The sun was slowely setting, the wind gently pushed grain In a waving motion, Cicadas were making noice and a goose was eating grass in a field.
*honk*
Lamia waved Redrick goodbye without saying anything. A few more days had passed now and the two of them hadn't spoken much.
They were completely enveloped in improving their swordmanship. Well atleast one of them.
Redrick had met a wall himself now.
'If I want to further improve my skills, I probably need to find myself some other sparring partners'
Redrick had learned everything he could learn from Lamia. She brought great insight in different forms, atack and defence tactics. But now he needed a new source of information to improve himself.
'Now that I think about it, Lamia should have been the one to improve until she reached the limit, not me.'
Redrick closed the church door and took one of the training swords that was laying against a wall. He started doing some practice swings.
'She finnaly is able to find and use openings, But she is still to slow to be a threat to a mediocre swordsman. Its like she is holding back for some reason.'
Redrick was fully aware that the lady hid somthing from him, and probably from everybody she knew.
'Everytime I fight her, it feels like I am fighting a scared kid that can only defend herself, so filled with fear that attacking isn't even an option in her head.
Redrick kept practicing his slashes.
'I should probably ask her why. It doesn't really matter if she lies or not. It wouldn't slow her learning progress and maybe it would help me find a way to fasten the pace a bit.'
Redrick put his sword down on the ground, the sun had now fully set moonlight was now shining through the tainted glass behind the sun gods altar.
" Well tomorrow is another day. Are you hungry loaf? I'll prepare us some vegetable stew"
Loaf looked straight at Redrick for a few seconds, than he slowely walked towards the kitchen and sat on one of the chairs.
"That realy is your chair now huh, do you think you are the head of the house my friend?"
Redrick and Lamia were fully aware that Loaf was an extraordinary animal. Both of them had heard stories of people with gifts that gave them affinity with certain animal, the animals in those stories would act way smarter, cunning and sociable than the animals they have seen in real life.
Loaf looked at Redrick, and shook his head. He than layed down and seemed to relax.
'Is he a different breed, a monster in disguise, a poor human soul that got trapped in a goose or a messenger send by the gods?.'
That last question mad Redrick laugh.
'I dont think that the old and forgotten sun god would send a goose out of all the creatures it could chooce from. A phoenix is somthing I would send if my name was sun god.'
The stew was brewing while Redrick was deep in his thoughts.
'Well I already know that I don't have a gift that gives me affinity with animals, or birds or gooses specifically.'
Redrick had done some experiments to find out if he was the cause of Loafs abnormal behavior. He went to a park to find a group of geese. It was quite the experience.
"Listens to me and sit down."
The geese kept standing while eating grass. One goose seemed to look at him.
'Okay 1 reaction, maybe I am not efficient enough with my gift yet'
Redrick walked towards the aware goose and crouched down to meet its eye easier.
People in the park were looking at this situation weirdly.
"Mom can that man talk to geese." a girl said while holding hands with her mother.
"Maybe honey. He could also be crazy sweety, so its better to stay away from people like him."
Redrick had heard this.
' I need to be quick or ill be the goose guy for the rest of my life.'
"Sit down."
The goose was still standing.
"Fly"
The goose was still standing.
"Walk"
The goose was still standing.
"Stay"
The goose was still standing.
'Well that last one doesn't count. Why is nothing working'
Than the goose started moving
*HONK*
'ah are my commands having effect'
The goose had spread his wings and was slowely walking towards Redrick.
*HIGHHHHH*
' I dont think that's a good sign, I should probably leave'
The goose started moving faster and 3 other geese were now joining.
'Oh god no'
Redrick started walking faster and than took a slow run.
The geese gave up the pursuit after a few minutes.
A few townfolk had called him ' goose guy' after that day, even Belle and Bill were joking around with it.
*honk*
The stew was done, loaf was quite good at keeping track of time.
"thanks Loaf, I almost forgot"
Redrick took two bowls and poured them with the stew.
"You should wait a bit, you wouldn't want to burn your beak again."
Redrick had also tried to command Loaf and other animals. That didn't work either, so the hypothesis that he had an animal affinity gift was false.
'I am glad that I don't have a sole affinity to geese, goose guy is not a name that I want to hold. What am I even suposed to do with a gift like that, fight battles with an army of geese, make a delivery service, start a geese farm or all at the same time'.
Redrick smiled. That smile slowely turned serious tho.
' A gift that makes me able to communicate with all the animals would have been nice tho. Now I am just having more and more questions.'
Redrick started looking at loaf gobbling the now cold stew.
'If me and Lamia don't have a gift that communicates with animals, than why are you the way you are? Could you actually be a messenger from the gods?'
*skedoosh*
*honk*
Loaf had put to much preasure on the bowl wich made it fall of the table.
