Chapter 2
Looking for a Job

Norange 27th, 1289

Oak and his family returned to their farm with a heavy heart. Their crops had perished under the yoke of disease, Their working horses had been kidnapped, condemned to an uncertain fate and they now had to pay a heavy fine or rot under the bars of one of the filthy royal cells.

They opened the door abruptly, entered the house without taking off their shoes and sat down at the solid cedar table.

John Quercus hit the table again with his fist. *Bang* " Oak , you were the one who had to watch over the fields during the downpour and make sure no disease spread. " You were to help us satisfy the Harvesters of the Plant Faith until we found a way to get rid of them."

Oak bit his lip then shrugged, a few drops of water dripping from his white vest and falling on the table. " Sorry…. I don't know what to do… I'm gonna work harder on the farm to pay the fine… We always got time to think of a plan. »

Her mother, sitting in her chair, was shaking. “No Oak , we don't have time! »

Confused, she turned to her husband. “John, what are we going to do if they come to visit us before the agreed date? WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?!

John remained stoic. "Don't worry, I got an idea..."

" What idea?" cried Oak 's mother .

“A brilliant idea… but one that requires money.” John said , grimacing at the sight of water dripping from his son's clothes.

“My son, I want you to leave the farm and find yourself a job in town. I don't want to see you again until you've collected the sum of two thousand floraux."

Oak frowned. “Two thousand floraux? But the fine only costs a thousand!”

John nodded, a glint of anger in his eyes. “A thousand to pay the fine and a thousand for… other plans . We're counting on you! Don't show up empty-handed or I'll kick your ass. »

 Oak replied sadly. “Forgive me, dad. It’s only through forgiveness that you’ve resolved your conflicts, you and mom. She rehabilitated you and now everything’s almost perfect. Forgiveness solves everything.”

John says. “Perhaps, but I can’t forgive Karel or Xidor. It wasn't like that before… Where did the respect go?”

Oak shrugged, not knowing what to say.

He saw the pout of disappointment appear on his father's face. His dad sighed. . “I failed in your education, you’ll have take your education in your own hands, Will you succeed? If you do that, I’ll forgive you. »

Oak nodded gravely and saw his father rise from his chair, open the door and wave him away.

“Leave now but remember three things. First, Don't tell anyone about our hatred for Xidor."

Oak nodded. “ Humpf ”

“Secondly, be careful that you receive gold coins and not lead! Last Arbé,  the eldest son of the Jefar family was paid in lead. He had to spend the whole Arbé  looking for something to eat.

“ Humpf ”

“ Third , dress well so you don't freeze to death. No one will come to save you."

“I can't believe that…the people are nice in Oakvalley . replied Oak.

John pointed to his clothing. " Flax? That won't be enough, you need clothes."

Oak replied. "But we don't have any woolen clothes."

John smiled at him wickedly. “Right, you’ll have to work to get them. He indicated the door. “Outside nothing’s free and few are trustworthy. Choose wisely who you do business with. »

Oak ignored the comment and rose from his chair. He approached his brother and his sister.

He gave them a hug. " I love You." he said staying with them for a few minutes while his father John showed his impatience, tapping his foot while holding the door wide open.

“I love you too, Big Sleeper,” Regis said sadly.

"I love you too bro, I hope everything will be fine……" his sister said hugging him tightly.

Oak gave them an embarrassed smile. " Don’tt worry… . I’m gonnal find a solution. Things always work themselves out."

John, tired of waiting, slammed the door shut, its iron hinges groaning under the impact.

“There you go. You got nothing more to do here” his father said, coming over to him and squeezing his shoulder violently.

"Okay," Oak said,, turning the doorknob, and hurrying through the threshold, head down with shame.

Oak walked across the entire valley passing many fields of tomatoes, lettuce, soybeans, beans, carrots and cabbage. On the road, he saw no horses but many crestfallen-looking peasants and crying toddlers. He thought about it all along the trip

All because of Xidor. We gotta work five times harder because of him and it's never enough… He always wants more, as if he was always hungry. If only we could force him to live like a peasant, maybe he would understand what we're going through… Is that your idea, dad?

At the end of the afternoon, he stopped in front of a large lake with aquamarine waters, equipped with a solid oak bridge . 

This was the only passage that linked the fields to a town at the foot of a snow-capped mountain.

