"The History of Jonathan Thomas" by Dorothy ´Darkrose´ Freeman-Wittig

Astin was a quiet village, and it always had been. Located just between the heart of Gran and the border of Gildan there was nothing particularly distinguishing about this small farming community. No major roads ran through it, nor did any of the merchant caravans making their way north to Mellir or east to the larger cities. The most interesting thing that happened in Astin was the yearly Harvest Festival, because that was when the only troupe of traveling salesmen and storytellers made their rounds to the smallest communities to trade goods for the winter. Astin was one of five villages in that area known throughout the kingdom for their excellent farming. This was, however, not enough to draw the interest of the royal larders with the exception of one Contess de Leonna who had a taste for Bastian-grown wheat. Bastian was a three day trek from Astin across a wide plain and through the edges of the forest, and thus there was not much trade between the two.

For as long as anyone could remember Gran had been involved in a border dispute with Gildan. Stories on either side change, but supposedly the conflict had started when the original two kings, who had been brothers, first divided the land. The border had been set but never formalized and, as that area was rich and fertile, farming villages soon began popping up and prospering. As the wealth of these lands became known, the then current monarchs began to quarrel over exactly what belonged to whom. Eventually this argument became full on war, and the two countries have been fighting ever since. It was customary in Gran for every village to tithe once a year to the army in goods and new recruits. Every family had to have at least one member enlisted for a minimum of four years or until death or serious injury should prevent further service.

In the spring of 430 Jhondrian, a farmer’s son from Astin by the name of James William Thomas was sent, as his father before him, to fight for the glory of Gran. He had grown fond of a woman named Sarah Ellings in his village, and before he departed he asked her to marry him. She agreed, and he left. He was stationed at the border on the northernmost corner of Gran where it jutted out into Gildan and met Melir. While he was there he watched many brave heroes enter the sacred border of Melir to take The Test, for it was said that one would someday come who could end the wars forever and restore peace to the kingdoms. Many tried, and many passed The Test, but the wars continued.

James was a good soldier and followed his orders exactly. He rose quickly to the rank of sergeant and was presented with a handsome sword with the battle motto of Gran inscribed upon the blade in dwarven: “Golthir Alhorren Thùl”, “Glory and Honor Forever”. Three years into his service when James was nineteen their company was sent to the front lines and James fell to an enemy sword. His left leg was left brutally mangled, and even with magical healing remained weak and insufficient for long marches and bitter cold. And so, in 433 YJ, James William Thomas returned to Astin and married his beloved Sarah Ellings.

Eight and a half months after their marriage they were blessed with their first child, a healthy boy they named Benjamin William after James’s father. One year later came Susanna Elizabeth (Susanna being the name of Sarah’s mother and Elizabeth James’s younger sister), followed by Jonathan Edward in the spring who was named for a questionable uncle on his mother’s side, although after an unfortunate incident where Edward was caught stealing sheep for undisclosed reasons the middle name was dropped and Jonathan became simply John Thomas, or JT.

In 437 immediately after the birth of JT, Sarah became deathly ill. No one could cure her ails and many believed she would die. James’s father died that year, and he inherited a small but fertile field which he tilled with fervor to provide for his small family and keep his mind off his ailing wife. After two years of praying and searching for help, Sarah began to slowly recover. A few months later she was healthy and strong and returned to her role as farmer’s wife. It seemed, however, that the illness had a lasting effect as she was unable to bear more children. For years they prayed for more children as they watched their family grow up around them. Ben grew taller and broader by the day and Susannah more beautiful. JT was content to admire his older siblings and do everything he could to imitate them. He followed Benjamin around the farmyard in an oversized tunic and his father’s boots and mimicked everything his brother had to say and tried to do the same jobs, which prompted many arguments and fights between the two. Nevertheless they loved each other dearly, and one would always come to the other’s rescue in times of need.

