A shop that was connected to a house. A merchant was arguing with a customer.
"I told you, I won't give it for much cheaper than three golden coins! I have a kid to feed!"
The woman who was across from him wouldn't budge. She demanded a sandwich with only two golden coins.
After a while, the merchant caved in.
He wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"Oy, Donny, where the hell did you run off to again?"
A little boy with piercing brownish eyes and dirty hair with mud in it peeked around the corner.
"Ah, Sancho! Here thou art once more. What matter dost thou bring before me? Donny must needs ponder his next noble adventure!"
The father walked over to the oven after picking up some dough. He placed the dough upon the wooden peel and slid it into the fiery oven.
"Donny, how many times have I told you to stop calling me Sancho? My name is Andrew for the thousandth time," Andrew sighed as he slid another dough into the oven. "I should've never bought that book for you, now you are acting like a madman. How did you even manage to learn to speak like this?"
"Fret not, good father, for Donny is most fond of the manner in which thou dost fashion thy bread. Burden not thy spirit with such cares, good father. Donny shall bear them as a knight bears his shield."
Andrew sighed in frustration, while Donny ran off somewhere else to play.
He began to knead dough by hand.
Andrew stopped kneading the dough; the sun shone brightly in his head. He looked around the whole plaza, the people were doing their things without a worry in the world.
Donny ran up to him, and he began to pull him by the pants.
"Good father! Good father!"
Andrew turned back to look at him.
"What is it, Donny?"
Donny grinned from ear to ear, then he pulled a stone branch from the fake trees that littered Ravencross. He presented it to him, dropping to one knee.
"At long last hath Donny found his sword, good father, and now doth he yearn to become a knight—one worthy of honour, praise, and noble remembrance. I beseech thee, father, grant unto Donny this wish, and Donny shall remain ever at thy side, steadfast and loyal unto the end of his days."
Andrew didn't say anything, yet he picked the stone branch, and he appointed the little Donny as his most trustworthy knight.
But his mind was in another place.
What will happen to him when he grows up?
After Donny got appointed, he beamed with happiness and wonder.
"Good fath-" Little Donny's words were cut out.
"Donny," Andrew knelt as well, then he pulled his son into a hug.
Little Donny remained quiet.
"Don't throw away all of your bread to feed the birds. Because, at the end of the day, you will hold crumbs that will leave you empty. Try feeding yourself, learn to bake. So everyone around you will be fed, even you."
"Good father, it is not Donny's desire to learn the baker's craft..."
"I am not talking about baking, Donny."
"Good father?"
"Maybe... you will understand it one day. But for now... have fun."
Little Donny nodded, then he hugged his father.
Andrew got up, and he went back to the oven. Little Donny left the shop, and he entered the house.
He inspected his sword.
"Now shall Donny take his leave and venture forth in search of merriment and delight. May fortune smile upon thee until Donny's return."
And with that, Donny sneaked off.
The little Donny began to wander the streets of Ravencross.
His chin was held high, and the sword in his hand was pointed to the sky.
Donny peeped something with his little eye.
"Lo! Behold those wretched galley slaves, bound in chains and driven to misery. Donny cannot stand idle whilst such souls suffer. By his honour as a knight, Donny must needs ride forth and save them!"
"Buk, buk, buk."
The chickens were telling little Donny to come and save them.
The chickens in the coop started back at the little Donny.
With a firm smack of his sword, the mesh dented a bit.
Smack.
Smack.
Smack.
The chickens were getting more agitated in the cage.
While Donny was struggling
"Donny shall not rest until thy liberty is won!"
After enough slashes of his sword, the mesh gave out. The chickens inside the coop all fled.
The little Donny pointed his sword towards the sky.
"Donn-" Donny cut himself off because he saw something.
A four-legged gentle beast as tall as the mountains. On top of it, a man rode the beast, the gentle giant mane flowed onto the lap of the rich guy.
Donny walked over to it; the man on top was busy talking with someone. Yet the beast's sights were on little Donny.
The beast huffed and struck the barky road with his hoof.
It was telling Donny to come closer.
And so Donny did just that.
Once he was in front of it, he stared in amazement. The beast lowered its head for little Donny, and so the knight petted the giant.
"Rocinante..." Donny muttered under his breath.
Rocinante's lip began to flap; it was telling little Donny to save some souls. And so little Donny did just that.
And for the next few hours, Donny did many more things. From interacting with fair princesses and knights to riding another gentle beast. This time, a bit more fluffy with two horns.
