Rain pattered the ground silly due to the current downpour, the noise from the rainfall deafening the natural sounds in the atmosphere and the surrounding forests.
Creatures ran into their sheds to save themselves from being terribly drenched.
The same could be said for the young, green-eyed boy who was running at his fastest, almost tripping because of the moistened ground.
He stumbled a few times but picked himself up as he ran back to his village.
It was a miracle how fast this green-eyed boy was running considering that he had a few farm instruments in his possession as he darted home under the rain.
He continued to run until he reached the makeshift borders of his village.
It was not much compared to the villages or kingdoms beyond this territory. However, this small thorp occupied a sizable portion of the forest that surrounded them.
The green-eyed boy was panting as he reached his home, taking a moment to catch his breath under the shed of his hut as he took off his tunic.
He had taken it off to squeeze water from it and as he was hard at wringing his cloth, he didn't know that eyes were peeking at him and these individuals blushed red at the sight of his body.
The green-eyed boy, ignorant of this, continued until almost no drop of water fell from his cloth and then he shifted his attention to his curly black hair.
"Rey is so handsome," one of the ladies peeking at the boy from the window of their hut said.
"I know, Emilia. I know," another added, blushing profusely as she made puppy eyes and danced around like a girl drowning in love.
Another purred like the two before her. "Look at his abs… so… strong. I wish he could wrap me in those strong arms."
He wrung a few strands of his hair together to let out the drops of water. It was at this moment that he noticed that eyes were peeping at him in secret.
Immediately, the green-eyed boy named Rey turned in that direction and flashed the three ladies admiring him a warm, enchanting smile.
Seeing that they have been caught, the three of them ducked instantly, hiding from his gaze as their faces beamed pink from embarrassment.
Rey, on the other hand, chuckled and shook his head as he noticed this before hanging his wrung tunic over his left shoulder.
He rubbed his hands over his chest, his palms sliding over his defined pecs and ab muscles, which were no stranger to pressure more than them.
Rey cleaned off the dust from his body and then proceeded to enter his hut after dusting his feet at the entrance.
"Father, I'm back!" Rey announced his return as a old man suddenly turned and grinned at him.
"Oho? That was fast, Rey!" the man exclaimed excitedly, his eyes beaming with surprise that his son who had left not so long ago had returned.
Rey scratched the back of his head and giggled sheepishly.
He then proceeded to drop the farm tools in a corner of the hut before heading over to join his father by the fire.
"Well, Father… I noticed the changing clouds and decided to rush back home but…"
He paused and spread his arms out, examining his wet body. "...I still got drenched in the rain."
His father observed him for a second while playing with his grey beard and saying nothing.
A glance at the boy and his father understood why exactly he ran back and this made the older man chuckle.
The rainy season was at its peak and every rainfall threatened to beat whoever it caught silly.
"That's okay, my boy. Hahaha!"
The old man turned around and stretched his hands toward the fire to warm himself.
Rey wasted no time in joining him. It was something he had to do before he would catch a cold out of nowhere.
He walked over and sat cross-legged beside his father, doing like the old man did.
The grey-bearded man turned to his son and stared at him for an instant, making the latter wonder why he deserved such a stare.
"Did you—"
Before his father would finish his sentence, Rey already bobbed his head, one too many times, in agreement.
"Yes," he interrupted his father, smiling at him. "I was able to complete the trenches before the rain came. Not too deep and not too shallow just like you asked."
The old man ruffled the boy's hair and giggled satisfactorily like the proud father that he was.
"That's good, my boy. At least our farms won't be flooded by the rain."
The old man turned and focused on his need for warmth briefly before continuing to speak.
"Water is a good thing for our crops, but just like any other thing—"
"...Too much of it is also not good," Rey completed his father's statement, showing him that he still remembered his lessons.
Rey concurred with a nod. He already knew this part of the Avalon Farming Practice, that was basically one of the first lessons he learned from his father cum deputy village chief — Eragon Avalon.
Outside, the sound of the rain continued to patter the ground, dumbing the chatter and laughter of father and son.
However, and quite unfortunately, that was not the only thing the downpour dumbed.
The sound of horses on their way to the village were deafened by the downpour.
An unwelcomed troop was marching towards Rey's village.
*********
"Sir Lancelot, we should take shelter from the rain for now," one of the knights travelling under the rain advised.
The man whom he had addressed as Lancelot said nothing, instead he continued to ride ahead under the rain.
The clanking of his metallic mail and the sound of their horses' hoofsteps were all muffled by the heavy rain.
However, the intent in Lancelot's eyes was evident, shining like the very sun at midday.
He paid his companion no heed, rating his words as no more than a whisper in the wind.
Lancelot's crimson eyes pierced forward, looking toward the direction that his location was as his crimson eyes yearned for something of like colour.
…Blood.