I will attempt to keep this short, but the current font is used for author's notes. This is written by 'Danielle/Dani' of the account 'Us Odd Ones' ( yes, we are really 3 different people). THIS chapter takes place at the beginning of the game, but the real story starts off right before the quests taking place in the Spire (with the main character at about 16 years old), and will continue past the end of the main quest line. And this does end up being some ReaverXSparrow fiction, but you guys seem to enjoy that kind of thing :D. Now this paragraph is looking too long for an author's note, so I will leave you to your reading.
Chapter 1
I run a hand through my hair, attempting to brush out the poop with my hands. The sticky white stuff is already freezing to my hair. It is a light brown, wavy and knotty-looking without having a brush. The girls closer to the center of Old Town have such nice hair, smooth and shiny. They won't tell me why. I just wanted to know what they did to it. Maybe I can figure out a way to do something similar. But Rose won't let me waste my time. And I don't think I can find a way anyways. They will yell at me to leave if I ask. They don't need the orphans. They don't want us. A few gypsies took care of us last winter. They should come back. People liked us more when they were there. Those girls would talk to me. Though they never told me how they made their hair look so nice. Maybe if the gypsies came back and took care of us, I could ask the girls. If they liked me more they would tell me. They like each other and they talk to each other. So if I am liked, they will talk to me.
Rose is talking about the castle. Living in the castle. Would... Lucien. Yes, Lucien. Would he like me? Would he want to talk to me? The gypsies were nice people. You could see it in the way they looked at everyone. Does Lucien look at people nicely? I wish I knew. But we get very few people who look at us nicely. I don't think Lucien would look at us nicely. But if he has a castle, then he must be special. The gypsies were special. So he would look at us nicely. That made sense. The gypsies should have gotten a castle. I wonder if they did live in a castle, I wonder if they are living there now. That was nice of them to leave their castle for a winter to take care of us. But why didn't they take us back to the castle? Maybe they liked other orphans more. Maybe they didn't have enough room. I doubt Lucien would like us if he hasn't liked any of the other orphans. Rose said a few seconds ago that his family is dead, so he would have the room.
Maybe he would like us since our family is dead too.
But every other orphan's family is dead. Or left them. So Rose says.
The poop doesn't come out, but I'm getting cold. The fire is warm, but not warm enough. I used to wonder if jumping into the fire would be more comfortable. I tried sticking my hand in but Rose stopped me. She said I could get burned. Though as my hand got closer it felt better. Maybe I should try one night when she is asleep. I get burned by holding ice or snow in my bare hands for too long. So fire, something warm, shouldn't hurt me. I can't think of something warm that has burned me before. Tonight I can try.
"Sparrow?" Rose says slowly, smiling at me and tilting her head. I tilt my head back and return the smile, nodding. " Do you hear the noise? Can you come while I go see what it is?". Rose turns around and I follow with a skip in my step.
"Yes, yes , yes!" I sing. Until a person comes out from the corner. I remember him. He isn't good I remember. He is bad.
" So, have you reconsidered my offer?" he says, his voice scratchy and his back slouched. I was always told to keep my back up straight so it doesn't become curved over forever. I guess he never listened when someone said that.
" We'll never be that hungry, the answer is ' no' " Rose says, with disgust in her voice. Hungry? I had just forgotten I was hungry. Now I feel really hungry. Why wouldn't she get food? What would she have to do? Whatever it is she would have to do, it must have been bad. She hasn't eaten for longer than I have. I pucker my lips, the thought tasting sour. Who would ask someone to do something that bad? What would be the point?
She walks off and I slow down, staying close beside her. " You'll be back! And I'll be waiting for ya' " I hear. I walk closer to Rose and realize she is taking in very deep breaths. So I try to do the same. It seems unnatural and awkward so I quit. Rose can try for as long as she wants. It will not get less awkward. Why would she do that? It feels so funny.
I can't see anything through all the adults. Though I guess that means they won't see me and look at me funny. I undid my bun when I tried to remove the poop from my hair, so it was knotty and messy. I would think so at least, that is what Rose will tell me if I take out my bun.
