Fanfiction: Fable
Type: Alternate Universe
Words: 1460
Theresa's Tale: Chapter Zero
A harsh voice woke Theresa from her slumber. It took her a moment to realize that it wasn't directed at her- and another to realize that she wasn't in Oakvale. Unlike 'normal' days, if a day could be termed 'normal,' there was no scent of pine trees and rosewood to accompany it. No fresh air to herald a new morning, or prenatural dampness to herald a storm. No- what made it unique was that there was nothing. No smells at all, unless what she highly suspected was the faint scent of her own vomit clinging to her shirt counted. For a second her mind was left blank- why, no, where was she? This couldn't be Oakvale… Oakvale was a bustling, lively oceanfront village. This place was…
"Something's wrong. The prophecy spoke of a boy-"
"Something's always wrong. And prophecies can be misinterpreted dear Guildmaster. You can check if you wish, but I'm certain that this one is a girl."
Theresa knew she should have felt somewhat alarmed by the statement, but for some reason she couldn't even muster the energy to care. She had read before, in her mother's small library, about a condition known as shock. Her family was dead or dying, everything and everyone she knew was gone… and her brother… She choked back a sob. It wasn't fair.
"But the prophecy-"
"Prophecy smophecy. That 'destiny' crap is, if you'll excuse the implications Guildmaster, for idiots."
"You-"
"Aren't Maze. That's quite right. I'm only number two when it comes to magic.
There was a note of pain, of strain that crept into the harshness of her rescuer's voice. She wondered if she had misjudged him. She shook her mental head. Nah- that was probably a one-time thing. There were only so many people with horns, red eyes and followed by a cloud of bloodflies. Most of them were evil. Veery evil. It took her a minute to realize, but she finally noticed that had been drifting asleep and had lost a good portion of the conversation.
"I suppose that'll be for the best then," the older voice said heavily, the weariness pounding on Theresa's ears like the surf of the beach, filling her head with cotton. She wondered, idly, if this was also some sort of magic before her knowledge of the outside world shut down completely.
Raise her well, Guildmaster... Sweet dreams little one- and have a good life.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
"You're getting better, Farm-Girl." The chocolate-skinned girl grinned as Theresa groaned from her strategically inconvenient location known as the ground. "Keep on improving at this rate and you might actually hit me one day."
"Grag." The defeated teen proclaimed as she fought to stand up. "I'll… getchoo… next…" Whisper sighed dramatically and hoisted the semi-conscious girl up. "Yes, yes, next time. Of course. Now do you want apple or rhubarb pie, Farm-girl? Madam Malkin promised me…" she chuckled, realizing the girl was fast asleep. "Oh well, next time I guess. Favours wait till' they're repaid after all."
Snores answered her and she chuckled all the harder.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
"Thish weally gwood." The little girl said, her mouth full of sweetmeats. "Ow much cosht?"
The baker named a figure and the little girl nodded, peering suspiciously into her moneybag. It had grown notably smaller since her stay here and she was clearly unhappy about that fact. Reaching in, the small fingers grabbed a few gold coins and slapped them onto the counter.
"Thank you for your patronage!" She heard as she dashed away to the next stall to grab her interest.
"It's the guildmaster's money anyways," she thought pragmatically to herself. "And he's got lots of it, so he won't miss it."
"Ooooo! Chicken pie! And a fishing rod!"
"And you say that it's the first time you've ever seen a bow?" The instructor asked, disbelief coloring his features so strongly that Theresa came within a hairsbreadth of saying 'no' and taking her place back with the other apprentice heroes.
"Ummm… yes?"
"Amazing… simply amazing. Even Wea- pardon- the guildmaster himself didn't have this much natural talent. Many heroes never learn to appreciate the Art of…"
And as their archery instructor babbled about how great archery was and how much talent Theresa had, the little girl tried to endure the thirty pairs of hostile eyes drilling into her backside. Her parents had drilled her to speak honestly, and it wasn't because they were dead that she was about to do any differently. Still, she wished that their instructor didn't make that big a deal out of the shot…
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
"She did what?" The Guildmaster roared. Thunder roared right back at him. "She dragged Whisper in with her! I knew that Farmgirl was trouble!"
