Chapter 1

Oak the Lazy

25 Norange 1289

Oak opened his eyes when he heard someone turn the doorknob and enter his room. He heard footsteps coming from behind and liquid splashing in a bucket.  Sunrays dazzled him, preventing him from clearly distinguishing who was approaching him.  To him that was frightening.

Is it one of the king's tree-men? Did they come to punish us, or did they forgive us? thought Oak , gritting his teeth, riddled with chest pain, a remnant of a beating inflicted by the harvesters of the Plant Faith.

"Wake up, Oak , it's the second time I've come to wake you up today, you've been sleeping too long already!". Shouted the person, visibly angry and impatient.

Although the high-pitched voice pierced his ears, making him grumble, he felt relieved.

Oh, it's mom.

 “Argh, I don’t wanna, we're so good in the covers, why get up when we can stay down.” he grumbled, pulling the blanket over his head.

He shouted. “Let me sleep!”

His ears were pierced again by her yell, only this time, he could hear the staccato rhythm in her voice. “What are we gonna do if you don't get up? WHAT are we gonna do?!”

He lifted his head from the pillow to see his mother standing over him, her treelike body shivering with anxiety. He felt the sweat dripping from his forehead and spreading over his bark. His mother held her anger inside, trying her hardest to keep her composure.

She hummed a little tune, pulling on the blanket, two buckets of water at her feet. “Beautiful Tree, Beautiful Tree”

Will her mood change again? wondered Oak.

He resisted with all his might, preventing himself from falling out of bed. His physical strength, like that of all members of his species, was however inferior to the strength of the human kind. Thus, he was panting heavily while holding the sheets. He muttered. “You’re gonna respect me,”

She let go abruptly of the blanket and looked at him, distraught. “ Oak , King Xidor had the Jefar family imprisoned this morning. The Jefar family , do you understand? The one with whom we went to complain last time!"

Oak scoffed at his mother's words, unconcerned by the news.

His mother's thorny fingers quivered with rage; She exploded in anger. “Their new harvester, Karel, Karol, I'm not sure who,  was not satisfied with their harvest! He seems to be a stiff one. , Probably a pretext to silence them! To silence us!

The  King’s tax collecters were called harvester of  the Plant Faith because by paying their taxes, the peasants demonstrated their faith in religion and in the Divine Tree, the God of Treemen. The king was seen as a divine emissary, chosen by the representative of God on Anthor , the Arbol Maestra

Oak 's mother brought her hands to her mouth and bit her wooden nails. "What are we going to do if you don't come help us? It's not the first time you've done this to us.

"Pray for Poussé Season  to come back," Oak replied nonchanlently.  "Nothing else to do."

The year 1289 has been tragic for the Arbolarbre People. The missing Poussé season didn't allow them to enjoy the abundance and great harvests it can give. Instead, the prematurely hot days, which were typical for the Germé season, and the drought, caused them to lack the much needed harvest.

Oak snug under his blankets. Outof the corner of his eye, Oak saw his mother take one of the buckets of water from the house’s stone floor.

What did I do wrong? To have such a good-for-nothing son. thought his mom, feeling nauseous due to shame. 

Oak turned his head to retaliate when she exclaimed. "I do it for you".  She poured the bucket of water in his face. The water ran down his disheveled green leaves haircut and dripped onto his crumpled clothes.

The young tree-man blinked in shock. "Old Hag!"

This was not entirely true, as his parents remained very young, they were only 50 years old, a youthful age for this species which could live as long as three humans.

She tugged at the blanket, knocking him down at her feet.

Waving his branches-like arms in the air, Oak cried out in pain. " Aargh , why you do this?”

She answered him curtly. " For your good. You”ll forgive me." 

Oak sighed and nodded.

Then she  left the room.

Oak sighed and nodded. He felt uneasy, wondering if his parents really loved him. He believed that laziness was the path to comfort and wealth.

  Why can't they understand me? The more we work the more we get taxed. The more we work, the more they ask us to work, what's the point of working then?  The Jefar worked all their life and now they're in jail while the lazy Kings and merchants are rich. You must be the one making other people work, not be the one working. 

After he saw his mother leaving the room, he got up on his feet to undress. Oak was 5 feet 9 inches tall while most tree-men were smaller in height, averaging between 4.5 and 5 feet. Being taller than most treemen, his clothes were larger. 

He then joined his family in the dining room, a room adjoining the kitchen. In the dining room, a floor lamp powered by sunflower oil hung above the table.

