"Will!"
Curious blue eyes gazed blankly at the foot of his house with head propped on his arms as people passed by. "Another one..." he thought. The Mordecai had found another mage and they were taking her to the church. William didn't know what happens on the church, but he did know that people would either come out a whole lot differently or not at all. He always felt a little queasy when the Mordecai was nearby, but he never knew why. It was just faint feeling he ignored.
"Will!"
The boy was deep in thought and his eyes dropped to the ground, unaware of the voice calling behind him until he felt a hand resting over his shoulder which caused his eyes to pop up as he jerked up to his feet and turned to see his mother standing behind him. She handed him some bread dough. "Go bake it in the pubic oven." She said. William sighed and nodded. This was the life of a peasant boy without talents; baking bread for his mother.
She rubbed his head. "You shouldn't leave them hanging." She said as she tied a string over each of his sleeves, which had been dangling. Winter was near and the wind was getting stronger. If he didn't tie them down they'd start dancing all over the place. He nodded obediently before she started shoving him out the door. "C'mon, time's wasting. Go bake that bread!"
William sighed. He grabbed his wooden sword, which had been lying next to the door and started walking.
Later that day, Will was goofing about once again with one of his close friends. They were sparring with their wooden swords and yelling battle cries as they thrust down and collided with their sticks. People just ignored them and walked around the pair as they hit it off. Suddenly, they spot the woman who had been taken earlier.
The other boy abetted next to Will with his hands cupped around his mouth. "Look!" he whispered. "It's that mage!"
William nodded.
"My parents say she's a martyr..." he said. "Why?" William asked, both of them staring intently at the woman as she went about her own business.
"Because, silly! She has been cursed with magic!" he explained. Galahad frowned. "Is magic really that bad?"
"Bad!?" the boy exclaimed, but then covered his mouth and whispered into Will's ears. "Magic is forbidden in Connlaoth, you know that! Magic can kill people and they say Angsar will punish any sinner who's a magic-user by burning them in hell until they're purified!"
William seemed a bit skeptical, but he shrugged his shoulders and moved on. "I've gotta go," the kid said. "See you tomorrow?"
William nodded as his friend waved goodbye and left. Before long, the sun had set and he was back at the foot of his house with that same bored expression, flipping rocks with his trusty sword. It was only a matter of time before he had to hit the hay and start another boring day.