Note: Her name is pronounced (ai-ey-la).
I'm dancing.
There's black rose petals falling all around me. What in the world am I wearing? I own nothing like this. It's beautiful, none the less. I'm barefoot, as usual. Where is this? A garden? It looks as one. There is hardly anything but roses. The trellises climb upwards to the evening sky, making a wall. I touch the wall.
Ouch.
There is something wrong with it. Shadows encircle my hand, and bite me.
Am I trapped? What a place to be trapped. I continue dancing, and smell a beautiful red and black rose, it red in center, fading to the black shell of petals covering it. As I do, I hear footsteps approach me, and a voice say lowly;
"There you are."I'm thrown from the dream, the sun blaring down on my face. The sky is dotted with a few clouds, and I see the tip tops of trees. There's a stream bubbling nearby. I blink at the brightness. I glance around me, in a daze.
'What an odd dream,' I thought. 'It felt so real..'
I sigh. I don't remember falling asleep.
Remember...
I gasp. I feel fear overcome the tranquility that had befallen on me during sleep. Remember falling asleep? I don't know where I am!
'Where am I? Where is this? What's happened?'
I begin to panic, but take deep breaths, focusing on calming myself while staring at two butterflies dance above a flower, one blue, one white.
'Okay, basics. What is my name?'I sigh. That came to me.
Aella.
I try to remember other things, but the only other thing I can recall is my age, which is 17. I have no memory of who I am, or where I've come from. All I know is my name, what my surroundings are, and that dream. A wonderful dream. I can't even remember what I look like.
Well, I quickly discover my hair colour and length, as I glance down my body.
Light pink. Light pink hair, fading into a deep pink halfway, and ending a little above my ankles. It curls slightly where the dark pink begins, twisting and laying nicely. It stands out against my very pale skin, shimmering in the sun.
'I'm almost glowing.' I think, seeing my hair and skin.
I'm rather thin, in a dainty sort of way. I stand, and a thin, white, strapless dress flows to my knees in front, my ankles in back. Ruffles try to hide a rather large bust, but fail. I feel the curves of my body, in an attempt to see if it brought any memory. It didn't. It did give me the knowledge that I have curves to rival an hourglass.
'Who am I? Where...am I?'
I look around me, and I appear to be in a clearing. Tall trees surround me, and wild flowers and grass grow to my knees. The stream is closer than I thought, only a few yards away.
I go to it, and peer in where the water is calmer.
My first thought to seeing my face, whether it be conceited or not, is "beautiful".
I feel it, moving the layered bangs to their place near my long, pointed ears after being moved by a breeze. My face brings me no memory, sadly.
I sigh.
Something, I notice, is odd about my eyes. I don't think that my eyes are a normal colour at all.
They're a mix of pink, and red. Their pupils are large, they themselves are large. Strange, but I like it.
I sit near the edge of the stream, running my bare feet over the smooth stones at the bottom.
I begin to think of where I am. Fear strikes again, a little. Forests can be dangerous, at least at night. It was still morning from what I could tell, but still. I'd need to find people, a town, cottage, something. If there were people. That was an interesting thought, that. There had to be people.
My thoughts wander to the dream. Whose voice was that? It was deep, but not to deep. It was rich, and soft. But, yet, it was harsh, and cold. Maybe even angry, if only a little. It was still confusing. I think then of the music I had been dancing to. It was..almost like nature was singing it, no harsh beats, just...humms. Like soft little voices. I hear it's melody, and begin to sing it.
I sing it loudly, the pleasantness of my own voice surprising me. A wind blows as I do, softly, deftly. It brings scents of the flowers to my nose, and sprinkles of light form around me. I believed it to be my imagination, and continued singing, half dancing, half skipping around the field to it.
I slowly bring the song to a close. The breeze dies down, and I hear something crunching lightly behind me.
Fear overtakes me as I turn around, to see a horse.
But not only a horse, as it's being lead my a man. A man near my age, it seems. His blonde hair falls round his face lazily, it's length is a little past his chin. Large blue eyes meet mine, and stop. His garb is one of a fighter, and I see the hilt of a sword on his back. The wind plays with his hair and long, green hat. He tucks a lock behind the same pointed ears as mine.
Instinct kicks in, and I began to back up a few paces, preparing to run.
"Ah, wait!" he calls.
I stop, returning my gaze to him.
"Uhm.." he says, shyly. He begins to approach me.
"You have quite the voice, milady."
I stay silent, judging his disclosure as he approached. He signaled his horse to wait.
"Might I ask what you're doing all the way out here? Alone, as well, and unequipped..."
I prepared to launch again, actually taking a step.
