A/N: I'm obsessed with the Lost Years of Merlin books!!
~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter 1: Old Belongings
"Look! Oh, that one looks like an eagle!" I giggled and lifted my arm high above me, pointing to the fluffy white cottonball cloud. I let my arm drop, and settled both of my arms behind my head.
I lay in the open field behind my house. My small brick house was in the village of Cinoic, located in Wales. The field didn't rightfully belong to us, but my favorite hobby was just to lay on my back in the tall grass and watch the clouds go by.
I craned my neck, trying to see where my listener had gone. I spotted him grazing a little ways off. "Noath! Noath, come back here!"
The white horse lifted up his head, looking at me with disgust. After a moment's hesitation he trotted over to me, settling down on a patch of moss.
"Oh, am I boring you? Well, excuse me, then! I don't think eating grass is all that fun either." I sat up, flipping my auburn ringlets over my shoulder as Noath snorted. I crossed my arms, but grinned despite my frustration.
Just then a voice was carried over to me on a current of wind. "Vays! Come home, dear!" My mothers voice. I smiled, patting Noath on the head and started to sprint towards home. "Bye Noath! Have a fun time grazing!" My laughter rang out, flowing through the tall branches of the trees around me.
I skipped the rest of the way through the meadow, coming to a stop at the back door of my petite brick house. "Here I am, Mum!" I burst through the door to find my mother setting lunch out on the table. Yum, lunch was toasted nut bread with jam. "Sorry I wasn't home on time. Noath was being a bore, only wanting to eat the grass in the meadow." I heaved a sigh. "But that's okay. He can do whatever he wants for now." I smiled and settled down in the wooden chair, which had carvings of birds all over it.
My mother laughed. "Vays, you always did have a passion for animals. Sometimes I think you can understand them! That day long ago, when you were just a tot, and your father and I found you on the beach--" She stopped suddenly, muffling a gasp. She turned back to setting the table.
I raised my eyebrows, questions of all kinds forming on the tip of my tongue. "When you found me on the beach? What do you mean?"
My mother's cheeks flushed, and she smiled slightly at me. "Your father and I weren't planning on telling you. We figured that you didn't need to know..."
I stood up so suddenly that the chair reeled back, clattering to the floor. "What are you talking about? Tell me!" I searched her green eyes with my gray ones.
"We...we should wait until your...your father gets home from the shop." My gray eyes must have been flaming, for she sighed sadly and began to tell me. "About eight years ago, when you were only four, we found you on the beach. You were curled up on the sand dune, sleeping. I remember you had the strangest outfit. At first, I thought you were some kind of animal. You had on a silk white robe, covered in the whitest, smoothest fur I have ever seen."
I groped around behind me, picking up the chair and falling into it. My gaze never left hers.
"White animal-hide shoes were on your feet, and you wore a very odd looking amulet. Around your head was a circulet of silver beads, dangling down on your forehead. I still have all of those things stored somewhere. Anyway, nestled right in the crook of your neck was a white dove, and cuddled in your small hands was a baby rabbit."
She paused only for a moment to collapse in the chair next to me, taking my hand in her own. "We knew you weren't from around here, so we took you back here and dressed you in proper clothes. The dove followed us the whole way home, but I don't remember where she went after that. We never found your real parents..."
I felt like I was pasted to the chair. I couldn't move, couldn't think. All I could think about was that this place wasn't my real home. My real home was...out there somewhere. "Get me those things you found me in, please"
"What?"
"I would like to see them."
My mother--or should I even call her Mother anymore?--shuffled to a locked chest and opened it slowly. She drew out the few things in there, lying them on the table. The soft fur covered robe, the circulet of beads, the animal-hide shoes, a white animal-hide pouch, and the amulet.
I looked the things over, touching each one gently. The amulet--it was gorgeous. An ivory charm of two dragons standing back-to-back, their tails arching over and twining together in the shape of a heart. The charm was hung on a leather cord. I rubbed my thumb over the surface of the charm, taking it all of its beauty. I lifted the cord over my head, placing it around my neck. The charm sat comfortably in the hollow of my neck.
I looked up to face my mother. Her eyes looked glassy, and I could see tears forming. I didn't want to hurt her, but there were just too many unanswered questions. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
The woman holding my hand swallowed hard. "We weren't going to tell you. We never thought you'd find out, until it slipped out of my mouth. Besides, twelve years old is too young to find out about something like this!"
I sighed, gathering my old belongings in my arms. I gave the woman's hand a squeeze. "I thank you for all that you've done for me. But I'd just like to be alone now." I stood up and strode out of the house, heading in the direction of the beach.