I wrote this story only because I was so dissatisfied with all the Aveyond endings. Like seriously, I was waiting for a love story between Rhen and Lars, but in the end, maybe they married, maybe they didn't... I hope this story will satisfy some of you, too :D
Disclaimer: I do not own Aveyond or any of its characters!
It was late at night in Sedona. The fishermen had all gone home, the Practice Yard was empty, and everyone in the city was fast asleep. All except one.
Rhen was all tucked in, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get herself to drift off. If only we hadn't used the sleeping powder all on that giant, she thought to herself. She rolled over and gazed out the manor's window.
In the past few days, they had managed to defeat Ahriman, Te'ijal had married Galahad, and so had Pirate John when he finally fell in love with Elini - with a little help from a love potion, of course. Yet, it felt like something was missing. Rhen couldn't figure it out and not being able to was starting to get to her.
She rolled over again and sighed. What was wrong? Why did something not feel right? She finally decided to get up, knowing that trying to sleep would only make her feel worse. Quietly slipping out of her room, she headed for the kitchen. Maybe a drink of water will help her calm down, she decided.
As she walked down the hallway, she could hear little snores coming from Lars', Dameon's and Te'ijal and Galahad's rooms. From awfully awkward experiences, she learned that she should hum a little and cover her ears when she walked by Pirate John's and Elini's room. In fact, she always walked a little faster than usual when she was passing by, day or night.
As she neared the kitchen, she saw that the light was on. Peeking in, she found Mad Marge sitting on a stool, with a drink in her hand. Sighing, she took a big gulp of alcohol down and groaned.
"Are you alright, Mad Marge?" Rhen asked.
"What the-? Oh it's just you, lass," replied Mad Marge. "Didn't think anyone else was awake at this hour."
"I couldn't sleep..."
"Well, neither could I. Would you like to join me for a drink?"
Rhen shuddered at the thought of drinking ale again.
"No thank you, Ma'am. I'll just grab a drink of water instead."
Mad Marge waved her off.
"Whatever suits you, girl."
Rhen got her glass of water and sat down on a stool next to the older woman.
"Mad Marge..." Rhen started.
"You know, I never liked you," Mad Marge butted in. "You remind me too much of everything I'm not."
She sighed and dropped her head down.
Rhen leaned in towards the older woman, and tapped her back to comfort her.
"When I was a wee lass, just like how you are now, I was a big, muscled girl, with hair growing out of my mole... the one above my lips here, you see?" pointing at it for Rhen to see.
"Ah... yes, I see," Rhen replied, wishing that she hadn't been so close.
"Anyway," Mad Marge continued. "This was the time before I was known as Mad Marge. In fact, everyone just called me Marge."
Taking another rather large sip of her ale, Mad Marge went on.
"You see, I knew I was ugly. The boys always treated me like one of the guys, and girls did their best to never be seen with me. Perhaps this is why I'm the way I am now. I'm still big, still muscled, still with the same hairy mole..."
The image of the lady's hairy mole repeated itself inside Rhen's mind.
"Don't be so hard on yourself," she tried to help. "My parents told me that it's what's inside that counts, and that beauty isn't everything."
"Bah," replied that drunk woman. "Even if that was true, do you think anyone would fall for a woman with a personality like mine? Like your stuck up companion said, I'm just bar scum. No guy in the right mind would be willing to take me as his wife... Maybe if I was slimmer, prettier, and had some femininity... maybe some guy will learn to love someone like me..."
Stifling a sob, the woman downed her drink and tossed it to the side.
"I need another one... would you be a dear and grab one for me?" Mad Marge asked.
Rhen leaned sideways and saw dozens of beer bottles lying on the ground.
"Ah... I think you've had enough for tonight, Mad Marge," she told the woman. "We will be going out tomorrow to fetch some supplies before heading back to Aveyond the next day. I think if you have anymore, you'll get sick."
Mad Marge sighed.
"What's the point when there's no man to take care of me?" Nevertheless, she picked her slumped self up and made her way back into the living room to sleep on the couch.
The girl shook her head in disbelief. She never knew Mad Marge even thought about love. She never even stopped to consider if the older woman ever felt alone or left out. Obviously, Elini and Pirate John's wedding must have affected her a lot more than Rhen thought.
After a while, Rhen finished her water and was walking to place it on the sink when she heard someone call her name.
Turning around, she found Mad Marge at the kitchen doorway with red eyes and her dark brown hair in a mess.
"Oh my goodness!" Rhen exclaimed. "What's wrong?"
It was clear the woman had cried, and from the smell that wafted into the kitchen, Rhen realized that the woman had spewed, too.
"I thought I should just tell you," the woman looked right into her eyes. "Don't waste your time while you're still young. The older you get, the harder it will be to find a husband. Surely though, you won't look like me when you reach my age..."
Rhen got another glass of water and gave it to the sad woman.
Mad Marge accepted it and downed it just like the ale she had drunk earlier.
"Thanks lass," she said as she walked back to the living room. "I thought I'd just tell you... keep what I said in mind. You probably won't hear it from me again."
And with that, Rhen was again left alone in the kitchen. She turned the lights off and checked on the locked doors before heading back to bed.
Glancing up at the clock, she found that it was already four in the morning. The fishermen would be getting up soon, and her pet bat would be going to sleep in a few hours, too.
Perhaps it was because she found someone else to worry about that Rhen forgot why she couldn't get to sleep earlier. Maybe it was because she wanted to forget about Mad Marge's hairy mole. Whatever the reason was, as soon as Rhen's head hit the pillow, she fell fast asleep, and right into a dream that would change her life forever.
A little R&R please! :D