I know it needs a lot of work... and loads more description... :) But please read and tell me what you think.
~Chapter 1:The Little Village of Desole~
The stables are an evil place. Rarely is there someone guarding it. The poor horses. Do they not deserve as much protections as us humans? And speaking of us humans, do we not need to be comfortable walking into the stable?
Yeah, there may not always be a snake in the stables, but it, if, there just so happens to be one, and you have no weapon, and no one can hear you scream, well you could die. Maybe not if it's just a simple garden snake… but the main point is what if?
Give up Aliana. There's no way you will convince the village counsel the stable is evil…Well, maybe if you said you saw a ghost… I shook my head and walked to the well. The horses needed water. Despite my feelings for the stables, I would push on.
I smiled. I was so dramatic in my mind. Sighing I dropped the bucket down and let it fill up, observing what everyone else in this village was doing. If I thought about it, I would know I was prolonging visiting the stables.
"Hey, Ali! You gonna pull that bucket up or let it sit there?" I grinned, turning towards Tye. Sweet, impressionable, pushover Tye. Sixteen and in love with me, I pitied him. Pitied him so much, that I would let him take care of the horses for me.
"I just need someone strong to pull it up." The look of delight on his face, combined with him walking quickly over and grabbing the rope out of my hand, told me he would gladly go to the stables for me.
He pulled it up without effort and smiled easily at me, trying to keep the look of adoration off of his face. He failed, miserably. "Where to?" I looked at the ground, trying to seem shy and embarrassed to ask him this question.
"I was wondering if you would mind giving water to the horses… I saw a snake yesterday and I am scared to go in there." I glanced up at him expecting that same look of delight. Instead I saw horror. Absolute horror.
"Sn-Snakes? No, no. I'm… I'm sorry but… I c-can't." He ran off. My knight in shining armor, running as if there were hounds upon him. I huffed. It was too much to ask for a break. Scared of snakes! Snakes. As if snakes were really that scary.
I picked up the bucket of water and turned towards the stables. One step, two step, three step… "SOMEONE CATCH MY CHICKEN!" Anyone watching me would have known immediately that I had not been alarmed. As it was, everyone was watching the squawking chicken so me dropping the bucket in pretend fright was unnoticed.
"Oops." I stared at the bucket and the water that was spilt. What was that saying? No use crying over spilt water? Well I definitely support that person's obvious wise words. "Oh! Don't hurt Milly!"
My eyes moved towards the group of people running after the dumb chicken. Oh, wait. Milly. Manae was standing there so distressed about her poor chicken. Manae was the village… well she had no set job. She was however… God forbid… a vegetarian.
She had this insane idea that we were not supposed to eat meat. Nobody knew where she got this idea, but everyone said that she must be a witch. Personally I just thought she was crazy. Not eat meat?
She spent weeks trying to convince everyone that the town butcher, Dugan, was evil. Dugan took this with stride, laughing at her. They were known rivals. At the moment, Dugan was walking towards the chicken with a knife.
"Dugan! If you touch my Milly…" Shaking my head I picked up my bucket and walked back towards the well. Dugan wouldn't kill the chicken. Or, I did not think he would.
I stared down into the well and then slipped the rope around the bucket. Dropping it down I stared at the commotion over the chicken. Dugan had caught the chicken and instead of breaking its neck, handed it to Manae with a charming smile.
Pulling the bucket back up, I grabbed it and walked determinedly to the stables and stopped. Well, what do you know. There was a wagon in my way. The world was trying to tell me something. It was my destiny to not go into the stables. Who am I to go against fate?
So I sat the bucket down and walked away. Yes, now there was a random bucket in front of a wagon. At that, I decided to walk around. Walking around the village proved to be rather amusing. Desole was well-known for being eccentric and really a place for outcasts.
We had people accused of murder (Dugan), accused of witchery (Manae), being a bastard (Tye), liking males (Jared), being a whore (Celeste), and all sorts of other people in our village.
I was just an orphan. Celeste had taken me in when I was younger. She owned the town tavern, taking in wary travelers, being kind to those who couldn't pay, and she occasionally gave in to the occasional handsome man.
Occasionally being at least once a week. I loved her, but how she gave her body freely was beyond me. Men were disgusting scoundrels who thought women should give them everything they wanted.
