**THIS CHAPTER/SECTION IS TOTALLY OPTIONAL AND NOT NECESSARY FOR THE OVERALL STORY.

READ ONLY IF YOU WISH TO LEARN MORE OF THE "MUNDANE" THINGS. I PLAN TO REWRITE THIS PROLOGUE TO ADD A NEW ASPECT OF SAGE FALL.

I WILL KEEP THIS VERSION AS IS UNTIL THE UPDATED ONE IS COMPLETE. BUT CHANGE THE TITLE TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO SKIP IT.

IT WILL BE A 1ST PERSON MEMOIR OF JUSTINIAN THAT WILL BE COMPLETELY OPTIONAL (Op) READING AND WILL HAVE NO IMPACT ON THE ACTUAL SAGE FALL STORY.**

“You screwed it up again, Justinian!?” The angry yelling rang throughout the kitchen.

“No! I screwed nothing up, woman! You were supposed to give me the proper ingredients and, failing that, we now have this…this…thing!” Justinian refused to take the blame and then drew attention to the outcome.

The two bickered as if they were siblings trying to keep from getting in trouble with their parents. Justinian Embervale and Elynara Aquinas. Justinian, an elderly man with long gray hair and a beard to match. He was hunched over the pot while stroking his lengthy beard, mouth drooped and eyes peering into it as if he had nothing to do with the outcome. Wearing a bright red robe and holding a long walking stick, which he called his “Wizard’s Staff”, but in reality it really was nothing more than a walking stick, he began to slowly walk away from the accident.

“Oh no you don’t! I’m not taking responsibility for it this time!” Elynara hopped off the footstool she was standing on next to Justinian and started to run after him. She was a small individual, adorable with long golden hair that curled at the end that danced and bobbed across her shoulders as she tried to catch up to Justinian’s much longer strides. Fae were much smaller in stature than humans and had to take 2 to 3 steps for each 1 of a human’s.

“You better fess up to it this time Justinian! I don’t want him mad at me this time! You know how I can’t stand him being mad at me!”

“I know not of what you speak you little pest! Shoo, shoo!” Justinian started waving his staff around towards Elynara, not unlike one would do to keep something bothersome away.

“RUDE! I am NOT some bug to be shooed away, you senile old badger!” taking a running start she leapt into the air and planted her foot directly into Justinian’s lower back, pushing him forward through the entry way.

“Why you…!!” losing his balance he tried reaching for anything to keep from falling, having only found a small shelf loosely attached to a wall within reach, he grasped the edge and hoped it be enough. It was not. The shelf gave way and all the books and various knickknacks atop it came crashing down to the floor along with him.

“You two just never know when to call it quits do you? I swear, you two are worse than wild animals!” the burley and gruff voice that spoke came from Belgard Stengrim, one of the Earthborne, or more commonly referred to, as Dwarves.

“This crotchety old monster called me a bug!”

“I did nothing of the kind! That would be an insult to bugs, you little demon!” his gray white hair was a mess and all over his face, covered with the fallen books and dust from the shelf, he turned over and gave Elynara a deathly stare while attempting to get the hair away from his face.

Letting out a big exasperated sigh, Belgard, shook his head and raised his hands in surrender. There was no saving these two.

“Regardless you two. You were in charge of tonight’s meal. What is the progress on that?”

The two of them looked at each other, eyes wide and full of guilt, totally silent. Neither making a move to answer the question they had a silent mental battle with each other through their eyes.

“You screwed it up again, didn’t you?” Belgard guessed at their hesitance to answer.

Elynara clenched both eyes shut at his correct guess that was also filled with frustration and ridicule.

“No we did not, good sir!” Justinian finally stood and began to brush himself off, then started to pick up the books that had fallen while continuing. “We did not screw it up, we just attempted to add a bit of, flair, to the recipe!”

Belgard raised an eyebrow at his comment and stared at him, completely silent. His big bushy beard that covered his face made it hard to see just what his facial expression was. He was a bit taller than Elynara, and by magnitudes wider as well. But his stature was not of being overweight, Belgard was a fighter and was a walking boulder in physique and resolve. His long dark brown hair was braided in one thick tail at the back and matching braids for his mustache that reached his stomach along with his thick beard. If the two had to guess what his expression was, it was the usual. Unimpressed.

“You two are like children! You had a simple task set to you by Meladris! Today is a special day, and lest you enjoy being yelled at by her, I highly suggest you get back into the kitchen and fix it!” He barked and pointed behind them to the kitchen. Even though she didn’t look like it, Elynara was by decades older than both Justinian and Belgard, but by Faery standards, was still a child. And although by human years Justinian was an elderly person, he was still much, much younger than Belgard, and didn’t have much room to complain about being treated as a child by him.

He turned around and stomped out of the dining area grumbling to himself, something regarding babysitting for the last time.

“You have only 1 hours’ time to get something made before the others get back from shopping! I highly suggest you take this time and utilize it wisely!” Belgard yelled from the other side of the house.

The two, who had both reluctantly made their way back into the kitchen both flinched, their shoulders lifting up slightly as they clenched their body at the bellowing.

Belgard stepped outside and continued the task given to him by Meladris earlier that day. He was to gather firewood for the feast they were to have that night, set the grand table and build a large bonfire. Tonight was a special night for them all. Pride filled his heart as he placed a piece of wood onto the stump, he thought back on what tonight meant for him. Lifting up the axe he brought it down with just enough force to split the wood cleanly in two, he picked up another piece and continued the process. He had only a few logs left before he was done cutting, and then it was on to building the bonfire. He had already gathered large rocks to use as a base and guard for the wood to keep from spilling out.

