Marzipan woke up early and carefully wiggled herself out of the bed so as to not disturb her younger siblings. She tiptoed down the hall and down the stairs, ears twitching all the while. She heard the sound of cooking coming from the kitchen and she tried her best to sneak out from behind her family member’s back. “And where do you think you’re going?” She jumped into the air and whirled around to find Bazlama staring at her with a raised eyebrow and his arms crossed. “Guh…Nothing,” she lied. He narrowed his eyes at her, making her fidget. “Okay fine I was about to go outside. Happy?” He nodded curtly. “Better. Naan’s making breakfast right now, so you should stay for that before you go out.” “Let me guess, Mother and Father still sleeping after a night of f- OW!” She found herself rubbing her ear after being harshly pulled by her older sibling. “Let’s not talk about that. Come on, dining room, now!” “Alright, alright, I will. Sheesh…” She continued to grumble underneath her breath as she went to the dining room and plopped down in a seat. She began to tap her index finger on the table as she waited for the rest of her family to wake up and come down the stairs. It seemed to take forever as everyone began to assemble in the dining room. “You’re up early,” her mother observed as she sat down. “Yeah, wanted to go outside, but someone had to stop me.” Bazlama stared at her smugly, causing her to raise her fist at him and shake it. “Marzipan, don’t do that.” “Fine. Sorry, Mother.” Her father soon came down and gave his wife a kiss, causing Marzipan to wrinkle her nose at them. She never did like it when they were openly lovey dovey with each other, it was embarrassing in her opinion. The rest of her siblings slowly trickled in, with Naan coming in last with hot food for everyone to eat. The meal was spent with idle chitchat, though the Hume Bunny was shoving food down into her gullet faster than normal. “I’m done,” she announced as she got up and went to put her plate away. “That fast?” Halva asked. “Marzipan, you better not be up to something,” Challah said, his eyes narrowed at his sisters. “Hey, if anything, you should watch what Brioche is doing if you’re going to blame someone. She causes a lot of problems!” she hollered back from the kitchen. “I do not!” she said indignantly. “Marzipan, apologize to your sister, now!” “Yes, Mother…” She sighed and went back into the dining room, getting behind Brioche’s chair. “I’m sorry, Brioche…” Pause. “Especially for what I’m about to do right now!” She began tickling her little sister, causing her to laugh and spray bits of food from her mouth. “Sister stoooop!” she whined. After a few more tickles, she stepped back from the chair. “You’re meaaan!” She could only smirk at her little sister. “Heh. Anyway, I’m heading out now. Take it easy everyone.” There was a chorus of goodbyes as she exited the room and then went outside to the fresh spring air. She breathed in the air and sighed happily as she made her way into town. The streets were still empty, everyone still inside sleeping or eating breakfast. She didn’t care, though, for she had someone to meet. The young woman walked the streets at a brisk pace before she reached her destination, a sandy area with a pool nearby. Before she met her mentor, she would often come here to think. But ever since she showed him this sacred place, they would practice every day in this area. Even when he told her to go and get herself killed out in the real world, he would still show up to train her. And that was what he did. “Hmph. Are you still adamant on leaving home?” he asked as he crossed his arms at her. She grinned. “Yup. Still not changing my mind.” “Hmph.” The man brought out his weapon, a mace, as he tossed a sword to the ground. “Pick it up, then we can begin.” She immediately made a dash for it and rolled out of the way once she got her weapon, knowing she had to be fast if she wanted to dodge the mace. It would’ve been a somewhat light tap, but she didn’t want to get hit nonetheless. Fortunately for her, he missed by a few inches. She immediately jumped to her feet and circled him, eyeing him to make sure he wouldn’t try something. He was the first to move, charging at her with weapon raised. She blocked it with her sword before going for a low sweep. He grunted as he became off balanced and she slammed the flat side of her blade into his side. “Good. Keep your wits about you!” he said as he moved in close and knocked her over. The end of the mace was on her chest before she could recover. “You see? This is why I think you’re not ready. Now get up.” She growled as she did as she was told. “Tch, I can make it out there on my own now and you know it!” “We’ll see about that!” The two of them continued to spar until they were both panting and sweating profusely. “Well? What do you think?” she asked. “Still not ready.” “Aw come on, I am ready! And I’ll be leaving this town whether or not you want me to!” He grunted as he turned around and walked away. “If you want to throw your life away, then do so!” He stopped and then turned around, holding out his hand. “My blade.” She let out a huff as she handed him the weapon back, only to be knocked off her feet again. “Hey, that wasn’t fair, old man!” she yelled as he walked away. She sat on the sandy ground for a few moments before getting up and dusting herself off. “Better go home.” She made a beeline for the bakery her parents owned, which doubled as her house. Already people were heading in to buy their bread as she entered from the front door. “Marzipan, there you are!” Her father exclaimed, “Go help in the back, your older siblings need help.” “Got it, Father.” She slipped behind the counter and back to the kitchen area. She could see that her siblings were already hard at work, getting the bread out of the oven, kneading the dough, and whisking what she assumed was cream for the cakes. “Alright, what do I need to do?” she murmured to herself, which didn’t go unheard by Naan. “For starters, put the new batch into the oven.” She nodded in understanding. “Got it, Sister!” The day was spent managing the store as she helped in the back. After a while, she came up to her father and asked, “Father, would it be alright if I visit the blacksmith for a bit?” He was puzzled at the strange request, but nodded nonetheless. She had been asking to go see him for some time now, for what reason, none of her family knew. But she knew and she ran towards the blacksmith as fast as her legs could carry her. She found him at the forge, dipping a red hot sword into cool water. “Guess who’s here!” she called out. The man looked at her irritably. “You never quit, do you?” he asked, “No wonder my son hates your guts.” “I hate his guts too, the feeling’s mutual. Anyway, I need some weapons so I can finally start my journey.” The Boaz man was silent for a moment before sighing. “One second, let me finish this blade before I go get you something.” Her eyes lit up. “Really?! You’d do that?!” “Yes, now be quiet or you won’t get anything at all.” She nodded and eagerly waited for him to finish. Once he was done with the current blade he was working on, he gestured for her to come to the back. Another nod as she followed him. Her eyes were sparkling as he unveiled two shorts swords and some armor. “Here. I’ll need to fix the armor so it could fit you better, but this is all you’re going to get. Do you have the money?” He was shocked when she pulled out a bag of valis. “Yes, yes I do. Been saving up for some time now,” she explained as she handed him the bag. He blinked in surprise before nodding. “I’ll get to work on your armor then. Best tell your family you’ll be leaving.” Her smile died away. “Yeah… I’ll tell them during dinner.” The sun was already setting as she exited the shop and went back to the bakery. That dinner, she told her family of her intentions. Of course, she was met with shocked faces and some opposition, but she was adamant on leaving. Several days later, she found herself fully armored with two swords by her sides. She went to hug and kiss her family members goodbye before she left. “You’ll come back one day, right?” Rye asked as she hugged her little brother. “Maybe. We’ll just have to wait and see,” she replied. “Please come back safe, alright, dear?” “I will, Mother!” With that she set off towards parts unknown in order to make her fortune.
