Post by Nienna on Apr 9, 2007 19:02:36 GMT -5
Chapter I: Travels
Fading flames reflected in Nienna’s eyes, blazing only a short walk away. She stood on a hill, the grass dead and dry beneath her feet, save a small patch around a lone weeping willow. She stared into the flames thinking of the night’s events and her decision. Nienna had lived a simple, quiet life in a village built by Kindred that had been laid into the ground long before she was born. She remembered her youth, when the villagers were hard working and peaceful folk, trading crops amongst themselves. In her sixteenth summer she remembered there was sparse food, the crops had begun to fail. The villagers tried everything to save their food source, but to no avail. Everything began changing as hunger took the lives of close ones. The once gentle neighbors turned savage, and the modest homes were ransacked. She remembered the nights were the most terrifying times, her parents left to join the others in their mutiny while she closed her eyes from it all, but dare not drop off into sleep. Once there was nothing left of their homes they separated into packs desperately looking for neighboring towns.
Nienna relived the day she left her town, following the caravan her parents belonged to. She remembered the memory of seeing the village kindred’s graves desecrated; the ones Nienna was always taught to honor, the ones who built the village that their graves look over, so that generations after them may live prosperous. Their corpses lay scattered, rent and torn upon the ground.
Nienna grew up being told that her parents were not her birth parents, before it never really seemed to matter, but now it seemed so much more obvious, she had never felt so distant from the only people she ever knew. Nienna no longer showed emotion as she followed the savage caravan. Within a few days of harsh traveling they reached civilization. Her parents planned to attack at sunset. Nienna pleaded with them to start a new life here, but the look in her mother’s eyes said everything, she was driven by malicious insanity.
Nienna slipped out when they began their attack. The night was warm with a small breeze that made everything seem surreal. She ran away from the panicked cries to the small hill she now stood on, reminiscing; the weeping willow she stood beside sharing her sorrow. With one last sign she picked a direction and wandered off, going anywhere but where she was, with nothing but what she carried.
As the night drew on the warmth of the sun no longer lingered, and the pleasant breeze now seemed bone-chilling cold. She hunched under the layers of clothing she wore; thankful for what rags she had, no matter how tattered they wore. Looking up, she realized that woodlands were beginning to form. Her legs were weary and with regret of the night entering her mind she dropped her pack next to the closest tree and sat in the soft dirt. Racked with exhaustion, she rested her back against the rough bark of a tree and brought her knees to her chest. She slept for what seemed to be only a few precious moments before the light of daybreak woke her from her slumber.
Ragged strips of clothing whipped in the wind, shaking Nienna out of her reverie. Tired eyes took in her surroundings in the dim morning light. She walked on a bed of brown needles, stepping over the tangled dead limbs of ancient oaks as she made her way deeper into the woods. The wind fell silent, making Nienna aware of the sound of footsteps, the crunching of leaves and fallen branches against the forest floor evident in all directions around her; they all seemed to be closing in on her. With quick, shallow breaths and uneasiness welling insider her, she burst into a sprint. Her ‘escape’ was cut short;; with her first long stride her foot caught on a protruding root, stumbling until she hit something solid. She regained her balance as the solid something moved a few feet backwards. Nienna looked up to see a dirt smudged face staring back at her. His hair was long and greasy, strands falling across his face and catching on the stubs of his grizzly beard. He wore only pants ripped at the knees, his ribs pronounced under his tight skin. A devious grin was plastered on his face as three others surrounded her.
Her glance darting between each face, in pure fright, she stared at the one to her left; realizing who it was. Gabriel. She remembered him from their youth, he lived only a short distance from her and more than on occasion they were teamed together in their childhood games.
She looked into his eyes for some sort of comfort. He gazed back, his eyes cold and restless, with a look that showed as though the innocence of youth was torn from him too soon.