Oak saw his whole family waiting for him at the table, seated on wooden chairs. All had a reddish bark and green leaves hair , a legacy of their ancestors . There was his father, John Quercus, his mother, Cinthia Quercus and his brother and sister, Kelly and Régis Quercus.

Her sister Kelly and brother Regis were 12 and 13 respectively. Unlike their parents, they weren’t hairy. The whitish moss typical of the Arbolarbres only grew once they hit adulthood (22 years old).

The Arbolarbres were humanoid beings, half-men, half-trees. They had bark instead of skin and hair made up of leaves. Branches with thorny hands served as their arms and allowed them to grasp objects. Their legs resembled those of humans. A green fragrant sap flowed in their veins

This sap had magical properties for some of them , the descendants of King Herbacum . Oak was one of them and sported magical powers he himself didn't even know existed.

Oak , who had just sat down at the table, did not even suspect the fate that awaited him as a sorcerer; he still lived as a peasant, under the King’s yoke. Almost all of his family including his mother and father did not possess his magical gift.

His mother looked at him with her big blue eyes, which were filled with tears of disappointment. She lowered her arms. "Yesterday you didn't feed the horses three times like you had to and now they don't want to work anymore, they even refuse to walk and eat."

Oak took a breath. “Hm?'”

She grimaced. “We paid a lot for this new plow and we can't even use it. This Karel, Karol, and the harvesters will soon come to claim their due, what are we going to do! Poussé Season didn’t even show up, what are we going to do?"

Poussé  Season was one of the four seasons in the world of Florestia. The Season Cycle happened in this order ( Arbé, Poussé, Germé and Floré). It followed the life cycle of plants and influenced it. In times of Poussé, the crops grew abundantly under the effects of a magical rain, composed of mud, silt, water and rejuvenating leaves.

Oak's father, John Quercus put his fist on the table. "We'll find a solution to the harvesters' problems, won't we, my son? You’re not going to sit on your bark for the rest of your life, lounging like a vine in your bed. You have to drudge with your branches and your head to make ends meet in this tough world. There aren’t any miracle tricks, just good old branch sap.”

“ Humpf, ” Oak grumbled .

His father glared at him. “Come join me, you and Regis, I'll show you how it was done in my day, when there was no plow.” John sighed. “When there were no harvesters. Oh the good old days when we obtained excellent crops, especially those in period of Poussé. »

John Quercus liked to remember the good old days because back then, Xidor's father, King Araison came personally to collect the crop and showed empathy towards the peasants,  offering tax reductions to those who voluntarily enlisted in the army.

The day King Araison died . His son, King Xidor was elected by the Chief of the Clergy, Jimmy Acajou. Without his blessing, he would have been forced to participate in the conversion challenge [1]against his brother, Prince Atord , which Xidor would have lost due to his heretical beliefs.

After his ascension, Xidor delegated the task of collecting taxes to the harvesters of the Plant Faith. These men were paid out of one-sixth of the taxes collected, which encouraged them to demonstrate a certain rigidity towards the commoners.

This pissed off the Quercus Family and their friends, they had already complained many times to the royal administration. Those acts of rebellion had drawn even more attention onto the Quercus’ family.

"Ah, the good old days" scoffed Oak . He leaned his head on the table, preparing to sleep.

His father ignored him and continued talking, scraping the table with his fist. *Cri, Crii * “We're going to work so hard that the harvesters won't have a say in this year's crop,”

He stared at Oak without smiling, hoping for his response. You’ll quickly realize why you have to take good care of the horses,”

"I don't wanna , I have things to do like um.. Read our cousin Pero 's book " said Oak , spreading his arms on the table, like a pillow and then putting his head on them

His mother got up from her chair, came over and put her hand on his head. “You have already read it three times, make a tree-man of yourself and join your little brother.Do it for him, you must set an example. If the king is not satisfied, we’ll lose everything, we might even end up in prison like the Jefars !”

She bit her lip. " What are we gonna do?"

His brother and sister, Kelly and Regis looked at each other and sighed at their big brother's lack of work ethic. They were to spend the summer holidays with him until school returned.

John felt the fear emanating from his wife. She's right to feel this way.  I gotta beat some reason into Oak's head or we'll all die. Tough Love, that's the only good kind of love. 

John gave Oak a stern look.“ It's time to go and check the crops. They say that the king hasn't been in his normal state for some time, that he's manhandling his wizard! If he sees us doing nothing, who knows what he'll do to us."

