Quick note: Hi everyone! Brand new to this site and seeing if I have any potential to post stuff here. Just a short one for now. Hope you enjoy!
The lush green grass of the meadow swayed back and forth with barely a whisper, lightly brushing Alm's hair and tickling his ears. This was always his favourite spot to come when Grandfather wasn't training him in the sword, but today it looked especially beautiful. The pink and yellow daisies exploded into colour when the sun shone on them like it did today, and he felt as though he was floating on a tranquil sea. Life in Zofia was always peaceful, but here in Ram Village, time felt like it could stand still.
As nice as it was to have some time to lounge about, Alm was beginning to feel bored. Grandfather had been gone for a couple of days now and there was little to do without his training to take up his time. His friends were usually around to play or go exploring, but they always had to turn in for the night eventually - even Faye, who would often ignore her parents until one of them stormed over, red in the face, to drag her home.
Alm heard footsteps approaching fast through the grass and sat up, shielding his eyes from the Sun. The figure came into focus and he saw Tobin kicking up pollen and flower heads in his wake.
"Alm!' he gasped, bending over as he caught his breath. "Sir Mycen!"
"Grandfather?" Alm felt uneasy. "Is he alright?"
"He's fine, but… he's brought this girl with him. He won't tell us who she is, he shouted at everyone to clear out of the way and took her back to your house."
"A girl? Are you sure?"
"Totally! Kliff and Gray saw her too, you can ask them."
"And she's at my house?" Alm searched his memory for who she could be, but nobody came to mind. Grandfather was his only family. He had no cousins that he knew of, and certainly no sisters. What made this girl so important that Grandfather brought her home and hid her from the rest of the village?
He had to find out.
Stretching casually, trying to hide his intrigue, he got to his feet. "Probably nothing, Tobin. My grandfather's a knight, remember? He's probably just found a girl who got lost from her village and he'll take her back soon."
Tobin crossed his arms. "How many villages near here do you know about?"
"Well, I… ah come on, you don't know any either!"
"There aren't any! Whoever this girl is, your grandpa's brought her a long way from home."
Something about that comment made Alm feel a chill. He shook it off. "Maybe. I'll see what the story is. Come on."
They began to head for home together. Tobin was chattering away, something about Kliff delivering a smart comeback to another boy in the village, but Alm's mind was buzzing with ideas and questions about this girl. Where did she come from? Was she going to live with them? Maybe she was royalty, or knew how to ride a pegasus, or knew magic, or…
"Alm! Hello?!"
A pair of fingers snapped in front of his face and he jumped, suddenly back in the present. Without realising, he and Tobin had walked all the way up to the village walls.
Tobin glared at him. "Have you been daydreaming over everything I've said?"
"Erm… yes?"
Tobin sighed. "Never mind. You go see your grandpa, I'll see ya later."
He turned and set off up the path that led to his family's home, on the other side of the square. Mycen and Alm's home was further to the west side of the village, set further out than the others. Now that he was alone he couldn't contain his excitement, and he sprinted up the dirt road. A man carrying a big pile of firewood wandered into his path, and Alm nearly bowled him over in his haste. The man called after him but Alm couldn't hear him, nor would he care if he could. Someone new had come to Ram Village.
He arrived home, his head swimming with elation. Grandfather was definitely home. His huge warhorse, a fierce and proud creature, was hitched outside. Alm noticed that it was still saddled. Grandfather really was in a hurry to get this girl away from prying eyes, whoever she was. He approached the door and pushed it, but it was locked fast. Another curiosity - Grandfather never locked the door unless he and Alm were going out of the village.
Alm hammered on the battered old wood with a fist.
"Come back later," boomed the voice of Sir Mycen from the other side.
"Grandfather, it's me!" shouted Alm.
"Alm." He heard his Grandfather murmuring to someone else. The girl.
Footsteps approached the door swiftly, the lock thudded heavily, and the door opened just enough for Mycen to look through. He glanced at Alm, then looked past his and seemed to study the rest of the world for a moment. I've never seen him act this way, thought Alm.
After several moments, Mycen opened the door a little more.
"Quickly," he snapped.
Alm slipped sideways through the crack. The door slammed shut behind him the moment he was inside, and Mycen relocked it. The house was dimly lit, with most of the windows blocked with heavy old curtains. Beside the door, leaning against the wall, was Mycen's pike and his sword. They looked cleaned and sharpened.
His grandfather turned and looked at him. He tried to smile, but Alm could see that it was forced. He realised that he knew this expression; it was the same one he'd seen the first time he asked about his parents.
"It's good to see you, my boy," said Mycen. "I'm sorry to have left you so long this time."
"That's alright, Grandfather," he said. "I know you wouldn't have gone if it wasn't important."
Mycen nodded. "Indeed. I take it one of the other village tadpoles has informed you of our guest?"
"The girl?" Alm blurted out, louder than he meant to.
Mycen frowned disapproval, but didn't answer straight away. He broke off his gaze and looked thoughtful. As Alm waited, he realised he could faintly smell smoke on his grandfather.
"The girl," Mycen echoed. "It's important that you meet her. Come."
He led Alm through the front room into the back. The fire was lit, throwing light and warmth into the room. The silhouette of a small, thin girl was sat in front of it, huddled in a blanket and sipping something hot from a cup. She turned and looked at them, first Mycen and then Alm. She seemed to stiffen and freeze when she saw him, and he felt himself do the same. Her hair was a vibrant orange, held in a yellow ribbon tied into a bow. It cascaded and curled around her face, framing her delicate features. Her eyes were a big and curious, similar in colour to her hair. She pulled the blanket closer around her delicate collarbones and managed a nervous smile. Alm's heart climbed into his throat. She was captivating.
He realised that he was gawking at her, and he tried to mirror her smile. "H-hello. I'm Alm. What's your name?"
The girl's eyes grew wide, and for some reason she glanced at Mycen. He cleared his throat and spoke for her.
"This is Celica. She's going to be staying with us for a while."
"Celica," repeated Alm. He smiled as warmly as he could manage. "Alright then, Celica. Welcome to Ram Village."