- Amaranth Homestead -
- 7 Years Ago -
Bianca's attention was drawn from her newly acquired blade to the accusation. Fae? Killing people on the road? It wasn't unheard of for the tribes to attack humans and other races who wandered into the forest. That much was true. However, Amaranth was well away from Fae territory. The only potential candidates were the Ironblood, and they seldom left their underground realm.
No, it had to be animals. Maybe wolves, or even wyverns. Whatever it was, Bianca would be ready for it. "I doubt Fae would brazenly attack a human settlement. We should be fine." Bianca spoke astutely.
"Confident, Miss Bianca?" Angof smiled, standing up from his desk. "I'll trust in your judgement, Miss Ingrid. It seems my investment is sound."
"If I may ask, Lord Angof, how long do you intend to stay?" Ingrid asked. "Not that I wish to rush you off my land, but..."
"Oh, I have every intention of leaving before tomorrow. I merely wished to check on my investments, and I must admit I am happy with what I see. Very happy, indeed." Angof gave a smirk, his eyes fixed on Bianca's scrawny yet fit form. "You're very strong for your age, Miss Bianca. I can tell. How old are you, if I may?"
"Fourteen winters, Lord Angof. Or, I will be in a few weeks." Bianca answered.
"Ah," Angof sighed. "Not yet a woman, yet no longer a girl. It's a remarkable age, Miss Bianca. Don't squander your youth." He removed his gaze from her body, and turned to leave the room.
"Miss Ingrid, I wish to see you about a matter before I leave tomorrow. Would you please meet me before sundown?" Bianca thought nothing of it. She merely left the small office and went about the rest of her day.
---
If the sword was a thing of beauty, the scabbard made it perfect. Kahdar had worked the hide into a tough, leather sheathe for Bianca's newly acquired blade. Under normal circumstances, curing leather took well over a month. Yet Kahdar had always prided himself on his studies at the College of Autumn's Gate. With the right magical application, the right combination of spellcraft, and the right skills, what took weeks could take mere minutes.
Kahdar smiled, his pearly white teeth lighting up his otherwise mahogany toned face. He handed the sheathe to Bianca, a look of sheer joy in her eyes. "On the house, little lady. Thanks for all you do for the horses." The Al'Maran man beamed.
"Thank you, Kahdar. Oh, did you get any of the food from the longhouse yet?"
"I did." Kahdar nodded as Bianca wrapped the leather belt around her waist and let the sword fall into its new home. "Ah, a perfect fit. Wear the blade with pride, Miss Bianca."
"I will, Kahdar! Thanks again!" Bianca walked the homestead enjoying one of the few pleasures she allowed herself: Free time. Days off were few and far between on the Amaranth Homestead. However, with the horses on cattle herding duty and the stables clean, Bianca was poised to enjoy a well-deserved break.
"Oi! Bianca, wait up!" Rothir called from behind, wiping his mouth from the small feast of roasted potatoes and seared pork he'd enjoyed during their conversation with Angof.
"Ah, Rothir. To what do I owe the pleasure twice in one day?" She teased, knowing full well they saw each other regularly throughout the week. He was fun to laugh with.
Bianca's heart skipped a beat. The boy was definitely something special to her.
"Since we both got some time off, I figured maybe you and I could head down to the river? Maybe take a dip?" Rothir asked sheepishly, running a hand through his shaggy red hair.
Bianca arched an eyebrow. "Rothir, you scoundrel. Is this an elaborate plan to get me alone and exposed?"
Her jest had landed. Rothir's face flushed as red as his hair, the boy looking away embarrassed. "N-no, of course not. I was just..." He trailed off, obviously shaken. Bianca cackled, holding her sides as she threw her head back.
"I'm just playing, Rothir." She snorted, looking up at him with her green and gold eyes. "It sounds good, to be honest. I'd be happy to join you."
Rothir needed no convincing from the look on his face. The boy beamed, and started toward the main gate. Bianca's heart pounded. She was going to be alone. With a boy. Doing an activity that required very little clothing. They were still very young, but she'd heard of some Fae being intimate as young as she was. Even some humans got in on the fun, if one could call it that.
Yet the thought left her mind as quickly as it came. Rothir was a gentleman. He'd proven it more often than not. No, this was an innocent swim in the river. Nothing more. Though if she obtained a kiss or two from the encounter, she most certainly wouldn't complain.
When they reached the gate, they were stopped by two hired guards. Leif and Andur, brothers who volunteered to protect the main gate of Amaranth. Of course, the bonus in their pay was an incentive, which made Bianca question the validity of "volunteer" in the first place.
"Morning, Rothir. Bianca. Going out for a spell?" Leif asked, adjusting the helmet on his head of black hair. Ingrid really should see about getting them some proper armor, Bianca thought to herself. Basic tunics, breaches, and leather padding won't do much if something really tries to kill anyone in the homestead.
"We're just heading to the river for a swim. Be back in a couple hours." Bianca answered for them, holding a hand on the handle of her sword.
Andur grinned. "Christ be praised, look at you. You look like a regular warrior, Miss Bianca." Andur was always supportive of her. Of course, he always said something nice about everything. Still, it was pleasant.
"Remember, stay off the road to the South. You've heard about the killings, I trust?" Leif asked, concerned.
"We'll be fine. It's probably some direwolves. They'll move on if we keep away from them long enough." Bianca stated. She had no way to know if that was true, but it beat the alternative.
