Title- A Journey

Written by- wolf-sister

Chapter 1- Breaking Free

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The girl with raven black hair down to her waist scanned the small village she grew up in again, taking in all the small things she knew she'd miss, but not admitting it. Her green eyes shone with anticipation and she was sure she wasn't making a mistake.

Slowly turning her back to the village she remembered the uproar she caused at home when on her sixteenth naming day she announced she was going to leave.

~~~~~

There was a family sat around a table: at the head a man of middle years, muscular from his work at a nearby farm, his wife a small women with wrinkles at her brown eyes and an apron showing she looked after the house and those who resided within it. Sat at opposite sides of the table were two teenagers the older being a lad of eighteen, muscular from helping his father but retaining a look of mischief that all would be hard pressed to forget with his almost weekly pranks. The younger being a sixteen-year-old girl her green eyes showing slight worry at something that was still yet to come.

"I've cooked your favourite dinner, it is after all your naming day." The mother said to her daughter, who gave a small smile in reply.

*I have to tell them soon, * she thought to herself.

The meal took place with the usual brothers taunting, but this time the girl barely said anything. This changed when it came to washing up the dishes.

Taking a deep breath she told them her news, "I've decided that I want to leave the village, I want to travel."

She looked around at her assembled family, her dad had a disapproving look in his green eyes, he had always thought people should stay where their roots were. Her brother was nodding to himself, he knew his little sister couldn't stay stuck in one small village, marrying and tending a house and family.

"You better be kidding young lady." And then there was her mum.

"I'm not. This is something I feel I need to do. If I stay here, I will never truly be happy." She knew that her mum wanted her to be happy. What mother wouldn't? Both she and her mum knew this.

~~~~~

And that was how she ended up walking away from everything she knew.

"Kitara," a voice yelled from behind her. She stopped but didn't turn around; she had already said good-bye to her home.

"Kitara," it came again slightly more breathless, he had obviously been running to catch up. "Wait, I am coming with you." With this she had to turn around and a fine sight met her eyes. Phlex, the one people thought she would've married was stood there with a bow across his back and a full quiver at his side, a quarter staff in his hand and a sure smile on his face as if to say, and there's nothing you can do about it.

"Think again," she said anger touching her green eyes. The idea was for her to make a clean break but with him tagging along she would be constantly reminded of what could have been.

"I want to come, and besides it wouldn't be right to leave you defenceless," he sounded so sure that it was the proper thing to do that Kitara couldn't help but laugh.

"Come on then," she told him, granting permission yet hoping he would change his mind.

*Defenceless?* She thought, smiling softly to herself, but little did he, or anyone else for that matter, know that she was far from defenceless.