This is a little something I've been working on for a while. Please don't expect regular updates, because while I do have a few chapters typed I doubt that I'll have enough time to do much else. So, DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT expect regular updates.
This is basically like Defying Destiny by .0o, but I am not stealing her idea (assuming it is a her, otherwise this would be rather awkward...), because this will be a lot different. I've added an element that I'm fairly sure could be canon, but it also makes most of the story rather angsty.
Note: I will do my best to add humour, but right now I'm not sure which it will lean more towards-probably humour, since that's what this is listed as. I know I've said it will be angsty, but that is only for a couple of chapters, until Rhen is a fully-fledged sword singer/is travelling with Lars (I haven't decided which yet). If I decide that I don't want this to be humorous, I'll change the genre.
Now, that being said, this will be Lars/Rhen, because I can't really write any other pairing... Although I wish there were more Rhen/Agas fics around.
Oh, and the chapter spacing will be terrible. Some will be incredibly short, drabble-length, and some will be long and tedious. So... YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
...you're still going to read this, right?
*goes to fret about how I've scared off all my readers*
Rhen Dharzon was simply picking flowers in the field when she saw it: a strange, multi-coloured butterfly. It seemed to beckon to her.
"Oh my, where did you come from?" she murmured to the butterfly, walking towards it slowly.
"Why, you're the strangest butterfly I've ever seen" she breathed, as, almost unconsciously, her hand rose to touch one glittering wing.
She felt a swirling, rushing sensation, along with a strange noise. She took one hesitant step forwards.
Biting wind. Horrible cold. Those were the first things that registered in her mind as she rubbed her shoulders for warmth. She scanned the scene, baffled. She was on a snowy cliff, and it was night here. The butterfly was gone, but behind her there was a strange circle with glowing symbols on the ground.
"Where am I?" she asked aloud.
"Hel…Help me" a small, weak voice said. It brought her attention to a person lying on the snow-covered ground. She was wearing white, so Rhen hadn't noticed her before. Now she could see the red hair that set her apart from the snow, and her instinct to help people kicked in.
She rushed forward, helping the person up. It was a woman, she could see now. She had a kind face that contrasted with her startling red hair and white clothes. She was bleeding.
"What is this place? Who are you?" she asked.
"P—please, we must go back through the portal" the stranger croaked.
"Portal?" Rhen asked, bewildered. She had no idea what was happening.
"It will take us back—" she started, then lapsed into a coughing fit and didn't finish.
Anxiously, Rhen helped her limp to the portal. She heard the strange rushing sound, everything went black, and then was back in her sunny village of Clearwater, everything just as it was before she touched the butterfly.
"Pa!" Rhen called, "Pa! Come quick!" she asked, hesitant to leave the strange woman alone.
She saw her father running to them, "Rhen! Are you okay?" he asked frantically. As he came closer, he saw the woman leaning heavily on Rhen, and Rhen saw the brief flash of recognition in his eyes.
"Who is this stranger?" he asked, and Rhen was confused. He knew her, so why was he calling her a stranger? Maybe she was mistaken.
"I do not know, daddy" she answered anyway "But she is hurt"
The woman spoke up again. "Is that you, Tailor?" she asked weakly. "I have come…" she trailed off, clutching her ribs in pain. "It is time…" she said. Then she fainted.
"Daddy, you know each other?" Rhen asked, now she knew that she hadn't imagined him recognising her.
He didn't answer for a moment, and then changed the subject. "I must get her back to the cottage" he said, picking the woman up gently in his arms and striding back to their home.
She followed him quickly, her basket of flowers forgotten. She unlatched the gate to their house, quickly going inside and closing it behind her.
"That poor woman!" Ma exclaimed when she saw her. "Where do you suppose she came from?" she asked, but Rhen saw that same little glint in her eye that made her think that her mother knew exactly who she was.
She entered the bedrooms, going to her father. "Rhen, go find the herbalist and bring her here" he said, turning to her. "Quick lass!" he said.
"Dyonna will know how to help her; she is the best herbalist in the Western Isle" her mother said, almost as if she were reassuring herself.
