Avina moved silently through the trees, more quite than any child of her age without any formal training for she knew that she was not suppose to be in the forest. However, the forest had called out to her while she was laying in bed. Trying, unsuccessfully, to fall asleep for the choosing was the next day. So she had snuck out later than she normally did. One of the reasons the guards were not looking for her. Giving her the chance to get into the only world in which she felt as if she belong. She had no parents only the other kids of the castle she lived in. Although they were like family they could not replace the love of a father and the caring yet firm voice of a mother.
Suddenly, she stopped within a tree's shadow, head cocked slightly to the right. There in the bushes she could see the faint movement of grass being released as if someone was just leaving. Looking harder she scanned her surroundings. Then she knew she was being watched for she saw a unnatural brush of the leaves. She started to think of the possibilities on who it could be. Could it be a bandit? No she thought to herself. She would have noticed a bandit. Could it of been a hunter? No only the barren was allowed to hunt here. Then she realized that it must be one of the famed Rangers she sometimes heard the baron talking about. She relaxed upon this realization of her visitor being ranger. For surely a ranger would not harm her. It was not like she was armed. Which meant he was only curious as to what a thirteen year old girl was doing, creeping about in the forest.
She glanced at the sky and guessed that she had at least a half hour before it became difficult to see. In so she continued along her path. Slowly creeping trying to test her skills against a ranger.. After many minutes of creepy she finally had her destination in sight, The Ward in Redmont fief, no one was about on the street, which was a bit suspicious. For even at this hour of the night there was usually a few people out. Be it a prostitute applying her trade or the night guard making there rounds. Avina wondered if the visitor that had watched her in the woods had anything to do with it. She quickly made her way across the streets and stopped at the Ward.
She slipped behind the building and looked up at her window on the second floor. With great ease, she began to climb up the wall. She was about to slip into her room, when a voice stopped her."Hey, Avina!" Avina sighed and sat on the windowsill, turning to the voice."Hello, Braxton." She greeted her friend politely. She inwardly cursed as her accent messed with the words. Braxton was a healthy boy of fifteen with a muscle build that would make most people cower. His dusty brown hair and kind blue eyes however, contradicted his look. He was like a huge teddy bear."Coming back from the woods again?" He asked cheerfully. She gave a slight smile and nodded."Was I noticed?" She asked nonchalantly, already knowing the answer. He snorted."You never get caught," He grumbled. "But when I try to sneak out, it's like an alarm was sound.""Someone was following me." Her voice was impassive. Braxton stared in shock."Really? How do you know?""I could hear him. I could also see just where he left. Such as grass moving back after a foot had been on it and such. In the forest."
He shook his head. "Wow, I knew nothing could creep up on-" Avina immediately slipped into her room."Braxton! What in heaven's sakes are you doing, child?" The caretaker yelled from behind him. Braxton groaned."It's not healthy to talk to yourself! You don't want people calling your crazy! Get inside before I teach you a lesson!"Avina rolled her eyes as she heard him mutter curses too soft for the caretaker to hear."Yes, ma'am." He replied, defeated, and his footsteps to the door were well within Avina's hearing range. With that she entered her room for she knew if she waited for a few moments, Braxton would trek up the stairs to her room and start ranting on about how everyone always found him wherever he was. She positioned herself on the bed, legs crossed Indian style. Her prediction was correct."That is so not fair!" He yelled as soon as he opened her door. She quirked an eyebrow and hid a smile. So predictable, she thought.
"You see what I mean? I think she woke everyone up by how loud she was! You would think that Skandians were invading!""Why would everybody be asleep this early in the evening?"He stopped and glared. "You and your smart tongue." He grumbled again."Nervous?" She suddenly asked."Not on your life!"She was silent."Shut up!""I didn't say anything.""You were thinking it!"She chuckled. Tomorrow was the Choosing Day and Braxton was clearly nervous. However, Avina thought that he had no reason too. After all, he would be accepted, no doubt, into his desired school. Battle school. Avina probably would ask for this as well, despite her gender and small stature. Scribe school was not for her. Her calligraphy was excellent, but she simply found it boring to sit around, do paperwork, and learn about writing. Horse school was out of the question as well. She loved horses, but the Battle horses were huge and once again, she doubted that she would be accepted because of her gender and figure. The Diplomatic Service was a reasonable choice. She would make a great Diplomat, a popular choice for the ladies for they were known to have more wit than a boy would have. But once again, it was boring to her. Cooking? She liked to cook. Would she like it as a job? No. She sighed and found a small pit of nervousness in her stomach, which was very unusual for her. She glanced at Braxton and saw that he was looking at her dumbly."You weren't listening, were you?"She gave him an apologetic look. "You were talking about Battle school?"He looked happy. "Oh, Avina, I really want to get in! I just think that maybe one day, I'll be a famous knight, a hero in Araluen!" His eyes gleamed and she gave a soft smile. It was nice to see that he was so look left his eyes abruptly and was replaced with a curious gaze. She looked at him warily.
"What do you want to be?"She thought about it and then sighed. "I really don't know." She said simply. He was about to say something else, but was interrupted."Time for bed, or else none of you will be going to see the Baron and your future Craftsmasters!"Braxton sighed and then looked at Avina with that cheerful look. "See you tomorrow!" With that, he ran out of her room and into his own."Night." She whispered, even though he was gone. Avina looked out the window and was mildly surprised to see that it was dark already. She sighed as her stomach grumbled. She quietly crept off of her bed and sat on the windowsill again, looking out into the sky and at the dimly lit stars. It had been a night like this one when Avina first arrived at Araluen. At the Ward. She didn't remember where she was from or who her parents were. She didn't even know who she really was. She was just Avina. The dagger-wielding, enemy-maker Avina. For a moment, she considered going into the forest again. The memory of the man watching her came back and she became reluctant. But there was an even stronger sense of curiosity that led to Avina slipping out the window and jumping to the ground. Most people would've hurt something in the fall, but Avina landed silently and gracefully. For, she had long ago learned how to perfect this art or so she thought…
Okay guys I am taking over this story and am doing a rewrite of it adding in more details and what not. Most of this chapter ( about 98%) belongs to Yona Rider. I have been given the go ahead to rewrite this and I am planning on making it into a three part series. Be nice it's been a while since i've read the books and I am going out this weekend to re-buy the ones I cant find. I usually don't go out of Mass effect territory.