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The longhouse stood proud on a small hill, overlooking the coastline, smoke came from the chimney and a throng gathered around outside, waiting to hear what the news would be as the screams of the lady in labour had gathered the attention of the people.

Inside the great hall of the longhouse, the children and close family relatives waited, as in a private chamber the wise people of the clan guided the woman as she gave birth. The lord looked on, perhaps concerned about his wife, or perhaps more concerned if the child was to be a boy or a girl.

The lord had a grim face, as though carved from rock with grey eyes that seemed like they could see through solid walls. He smiled rarely, but all seemed to agree that he was a good lord to his people and they had prospered for many generations under the guidance of the Stern family.

The wife had given birth now to four sons over the past nine years, more than any man could really hope for in heirs and the like. What the Lord Stern now desired was a daughter. Not because he wanted a weakness through which he would dote on, rather he saw it as a great asset to use in procuring peace with neighbours through inter-marriage, after all, women did have some uses besides the obvious!

Lord Stern seemed anxious for the whole labour to end, as though he had somewhere better to be; the wise people overseeing the birth gathered around closely now about his wife, and with some grunts and screams, there was a great commotion and then the fresh innocent screams of a baby and a great relief in the chamber.

'Well?' Asked the Lord Stern.

A woman with sweat on her brow turned in delight to the Lord Stern and said with carefree abandon,' A girl, my Lord'

Lord Stern looked over at the girl and perhaps a flicker of a smile passed on his face, and then he walked out of the chamber into the great hall of the longhouse where everyone turned in expectation of news.

'A Girl', Lord Stern told them, he turned to the small pack of children, his children 'Sawel, come with me. And you Borkan. Ned, you look after your baby brother, go see your sister too...' With that Lord Eudaf Stern walked outside with his two eldest sons, his heirs to go about their business as though it was an ordinary day. Not without Sawel and Borkan pulling faces at Ned and his younger brother, Matthias though.

Ned, a mere six year old led Matthias (four years old) into the private chamber to see their mother and new baby sister. Their mother had appeared beautiful to Ned, even with the pains and discomfort she had gone through again giving birth to their little sister. She smiled when she saw her two younger sons, for she saw and knew them better than her eldest two sons and invited them up to see their sister who was already comfortably suckling on their mother.

'Whats her name, mother?' Asked Ned.

'Lyanna', his mother replied.

With a year passing, Lyanna was now walking and Ned's mother was once again with a swollen belly! Sawel, now ten had taken to carrying a bow and a small hunting knife that their father had given to him. Borkan had just a wooden club, but between the two eldest brothers they were the meanest kids in the village; Sawel was always the brains behind the schemes and machinations, Borkan was always the muscle, they were like predators.

Ned, now seven had been given a wooden sword by his father and Matthias a drum; Matthias was not very impressed. With about eighteen other children in the village, there were three distinct gangs that played together. Sawels went where they liked and often would beat up the younger children; this usually included the gang Ned and matthias were in. The last gang was usuallt the smallest of the childrena and Lyanna had started to be allowed to play with them.

On this one particular day, Sawel and Borkan had been into the forest and collected a great many pine cones, and coming back into the village had found Ned and Co and roughed them up a bit before moving on towards the coastline to enjoy some stolen snacks. Matthias had taken a rather nasty bump to the head from Borkan and had run home to have the lump tended to. Their game ruined, the children went their separate ways and Ned found himself near to the small pen where the younger children played and enjoyed the sea air. Lyanna looked up to her brother and giggled and rolled around in the dirt with a couple of the other babies. The old dog, Graulf, who kept watch over them slept on the edge of the pen and did not stir with Neds arrival.

And then all of a sudden, Graulf startled and growled ferociously as a pine cone bounced off his head, and then another hit him and a few more were thrown into the pen, one skimmed off Lyanna's arm and she laughed, thinking it a game. Borkan appeared and threw some more, hitting Ned now and another struck one of the other babies, Griam who now started to cry. But what then alarmed Ned was the site of Sawel notching an arrow on his bow!

Sawel fired it towards the pen as Borkan threw some more pine cones, the pair of them laughing. A pine cone hit Ned and he drew his wooden sword, the arrow hit Graulf and the old dog yelped in pain. Griams crying now started to effect the other children and Lyanna looked concerned and now distressed as graul started to whimper. Sawel began to notch another arrow as Ned charged towards his brothers.