'Yeah definitely not'
Redrick took care of the pieces of the broken bowl and threw it in the trash. The little bits of food that were laying on the floor were thrown away by Loaf, he than took a towel put it on the ground, stood on it and slowely moved over the wet spot on the floor. Loaf than looked at Redrick, got of the towel, bowed down towards Redrick and walked away.
'Am I ever going to find out'.
Redrick started washing the dishes in a bucket of water. After that he went to the roof of the church. There were vines against the walls outside that made it easy to get there.
Redrick always liked sitting there even when he was a kid, he had different reasons now tho.
As a kid he liked to play adventurer with his siblings. The roof was an ideal stage to fight a war, travel the oceans, climb the highest mountain and defeat the most evil Demon on.
Redrick, Lynn and Estell had played these kind of scenarios over and over.
"Redrick, to your left" a little girl with blond hair and a red mark on the left side of her face yelled.
Redrick turned his head and was to late with noticing that a kick was coming his way. He took the full force of the kick and fell on the tiles. Beneath him.
"Heheheh me the evil Demon that wants to eat the light of the sun god that is stored here, just defeated your only companion. What is your next move hero?"
It would have been a corny line for a man in a Demon suit that was in a play about the past. But it wasn't corny at all.
'Cute' was what Redrick thought about his assailant.
He didn't think that the words were cute, but the way the suposed 'Demon' said it.
The 'Demon' looked exactly like the girl who warned him, except that she didn't have a mark on her face.
"I'll make you pay for hurting my friends Demon. " the hero screamed while charging.
Lynn always liked to play the hero. She was a righteous person who dreamed to travel the world and solve every mystery she got her hands on.
"Muhahahaha you are not worthy to be my adversary, hero. If you are so willing to die than I'll send you on your way." The Demon said while slowely walking towards her actual sister.
Estell was the real twin sister of Lynn. They were actually the same except for Lynn having a scar on her face. They might look the same but their personalities were polar opposites.
Estell liked to play dirty, trick and deceive people. Being a devil suited her quite well. She wasn't evil tho, more like an anti hero. She didn't care that much about the world nor did she about travelling. What she did care about was her sister. She would follow her till the end of the world and back.
Lynn did share the same feelings. Misses Goldfield used to joke that Estel had an angel watching over her and that Lynn had a Demon.
After the two fought and the hero and demon decided to make peace, they sad together watching the stars fall.
" I wonder how the night sky looks like in other countries, are we watching the same stars or are there different ones shining on different lands." Lynn said while laying down on the tiles of the roof. She now moved one of her hands towards the sky and moved it in the wind.
"Ofcourse they see the same stars, the stars are the lights of the gods that created us. That also means the people in other countries." Estell said a mocking voice.
Lynn looked annoyed at estell who sat down next to her.
"What do you think Redrick?" Lynn asked with curiosity.
Redrick was laying on the otherside of Estell thinking about whatever his thoughts brought him.
"Hey weirdo, someone asked you somthing." Estell said while punshing Redricks shoulder.
'She might be a human but she hits and kicks like a demon' Redrick thought.
"I dont know really. I dont know what the sky actually is, I have never been in other countries, I dont even know if we see things the same as others. The stars could be shining on us alone, or on every country. It could be that they have no sky at all, it could be that ....."
"Man we don't need a full report, we would have read some papers ourself if we really wanted to know" Estell said with a sigh.
Lynn laughed "well he is right, what do we really know. The only way to know is to find out ourselfs right. We will be the greatest adventures ever. With my puzzle skills, Estells battle prowes and your brain Redrick, we will be unstoppable".
Estell scoffed but Redrick watched Lynn with admiration.
This fun and happy memory weighed heavy on Redricks mind. He wouldn't have minded joining them at all, he also was a curious type like Lynn. He also enjoyed their company quite a bit, even though it left him full of bruises.
The reason why he tried to forget this memory was that Lynn and Estell didn't keep their words.
They left him here, alone. Only to take care of Misses Goldfield while Mister Goldfield was fighting a war with Caitlin and the other 9 older siblings.
Redrick didn't mind at the time, he did it because he wanted to help hi adoptive mother. He would have joined the twins when his adoptive father came back.
That day never came.
He had hoped that Lynn and Estell would come back after hearing the news.
But they didnt. They only came back to burry their adoptive parents and siblings.
He hoped that they would look for him and ask him to join them now. To take him away from this place that was now filled with horrible memories.
But they didn't. They left shortly after.
Redrick started crying. He was tired, he was lonely, he was angry and he still is till this day.
*tunk tunk tunk*
Redrick looked behind him with teary eyes. Loaf was hitting one of his bedroom windows that was facing his way.
*hnk*
He quickly noticed that quite some time had passed and that it was a good time to go asleep.
"On my way Loaf, dont put the candles out yet, I'll be there in a bit."
Redrick wiped away his tears and climbed down the vines.
There was a starry night, not only for the goose guy, but for all the Goldfields.