One!"
"Haaaaa!"
"TWO"
"Haaaaa!"
The voice of the drill instructor spread out into the distance as trainees swung their swords, to meet the instructors pace.
Wooden swords clashed not far off to the side, as some trainees sparred under the watchful gaze of another instructor, while another group enhanced their physiques with physical exercise.
A young boy stood, watching all this happening through a narrow gap in the walls, a mocking smile on his face as he watched the guards train right beside his tower or prison.
This young boy was the abandoned son of the Pendragon household born of a maid and a baron, before being cast aside and put in the servant quarters of the estate after the death of his mother.
Although a smile could be seen adorning his face, his cold eyes told a different story.
Scanning through the training ground, he noticed a drill instructor looking in his direction.
He slowly pried himself away from the moss covered wall before plopping down on his makeshift bed, formed from a plank platform topped with a thin layer of hay.
Looking up at the hole ridden roof, at the blue sky, memories of his past life swarmed into his mind, haunting him.
He recalled his ordinary life on Earth, where he had gone through primary school, high school, community college and eventually a job at a Bank.
A life where his only worry was how to not get on the bad side of his boss, or how to get a girlfriend.
The name which he once held dear now evaded him like a plague every time he tried to remember it, vanishing like it was never there.
Hayden sighed deeply as he once more reminisced on his past life.
Although normal, He enjoyed the peace and quiet. He could remember that one time in highschool where he confessed to the finest girl in class, only to hear his confession in 5th period maths on the PA system for the school to hear.
He could remember being so embarrassed, that he stupidly wished for death. Sigh how he wished for those days again.
The clouds parted, allowing sunlight to pass through the holes in the roof, suddenly blinding him.
The bright light reminded Hayden of his mother in this life.
He remembered seeing his mother's beautiful golden hair, paired with her ocean blue eyes. He remembered her almond shaped face that only seemed to make her personality shine brightly.
He remembered her sweet melodic voice when she sang lullabies to him, while swinging him in her arms.
Multiple good memories flooded into his head as tears threatened to fall, but that's all it did. As he felt the tears in his eyes, his gaze suddenly froze over, as hate flooded in, wiping away any tear in sight.
With all good things comes the bad. Memories of his mother dying came into vision. He could remember seeing his step mothers happiness practically bubbling from her eyes when his mother died.
He could remember the servants in the house bad mouthing and cursing her even as she was dead. He could even remember his father's cold gaze piercing into his soul as he sent him away to live in the servant quarters.
Every night for the last nine years, that gaze had haunted his dreams, never failing to scare the shit out of him.
How would you feel as a child who was just turning four, to lose your mother, receive the hate of the whole household, and receive nothing but scorn and hatred from your own father.
Hayden's chest tightened, his breath catching in his throat as memories flooded his mind
As his mood soured, his attention shifted to the footsteps approaching his door.
*Knock knock knock*
"Young master Hayden, it's time"
A voice came from the other side of the door said, who he recognised as a butler for the Pendragon household.
Hearing the voice, Hayden couldn't help but smile at the hidden jab in that sentence.
'young master?' This was the first time he had heard them saying that title.
'At least I was able to ruin someone's day's he thought as he looked for positives in an already shitty day.
Quietly getting up from the hay filled bed, Hayden silently dusted some hay from his body before exiting room.
Once outside, he saw a group of four crowding outside his door.
Apart from the butler who spoke before, there was also some guards, who he thought of as Pendragon knights, seeing as he was unable to hear their footsteps as they approached his door and the armour on their body.
The biggest giveaway to their identities were the crests on their left shoulder showing an image of a trident.
Sensing his gaze on them, the knight rested his hand on his sword, his silent message clear to see.
Move or die!
Recieving the message, Hayden could only roll his eyes and rebuke them inwardly before heading outside.
Passing through a series of passages, he finally passed through an iron gate and stepped out into the open.
The smell of nature suddenly assaulted his nose, as a mix of grass, mud and dung filled the air, causing him to stumble backward.
"Pfft!"
The sound someone laughing could be heard, causing Hayden to glare backward towards the butler who seemed to not even try to hide his jolly emotions.
'Laugh all you want for now, for he who laughs last laughs best' Hayden swore to have his revenge inwardly, before continuing on his path.
His rough oversized linen cloth flowed in the wind, as sunlight cascaded on his thin frail body.
He couldn't remember the last time he had a proper meal as he was finding difficulty walking.
Taking his mind off his pitiful situation, Hayden decided to observe the surroundings.
Beds of flowers littered everywhere, beautiful green trees stood in a little forest like environment not far to the east, while massive buildings could be found arranged at strategic positions around the main estate mansion where the baron and his family lived, well most of them.
Walking past the building, Hayden and company headed outward, towards the estate gate, where a group of people could be found waiting beside a horse drawn carriage.
Hayden's eyes narrowed, his gaze faltering for an instant as he locked onto a figure. The source of his deepest pain and the biggest recipient of his hate.
The man stood at a height of 6'4 with broad shoulders and a toned chest that could be seen through his leather tunic. He had a head full of black hair and what most would call a handsome face, but to Hayden, this was the face of the person he hated most in the world.
He stared at his supposed father, his face filled with different emotions, threatening to burst into the open, but was quickly hidden as he noticed the armed men around him.
Upon getting closer to the group, he noticed that the group which he thought was made up of people from the same side, seemed to be different as one side had an emblem of the crown, while the other side followed the Pendragon family.
"Is this it?" a soldier from the other group asked, his eyes staring into the unwavering gaze of the baron Infront of him.
"Yes." Baron Laurence replied.
Recieving confirmation, the soldier's eyes froze over. Looking over at the boy, his disappointment couldn't help but surface.
The thin and frail body which seemed like the wind could carry him, paired with the dirty and unkept appearance which looked nothing like the son of a baron.
'he won't last long on the battlefield' he thought.
Unwilling to show his thoughts, he looked back at the baron before asking " what about the rest?"
Baron Laurence returned the soldiers gaze with his own, this time a small smile tugging at his lips.
"There's no rest. This is all I'm donating, or is my precious son not enough as a donation?" He asked.
Everyone could clearly see he was not being serious.
Not wanting to waste anymore time, the soldier signaled two men at his sides to escort Hayden into one of the carriages at the gate, before turning back to the baron in front of him.
"I will not forget about your kindness!" He growled before walking away.
Flanked by two guards on both sides, Hayden could only quietly follow them as they led him through the massive gates of the estates.
Once outside, the cool wind swept through his unkept hair and calmed his nerves. With this new found calm, one thought came to mind.
'Im finally out.'