This little bit is from the first novel I started working on.   It doesn’t have an a permanent title just yet, but, for now, I’m going with “Tribulations.”    This part is from chapter 1.    It is the morning of Auron’s 18th birthday.    Unlike his peers, he has some reservations.   Enjoy.

          Auron sat at the edge of Spyter lake with his arms folded across his knees.    The gentle waves lapped against his ankles.    The sun had begun to rise in the sky and the reflection from the lake made it difficult to see without squinting, yet, he was glad for its warmth.    He had sat thinking and staring since before the light had had peeked over the skyline.    The trees on the other side of the lake seemed so far away as they leaned in the wind.    Yet, he felt like he could reach out and pluck them from the horizon.
          He wasn’t surprised when he didn’t hear Fitz come up behind him.    The old man never made a sound when he walked.
          “What bothers you, my son?”
          Auron didn’t look back.
          “What makes you ask?”
          “You’re never up before the sun, and at the lake, no less.”
          Auron sighed.
          Fitz spread his feet apart a bit more, preparing himself for a long wait.
          Auron realized that Fitz would stand behind him all day, if he needed to.    A smile came across Auron’s face, for a moment, as Auron thought about letting him, just to test him.    He decided to confide in his father.
          “I know people around town expect me to choose someone to make a home with, but I don’t think it’s for me?”
          “Oh?”
          “Every day, I see people doing the exact same tasks that they did the day before.    Nothing is ever different for them.    Their idea of adventure cooking the morning meal before getting dressed.   Is the rest of the world like that?”
          “Perhaps, it is.”
          Fitz sat beside Auron.
          “Perhaps, you should go find out for yourself.”
          Auron’s head snapped to look at Fitz.
          “Father?”
          “You are eighteen Turns now, my son.    You are a man.    If you so choose, you can be like the fallen leaf and let the winds and waters take you where they will.    The choice has always been yours.”
          Auron looked back toward the lake.
          Fitz pulled the gray talisman from his tunic, lifted the string over his head, and presented it to Auron.    “This talisman has been passed down from father to son for a thousand Turns.    Happy Dawning Day.”
          Auron ran his fingers over the surface of the talisman as he stared at it.   He had seen the stone before, but couldn’t place it.    Fitz stood and bushed the dirt from his leggings.
          “Come, your mother is looking for you.”
          “I’d rather not have tonight’s celebration.”
          The hairs of Fitz’ graying beard poked his face when he smiled.
          “With that, I’m afraid, you have no choice.”