A/N: Me and my valiant co-editor just finished up this chapter a couple of minutes ago. thank you Mr. DontWorryAboutIt. We did good.

  Children played war on an ancient battlefield.

  They bashed sticks together in mock battles, climbed trees, and splashed in creeks born from war-torn earth. All manner of fun could be had on this once-brutal fight for life.

  Yet, near the great battlefield stood their home—the simple town of Malthumberg.

  Malthumberg was truly a modest village—neither remote nor frequently visited by travelers. The town dabbled in many trades: mining, refining ore, logging and woodcutting. However, its most well-known craft was brewing mead and ale; a tradition happily supported by the mostly sober druid.

  The druid’s house stood at the town square, surrounded by the sounds of songbirds and bees—fluttering among emerald-green leaves and blooming marigolds. With careful hands he tended to his flowers, watering and nurturing each delicate bud. Sweat sparkled on his clean-shaven head as he struggled to ignore the flaxen-haired boy's pestering.

  "Come on, Merwyn. Please, please, please! I know it’s a lot of rope, but we need it for a good reason!"

  The druid remained mostly composed, with only the corner of his lip twitching.

  "How many times must I tell you this, Kalle? Unless you tell me why you need that much rope, I am not giving it to you."

  Kalle pouted. His eyes gleamed like molten gold, as he stared at Merwyn.

  Merwyn peered down at the boy, maintaining a steady, unimpressed gaze. Kalle pouted harder.

  They remained locked in this silent battle of wills until Kalle cracked, dropping his eyes to the ground and muttering, "Okay, fine. We want to use the rope to make a bunch of swings in the forest."

  His feet shuffled. "And also to use as a jump rope." Merwyn raised an eyebrow, suspicion creeping into his mind.

  "Is that truly all?"

  "I promise, Myrwen!" Kalle said quickly. "The woods get really boring after a while. So we thought we’d tie the rope around some trees to climb... the jump rope is for the girls."

  Kalle looked back up at Merwyn, his pout intensifying. He knew the druid would give in eventually. It was only a matter of time.

  "Fine," Merwyn sighed. He gave in sooner than Kalle had expected, turning away from the boy’s relentless stare.

  "But I grow tired of you and the other boys begging me for things, only to hear later from your parents about the destruction you’ve caused."

  That was a loaded word for Kalle.

  He knew it meant breaking things... badly, but it always seemed to blow things out of proportion. Being accused of destruction made him feel like a dragon, one that burned villages and stole princesses. It made him feel evil, and Kalle disliked that feeling... badly.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Myrwen strode across the garden, his black slippers barely making a sound, his wool coat billowing behind him. Kalle followed.

  Together they descended the spiraling steps to the expansive library below.

  "Kalle, if you want your rope, then you need to do something for me," Myrwen said.

  "I want you to fetch me some plant matter."

  Kalle frowned. "Okay… and plant matter is?"

  "Anything that comes from a plant—grass, leaves, wood, flowers. The more you bring me, the longer I can make your rope."

  "Why do you need plant matter?"

  "It’s for alchemy," Myrwen replied.

  "Alchemy?" Kalle echoed.

  Merwyn explained. "It’s the practice of taking one type of matter and transforming it into something else." Kalle squinted. "But can’t you just make it out of that magic from the magic place you told me about?"

  The druid glanced back, amused, only to find the boy's attention fixed on the towering shelves over him.

  He looks just like his father...

  Kalle sniffed the air, taking in the familiar scent of old books. He liked that smell. But before he could dwell on it, Myrwen finally answered.

  "That’s not really how it works, Kalle. Aether is energy. We use it to change things— like air into water or fire— though it requires considerable effort to pull off. Have you never wondered why I am so hesitant to give you things?"

  "Well yeah, but you give us the stuff anyways— out of the kindness of your heart!"

  Myrwen wheezed with laughter. His sudden outburst made Kalle jump. The druid sat down on a stool, wiping away a tear. "You are right about that much, Kalle," he chuckled. "You are right."

  "Okay, but where do I find good plant matter? Is there a place where I can get a lot of it?" Kalle asked.

  Merwyn sat silent for a while. Running his hands through his thick, greying beard. Kalle always thought that the beard was just Merwyn's hair that moved down to his face.

  "There is an old willow tree outside of town, close to the bog east of here. I've used its vines and bark to make a strong belt for me once."

  The belt sat strapped around Merwyn waist, and kept his robes- other than his woolen coat- from flitting about.

  "Oh, okay. So I just need to get to the swamp and find the willow tree. Is there only one?"

  "That I don't know. I haven't visited the place is a long while."

  Merwyn stood.

  "But there is a willow tree there and it's hard to miss,"

  The druid ushered Kalle to his front door, but Kalle had a puzzled expression,

  which Merwyn noticed.

  "Do you have any other questions?"

  "Yeah! How does alchemy really work? Like, you say things can't be made out of aether, but then you say it can turn air into fire! Why can't you just make the rope out of air? Why is it so hard?

  You never showed me what magic really looks like."

  Merwyn winced at the boy's loud shouting and stood stunned at the various questions, rubbing his bald head in contemplation. His other hand on the door's handle.

  "Kalle... It's hard to describe alchemy to you... It's hard to describe alchemy to anyone."

  Merwyn breathily sighed.

  "But I promise you, if you bring me the willow wood, then I'll show you the process of performing alchemy."

  Merwyn ruffled the young boy's mop of blonde hair, opening the door in turn.

  "Okay! Thanks Merwyn. See you later!"

  "Goodbye Kalle. Oh, and stay out of trouble!"

  Kalle was already running down the cobblestone road by then.

  "And be careful."

  He really looks like his father...