The Story Of A Sister - Valentine's Day
The sun was rising when I got up, stretching my limbs. It was the 14th of the second month this year. Nothing special to me, but since the last few days I had seen many girls and women reminding their partners of that date. Valentine's Day.
I shrugged the thought off. I didn't need something like that. I got my brother Thane and his awesome friends Marek, Dagen and Teela.
My brother was already up, preparing for his date with Teela and I waved him goodbye when I left the room we rented at Hammerhead's.
As I walked down the stairs the old dwarf looked at me for a short time, I got a small nod from him and nodded in return, before I walked out. Outside I was bewildered as Thanes friend Dagen was standing there, obviously waiting for something or someone. As he saw me he walked towards me, 'till he was right in front of me.
"Morning Missy." he greeted me. I looked at him, noticing that something wasn't normal. So I asked him. "Morning Dagen, how can I help you?" He started smiling. But he seemed nervous to me.
"Uhm.. I need your help. I was planning on giving a gift for Marek, but there has been a problem. It takes more time than I thought, but I promised her to meet her in an hour. Therefore that's why I wanted to ask you, if you would help me getting the present for her. I would be very grateful." he said. I sighed.
So that would be my Valentine's Day, it seemed. But I nodded anyway . "Okay, I will. Just tell me what it is and where I can fetch it." Dagen was smiling widely as I said this and pulled me in a tight embrace. "Thank you very much!" With these words he told me, where I had to collect the gift.
So I went to the town's goldsmith and picked up the gift. He had much work the last few weeks. So I guess that was why Dagen had asked me to pick it up today.
The goldsmith was an old man with silver hair and hands like bear paws. But his work was delicate and beautiful. I told him that I was here to get something for Dagen and he nodded, but his eyes looked at me warily. "You should be careful who your friends are, young lady." he said to me, but I looked at him in slightly angry. "That is none of your business." I told him, and he nodded again, while handing over the present Dagen ordered. It had already been paid for.
"Farewell, sir!" with these words I left the the smithy.
I took a deep breath, because I was pissed off by this man. How dare he speak like this about Dagen? I tried to calm down and succeed after I beathed deeply for a moment.
On the market I saw Teela, her red hair was shining like rubies and her dress was wonderful. She always looked more like a princess than a priestess. I walked over to her.
"Hello Teela! Nice to meet you here. How are you doing?" I asked her. She smiled at me, as I spoke to her. She smiled gently at me with her deep red lips. "Hello Missy, glad to see you. I'm fine, and you? What are you doing here? Meeting a mysterious friend?" she asked me while my face went red. "Me? No! I'm doing Dagen a favor, fetching something for Marek while he is distracting her." I told her nervously. Teela chuckled, which let her voice sound like high pitched bells. Melodious. I loved her voice. "I'm sure you will have your own Valentine and not just making the day for others." she said to me. I nodded, but I wasn't sure if I was being honest or not.
"What are you doing here?" I asked then to change the subject a bit. Her smile grew even wider.
"Thane asked me to come here. I'm sure he will be here soon." she replied, so I grinned widely. "He will be here soon, I'm sure." I told her, then waved at her. "See you later. Maybe tonight. Have fun!" with these words and without giving her a chance to talk even more about Valentine's Day I vanished in the crowd.
I crossed the market and looked around as I saw a man that made me smile widely. It was Thane, my dear brother.
"What are you doing here?" he asked me. He was trembling and I guessed that Teela was the reason, because he held a little present in his hands. His fingers were holding it tightly and I couldn't help but smile. I hugged my big brother. "I'm just here, because Dagen asked me to do him a favor. Everything's alright." In my arms I felt him calming down a bit.
"I guess you are on your way to meet Teela?" I asked him. He nodded again nervously. "I got her a gift.", he replied in a shaky voice. I was all smiles, hugging him again. "I'm sure she will love it. Don't worry!" I encouraged him. After I let go of him, he seemed to be calmer. "And you, did you get any presents?" he asked me. My eyes were wandering off to my feet. I have pretty nice feet, I guess. "I take that as a no!" he continued. I shrugged. "Nothing important. I don't like Valentine's Day anyway." My brain was searching for another subject to talk about when he gave me a kiss on my forehead.
"Don't worry. I'm sure you will be drowned in flowers and gifts. But be careful. If someone hurts you, I will let them feel my rage." he told me. I was giggling. It was so sweet how my brother cared about me. "Thank you Thane, and now go on! Go to Teela and have a nice Valentine's Day!" I told him, pushing him gently in the right direction. We laughed and he glanced at me one last time before he walked away.
Me and drowning in flowers! No thanks! Grinning in amusement I went to the place Dagen wanted to meet me, he wasn't there yet, so I had to wait, leaning against a a stack of wood.
While waiting I saw something weird. I saw a thief who stole something from a man in a black cloak. I couldn't see the face of the man, but he was turning around looking for the thief. I heard a furious voice, that made me tremble. The thief was rushing down the road. Since I didn't know any better, I took a log from the stack, throwing it between the legs of the thief.