Scum of the earth, like snakes, they took what they wanted and slithered away. Hmm… now what? Being a very small village, I had walked through it in under ten minutes. Now I was standing in front of Blue Tavern, my home.
Blue faded paint, rotting wood, and a bright red door. Celeste had used her nonexistent creative ability. I wanted to paint that door black. I walked in and saw Celeste leaning over the counter to a leering man.
Noticeably glancing at the goods, I sighed and took in who else was in here. Jared stood towering in the corner, flirting with… a soldier? He was aiming a little too high if the look on that soldiers face said anything.
Tables were in the center of the room, the counters on the left, and the stairs to the bedrooms to the right. In the back was the kitchen and our bedrooms. That area was out of bounds for visitors. With dark wood on the inside and candles burning all around, it might have reminded you of a cave.
Time Celeste saw me she stopped flirting and moved her head towards the back. Oh, great. Now what? The man she was with looked at me and his eyes glossed over. "Who is this?"
Celeste glared. "No one you need to know." I walked for the back door and she followed. Turning time we reached the kitchen, she yelled.
"Aliana! Do not let Narvel kiss you in the stables again. Everyone is all atwitter about it!" Shock. My mouth was wide open and it was all I could do not to start gasping for air. How did that get around? There had been no one in the stable last night.
"Ali!" I swallowed. "What?" Shaking her head she frowned. "I am so disappointed in you. You promised you would tell me when you had your first affair!" I stared at her, wondering how on earth I was supposed to respond.
"I… I didn't want to kiss him." "Oh, honey. Of course you did." "No, no I did not." "Yes you did." "No I didn't!" She smiled all-knowingly. "I get it. Playing hard to get are you?" Groaning, I sat down on a nearby stool. She wasn't going to believe me.
"Yes, I am playing hard to get. I don't want him to think me fast." Shaking her head adamantly she said, "I won't have you becoming one of those women who freely give their favors." I couldn't hold it in. I laughed. How could she believe me? And to think she did not want me to be like her. "You act…" I gasped… "like… you've never done it!" Giggling I grabbed my stomach and took a deep breath. Gaining my composure, I looked up at her and… laughed more. She looked so innocent.
Ha! Celeste innocent. That was a funny idea. "Ahmm." Deeply breathing, I smiled at her. Staring at me in an offended manner she said in an imperious tone, "I will have you know that my men go through a very intense selection process." Now I was curious.
"Based on what?" I stared up at her and a red flush climbed up. Make that really curious. "Come on. Tell me." "Their noses." Thinking I hadn't heard her correctly I said, "What?" "The nose!"
I thought of the idea. Noses? What in the world? "You've got to be kidding me." Shaking her head she looked really embarrassed. "So, what kind of nose are you looking for? Big, small, round, narrow?"
I couldn't help but grin at her. She smiled back. "I don't know. I see the nose… and I get a vibe." Seriously, I was going to break a rib laughing. "Let's get this straight. A guy walks up. No matter how handsome he is, you ignore his features, and look at his nose. And then… zap! You know whether or not you should sleep with him."
She shook her head adamantly. "Yes. Ever since I was small I judged people on their noses." "Are you telling me that you took me in based on my nose?" "Yes. You had very nice nostrils." My hand went up to my nose.
Shaking my head I stood up. "Well, you have customers." She groaned and wrinkled her face. "But that man out there has weird nose." Laughing I walked to my room. Every day, I wondered about Celeste's sanity. Obviously she was crazy.
I took my boots off and sat down, barely glancing about. My room was nothing special. Just a bed and a dresser. Looking out my small window, I saw the forest. It was called Sorrows. Of course that's what us peasants called it. The King called it Eidolon.
Yawning I leaned back. Soon it would be dark. I was tired. I spent the entire day trying to convince myself to take care of the… HORSES! I shot up. Those poor beasts. No water all day.
But they are in the stables, and living in the stables has consequences. I shrugged and laid back down. I could sleep. Someone else would do it. They would be fine. Strong beasts… horses. Living in such an…. Evil place. I slowly drifted off, dreaming about snakes.
You know, sleep is supposed to be a time to rest. Without interruption. Dreaming about nice fluffy things. Or that's my idea. Instead, snakes slithered everywhere around me. Never biting, never showing their fangs, but slithering all the same.
