FINALLY, RIGHT? Holy crap, guys, I'm so sorry for not updating faster.
The reason for my lack of updating is because I'm going to self-publish my book. I've just submitted it to an editor, and I've only just now finished revising the content portion of her critique. Next is grammar and style.
I'll probably release it sometime at the end of this year, in case anyone's curious. All I have to do now is find a cover artist.
~ THEMESONGS ~
Do Better ~ Say Anything
Fire Escape ~ Civil Twilight
.M.I.W.
2. To Bree
I walked down the road, my steps now adopting a jazzy flare.
"Hey lover, you're fine," I sang as I popped and shifted to the side. "I've been looking for you all this time."
"This club, don't close," I waved my arms coolly, spinning around so my back faced the way I was going, and I jerked back a few steps. "Tell me, baby, where you think we're gonna go?"
"But I like this, I'm about to put you on. Started on the bed, ended up on the floor." I then locked my right ankle behind my left and did a smooth pencil-drop, putting me back in the right direction, and slid to the side. "I know they talk a lot, but I'ma back it up and more. I show you what I mean, baby, all night long…"
"Girl you know! You ain't ever heard this like that, that like this – I'ma show you how that goes!"
Okay, so, before you judge. It had been two hours. Two hours of straight walking, and there was nothing around for miles. As you can see, I was getting kind of desperate for some entertainment. And, being me, I can fulfill that purpose with relative ease.
And not like that, you pervs. I see you, and I got you.
"Your lips, your thighs," I swung my hips to the left, "I ain't even looking in your eyes. I want you! I can't lie… I ain't even tryin' to waste no time!"
"But I like this, I'm about to put you on. Started on the bed, ended up on the floor. I know they talk a lot, but I'ma back it up and more. I show you what I mean, baby, all night long…"
"M'lady! M'lady!"
Hold up. That was not part of the song…
I frowned at that, and paused my iPod. When I turned around, I got the start of my life.
Sheep. A bunch of sheep were moving across the road where I was just walking. Like, actual sheep. White, wooly sheep. White, wooly, surprisingly smelly sheep.
"Ahem!"
I jumped, looking at the back of the herd to see a scraggly looking old man leaning on a tall walking stick. His face was dark and leathery from years in the sun, and he wore thick, medieval traveling clothes. He was glaring at me.
Great. Two hours in a new world and I made my first enemy. Progress is progress.
"Uh…" I said, pulling my earbuds out of my ears cautiously. The man's eyes flickered to my iPod, then at me, his eyes narrowing. "Hi."
"What do ye think yer doing there, lassie?" He demanded. "Yer racket is causin' a stir throughout the whole countryside!"
I arched an eyebrow, looking around us. There was still nothing or no one in sight, besides the sheep and the scraggly shepherd. "Correct me if I'm wrong, good sir, but I don't think there's much for me to stir around here –"
"Who do yeh think you are?" He cried in exasperation. I took a step back. "Singin' yer lewd songs out loud like that, wearin' those trousers, dancing! You must be part of them wild folk. Them street performers!"
"Guilty!" I chirped in response. He only glowered at me. "I got separated from my group, you see. Do you think you could tell me which way they went?"
"Humph!" The man snorted. "They were headin' towards Bree. Wild folk, they are… If you knew what was good for ya, you'd go back to yer home!"
I smirked, quickly switching to a new song on my iPod. The music began to blare intensely, causing the man to start in surprise. His flock of sheep brayed in fright and scrambled away from me.
"I don't have a home," I replied. The man raised his brows a little, but couldn't say anything else. I was already jerking back, locking one of my ankles behind the other, and pulling a smooth pencil drop.
I spun and rose to my feet, facing the way I was going. "Bree is that way, right?"
When the man didn't answer, I craned my neck around. He then nodded weakly. "Aye," he answered.
"Excellent."
.M.I.W.
With two more hours of walking under my belt, and not being the least bit tired, night was quickly approaching. The sun was dipping below the horizon, casting the sky in a pinkish glow.
The orange sun I'd been somewhat (I say somewhat because I don't know how to navigate using stars) using as my guide was hidden behind the very tall, very imposing wooden gate that blocked me from Bree.
I craned my neck back to look up at its overall tall-ness (that's right, we're making 'tall-ness' a word), and found myself frowning.
Apparently, one does not simply walk into Bree either, Sean Bean.
I reached forward and pounded on the wooden gate. "Hey!" I snapped. "Open up!"
Suddenly, a wooden slat in the gate that I hadn't seen slid open. I started as dark, beady eyes peered out over my head, then found me. The brows belonging to them furrowed.
"Who goes there?" The male voice snarled out, skeptical eyes trained on me.
I folded my arms across my chest. "My name is Madison Verdantia. Who are you?"
"Goatleaf," the man responded snarkily. "State your business here, Miss Verdantia, and why you are so armed."
"Have you heard the news?" I snapped. "This world isn't as safe as it used to be, old man. My business is mine to deal with, thanks."
"All right, all right," he answered, sliding the slat shut. For a second, I thought he'd locked me out, until I heard rustling behind the gate, and a small door opened. The man who I assumed was Goatleaf at this point, peered out, and gestured for me to follow him.
I slowly walked towards him, my hand automatically reaching for Metatron's hilt.
"You never know during these times," Goatleaf said conversationally as I walked through the door. "Like you said, this land has turned more dangerous. Have to check up on every traveler that enters 'round sunset."
