The magical journey of a countryside boy

The morning air is crisp and biting as Rob loads the wagon for their journey back to Riverstead. A heavy sense of loss hits William again as he hugs both Emma and Gretchen with teary eyes. Both of them hug him back tightly. After making dozens of promises to both Emma and Gretchen, they finally step away, leaving him behind as the family prepares to move out.

​Before they climb onto the wagons, Craig steps forward.

​“You should take care of yourself,” Craig says, his voice low. “Don’t let anyone in the city bully you.”

​William nods in agreement. “You should take care of yourself and Aunt too.”

​Craig nods once and walks back to the wagon. From the driver’s seats, Matt and Rob nod at William in assurance, and William nods back in return. He stands alone near the city gates, watching the wooden wheels groan against the cobblestones as the wagon slowly rolls away, shrinking into the morning traffic. He waits until the dust completely settles.

‘​So this is it. Now I am alone in this city. Well, except for John and maybe Betty. I should check out what John is doing—no, he has some work at the City Hall. So, let’s go to my new home’.

​Turning on his heel, he walks away from the bustling main roads and navigates the tightening streets of Arindale until he finally stops in front of Trojjan’s shop. As he enters, he sees Trojjan waiting for him.

​“So, done with your farewell, lad?” Trojjan asks.

​William nods in return.

​“Well, follow me. Let me show you where you are going to sleep,” Trojjan says, walking toward a door located at the side of the hall and opening it. William quickly follows behind him and sees a small room filled with clutter. “This was actually supposed to be a storage shed, but you can put a mattress here,” Trojjan says awkwardly, looking around the mess. “After clearing it, of course.”

​“Do you ever clean it?” William asks, looking around at multiple broken chairs, a table with a missing leg, empty jars lying around, and stacks of other clutter—all of which are caked in a thick layer of dust.

​“Well, I tried cleaning it multiple times, but somehow it kept getting worse and worse, so I just left it there,” Trojjan replies, coughing embarrassedly. “You can find a broom and a pan somewhere in there.”

​William sighs with resignation, grabbing the broom and rags. He piles the wooden furniture together, gathers the empty glass bottles, and scrubs the space down. After two hours of grueling work, the room finally looks habitable. He pauses, wiping his brow, as Trojjan’s voice echoes from down the hall: ”Lad, come get some food!”

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​William walks into the main hall of the shop, where Trojjan sits at a table set with two servings of food.

​”Come, sit,” Trojjan says, gesturing to the empty chair. ”You must be starving after all that work.”

​William nods gratefully and takes a seat, digging into what looks like a hearty vegetable porridge.

​”While we eat, let’s talk business, lad,” Trojjan says, leaning forward. ”The base pay for this job is three silver a month. But since I’m providing you with both food and lodging, your pay will be one silver. You fine with that?” He looks up, watching closely for William’s reaction.

​William considers the offer. From what John told him, the usual adult wage in the city runs between four to six silver. Getting one silver with his food and lodging already covered isn’t a bad deal at all.

​Maybe I should ask for it in copper, he thinks to himself. Fifty copper coins would be a lot easier to handle than a single silver piece.

​William nods in agreement, and Trojjan starts eating with an expression of relief on his face.

​“I cleaned the whole room, so what should I do now?” William asks.

​”There’s no need to do anything else today,” Trojjan replies, setting down his empty bowl. ”You can go ahead and meet your blacksmith friend.”

​William thanks him and walks down the street toward Mark and John’s shop. When he steps inside, he finds both of them calmly discussing something. John catches sight of him first and breaks into a wide smile. ”So, everything worked out fine, kid?”

​”Yes, and they’ll be visiting me every month,” William replies, his grin widening.

​”That’s good,” John says with a nod.

​”So, kid, you actually took the job, I see,” Mark sighs, wearing a look of mock defeat. ”And here I already went through the trouble of looking for some young ladies who are interested in tender boys.”

‘​So the jokes are back’, William thinks, a bit relieved. ‘Things must be going well for them.’

​William expertly ignores the remark, while John just glares at Mark, who simply shrugs with a mischievous grin.

​“So, what are you discussing?” William asks, looking between them.

​”About where to set up the forge,” John begins, his tone measured. ”Mark wants to build it in the empty stable out back, but—”

​”And this serious ape thinks it’s going to be a nuisance to the neighbors,” Mark interrupts, cutting John off abruptly, his voice carrying the sharp edge of an old argument. ”Like, why should I care? We’re working in our own shop. If they have a problem with it, they can take it up with City Hall.”

​John scratches his head awkwardly. ”They could cause us some other problems, though.”

​Mark sighs, waving a dismissive hand. ”We’ll talk about this later. I have better things to do than bang my head against a brick wall.” With that, he turns and walks upstairs toward his quarters.

​”So, where are you living?” William asks.

​John turns back to him. ”Currently, I’m staying here with Mark. Tomorrow, we’re going out to look at some additional properties.”

​”Are you planning to buy a new house?” William asks, a spark of excitement in his voice.

​”A small one,” John replies with a shrug. ”I don’t know how much we’re going to end up spending on building the new forge yet.”

​’So, it looks like everyone is finally settling down’, William thinks to himself, staring out the workshop window. ‘I hope everything works out for Auntie and Uncle, too’.