Chapter 1: Return

Vayne knelt on the soft grass, a swift breeze playing with her hair, tangling it across her face. Her eyes, as ever hidden behind her red sunglasses, were closed. Around her, candles were lit, flickering in the wind. Her hands were raised to her forehead as she murmured long continuous strings of words. She never hesitated; by now she knew the words by heart. She had knelt there for hours now; her knees had left deep imprints in the springy grass. She muttered meaningless words, talking to her dead parents, trying to understand. She was still kneeling, when somebody behind her spoke.

"That's quite a ceremony you got there."

In an instant, Vayne was on her feet, crossbow aimed at the newcomer. She assessed him; grey hair, about the same height as her, probably around his sixties. He had a kindly face, with crinkles in the corners of his eyes. He wore a ragged blue shirt, and his pants would have been the same colour if they weren't covered in mud and dirt. He held a pitchfork in his hand; the kind you use for forking hay into haystacks. 'Farmer,' she thought in relief. He didn't pose much of a threat, but she didn't lower her crossbow. Even though he seemed genuinely friendly enough, he might still prove to be an enemy. That pitchfork could cause some serious damage.

"Easy, easy!" chuckled the farmer, holding up his hands in mock terror, "That thing could go off at any minute!" The crossbow didn't waver. "Who are you, and why are you here?" asked Vayne, her voice devoid of emotion. The farmer didn't reply for a moment, chewing on a long piece of grass. Eventually, he appeared to come up with an answer that suited the question.

"Well, my name is Patrick McGraddy, but you're welcome to call me Paddy. As for why I'm here, I was passing through to see an old friend of mine, when I saw you on this here hill, kneeling on the ground. So I thought to myself 'Well blow me down, if it isn't a person up there, kneeling and saying some kind of prayer!' So I stood there for a few minutes, until I realized you weren't moving for a while! And, excusing my curious nature, I came up here to talk to you, and here we are!" The farmer finished his little speech with a chuckle, and asked a question of his own. "And now that I've answered your question, would you care to state your name? And also, pardon if it seems like I'm prying, what you are doing here?"

Vayne remained silent for a moment before replying. "My name is Shauna Vayne, and I'm here for the tenth anniversary of my parents' deaths. What you see here is their grave," she said, gesturing to the candles, and a small slab of stone. Paddy's eyes widened in recognition at the name. "Little Shauna?" he whispered, "But you've been gone for so long... Do you remember me?" Slowly, Vayne shook her head. Many people had visited her father, but she didn't recognize the man standing before her.

"Pity, pity," said the old man slowly, shaking his head. "Come on," he started, "You can stay at my house for the night; it's just me and my family, we have a place for you to sleep-"

"Thank you," said Vayne, cutting him off, "but I need to get back to my hideout; i wouldn't dream of intruding on your household."

"No, no, I insist!" said Paddy, shaking his head and pulling at her arm. "You must stay there, you must! It's been so long, I want to know where you've been all these years! And besides," he muttered, casting a glance at the sinking sun, "it's getting dark; soon it'll be pitch black!" The old man started to hobble down the hill. "Hurry along now!" he hollered over his shoulder, "I don't want to be caught in the dark! This is a pretty rough neighborhood."

"I know," muttered Vayne, "Believe me, I do." And with that, she blew out the candles and set off after Paddy, long hair whipping in the wind.

They had been walking for a while now; already it was almost dark, and shady figures lurked in the alleyways. "Too far away," wheezed Paddy, "We'll have to stay at an inn for the night." Vayne didn't respond; she had stayed at plenty of inns during her travels. They kept walking for a few more minutes. It was almost dark, and by now Vayne was wondering if this inn actually existed. She was about to voice her thoughts, when Paddy said 'Here' and stumbled through a doorway. Vayne followed suit, making sure her cloak didn't get caught on any stray nails. They arrived at the counter, the bustle and noise around them faltering a little; Paddy fell onto a stool, while Vayne remained standing up. The innkeeper shuffled in; he was a large man, a head taller than her, and twice as wide as her slender frame. When he saw Paddy, his troubled face cleared up.

