Jan's Tale

The old man rested his mug of ale down on the table and slowly looked around the room. The wind and rain could be heard outside and everybody in the house knew that the doors would not be unlocked until the morning. Then again, there was no need to go outside. The room was warm, it was filled will all of the Hugel family and there was food and drink aplenty. However it was quickly obvious that at least one person in the room thought something was missing.

"Grandpapa, tell us a story!"

The speaker was the youngest of the family, he was only 3 years old, but it was already being whispered that he had great potential.

"Bitte Grandpapa!"

The man took another drink of his ale as the other conversations were brought quickly to an end.

"And which story would you like to hear, little one?" Another voice spoke from the back of the room, a deeper one, "Tell us of Jan."

The old man looked up, "I asked the boy." He looked back down at the child, "Now, what would you like to hear?"

The boy, who was also named Jan, looked briefly across the room at his uncle and said, "Yes, bitte Grandpapa, tell us a story about Jan."

The man sighed and then smiled, "As you wish, a story about your namesake. What would you like to hear? Would you like me to tell you about his great deeds? His mighty spells? What became of him?"

The child looked thoughtful for a moment and then spoke, "Could... could you tell us what he was like when he was younger? Before he went off to the city? When he was my age? Bitte?"

The smile spread wide across the old man's face, "Gladly will I tell that tale. Many a bard or a poet will tell you of Jan's journeys and adventures, they will tell you of Jan the Fiery, Jan the Archmage and they will tell you of what he did after all of that, but only one will tell you of Jan the child, Jan the boy and Jan the man. So sit down, take a mug in your hand and listen to to my tale. For all of you are descended from this man, a man who abandoned his family but eventually returned, a man who's name has not been forgotten in the hundreds of years that have passed since he walked this world. But my tale does not begin in glory, it does not begin in honour and it does not begin in power. It does not even begin in this castle. It begins on a small farm, in this land and on a night very much like tonight...

"The child was... a surprise. The two other children were in their early teens and their father, Johan, had their lives mapped out for them. The oldest, also called Johan, was to go to the Great School of Magic and then return to take over the running and management of the family's castle and lands. The younger boy, Rudi, was a warrior born. He would be trained to fight and to kill and that would be his life. The elder Hugel was pleased. Although he still harboured thoughts of winning his family's old land back he had a fairly safe and stable life. Jan's arrival changed all that."

"The boy only learned things that he found out for himself. The family tutor was teaching the two older boys and young Jan was forced to teach himself how to read and write and he was never told of his potential. Most of his early years were spent walking in the fields, reading books and avoiding his father. Obviously enough this caused a hatred to grow up between them. Johan used to beat him for crimes both real and imagined and the two never exchanged a word after Jan's 10th birthday. The beatings continued but there was little that Jan could do about it. His mother never stood up to his father and Jan could never forgive her for this. I believe that Martha loved her son, but she could not oppose her husband. So Jan spent less and less time at home, returning only after dark when it became too dangerous to stay outside."

"Once in a while he wouldn't come home at all and he would brave the Flamish countryside for a few nights. He could usually deal with whatever he encountered but every-so-often something would go wrong. He was only badly injured once, but that time he was near death. No-body really knows what happened because Jan never told the story. He once wrote something about an old lady taking him in and healing him. He never said any more. The old lady is never mentioned in any other story about Jan, but I am sure that he repaid her one day."

"This behaviour continued for all of Jan's teenaged years. His eldest brother was sent off to the Great School of Magic in Galantri and Rudi went out into the world to earn a living. Rudi's tale is a sad one, but it is also a tale for another night. Occasionally Jan would hear tales of his brother's achievements at the Great School. Johan jr. was not a perfect child however, he did not show the same affinity for fire magics as his father hoped he would. In fact the magic he practised was more that of the mind. These slight flaws were not enough to make the father unhappy, but they did give Jan some hope."

"By the time he was 15 Jan had thought himself to do a couple of small tricks with fire. Nothing much at all, especially compared to what he would do later, but they were a start. He tried to show these to his father, but to no avail. His mother noticed, but she would not say anything. So the boy's life went on, he walked the countryside, he lit fires and he dreamed of going away from his home. He would spend time in Inns, listening to the stories of the Flaemish, listening to the tales of their defeat at the hands of the Alphatians. Sometimes I like to think that it was then that he formulated his plans, the plans that he would put into action in later years, but I suppose these wishes are mere fancy."

"Over time many rumours have grown up about what Jan did during his teenaged years, about how he was a powerful mage even then. I do not believe these stories. He had much potential, perhaps more than any other man, but he was merely dabbling in his youth. He wanted to learn though and I believe that he only stayed at home because he still felt tied to his mother. That final bond was broken when Johan returned from Galantri and Jan saw that his parents cared nothing for their youngest son. The 23 year old packed his bags and left, never saying a word to his family. They would not have cared anyway, they were busy feasting the return of Johan, a feast to which Jan had not been invited."

"A few days later Jan was in Galantri, he had only a little money, he knew no-one and he had no where to stay. He did have just enough cash for one day at the Great School, so that is what he spent it on. Somebody was smiling on him that day and by chance he began to talk to an Elf by the name of Alonso. To this day there is no bard or storyteller that can tell you why the two of them became friends. Perhaps some force of Fate or Destiny made it so or perhaps it was just luck, but for whatever reason the friendship was formed and it endured. Alonso introduced Jan to Moskva and she gave him a job. That was the beginning, that action was the pebble which would later start the avalanche. Why did the Boldavian woman employ him? That is another impossible question. Again the important point is that it happened. It was important for Galantri, for the Hugel family and for the whole world, however that is another story, and another and another. For every year of Jan's life there are a thousand stories, but I am tired and my mug is dry."

The old man placed his empty tankard on the arm of his chair and sat back. A moment later a small hand replaced it with a full one and two wide eyes stared up at him, "Bitte Grandpapa, one more story?"