave him his change, and began healing my mother. Fiona bandaged up a lot of wounds, and put a splint on her left arm, and administered food to her. My father sat next to her, and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, and gazed into her eyes, and waiting patiently for her to make a sign of returning from being unconscious.
Once Fiona healed her up, he carried her to the Vetallun baths, and set her down, and sat there beside her, holding her hand, and rubbing it, and watching her intently, waiting. After time passed by, she moaned, and moved to her side, and opened her eyes, and looked up at my father, and saw him holding her hand, then she remembered what happened. She sat up, and hugged my father, and cried, and thanked him. After they hugged for awhile, she kissed him, and that was the start of a relationship that soon led to marriage.
My father joined a legion, but my mother gave up using weapons, and became a healer. After her close encounter with death, she wanted to help prevent anyone else from even coming close to experiencing what she did, although she didn't mind the 'awakening to my father' part at all. But she knew that not always could someone be there to carry an unconscious person somewhere, or even drag them.
A few months after marriage, my mother became pregnant. And several months later I, Morphius Lucretius, was born into Midlight. My really early years were spent either watching my dad train at Gilvens, and try and crawl out, or following my mom while she healed people, and try to crawl away. I always tried to wonder off, but I never did, my parents made sure of that. Glad they did now, because I can see all the trouble I could have gotten myself into.
As I grew older my dad took me along with him to train, and began explaining the moves he made. I grew very fond of the Gladius. I especially enjoyed watching my father use it. He was so graceful in his moves, and so strong in his blocks, that I grew very proud of him, and had great faith in our legions with my father in one of them.
A few years later a sister was born, which I enjoyed taking care of. She was a curious one, just like I was, so I took her to safe places to be curious, like the gardens and some of the stores, to show her to the store keepers. I remember when she was a few months old, and could go outside, I'd carry her to the Toga, and sit down on the bench, and hold her, and beam happily, and show her to all that came in.
Once my sister had gotten older, she followed the footsteps of my mothers friend, and became a locksmith. My dad bought me my first set of armor when I was ten, and I would follow him to the forests, where he'd hunt bandits, and I'd bring the chests to my sister, and come back. I grew a great since of direction this way. I was amazed that my little sister, at the age of seven was unlocking chests!
My mother continued in the profession of healing for a few more months, but then she quit, because she grew tired, and often needed to sleep. My father had a lot of money, so it was okay.
A few months before I was to turn 11, my father went to war, and for months we waited for him. The money was beginning to run out. So I packed our families belongings, and took our family to Altene, where I rented an inn room, where my mother and sister slept on the bed, and I set a blanket on the floor for myself to sleep. The next morning I was up before sunrise, I purchased a Gladius, and used the skills I learned from my father to train myself. I spent the next two days training, and resting, and training, until I was skilled enough.
I asked a man that came in to train from the Gladius' trainer in Altene, where the nearest dumps were. He took me there, where I remembered the spot, and then I asked if the creatures had anything in their stomachs worth selling, in which he replied, "Yes, but you wouldn't be planning on going in there, would you?" I said, "Yeah, I would. I need to make money for our family." He took me to the place to sell stones, and I remembered that spot too. Then he went to the dumps with me, and helped me kill a bunch of rats. There weren't any hounds here, so that was kind of nice, I was afraid I wasn't ready for them yet. I made half a talent that day, and brought it home to my mother. She began to cry, and looked very sad.
"Mother, is everything alright?" I asked, deeply concerned.
"Your Uncle found us, and brought us sad news, son. Your father died trying to save a soldier," she said, and cried some more.
I closed the door, and sat down. I stared out in front of me for such a long time, thinking about my father, his courage. Then I thought about when I watched my father train. I'd never get to watch him again. My sister had already cried herself to sleep, so my mother and I were the only ones up. My mother stopped crying, and watched me stare out in front of me, for hours. I finally looked up, and over at her. I stood up, and moved over to the bed, and sat beside her. She put her arms around me and hugged me, and I began to cry, for the first time about my father. Then once I couldn't cry any more, I let my eyes rest, and then spoke, "Mother, what are we going to do, now?"
"We'll have to move in with some relatives here locally, and stay there. They don't have enough money for us, though, so you'll need to go down to Iridine on a regular basis, and make money there. The stones here are too cheap," She replied with a tone that wasn't happy about it.
I nodded, and pulled a blanket out of a drawer, and put it on the floor. I changed into some night clothes, and got under the blanket, and closed my eyes, and fell asleep.
After being well rested, I woke up before my mother, and I grabbed half the money I made last night, and grabbed a large sack, and my gladius, and scabbard. I put my armor on, and my sack. I wore my scabbard, and put my gladius in it.
I grabbed the key, and unlocked the door, and opened it. Then shut and locked it. I walked to a supply shop, and bought enough food rations to last me in an emergency. Put them in my sack. Bought a lantern, and enough flasks of oil, and put them in my sack. Bought a pouch, and filled it with the rest of the money I had. Then I went to an armor shop, and bought a sagum, and wore it over my sack, and pouch, and everything else.