“Yo, old man!” a happy go lucky voice came from ahead of him, down the road a ways.

“Well if it isn’t little Gindel!? Why are you back so soon? Did something happen?” Belgard asked cautiously to the figure who was moving closer towards the house.

“Hey, I’m not that much smaller than you!” Gindel retorted. Gindel Lankest, a gnome of only 20 some years, easily the youngest of the troupe. He had short light brown hair that stood up on end as if held by some odd form of magic. He was holding a relatively large paper sack in both arms. “Nah, those three are at the usual place paying respects to the elder. I came ahead since I have a little something that needs to get set up before they get here!” he said with a mischievous grin on his face.

“Should I be concerned, little Gin?”

“What? No, of course not! Ta-da!” He pulled out a beautiful piece of tableware. It was a beautiful porcelain plate, the glaze used when firing the piece gave it a lustrous copper and black sheen. It was a very simple design, rounded and slightly deeper than a typical plate but not as deep as a bowl but allowed it to easily be used as either if need arose. There was an outline of a simple leaf in the middle of each plate in gold. Belgard’s eyes went wide in surprise, carefully holding the plate in his hands he turned it over and over admiring the color and simplicity. It was truly beautiful.

“Little Gin…you didn’t…” he asked with caution and concern.

“No. You know as well as I that I do not do that anymore.” He took the plate from Belgard as if hurt by the insinuation. “I had a little bit of reward left from a few jobs back and saved up for this. I’ve had my eye on them for a while. I got enough for us all!” The smile that covered Gindel’s face was that of a child who found a new toy and was so filled with joy that Belgard couldn’t help but smile with him.

“Beautiful! I am almost done here, go hurry and start setting them onto the table and I’ll be there to help in just a minute!”

“You think he’ll like it? I haven’t been able to do much in way of….” Gindel trailed off

“He’ll love it, Little Gin. Worry not. Now go! I’ll be right along.” Belgard rushed him off to begin setting the table for tonight’s festivities with a smile similar to one a father gives a child. Watching him run up the hill towards the table, Belgard grabs another piece of wood and sets it in place.

The sun was slowly setting below the trees. The brilliant reds, oranges and yellows cast across the sky made it look like a painting with the clouds. They would be home soon, and it would begin, one more night. Belgard had finished cutting the remaining firewood and had helped Gindel place the newly acquired plates in their rightful places, making sure they were clean and ready to be used. He then asked Gindel to help with building the bonfire, so the two of them happily began working on it. As they were putting the stones in place for the base they heard the door open and Justinian and Elynara walked out to greet them.

“All done!” Elynara chimed happily, puffing out her chest. To say that there wasn’t anything there would be an insult, but at the same time, there really was not much to be proud of, or flaunt.

“No thanks to you, I might add.” Justinian grumbled as he was wiping his hands off on a small cloth rag.

“Hey you two! I hope you actually made sure it was edible?”

“Yes little Gin, I tasted it myself, and it’s wonderful!” Elynara poked fun at Gindel. From a height standpoint, neither of them were tall by any stretch of the imagination, but Elynara took great pride in being even marginally taller than Gindel.

“You are not that much taller than me! Besides, I’m still growing you know! Unlike you, you old bat!” he pointed at her, the gauntlet had been thrown.

“Y-you little!...Arrrrgh!” she charged at Gindel with arms outstretched and hands open in preparation to strangle him. She chased him around the bonfire framework that Belgard was still in the process of building, while masterfully ignoring the two.

“They should be here soon, no?” Justinian asked gently to Belgard

“Aye, any minute now they should be…” he peered out along the road, and silhouetted among the setting sun the figure of 3 people were walking along the path towards the house “…ah, as I said. Alright you two, that’s enough, he’s back! Go get cleaned up and ready! Go, now!”

“They don’t know, do they? The meaning behind tonight?” Justinian asked somberly.

“Do you have the heart to tell them? I know I don’t, and he had already told us not to say anything. Even though Elynara is plenty old by years, she is still but a child. Gindel is no different.”

“Mm, too true.”

The two stood facing the three figures walking closer and waved to welcome them back. Each of them carrying a bag in their arms, undoubtedly food and surprises for tonight’s festivities. The two females alongside the man in the middle wore somber expressions, enough to keep it hidden from those that did not know them well, but not enough to hide it from companions that have traveled together and fought together for as many years as they.

“Sarya must be in pain, no doubt. But Meladris…she would never admit it.”

Sarya Aurum, a High Elf, her milky white skin matched well with her long silver blue hair, which was constantly kept in intricate and gorgeous braids that looped among itself creating hoops and fastened to the back of her head. She, along with Meladris Noctis, a Dark Elf whose skin color usually brought unwanted attention, was a golden brown, contrasted wildly with her pure white hair, wore simple tight fitting cotton slacks and knee high leather boots, their tops were also quite plain. Both white loose cotton button shirts that did well to hide the figure above their waist. But if the slender appearance and length of their legs were any indication of their overall appearance, they were both physically attractive for sure.

“No, no of course she wouldn’t. How could she? She’s tried for years to find an alternative, since the day she found out. She must be in agony. Poor child.” Belgard said under his breath, so that only Justinian could hear.

“Best not let her hear you say that…she’s by far and above older than the lot of us. But…when it comes to him…she certainly does act like a heartbroken child.”

“Mm, indeed. Let’s hope that this…character, knows what he is doing. And that his word is true.” Belgard’s voice carried with it a threat and hopefulness.