That annoying motion, back and forth. And to top it all off, this one snake came up saying my name. "Ali…" "Ali…" Each time, getting more forceful. Stupid snakes weren't supposed to talk. Just slither. "ALI!"
I jumped up and knew two things. One, it was midnight. Two, there was someone next to me. I attempted to scream but a hand came up over my mouth. Now how did he… I tried to see who it was. "It's okay. I just want to finish what we started."
Narvel. Snake. In my bed. What the hell? I tried to move, but some how his arm was holding me. Lovely. Trapped in my room… how did he get in here? I looked up at the window. The moon was shining and he was way too fat to fit through there.
"Celeste told me you wanted me tonight." She wouldn't, no. He nibbled at my ear. Cannibal. Moving his arm, he climbed over me pinning me down. Now this I could work with. I wiggled and I heard him chuckle. "I knew you were interested."
I slipped my hand under my pillow, thanking God that I had went to Jared's. My hand gripped the knife and as Narvel rolled off of me to take off his pants, I readied the knife. When he turned back towards me, I put my knife pressing against his stomach.
"Put your pants back on. And get out of my room. I do not want to finish anything, and I suggest from now on, that you stay the hell away from me." The moonlight struck his face, and I saw fear.
Good. "Come on Ali." "Get out." He put up his hands and backed away. I didn't look down. I may have been curious, but this was Narvel. Narvel, the magician. Or so he said.
Well, if he was a magician, then he would cast a love spell. If I was a magician, I would banish him to a hole somewhere. I glanced away, listening to him pulling his pants up. "You will regret this." I looked at him. "What?" "You will come to regret this passing." He walked away.
Talk about ominous. I looked at my knife. Handy thing. Putting it back under my pillow, I decided it was time to visit Jared's again. Maybe get a knife to keep in my boot. Just in case.
Waking up that morning at dawn, I got dressed quickly, wanting to visit Jared's before he got started. He may have been exiled for liking men, but people came from all around for his weaponry and tools.
Six foot tall, tan, and very muscular, Jared was not what you would expect. He had a cat, named Happy. He loved that cat. I knocked on his door. "Come in!" I opened the door and… "Why are you in a dress?" He laughed.
"Oh, I was wondering what it was like. You know me. All curious and what not." I stared. "Are you enjoying yourself?" "Yes! I think it flatters my curves!" He was grinning from ear to ear. Did I mention everyone was eccentric?
"Jared, how did you become a blacksmith?" He was… twirling? "Oh, it runs in the family." "Sure… it does." He was humming. "Dum… dum dum dum." I shook my head. Was I the only normal one in this place? He stopped mid-twirl. "What did you need?" "A new knife."
He frowned. Well, it was better than twirling. "I thought I already gave you one." "I need another." "Why?" "MEOW!" The delighted look on his face was amusing. "Happy!" He pranced, yes pranced, to the cat and hugged him close.
Well then. I started to observe the dress. It fit him, well. Pink, slightly frilly, and very elegant. "Where did you get that dress?" Still hugging Happy, he said, "Oh, I made it myself. How do you like it?" I gulped. "It is beautiful." The sad thing was, I was not lying.
He walked… maybe glided was the word, towards me. Handing my Happy, he said, "Well, I always said that I could be a seamstress." I coughed violently, upsetting Happy, who immediately jumped out of my arms.
Jared looked concerned. "Maybe you should go see Mistress Lily with that cough." "No, no… I'm fine. I just want a knife." Talk about suicide. Mistress Lily was famous for her potions. Calling herself a nurse was too much. She didn't heal people. She made them sicker.
Jared sighed. "Knife this. Knife that. Why does nobody come to talk to me?" He looked so upset that I said, "Well, would you like me to visit more?" He looked excited. "You would do that?" "Yes?" God, he had to be desperate. "Okay! I'll go get you a knife and then we'll drink tea."
I resisted groaning. "Are you going to change?" He turned his head back towards me. "No, I like the way it feels." He walked out of his living room into what he called his "Dream". That was his bedroom. I'd never been in there. No one had. Made you curious as to what he meant.
