A young boy ran across the street, grinning while playing tag with a small group of his friends from school.
He had somewhat defined muscles and a rather narrow build. His hands were covered in small calluses.
After a small while of running and dodging, he and his friends finally settled down and sat on the sidewalk. A cross necklace dangled around his neck.
While sitting around, his gaze wandered upon a peculiarity—a small tent by the outskirts of the biggest market in the town.
Curious, he wandered up to the door before an old lady stumbled out, leaning heavily on her cane.
Her wrinkled complexion twisted into a small smile,
"I assume you're here to get your fortune told?"
Confused, the young boy's head slowly shook.
"Uh, no? Maybe? What do you mean, get my fortune told?"
The old woman began to frown,
"Just come in then, I promise it'll be fun, and hey, I won't even charge you!"
The boy's ears perked up when he heard her mention it's free. Reluctant, he stepped in slowly. Taking in the sight of the patched-up, tattered tent, and the many odd trinkets she owned.
Along the wall were books of the mystic and magical, with gaps filled with crystal balls and other odd trinkets the boy couldn't even begin to describe.
The old woman picked up a deck of cards before shuffling them over and over and over again. As the boy began to grow impatient, she put the shuffled deck onto the table decisively, before grumbling a little bit.
"Boy, put out your hand, please. Palm facing up."
"Alright, is this okay?"
"Yes. Good. Now let's see your fortune.*
The old woman began to shuffle the cards with her eyes closed. The cards danced across her hands as she worked through the deck with vigor, but just as she worked through it she dropped them.
The boy, seeing this, almost let out a giggle, but the old lady looked serious enough to persuade him not to. The old lady looked around, and after a few seconds, leaned in with a grin that could only be described as both sheepish and curious.
"This is the first time I've divined something like this! Your future will be riddled with everything. Love, hate, crime, righteousness, magic, adventure, life, and oh so much more"—
Before she could finish speaking, a blade cut straight through the back of the tent and cleaved her in two in a swift slash. Her blood covered the young boy. The boy, startled, recognised the one holding the blade.
"Oh, hey! I assume she was a witch, Father?"
A man clad in pristine, silver armor covered with as much gore as a butcher's apron walked through the divide his slash had inadvertently created in the tent.
"Son! What's up! Why were you hanging out with a witch, anyway?"
The father slouched his gore-covered arm around the boy, the two ignoring the mess that made up the scene, and chuckled.
"She kept roping me in, and before I knew it, she was talking about some future divination and magic…"
"Don't worry your little head about it, I'm just proud you helped in her defeat. Your distraction kept her from getting away, y'know? Now maybe instead of me telling you bedtime stories, you tell me your tales of slaying witches."
The man chuckled, and the duo walked out as if nothing had happened.
"So, you're going to try out for the knight king exams, pops?"
"'Course, this father of yours is going to be the biggest, bestest knight that ever existed, I promise."
The kid's father patted his head a couple of times before turning away with a smile.
"So, what brings you here, kiddo?"
"Well, my friends and I were playing tag! And that old witch tricked me into her stand, pops! I almost got tricked!"