From where he was, Oak could see soft snowflakes falling on the Oakvalley Town, creating a micro winter climate in a place that should, at this time of the year have a Germé climate. The clouds were supposed to be pink in the sky and it was supposed to be very hot.

The view of Oakvalley in the distance brought him back fond memories. Too bad the blue moon didn't appear and Poussé season didn't happen. Here, it was so pleasant to celebrate the Saint-Cupressus and the feast of the newborn tree with dad, mum, Regis and Kelly. Will Perry and the others recognize me? Will they blame me for the failed revolt? People are already pissed off because of the lack of Poussé.

Oakvalley was the capital of the whole valley and the gathering place during the festivities of Saint Cupressus and the Day of the Birthing Tree which both took place during Poussé Season. Saint Cupressus was a feast to celebrate the first miracle performed by Saint Cupressus, when he saved King Herbacum 's heir , thereby protecting the survival of the Treemen .

It was mainly celebrated during the third week of the month of Arbatar . Through this holiday, Oak had made many friends in Oakvalley including the son of the Jefar family , Qejo, who was at this very moment imprisoned in King’s Xidor jails.

Of his friends and acquaintances , only the innkeeper Perry, an old friend of his father John Quercus had remained in  town. He  supported them in their revolt against Xidor Cèdre.

After reminiscing about the good old days, Oak crossed the bridge and into town, his hemp shoes stalling in the snow, getting slightly wet. *Plop, Plop*.

Nevertheless, he struggled to walk through the narrow streets of the sixteen thousand inhabitants city. -Ochre-colored houses with snow-covered roofs stood there. Throughout his journey, a fine fluffy snow fell on his clothes and piled up in his leafy hair.

“ Ah, damn snow, I gotta find shelter ,” Oak thought , reading the many signs that hung from the roofs of the buildings.

He stopped in front of a building whose sign read “ Sewing workshop. Employees Wanted, » . Wisps of black smoke escaped from the workshop’s chimneys.

He entered it and asked for a job as a clothes maker for a salary of 15 floraux per hour. The owner ended up putting him to the test but he failed and tore a cloth.

"What did you do! This fabric cost me an arm, get out of here, don't come back here, you incompetent!” said the owner of the establishment, signaling to her workers to get up and drag Oak out.

They hurried across the vast, red-walled workshops and walked on the fabric-covered floor.

Oak , who was standing near a table, threw up his hands in exasperation. “But madam, you can at least give me some clothes. It's winter!"

“No job, no clothes.” said the workers, violently grabbing Oak by the waist and throwing him out of the establishment.

Oak stepped out into the dark, snowy streets of the city, filled with shuttered businesses. Desperate, he tried to remember the way to Perry's tavern but couldn't; Although his imagination was overflowing, Oak had a poor sense of direction. He wandered for several hours, the streets were deserted but lit by snow that sparkled white in the moonlight.  Oak was , shivering in the icy winter winds, his teeth clashing together.

Warmth…warmth thought Oak when he finally saw a yellowish light in the distance. . He followed it   and came to a crossroads between a street and an alley, all lined with fir trees.

Right or left… right, *Brr, Brr*” Oak thought as he followed the light, turning into the small alleyway where a church stood, his feet frozen from the snow seeping into his shoes.

He took a few more steps down the alley and then fell exhausted to the ground.

 I'm sleepy all of a sudden…* he thought as he lay into the fluffy snow, ready to let go, his frostbitten fingers tracing the shape of his hand in the snow.

* Ah, it's hot, all of a sudden…we're so comfortable in the snow,” Oak thought as blood began to flow faster through his veins, causing him to lose even more heat and bring him to the gates of death..

“Bru, burn , burn .. ” Oak thought as he undressed, taking off his white clothes and his black stockings and then wallowing in the snow, letting himself be pulled towards sleep… towards death…

*Zzzz, Zzz* .*Zzzz , Zzzz*

A treeman  dressed in a heavy woolen chasuble and heavy winter boots came out of the church.

He sheltered Oak in a blanket. He took him to his church, a Gothic style church made entirely of white marble.

He entered the church and placed Oak on the altar in front of the many rows of wooden seats, just under the cupola which housed the body of a crucified tree-man on the ceiling.

"God, Cupressus, Amelanchier, give me your grace and bring him back from the dead," he said, taking a cup of red wine from the altar and then pouring it into Oak 's mouth .

* No reaction*

The desperate priest shook Oak 's body in the blanket for about forty minutes to warm him up.

