Refusing the fate - Story of Ain'a

[Nefensis]

The tent is dark and the swirls of encent fills the air, making it hot and hazy. The girl screams and squirms but her older brother holds her tight on her seat. One of the maid holds her mouth wide open as another chiseles her teeth carefully with her tools. The sharpest they are, the most beautifull she will be. A few quarters of moon ago they branded her spine with the symbol of the tribe, she was the backbone of it, their pride, their princess. D'Soreil was a tribe at war and their women were their most sacred treasure. But this one was special, she would mean peace, she would mean everything.

Days passes, the girl goes throught more ritual of beauty, wise advice is given to her, she is so young, so innocent and her fate is sealed. The night of the full moon arrives and the festivities begins. The village is filled with colofull banners, music, dancers and presents. The delegation of the Tamarin tribe is soon to arrive, their mortal ennemies with whom they have been fighting over the land for centuries.

As the new chef of the Tamarin enters her village, she keeps her gaze to the ground, lined up with many other maiden like her, ready to be taken like a prize, like a trophee. The chef knows not yet that she will be his and his eyes are set on her, like a gem. The men eat at the buffet, maiden dances, maiden serves. As tradition demands it, little red head serves the royal guest, her futur mate. In the morning she would return with him to his village, leave her life behind and become a symbol of peace and harmony between the tribes.

"..Close your eyes red head, let him come to you and all will be fine.." Said the old maid as she left Aina into the dark tent, she undresses herself and lays on the soft furs, a small brasero lets barely any light filter into the darkness, but the heat is intense, just like the D'Soreil likes it. She closes her eyes, the music outside is still so loud as the festivities goes on but she hears a shuffles in the furs and something moves beside her, it must be him, her mate, her husband, the one she would serve for the rest of her life. Nothing, the darkness takes her over and after an hour of waiting she finally falls asleep, untouched..

Screams and shrieks wakes her up, she rubs her eyes, spreading a thick red spread in her face, someone pulls her out of the tent. The villagers of both clans are speechless, the woman covered in blood kneeling in the mud naked before them.. she killed the chief, she killed the peace, has she no shame? Has she no soul? Red head dosnt seem to understand, barely awake, barely aware. Why the scream, why the blood.. Two tamarin comes out of the nuptial tent dragging the stabbed body of Chiro, the D'Soreil dagger still deep into his heart.

Common plot, common trahison, ennemy of peace, the girl will pay and the efforts will have been for naught. Soon she is casted out like a common murderer. Outsiders dies really quickly to the demons that haunts the world, if she does not end up spider food, she will end up like them. It is a fate worst than most punishement their could think off.

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[Nefensis]

The jungle is hot and humid, sweats mixes with the blood of the fallen warrior and her own, the two tribes casted out the girl without any gentleness, beating her with sticks and stones till she was out of reach. Hand clasp on a sword, all she could grab before she was ran out. Heart racing, little red head is alone in a sea of evergrowing and lush vegetation. In the far the howling of primates can be heard echoing, soon hushed by the deluvian and short rain that washes over the jungle every other hour.

The girl runs, legs free for the first time, no one to hold her back. Her mind racing along with her legs, she still couldnt figure out what happened. She saw the body, she saw the knife. Had she done it? She couldnt remember but for the time being, all that mattered was running, after the rain came the spiders and that was never good. Diving over brances and under vines, she needed to reach a higher ground or a cave, away from the monstreous varmins that populated their home.

Soon the rain ended, leaving a blood cleansed Ain'a panting for breath. Her ears filled with the chitter that meant death, she could feel it coming, but something inside of her, the sword in her hand, all that she had ever been groomed for, this anger she had kept bottled up for so long, she refused it. At that moment unsheating Chiros's blade she waited for the spiders. SUL! she yelled out, snarling her taunt into the noisy chitter, beckoning the varmins to come to her. Her freedom had a price and she was ready to pay or die. Destiny was laying out her test.

And they came..

[Nefensis]

Of that day Ain'a recalls little, or she prefer to ignore it. No answer would come to her now, here in Barovia so be it. Her long red hair that her husband would have cut as he took her, remained untouch and so was she. There were no tribes there were no one to answer to here. She had watched eye in the eye the king of Barovia, Strahd and had felt sadness for him, a princess to a king, she understood in her own special way, how he felt. He was a man chained to his destiny.

Her own chains broken, she walked out of castle Ravenloft with her companion, she was his protector and he was hers, her affection for him of a brother and him for her as a sister. She was Ain'a, princess of the D'Soreil tribe, protector of those whom needed her and because she choosed it. Many years went by, her adopted brother found his lost love and left Ain'a, whom weeped and cheered for him and she had moved on, living in Degannwy, her newly adopted home.

But boredom sets in for the girl and that day she setted out to the men's home, the little inn where she had met her brother, there monsters at the door made her run in.. into an emaciated elf and his rude companion. Tha one needs babysittin' hiccuped the drunk man pointing out to his companion. Ain'a smiled and nodded, she had found a new brother, that he wanted it or not.  Sometimes fate cut the strings of the heart, sometimes it spins them, as the spider in her web.