"No, no!" he said, loudly. "I-I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry. I mean you no harm."
He smiled gently, trying to convince me.
"O-Oh.." was all I could manage.
He sighed, relieved.
"Will you answer my question, though? These woods can be dangerous,especially out this far. Actually," he said. "I thought I was the only person who knew this place existed."
"I-I'm sorry," I began. "I-I'll leave you to your clearing.."
I turned, chest pounding, to leave him.
"Oh, no you don't." he chuckled.
He lightly grasped my arm, and spun me around. My heart was racing a mile a minute.
He dropped his hand.
"I can't let a woman, especially one with such a wonderful voice, to leave this place alone. You seriously could get hurt."
He smiled gently to me.
"Do you practice magic by singing?" he asked, suddenly.
I gave him a confused look.
"No... I know little to nothing of such things." I replied.
He looked a little shocked.
"Seriously? But, when you sang..." he shook his head, then said confidently, "There was magic in those notes."
I simply shrugged.
"Mayhap, but I know not how I would've done it. Isn't magic by song something that can only be done by instrument, anyhow?" I asked. My turn for questions.
He shook his head.
"No. It is very rare, but there exist some strong enough to cast by vocal song alone."
He smiled.
"Mayhap you would be fine on your own. Doesn't mean I'll let you, seeing as how you didn't even know you did it. What is your name? Where are you from? I don't think I've seen you in Castle Town before.." he trailed.
Suddenly, I remembered my situation, as if I'd forgotten.
"Well," I began. "My name is Aella. And as for the second question, I should be asking you that."
He smiled, hearing my name. But, a slightly confused look fell on his face after.
"A lovely name..it fits you. But, I'm afraid I don't comprehend what you mean.."
I smiled shyly, causing him to stare blatantly at me.
"I, ah.. let's see.." I tried to find words. "I have awoken here after a dream. The dream is unimportant, at least for the moment. Anyway, I have no memory of who I am, where I am, or where I've been. The only thing I know of myself is my name, and age, of which I am 17."
His eyes widened in shock. He opened his mouth to speak, but shut it, thinking.
"Well..." he began. "That's quite the predicament. What a thing for me to have happened upon."
He laughed, a rather handsome one. I realize his is very similar to the one in my dream, but...warmer, happier.
"Come with me." he said. I started to protest, but he cut me off. "You can't say no. You have no where to go, and like hell if I'm leaving you to fend for yourself."
He called his horse over, with three short, hummed notes.
I sigh in defeat.
"I suppose you're right. But, I have questions." I said.
I walk over to he and his horse, humming the notes he hummed. The horse nuzzled me happily, accepting me already. I smiled.
"How.. did you know..." he said, slight shock lacing his voice.
"Know what?" I asked. "And I thought I was the one asking questions, as I said."
He simply shook his head and laughed.
"Oh, right."
"What is your name, by the by? Since you're taking me whether I like it or not." I giggled a little at the last part. Something within him radiated trust, there was no denying this boy was safe.
He looked surprised for a moment, then a faint dusting of pink embarrassment fell upon his face.
"Oh, yes... my name is Link. It is very much a pleasure to meet you."
He took my hand, then bowed to me. It was my turn for my face to receive the dusting.
"Pleasure is mine.." I said, softly.
On his way up, he glanced at my face, then kissed my hand. The pink deepened.
I shook my head lightly.
'Calm yourself, goodness.'
He let my hand drop softly, then gestured for "ladies first".
I placed my hand on the horn of the saddle, but couldn't really get myself over the mare's broad back.
Link simply put his hands modestly on my waist, and helped me.
"Up you go.." he said.
My face lit with embarrassment.
"Sorry, I've never done this before." I laughed, nervous as I sat at the front of the horses saddle.
He easily swung up behind me, and as he did, the breeze blew his scent to my face.
Musky, like deep wood trees and grass, with a hint of something else. Nice, really.
"Well, you had the right idea." he laughed.
I felt him hesitate to reach around my waist to comfortably reach the reins, realizing how close of proximity we were. I took the reins, and placed them in his hands, letting them rest on my thighs.
"Sorry." he said, softly.
I laughed.
"It's fine."
"If you say so," he said. "Be sure to hold on tight once we leave the trees, okay?"
I hummed in response, and he lightly whipped the reins. We began our journey through the beautiful forest, my questions becoming numerous...
-end chapter-
So, I couldn't wait for reviews on Water's Mirror to tell me of interest in another story. Anyway, I hope you'll like this story! ~bye
This one has recently sprung in my head, but, oh, like my other, it's going to be a doozy. I'm making this one a bit archaically written from the start, so it doesn't seem forced. That my biggest brick in my other story.