Mum I can hear Mrs Smith

Mrs Harry didn't know when Edmund stood up to check the traps, she had been lost in thought, "that's very good let's round up today's work on the farm and go home" she said.

"Uhhhh! I thought we are done for today Mom" Edmund replied almost breaking down in tears

"Look at this young lazy lad who is almost Eighteen and doesn't want to work, common get up and let's get to work" Mrs Harry shot at him

"Well we are gonna have to round up as soon as possible cos my stomach is rumbling right now out of hunger" Edmund responded.

Mother and Son worked till late in the evening, putting potato tubers in the trenches they dug early in the morning before going home.

Edmund trudged home behind his mother, with the two rabbits held tightly in his arm. They got home and Edmund dropped the rabbit on the table outside and was about to go in to rest when his mother called out to him to skin and roast the rabbit while she prepared the pottage they were to eat.

He did that hurriedly and lied down on the table outside their house awaiting his mother delicious soup pottage. He was dozing off already when his mother told him food was ready.

The duo ate in silence partially due to the fact that they were both tired and because Edmund who was always talking didn't, tonight his mind was occupied with something else. His mother was about asking him what was wrong when he spoke out "I can hear Mrs Smith" he said.

Mrs Harry looked up, "Hear Mrs Smith? Is she around here" she asked with her eyes searching around to see if Mrs Smith was around, she knew the Smith couldn't be anywhere around there house.

They lived at the far edge of the village and the Smith's house was a little bit far from theirs so how could he have heard her. She was about shutting him up when Edmund said again "they are planning to send Tristan to join the King's army" dropping his spoon on the table and paying attention to the wind.

At this point Mrs Harry knew he was serious, the Ozzites popularly called barbarians by the citizens of Aroer were invading the land.

King Charles V has fought against them and took part of their land during his lifetime but now they were claiming some of these back and were killing so many of Aroer's soldiers, so the King was recruiting men and yound lads who were interested in joining the army, so many poor families around them has sent their sons to join the army basically for the meagre reward of a bag of potatoes and barley and to have fewer mouth to feed in the family.

She couldn't imagine the Smith's family would also decide to send Tristan their first child to join the army, Tristan was Edmund's only friends and the only person she accepted as Edmund's friend in their village.

"Mom can I also join the army?" Edmund's asked.

"You wanna die? I told you, I don't want you to have anything to do with brandishing a sword, as long as I am alive" Mrs Harry responded and I will also talk to Mrs Smith tomorrow, allowing Tristan to join the army is suicidal" she concluded.

Edmund knew that was end of discussion, his mother was a tough woman, as long as she has said what was on her mind, nothing else is allowed.

"Dad was a warrior and my dream is just to be like him" Edmund mused but I don't know why all you do is cage me in here, at this point he was raising his voice at his mother.

Mrs Harry stopped eating looked straight into his eyes"your Father's last wish was for you to spend your life as a peace farmer" she said calmly.

Edmund was shocked but he didn't believed what his mother just said, he remembered when he was still a little boy his Father had always told him to be strong and has always taught how to hold a sword, so why will he now tell his mother to raise him as a Farmer.

He stood up without finishing his food and went inside the little hut they called a house.

He had the habit of going out into the forest whenever his mother was asleep just to see the forest scenery at night and also practice, he would have to pretend to be asleep so his mother could also sleep before he went out but tonight he didn't feel like going out at all. He wasn't in the mood.

*******************

Mrs Harry inhaled deeply, she saw it coming, she knew Edmund would one day decide to go through the path his father also walked that led to his death, she remembered vividly the night he woke her up to pack some of hers and Edmund's clothes with come foods and money to flee Aroer and settle among the Ozzites, they had exhausted their supply when she fainted after spending three days without food nor water, she woke up in the Smith's house, they were the one who rescued her and Edmund, she was surprised when they told her that Edmund was still awake and agile probably it was due to the powers he inherited from his Father, she wanted the child to die, his birth was a mistake to her.

She had been sent on a mission to kill Stephen but had ended up falling in love with him.

She cried the day she realized she had conceived, although she hid it from Stephen, he was rejoicing and also thought he was happy but deep within her she knew this was the beginning of her woes, Stephen would be killed by Robert and she would be left alone to care for the Child, she tried to abort the pregnancy using different means but all to no avail, it proved stubborn she decided to resign to faith and also make use of the money Brandon gives to her when the mission is accomplished to take of herself and the Child but it was too late for her when she realized that bastard called Brandon just used her and also plan to kill her, she had been using the potion they gave to her to put in Stephen's food everyday for a very long time and now Stephen was powerless, he didn't know what had happened to his powers, she knew it was due to the potion but she dare not talk.

She watched as Stephen tried using his powers which she knew had already been destroyed but hoping it would regenerate.

Stephen knew he had lost his powers and couldn't protect his family, so he had to let them flee so as to die alone.

She could still remember how he told them to leave with tears in his eyes, he had told her to promise him that Edmund won't become a swordman and also told her that when he clocked Eighteen his powers will also manifest.

Edmund is almost Eighteen and she knew his powers will manifest soon but she won't lose her son into the hands of those barbarians and even if Brandon or Robert should find out Edmund was Stephen's son they won't hesitate to kill him.

"She has to protect her only Son, not for the her sake alone but also as a compensation for what she did to his Father" she thought within herself.