A/N: This is inspired by what little knowledge I have retained from reading some of the adventures of Merlin. Yes, I need a better title. I'll work on that, but today I just wanted to post a chapter!
Chapter One:
Just outside the great city of Winding Circle, down a dusty country road that was not often traveled, was a quaint little town of farmers and such folk who kept mostly to themselves. Just barely past the town, if one were to follow an over grown path through the meadows, one would come across a large house. It must have been a magnificent house when it was built. But, over a century had passed since then, and the wear was definitely showing. Roof tiles were missing, shutters dangled precariously from their hinges and as you walked up the front steps they creaked and groaned as if they were to break. Still, here it was, standing tall and proud atop it's hill, home to seventeen young women, a cook in her mid forty's, and a kindly lady who served as their mother, teacher, advisor and friend.
The tolling of the town church bell rang out across the land. In the large house, in the main room, the kindly lady set down her book. Class was ending and all seventeen girls were seated cross-legged on the floor practicing their writing on old tablets with stumps of chalk that the town church donated every so often.
"Girls, tonight I want you to find a partner and practice for the spelling quiz tomorrow. I want you all asleep by the next bell toll. So, off to your room," she smiled. Iva loved her life. Leaning her back against the, Iva let herself to fall back into memories.
Iva'd dreamed of starting an orphanage for parent less girls like herself ever since her mother died when she was ten. She had never known her father. So, she'd gotten herself a job as soon as she could and saved up. Five years later she fell in love with a merchant boy and married him. He helped her with her dream and together they planned it out. On June twenty first twenty five years ago the young couple had bought this old house from the town mayor. Three years later her husband died of a heart attack.
Sighing at the memory, Iva straitened up and set down her book. She still missed him, but it was a gentler pain. After all, she had her faithful friend, Margret the cook, and seventeen wonderful girls.
Upstairs those 'wonderful girls' were getting ready for bed. They all shared one room. Nine bunk beds were squashed into the master bed room. Beneath each were two boxes where a girl kept all of her personal belongings such as clothes, brushes, and money if they were old enough to find a job down at the town.
Clare was the youngest girl, a stubborn six-year-old blonde who loved to tattle on anyone but Marie, the second eldest girl, who babied and cuddled the Clare as if she was her own daughter. At the moment Marie was quizzing her on her spelling words.
One bunk over the eldest red head (there were three of them) was brushing her hair. Beside her Delilah was braiding her younger sister, Lily's, hair. On the top bed lay a sulking raven-haired teen. Glaring at the celling she brooded over how unfair life was.
The source of the sulking girls unhappiness was sitting by the window with two friends whispering about something that was most likely unkind. Pulling a box from under the bed the trio sat upon was a nervous eight-year old. "Jane! I can't find Fluffy!"
Jane walked away from her friend Zoë to help her twin out, tooth brush in mouth. Zoë in turn looked to her right and began talking with Ellie about how her job with the baker had gone earlier that day. "Oh, it wasn't too fun at first, but then the cutest boy showed up! You know the preachers son, Samuel?"
But Zoë's reply was cut short by a stocky girl with watery eyes interrupting. "Have you guys seen Anni?" Ellie shook her head and the girl walked off.
"Anni's probably hiding from her, I would! She's so clingy," Zoë whispered loudly. Ellie shot her a disgusted look and went to help the desperate girl.
Beside the doorway, by the last bunk bed a red head tied off the end of her long braid and slipped her shoes on. Peering over the top bed a brunette looked down quizzically. "Where are you going?"
"I left my chalk downstairs. I want to go get it before lights out."
"Oh, do you want my to come with you? It can be scary in the dark."
"I'll be fine." said the red head bravely.
"Okay, I'm going to bed then. Good night, Catherine."
"Good night, Nadia."
Nadia closed her eyes and drifted quickly into the realm of dreams.
She was standing in the forest. All around her the woods echoed an eerie silence that spoke of no good. Not a creature stirred. No wind rustled the leaves. Hesitantly, Nadia looked around. Anyone else might have thought that this dream-forest had no animals, strange though the idea was, it would be accepted with the excuse, 'it's a dream anything can happen'! Nadia knew differently. She could sense them all around her, hiding in their burrows suppressing quivers of fear and she could hear their little hearts thrumming in terror. Something was horribly wrong, but what?
Suddenly, an owl screeched and birds of every kind took flight. Raising her nose she sniffed, and caught the faint sent of smoke. Terror filled her heart as well. A forest fire! Stumbling in her shock Nadia wheeled about and began crashing through the undergrowth not caring about the ruckus she made. There was no greater threat than a forest fire. But she was just a human. Heat was washing over her in waves, hotter than ten thousand forges. Glancing back she saw thick smoke hovering strangely still over the flames, as there was no wind to blow it. Just as she thought that, a faint brush of a breeze touched her arm. Oh, no.
As if it had been waiting for just that moment the fire roared like a lion and jumped as powerfully as a cougar into the tree tops. With much roaring and crackling it leapt through the branches like a monkey. She knew with, dreadful certainty, that she could not out run it. The fire drew nearer. Nadia prepared to die -
Screaming Nadia jerked up in bed. All around her girls were awaking. It was all right, just a dream. Suddenly her nose caught the sent of smoke. Jumping from her bed she screamed at the girls. "GET UP! FIRE! THERE'S A FIRE!" Throwing open the door she was met with the same intense heat from her dream and pitch black smoke. Slamming the door shut she looked around. All the girls were up. Clare was standing motionless. They were terrified. Nadia didn't know what to do. She was frozen in terror. There was nowhere to run.
BAM! Anni, the eldest of the girls had thrown her box of belongings at the old window. It fell apart instantly. "Take off your bed sheets!" she demanded. Nadia was screaming. Five other girls had knotted the bed sheets together quickly. Fire was licking at the doorframe. Marie threw the sheets out the window and girls started rushing down. Even Ellie, who was terrified of heights, was scrambling down the makeshift latter with ease. Nadia was fighting to get to the front of the crowd. Mindless terror drove her to forget all sense of politeness or order. Shoving Jane aside she scrambled down the ladder and sprinted away from the burning house. She ran past the clump of girls standing with Mama Iva and kept going, only to be caught by a man standing with the water mages, helping to put out the fire.
"Easy girl, it's all okay now," but Nadia wasn't hearing his words. Her large brown eyes were wild with fright, rolling crazily like a trapped horse. Screaming and struggling she tried to escape his grasp. Startled, he strengthened his grip. "Really, it's okay," he gasped as he tried to keep a hold on her. "The fire is under control now. You're safe."
Still Nadia struggled, the whites of her eyes reflecting an inhuman fear. Wildly she writhed in his arms. After what seemed like forever to the Water Mage, a healer hurried over to magic her to sleep.
"What was wrong with her?!" He asked, shaken.
"I don't know. That was most certainly different."