I went back to the Inn we were staying at, and I kissed my mother on the cheek, and my sister on the forehead, and left the key on the table, and put an apple on a note, that I wrote before I left, on a piece of parchment. Then I left, closing the door behind me, and talked with a person that worked at the Inn, to lock the door for me, from the outside. I then began my long journey back to Iridine, and long it was. Longer than when we came. I didn't have my sister to joke around with, I didn't have my mother to listen to. Just the journey from Altene to Iridine, I believe, made me independent.
A man in a hooded cloak attacked me, and threatened to kill me if I didn't give him food or money. So I gave him all the food rations I had, and all the money in my pouch, after realizing how tough he was.
Luckily along my path I found a fishing pole..I felt bad for who ever left it, but I needed to make use of it, so I took it with me, and every time I saw a river, I'd fish for awhile, until I couldn't carry any more, then that'd last me awhile.
I forgot to bring a blanket, so I was often cold at night. So I decided I'd have to go about the dangerous way, and slept in the day when it was warm, so I didn't get sick sleeping at night, and then at night, I'd walk, keeping myself warm by moving.
Along the way I found some children that were alone, and I beckoned them to come with me. I kept them fed, with the fish I had. They were heading towards their family in Iridine. They were kidnapped by Cinerans, and escaped and were heading back. I slept less often, because I was now staying awake waiting for Cinerans, which never came luckily, but I wasn't taking any chances.
After a long while we finally reached Iridine. It'd been so long since I had been there, I felt like crying. I took the children to the Stone Toga Inn, where I gave Constantine some coins, to give these children some milk. Then I brought them to Septima's where I bought them Chicken Dumpling soup to warm them up. I would have bought some for myself, but I had just enough for one night for an Inn room, after that. So I went back to the Stone Toga, and rented us a room, where I took the kids, and allowed them to get some real sleep.
I left them there, with the door locked I wondered around going through the tough part, as soon as I got there, rather then it coming to me slowly. I knew I had to deal with it soon. So I went walking around and remembering my father in things and places, and in people, and then going someplace alone to cry. One of my fathers friends found me, and sat next to me, and put his hand on my shoulder.
"Morph, you're dad is a brave and courageous man. He never let down his guard, and never gave up. He saved my life, and for that I'm thankful. I was there when he was dying, he told me to give you this," he said, as he offered me a tin gladius. "It was his first gladius ever. He would have'e given you his own, but some Cinerans took it from him, but he said that this gladius' was passed down generation after generation."
I accepted the gladius, and replaced my other with it. I put my old one in a large sack I had been wearing.
"Thank you, Sir," I said, trying to act like I hadn't been crying.
"He wanted me to make sure you knew that he thought you were a strong boy, and brave, and he knew you'd be able to take care of the family, and grow to be stronger than he ever was," he stated.
"Really?" I asked, happily.
"Yes, his own words."
He rubbed my shoulder, and stood up, "You'll be fine, just keep your head up, son." Then he walked away.
I pulled out the gladius I was given, and looked at it, turning it around, watching the sun shine on it, until the sunset came.
I then got up, and walked to the Stone Toga, where I posted a piece of parchment that said, "Children Found!" and gave the description of the children I was looking over. Within days the parents knocked on my door, and I opened it, barely moving out of the way of the excited children in time. They offered me money for bringing them back, but I couldn't accept. Instead, I took the gladius I bought in Altene out, and offered it to one of the boys, who had grown very curious of it, along our journey. I told him I'd teach him once a week, if he wanted. He nodded, and beamed happily, holding the Gladius, and pretending to be fighting. I told him to be careful with it, and then they were on their way.
Moments after they left a loud knock on the door was heard. I jumped at the loudness, and opened the door, and saw one of the lead men from my fathers legion standing there.
"Sir Morphius," he said, as he bowed. "Your father earned this, and now it is passed to you, since he's not here with us to accept it," He announced, as he offered me an armillus. I accepted, and bowed back in return.
"Thank you, Sir," I replied.
He bowed again, and nodded, then did a right haste, and walked the other direction. I closed the door and locked it, and put the key on the table, and looked at the armillus, and smiled. I put the armillus on, and wore it.
Over the next course of 2 years, I made enough money every few months to bring back to my family in Altene. After time the route to Altene grew more and more manageable to me, as I grew stronger, and bought tougher armor. Soon I bought my mother a house, where she and my sister lived, while I went to work in Iridine, killing bandits, brutes, thugs, rats, and sold their goods.
I then over another 3-4 years made enough money for my mother and sister to be able to live a long while without me needing to visit, for I was old enough to live on my own, and was far too independent to move back in with my mother. It'd be very awkward.
So, I familarized myself with Iridine, found myself a room in Monlon, and I've been training with my gladius all day and night mostly, and hunting. Iridine holds great people.
My father gave me strength, bravery, courage, and perception. My mother gave me responsibility, kindness, and loyalty. Midlight gave me independence. My friends brought me happiness.