Brad III
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Brad wiped a bit of sweat from his brow, clutching a small handful of wheat, with a scythe leant against his shoulder. He wanted to say that he had done almost as much as his strange friend, but the truth of it was that ser Jaxon was just far too good at farming. The seeds he had planted the day before had grown into a tall field of wheat. The crop fell before him like a dastardly villain, before being absorbed by his palm. Before the morning sun had even reached its peak, another large chest had been placed near the stone hedge that acted as the border of his family's small farm, filled to the brim with fresh wheat.
"Um… ser Jaxon, do you want me to plan- what in the seven?!"
The knight stood on the other side of the fence, somehow having jumped over the stone despite being clad in solid steel. He held a metal pail in a single hand, a burning orange liquid bubbling and glowing wickedly within. The dirt path was muddied, as a large pillar of water had been erected atop a pillar of square wood planks. The water defied the norm, flowing along the dirt for a few metres, before stopping… as if the seven themselves had forced it immobile with their divine. The water flowed, yet it stayed static.
It was strange… but farming isn't all that ser Jaxon was supernaturally good at.
His newfound friend had done a great job of breaking seventeen years of common sense when he had barged into his life yesterday, so Brad shouldn't have been all that surprised that he could control water to some degree. Knowing to not be surprised didn't really help all that much when it came to his friend.
"There's nothing more Minecraft-y than making a Nether portal! I need to craft me some potions and start making a functional gold farm!"
"Gold farm? How will a tower of water help you mine?"
"Nah, Brad, I'll be committing zombie piglins genocide for gold. I'll be swimming in it soon enough!"
"Save some for me and my own, ser Jaxon."
Brad didn't understand what a zombie piglin was, nor how it would help the knight make a fortune… but he nodded anyway. His family was indebted to this strange, mystical knight so he didn't really intend to receive any gold. However, ser Jaxon grinned widely from beneath his steel helm, before pouring the orange liquid into the water. A square made of darkness formed instantly, simmering beneath the water with a purple gleam.
"That's the plan, Brad." He turned tail, and walked down the muddy path, his iron greaves spotless just like the day before. He lazily waved a hand and shouted for the world to hear. "Anyway, I'll be off to fetch some lava." Brad stood still for a few moments, watching the knight's steel back growing smaller, before he looked towards the block of darkness.
There's something almost evil about it…
With a shake of his head, the peasant walked towards the family cottage. He climbed the hill, feeling the warm sun upon the back of his neck, and looked back down to the field. The land had been ploughed once more and waited for himself and ser Jaxon to plant the seeds. The knight had wanted to do them straight away, something about never having enough food… but Brad and his family had enough crops for themselves and their neighbours, after the lord's tax. The only thing that had changed was a small, fenced area just a few feet away from the cottage's right-side wall, with five adult sheep and two lambs, despite there being only five adult sheep the night prior.
Ser Jaxon's miracles at work again.
Brad placed the scythe against the front wall, next to the shovel and hoe, before he opened the door, only to take a step inside and feel something hard collide with him. Taken aback, he coughed as the air was thrown from his lungs. He recovered quickly, looking down to see a young woman with long blonde hair that shone like gold, and below the messy fringe was a pair of emerald eyes that glanced up at him. Emerald, his sister of sixteen hugged him gently and grinned up at him with crooked, dark teeth.
"Brother, have you finished with the field already? And where's ser Jaxon?!"
Of course, my sweet sister would want to know about ser Jaxon.
"Off doing what only the seven knows. He's building something just beyond the stone fence, maybe if you wait there patiently, mayhap ser Jaxon would have a couple flowers to bring for his fair lady."
Two clenched fists slammed against his shoulder's, and his sister shouted a couple 'shaddups'. Her strikes weren't all that powerful, but their repetitive nature caused him a small amount of strife. If she hadn't been abusing him, Brad would call this side of his sister cute. He pushed Emerald off him as gently as he could and brushed her golden locks with an experienced ease.
"I'm off to see father." He walked towards a small door just next to the kitchen and dining room… his parents' room. He looked over his shoulder and saw that his sister had disappeared, off to see what ser Jaxon was up to. He knocked on the wood wall and opened his mouth to call out.
"I heard ya before! I may be old, but I ain't deaf yet. Come in lad."
Brad heard a couple of dry coughs, and breathed in, preparing himself. He walked into his parents' room. Laying upon a bed of straw was a thin, middle-aged man with greying golden hair. His once strong arms were now concerningly thin, and his face was gaunt. He looked sick, and he was. He coughed, this time louder and harder than earlier.
"How's the fields going?"
"… Amazing, father. Ser Jaxon and I have just finished with the latest crop."
"A miracle, tha' boy is. A new crop harvested just a day after the last, along with two lambs born during the night. The seven hav' blessed us, they hav'."
"… Yes, they have. Ser Jaxon… he is a good man. A little strange though, I have to admit. Sometimes, I don't know what he is talking about."
"Ha ha," another round of coughing "Ya got the right of it, what lad his age doesn't drink ale! He speaks weirdly and says that he's from a strange land beyond the Narrow Sea. Although, ma sweet Emerald looks to be besotted by him. That's good."
"… You want her to be married? With ser Jaxon?"
"Wouldn't hurt. I only want the best for ma children. A miracle knight seems to be better than what any fancy lord can offer their ladies." Brad refrained from mentioning that the knight was going to go to something called the 'nether' and farm gold, instead of mining it. He was afraid that if he mentioned that tidbit, then his father would die from shock.
"Only the best, huh. Then I hope you have a miracle girl set up for my marriage, father."
"Then ya best go back to the fields and hang around the fence. Mayhap you chance upon ser Jaxon dressed in a skirt, ha ha." Brad imagined ser Jaxon with longer hair and clothed in a dress and burst into laughter along with his father. The mental image was too much.
Ser Jaxon huh… I had always wanted a brother.