Leraina: Quest for the Crystal Pool
Chapter 1
~ Simple Maid ~
The clinking of glasses on wood and the smell of wine and rum foated about the dank, dark pub. Mens drunken laughter and pipe smoke filled the air. Maids bussed tables, silent, taking mens orders, and only speaking then. Politely and obediantly, as was expected, they did not protest of argue with directions. Most of the women were young but one girl always caught everyones eye. She looked younger than the rest and her hair was as blonde as rippened corn in september that was to the middle of her back. Deep blue eyes lite her pretty face, dark and piercing against her darkened skin. Her garb consisted of a white, long sleeved shirt, tunic, and a dull green skirt and brown boots. She moved quietly, light on her feet, gaining whistles from drunken men, as most of the women did as they passed by. The blonde soon found refuge behind the counter and stood next to another girl, looking about eighteen, two years older than her sixteen with blackened hair.
"Filthy Pigs." She scorned.
"Lily, once again, you don't have to have this job." the girl replied.
"Mary."Lily said, mastering her frustrations and not blowing them out on her "A maid to the queen dosn't really pay that handsomely."
"Alright but you know we could find better places than this." she said casting a dirting glance around the smoke riddled room.
"Don't you think I've tried. No other places are hiring. The White Wizard dosn't get much businesse, Goblin Hall had too many people as it is, and The Red Dragon was my only option."she says dejectedly.
"Alright, but still if another position or two open up I say we get out of here"
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Later that night Lily sat alone at a deserted table. Her head was proped on one of her hands, elbow resting on the table top. Her bright eyes were closed and she was beginning to drift off into fitful sleep when a hand touched her shoudler. Instinctivly Lily jumped up and grabbed for the mans arm. But the arm was ripped away and she went flying toward the floor. A strong set of arms grabbed her waist and pulled her upward, stoping her face from smashing against the hard stone floor.
"Hey there." a smooth male voice floated into her ear "What was that for?"
Lily ripped out of his grasp and turned to look at him, blonde locks falling into her eyes. She was used to men coming up and trying to take advantage of a tired young girl sitting all alone.
"What do you want?" Lily asked defensivly.
"Gosh take it easy" He said, a little taken aback as Lily looked him over.
He had very light blonde hair and deep, almost navy, blue eyes that were deep and careing. He was tall, so tall even that Lily had to incline her head a little to look at him. Not that she was at all tall. On the contray she was rather short. He was clad in royal type clothing and many rings were on his hands. Silver and gold chains hung around his neck and his hair fell to his shoulder, soft and silky though not at all neat. A bow was slung over his back, a bow attached, a sword and dagger hung by his belt and two more were hidden in his boots. Lily herself had her fathers old knife hidden in her boots. A stalf was held in his hands and a bright crystal jewel was fitted on top of it.
"I was just gonna ask you if you had any rooms left." he said innocently.
Lily's cheeks flushed bright pink as she looked carefully up at him.
"Oh.. I'm sorry." she said walking behind the counter and searching through the keys.
The man walked over to the counter. By the looks of him he seemed to be about Mary's age of eighteen. Lily grabbed a key and handed it to him.
"You'll be in room forty-one." she said "I'll need your name."
"Aiden." he said.
"Last?"
"Green." he said after a short pause.
Lily glanced up at him suspiciously but let it go. She was too tired to care.
"And I'll need your name." Aiden said, a sly smile now on his face.
"I'm Lily and I have to go" she said quickly and with a cheesily cheering smile she added." Now enjoy you'r lovely stay in this hell hole I'm leaving"
Aiden chuckled as Lily walked out the door.
"She sure is fiery" he said to himself and headed up the stairs to his room to dump his pack and get a goodnights sleep, considering it was three in the morning.
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Lilith trudged up the catles rocky walkway. Jack and Neal, who quarded the gate smiled and she gave a faint smile of her own. They were young, about eighteen, and had actually wanted to take the night shift. This made Lily giggle inside. She too liked the night, but her body ached and her head swam with tirdness. Tomorrow was Friday and then she had the weekend off. She thanked god for this and walked down the dark hallways toward her chambers. Her footfalls echoed on the stone floor. There were no carpets in the hallways of the servants wing. As her hand reached out for the door knob another hand reached out of the darkness, grabbing her rist. Her eyes darted toward the taller figure walking out of the shadows.
"Ah Lilith. Three in the morning? Tsk tsk. When will you quit that job, and this, and just settle down? Have a family?" the cold, yet soothing masculine tone cooed.
Lily stared up coldly at the man, a death glare as she ripped her hand from his grasp.
"When I feel like it."she replied spitefully.
"Oh Lily how can you say that? Most girls your age would be searching for a husband. But you? You tear away. Why is that?" he asked, moving dangerously close to her.
Lily looked up at him, hatred glowing deep within her inquiring eyes. Hatred that went deep into the past. Hatred that was true and was with reason.
"Like I'd ever tell you!"she said rather loudly to him.
"Oh Lily. You lie so bad. You want to be loved."he replied, ignoring her venomouse tone, moving a little closer.
Lily slowly backed up against the door, gritting her teeth together as she slowly opened the door. She quickly slipped inside the doorway.
"Good night!" she cryed, slamming the door in his face and making sure to lock it.
She fell onto her bed and a large black and white creature came to lay at the foot of the bed. The dog, Jesse, winned and licked Lily's face. Lily gave a small smile.
"I'm gonna teach you to sick that son of a...."she began but Jesse's quick growl stopped her. "Sorry girl." she said and her eyes slowly closed as she drifted into sleep.