[Nefensis]

So many words, the flow of air was interrupted by the sound of dozen of voices. The girl's ears wanted to dissolve for a moment, just for a bit of quiet. On top that nobody bothered listening to her, she had enough and walked out of the inn. It was not a place for her, she knew it. Why did she came there, she knew not. Or did she? Always in hope of seeing the elusive elf whom she was responsible of, of course. So elusive he was, hiding in the shadows of a potted plant, hoping the red headed elf would abandon her search and just leave. Maybe he simply hated her, when she saw the dirty look he gave his friend as she finally cornered him, she knew it was time to leave again.

Maybe he hated her, she had felt that before. People misunderstanding her ways and manners. She did not belong there, she had never belonged anywhere. Often shunned even by other elves that had adopted the human way of living. That, made her sad, that and seeing couples of man and elf, it disgusted her to an extend. But he could not hate her, or he would not have followed her, unlike Logan whom had kissed her cheek and walked away. He followed her out in her stride away from his world and embraced her. This newfound feeling, this love, others had spoken off, this never ending quest that Logan had made his, the one of finding this soul mate that would mean everything.

He held her, embracing her, apologizing. The wildling could barely understand why but she could feel his sadness and confusion, he wanted to run away, she gave him the choice. She did not hold him back. All she wanted was to be his sister, even if the word was not exactly what she felt for him, lover was more like it. She wanted to mean everything, she wanted him to mean everything, but always living in the same respect that made their relation so very special. Would he come? She wondered and pondered, walking off into those woods that formed her new home, maybe he would come and join her. Just maybe.

[Nefensis]

Vision and voice

"I envy your eyes.. " whispered a memory. Ain'a smiled in the warm sun of early summer, butterflies and pixies playing along in the flower beds that surrounded them. Degannwy had lost much of it's peace but time felt as if stilled, laying in the grass beside her skeletal companion. Neithu still had this look of battered puppy to him but she knew he was fed so she was happy. Behind the leather strip that covered his eyes, creamy orbs were slowly regenerating thanks to the magic of many caring hands. The elf was just stubborn and so was his body when it came to healing.

What more to ask in this moment of peace. Of course rain would soon come ruining their sunbath but for the hour the sun lasted it felt good. As much as he felt out of place, his heart had longed for moments like this. Our little dirty elf on her side, was complete. Her laugh still had the sounding of a debarked dog but it was true. When he asked her questions she would answer as simply as possible, that was her way. "What time is it Ain'a?" he would ask when he felt the cold of the moon touching his face. "Time to make a fire and tell stories." she would answer as she hurried to gather wood. Answers didn't had to be based on the outside reality but only on her desires and her own realities. "What is that sound Ain'a?" he would ask hearing an odd thump in the woods. "The forest's voice." She would reply seeing two deers fighting for a female's attention, antlers against antlers.

Sometimes it irritated him, a bit like when he would translate her words in common with his own, twisting her words. She would grimace but then laugh because his way was always funnier and it was still the truth. Her words, his eyes, both could use the influence of the other and now under the painful hammer of fate, it had been made true. He could only see through her, she could only speak through him and when the time of revelation would come, they will both grow from the experience. Taking the torch of teaching from the hands of her other brother, he had been teaching her more of the language the human spoke, more of their ways and he was relearning his origins through her. An elf without being one was a sad thing. And their love in all that? Well it was always the same, solid and deep. From others eyes, they were not lovers, nor a couple (and that would be the truth as Ain'a still sported her long hair, symbol of virginity) but to them love was of another kind and it was good. What more to ask.

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[Nefensis]

The background music for this bio post http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUbMWtUyIIE&feature=related

Never again alone

The old woman smiled crookedly from her chair and extended her hand to the elf, beckoning her closer to the table where the taroka was laid out. There is a price for all things, you see no value in money, what do you have to offer me? Her heart was racing, a shaky hand reached to the rudimentary but engraved sword to her side and placed it on the table. No words were spoken at that, the raunie understood the image forming in the mind of the young girl, the sound of breaking shackles and the taste of blood. Freedom this sword had bought once and now she was paying to belong. But it was not enough, the raunie smiled as she picked up the sharp blade and inclined her head, inviting Ain'a to do the same.

Swift blade.

The long red ponytail hit the table with a click of the pearls that were threaded through it. Along with tears but she remained quiet. You wish to belong, so be it to the end. Now go, follow the path that is traced ahead and you will find what your heart desires. and on those words, Ain'a ran, leaving behind the crumbled note left by Neithu in hope to appease her when she found him gone. And she ran, deploying her legs as if the shackles had finally dropped. Eyes filled with the light of the setting sun, she ran to it, west it was, toward Mordent, but she didn't knew that. She knew that's where she would find him.

