The House of Wolves

The Chariot

The smell of fresh bread. With it, the irresistible temptation to indulge himself. The sensation it brought tempted Alder to drop the wood in his hands and give chase. The market of the people was bustling all around. He saw everything that occurred, and was taken by the feelings which animated this 'everything'. The exhaustion of the workers heaving the boxes and the anger of the fruit seller lady as she smacked a thief. No, it was not apt to call him a thief. He was a boy not yet ready to be a beggar, not truly desperate to steal. Simply poor. But not enough to truly hunger or dream.

It was a pathetic existence, but that existence crackled within the spirits of everyone around Alder. But not him. He would become a knight one day. He hadn't gotten many glimpses of them, except when they came to his humble alley to discuss with Aurelia. The older kids understood, but for him big words were not so interesting. Because of that he was different from everyone else in this place.

They were all bound. Unknowingly yes, but bound still to a swirl inside them they did not know. Like snow, it flecked all of their souls, but the warmth of the sun distracted them from the cold left behind. The butchers hacked away at the pigs with an anger they couldn't give to people and the apprentice boys glared an anger they could not truly exercise.

It was stupid. No, it was worse. It was cowardly. Cowardly and foolish, that was the word for all the passive idiots around Alder. The apothecaries not inventive enough to make their own concoctions, the poor boys not creative enough to create their own dream, the bards too incompetent to write their own melodies. It didn't matter that Alder wanted to be a knight like the other boys, because he would be a different knight. He would be the best, because that was what Aurelia promised.

She wove stories of heroes freeing princesses from dragons clutches and of kings leading wars against shadow people and of gods moving the world to their whim. But here there were no dragons or demons or gods or elves. Only crows, and people yelling at them.

Still, he couldn't deny that this place was comfortable. He had plenty of time to venture out into the world or make it in his image or do whatever he wanted. Now he wanted bread. But just as he took a step closer to it, pulled in by the security wrapped in the dough. Behind him he heard a voice from someone he knew, but their identity slipped his thought. All he could feel was the rumbling of his belly and the settling of his heart as he inched closer towards that which promised to soothe his soul.

He was far away from his little nest in the alleyway, but why did that matter? It remained a mere speck in his consciousness, until his immersion was broken by a turning sound. Suddenly, a chariot rushed past him, missing him by a hair, and yet pulling him into its movements all the same.

He heard neighing. The sound was surprising and almost violating. It felt to him unexpected,  for Alder had never heard it before. It roused a strange feeling in his chest, a call to the unknown and the gaps in his mind.

But that was not all his mind took in. Alongside the stallions, were armored men. All incredibly well built and impeccably dressed. Not like the fat butchers or the skinny poor folk or the unremarkable house dwellers. Here the driver of the chariot looked like a wealthy merchant in his own right. He could only imagined who rested inside. Perhaps a merchant, or a noble, or even a prince. Alder could feel a ticking being set off in his mind which blended into the grinding of the wheels. A tapestry wove itself in the form of a man, with golden hair and passionate eyes, with golden bracelets to match his hair and an irreplaceable smirk. A piece of the myths his sister had spoken, breathed into life and inches away from the Alder. The light emanated just from that carriage alone was enough to blind him, and to bring him shame for the tendrils of poverty which he was constricted by.

In this moment he wanted to cast them aside, removing the smell of bread with them. He wanted to do something to change his fate, but he was paralyzed. Paralyzed by the curse of simplicity which bound his mere mortal frame.

Wait, he was not merely mortal? Not when he had these eyes! Eyes that were purple, captured by the will of regality and un-satisfaction. He reached forth to slip off his contacts, but stopped himself. His sister had told him to never remove them, for to do that would be to reveal a secret that was never to be shown to the rest of the world. But why was that the case? Especially in a place like this, where such secrets were so fresh in the air. Or were they just gossip? Alder did not truly know the difference.

He had Aurelia to care and dote for him. She wasn't here now, she had gone to buy fish and vegetables and bread from the market with what little money she had. She had warned Alder not to leave their little makeshift home until she came back as she did every day...but Alder was an excitable child.

For years, that excitement had been wrapped inside a neat little ball and stuffed in an alley, but now? Now he could barely contain himself! Jewels and metals he had never even heard of, beasts he had only heard tales of, people dressed so royally his brain couldn't even comprehend it.

The life he was familiar with was one where his sister's meals were the highest quality of cuisine, and the bed and pillow he slept in were considered lavish.

Aurelia was a wonderful storyteller, and Alder looked forward to hearing her words every night. But he had never actually conceptualized these stories as something tangible. He'd always longed for them but never considered the idea that something grander than that which constituted his everyday life appearing right before his eyes.

Seeing it now awakened something within him. That...was jealousy. It was a feeling he had never experienced before, but now that it had emerged it was like a cancer which bubbled within him. But at the same time, another, more innocent emotion ran free. Curiosity, for as to what was going on.

The two formed a deadly combination. What ifs began to fester within Alder's heart. Questions, forlorn possibilities, even a little bit of distrust towards his sister from hiding the actual existence of such a thing as this chariot from Alder. Of course, what he was seeing was not a vicious dragon or a silky haired king...but it was something beyond the bubble Alder knew as the world. Aurelia had made sure to tell to him constantly that she was telling him mere stories, with a firm tone of voice. But what if...she was lying? What if such things actually existed. What if there was a deeper reason that Alder wore contacts.

