Lord of Arda: Bloodlines - First Chapter would love some feedback

Chapter I

Alexander

The forge was sweltering, the crash of the hammer on iron echoed around the room. Sparks flew and the intense heat caused beads of sweat to run across Alexander’s brow. As he worked the bellows of the forge pumping fresh air into the fire to melt the raw iron. As he pushed on through the heat his mind wondered to the cool stream just outside the village edge. He would play in the stream every day in the summer as a child and to this day dipped his head into the fresh water after a hard days work at the bellows. He could almost feel the cold rush flow across him as the water rushed over his entire body. Closing his eyes and allowing himself a smile for a split moment was enough of a mistake for a forceful blow to crash onto the back of his head.

“Wake up boy, more heat.”

His father glared down at him as he placed a large metal plate back into the fire. Uther was a beast of a man, not an ounce of fat on his body. A solid mass of muscle from head to toe. Wide set shoulders, a chest which the women in the tavern would compare to that of a demi-god and forearms that even the demi-god would be jealous of. Only the scars from the molten metal and sparks which had fought back against the smith tarnished his appearance.

“Yes Sir.” Alex moaned.

Alexander pushed harder and harder on the bellows as the flames leaped and the heat in the small open-sided hut rose again. The fires turned white as Uther let out a small smile of his own, he gestured over to Alexander to bring out the mould. Striating his back Alexander was only half a head shorter than Uther which was a feat itself. The old smith was the tallest man in the village. He would have to duck under every doorway and even had to keep his back bent when he visited homes in the village for dinner. Alex's dark blonde hair was tied back into a short ponytail to keep it away from the fires, he kept his stubble short as his mother had told him that women preferred stubble to a full beard and he had taken it to heart ever since he could grow facial hair. The hardships of the forge had done Alexander’s figure a world of a good and he was becoming a match for Uther’s godly figure. Moving into the adjoining room, Alex picked up the vertical clay mould shifting it into the main room, placing it next to the anvil in the centre of the forge. He placed three stones around the base and pushed down on all four edges to make sure it was secure and wouldn’t move. He looked back to Uther who was staring into the flames, he only pointed back to the bellows for more heat. Alexander wanted to shake his head but thought against it, he didn’t want to annoy a man who was about to be dealing with molten metal.

"Lord Crane has commissioned swords from every smith in his lands who knows how to forge them." His father explained.

"I heard he was looking to recruit more men?"

"Yes another fifty from what I was told. More heat."

He pulled back on the wooden handle sucking fresh air into the contraption before he pushed it into the flame increasing the temperature even further. Alexander had offered Uther three different contraptions of his own design which would improve the heat generated for the forge. Each had been shot down by Uther only half way through his explanation, the drawings where still stuffed in

his pocket. One had been rather radical comprising moving the forge to the edge of the town right next to the river and using the water’s power to turn a wheel which in turn would power the bellows. But this had only brought laughter to Uther’s lips not even a worded refusal. Perhaps Uther liked watching Alexander sweat profusely as he pumped the bellows each day.

“Stop!” He shouted.

Alexander stopped straight away, glad for the respite but he knew it would only be a short one. He moved over to the bench to both put distance between him and the inferno and to be close at hand if his father needed him. Uther grabbed hold of a large metal tong, lowering it into the fire he pulled out a medium sized rock container full of a bright molten liquid. With careful hands he carried it across the room, Alexander felt the heat pouring off the molten steel. Uther twisted his wrists letting the liquid flow into the mould. One by one he filled all three wholes, carefully adjusting the tilt to allow the slowly solidifying metal to fill all parts of the clay sword mould. Finally once the vessel was empty he placed it down next to the forge and released the tight grasp on the tongs. Alexander was still standing next to the bench, he looked over to the metal sheet still in the fires and begin to move back to the bellows. Uther stepped up alongside him placing a hand on his young apprentices shoulder. He turned to face his father, he had a beaming smile slapped across his face Alexander returned in kind.

“Alexander, well done. It needs time to harden before we can quench and begin to work the blades. Go, your mother constantly complains that I have you in here too much of the time anyway.”

Alexander didn’t need another invitation to get away from the sweltering heat and back breaking conditions he was subject to under Uther’s tutelage. He walked over to a set of hooks on the far side of the building to the forge. Removed the heavy leather apron and gloves hanging them on their respective hooks before turning back to face Uther who was still standing in the centre and bowed.

“Thanks Father, I will see you later.”

*

Alexander ducked out into the fresh air. It was a shock to the system as the cool breeze struck his skin, sending a small shiver down his spine as he took a deep breath in. He had become accustomed to the heat of the forge over the years but it still shocked him every time he walked out. He had been an apprentice for his father for six years and had been in the forge four years before that with his mother watching his father work. The small town of Farnshire was a hive of activity just before the harvest festival. The men were rushing back and forth between the fields and the town. One minute taking in the harvest the next helping the local carpenter build the stage for the grand performance. This year it was ‘The Hero’s Labour’ normally the women’s favourite as whoever played the hero had to walk around almost naked for an hour. Smiting foes and wooing the women of the crowd. Alexander was one of the men in the running for the title role before the Lord’s son turned up at the village and had himself voted unanimously by the village elders who were hoping that the Lord would turn up to see his son. The entourage would follow and the town will see a massive increase in coin. Alexander smiled at the thought of the scrawny little Lord pouncing around the stage swinging an oversized wooden sword at dressed up foes. The forge was on the other side of the town to the river; Alexander took a wide berth to the stage to make sure he would not be drawn into helping out for the day. Ducking behind the tavern to keep out of sight of the head carpenter. It took him ten minutes to get down to the river’s edge, it was already full of women washing clothes and young children playing in the fresh water. He had no wish to mess around with the little children who only liked to swing off him like a tree. Instead Alex decided to head up to a

hidden pool further North, it was further than the women would let their kids run off town unattended. Alexander walked back up the incline to the dirt path which followed the river from Farnshire up to Corshire and down to Bakershire, he turned left and headed up towards the hidden pool. Farnshire was on the inside corner of the river so Alexander could keep the village insight as he followed its bank, the three town’s made up what was commonly known as the Shire’s; the outlying villages of the local Lord and the Kingdom of Arda itself. It took about ten minutes to find the small stream Alexander was looking for. It fed into the river from the other side so he was forced to wade across a little further up to avoid the stronger current. Once on the other bank Alexander headed back down until he met the stream again, following it to the source taking him up a small hill. He could already hear giggling as he neared the summit. The spring on the top of the hill was concealed from passers-by with low brush. Alexander crouched down as the laughing got louder, it was hard to keep his large frame from sight but as he got closer he could see two sets of clothing on the ground in the clearing and knew that he was in for a treat. The knot which held back his hair in the forge had untied itself as he had crawled through the brush. Running a hand through the blonde mess he calmed down any unruly strands which stood out in different directions before stepping out into the clearing. He was met by the sight of two girls not much different in age to himself swimming in the spring alone, from the clothes at his feet he could tell that both where completely naked. His full view was slightly obscured by the tree which grew from the middle of the spring; Alexander stepped to one side into the view of one of the two girls.

“Hello ladies.”

The girl facing him only smiled though the one facing away jumped slightly in the water. She spun round quickly covering herself smiling when she saw him. Alexander knew that he was well liked by the ladies in the village and smiled back.

“May I join you?”

They both giggled. The closer girl uncovering herself swimming backwards to sit next to her friend. She raised her hand up out of the water and gestured for him to join them. Alexander wasted no time pulling off his shirt.