Chapter 1: 1-Rowan Oak’s Blessing

What do you want to be when you grow up?

One of the most common question that parents ask their children.

For Rowan Oak, He wanted to be a knight.

Why a knight you may ask?

It’s because he heard so many stories of knights when growing up.

Some knights were great heroes, rescuing the princess and marrying her for the fairy tale ending.

Some knights were treated as side characters, aiding the hero and taking care of the aftermath, only to be forgotten afterwards.

Some knights acted as villains, aiding the corrupted kings and nobles, only to be vanquished in the end.

When listening to these bedtime stories, most children would want to be the hero, the main character of the story.

Rowan Oak didn’t think so. He wanted to be a knight instead.

To him, even though the knights in the story were always sidelined, they always played an important part no matter what role they were assigned in the story.

To be fair, Rowan was a bit bias since his father was a knight.

Not just any knight, he was the Knight Commander of the Malddolg Kingdom.

You didn’t need to be a hero to be a hero. 

Rowan’s dad was already a hero to him and Rowan wanted to be just like him growing up.

He would practice his swordsmanship everyday and tried to act like a knight.

His parents knew his dreams and did what they could to help him achieve it.

What parent wouldn’t be happy to hear that their son wanted to follow in their footsteps?

One day, when Rowan was asked by his father, “What does it mean to be a knight?”

A question that might have been a bit too philosophical  for an 8 year old child.

After thinking about it all night, Rowan could only answer his father shamefully “ I don’t know.”

Rather than receiving the scolding he was expecting, his father gently rustled his hair and told him to keep thinking about the answer. It would be something he needed to do if he wished to become a true knight.

Even after thinking for a few days, Rowan still couldn’t find an answer. So he decided the best way to find an answer was to follow the ones who were the subject of the question.

The toughest and bravest people of the Kingdom.

The Knights of Maldolg Kingdom,the group that his father was in charge of.

They did everything to keep the Kingdom safe and Rowan decided they would be his role models and his answer.

He would train hard and do everything he can to keep people safe.

When Rowan told his dad his answer, he merely laughed and told him to keep thinking about it.

That had left young Rowan even more confused.

 

At the age of ten, every child reaches a major turning point of their lives.

At that age, every child can go to the church and receive a blessing from the gods.

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Blessing were skills that gods gave to humans.

They could range from life skills such as cooking, sewing, cleaning, to obscure skills that could only be seen in certain situations or environments.

What set a blessing apart was that while everyone could learn these skills, those who received a blessing  were guaranteed to be exceptional for this skillset. 

So when the time came for Rowan to receive his blessing, he couldn’t help but be excited and nervous at the same time.

Please let my blessing help me become a knight. Rowan fervently prayed in his head.

Blessings were typically done through a ceremony at a church. On this day, Rowan had joined the line where children receive a god’s blessing.  

His family, which  consisted of his parents and little sister,  had accompanied Rowan to watch him receive his blessing. They stood to the side along with other families to witness God's miracle.

While their family could have afforded a private ceremony, his father abhor such acts since money would be wasted on such an unnecessary expanse where it could be spent on something much more meaningful.

Under the watchful eye of the six god statues, the head priest began the ceremony.

Rowan knelt down as the head priest began with a speech.

 

“Here stand a child that has reached the age of ten. He has come before the gods to ask for their blessing. There are many gods, but there are six main ones that we must pay our utmost respects to these six.

 

Solaris - God of light of life

Umbra - the God of darkness and death

Salamander - God of fire and destruction

Udine -God of water and storms

Sylph - God of Wind and freedom

Terra - God of the Earth and wealth

 While they come with many names, these are the ones these gods are most known for. They are responsible for giving us life and all that we have. I beseech them once more to bless this child so that it may pave his way to happiness. AMEN!”

 

Once the priest's words finished, a light shone down on Rowan, as if the gods were beaming down their gift.

Rowan didn’t know what to expect from a blessing, except that when the light shined down on him, he could feel something connecting.

The light was warm, as if he was being embraced, and he felt something connecting to his soul. It was trying to unlock something. What it was, Rowan had no idea and could only wait in anticipation. 

Finally Rowan felt something clear up and his mind felt free. A few words popped up in his mind.

 

<<Plant Growth>>

What in the world is <Plant Growth>? How does that help me become a knight?

For the first time in his young life, Rowan Oak felt as if he had learned true disappointment.

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