The Story of the Hollow Knight (part 1)

Part 1. Becoming a Warrior

It was a harsh winter and no, the weather was mild, there was little snow, the Sun came out of the clouds often, but personally for the young man who lost everything he knew, the season turned out to be difficult. Thanks to working as a child for many peasants in the district, many knew about the plans of the young man and wanted to repay the same for their former help. So he found a place to sleep- a wool merchant's hut. In the morning he trained punches, helped with the housework in the afternoon, and in the late afternoon he walked around the village, hoping to be hired as a warrior. Weeks and months passed in this way. It is difficult to find a decent offer when you are away from cities and the capital. And it was risky to get to them without a horse and guarantees that you would be appreciated there. Then the wool merchant suggested that he go to a tavern on the outskirts of the village, he heard a rumor that soldiers were sometimes recruited there. The next evening, the young man went there when hope had almost left him. The stinking smell was there, the bard was playing the lute, the men were singing along, and the women were sitting on their laps. And at one of the doors stood a menacing-looking man with a heavy and dirty sword on his belt. Although the young man knew with his head that it was better not to meddle with him, but the smell of blood and the sight of someone who had gone through many battles attracted him.

"What do you want, brat?"

"I heard they hire warriors here?"

The man glanced at the guy, grinned and replied: "And what do you mean, you've become a warrior? You don't even hold a fork behind your back, what are you going to kill with?"

The young man's confidence in his intentions disappeared, unconsciously his head dropped down, his eyes darted, and the answer to the question did not come. He understood that if he didn't say it right, he could already say goodbye to any opportunity to get a job in this village. At that moment, two fat laughing men abruptly came out of the door, not noticing the heat, they walked between the guy and the guard. The young man saw this as a chance to get inside and slipped into the room. The guard would have followed him if those two hadn't decided to treat him to mead. 

The room was dim, there was a massive wooden table in the center where all the people were sitting, and maces, morgensterns, falchions and ordinary swords were left in the corner. The older man in the center of the table stood out the most, as if everyone was reaching out to him, and he had the largest piece of meat. While the young man was examining everything, he had already been noticed. The one from the center got up and calmly asked the boy a question: "Who are you looking for?". Getting up from the floor, the young man replied: "I want to become a warrior!" - as soon as the last word was uttered, it became clear how childish it sounded, the guy blushed with shame in front of all these people. But no one paid much attention to him, and that man muttered something to himself and continued to ask, "Who are you? Is there a sword to fight with?". The young man answered briefly, already thinking about how he would return to the hut and maybe try his luck another time. But to his surprise, while he was in his thoughts, the man agreed to hire him, for a pittance, but it's better than selling someone else's wool further. And at the end of the conversation, when the young man was already leaving, he finally called out to him: "Hey, kid! What's your name?"

"Ridderk," he replied.