" Oh.. it's just a trader..." Rose says, disappointed. " I can't see anything past this lot."
I look around at what I can see. There is what looks to be a gypsy. But in fancier robes. They were long and she has a hood covering up her head. The robe is white I think. And had pieces of red fabric sewn on. Or maybe the dress is red and the white was sewn on. I can't tell without getting too close. I don't want her to notice me. When she gives me that look it will be creepy. Scary. I don't want that to happen.
I hear the trader talk about his stuff. All of it is for five gold. I don't hear the other random things since I am focused on his voice. It is odd, I haven't heard an accent like it before. Though it was definitely fun to listen to.
" This is a truly magical mirror. For as long as you look into it, it will make you beautiful. " he says, exaggerating almost every word in his funny accent. I would want a mirror like that. If I kept looking, I would always be pretty. Maybe the girls would talk to me then. But I would always have to look in the mirror...
I hope they won't mind.
I want to know what I look like. Clearly. Sometimes I see in random pieces of glass, metal, or some water and I can kinda see myself. But I can never look for long. I can never take the little, blurry mirror with me since Rose doesn't want me to cut my hands. I have tried taking water, it didn't work very well. I kept it in my hands but when I got back home, I put it down and I couldn't see myself. I didn't try again. Rose told me that insanity was simply repeating the same thing over and over, knowing the result. I am not insane. I don't want to be insane.
A man takes the mirror and I don't hear what the trader says after that, but he soon brings out a small music box.
"...As used by the Old Kingdom rulers themselves!" I never have heard much of the Old Kingdom. Though I bet it was fun and pretty over there. I catch a snowflake with my tongue as he continues. " Turn the handle three times, and you shall be granted a single wish" I look over to Rose for a moment. Who looks in complete awe. But the expression quickly changes into something harder. Disbelief.
" There's no such thing as magic! " she declares. I shrink back. I believed for a second. But I guess it isn't real? So all those stories I overheard are fake? I guess I should have known. Rose clearly assumed I knew if she never taught me before. I continue to watch awkwardly. What if she knew that I believed? Would she think I'm dumb? Thinking this, I stay quiet.
The gypsy woman turns around. I can see her eyes and they seem to glow. Once I saw a cat with glowing eyes, it kept on running into walls and Rose had me quickly look away. I guessed the cat couldn't see. Maybe she can't see.
" We live in grim times indeed. If the young are too world-weary to believe in magic. Most children your age believe eagerly." she says. Her voice seems to echo, but I know it doesn't really. No one's voice echoes here.
I want the woman to keep talking, but Rose interrupts, " Look, I can see your eyes are bad. But that music box is rubbish" she says, with a flick of her wrists. So the woman can't see. Or she can't see well. There is a name for it, but I forget. I could ask Rose later- No. She can't think I don't know. I am smart and she should see it. So I try to think of what the word is but the gypsy woman's voice interrupts.
"That's what the seller thinks. He has no idea of what he has stumbled upon. But you have an inkling, don't you?" So it was real? Or is she on the trader's side? Seller's side? I guess it can be said either way. Or the gypsy woman is wrong. " Some part of you wants to believe its magic"
She walks away. What if it was? What would Rose wish for? The castle? To live there? That sounds right. We should get five gold. To test. Then we can tell people it's real. Then get money from it and buy a house and dinner every night. But if it did work, we would be eating dinner in a giant and warm castle! With a rich man, who would give us the food! We could live with someone who has money, and wouldn't give me the look! With the money I could get new things so the girls don't give me the look! Then I could figure out how to make my hair look like theirs.
" What..? You really think it could be?" Rose looks at me. Me..
I really think it could be, so I nod.
She stops and turns back around " For five gold coins you could have your answer". She smiles. What was there to smile about? I heard nothing funny. But clearly there was something funny, so I smile too.
Rose frowns, " For five gold coins we could eat for a week!" But if we use the coins on the box, we can eat forever in a nice and warm castle. The woman thinks the same thing. Or maybe she is reading my mind. Maybe the cat was trying to read our minds but the thoughts were just too much for it to handle. My stomach growls and my throat feels weird. I really would like food now.