“But, where am I? Am I alive or in heaven?” Oak said , snapping his eyes open, looking at the priest who had saved him and then staring at the ceiling.

“No, you aren’t in paradise, but in my church,” said the priest as he left to fill his cup with water.

"Thank for saving me… But, who’s this guy?" Oak said , pointing to the tree-man who was crucified on the ceiling.

“A carnivore… A criminal…” said the priest, returning with his cup, which he placed in Oak 's hands .

"What was his name?" Oak said between sips.

"Sylvain… He was working for King Xidor until he decided to go his own way, to smuggle bird meat…" said the priest, making the sign of the tree-cross . “God have mercy on his soul”

" How did he die? Not on the cross, I hope,” Oak said , looking at the body with a serene expression.

“Yes on the cross. He deserved it even if King Xidor didn't like it… It’s to believe that he loved Sylvain, that bastard… Jimmy Acajou should never have chosen him as king instead of Prince Atord. God had to deprive us of Poussé to punish us for choosing that damn King. ” said the priest, gritting his teeth.

Jimmy Acajou was the Arbol Maestra , the Arbol Maestra was the highest rank in the ecclesiastical hierarchy of the Arbolarbres .

It was Jimmy Acajou who had ordered the priest to hang Sylvain, because he had refused to believe again.

"You can't do that…carnivores deserve forgiveness, they're people just like us" Oak exclaimed raising both fists in the air.

“On the contrary, they are worse than beasts… The death penalty is the perfect sentence,” the priest said, glaring at Oak and then tearing off his blanket.

“Why did I save him?” thought the priest as he went to open the door of his church.

"Count yourself lucky that I saved your life, you don't deserve it, OUT OF MY CHURCH." he said, motioning for Oak to get the hell out of the establishment.

"But you can't do that, you're a priest and I need help…" Oak said raising his hands in the air.

“A self-respecting priest, yes!” said the priest, running towards Oak who was standing behind the altar.

Indeed, the priest was right, because in the Arbolarbre religion , the Plant Faith , the clergy had two missions. First, to convert non - Arbolarbres peoples to the path of vegetarianism and to the teachings recorded in the Arbolivre , the sacred book of the Arbolarbres . He could do so by the word, trade, healing, or the way of the sword. Secondly, they had to convert or execute the Arbolarbres who were sinking into the sin of carnivorism, because it was believed that carnivorism was the source of most diseases.

Oak by defending carnivorism, had pissed off the priest.

Oak dodged the priest and shoved the altar onto him, then he took off his red cap and his winter boots which he put on after picking up the blanket.

* Aargh , Aargh *“I’ll ill you, infidel! You who dare to defend those who bring us the butcher’s disease said the priest, restrained under the weight of the altar. Forced to watch Oak as he fled through the door with the woolen blanket on his back, the winter boots on his feet, and the red cap on his head.

Well dressed, He surveyed the whole city and eventually found Perry’s inn.

Perry, so you were here… he thought as he beheld the building made of brown clay and equipped with a chimney to evacuate the by-products of beer production.

He walked into the brown-walled, brick-floored establishment where he saw a few people sitting at the bar on stools; They turned to him and gave him disapproving glances, whispering.

"Ah, it's him." shouted a tree-man wearing an apron.

"Perry, I'd like two beers, I worked so hard today." Oak said , sitting down at the counter, his blanket over his shoulders.

Perry replied,  a small smirk on his lips . "Ah, Oak , it's you!" The innkeeper chuckled. "You must have had a hard day wandering around. , I wish I had days like yours.  You look so tired. How's your old man? »

"He's fine, just fed up with the king's servants." said Oak .

The innkeeper replied angrily. “We’re all a bit ! Those bastards even refused my motion to celebrate Saint Cupressus and the Day of the Birthing  Tree! »

“Really, when was that supposed to happen?” asked Oak , angry to be deprived of the Day of the Birthing Tree  at such a crucial time in his life.

“The 5th of Moonambre, on the eve of the next blue moon. but they canceled. It’s too expensive,” Perry replied. He complained, glancing at his almost empty counters. “They already took away most of my wheat and barley. Now Karel and his gang want to stop us from celebrating! It's really boring,  a year without Poussé.. "

The Birth Tree Festival was a celebration to celebrate the coming of age of young Arbolarbres . 17 to 20 years old  Arbolarbres had to go through three challenges in a few days. All the villagers of the  provinces such as Cedreria , Miradia and Cantabria met in the local towns.