It soon became apparent that Susannah was not an average child, as she was more secretive and silent than her brothers and not particularly demure. She was seen fighting in the pigpen with the boys as often as Benjamin and JT. Another interesting phenomenon was the sudden and unexplainable disappearances around the village of small objects, mostly jewelry or coins or anything else with a shine to it. JT caught Susannah in the barn one day sitting on the hay in the loft gazing over her ‘treasures’ by the light that filtered through the thatch. She explained to him then that she was really a princess, and that she only stole the treasures that were rightfully hers anyway. JT, who was six years old, believed her. He even helped her, playing lookout for her while she took stock of her treasures and told him stories about her life as a princess, although these stories often crossed themes and soon she was a highway queen, taking people’s gold in exchange for their lives and stealing men’s hearts before she ran them through. Benjamin never paid attention to his younger siblings, thinking himself above such silliness as stories at the age of nine. This charade continued over the next year, when eventually Ben caught JT standing guard and after questioning him thoroughly came to the conclusion that Susannah was up to something. He caught her with her loot and took her to James and Sarah, where all the items were removed from Susannah’s possession and redistributed among their proper owners. As punishment, Susannah was kept in the house to learn to be a ‘real woman’ and know how to cook and clean and sew. Later that night she dragged JT to the pigpen and beat him until Ben woke to the screaming and dragged her off of him. From that day forward JT was remarkably tight-lipped about the goings-on around him, from the continued thefts of Susannah to Ben’s sneaking out to stare in Isabel Miller’s window at night.

Life continued and the children grew together as close as siblings could. JT looked up to Benjamin as a role model and desired to be everything his brother was and more. Susannah cared for Benjamin but they had their differences and so were never as close as they could have been. Susannah and JT, on the other hand, became the best of friends and talked about everything. Susannah played terrible pranks on her younger brother and he learned that to survive in that world he must use all his wits and best timing to pull even better pranks on others. This was how they began hanging out with the village hoodlums, a group of disturbed individuals whose only goals in life were to make life miserable for everyone around them while entertaining themselves. There were thieves, bullies, and ne’er-do-wells, every youth in the village that was outcast because of their differences or unique personalities. Among them were a pair of sorcerer twins who were rumored to have a demonic heritage, an adopted half-orc who’s only goal in life was to eat his mother, JT, and Susannah. Together these five terrorized the village. JT always spoke against the most terrible things, however, and their damage was usually curbed last minute by JT’s foresight and warnings.

In 441 when JT was nine years old, the family rejoiced as Sarah was once again with child. Soon afterward Kayana Wilde and Jaunelle Dayle were born, twin girls with gold hair and apple cheeks. Sarah again became mysteriously ill, yet it lasted only a few short months. James decided that to preserve his wife’s health they would have children only every few years and allow Sarah plenty of recovery time. Susannah helped with the new children and continued her life of contemplative solitude and wild nights. JT and Ben helped their father with the fields, growing stronger every day.

Jeremy Michaels was born in 443, which was the year Benjamin turned fourteen and announced his plans to join the army and fulfill their family’s obligation to Gran. He had been talking of his plans to become a soldier for a few years, and naturally JT had been all for it. In fact the younger brother also had dreams of joining when he turned fourteen and being stationed beside Ben, fighting side-by-side for the glory of their land and returning home as heroes. It was a somber evening in which James and Sarah presented their gifts to their oldest son, preparing to send him on his way towards manhood. Sarah knitted him a blue hand-dyed wool scarf with yellow diamonds worked into the pattern at the edges to keep him warm and remind him of home. James presented him with the family treasure: the sword he received upon achieving the rank of sergeant. Benjamin took these gifts along with the words of wisdom from his parents and left Astin with the caravan in the fall.

With Ben gone JT was the new hard worker on the farm. Susannah, despite being constantly assailed with small children as per her household duties, still found time to go out and cause mischief and was constantly trying to drag JT along. JT, however, was occupied with his newfound responsibilities and workload and was obsessed with being the perfect replacement for Benjamin. All the while the twelve year old boy was planning his military career and telling himself stories about all the honors and titles he would achieve. The highest order of soldiers were promoted into a special organization of knights that served directly under the king and were first required to pass The Test in Melir. The Knights of the Roses were divided into ranks based on how many deeds had been accomplished that followed the succession of metals, specifically metallic dragons. Brass, copper, bronze, silver, and then gold were all headed up by one Knight of the Platinum Rose who was chosen by the king as his champion and had no superiors save his monarchs. While he was working JT would often slip into vivid daydreams of himself seated upon a proud steed, platinum armor shining and a beautiful rose emblazoned upon his tunic. All the while Susannah grew more distant and brooding, prone to fits of violence at the slightest provocation. JT endured the beatings with a stony silence and defended himself as ruthlessly as he would with a strange attacker. Susannah would be better for a few days after these spats, her tension released momentarily but it would always return.