" Listen to me, Rose: At the end of that week you and your little Sparrow would be no closer to your dream. No closer to the inside of that beautiful castle." the lady says, and walks away. She could read minds! How else would she know about the castle! I don't want her looking inside my mind anymore. So I take a step back.
ZzzzzzzzzzzzZzzzzzzzzzZzzzzzzzzzz. There. She was gone. Now she can't read my mind anymore. How were the Zs treating you! I bet she likes thoughts full of Zs. But now she doesn't know anything more about me. Unless Rose kept thinking about things...
"Did you let her see your-" I start, but Rose cuts me off." Do you really think it is real? I bet we can get five gold pieces... Then we can really be out of here after all!" she says. Her brown eyes gleaming. " What is there to lose, little Sparrow?" I smile. Her smile was so nice and bright and her hair looked so pretty in the snow. You could always see her hair. Mine blended in with my surroundings more. I smile and lean on the heels of my feet as she continues and walks away.
She goes to a guard and I follow. I don't listen. I look at snowflakes. They were so pretty. So perfect. I wish people didn't stomp on them. They are fragile and break. I like it when they pile up really high after a storm and you can see all the little flakes. They always fit together perfectly. Like one of those puzzles the gypsies would work on while Rose and I were doing things. Except the snowflake puzzle had holes in it. But the holes always look like they are meant to be there. They always look perfect.
We walk up to a little place with walls and a roof, but no door. Just space filled with a town guard. The guard doesn't look at us funny. He likes us. He trusts us. He asks us to find warrants and we get a gold piece out of it. He trusts us. I smile and skip behind Rose.
I see a board. A painting. I always liked paintings. They looked like the real world but prettier. I think the man with the box and hat asks us to pose in front of the camera. Who wants us to pose in a camera? Rose was pretty. It was probably because of her. I would just stand there and ruin the picture with my knotty hair. Though he wants us there. And we get money out of it. So we don't object.
I walk up nervously behind Rose and she ' strikes a pose'. I copy it. I stand turned to the side with my hand sticking out just like Rose. Puckering up and closing her eyes.
I see a flash of light. We get off. Rose takes the gold.
Already; we are almost half way there, right?
I see one of the girls with the bouncy pigtails like Rose. Except her hair is red and curly. Red hair would be so pretty. Sometimes I wish I had red hair. I'd always stand out. Red hair always look so pretty; so if my hair were red maybe my hair would look nicer. Rose runs. Why is she running? But she follows the kids and I hear some squeak.
"Hey! Rex's got a dog and he's gonna kick the crap out of him!" I hear. Why hurt a dog? What could the dog have done to you? The dog could probably do it again when you try to hurt it.
I follow.
" What the hell do you think you're doing?" Rose asks, standing in front of Rex. Rex is tall for Rose's age. Rose is only a bit shorter than him. He runs a finger down the middle of her chest down to her stomach. He looks at her, " Having a bit of fun; what's it to you?" His hand stops and he uses the other to send a punch at Rose's face.
I take out a paintball gun that the gypsies gave to me. Why would he hurt her? He wasn't going to do anything else for a while.
I hold up the gun as he takes out a wooden sword.
"He just hit a girl!" I hear.
Rex grins at me, " Yeah; and I'm about to hit another!" I raise the gun. I hope it hits his head. I really do. I pull the trigger.
There is dark red paint between his eyes. I wish the color was different. I don't want to seem mean or cruel. But I know it isn't blood. I guess the rest of the kids already don't like me. There was no point in caring about what I do and what they think of it. Rose stands and look at Rex, whose hand is covered in paint. He is almost sat down against a wall.
"Thanks, I could have handled him though, " She glances at me and then glares at Rex.
" Yeah! That'll show him! Nice job!" the red-haired girl says to me. I smile and my hand shakes as I try to put the gun away. I wish I wasn't shaking. But I don't care that much I guess. She likes me. Everyone likes me. Maybe later they would tell me about their hair.
Though the best part was; they were yelling. They aren't angry though. They are happy. It's because of me. They like me. The orphan girl with knotty hair.
Rex whines, and I am happy. Really happy.