The seasons came and passed as they always did, and little Astra lived his comfy cozy days without a care in the world. It was on the morning of his tenth birthday, however, that Papa Henry took him aside for a hearty father-son talk.

  “You’re gettin’ older, kiddo, and honestly I ain’t got much else to teach ya when it comes to the farm,” he said to the boy. “You handle animals better than your old man, that’s for sure. Though sometimes I wish you’d take it a bit easy on bringin’ all those critters home. Your momma nearly had a heart attack when she found that death knell puppy behind the barn.”

  “Meatball?” Astra replied, confused. “But he’s a good dog! Meatball wouldn’t hurt a bug.”

  “I know, I know. It’s just that… well, he’s kinda bigger than our house, Astra. One sneeze from that feller and the wood’ll go flying off.”

  Henry coughed into his fist and returned back to the prior topic. “Anyways, all you’re really lackin’ now is experience, but that’s something you’ll gain naturally the more you work. Right now I think it’s about time I bring ya along with me outside to help with the family business.”

  Little Astra’s eyes widened, and he practically jumped in excitement. Despite the boy’s pestering Papa Henry had never allowed him to leave the lands around their home before. It was necessary to build his knowledge and fundamentals first, Astra knew this, but sometimes he’d stare wistfully out the window as his paw loaded up the cart with all their produce and then went on a weeks-long voyage to the royal capital, the bustling city Astra had only ever heard about from his momma or Aunt Caroline’s letters.

  Just what was it like out there, beyond these humble green meadows? Now was the chance to find out for himself.

  “R-really, paw!?” Astra shouted, rushing in and giving Henry a big hug.

  The man laughed and lifted his son high up, before placing him on his shoulders as the two whirled around in a happy jig. “I know just how much being stuck here can bore ya sometimes. I was also a curious kid when I was your age, but I hope you don’t reckon I was bein’ mean waiting ‘til now to take ya along. Your momma wanted to make sure you were big and healthy before visitin’ the city.”

  Astra grinned and flexed his arms honed from years of good ol’ fashioned hard labor. Indeed, just like his parents and their parents’ parents before them, the boy now had muscles that could easily snap a man’s neck in half. It ran in the family.

  “Is momma gonna come with us?” he asked, feeling a bit guilty about leaving her behind, but fortunately an intimidating presence suddenly appeared, and Astra turned around to find his mother, tall and imposing, with her eyes closed and her smile scarily flat. Standing there, it seemed as if she towered high above them.

  “You think I’d let you two boys go out there unattended?” she replied, to which the father and son both shivered out of fright. “Stars’ know what kinda trouble you’d get into if you were left all alone. I don’t need to bring up the… incident, do I?”

  Astra and Papa Henry hurriedly shook their heads. Some things were better left to memory.

  “Um, honey, what about the farm?” Henry asked.

  “Don’t ya worry one bit! I figured you’d be taking Astra out soon, so I asked Anna to babysit the place while we’re gone. I ain’t missing my darlin’ boy’s first outing, ya hear me? If we’re leavin’ then we’re doin’ it as a family.”

  Papa Henry bid his wife a long, playful sigh, before admitting defeat and daintily guiding her to the cart as if she were royalty. “By my princess’s command, I obey.”

  “Hehe, very good, my prince.”

  There were very few things in the world that made Astra lurch back in embarrassment. He loved his parents, he really did, but when they started their sweet talk the boy knew there was no going back; and he barely managed to wriggle out of his father’s grasp before running away just in time to avoid seeing the two indulge in extremely blatant signs of affection.

  “Ew, gross! Not now!” Astra shouted, climbing the carriage and bidding Betsy the chocobull to sally forth with a scratch to her ear. “If ya don’t hurry up then I’ll be outta here before you can say goodbye!”

  With that, he and Betsy rode off, laughing, as his parents frantically chased after with a frantic cry. “Goshdarnit, Astra! Get back here!”

  And so began their grand adventure through the countryside, past the forests, and into the wider kingdom. Astra’s family was so far out in the boonies that their region didn’t even have a name. It took a full week of travelling before they eventually arrived at the mapped border, where the boy saw for the first time what a proper village might look like. Before his eyes rows of wooden houses unfolded beside plots of hills that slanted upwards from the earth like lumps, and between them were roads paved in stone and decorated in colorful wildflowers.