Rhen ran out the door to get the village herbalist. Not for the first time, she wondered why she lived all the way on the other side of town.
She smiled fondly at Eggie, trying to get a Marionbell on the other side of the stream. She climbed the ladder to the orchards and saw Merlie "Where is that stranger your father brought into town?" she asked. Rhen could see that this was true at least; Merlie knew nothing of the strange woman.
She continued on her way, crossing the bridge that led to the northern part of town. She shook off Lilly, asking if she wanted to play with her. She climbed the last ladder to Dyonna's house, gasping for breath by the time she was done.
"Rhen! How are your mother and father? Can I get you anything?" the herbalist asked when she saw Rhen.
"Do you think you could come by our house sometime soon?" Rhen asked hesitantly.
"Is something wrong, dear?" she asked in a concerned voice.
"No" Rhen said, and then rethought her answer. "Err, sort of…" she said. "I found this woman. I think she is hurt. Pa is watching her, and has asked me to come get you" she explained, watching her closely to see if she also knew who the stranger was.
She didn't see anything on the old woman's face except concern and a little alarm. "Oh dear!" she fretted. "We should go then" she said, moving to follow Rhen.
She walked all the way back, climbing down the ladders and crossing the bridges. She was exhausted again by the time she arrived back at her house, and she took a moment to breathe before leading the woman to where her father was.
"She's up here in Ma and Pa's bed" she told her, watching as the old woman hobbled to the stranger's side.
"She has strange burn marks all over her arms" Dyonna said, frowning. "A little pigwood salve should help her heal" she said reassuringly.
"Dyonna will help our guest get better" Pa said to Rhen, sounding like he was trying to reassure himself.
"Who is she Pa?" Rhen asked, feeling like she deserved to know. After all, all she'd done was touch a butterfly, and then she had to drag a fully-grown woman back to some portal in a snowstorm, and then she had to walk all the way to the herbalist's place and then back again! She deserved to know who this woman was!
He hesitated. "She is a priestess from a faraway land" he said finally.
"A real live priestess!" Rhen exclaimed. "You two know each other?" she asked.
"Yes" he said shortly, never taking his eyes off of the priestess. "A lifetime ago"
"Oh" Rhen said to herself, frowning. "Pa?" she asked hesitantly.
"Yes?" He asked, turning to her at last.
"Why would someone—a priestess" she said, still amazed that it was an actual priestess. "—from a lifetime ago come here to see us?" she asked.
He hesitated again. "We will talk about it later, dear" his tone held no room for discussion. "Go visit your mother, I believe she has chores for you to do" he said, changing the subject again.
"The festival is only a day away and there is a lot of work to be done" he reminded her when she opened her mouth to object. She frowned, but did as he asked.
"Dear, your little friend Peter stopped by while you were out" Ma said when she saw Rhen. "He told me he was going to the meadow to gather flowers for the festival" she continued.
"I need you to take this basked and bring me some flowers as well" Ma asked, handing Rhen a straw basket.
"Do I have to, Ma?" Rhen asked, eager to stay and find out more about the mysterious woman.
"Oh, it won't be that bad!" Ma said cheerfully. "Find me five Marionbells and then you can play" she said.
Rhen rolled her eyes, knowing that by the time she was done, it would be too late to play. "Hmph!" she said. "I mean, yes Ma" she said, quick to correct herself.
Rhen left, grumbling to herself about parents and priestesses and why didn't she ever get to know about things?
She left the house, closing the gate behind her. She blushed and turned when she heard a familiar voice. "Hi, Rhen" Danny called, sounding a little bemused. Of course, it just had to be Danny that found her talking to herself.
"Hi, Danny" she said shyly, and that was it for conversation. She hurried off before she made more of a fool out of herself, back to where she had found the strange woman.
She chatted for a moment with Ella and Peter before going to look for the pink flowers. It was remarkably hard to find the stupid things, and Ella wouldn't give her any of hers. Peter hadn't even collected any, even though there was one right in front of him.