Chapter 1 The Innocence of Boyhood

*The Eldovian Era, Year 1702*

"Rassa! Rassa we're going to play find the bunny!" called little Jane as she waved over at her nieghbour. Rassa sat helping his mother cook the bread they would need for the next few days. He always enjoyed pounding his little fists into the soft dough, watching his mother as she folded and pressed it with practiced grace. His never tasted as good as his mother's though.

"Why do yours always taste better mother?" Rassa would ask.

His mother would smile, "Well its a secret, and I can only tell you if you promise to keep it!"

Rassa would look at his mother seriously, determined to keep such an all important secret safe, "Of course!"

"Well, with such determination how can I refuse?" asked his mother, then she would turn to the dough, showing him her repetitive movements in slow motions that he could follow, "You see Rassa, dough is like the clay you use to make pots. Only those hands that no how to guide without hesitation, and push at the right time, will get the submission of the element they mould".

"Submission?" Rassa asked, confused by the new word.

His mother smiled, "You have to show it that you're a worthy leader. Somebody who will bring out the best parts of it if only given the time".

Rassa frowned and turned back to his own dough, "Then I can't hurt it?"

"That's right, you can't hurt it, only push it in the right direction," his mother agreed.

"But how do I know which way is right?" asked Rassa.

"You'll know," his mother replied, "When the time comes, you'll know".

Rassa still hadn't found the right direction, even after watching his mother knead the dough over and over again.

"Rassa, come on!" Jane insisted, stressing her impatience.

Rassa looked over at his mother, "Go on, just don't venture too far into the woods. It's dangerous if we can't find you".

Rassa smiled, hugging his mother quickly before jogging over to Jane who held out a hand for him eagerly.

Rassa looked down at it, then frowned at her, "I thought you were a big girl".

Jane's cheeks reddened. She'd scolded him just the week before about treating her like a child. She retracted her hand and turned away, "I am..."

"Well come on then," Rassa grinned, jogging up the path. Jane only hesitated a moment before she ran after him, the grin returning to her face. Holding his hand or not, at least she got to play with Rassa.

Jane had grown up with Rassa, she was a few years his junior, but that didn't stop her from treating him like an equal. Rassa had never really cared. Jane was assertive and knew what she wanted despite her age, Rassa was different, quieter. He observed and therefore saw more than the other children. He could sense when something was wrong amongst them, and then he could push them in the right direction. Whilst he had done this largely unconsciously, it had made him an integral part of their group. Everyone knew Rassa, and despite his lack of leadership or extroversion, he was important to them. An important part that more and more of them seemed to be acknowledging. Jane was no exception. She'd noticed how the eyes of Falla, a girl that was a few months older than Rassa, had strayed to the boy on more than one occaision. How Falla would insist upon having him compliment her, or at the very least holding a conversation. She was not the only one, but she was the most prominent in Jane's mind. This was mostly because Falla was the pretty as one of the porcelain dolls the Lords would give to their daughters. Skin like snow and long flowing hair with cheeks like a juicy peach. Everyone gushed at how adorable she was, and whilst Jane had no idea what the emotion truly was, it made her angry that she couldn't draw that attention.

Yes, Rassa, with his soft features and messy black hair, was one of the draws this group of children, Falla was the other.

Jane ran with determination after Rassa as they made their way through the village towards the forest's edge where the other children were gathering with a woven basket that held a white fluffy rabbit inside.

"Rassa!" called Diggory, one of Rassa's close friends and by far the most commanding of all the children. It had a little to do with the fact that his father was a local knight, and Diggory used it to his advantage on more than one occaision, "Come on, we're going to start!"

There were about twenty children in all, the oldest among them, Diggory, was nine years old, the youngest, a boy named Liam, and Falla's little brother, was five.

"Okay!" Diggory commanded their attention as Rassa and Jane joined the group, "You know the rules, the rabbit gets a count of thirty as a headstart then we all go after it. First one to catch it wins! If it goes too far in, we choose one of us to be the rabbit and the others chase".

It'd been a traditional game for the children ever since James, the hunter's son, had captured his first rabbit. Diggory turned to James, "Ready?"

"Ready," James nodded with an excited grin.

"And...release!" Diggory called. James lifted the basket and the rabbit darted forward as the children started counting together.

"1...2...3...4...5..."

"Hey Rassa," Falla smiled as she approached him, "What do you think of my dress today?"

Rassa turned to Falla with a small smile, then watched as she twirled in her brown and green dress.

"You look nice, Falla," Rassa replied, "I like your hair ribbon".

Falla's cheeks turned a little red, "Thank you".

Diggory glared over at the group who weren't counting, saying the numbers more forcefully to encourage them to join in, "...13...14...15...16...17..."

Rassa joined in the counting as Falla moved forward and slowly took hold of Rassa's hand. Rassa looked at her, only to find her counting as she faced towards where the rabbit was darting into the woods. Seeing her indifference, Rassa didn't bother pulling away, and instead faced forward too. Jane, who had watched the whole encounter, seethed from the side, crossing her small arms over her chest.

"...21...22...23..."

The children readied themselves to run.

"...26...27...2-hey Diggory, that's cheating!" snapped Jane as Diggory drove forward before the thirty count. The children burst into chaos as the count just seemed to evaporate and all the children rushed forward yelling their war cries.

Rassa smiled at Diggory's antics as he ran with Falla and Jane by his sides, running slow enough to have Falla keep up with him.

"Come on Falla, you're slowing us down, we're going to lose at this rate!" Jane teased, then burst forward.

Falla frowned, then she released Rassa's hand and ran after Jane, leaving Rassa behind. Rassa laughed at then two of them. They'd always been pretty competitive. Rassa looked around as the other young children all went in after their older friends and siblings. Making sure they were all present, Rassa entered the forest.