The one in front of her began in a cold, raspy voice,
“It seems you’ve got yourself in a bit of a situation. So here’s how it’s going to go: you hand over that pack on your back, and maybe we’ll let your go, savvy?” Her mind raced with disbelief in what was happening. The last thing she wanted was to make trouble, but she couldn’t give up the only things she had left. Without any real comprehension of what she was saying she let out a firm,
“No!” before kneeing the greasy-haired savage in the gut. As he doubled over she took her chance only to get yanked back by a fistful of her hair by one of the others. The leader straightened up and growled through gritted teeth.
“Did you really think you could get away so easily? Before, you might have had a chance, but now, now you’ll be left for the scavengers to pick the dead, rotting flesh from your bones.” She stood in defeat, breathing wildly, trying to catch her breath. He pointed to Gabriel and said
“You! Cleave her in to two!” Gabriel turns to her and draws his sword; the sound of ringing steel filled the air as he drew his blade. It was rusty in awkward looking, but either way, it was deadly. She closed her eyes with heat rising to her face in fear.
She expected to feel a piercing pain cutting through her, she instead felt as if her whole body had fallen into a numbing sleep, though she was still conscious. She opened her eyes to see a world of muted colors. Her eyes told her she still walked the ground that she knows, but her gut told of a barren, strange place that she was in. She no longer felt the pull of gravity as she watched the thieves around her panic into confusion. The thrust of Gabriel’s sword only cut air and the one that had bound her, lost his grip. She was invisible to them.
Unsure if she should sigh at the relief of a narrow escape or shudder at this new situation, her mind remained blissfully blank. Without warning she began to glide through this familiar yet foreign land, leaving the thieves behind. Unable to control her movement, her speed quickened as she passed through this foggy land, everything became a blur in her mind, and sight.
When she finally came to a stop she was unsure of how much time had passed. All seemed to return to normal as she came to a halt. The world regained its vivid colors, but the terrain had a different feel to it. She was still until she could convince herself that everything was normal again, though she knew nothing of what she just experienced. In the distance she saw walls and heard the faint sound of steel against steel. Uncertain of anything at this point, she strode toward the sound, hoping for alliances or at least a quick death. Closing in on the wooden walls she saw two figures alone, fighting each other, but without the hostility towards one another she expected to see. As she closed in on the two, she slowed her pace, not wanting to appear as a threat.
They noticed her earlier than she expected, startling her. When they turned to her, she got a good look at both of them. Beneath the black scrap leather armor they wore, the two seemed inhuman. One was tall, big, and his skin was grayish hue. He had large teeth and was the more menacing of the two. The other was much smaller, with olive colored skin and seemed to be more focused on winning the fight, than in Nienna. Intimidation creeping into Nienna’s mind, the large one said in a deep, firm voice:
“Hail! Who are you and what is your business?” The smaller one still playfully attacking him, only watching Nienna out of the corner of his eye. Nienna stammered,
“…my name in Nienna, and I am no threat. I’m just looking for…” and then she realized she really wasn’t sure what she was looking for, a new home, a new family, to start over again, she finished her sentence after a moment of thought
“…I’m looking for a new life I guess” The large one put all his concentration on her, staring at her, judging her, all the while parrying the small one’s attacks, but he missed one as he squinted at Nienna, the half-goblin rejoicing in his devious victory. The large one glanced at him and grunted, silencing the other, but failing to wipe the smirk from his face. The large one spoke again,
“Did you come with the mist?” Nienna explained what she experienced; still unsure of what her fate was. She hoped for some answers about what had happened. He replied
“There are some similarities, but we seem to be speaking of two different things.” With a pause he introduced himself.
“My name is Nichtmar, and this one,” he gestured with his head to the small one,
“This is Firoth. You are welcome to start your new life here. You have stumbled upon the Land Between, this is Mittelmarch.” Nichtmar spoke of Mittelmarch as the three walked toward the wooden walls. Nienna felt hope rising inside her as she walked, realizing she had found what she had been looking for.
((thanks to Nichtmar for da help! ^-^))