The year passed uneventfully with only occasional correspondence from Benjamin. He was doing well, he enjoyed the military life, missed his family, and always sent a special section for JT telling him about the more interesting details of his daily life and instructing his younger brother on proper use of farming tools and methods. Ben’s letters for JT were always heartfelt and sincere if not a little condescending. Ben would always end his letters with advice for JT and love for his family, then “PS: Susannah, be good.” This infuriated Susannah and she would become sulky again after every letter. Meanwhile JT counted the days until his fourteenth birthday when he would see his brother again.

Ben also sent letters to a local girl from the village named Isabel Miller. It was no surprise when she came screaming through the village one day holding up a letter and shouting her joy of betrothal. She would marry Ben when he came home from his service in another two years and their families were already planning the celebration. Another letter came to the village addressed specifically for Susannah, and after reading the tightly folded parchment Susannah went into the darkest mood yet and refused to speak to anyone of the letter or its contents. She was foul and only spoke when it was absolutely necessary. Eventually JT coaxed her into talking late one night after a particularly nasty fight in the pigpen. Evidently Ben was instructing Susannah on the duties of a fifteen year old girl. It was unnatural to not be interested in settling down with a family at her age and she should look into finding a suitable husband. Ben also said he knew of a fine gentleman soldier whom he had grown quite fond of at their encampment. His name was Michael and he would be bringing him back to Astin with him when he came home. JT didn’t understand why Ben would say such things, Susannah was fine as she was. Yet he also did not understand why Susannah had reacted so. The conversation ended with Susannah cursing her brother to the gods and wishing he would never come home.

Winter came and hit hard but their family was not starving or too cold, they had plenty of food and firewood and their house was warm and full of love, even with Susannah’s mood swings. Because of the inhospitable weather the post was slow in arriving, and so it was no surprise that there were no more letters from Ben. JT had found a spare tool rusting in the shed and had taken to sitting for hours in the barn with a whetstone fashioning a makeshift sword from the rusted blade. His father caught him at it one night and stopped him, then gave him a wooden sword and shield and began teaching him the basics of swordplay, at least as much as he could remember from his days in the army. Crafting, training, cleaning, and playing in the snow occupied them through the rest of the winter. There were still no letters from Ben, but no one worried. Susannah slipped further and further into her bad habits and rebelled against any advice her mother gave her on how to behave like a proper woman.

When spring came and JT could count the days left to his birthday on his fingers and toes, a caravan rolled into town. It was not unusual for wagons to come through in the spring; villagers who had been snowed out for the winter, homesteaders seeking fresh farmland, and new couples striking out on their own were all fairly common sights. This time, though, it was drawn with a black horse in barding and there was an honor guard bearing the standard of Gran. It was just after dawn and JT decided to get a head start on his chores so he could train with his friends later on and so he was the first to spot the wagon. It rolled through the mist silently and solemnly, the three armored soldiers walking with heads bowed. JT knew what it meant at that moment although he refused to believe it. He ran to his parents’ room and shook his father awake and the three of them met the guard at the entrance to their fields. Beneath a brightly embroidered flag of Gran the lifeless body of Benjamin lay peacefully, almost as if he were sleeping. JT always remembered the look on his brother’s face as they uncovered the body, remembered his mother’s scream, his father’s tears. He remembered seeing Susannah briefly, out of the corner of his eye, a wraith in the mist before disappearing. The scarf that had been given as a present was wrapped around Ben’s throat and James’s sword was lying across his breast.

