VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, [4], 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 20:00:44 03/06/05 Sun
Author: DS
Subject: Ch. 1
In reply to: DS 's message, "Prologue" on 19:59:00 03/06/05 Sun

Ch.1

The young teenager knelt beside the corpse of the grown deer, pulling the spear out of the kill. It was bigger than most, and tried the patience of many hunters. The village nearby would pay a big price for a catch such as this. Pity, though; the thing put up a nice fight in the beginning, but became weary, and submitted itself to the young hunter. He bowed his head in a silent tribute to the tired beast, then shifted his position onto one knee and picked up the body.
The young teen wore clothes of a baggy sort of tannish hide material. The top was in a sort of tunic-like fashion, while loose pants hung slackened across the long legs. The figure appeared very slender, with long arms and legs. A hood covered the mysterious teen’s face, blue-black, gray eyes staring out from under it. This made it impossible to tell the gender of the young teen.
Picking himself up from the ground, the adolescent walked surely toward a faint light in the woods. However, as he was walking, he noticed that quite a few trees had fallen. He’d camped out for a few days, through some storms, so it could only be assumed that they’d be struck by lightning. A bit angered by the dilemma, the young one turned to his right, and looked for a way around the trees.
Hours passed as the teenager walked around the forest, until he found a clearing. Walking purposefully through it, the teen tripped. Losing his prideful stance, the teen glared over at what had tripped him. It was a large black stone, glittering in the way only gemstones did. He shrugged; maybe he could go back and find it later. The teen’s family could use more money.
Mentally making a map of the scene around him, the teen left briskly, making it into town just before the traders’ closed shop.
The teen made it just in time to the butchery. A tall, lean young man was standing at the counter. Rough, dirty blonde hair was swept about messily a bit past the man’s chin. He had sapphire blue eyes, and was unknowingly the one all the village girls talked about when gathered together.
His smile widened when he saw the teen walk in.
“Oh, if it isn’t our best hunter. Had a good catch today, boy?”
The teenager smiled in reply, though his mouth was hidden. “Very, Lyzel.” He said, putting the body of the deer in front of the butcher. Lyzel’s eyes widened, and his smile vanished, replaced by a look of awe.
“It can’t be…” he muttered, inspecting the beast lest it really was the elusive buck.
“It is.” The teen said, watching his friend intently. “How much did you say you’d pay for ‘im?”
Lyzel looked into the younger boy’s eyes. Then, almost unexpectedly, his smile returned. “Ah… yes. I’d hoped I’d have to pay a friend instead of a stranger. Alright, 97 surles.”
Lyzel placed the sack full of silver coins into the hunter’s hands. The teen sighed in a relieved manner.
“Thanks, Lyzel.” He said, thinking about the trip to town he’d make the next morning to prepare for winter.
“Any time, so long as your skills stay sharp. I expect I’ll see you around town tomorrow?”
“Maybe. G’night,” the hunter said, walking towards the door.
When he returned to the cottage his family owned, right next to the forest, he was greeted by an excited little half-bother.
“Nite! You’re home!” the little boy practically screamed, squeezing his older sibling hard. Since Ray was three years old and Nite sixteen, the little boy’s arms were clamped only at the boy’s knees, his head rested against the teen’s lower thighs.
“Ok, Ray.” The teen smiled. “I’m home, I’m home!”
The boy reluctantly let go of his hero. A second later, though, he clamped his hands around some of the excess material just below Nite’s knees and pulled him upstairs to their mother’s room.
Ray’s father had died just before his son was born. He’d been at first a soldier for a man that was now king, and was soon part of the Royal Army. He’d died ‘in service to the king’. No one knew what that service was.
Their mother had been very sick even before marrying that man, though the town healer’s could do nothing. She had trouble remembering anything at first, though now she could hold onto a thought as long as it was repeated to her every few weeks. Her two children were now the only things she could remember without being reminded. This hadn’t always been so, which had Nite feeling very grateful that she could now remember more.
Nite was the worker of the family. He hunted the best beasts around to bring money home. After all, paying their personal healer was tough enough, much less buying all things essential for their life at the cottage.
Nite stepped into the room to find his mother smiling at him.
“Hey, Nite.” She whispered.
Nite, amazed, walked up to his mother slowly. It was rare to see his mother awake, much less have her talking to him.
“…Mom?” he whispered, his gray eyes shining. She smiled, and nodded. He slowly kneeled next to her bed, so they were about level. Then, she pulled him into a hug.
“How’s my eldest son?” she asked, letting go slowly.
“I’m fine, mom.” He said, smiling through the shadows of his hood. “I caught a deer today. The one no body could catch.”
She giggled a bit. “That’s my little hunter. Did you remember to pay your respects?” It was an important thing to his mother that he said a little prayer for the animals he killed.
“Yes.” He rolled his eyes. “How are you feeling? Can you remember anything?”
“I’m pretty good.” She said, amber eyes shining. “And I did remember something! I remembered to take my medicine without the healer reminding me.”
“That’s great to hear.” Nite said, and then he was pulled into another hug.
“Well, it’s your bedtime now, mister.” She said softly, giving Nite a kiss on the cheek. “I may still be awake in the morning, you know.”
“Alright.” Nite said, clearly disappointed. He kissed her on the cheek before slowly exiting. His room stood before him sooner than he’d liked.
With a sigh, he walked into his room. Then, he closed and locked his door, as he did every night. Then, he carefully removed the hood.
Gray eyes shone in the moonlight coming in from the window, which was made of a kind of one-way material. Silky black hair, wild though straight, flowed down to the shoulders. Pale skin framed the smooth face, and the ears were near pointed.
As the teen removed the other tannish materials, a black, silky material that fit each and every curve and muscle of the body was exposed. The teen was slender, with long arms and legs. The figure was perfect. But, there was one problem.
He was a she.
As Nite climbed into her warm bed, she sighed. Every time her mother was awake, she longed to tell her the truth. Her mother did not always remember everything. Ever since her dad died, Nite had been playing the man of the house. She’d hunted, putting everyone under the false impression she was her mother’s son. Then, her mother remarried, and made Nite promise she’d never confess her gender to her stepfather; he didn’t understand these things too well. Then, when they told her she was loosing her memory because of her sickness, her mother had made her promise to conceal this information even from herself. It was the hardest thing Nite ever had to do, but she’d kept her secret all this time. No one else knew.
Tossing in her warm blankets, Nite settled into a position that was both comfortable and concealing. Then, she drifted off into a soft, alert slumber.