He tripped and fell, but jumped on his feet again and ran as fast as he could. At the place he tripped there was lying a purse. I bent down to pick it up. Then I turned around to look for its owner, as the man in that black cloak all of a sudden appeared right in front of me. I stumbled back, because he surprised me and I was a little afraid of him. Damn, he was tall. "That is mine!" he stated, holding out his hand for it. My hands were shaking. His voice was cold and husky and frightened me a bit, but without hesitating, I returned the purse to him. My eyes went up to his face, but I couldn't see much under his hood. Only that his skin was pale. His hands grabbed the purse in my hand.
"Uhm, of course, I'm very sorry." I hated my voice for shaking at this moment, but I cringed even more when I felt his cold hand on mine, and when I say cold, I mean freaking cold like ice. He took the purse and it disappeared under his cloak.
"No need to, you helped me to get it back." he chuckled, I guess because I was shaking this much. His voice was really scary and it scared me even more now that I heard him chuckle. I tried to control myself, gulping hard while raising my voice again.
"So, have a nice day, sir. And a happy Valentine's Day." I saw him freeze in his actions for a moment, looking at me baffled.
Damn, I was so dump, wishing creepy strangers a happy Valentine's Day.
While I wished I could hit me hard for that foolish and naive sentence, he chuckled again. He seemed to have been confused before, which now had turned to amusement. "Thank you for your help and everything else. May I know your name?"
At that moment I got a new hobby. Gulping.
Should I tell him? I mean, he was scary. A tall scary man with hands cold as ice, skin pale as bone and a voice that could cause my next nightmares.
"Well, m-my friends call me Missy. A-and you are?" I was stuttering and trying to be polite as he took my hand and planted a kiss on it.
"Then farewell, Missy!" this were his last words before he turned around and left me behind.
What the freaking hell had that been? I didn't have the time to follow him, because Dagen was standing in front of me suddenly. "Hey Missy. Sorry, I'm late. Did you have to wait for long?" he asked me in a concerned voice. I shook my head after I had been jumping a bit because of his appearance.
I handed over the gift and saw the rogue in front of me smiling brightly. "Thank you very much. I owe you something!" He hugged me, before he turned around and walked over where I could see Marek. I smiled at her, waving my hand. She raised hers smiling a bit, but clearly confused. Then Dagen gave her the present. I saw her unwrap it in confusion, then her eyes went wide, her lips were moving and then she smiled brightly, throwing her arms around his neck. I smiled. They were both so cute.
I made my way back to the Inn. Happy Valentine's Day to me, I thought. I wished, that someone would care for me that much as my brother did for Teela, and Dagen did for Marek. But who should that be?
When I entered my room I walked over to the window. I was surprised to find it open. Maybe Thane had forgotten to close it. I sat down there and looked outside the window, thinking about how strange this day had been. Thanks to my brother and his friends my life was anything but normal. But this stranger? As I got up from the windows sill I saw something lying on my bed.
There was something waiting for me. Looked like a present.
Maybe Thane wanted to make me smile.
It was wrapped in red silk. I pulled at the black ribbon around it and opened it. Thane surely wanted to make me think that there was a man who was in love with me, I thought. My brother could be that cute but that silly sometimes, thinking that I wouldn't see what he was doing.
There was a scarlet rose, a silver bracelet with a deep red garnet pendant and a card. By the feathers of Ana-Sett, what had Thane done?
I took the card, sitting down on my bed, the rose and the bracelet in my lap. I couldn't believe that anyone would do that for me.
Slowly I read the letters on the card and was shocked that it wasn't close to any handwriting I recognized. Not Thane's, Dagen's, neither Marek's nor Teela's:
"Thank you for your help before, Missy. Maybe we'll meet again.
Happy Valentine's Day."
No name, but he thanked me. Could it be the man in the black cloak from the market, who scared the hell out of me before? I was confused. Who was this man?
Later that evening I met my brother and the others of the Red Thorns downstairs in the tavern. Dagen seemed to be the first one who saw the bracelet dangling from my wrist. I didn't know what I had been thinking while putting it on. But it was beautiful and it was my first Valentine's Day present after all.
It was from a mysterious guy, who scared everything out of me, but after all he hadn't done my any harm and he had put effort into me that. Maybe I was naïve but I was wearing it for now.
"Did you have a nice Valentine's Day, Missy?" he asked me, a cheeky grin on his face. I blinked in confusion, then looked at the bracelet. "Oh, you're talking about this? No, I helped someone before. This was his way to thank me." I told him. "A noble man? Who?" he asked. Everyone was looking at me, but I shrugged. "I have no idea! Didn't even see his face." I told them.
Thane looked at me in concern, while Marek changed the subject asking Teela and Thane how their day had been. I gave her a smile.
Maybe she thought that I should just be happy having gotten such a gift. Maybe she was just tired hearing wild stories about mysterious men. But I thanked her for saving me from more questions.
I didn't want to tell all of them about that stranger. All I could say was, that he was scary, but somehow he was nice too.
Thane and Teela were smiling at each other like sun and moon. They were so cute together. Talking about their romantic day they had spent with each other.
I listened to them for a while, 'till my mind wandered off.
Who was this man with these cold pale hands and this terrifying voice and would I ever see him again?
To be continued …