Ben was buried at the edge of their field with a headstone that James carved with Ben’s full name and the battle motto of Gran. At that point they decided that they had already lost one son and they would not lose another and so, four days before JT could legally join the military, they forbade him from ever leaving the village of Astin. JT was outraged, knowing he had done nothing to deserve such treatment and yet unable to contest his parent’s wishes. He returned to his life of mischief with Susannah and the village outcasts, no longer bothering to stop them from their most damaging pranks. Susannah was silent for months after Ben was buried, not even talking to JT. It wasn’t the same brooding, violent silence it had been after the letter but rather a dark and somber countenance and apathy that frightened her parents and her younger brother.

The five miscreants ran wild throughout the village, stealing valuables and misplacing livestock and wreaking havoc. JT still helped his father with the chores, although there was a grudge to it now. He also helped with the housework now that Susannah was unwilling. He learned to cook and sew and helped with his little siblings, growing quite fond of Kayana and Jaunelle and playing at sword fights with Jeremy and telling all three of them about how he was someday going to be the greatest hero in all the lands.

As soon as he made sure his family was taken care of, he planned to run away from home and fight through to Melir and take The Test, maybe become one of the Knights of the Roses. He trained every day for the chance to become a hero, although his father no longer approved and had taken away his wooden sword. By this time JT had learned some skills from Susannah and was able to sneak past his sleeping father to practice with the sword every night. His arm grew strong and his grip firm, and soon the local girls began to whisper about how handsome the young man was becoming.

All this while Isabel Miller had been getting sicker and sicker as each day passed. Since Ben’s death she had been silent, sickly, and feverish. One night in a wild panic she ran from her house to Ben’s grave and threw herself down upon it sobbing. Shortly after that she died, being unable to eat or sleep anymore.

In 452 JT and Susannah were caught tipping cows for the third time in a week with their friends and a village council was called. The youths had to be punished, their damages curbed and their debts repaid. The local tithing caravan to the army was going out exceptionally early that year due to increased activity at the border near Astin and as such they had none of their regular guard. One knight was called in from a city to the north and the he agreed to take on the delinquents as his charges and use them as guards for the caravan. James and Sarah immediately objected, wishing to keep their children at home. The village compromised by letting Susannah stay, as no one trusted her to maintain the integrity of the goods in the caravan. JT was finally to have his opportunity to leave home, even if it was only for a short while.

The caravan would travel the ten days to the new border station being built northwest of their hometown and stay with the army until all reports came back in that confirmed the safety of the road for the return trip. The entire journey would last between three weeks and two months, depending on how fast the scouts could return. The night before they were scheduled to depart, JT was presented with gifts from his family to keep him safe until he could return home. His father had made him a set of armor from hard leather and bits he scrounged from his and Ben’s service gear. His mother had knitted him a scarf, red with yellow diamonds at the edges, to keep him warm and remind him of home. Susannah had also worked on the scarf, making it even more precious. They piled him with tidbits and rations; sewing needles, soap, ink and a pen and a notebook to write home every day, clean socks, flint and steel, a whetstone, some rope, a blanket, and so on. To help carry this load they provided him with the family’s old mule, a foul tempered beast that only seemed to like JT and even then not particularly. The last gift they presented him with was the very sword JT had been lusting after from the day he first knew of its existence, the shining motto of Gran boldly carved into the blade. JT made his farewells and hugged each member of his family in turn, swearing by all the Gods that he would return to them safely.

Susannah met him at the edge of the village to give him her special farewell. She kissed his forehead as she did with all her younger siblings and smiled at him, a real rich warm smile that JT hadn’t seen on her face in years. There were tears in her eyes. “Take care of yourself, ok?” she had told him. JT never noticed how absolutely beautiful his older sister was. Overcome with emotion, he nodded and hugged her. She punched him in the stomach hard enough to knock the wind out of him and when JT looked up she was gone.

Unlike his companions JT took his job as caravan guard seriously. Most of the time he was near the front, talking with the knight who he found out was a paladin of the holy order of Daylin by the name of Sir Nells. Nells had many stories to tell of fierce battles and beautiful maidens and particularly of his trial at Melir, where JT decided once and for all that he was definitely going after he finished his duty with the caravan. Nells spoke of a prophesy that someday someone would come, a great hero, who would end the wars and restore peace to Gildan and Gran. JT memorized these stories for later use, to tell to his siblings when he returned home.

