Lady Greydawn
Friendly
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I was orphaned at the age of six. I was playing in a field near the small village where I lived. That is the only reason I survived. Something caused a darkness to engulf my village, killing everyone in a matter of minutes. Afterward, the darkness just disappeared; as though it had never been there. It left no bodies behind.
I searched the village, trying to find someone…anyone; but it was no use. I was alone and scared. I was too young to care for myself, but I had no one else. I knew I had no choice. Scared or not, I had to leave my village and try to find a place where I would no longer be alone. I grabbed a bag and packed what little food I was able to carry, and set off in search of other people.
I headed east, though being only six; I did not know which direction I was going. I slept where ever I could find shelter, which was usually just under a tree or behind some bushes. I was cold and scared, but I kept going. I had often been told that I had plenty of determination. When my food ran out, I ate berries that I found along the way.
A week after I started my journey, I came upon some ruins. I thought maybe I had found somewhere I could stay for a few days to rest. My hopes were dashed when I entered the ruins, as it was full of Fire monsters. They attacked me and I ran. I had no way to fight them, and they did not seem inclined to share the shelter with me. I left the ruins and headed southwest.
I was beginning to think that I would never find any signs of other people anywhere. Did the darkness that killed everyone in my village also kill everyone in Lore? I hoped not. I traveled southwest for many days. I was starting to lose all hope. Then one day, I came upon the banks of the sea. There I found an abandoned boat that looked like it could still float. I did not know if it belonged to anyone; and by that time, I didn’t care. Maybe I could take the boat further south and find people along the coast somewhere.
I got in the boat and pushed it away from the shore. It wasn’t until the boat started to move with the current that I realized I had no way to paddle or steer it. All I could do was hope the current wouldn’t take me further out to sea. The little boat sped along easily at first, but then the sea changed. It began to get choppy, and the boat was buffeted by small waves. I began to be very scared again as the waves hit the boat, throwing water over the sides. Soon I realized that the boat was going to be torn apart by the waves.
I was now very scared, as I had never learned how to swim. I thought all was lost. Then, just as the boat was about to flip over; I saw that there was an island not too far from where I was. I could not swim, but I could dogpaddle. As the little boat went under, I began to head toward the island. I would dogpaddle for a while, then tread water. I was getting tired quickly, and the island did not seem to be getting any closer. When I finally reached the island, about 20 minutes later, I was half-drowned and I immediately passed out cold on the shore. I was right near the mouth of a river that ran through part of the island.
When I came to, I was in a warm bed with a fire blazing nearby. I looked around, confused. I had no idea where I was or how I had gotten there. I heard a noise from the next room and started to get up. Before my feet even touched the floor, a very pretty woman in a kimono came into the room. She was carrying a tray, which she placed on the bedside table before gently pushing me back into the bed.
“You need your rest,” she said. “You almost died.”
“Where am I?” I asked her, nervously?
“You are in the village of Leng Tao. My husband found you by the mouth of the river last night.” She replied, as she placed the tray in my lap.
On the tray was a bowl of soup, a glass of milk and a sandwich. I was so hungry that I lost no time in finishing every bite. After I ate, I immediately fell asleep again. I slept for a long time. My journey had exhausted me. When I awoke, the woman was coming in with another tray. She was followed by a tall man with a stern face.
The woman placed the tray on my lap and left the room. The man sat on the edge of my bed and smiled. He looked less stern when he smiled. He sat there and watched me eat, then placed the tray onto the bedside table. He looked at me for a few more minutes before he finally spoke.
“It is good to see you awake, Little One.” he said. “You have been asleep for many hours.”
I looked at him curiously and asked, “Who are you?”
“I am Isamu,” he replied, “the leader of this village. The woman is my wife, Akemi. This is our home and you are welcome here.”
“Are you the one who found me?” I asked
Isamu nodded and asked, “And what might your name be, little one? How did you come to be washed up on the beach near the river?”
“My name is Artemis. Darkness came and killed everyone in my village, except me.” I said. “I left to find people.”
Isamu looked at me for a long time. Then he said, “We will talk more later. You have been through so much for such a little one. Rest now, you can get up in the morning.”
He then stood, picked up the tray and left the room. I looked around thoughtfully. Had I found a place where I could belong? I hoped so. As I closed my eyes to get more sleep, Akemi came in and laid something on the chair. I was curious about what it could be, but was too tired to get up and find out. I drifted into a deep and dreamless sleep, feeling safe at last.