As the chariot passed...questions burned within Alder's heart like a thunderstorm. No one else noticed, they were far too enamored by the scene before them. But for Alder's tiny, fragile little mind, his worldview would never be the same.

And this was just the beginning of much bigger things to come....

It was perfect that day in Corvachia. Not blisteringly hot, or icy cold...but warm. That alone should have been indication that today was special. Corvachia was a city which was almost never warm. It was characterized by rain most of the time, and in later seasons extreme temperatures. On this day, one might say the heavens themselves were working to celebrate the arrival of something new within the city.

And that was the arrival of Lord Calastre...one of the most prominent politicians in the country.  Politicians almost never came to Corvachia, with its mining and general uncleanliness that characterized the majority of the town. Additionally, the city was very dubious. Black markets, rogues and assassins, underground brothels, criminal organizations....these things could be found here more than arguably anywhere else in Volicheus.

There were beautiful parts of the city, especially the place known as Bayrond's square...where the wealthy business owners who monopolized the city's market dwelled, but as a whole Corvachia was rather uncouth. And for a noble or a political figure, people of even higher rank than the rich folk of the city, there were even grander places to travel to.

After all...why come here when the kingdom of Volicheus had some of the most wonderful cities in the whole continent. Segments of the kingdom far more fitting for nobles and other fellows of such ilk. From Altravia, the 'City of glass' to Gordova, the 'library of Volicheus'. In contrast to places like these, Corvachia was simply a capitalistic hubbub with a rich market,  important but generally unattractive business city.

But nevertheless, the man named Lord Ardos Calastre was here, for discussions with some of the cities businessmen. He rode in an elaborate chariot encrusted with pure gold and adorned with a variety of rare gems. Everything about and associated with the chariot screamed pure class.

The horses were exquisitely bred Auravian Stallions, the bodyguards were all incredibly well built and impeccably dressed warriors, even the driver of the chariot looked like a wealthy merchant in his own right. For the ordinary citizens of Corvachia, people whose lives were constituted by dullness and surrounded by gray....this was a treat.

Amongst these citizens was a young boy, an ordinary boy, one named Alder. Well...almost normal. There was one characteristic that made him stand out amidst the crowd which had gathered around the chariot. And these were his purple eyes. Currently though, these eyes could not be seen, as Alder was wearing contacts to prevent his abnormalities from being exposed.

Abnormalities were dangerous, especially in Corvachia. If he were distinguished in any way from the ordinary commons folk he could be isolated and fate would either take him to the corrupt high class of the city, where he might become a glorified plaything for those in power...or he could find himself cast into the even more deplorable underworld, which gave Corvachia its name of "The City of Crows".

The things that transpired there were horrifying, unspeakable even. Criminal organizations ran rampant, murders were frequent, thieving was abundant. It was miserable.

But Alder knew none of this...he was young, only ten years old, and had gotten the privilege of being sheltered his entire life by his big sister Aurelia. In his eyes, him wearing contacts was all part of an elaborate game his sister constructed, one which had been going on for years now.

She wasn't here now, she had gone to buy fish and vegetables and bread from the market with what little money she had. She had warned Alder not to leave their little makeshift home until she came back as she did every day...but Alder was an excitable child.

Upon seeing people pouring out of their houses, he had felt compelled to follow them and as such had found his way here. And before him now was the prettiest sight he had ever seen. Jewels and metals he had never even heard of, beasts he had only heard tales of, people dressed so royally his brain couldn't even comprehend it.

The sight was like an overload of information into Alder's young brain, one which had never known anything beyond the life he had lived for eight long years. One where his sister's meals were the highest quality of cuisine, and the bed and pillow he slept in were considered lavish.

He had heard stories of knights and heroes, legends and myths of all kind. He had heard tales of pirates who roamed the seas, stealing riches, people and even lands from kingdoms across the world. Stories of powerful adventurers who had explored new frontiers and slayed beasts of unimaginable proportions.

Aurelia was a wonderful storyteller, and Alder looked forward to hearing her words every night. But he had never actually conceptualized these stories as something tangible. He'd always longed for them but never considered the idea that something grander than that which constituted his everyday life appearing right before his eyes.

Seeing it now awakened something within him. That...was jealousy. It was a feeling he had never experienced before, but now that it had emerged it was like a cancer which bubbled within him. But at the same time, another, more innocent emotion ran free. Curiosity, for as to what was going on.

The two formed a deadly combination. What ifs began to fester within Alder's heart. Questions, forlorn possibilities, even a little bit of distrust towards his sister from hiding the actual existence of such a thing as this chariot from Alder. Of course, what he was seeing was not a vicious dragon or a silky haired king...but it was something beyond the bubble Alder knew as the world. Aurelia had made sure to tell to him constantly that she was telling him mere stories, with a firm tone of voice. But what if...she was lying? What if such things actually existed. What if there was a deeper reason that Alder wore contacts.

As the chariot passed...these questions burned within Alder's heart like a thunderstorm. No one else noticed, they were far too enamored by the scene before them. But for Alder's tiny, fragile little mind, his worldview would never be the same.

And this was just the beginning of much bigger things to come....