The ten days passed quickly if not rather soggy as it had begun raining on the third day. For the most part the miscreants were too miserable to cause trouble, which was exactly as it had been planned. JT on the other hand was vibrant, thrilled to be out on an adventure at last. Nells worked with JT on his combat ability by night and whenever they stopped for breaks and also taught him about honor and virtue in battle. This continued after their arrival at the new stronghold site, where the remainder of the group enlisted with the military simply to have something to do. JT was a favorite there, the young boy with the innocent face and obsessive interest in combat. Every night the soldiers gathered around their fires and often told stories, all of which JT learned with relish.

After two weeks at the encampment a small group of stragglers arrived, badly burned and nearly starving. While some of the soldiers tried to calm and sooth the injured strangers, JT investigated further. They were refugees from Bastian and Maur, two of the farming villages near Astin. They had been suddenly attacked and their fields burned, very few were able to make it out alive by running immediately. No prisoners were taken, no survivors spared. From their descriptions the soldiers were definitely Gildan, and traveling rapidly towards the heart of the interior farmland, towards the encampment, towards Astin. JT panicked and ran for his things. On the way he passed Nells, who stopped him and asked him where he was going. JT told the knight of the refugees and how the Gildan army was headed towards his home. Nells nodded and let the boy go, telling him to do whatever he felt he must. JT gathered his things, threw them on his faithful donkey, and began running towards home.

It still took JT six days to make it to Astin. On the fifth day he could see the smoke and it burned his eyes and throat as he paced. He began seeing signs of struggle; broken farm tools stained with blood, blackened bits of houses and livestock, and the bodies of the fallen townspeople. When he first caught glimpse of his beloved Astin, he couldn’t believe his eyes. The houses were burned out shells, many still smoldering in places. It had been a few days, and so the smoke had nearly cleared and the entire area smelled of rotting and burned flesh. Men, women, and children lay in the streets where they had fallen, many badly mutilated and some women undressed. The Thomas’s fields were on the other side of the village, and so JT had to walk through the ruins of Astin to get there.

The first thing he saw was his father. James was lying face down in the dirt holding a sickle and an old wooden shield. A large gash ran down his back from his left shoulder to his right hip. A little beyond that was Sarah, a tiny Jeremy-sized blackened skeleton clutched firmly in her death grip. Her stomach was cut open and lying cocooned within the flesh was another tiny figure. The house was still partially standing, although the walls and roof were mostly gone the supports reached like grizzly black fingers clawing the sky. Another two blackened forms clung to each other, their faces obscured in ash, the wind stirring wisps of golden hair. JT counted the members of his family, missing one. He searched through the house, he looked around the barn and in the loft but he could not find Susannah. Eventually he spotted her: stripped naked, torn and bruised and cut, covered in mud, blood, and something else. Her neck still bore the marks of the rope used to kill her.

JT gathered his family and dug graves for them in the field beside his older brother. He cut the earth with his fingers, and by the time he was done burying them all his hands were torn and bloodied. All the letters he wrote home during his stay with the army he buried with his mother. When he was finished he collected all that was left, every last tool and scrap of leather and wood, piled them on the remains of his house, and lit it on fire. He felled the supports, he took out the barn. By the time he had finished the rain had started again. He turned his back on Astin then and never looked back.

Many things went through JT’s head those first few days. Where was he to go now? What was he to do? So many innocent people had died. He could join the army, but that would just perpetuate the killing. The people of Gildan and Gran were not so different as they would like to think. Gildan soldiers were people like any other, with families and homes and lives. They were told to fight for their king and country and so they did. There was nothing to be lost or gained from this endless massacre, and it was all over a squabble between monarchs. It was then that JT remembered the stories and prophecies, all the hype about “the one” who could stop the fighting forever. With everyone cringing and waiting for so long, nothing would ever get done. The people needed a hero, a real hero. Not someone chosen by destiny or fate, no more waiting for some god to come and save them; someone needed to take action and actually do something. And right at that moment JT knew that although he couldn’t stop the wars, he could certainly try and maybe ignite the people into realizing the futility of their position. He was going to be that hero. Thus Jonathan Thomas of Astin in the year 452 Jhondrian turned his sights to Melir and left his homeland forever, completely ignorant of the part he was to play in the destiny of that world.