Chapter 1: A morning with a difference.

Her hand grabbed the worn handle of the dagger as she sprung up from the bed. With the dagger raised in an offensive way she let her eyes scan the room until they fell upon a familiar sight. Her whole body relaxed as she brought the blade down and placed it back down on the wooden bedside cabinet, a faint smile formed on her face as his eyes met hers. He was a sight for sore eyes these days but their duties clashed on a regular basis and nothing much could be done. Adiona slid out of the bed and started to slowly get dressed into her Whitebane's attire which consisted of black knee-high flat boots, black leggings and a long white pourpoint with Whitebane's emblem stitched into the linen in a gold and red fabric. As Adi reached over for her black belt she felt two strong arms wrap around her waist, she relaxed for a moment and tried to enjoy the little time she had with him before she had to rush off for her morning duties. His lips brushed against her right cheek and she let out a small giggle. By the time Adi turned around after fastening her belt he had left the room and was now out of ground floor home they shared. Adi quickly brushed through her crimson hair which just rested above the lobe of her ears before grabbing her sword and dagger which was still stained with the blood of those the guard had battled last night. Things were becoming pretty dire and it was getting more difficult to protect the town, the guards did their best but the continuous rebuilding of certain areas was now starting to use up the reserve building materials. Adi shut the door to her home as she jogged towards the Council building, the routine of relaying the evening's events and then planning for the next was monotonous but a necessary evil.

Adi stopped dead in her tracks just outside of the recently built cathedral, the craftsmanship and hours that had gone into it were astonishing. Religion had never played a major part in Whitebane but in the past year the residents had found themselves turning for help in a higher power. Usually Adi visited on her rounds but something was drawing her to visit not as a member of the guard but as herself. She slowly walked up the stone steps and entered the cathedral, its doors were always open early in the morning and today was no exception. The light from the sun shone down through the glass windows and on the many wooden pews and more notably a statue of a woman in a plain dress with her head held up holding her hands together in prayer. Adi walked through the centre aisle and towards the statue, she slowly knelt on the thick carpet in front of the female statue and brought her own hands together in prayer. The young Whitebane guard leant forward lowering her head as she closed her eyes. In her meditative state her ears pricked up to the sounds of the priests and nuns singing their prayer around the cathedral, it was strangely soothing for someone who did not believe in a higher power. Today there was more than the preparations to discuss there was another matter that Adi had to bring forward with her partner's help. This discovery was something that the town could use if it could be harnessed in the correct way. That was still a way off and there was enough research that could last months but with his help...Adi was sure they could pull this off. Getting the Council's permission and blessing would be difficult and the research and experiments would be tough but Adi wasn't going to be alone. He would be by her side.

Without warning Adi felt a hand rest on top of her crimson head, she opened her eyes slowly and smiled lightly as she recognised that touch anywhere. She rose to her feet and looked to the elderly priest that stood just an inch or so below her true height. As she had always done Adi held his hand and knelt back down placing her forehead against his wrinkled hand. She heard a chuckle from him and then a kiss on her head. A warm feeling spread through her body every time she had the pleasure of being in his company. He was the only father she had ever known. Adi rose once again to her feet and swiftly left the cathedral to head for her original destination of the Council. The sun had only rose an hour ago but already the children were up and running about full of energy. Adi found herself smiling again as the blacksmith's twins ran in front of her, they looked up and greeted her in their usual frantic fashion before rushing off to help their mother at the doctor's clinic. The town had boomed in recent months and she had played a major part in getting the Council to agree to certain requests, it also helped that she was a junior member of the Council. Even though she was young in age especially compared to the Council members her ideas and wisdom were almost on par with theirs. Adi looked up as she approached the large wooden and stone structure, one of the wooden doors was ajar signalling that at least one of the Council elders had arrived. With a deep breath she placed a hand on the door to push it open fully but another hand rested alongside her own. The young guard looked up to see him standing there, his shoulder length shaggy dirty blonde hair rested against his cheeks. He flashed Adi a smile and they both pushed open the door.

Thanks for reading the first chapter to Adiona's history more to come :)