Splat.
The sun went behind the clouds that started to paint the world.
The rest of the people went inside, and others covered the animals' pens so as not to let the rain fall on them.
Donny was left alone in the barky streets.
Splat, Splat.
"Good people, cast aside thy fears! Tremble not before the dreadful Rain Monster, for Donny standeth before thee. By courage, honour, and the strength of his trusty sword, Donny shall save thee all and drive this watery beast from the land!"
Little Donny pointed his sword towards the sky.
Splat, Splat, Splat.
Rain began to hit Donny's head.
Splat, Splat, Splat.
Donny was left alone in the streets.
Splat, Splat, Splat.
"What happened to everyone?"
Splat, Splat, Splat.
Donny was starting to become drenched.
Donny believed everyone was Sancho, from his father to the horse he met. Sancho, for him... was someone who cared to look his way. Yet in that moment, there was no Sancho. And so little Donny picked up a handful of mud, then he stuck it to his cheek.
He made a smiling face with his finger. And so... he crafted his own Sancho.
Yet the rain beast was much crueller than he realised.
The rain began to wash away the muddy Sancho.
Donny felt the mud slide off, yet he tried desperately to keep it on his cheek.
"Sancho..."
Yet it fell through his fingers, and it washed away just like the blood that was dispersing a few blocks away.
"Sancho?"
Sancho was no more.
"Sancho? Where have you gone off to, Sancho?"
The fool who followed him was no more.
Tears began to mingle with the rain.
"The rain monster took Sancho away!"
All the prose of his previous tongue was forgotten in that moment.
Donny took his sword, and he pointed towards the heavens.
"They will pay for taking Sancho away!"
And so Donny began to march.
After a while, he saw it.
The rain monster.
A fearsome tree made of stone taller than some houses.
Donny struck it with his stone branch.
Smack.
The rain monster remained the same.
Smack.
"GIVE SANCHO BACK!"
The wind began to blow harder.
Smack.
Donny kept smacking the stone tree with its own branch, and little Donny slipped on the mud. Then he got back up, and he kept fighting.
Smack.
Donny fell again and again; his little hands started bleeding. Yet he kept pushing, he got back up, and he picked up his sword when he dropped it.
And he kept going.
Smack.
Because that's who little Donny was, a true knight with clothes bigger than him.
Smack.
After some grueling hours, snot and tears ran down his face. He will mostly get a cold, but he didn't care. He was soaked to the bone, but he didn't care.
Smack.
Little Donny stopped to catch his breath. He looked back at the rain monster. It was left unchanged, and the monster took Sancho while he was powerless to get him back.
The wind started to blow harder, much harder. Little Donny could barely stay on his feet.
He had to use his sword to hold himself in the mud.
The tree groaned from the intense wind.
It began to fall in the opposite way of Donny.
The wind pushed it again and again, and the rain monster didn't have a chance to do so as Donny wanted. And so it fell, the ground shook when the tree landed.
And the sun began to paint the world.
Donny won his grueling battle.
He avenged Sancho.
A single heavy thrum was heard throughout the whole village, but it wasn't because the tree fell.
Another thrum.
Donny turned around.
The bells of the Wandering Covered Church have started to toll.
The pilgrimage was about to begin.
A covered woman passed by him. She smiled, and she waved to him.
"Sancho... You are back," Donny muttered under his breath.
A crowd formed in front of the church, and a man started talking.
"Everyone, let the Covered Church guide you again for another safe pilgrimage."
In that moment, Donny's eyes widened.
Wings began to grow from under the church's veil. Those wings were as tall as houses, even taller. The church began to flap its wings, and powerful gusts of wind almost knocked everyone to the ground.
Everyone knew that the church personally guides them on their pilgrimage. Yet Donny didn't...
"A giant."
Donny looked at the church, and tears began to fall from his eyes.
This time, there was no one beside him.
No adults shaking their heads.
No father telling him to stop reading stories.
And for the first time in his life, Donny saw the world exactly as he had always imagined it.
It was beautiful.
After a while, Donny arrived back home.
"Sancho... Good Father. Donny had fun; he shared his bread with everyone. He also kept some for himself."
Andrew looked at him; he was worried so much the whole night. He ran all over the village to find him. Yet he didn't, and he prayed that his boy would come back safely.
Andrew embraced Donny; he hugged him so hard. After a moment, Andrew started to cry, not because he almost lost his boy. No, he already cried for that.
He cried because he was proud of Donny.