Sawel did not get this arrow nocked properly as Ned arrived, swinging his wooden sword and catching Borkan on the ridge of his right eyebrow. The toy sword broken the skin and Borkan dropped his pine cones that he had been preparing to throw. Sawel turned to Ned and fired his half-notched arrow in haste, it caught Ned in the leg and there was a loud twang as the bow string snapped. The arrow hurt like hell, as the head buried deep in his right leg, Sawel now looked angry as Ned dropped his sword. Sawel kicked at Neds right leg and caught the arrow shaft, heightening the pain. Ned fell to the floor in agony and then suddenly the sky grew dark and something, or rather someone blotted out the daylight.

'GET IN NOW!' Their father roared, without a further word. Squinting through the pain, Ned saw his father with the big woodsmen axe he liked to carry around with him, especially if he was going to havea fight or something. Sawel and Borken ran off, their mother appeared to lift up Lyanna with panic on her face, she went to Ned to help him up, but his father glared at her and said 'LET HIM GET UP HIMSELF!'

By now blood was pouring from his leg and his head was a fire in pain; old Grauf sloped off with his tale between his legs, barking at a direction somewhere behind where Ned lay. His mother hurried off with Lyanna, his father remained standing over him.

'I said get up boy, and get inside the house'

'But it hurts, father'

'UP!'

'But...'

'Then stay there then...' Eudaf Stern steos over his son and walks off, the axe in his hands and Ned is left lying there, in a world of his own pain as footsteps, many of them, come from behind him, being met by one pair going to meet them. Ned focuses a little and turns, the arrow catches and the the wound deepens, but the shaft breaks off. Looking Ned sees his father meeting with several aggresive looking humanoids and the manner of speaking going between them does not seem friendly. Scared now, Ned crawls at first and then finds the strength to stand up and run back to the house as his father ordered, and looking round as he enters the house, he sees his father swinging his great axe and taking the head of the one of the strangers!

The next child to be born was again a girl and Eudaf Sterns mood seemed to lighten a bit with it, and the fact that he had settled several outstanding feuds with neighbours of the village; though these had been settled to his favour and in his way, whcih meant his axe had been bloodied often.

Sawel another year older now had continued to aggravate matters with both Ned and Matthias, and Ned had not forgotten the wound he had received from his big brother. A nice scar had formed which his father admired, but Ned knew one day he would have to settle the score with Sawel, once and for all.

It was a few days later whilst out with Matthias, wandering as they did in those days that Ned started to comprehend and realise that he could bend his mind around and about the more basic workings of what some called 'magic'. This was greatly exciting, even if it was a bit tiring on a young lad. Buthe decided to keep this discovery his own little secret, not so much for the fact that he thought it could be used in some way against Sawel, but more for the fact that his father would not approve...

Six months of practice passed, more and more Ned found himself wandering away from the village to be alone. Matthias started doing his own thing too and this allowed Ned much freedom. The daylight hours would while away and Ned would practice, even at times leaving it till it had gone dark before returning home.

And then one day he was out and he stumbled across Sawel and father out hunting with some of the village hunters. Curious he followed them and kept following them until he came to areas unknown to him. Worse, he lost his fathers trail and soon realised he was abandoned and alone! Using his best skills as a tracker and a hunter, he tried to find his was back. But stumbled in the growing dark and missed several signs he should have noticed.

It was starting to get cold when he began to believe he would have to spend the night in the forest, he was scared and unsure of what to do and what trouble he would be in, when he heard the feint cries of his name. He went towards those sounds and slowly wound his way home.

Getting closer to the voices, he recognised Sawel's and almost stumbled upon him. Not being the worlds stealthiest, Sawel heard someone moving through the trees and before Ned could react, his brother revealed that he too knew some magic, as reacting with slight fear, Sawel cried 'Tanglefoot' as Ned moved through the undergrowth. Immediately the foliage started to grab at his feet and ankles and to bite. Ned cried out in pain, glared at Sawel and cried 'Knockback' as he reached for his small dagger to attack the vines.

Sawel went flying backwards, landed most awkwardly and then proceeded to clutch at his right arm, his sword arm. It seemed the knockback had caused the arm to break as he landed! Sawel ran off as Ned freed himself and limped back to the village and into trouble.