"Hey, Paddy! Long time no see!" called the innkeeper, vigorously shaking the farmer's hand. "And who's this?" he inquired politely, smiling while he spoke.

"This," began Paddy, "is Miss Shauna Vayne. Remember, about ten years back, when Simon and Maria Vayne were murdered, and little Shauna went missing?" The innkeeper nodded. "I remember," he said, shuddering, "Horrible business." The farmer nodded, eyes glinting in the dim light of the inn, and replied, "Well, this is the same Shauna Vayne! She's come home!"

"I see," nodded the barkeeper. "Well, it's nice to meet you Shauna. My name is Wilfred, and I run this here inn."

"Nice to meet you too," replied Vayne, "But please, just call me Vayne." The innkeeper chuckled. "As you wish, Vayne. Now," he said, focusing back on Paddy, "I'm assuming you want two rooms for the night?" Paddy nodded, smiling a little. "Right as always, Wilfred." The burly innkeeper nodded, rubbing his hands together. "Okay. Here are your keys- rooms 41, and 42," he said, handing the keys to each person in turn. "I'll have your dinner brought up to you." Paddy nodded, fumbling in his purse. "How much do I owe you then?" asked Paddy, still rummaging around. Wilfred chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Paddy," he replied, "You don't owe me anything."

Paddy beamed. "Why thanks, Wilfred! Thanks a lot!" Wilfred nodded solemnly. "It's nothing. Anything for an old friend of mine." In the background, the sound of glass breaking and men yelling began. "See you later Paddy. I gotta go deal with these rabble rousers," he grumbled. "Goodnight!" called Paddy after his retreating form. Vayne watched him go. "He seemed a bit stressed," noted Vayne. Paddy shook his head. "Nah, his plate is just a bit full, what with maintaining the inn and dealing with the troublemakers all day."

"He seemed nice though," replied Vayne, turning to face Paddy. "He is," said Paddy, smiling a little sadly, "He's the best friend a man could wish for. Now come on, let's get you to bed." They trudged tiredly up the stairs until they reached rooms 40-49. "Goodnight," called Paddy, before he entered his room. Vayne simply nodded. Fumbling a little with the key, she inserted it into to lock. Turning the key, she pushed open the door and entered. The room was nice, in a homely, familiar sort of way. There was little decoration, and a hearth was already lit, the blazing fire casting orange light on the wall. In an adjacent room, a toilet and a sink were standing.

She was still looking around the room when a knock sounded through the wooden door. A voice called out. "Miss Vayne... I have your dinner." Vayne walked over to the door and opened it, thanking the servant for the meal. It smelled like heaven. Her mouth watering, she walked over to the table and plonked down in a chair, setting the meal down in front of her. It was a steak, along with some steamed vegetables and a side of salad, and it looked delicious. Vayne began to eat, sighing in content as she swallowed the food. When she had finished, she got up, leaving the plate on the table. In the corner of the room, a bed was nestled, covers neatly made and waiting for her use. She pulled off her boots, and with a sigh, she flopped down onto the bed. 'This bed is pretty comfy,' she thought in surprise. In her experience, public beds were generally lumpy and had bedsprings sticking out. She took off her sunglasses and laid them on the bedside table. She lay there, listening to the creaking of the building, and the drunken singing and shouting coming from below her. Her eyelids kept closing... closing... closing... She fought valiantly to keep them open, but in the end, it was too much for her. Vayne fell fast asleep, her the sound of her soft breathing filling the empty room.

A/N: Hello again everyone! This is the first chapter (not including the prologue) of my new fanfic. Sorry about the kinda boring chapter. So far, its... not a pile of trash yet, to say the least. In my opinion anyway. And before you flame me for last chapter, i already know its not how her lore goes. Her lore says her parents are killed by a witch. It'll be explained later on, don't worry about it. Anyway, if you have any questions or comments, then leave a review. They're greatly appreciated!

Darkshadow: Thanks for being the first to review, i will try to keep up the chapters.

Thanks guys!