This year of 1289, it would have been Oak 's turn to celebrate his arrival in the world of adults, but he saw himself in an inn, without work and without a life purpose.

It sucks that there is no festival in Moonambre, he thought

At the back of the bar, on a stool, he saw a mustachioed, muscular tree-man who was drinking a beer while reading a thick book.

Near it, he saw two tree-men at a table. They were playing dice.

Those guys relax while I'm daddling my fingers.

He got up and approached the two tree-men who were playing dice.

He shouted at them. "Could I play with ya?"

They nodded yes.

The innkeeper chuckled. “Ah if I were you, I would be careful. These guys know how to lighten the burdens of tree-men. »

It's me who will relieve them of their money… with a fat purse, I won't have to work.

The innkeeper turned and walked through the door behind him as one of the two bettors addressed Oak . “Ah yes, I love lightening the burdens of tree-men with heavy feelings”

One of the other players discreetly pointed a purse at his belt “Yes, look at these beautiful feelings, Joaquim. They weigh down my heart."

The two tree-men looked at each other knowingly, Oak noticed their malevolence but pretended not to have seen anything. “ Nice from you for wanting to play with me. Sounds great,” said the young tree-man, smiling at the two bandits.

The bandits were dressed in black hooded clothes that hid their hair, as well as leather gloves of the same color.

Oak sat down at the table with the other two tree-men as the innkeeper returned with two beers which he placed on the table,

They started to play heads or tails,

"Heads or tails?" said Joaquim, plunging his gloved hand into his pockets.

"Heads”.

Joaquim took a denarius from his pockets and twirled it in the air. The coin fell heavily on the table.

“Tails, you lost. Give me my hundred Floraux.” he said putting his fist on the table.

" Huh , I got no money right now, but I promise to pay when I’ll have it " Oak said , rising from his chair to escape the tavern, putting his lager on the table.

The thief got up and grabbed Oak by the collar. "I want my money! Where’s my purse?”

"I got  nothing, I swear." Oak said , trying to remove Joaquim's hands from his neck.

"You lie. A poor man wouldn't have that cap,” he said, motioning for the other bandit to remove the cap from Oak 's head , which the other did.

Then, he pressed his dagger on Oak 's neck .

Suddenly, the mustachioed tree-man stopped reading his book and stood up.

Oak was impressed by his imposing build. He had a Gallic mustache, coat of mail, and iron leggings that gleamed in the light of the tavern's oil lamps.

The mustachioed tree-man strode toward Joaquim, his armor clanking. *Ting, Ting*

He stopped in front of Oak and the two bettors¸

He ordered them. “Let him go, you know gambling is forbidden by His Highness Xidor Cèdre just like eating meat. »

"Don't force me to teach you a lesson!" he said, brandishing his  iron glove-covered fist.

Joaquim's companion stepped in front of him. “We played honorably, you have no right to interfere. It was he who decided to join us. »

The imposing tree-man approached the table and grabbed the coin, which he turned to both sides. “Honorable, my ass, your game is rigged, heads up and oh, heads up!” He grunted. “Get the hell out of here or I'll call the royal army, they'll be happy to arrest good-for-nothings like you."

The two brigands ran away, leaving Oak alone with his benefactor.

The tree-man put his hand on his shoulder in a paternal gesture. “I’m Yvard. Tell me why you’re gambling, a youngster like you should not hang out with the cesspool of Oakvalley. You can become whatever you want so why a bandit?”

"I don't know what to do anymore, I have to gather two thousand florals to pay my fine or rot in the king's dungeons and die there."

"Two thousands, that much?" Yvard asked .

“Yes, that much… I was thinking that if I was gonna end up in jail anyway I could try all or nothing and collect the sum more quickly. Oak said picking up the coins that Joaquim and his companion had left on the table.

"Prison isn't worth it… I speak from experience… A good guy like you doesn't deserve to go there."

“A good guy? Look at me, I've never toiled. Oh, what should I do?” Oak said with a shrug.

“Work always seems harder when you've been sitting on your ass all your life. I just have something to offer you. Tomorrow morning, 7:00’O Clock, meet me at the forge. I'll show you how to harness fire and make a tree-man out of you."

"I’ll think about it." replied Oak .

Yvard gave him  a last smile before going to bed on the second floor.

Oak asked the innkeeper for a room, paid him, and also went to bed.

When he woke up, he decided to go to work.

