Taraquin

Chapter 1

Present day:

In the medieval kingdom of Taraquin, during a time when magic still exists, Zane, a young peasant man of twenty, walks between rows of apple trees on the farm he's lived all of his life. He guides a horse-drawn cart with large baskets in the back, as he works diligently to finish harvesting his crop. Though the life of a farmer isn't a glamorous one, he takes pride in his work and appreciates the life his Aunt and Uncle have given him. However, he often daydreams of life as a sorcerer in the Elite Guard, even though he's already past the age when powers are revealed.

He places a basket at the bottom of each tree he comes to, and then uses his tall height to climb and reach the apples with ease. He tosses each apple into the basket below until there are no more, before he climbs down and loads the heavy basket into the cart. Years of hard work in the hot climate of Chora Province has darkened his natural tan, and built large defined muscles. Though he was raised near the town of Gelwyn, the townspeople can tell otherwise. His dark brown hair blends in with many from Chora, but his natural tan is only common of people from the Farook Island Nation. However, it's his piercing green eyes that cause curiosity from most, as it is unnatural for any in all of the seven known kingdoms.

As the hot afternoon sun causes the need for a break, he sits on the back of the cart and grabs a corked jar full of water. He removes the cork and downs a good portion of the water before returning to his daydreams. He's reminded of his upcoming journey to the city market in Fagan. He looks forward to it every year, mainly because of a certain young woman who buys the bulk of his crops every harvest. He dreams of the golden haired beauty quite often, yet he still doesn't know her name. She's the only girl to ever show kindness toward him, instead of awkward silence as they stare at his uncommon appearance. However, the brown-eyed girl of his dreams may be out of reach for him. She wears gowns made from the finest cloth, and generally spends quite a bit of coin at the market, making Zane believe she's of noble birth.

Though the noble girl from the market consumes his dreams now, she wasn't the first. Paintings and drawings of Princess Orellia flood the market every year. The blues eyes and blonde hair the Royal House of Aukland is known for, has always intrigued him. He can't help but stare each time he passes the portrait of the girl known as the most beautiful in Taraquin. As a peasant, it is very rare to marry someone of nobility, though it happens more often with those who become Guardsmen. However, that's only possible if Zane possessed powers.

Peasants can become nobility if they develop powers. However, they are considered lower on the tier of nobility, but can still rise higher in the social classes if they make a name for themselves. Even a skilled swordsmen without powers like Zane, can push up through the ranks of the military or the Elite Guard. Gwops as they are known for shortened use, or Guardsmen without powers, generally don't make it to noble status, since only someone with powers can hold the rank of Commanding Guardsman. Though, if a gwop is skilled enough, they tend to switch to the military and attempt to work their way up to military commanders, and then are considered a low class noble.