The next morning, Nite awoke with the sun. Getting into her tan cloths, she walked into the kitchen, and started a little fire in the gas oven. Once that was done, she picked up a nice sized piece of meat, and placed it on the rack above the crackling flames. Then, she went upstairs to her mom’s room.
Once inside, she was dismal to see that her mother had drifted into another long slumber. Her heart heavy, she walked back downstairs, careful not to wake Ray.
Once downstairs, she waited for a little while. The meat would take a long time to cook with such a meager amount of firewood. She should really go out and collect more.
Then, the black stone came back to mind. She smiled semi-consciously. That crystal stone could be worth a lot when the traders came to town.
Slipping her boots on, she quietly opened the door, and exited the house.
Back in the forest, she retraced her steps, trying to find the clearing in which she had tripped. It was rather easy; fallen trees blocked any wrong turns. She was there within minutes.
There, she found the black stone in the bushes. Exactly where she’d left it.
As she neared the black crystal, she noted for the first time how beautiful it truly was. It seemed to be of the best craftsmanship, and extremely large. It was about the size of her torso, and every single part glimmered in the sunlight. Though, the glimmer was strange; it didn’t light up, like most stones, but seemed to get darker with every ray of light that hit it. But, then again, it seemed to light up the surrounding area at the same time.
Intrigued by the glimmering blackness, she carefully lifted it from the ground, and found every other aspect of the jewel just as confusing as the light. She was surprised to find it was somewhat lighter than most stones its size. Yet, it was heavier than most. She held it close to her chest, and it felt cold. However, there was a certain warmness inside that cloaked her, and made her feel she should keep it close. The cold of the outer stone would not ease, and she grew cold herself.
Finally straightening up, she walked slowly back towards her house, wondering why she was attracted to the stone. It was just something that could help her get more money. Nothing more.
Remembering the wood, she picked up sticks along the way, thinking to herself.
Her mind started to wander now towards the things she could expect when trying to sell it. What would be the highest reasonable price? Surely it was worth at the very least about 200 surles. But, what exactly could she charge for it?
Surles. That made her remember. She was supposed to go into town today and pick up some food and supplies for winter.
Maybe she could take the jewel with her? She could take it to Benjil’s house. Benjil was a jeweler in town, and a friend to Nite. He’d tell her what it was worth, and probably a few good comebacks for hagglers.
She walked faster, and was in her room before Ray woke up. She quickly got her large sack, and placed the stone carefully inside of it. Sighing, she reached under her bed, and took out some straw. Normally, in winter, her family would stuff the beds with it for extra warmth. She took the straw, and shrouded the egg in it, hiding its glimmer. However, the cold of the outer shell could be felt through the bag and straw.
Keeping the bag close, she took the large sack of surles that Lyzel gave her, along with a few other sacks she’d been saving. Placing them in the bag, she walked into her little brother’s room.
Sneaking in and kneeling next to his bed, Nite looked down at her little brother. Ray had vivid red hair like his father, and lots of freckles. When opened, he had shining brown eyes, something he had gotten from their mother. He was of about average height, and had that innocent look you could find only on a small child.
Nite smiled, and lightly placed her hands on his shoulders. Then, she shook him very softly. Bronze-brown eyes opened and looked into her gray ones. Then, a smile broke out across the child’s face.