"How did they escape? And why did they do it!?"
The interrogative cluster went on for quite a while, every once in a while being punctuated by another roar or a blow from a hammer-like fist to the Guild Mission Table as the elders of the Guild Council discussed their transgressions. Outside, Theresa tried to stay very small and very quiet. It didn't help that she had bruises everywhere and wasn't in the best of shape to be doing anything.
Still, she had done it. Fistfighters? Pfah. Bunch of lousy drunks.
Wincing, she and Whisper shared a grin as Thunder hit the table again, but this time in glee.
"Really? All of them? I mean- yes, of course, yesyes, of course they'll be punished but surely we can discuss…"
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
"You summoned a chicken."
"S-s-sir, yes I did, sir." Theresa stammered. While the other instructors merely teachers like any other, Maze scared her. She wasn't quite sure why such a famous Hero was doing here, instructing children, and if she had any choice in the matter she would have locked herself in the Guild's giant library and studied on her own. It really didn't help that she and Whisper had been caught using arcane artefacts from the Guild museum to fish for trout and summon marshmallows by him just last week.
"A chicken." The man repeated. The chicken squawked indignantly as the wizard picked it up, and even more indignantly as said wizard began prodding it dubiously with a gloved finger. "Child… we were trying to summon lightning."
"Sir, yes we were… ummm… sir."
"How…?" He sighed still prodding the chicken and then shook his head, the glowing tattoos leaving trails of light in the preternatural darkness. "Nevermind, child. Just… well," he snapped his fingers and Theresa scrunched her face to mimic awe as a grimoire appeared in front of him. Seemingly selecting a page at random, he ripped it out and gave it to her. "Study it this time. I will meet with the Guildmaster to discuss private lessons for you. You are dismissed."
Theresa dearly hoped it'd take him some time to realize that he had actually managed to give her several pages of his grimoire… not just one.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
"This one has done well, Guildmaster." Papers shuffled as the hooded stranger studied the analysis and reports on the various aspiring Heroes. He was examing a folder: Theresa Archon, the flowing script read followed by a few notes next to her name, written smaller and clearly less professionally. One of the scratched out words had 'annoying' still clearly visible.
"She has been an insufferable nuisance ever since she entered the Guild… but yes, she has done well." The Guildmaster assented, grinning a bit. He looked older and more weary-worn than he had the first night the two of them had come together to discuss a child's future.
"You have grown to like her? To disbelieve in the prophecy?"
"A bit," the old man admitted to the first question. "But that" he said, in reference to the second, "is neither here nor now, Ja-."
"Weaver," the hooded figure replied evenly. "A name is only ever a name. It has no power over me. Don't make the mistake of thinking it does."
There came a stunned silence and then: "You've matured."
"Why thank you, Guildmaster. Now I really think we should start talking about the prophecy. I will not have her cut and quartered and served on a platter to whatever whims the Council has in regards to this… stupidity."
"She will become a Hero, like her mother." The Guildmaster said, changing the subject. "One of the best… no… perhaps the best. Perhaps she will surpass Maze- perhaps she will surpass me." He stared evenly at the hooded and cowled figure that was happily going through the Guild's private files. "Perhaps she will surpass you."
"You give me too much credit, but yes, Guildmaster. I too will add my seal to yours. The candidates 'Whisper' and 'Theresa Archon' are to be given Hero status effectively immediately."
Author's notes: Wow, this takes me back. I wrote the beginning years and years ago when the first game came out but I just decided I might as well make something out of it. Not sure how well the tiny little vignettes work with the theme but I hope you guys got the gist of her life as a Guild urchin. xD