He left the inn the next day at 7:30 a.m. and arrived at the forge at 8:00 a.m. It was located near the forest that led to Oakcastle, an  old abandoned castle said to be inhabited by strange presences...

Once near the forge, Oak probed the forest in search of strange movements. He thought he saw out of the corner of his eye,  a shadow moving behind him. He turned around.

Nothing? But there was something... whatever, I gotta  work

He entered the forge. There he scanned the black brick walls which were dimly lit by a furnace fueled by a fire; only Yvard  lived there ...

         

He approached the tree-man, who was standing next to an anvil and some buckets full of coal .

"You’re late! I told you at 7:00 o’clock. Don't ever do that to me again, I want you here at 7, every morning." said Yvard , giving him an accusing look.

"Wasn't it at 8:00 a.m.? I understood 8:00 yesterday, you must be wrong. Oak said , suppressing a grimace of disgust.

“I’m never wrong let’s start working. You see this furnace? I want you to fill up with coal continuously. The fire mustn’t go out.”

he said pointing to the big coal furnace

"OK"

“Today we’re going to start with the basics, which is wielding the furnace and designing a dagger on the anvil. Watch me do it."

He poured a bucket of coal into the hearth and activated the bellows to feed the flames. He then put in a large piece of steel and a piece of iron and heated them in the oven. He then covered the pieces with the brewing flux. The pieces heated for long minutes and the blacksmith pulled them out with pliers. He hammered the mass of iron and steel on the anvil until it was shaped like a dagger.

“Take care not to overheat the metal when you forge or it’ll go to shreds.. Be careful to always cover the lumps with the blacksmith flux so that the iron doesn’t oxidize. Don't let any acid get into your eyes or you'll go blind." he said, pointing to a vial that contained brewing flux, a white, powdery substance.

"Alright, I’m all ears. I'll do whatever you ask of me." Oak said before going to get a bucket of coal.

Oak filled the hearth with coal and blew too much air, the fire burned like a thousand suns. He didn't realize it despite the stifling heat and overheated the metal.

“Look, you didn’t listen, the iron lump is making sparks and is turning to dust like fine sand. Start again.”" said Yvard picking up the ruins of what would have been a dagger.

Oak did it again, but paid no attention and failed to plunge the metal in the brewing flux, a large patch of rust appeared on the thin metal.

“Still making mistakes, start again!

Oak started over and continually made mistakes.

He arrived the next day at the hour requested by his boss and worked until nightfall, making fewer mistakes than the day before.

“You worked well today but you make a lot of mistakes. I’ll accommodate you in my house and feed you until you become better but I won’t pay you until your work has reimbursed the expenses that you create.” said Yvard , beckoning him to work.

He paused and added. “And be careful not to let anyone into the forge… Oakvalley is full of thieves.”.

Oak nodded and Yvard left.

For a month, the young tree-man always arrived in advance, stopping only for meals, working from dawn to dusk. He sometimes heard screams and what he believed to be the clink of coins coming from the forest but he did not venture there, preferring to remain concentrated in his work.

Nevertheless, he still made a fair amount of mistakes and half of his work couldn't be sold."

He was hard at work, concentrating on forging a sword when Yvard abruptly opened the door, the yellow light temporarily blinding the young Tree-man.

“Clients are starting to get impatient, your inattention at work and your carelessness have already cost me enough money, I've helped you a lot and gave you many chances. I give you a week to fill out the order from the Oakvalley Farmers Association . »

He spat on the ground.  If you don't, the peasants won't be able to work, if they can't work, Xidor will come and take their horses… Nobody knows what he really does with them. …»

"And what do they want ?" Oak said , clenching his fist, suppressing an urge to punch Yvard , holding an almost perfect sword in his hands.

" I didn't work hard enough?" It's never enough for him… He wants to make me disappear like those horses.

Yvard showed him a document on which was written his signature and that of the leader of the peasants' association. “They want 5,000 nails and 30 wheels for their plows by next Monday. If you succeed, I will pay you the full sum of the contract, otherwise I will have no choice but to fire you.

Oak smiled slightly as he read the contract. 3000 floraux. “I understand, I’ll make you proud. I won't make the same mistakes again."

"How interesting.”  Yvard said , closing the door abruptly behind him, leaving Oak alone in the dark forge.

Oak 's heart was racing, how would he manage to fulfill such an order in such a short time, without making any mistakes?

Time was running out...