[Nefensis]

Duty

Since they had walked back together to the land of Barovia, Ain'a had felt that her elf had grown, even if still sick in his body, his mind was not so much weak anymore and the storm in his heart was in control. She was at peace somewhat with that, she had made the right decision. She was being pulled from one side to the other, the desire to be with him but it meant to be near the city, away from her home of Degannwy, and her need to protect this home. Grand Father Yggdrasil had long rotted to the ground, feeding the land and it's children, as it should be so the cycle may be completed.

Her fleeting nature of care free child was slowly being replaced by this caring and calmer self, as she grew stronger. Much stronger. She was no longer the starving little elf that had stumbled out of a spider den a few years ago, she was strong and robust. Little dirty elf had learned many new things, her observations of the other elves, of the humans, there was still many things she did not understood of them but was learning to accept it. The drow were one thing, she felt she should have hated them, from what the other elves were expressing but she knew not. She did not like their skin color, it meant death, and Neithu had expressed utter disgust at them. She would have to keep an eye on them, as they often came to Degannwy.

Walk the land, be the land, Ain'a knew not the secrets of nature as others did. She was deaf to the language of the forest, her mind always elsewhere in dreams and admiration for the beauty before her eyes. Often she would hunt the bear, hunt the deer, for the simple fact of eating them and feeding her friends, dressing herself with their flesh and bones for ornaments. There was more to it, she knew. In her dreams she would ride the large mountain bear into battle, axe low to cut the heads of her enemies. It made her laugh greatly. Victory over enemies.. she would have it. She would not let the human or the undead stain her home. She understood that, among other things. Whomever is a threat to Degannwy, no matter what their true nature may be, were to be dealt with. So it would be. Never again would she fear for her home.

[Nefensis]

Depression

And she waits and she waits. Before she called it guarding, as a stone gargoyle by Degannwy's bridge. Blade near her hand, the keeper watches, but not so much for enemies this time. She couldnt find him, none would help her find him. None cared. For nights she explored the city, that wicked pile of rocks that she hated so. Long corridors of stone boxes they called homes. Spying out the window for a peek at her elf, all she would see were Barovian families in their misery. It made her sad, it confused her mind. Matchbox theater of a life she knew nothing about and still no elf. She found another inn, akin to the Lady's rest. No outlanders in that one, all barovians, dirty and grim, giving her nastier glare than ever before. After quickly assessing the room, she ran off into the dark, he was not here that she could tell.

She ran and ran, obsession filling her mind. She was in love, she was afraid, so many complex emotions that she hated so, it made her cry and sick to her stomach. Once more into the woods, after distancing the giant rats that were after her, she removed her clothes and tossed them away, all of it made her feel dirty. Humans and elves all the same acting without honor, destroying the life that was given to them, using their time to shorten it. She too at that point, her simple mind, overwhelmed, collapsed. She knew, all he wanted was to love her, but he stopped himself from doing so. He wouldn't allow himself happiness, he enjoyed his self-destruction, he enjoyed the pain, that horrible concept of taking one's own life came to her mind and she couldn't stop him. Coming back to the city was the worst decision he had ever made and he knew all along where it would lead, she knew it too, but freedom came with a price.

Freedom.. in her reverie she is perfectly happy, sun warming her face, lazying in a green field. She felt full and wonderful. Simple dreams for a simple girl. Outside the dream her body was battered by the Barovian rain and her tears.

[Nefensis]

High

The cheers, the yells, the laughers. Something she never figured would be for her. All the noise she had learned to hate now sounded so melodious to the ear. Delightful screams of victory, boosting her pride and ego the size of a mountain and she loved it. All the voices melted into one big clamor, but she didn't care. For a few moments, she was some kind of hero. The falknovian man had fallen, the big, the tall, the beastly man, twice her size. She felt their strength were both similar and whom was to win would be sheer luck of the moment, she tried to have him see that factor but he would not have it. Hitting her after baiting her with a gesture of peace. She could have stricken back but she didn't felt the need for it. Others ran at him, his reputation was off already and he was so mad, he nearly got himself killed. She knew that look in the eyes of a man that has nothing to live for. They tend to be angry and short lived.

But why, life has so many things worth living for. Neithu of all people, she recalls, was telling her such. Life is worth living, that's all. There was nothing else to it. She never considered life not worth living, the whole concept of killing oneself was still horrifying to her. Such an act denoted weakness beyond anything she had ever known. Even now the brothers knew, that she would slay the one that would kill the other. It would be committing suicide to do so, now at least they could stop blaming their dead father for having to work together and not lower themselves to murder. It was the right thing to do she felt.

An elf repeated to her the words of the bounty, it was a lot of money they said. Could she do it? Yes.. we will do it she replied in her chittering voice, but together, many of us, we will go, take him and bring him to the city folks. But not for the coins, useless that buys nothing. That cheering, that screaming and the glances filled with wonder and amazement, she wanted it from the city, for her people, respect. She would do it for that. A good payment, yes.

[Nefensis]

*bump for safeguard*