He motioned for his two sons to follow him, leaving his wife to pick up the dishes. Before following Regis and his father, Oak pouted, irritated, and resentful. He mumbled, "Always gotta work."

They crossed the doorway, and headed for a stable made of stone that was right next to the house. They opened the door and ducked inside where they walked on the hay-strewn floor, their shoes making a muffled sound.

* Stamp , Stamp *

Right in front of them, in a wooden paddock sealed with a chain, were two horses and a pony, all Overo , black-white, coat marked with freshly healed wounds.

During the last visit to the palace of Xidorville of the Quercus and Jéfar families , the harvesters of the Plant Faith, shocked by the complaints of the two families, had taken pleasure in taking revenge on the beasts

They’ll pay us back, John Quercus thought, looking tenderly at the two horses and the injured pony.

John Quercus approached it at a good pace just like Regis while Oak remained behind, away from the enclosure. John removed the chain and opened the barn door.

John freed the three beasts who neighed with pleasure at the sight of him. However, they abruptly stopped upon seeing Oak .

"Ah, they recognized you, Oaky, try to get on one of them,  " John said, laughing heartily. The sixteen-year-old tree-man approached the horse apprehensively, his legs almost treading water.

Once arrived in front of the beast, he mumbled to himself “You, you're not working like me, You ain’t  a worker like me,  father’s too kind, wanting to feed you thrice a day. He pity you ever since the Harvesters of the Plant Faith brutalized you.”

The horse neighed as if in complete disagreement, making Oak purse his lips in irritation."

“That's right, prove me wrong.” Oak said before getting on the horse's back, holding him by the bridle.

At the contact of Oak’s bark on his skin, the horse rushed towards the barn’s exit, crossing the door which had remained open and crushing a haystack under his hooves, spreading a smell of grass throughout the room. .

Oak fell, taken aback by the horse's sudden gallop, and plunged headlong into a large haystack that absorbed the impact.

" Hahahaha , my son, you'll have to walk the way, I've fed him well, I see." said John Quercus, well mounted on his horse.

"Very funny," Oak replied , dusting off the hay that had gathered on his bark and then getting to his feet.

“ Hahaha , Oak , Not able! . Said his brother Régis who stroked the mane of his pony Poppy.

"No need, I'm gonna do the rest on foot" said Oak , who stormed out of the stable, followed by his father and his brother who followed him at a trot.

Once outside, Oak and his family took a dirt road, fields stretched as far as the eye could see. A fast-flowing river flowed through them, surrounded by two mountain ranges.

These lands had been provided by the crown to Oak’s ancestors upon signing an indefinite servitude contract. According to this arrangement, they were to provide a good part of their harvest in exchange for this agricultural domain.

Formerly, King Agi Cèdre, father of Araison , came personally to converse with the peasants and ask them how the harvest season was going or if they had too many mouths to feed. If so, he recruited their children of legal age into his army and provided them food and housing.

Oak , John and Regis took a few steps and arrived in front of the cucumber fields. They noticed at first glance the withering of the leaves, these taking on a cracked aspect and a texture of papier-mâché, spreading an odor of dead leaves in the air.

The leaves tore at the slightest pressure; they quickly required advanced irrigation. Regis and his mount as well as Oak remained motionless, petrified, by the desolation which spread out before their eyes.

John grabbed his horse by the bridle and approached the two tree-men. He tapped them several times on the shoulder to bring them out of their state of torpor. “Go fill several buckets of water , we must try to save our crops before the king's agents arrive. They may already be on their way!”

The two young brothers returned with buckets of water and began irrigating the fields when torrential rain swept over the valley and caused a towering cloud of dense, heavy mist to flood the fields.

"Finally saved, it's raining!" Let's find shelter! Let's go under the cedar!" John said with a smile on his face.

Oak and his family scrambled to find the cedar through the mist. Him and the horses wading through the waterlogged fields, splashing their bark and giving them the smell of a wet dog.

* Plop, Plop,*

After a few minutes, they found the tree. It had red, and purple leaves, under which they hid and rested to the sound of the rain pounding on the ground.

They dozed off like this and only awoke a short time later when they heard the sound of horse hooves wading through large puddles of water

Oak , Regis and John looked straight ahead and were slightly relieved at the sight of their horses which had remained under the tree. But they panicked when they heard the noises getting closer.

Not them, not the bastards who beat us up the other day cringed Oak at the sight of several tree-men including a cactus-haired tree-man filled with purple leaves.