I sighed and moved to sit down. He had a nice place. It extended out to the armory and his forge. When he came out he was still in the dress. I knew it was too much to hope he had changed his mind.
He smiled and held up a knife no longer than my foot. He handed it to me and I gasped at the intricate details. "This is wonderful." "I was inspired by the moonlight. It spoke to me." Spinning leaves were engraved on the handle. "How much do you want for it?"
He looked very much offended. Great, I offended him because I wanted to pay. "I would not dare ask you to pay for this knife. After all, you are a guest." My head was truly spinning as he went to make what I assumed was tea.
Maybe I should go see Mistress Lily. I had to be losing my mind. "I see happy teapots, everywhere…" Jared was singing. Maybe he was losing his mind. Yeah, that makes much more sense.
"Happy teapots!" To stop him from singing I spoke up. "So, how have you been?" "Absolutely, positively, WONDERFUL" I winced. Still singing. I couldn't resist. "Have you been drinking?"
"Oh, yes. I had some rum earlier and I drank Mistress Lily's tonic. Everyone said not to trust her, but I've never felt better!" He tapped. Wait, were those heels? I blinked. Yep. Nice pink ones.
"Don't you think you are acting a little… well, different?" He had the cups and was pouring the tea when he said, "Well Lily said I might feel invincible, have some… hallucin-what nots, and I think she said that I could pass out. Doesn't matter though. I thought the good things outweighed the bad."
Yeah… right. Bringing the tea over he handed me cup. I stared at it. It reminded me of those fancy china cups I had never seen. He sat down. This was so awkward. He crossed his legs. I wanted out of here.
I started noticing my surroundings. The inside of Jared's house was… light blue. It was welcoming with his arrangement of chairs and a fireplace to the side. With the kitchen area in the corner and a dining table set in the middle of the entire room, it truly was nice.
I sipped at my tea expecting something to be wrong with it. "Mmmm…." "Do you like it?" I nodded, still sipping. "I would have never thought Lily's tonics would taste so good." I spit it out. I coughed. I stood up and did not look him in the eye. "I just remembered that I need to do something. Thanks for the… knife and tea." He waved his free hand. "Bye!" I ran out, placing the knife in my boot.
I could not believe he had given me that. Tea does not mean tonic! What if it permanently changed my brain? I needed to visit Lily, now. She lived next to the only pond here. Lake water was one of her main ingredients, or so I had heard.
Being housed in a shack falling apart, her living conditions were not the best, but she told everyone that she loved the mold and wet wood. Probably used it for her "tonic". When I got there, she was dancing in the her front yard. "Hey-ya-ya-ya!
"Excuse, me!" She stopped and eyeing me, she must have thought I was a customer because she said, "Oh, little dearie. I know exactly what you need. Let me go get…" "No." Disconcerted, she twiddled her thumbs. "What do you need then?"
"What did you give Jared, and what does it do?" She smiled at me. "Oh, it's a happiness potion. Makes you do things that make you happy." I thought back to what he had been doing. Well, it had worked. "When does it wear off?" "About three days after your last cup." "WHAT?" She blinked at me, not saying a word.
"How much do you have to take for it to work?" "At least one tea cup." Thank God. I was safe from the effects of happiness. I needed a drink. "Oh, I have just the thing!" Did I say that out loud? Backing away I shook my head. "No, no. I'm fine. I'm going to go." I pointed the other way. Crestfallen, she pouted. I would NOT feel sorry for her.
Oh, were those tears? NO! I walked away quickly. The village was starting to wake up, which meant it was time for me to take a bath. A nice, warm, bubbly bath. Oh the joy.
Later that evening, I was manning the tavern when suddenly I heard yelling and screaming outside. It wasn't the yearly festival… so there was no reason for chaos. Walking outside, I saw soldiers everywhere. The village was just standing there… screaming? The soldiers looked scared. I was right there with them.
Leaning towards Tye, I asked, "Why are you screaming?" He stopped and smiled real big. "Coalman thought we needed to seem possessed so they would go away. He doesn't want us to be overcrowded. Isn't he smart?"
God help us. Or the soldiers. Speaking of which, why were there soldiers?
I hope you enjoyed it! Please review and tell me what you think. Good or bad.
P.S-Tell me if you'd like to live in Desole... I know I would :D