When I awoke the next morning, I felt much better. I got out of bed and found that what Akemi had left me was a beautiful kimono. I looked around for my clothes, and realized they were gone, so I put on the kimono and went into the other room. Isamu was sitting at a table and Akemi was cooking breakfast. I walked over to the table and sat down. I wasn’t sure what to say to them. I was nervous and felt very small. Isamu looked over at me and smiled as Akemi brought breakfast to the table.
“Thank you for the clothes.” I said shyly.
Akemi looked at me for a moment, smiled then said, “I think we need to find you one in a different color, the pink clashes with your red hair. Do you have a favorite color?”
“Blue,” I said.
Isamu then said we should eat, and then he wanted to hear all about my journey and what I remembered about what happened to my village. We ate in silence. I was still feeling very nervous because I did not know what was going to happen to me. They were giving me time to adjust to my surroundings.
After breakfast, Akemi washed up the dishes and then went to straighten the room I had been sleeping in. Isamu watched me for a few minutes then asked if I was ready to share my story with him. I told him everything. I started with watching the darkness engulf my village and being too scared to move. I told him about knowing I had to find people and starting my journey. When I got to the part about the ruins I had found. He looked shocked and said I was very lucky to have not been hurt by the Fire monsters that dwell there.
“That sounds like Riverine Keep.” he said. “Which means your village must have been just north of Willowshire. You have come a very long way, little one. How did you end up near the mouth of the river on this island?”
I told him about finding the little boat on the shore of the sea, several days after leaving the ruins. I talked for a long time, telling him everything I had been through. He was amazed to hear that I did not know how to swim, yet had made it to the island after my boat sank. When I was finished, I just sat there and looked at him. I didn’t know what else to say to him now that I had told him my story. He stood up, patted my shoulder and went into the room Akemi was cleaning. When he came back several minutes later, Akemi was with him. The two of them smiled at me, and Isamu asked if I would like to live with them and be their daughter. I was so happy about them wanting me to stay with them that I cried.
My life with Isamu and Akemi was happy. Akemi taught me how to cook, sew and garden. Isamu, after some begging on my part, taught me how to fight. I learned to use all kinds of weapons, and was very skilled with each one he taught me to use. My favorite weapons were daggers, as they were easier for me to learn to use. They were small and easy for me to handle when he first began to teach me how to fight with weapons. I mastered that skill better than any other. Each year, he added a new weapon to what I was learning, but I always asked to continue to practice with my daggers too.
By the time I was 10, I could win fights against the boys my age in the village; especially if we sparred with practice daggers of any kind. By the time I was 12, I could beat all the older boys in the village too. I was not very popular with the boys in the village, even though I was what most considered a pretty girl. Isamu and Akemi saw this, and it worried them. Halfway through my twelfth year, Isamu called me to him.
“As I do not feel I will be able to find you a good match for marriage in our village,” he said, “I have arranged for you to marry someone from another village when you are of age. I have sent a silver/green no’dachi to your intended to seal the contract.”
Needless to say, I was very upset by this announcement.
“Father, I don’t intend to ever marry anyone!” I raged. “I especially won’t marry someone I have never seen and know nothing about!”
“It has already been arranged Little One, and can not be undone.” he said, sternly. “When you are older, you will thank me for this.”
After that, I worked harder than ever to master all fighting skills. I still worked on the skills Akemi was teaching me too, but only because those skills were necessary for when I was older and on my own. I hoped that if I mastered all the fighting skills I could, my future husband would not want me when we finally met. I also thought that if he did not mind a wife who was a skilled fighter, he would soon change his mind when I beat him in battle. (Little did I know; that was not to be the case.)
When I reached my twentieth year, I told my parents that I wanted to leave home and explore the world. I said I wanted to find my Destiny. Akemi was upset by this, but Isamu said he would allow it…on one condition. I had to come home in 5 years to meet my intended. If I did not make this promise, I would not be allowed to go. So, I promised. The next day, I packed my bag, kissed my parents good-bye and started my adventure.
I travelled for months, not stopping in any towns unless I needed supplies. I camped out and had no problem finding dinner for myself. I was enjoying this journey a lot more than the one I had made 14 years earlier. Finally, after 6 months of travel, I came to a cliff. I stood there for several moments, just enjoying the view. Imagine my surprise when a large Red Dragon’s head appeared in front of me.
I drew my daggers and prepared to fight. The dragon did not attack though. Instead, this funny little red creature with big ears walked up the dragon’s back, over its head and onto the cliff. The creature was followed by a beautiful woman in white robes, carrying a black box. The lady and the little creature just walked by me without a word.
“How strange.” I thought to myself, as the dragon left without even trying to attack.
Is this the beginning of my destiny?
You can discuss my story here.
< Message edited by Lady Greydawn -- 9/15/2011 9:43:26 >
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