  It wasn’t all too different from the sights Astra saw back at home, but what intrigued him was its structure, how everything was so close together and no one needed to trek for hours just to visit a neighbor. Their houses had no gardens or fields. Instead, they got all their necessities from stores propped up at the town square, where people gathered in such large crowds that Astra couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed imagining himself squeezing through that shifting sea of bodies.

  “Wow, there sure are a lotta people in the capital, right paw?” Astra innocently said, only to be met with the amused laughs of his parents.

  “Stardew, hun, we ain’t even at a full city yet,” Mama Edith giggled. “This here’s a periphery town called Clearbrook, just outside the official border. A couple o’ farmer folks and reclusive types created this checkpoint to help travelers stock up for the long trip to Boulderbrigg.”

  “Boulderbrigg?”

  “The real capital. I promise ya it’ll be nothing like you’ve ever seen. Just its walls are enough to make this little place look mighty dingy.”

  Astra couldn’t even begin to fathom what that kinda sight would look like, but that anticipation only made him more excited. He could hardly contain himself and wanted to just jump off and start running there as fast as he could.

  Alas, even a child of nature like him had his limits, and so the family made a quick detour to resupply at Clearbrook before the next stretch of their journey. It surprised Astra to learn that there weren’t many springs or freshwater streams the closer one got to the capital, most being guarded by other, busier cities, which was why they had to refill their water jugs here where it was cheapest as well as other camping supplies they might need.

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  As they strolled into town, they were stopped at the gate by a big, burly, armored man decorated in animal furs and wearing a helmet with two ivory husks jutting from the top. Astra thought Papa Henry was tall, but this mountain of a warrior made him look tiny in comparison, how he rested dignified whilst holding a giant axe that spanned the length of his entire body.

  “Well now, if it isn’t Henry!” the guard said, exchanging a friendly handshake with the boy’s father. Mama Edith, anticipating a long exchange between the two old friends, headed inside first to do some shopping while Astra hung out with his paw. “Making your way down for the mid-year farmer’s market?”

  “Hey Dunban! Same old, same old,” Henry replied with a smile. “Although this time I’m bringin’ my lovely family along, hopin’ to teach Astra his old man’s trade.”

  “Scamp’s already at that age, huh? Felt like it was just yesterday you were bragging about becoming a father.”

  The guardian called Dunban leaned down and greeted Astra with a light bump of his fist. “Welcome to Clearbrook, young man. Nice to finally meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you, too! I’ve never someone so… cool before.” Astra cheeks flushed red, his reaction a bit shy, for the man before him had a presence unlike anyone he had ever met before. He felt himself drawn to that coating of armor, its sturdiness, and in his imagination soon came a daydream of wearing that very suit himself and standing firm in the defense of his family. Perhaps it was inevitable for young boys to entertain fantasies of grandeur.

  “Haha! I can tell we’ll get along just fine.” The guard stepped back and, with a grunt, flexed his muscles tight in a display that made his arms look heftier than stone, his veins an impenetrable shield no matter what blade fell upon it. “I may be retired, but this old fella was once a Knight of Greyhorn. Used to have hundreds of juniors under my command.”

  Henry crossed his arms, his lips raising in an amused smile. “C’mere, Astra. If we let him talk any longer then Dunban will have us listening to his war stories all night.”

  The guard leaned back in mock offense. “Come on, can’t a veteran reminisce about his glory days every now and then? Even if I’m too old to serve the kingdom anymore, the least I can do is entertain the young’uns. Who knows? Maybe your boy’s got the making of a knight.”

  Astra tilted his head, confused, and then turned to his father. “What’s a knight, paw?”

  To that, Dunban let out a mighty guffaw and then gestured to his armored attire. “A knight, little Astra, is a respectable warrior who directly serves the kingdom as one of the Greyhorn Siege. Our duties are vast; we fight to protect the civilians against beasts, monsters, and all sorts of dastardly foes who would endanger this fair land.”

  The guard’s words were grand and passionate, and his eyes once intimidating now softened under the romance that came with being a blade and shield for one’s country.

  Despite that, however, Papa Henry didn’t seem enthusiastic about his attempts at recruiting Astra into the knights’ ranks.

  “Now hold your horses, big fella. I don’t mind you braggin’ to my son, but don’t go actin’ like being a knight’s all sunshine and smiles. It’s dangerous work that takes ya far away from home to deal with even more dangerous people.”