These tree-men in steel armor mounted on horses stopped in front of the tree, in the middle of the field of cucumbers. They all wore a rope on their belts.

“Hello, Quercus family. What have you prepared for us?” said Karel, the chief tax collector, running his hand through his cactus-like hair.

John opposed them. "Free the Jefar family and maybe I’ll let you taste it!" A third of our harvest! That’s too much! The Jefars only tried to survive”

Karel chuckled. " Threats?"

John puffed out. "Only demands, fair and just!"

Karel smirked. “The only just and equitable demands are those of the king! He needs this food to organize a banquet at his new capital Xidorville; he wants to immortalize the event. Without this, he cannot become immortal! All the important actors of the kingdom will be there.

“Hmm. Immortal? John growled under his breath.

Karel continued his speech, a smirk on his lips. "Yes immortal." He laughed theatrically " Huhuhuhuhu , Not literally but figuratively, of course!" He, therefore, needs a large quantity and variety of fresh vegetables and fruit to satisfy the palates of all the guests.”

John sighed. “Is that how you talked to the Jefars?”

Karel laughed it off.  “Doesn’t matter. The Jefars only had to accept.”

John, frowned, suspicious of Karel "You see, the crops are not ripe, so you'll have to come back next year!" He threw a dried cucumber at Karel to taunt him.

Karel fumed. "What do you mean? The king demands fresh fruits and vegetables, he does not want any premature vegetables or fruits or even, as I see, dried up cucumbers, it does not suit his majesty, they have a bitter and unpleasant taste which will only displease his guests,”

Regis laughed at the posh accent of the tax collector. “Hihihi”

Karel glared at him and continued talking. "Besides, they burp and burping is hardly worthy of a King’s guests ." he said crushing the cucumber with his hand before showing it to his tree-men.

Karel and his troops scoured the fields for fresh, ripe cucumbers while keeping sight of the Quercus family, forcing them to advance along with them so they wouldn't escape to avoid paying their dues. taxes.

While riding on horseback, Karel and his troops bent down to grab the vegetables and check their condition. Only a third of them suited Xidor's tastes, the rest were either not ripe enough, having a very pale greenish tint, or else were completely drowned out and had a very soft consistency, the cucumbers crushing into a puree at the slightest touch .

"It is unacceptable!" cried Karel, resting his sword on Oak’s bark.

Régis stopped laughing.  Bro no. Not you.  heavy sleeper.

“Let go of my son! cried John.

Karel stared at him. " Otherwise what?"

The father did not answer and immediately threw himself on Karel, trying to bring down his sword.

Karel withstood the onslaught and pressed his sword to John's throat. " Calm down!"

Oak and Regis exclaimed. “Cursed vermin!”

Karel cut a gash on John's cheek, a strong-smelling green sap emanated from it. " Really? You’re insulting me?”

Oak saw his father grumble in pain. " Uurgh, kids! Resist!!"

Oak and his brother dashed on Karel but were immediately surrounded by the latter's tree-men.

“ Tsk , Tsk . Not one more step” Karel shouted.

Oak and Regis winced in displeasure.

And damn.  Those bastards thought Oak .

Karel hissed at his tree-man soldiers indicating the horses of the Quercus family "Pff, Pff"

A few treemen, all dressed head to toe in steel armor approached the laughing pony and horse. They threw their rope violently around the horses, which struggled with all their might.

John lowered his arms and arched his back. “Not my horses!”

“Not Poppy,” Regis said weakly, fearing that King Xidor would shoot him down to eat him.

Regis then imagined Xidor cooking and eating it, his typical Arbolarbres teeth , flat and without canines devouring the beast.

Coming to his senses, Regis saw Karel's tree-men hold the horses by the bridle, forcing them forward.

Karel grabbed John by the collar. “I've had enough of your claims and your incompetence. I therefore withdraw your horses, King Xidor will be happy to welcome them into his palate.

Karel shook him. “If you complain again or neglect your fields again, you will be imprisoned for outrage to the crown. And if you don't pay a thousand floraux fine by next year, You’ll be far worse off than the Jefar family ."

Oak 's father gritted his teeth, cursing Karel .

Karel continued his speech "Anything else to say?"

"Nope." John said, his face riddled with hate and despair.

Karel smirked at him and rode east with his treemen, dragging the Quercus family horses behind them.

[1]The conversion challenge’s goal is to convert as many people as possible to the Arbolarbre religion. In the event of a succession conflict between the Arbolarbres claimants, there was a conversion challenge, the claimant converting the maximum number of people obtained the throne.