Author's Note: This is a backstory written for a character I play in an original campaign world (one which I have the joy of experiencing, but can claim no credit in creating). The system is modified off of 2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons.

The main character, Anna Eris'ei, or Eris, is currently a Level 10 Fighter, Level 1 Champion (Prestige). She's a Chaotic-Neutral, dual-wielding, fearless warrior. Stats, for anyone who's interested in that sort of thing, are: 18 / 18 / 20 / 9 / 11 / 18. Basically, she can put a lot of hurting on things.

This starts off roughly two years before she joined the adventuring party that became the party she's with now.

Rating is for violence, language, and sexual themes (though generally no overly explicit sexual content).

Chapter One
THE CALM BEFORE

"Four things greater than all things are,
Women and Horses and Power and War."
- Rudyard Kipling; The Ballad of the King's Jest

* * * * *

Cecily Eris'ei
Mother of Two, Horse Rancher's Widow, Innocent Bystander

Cecily Eris'ei paused by one of the ranch house's windows. Setting down the hoof-picks and spare horseshoes she'd just washed, the widow smiled as she looked across her grounds. In the distance, Alain and Anna were busy training: or at least, Alain was training. Anna, on the other hand, was giving her brother hell and a half -- goading him, out-pacing him, always at least a horse-length out of reach. Her black hair flew out behind her like a banner, the sun beating down hard shadows beneath flying hooves.

The two of them were great horsemen, surely, but it was clear that Anna was the better rider. The girl might as well have been born half horse; Anna could push the beasts to limits that Cecily wouldn't have thought otherwise possible. And for a family whose horse farm had passed down through generations of tenders and trainers, that was no small compliment.

I need to bring them some water, Cecily thought to herself. The past few days had been tortuously hot. She knew that the two of them would know better than to overwork the horses in this heat, but they probably had less qualms about overworking themselves. Anna especially. Alain had much more sense than his sister, that was certain; Cecily imagined that was why Anna looked up so much to her brother. They were practically inseparable, and Cecily was grateful that Alain had such a good head on his shoulders. She didn't doubt that it'd saved her daughter on numerous occasions.

Like now, for instance. She watched as the girl pushed herself up, standing on the saddle rather than sitting. As if that wasn't bad enough, the horse obediently galloping under her, Anna tossed the reins down, too. She must have been guiding the steed by vocal cues, because it still turned about smoothly under her. Alain pointed at her, shouting something, and Anna laughed back, grinning widely. Cecily knew that grin, and it always made her stomach twist a little to see it: reckless, feral.

Unnervingly familiar.

Rather than watch the display of physical prowess and riding capability, Cecily turned away. Alain would take care of her, as he always did. The widow once more set about her chores, trying not to think about the seed of wild darkness that grew in her daughter. All she could do was refuse to nurture it, and hope that it never bloomed.

Alain Eris'ei
Son, Older Brother, Inherited All the Common Sense

Alain wasn't surprised at what he was seeing: his sister, throwing caution to the wind as she usually did and standing upon the back of a running mount. Then she let the reins fall as well, and he frowned. How foolish could she be? Damn her, the girl had to get burned twice before she learned not to touch an open flame.

"Anna! Stop that! You're going to break your neck!" She just laughed at him. It was infuriating, of course, but marvelous, too. He slowed his mount to a stop, and watched her. She was showing off, and if he protested too heavily, he knew it'd only make her try harder. Alain was jealous at the ease she had in coaxing the stallion The creature's large ears flicked back and forth, listening to her cluck and hiss as she directed the him with nothing but her voice. She'd crouched low, strong legs absorbing the rolling motion of the gallop. Anna was almost as tall as he was, and at fifteen years old, she was some five years younger.

His sister was leading the steed somewhere, and as Alain looked across the loose-soil of the training ring, he saw her target: one of the hurdles they'd set up last week. Alain groaned, and then grit his teeth together. Telling her not to be an idiot was practically stronger encouragement than cheering her on. Anna whistled between her teeth, and the mount broke into a full-out run. She leaned into the motion, arms brought up in front of her, her elbows tucking in and out as counter-balances. Alain held his breath as his sister charged for the hurdle. Her steed did not shy away from the obstacle, but leaped over it, cleanly clearing the top wooden bar.

For a moment Anna herself was airborne: her boots lifted off the saddle. With nothing else to hold onto, her body followed the steed's motion. It was strangely graceful, in a way, at least until the landing. Her boots slid on the saddle, and though her legs seemed to take the impact well enough, she was off-balance: Anna teetered for only a moment before her mount kept running, her own momentum all but stopped. She fell backwards, arms pinwheeling once or twice.

Then, as if realizing that there was no salvaging the landing, Anna's body stretched and twisted in the air, turning. She landed hard -- there was no way she could avoid that -- but managed to roll on her shoulder. Kicking his mount into a run, Alain moved over to where Anna lay in the dirt, sprawled out on her back.

She was breathing, that much was good. He swung off of his mount before it stopped moving, and went to kneel by her. The girl was sucking air, the wind obviously knocked out of her, a pinched look of pain on her face. Sweat drenched her brow, just as he knew it soaked his own dark hair. "Are you all right?" He asked, looking down at her.

Anna blinked up at him, eyes squinting from the harsh summer sunlight. Rather than answer him in words, her lips twitched, and then her mouth curled into a smile. She started to laugh, hoarse from the fall, but genuine.

Alain cursed, and kicked a bit of dirt at her, though he was careful to avoid her face. "Dumbass," he growled affectionately. She laughed some more, and then spun, tackling him around the knees. Unable to maintain his balance, Alain fell roughly on his side. They wrestling in the dirt, and once again he was reminded how bloody strong she was. Eventually he won, though he had a sneaking suspicion that she let him. They were both coated in the clay-like soil, clods of it worked into their hair, the stuff painting their bodies like wallowing pigs.

He grunted, rolled over, and pushed himself to his feet. Alain reached a hand down to her. She took it, and he hoisted her up. After they tried to brush themselves off for several minutes (mostly ineffectively), he looked up to see her staring at the sky. The sun was still merciless above them, but there were dark clouds very far in the distance. Still far enough that they might not pass their way, but it was hard to tell.

"Going to storm?" Anna asked, dragging her fingers through her hair, pulling out tiny pebbles.

"Maybe. It's been so damned hot lately, it'd break the heat at least."

She shrugged. "Yep. Storm's fine with me."

Eloquent as always, Alain thought, rolling his eyes. He clapped his sister on her shoulder. "Let's go secure everything, in case it's a bad one."