Chapter 53: The warm sun and blood
The sun was warm.
And gentle as it shone on the golden wheat that spread over the land. The wind stirred it, making the ripe wheat sway in the morning air.
"Mum, can the sun be warm?" a boy of about nine asked. He held one of the chaff in his hand as he stared at the hard work of his family.
The mum smiled. Her face was tired from waking up early to cook for the family of three and their workers, but still, her smile was radiant. But one thing that stood out above all is the red eyes of hers. "Of course. It can be as warm as butter, but you must remember, it can also be as harsh as a whip."
They stood in front of their farmhouse, in the middle of the golden field that was their farm. Scattered around the field are workers, bent over with their reapers, reaping their harvest.
The woman’s hand rested on her son’s head and rubbed it. "You will soon know how harsh the sun can be when you are bent over, reaping, but you’ll also enjoy its warmth in mornings like this when you stare at your own hard work."
"But mum, dad said we have to give out some of our harvest to the... the Dawringer!"
The mum’s face changed. It darkened slightly. "The tax has been raised again. More than last year. It gets higher and higher every day. One day they’ll come for the whole farm."
The Dawringer are one of the Vassals of the Vorrakyn. They are in control of the surrounding territories.
The little boy looked at his mother with innocent red eyes. There is something strange with his eyes. "But mum, dad said that a Dragon is now born! That we might get more lands later!"
She smiled. "A Dragon without wings. But what if it gets wings? Then those that want its wings will come for it, and it is us that will suffer for it."