“Good morning, big brother.” He said, yawning. He pulled Nite into a hug, which she returned happily. She truly cared for her little brother. They were about all the other had left now that mother had gone into her sleep states. It was her fear that one of them would leave the other… forever…
“Good morning, Ray.” She smiled. Once they let go, she gave her brother a serious look. “Ray?”
“Ya, Nite?” he asked, listening intently.
“I’m going to get us some breakfast, and then I have to go out to town. You have to stay here with mommy and the healer. Ok?”
“Otay.” He said, a bit crestfallen. Rolling her eyes, Nite picked the boy up.
“Hey!” he laughed. “Let me down!”
“Nope.” Nite smiled, tossing him over her shoulder fireman style.
“Hey! Big brother!” Ray was laughing harder now.
They walked down the stairs, Ray slapping Nite on the back all the way, and Nite shifting into different ways of carrying him.
When they got to the table, Nite was carrying him princess style.
“Can you put me down now? I’m no damsel!” he laughed.
“If you say so.” Nite said, putting him down in the chair. “I’ll just let the ogre’s eat you then.”
Walking over to the meat, she found that it was almost ready. Placing a few more sticks in, she sat at the table with Ray.
“You know something?” She asked.
“What? What?” Ray asked, a bit hyper.
“I found a crystal in the forest.” Nite said. Ray looked surprised. “And it was as big as my chest.”
The boy’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“Yup. It’s pure black, too.”
“Black?” he asked, startled. “I thought most crystals were clear.”
“Most are,” she said, getting up and checking the meat. Pleased to see it was done, Nite walked over to a cabinet and took out two old, chipped plates. They were white, grayed a bit with time and use, with golden borders, and a golden dragon with red eyes in the center. These plates had been her fathers, and Nite wouldn’t even think of replacing them.
Extinguishing the flames, she took a knife and cut the meat in two, then placed one half of the meat on each plate. She made her way carefully back to the table, and put one plate in front of Ray, taking the other to her own seat.
Ray gleefully picked at his meat, chewing as if he hadn’t eaten in days. Of course this wasn’t true; Nite had left him with enough smoked meat to last until she was back from hunting.
As Ray generally ate more than her somehow, she’d given him the bigger piece. However, he still finished several minutes ahead of his older sibling. He bounced about, waiting until every last bite was gone from her plate before jumping into her lap.
“Nite? Do we have enough money to get something extra?” he asked curiously.
“We might.” Nite answered, thinking back on the extra surles she’d gotten from Lyzel for that last buck.
“Nite?” he asked, looking hopeful. “Do you think that maybe… if we can… if we have the money…”
Nite smiled, and cut him off. “I’ll see what I can do.” It was common knowledge to her that what her brother wanted more than anything was a toy sword. He’d always look forward to the stories she and his aunt Rosa would tell of his father, the youngest member of the Royal Court. Ray wanted to go into Page training, and break his dad’s age record. He figured that’d make his father proud, if he were still among the living.
“Thanks, Nite.” He hugged her hard around the middle. “You’re the best big brother in the world.”
Nite smiled, and ruffled his hair. “Easy there, tiger.” She gently lifted him up and placed him on the ground. “I’ve got to go to town, now. I’ll be back before sundown, if I leave now and have a bit of luck.”
“Otay.” He said, disappointed. “Bye-bye.”

Nite unconsciously noticed as she walked the familiar path into town that the stone seemed to be a bit warmer. The embracing coldness of the outer stone was quelling pretty quickly for a stone its size, almost as if the heat from her bag and back somehow told it that someone was there, and it should be courteous enough to let them travel comfortably.
The path was full of travelers and merchants today; it was the day to sell and trade, a gathering day.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

Forum timezone: GMT-5
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.