  Dunban sheepishly rubbed his helm. “I won’t deny that, but if you’ve got the courage it’s a noble undertaking. Someone has to protect this nation, Henry, and though these old bones have suffered their fair share of injuries, never once have I been ashamed of the lives I’ve saved. I’d still be in the army if it weren’t for this damn ruptured spleen of mine.”

  “I get that, Dunban. Didn’t mean to insult your service and all that, but… what kinda father would I be if I didn’t worry ‘bout my son gettin’ hurt? We’re not one of you fancy city folk: just a family of farmers tryin’ to scrape by.”

  Papa Henry patted Astra’s shoulder, and for a moment the boy felt a slight tremble in his touch, how in his heart he couldn’t imagine what he’d do if one day a message came saying that his darling son had passed on ahead of him. Nobility, honor, stewardship… the folks way out in this rural periphery knew none of it and likely never would, for their daily concern was only of those in their homes and the stomachs that needed filling.

  “How about we ask the boy in question?” Dunban asked, leaning down so that the two were face to face. “What do you want to be when you grow up, young man? Being a farmer certainly isn’t a bad choice. Life out here is peaceful, much slower than the hustle and bustle of the city, and for an aching old man like me it’s the perfect place to settle down and rest. But I, too, was young once. I know there’s a thirst for adventure just waiting to be sated in your heart. And even if not the knights, there are plenty of other jobs I’m sure a bright and hardy fellow like yourself would no doubt excel in. You could become an instructor, nurturing the next generation, or maybe a scholar of the Celestial Arts. I never was one for all that theory and crafting myself, but if you’ve got the talent then it’ll be much safer than being on the frontlines. Plus it pays a hefty wage.”

  Little Astra’s head practically spun from all the information and choices thrust upon him so quickly. He had never considered fully leaving the farm before. Paw and momma had taught him everything there was to know about harvesting and animal wrangling, and as the years passed he naturally assumed that he’d carry on the family business. This was all he’d ever known and likely would be in the far future: That’s why he was so excited when Papa Henry brought him out to these sprawling and far-reaching lands still yet unfamiliar. It was a rare change of pace from the monotony of his daily routine.

  Of course, he enjoyed his mini adventures running around the forests and mountains. But there was only so much he could experience before it became just like everything else: familiar. Astra couldn’t help it. He yearned to venture beyond the melon fields of his home.

  And so, he felt a bit guilty, both to his father and to Mister Dunban. “Sorry, but, um, I don’t know,” he said. Yes, he didn’t know, because for all his many desires he was still a ten year old boy who had yet to find himself.

  He thought Papa Henry would be disappointed in him for not having a clear answer, but instead his paw merely smiled and ruffled Astra’s hair. “That’s okay, stardew. You’re still young and you have a whole life ahead of ya to figure it out. Of course, I’d like it if you inherited the farm, but ya know what’s most important to me?”

  “What?”

  “That you’re happy, Astra. No matter what ya decide, if it’s something you really, truly, want to do, then know that you’ll have your old pop’s support all the way.”

  Astra was quiet for a second, before breaking out into a toothy grin and then headbutting his father right in the stomach. “Geez, paw. I’m plenty happy right now!”

  So he was, but there was a difference between being happy and being fulfilled: the comfort of a safe and predictable path versus the unknown of a dream. It was a right tricky conundrum, one the boy troubled himself with often as of late.

  Back at the farm—in the midst of a starry night—he’d often find himself laying on the grass, where’d he stare up at the cloudless sky and let the vastness of space envelop him, how bright and shining those stars were. Yet try as he did to speak out and greet them, he never received a response. The question longing in his heart never found an answer.

  Just what was it that he wanted to become?

  As the father-son duo finished their conversation, Mama Edith came shuffling over with a giant cart of supplies being lugged along. “You boys finish yet? I’ve got the jugs filled and bought enough snacks to last us a whole darn month if need be.”

  “I’ll be right there, honey!” Papa Henry and Astra waved goodbye to Mister Dunban, who left them with a few parting words as the family hopped in their cart and began to wheel away.

  “Be confident, Astra! Don’t let any other folks ever put out that fire in ya. Trust me: You’re the type of kid to shine bright”

  Astra smiled and cupped his hands over his mouth, shouting back to the gradually fading figure of Dunban the guard in the distance. “Bye, mister! Thanks for all the advice.”

  Thus did they carry onward, anticipating many more days of travel and family bonding. Their journey had just begun; Clearbrook was but their first stop. Astra hoped, when they made it to Boulderbrigg, that something there might help him discover a calling meant just for him.