Chapter 1
~ Simple Maid ~
The clinking of glasses on wood and the smell of wine and rum foated about the dank, dark pub. Mens drunken laughter and pipe smoke filled the air. Maids bussed tables, silent, taking mens orders, and only speaking then. Politely and obediantly, as was expected, they did not protest of argue with directions. Most of the women were young but one girl always caught everyones eye. She looked younger than the rest and her hair was as blonde as rippened corn in september that was to the middle of her back. Deep blue eyes lite her pretty face, dark and piercing against her darkened skin. Her garb consisted of a white, long sleeved shirt, tunic, and a dull green skirt and brown boots. She moved quietly, light on her feet, gaining whistles from drunken men, as most of the women did as they passed by. The blonde soon found refuge behind the counter and stood next to another girl, looking about eighteen, two years older than her sixteen with blackened hair.
"Filthy Pigs." She scorned.
"Lily, once again, you don't have to have this job." the girl replied.
"Mary."Lily said, mastering her frustrations and not blowing them out on her "A maid to the queen dosn't really pay that handsomely."
"Alright but you know we could find better places than this." she said casting a dirting glance around the smoke riddled room.
"Don't you think I've tried. No other places are hiring. The White Wizard dosn't get much businesse, Goblin Hall had too many people as it is, and The Red Dragon was my only option."she says dejectedly.
"Alright, but still if another position or two open up I say we get out of here"
----------------------------------------------------------
Later that night Lily sat alone at a deserted table. Her head was proped on one of her hands, elbow resting on the table top. Her bright eyes were closed and she was beginning to drift off into fitful sleep when a hand touched her shoudler. Instinctivly Lily jumped up and grabbed for the mans arm. But the arm was ripped away and she went flying toward the floor. A strong set of arms grabbed her waist and pulled her upward, stoping her face from smashing against the hard stone floor.
"Hey there." a smooth male voice floated into her ear "What was that for?"
Lily ripped out of his grasp and turned to look at him, blonde locks falling into her eyes. She was used to men coming up and trying to take advantage of a tired young girl sitting all alone.
"What do you want?" Lily asked defensivly.
"Gosh take it easy" He said, a little taken aback as Lily looked him over.
He had very light blonde hair and deep, almost navy, blue eyes that were deep and careing. He was tall, so tall even that Lily had to incline her head a little to look at him. Not that she was at all tall. On the contray she was rather short. He was clad in royal type clothing and many rings were on his hands. Silver and gold chains hung around his neck and his hair fell to his shoulder, soft and silky though not at all neat. A bow was slung over his back, a bow attached, a sword and dagger hung by his belt and two more were hidden in his boots. Lily herself had her fathers old knife hidden in her boots. A stalf was held in his hands and a bright crystal jewel was fitted on top of it.
"I was just gonna ask you if you had any rooms left." he said innocently.
Lily's cheeks flushed bright pink as she looked carefully up at him.
"Oh.. I'm sorry." she said walking behind the counter and searching through the keys.
The man walked over to the counter. By the looks of him he seemed to be about Mary's age of eighteen. Lily grabbed a key and handed it to him.
"You'll be in room forty-one." she said "I'll need your name."
"Aiden." he said.
"Last?"
"Green." he said after a short pause.
Lily glanced up at him suspiciously but let it go. She was too tired to care.
"And I'll need your name." Aiden said, a sly smile now on his face.
"I'm Lily and I have to go" she said quickly and with a cheesily cheering smile she added." Now enjoy you'r lovely stay in this hell hole I'm leaving"
Aiden chuckled as Lily walked out the door.
"She sure is fiery" he said to himself and headed up the stairs to his room to dump his pack and get a goodnights sleep, considering it was three in the morning.
------------------------------------------------------------
Lilith trudged up the catles rocky walkway. Jack and Neal, who quarded the gate smiled and she gave a faint smile of her own. They were young, about eighteen, and had actually wanted to take the night shift. This made Lily giggle inside. She too liked the night, but her body ached and her head swam with tirdness. Tomorrow was Friday and then she had the weekend off. She thanked god for this and walked down the dark hallways toward her chambers. Her footfalls echoed on the stone floor. There were no carpets in the hallways of the servants wing. As her hand reached out for the door knob another hand reached out of the darkness, grabbing her rist. Her eyes darted toward the taller figure walking out of the shadows.
"Ah Lilith. Three in the morning? Tsk tsk. When will you quit that job, and this, and just settle down? Have a family?" the cold, yet soothing masculine tone cooed.
Lily stared up coldly at the man, a death glare as she ripped her hand from his grasp.
"When I feel like it."she replied spitefully.
"Oh Lily how can you say that? Most girls your age would be searching for a husband. But you? You tear away. Why is that?" he asked, moving dangerously close to her.
Lily looked up at him, hatred glowing deep within her inquiring eyes. Hatred that went deep into the past. Hatred that was true and was with reason.
"Like I'd ever tell you!"she said rather loudly to him.
"Oh Lily. You lie so bad. You want to be loved."he replied, ignoring her venomouse tone, moving a little closer.
Lily slowly backed up against the door, gritting her teeth together as she slowly opened the door. She quickly slipped inside the doorway.
"Good night!" she cryed, slamming the door in his face and making sure to lock it.
She fell onto her bed and a large black and white creature came to lay at the foot of the bed. The dog, Jesse, winned and licked Lily's face. Lily gave a small smile.
"I'm gonna teach you to sick that son of a...."she began but Jesse's quick growl stopped her. "Sorry girl." she said and her eyes slowly closed as she drifted into sleep.