Rothir and Bianca made their way north to the River Earrach. Their path was covered by the natural canopy of the forest, until they reached a small clearing and a drop to the water below. The river was low today, low enough to tread in some places. Bianca spied an area just a few meters away, where the water sank into a natural pool.
"Alright, this looks good." Bianca unhooked the belt of her scabbard and let it fall to the ground. She looked over towards Rothir. "Come on, don't tell me you're going to let me get undressed all by myself."
Rothir stuttered. He was so much fun to mess with.
The boy removed his vest and tunic, revealing a taut, lean stomach and chest underneath. Then he pulled down his trousers after kicking off his boots, revealing a pair of undershorts. "Uh, maybe we shouldn't get completely undressed?"
Bianca nodded with a wink. "Yeah, I thought so, too." She pulled off her oversized shirt, and let it fall to the ground. Her breasts were small, even for a girl her age. Yet even so, she opted to wear a standard chest binding strictly for modesty. She didn't bother removing her shorts, they were already short enough.
That and she hadn't remembered to put anything on underneath due to being woken up early. Definitely more of her than anyone needed to see before her wedding night.
As her feet touched the water, the coldness rushed through her skin. The River Earrach was brutal this time of year, yet refreshing in its own way. She waded into the shallows, first enough to cover her shins, then up to her waist. Finally, her feet left the riverbed, and she let the water gently pull her away. Bianca smiled as she let herself float lazily with the current.
"Hey, wait! Bianca, you're gonna get swept away!" Rothir cried out, earning a laugh from Bianca.
"You gotta respect the river, Rothir. Trust it. See?" Bianca kicked through the water, and easily swam back towards the shallows. She she stood up, she beamed. It had been a long time since she'd felt this happy.
The pair enjoyed the river for what seemed like hours. Playing, splashing each other, taking turns floating along the current. Bianca had turned it into a game. Who could float the farthest? She'd made it past the bed, and made poor Rothir lose his mind searching the bank for her.
An hour had passed, and the pair had taken to simply sitting on the edge of the riverbank and looking down at the water.
"You know, it's dawned on me that I barely know you." Rothir said quietly.
Bianca turned towards him, looking into his hazel eyes. "Not much to tell. My father died protecting me from Elvehn soldiers. My mother abandoned me. I was raised by the Heartland Fae for most of my life." She spoke with little emotion.
Bianca's life wasn't a topic she liked to reflect on. It was a tale of feeling unwanted. Unloved. Her mother had left her right after being born. The Heartland Fae barely tolerated her, except for Sha'ani. And her father...
She could barely remember his face.
"You must have someone, right?" Rothir pried.
Bianca nodded. "My sister, Sha'ani. She took me in and accepted me right away. Always introduced me as 'my little sister' to the Fae elders. Half of them wanted to strangle her." Bianca chuckled.
"Then... We grew up. When Heartland Fae turn thirteen, they pick a role in the tribe. I thought that included me, but..." Bianca touched the scar across her golden eye where Segala had struck her.
Rothir sighed deeply. "I'm so sorry, Bianca."
"Verathorn thought it would be best if I stay away for a while. Segala was punished, surprisingly. Verathorn broke her bow in front of her and sentenced her to cleaning kills until year's end. She was furious."
The pair sat in silence for a few moments. It was a rare time when Bianca allowed herself to be vulnerable. To be open. She trusted Rothir, and she liked to imagine he trusted her back.
"My family was... Not great. My mother had a habit of getting drunk and sleeping around in local taverns. It became something of a joke in Spring's Respite to guess which of her kids belonged to which man." Rothir said quietly. "No one ever guessed correctly."
"Did you ever find out who your father was?" Bianca asked.
He merely shook his head. "No, but I remember who her husband was. A Thane under Jarl Einhardt. One day he caught her in the act with one of her many lovers, and... He..." Rothir held his knees to his chest, looking down as if trying to forget some horrible act.
"So much blood..."
"I'm so sorry." Bianca spoke quietly.
"That was about a year ago. I've been here ever since that day."
Bianca held a hand to his face and turned his head until he looked her in the eyes. Small tears fell down his cheeks, tears full of hurt and sorrow. The same tears she knew all too well.
She leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips, and his eyes went wide.
"What was that for?" He asked, breathlessly.
She didn't know, herself. Maybe it was assurance that someone cared about him. Maybe it was her feelings forcing themselves to the surface. Whatever the reason, the returning smile on the boy's face let her know that whatever she had done was the right call.
"Just letting you know someone cares." Bianca smiled.
She looked away, and her skin burned. Agony wracked her body, her muscles, and her mind. She clenched her jaw shut, but she pain was too great as it felt like her insides were on fire.
Child of Anguish. Survivor.
Bianca shrieked, holding the sides of her head as the voice thundered within her mind.
"Bianca? Bianca what's wrong?" Rothir's voice was barely a murmur against the pulsing, roaring sound within her brain.
I have seen your rage. I have seen your pain.
You are a child born to survive. To rage against the dying of the world. A child who will know only agony, strife, and destruction.
Bianca's eyes burned as she tried to keep them open. Tears streamed down her face. Tears of pain. Her eyes felt like fire, engulfing her vision in a searing heat.
Look upon me, Child of Anguish. Look upon me and know.
Bianca's vision cleared for but a moment. Beyond the worried, frantic Rothir, the trees and riverbank, stood a being resembling both a man and a twisted nightmare.
A man with skin as black as pitch, naked, rippling with muscle, and eyes like two large, white voids.
Eyes that stared directly at her.