"Right, yeah," I agreed halfheartedly, my eyes now focused on the town I saw in front of me.
Medieval, indeed, it looked like it did in the movie. The old (old, old) school Tudor-styled houses were squished together, some advertising different businesses. People walked and mingled about in the cobblestone streets, looking like they came out of a Renaissance fair themselves.
"I heard that a group of street performers were coming this way," I said. "Are they here?"
"Aye," the man replied. "A real riot, they are. I believe they're still performing in the town square."
I had a feeling I could locate the town square with relative ease. The town seemed small enough. I thanked the guy and started strolling off into the town.
.M.I.W.
Another hour later, and no closer to any town square, I decided I had a pretty useless sense of direction.
I wandered aimlessly through the town, the sun dipping lower and lower under the horizon. I realized I really had no plan of action. This was pretty much it. Find these street performers, maybe run into Frodo and Co. later, but right now? I had no money, no place to stay, nothing…
Crap.
So I continued to wander. And wander. And wander. I wandered through bustling town streets, immersing myself in the old culture. I looked at street signs and vendors selling rotting vegetables and fruits, a haggard woman peddling 'fresh spring blooms' from a basket on her arm. When I got tired of receiving odd looks which I was sure were due to my wardrobe and weaponry and the fact that I was a girl doing these things, I relocated to scouring empty and narrow alleyways. I tiptoed through those, trying not to step on any homeless person or people's sewages thrown out on the street. The place smelled foul and I quickly moved on. I wandered through dirt lots that were occupied by wagons being pulled by horses. When I was sure no one was looking, I pet a couple of them, unable to restrain myself. By the time I finally found the town square, the street performers were already gone.
I told myself my wandering was all about getting the lay of the land, when really I was just trying to preoccupy myself from the huge expanse of nothing I dragged myself into. If only I had something to do!
It was night now, and I pretty much cased all of Bree. It was a small place, after all. I ventured back out onto the main streets, a little relieved they were much less crowded. A lot of the houses and stores were bolted up for the evening, and bars started opening. Early drunks were already meandering about the roads, and a single carriage pulled by a tired looking horse lurched past me. Street lamps were lit with little flickering flames. I moseyed along through the streets, trying not to bring too much attention to myself. I looked up at the sky once I was at a street corner, seeing only blackness. Weird, I thought there'd be stars.
Suddenly, a crack of thunder peeled across the sky. I jumped in surprise, and quickly flipped up the hood of my jacket just before a sheet of rain descended on the town.
I turned around at the sound of boisterous laughter coming from one of the bars. A group of men filed out, laughing and gurgling and shouting obscenities. They were all large and muscular, probably farmworkers, five of them in total. I frowned and slowly backed away, meeting eyes with one of them just as I rounded the corner.
I began to look for safe refuge for the night. I made my way towards the Prancing Pony (which, yes, I totally fangirled over when I came across it), remembering an alley close to it that didn't seem too foul. I could hide there for the night and group up with Aragorn and Frodo the next morning. What else could I do?
"Oi, you there!"
Fuck.
I risked a glance over my shoulder, seeing the group of men walking towards me.
"Weird for a young lass like yerself to be wanderin' the streets at night!" One shouted. "Do you seek refuge in the allies?"
"Bet she's a common penny whore," another slurred. "What are your fees, streetwalker?"
Not really in the mood to mull over the phrase 'streetwalker,' I ducked into the first alley I could find, hoping they would be too large to fit. I kept my hands firmly fisted in my jacket's pockets, my swords brushing against my legs like they wanted me to use them.
No dice. I would not kill five dudes who weren't really involved in this story. I could hear them stumbling to keep up with me. Damn it all.
"Wench!" A man shouted, his voice echoing off the narrow brick walls. "You will turn when we summon you!"
I broke out into the town square then, and pulled out my swords. I flipped them experimentally in my hands, water flying off of them as I turned around to face the men walking out of the alley. My blades began to glow dimly, not breaking into full-out brightness, like they knew there wasn't a threat. I could scare these dudes off easy.
"Look, I don't want any trouble," I warned them. "But I'll give it to you if you want it."
"I wish for the trouble, lass," a man said, stepping towards me. "I wish for it greatly."
Before I could go at the guy, a shadow slipped out of the alleyway. My eyes widened when I saw a blade that wasn't mine pointed at the first man's throat.
"If you want to keep that tongue inside your mouth," the shadow hissed at the man, "you'll back the hell off."
I soon realized under the dim glow of the streetlamps that the shadow wasn't really a shadow at all. It was a man, dressed in a black cloak with the hood drawn over his face. He was tall, though. Almost the same height as the drunken guy, which seemed about six-foot-something.
The drunk man shuddered at the cloaked dude's threat, and nodded quickly. He slowly pulled the small dagger away from the drunk's throat. The band of farmhands didn't need that much more convincing after that. They were already scrambling off, leaving me to face the strange person in the town square.
"Hey, uh, thanks –"
Before I could even process what was happening, this cloaked crusader already made his way towards me. My swords belatedly blazed in challenge, and I swung out with Metatron. He barely made it to the side before I clipped his side with Sandalphon. He let out a loud, gruff curse, and pushed me back into yet another alley.
I let out a yelp of surprise when my back hit a wall. "What the hell, bro?" I shouted, reaching out to clip him again with one of my blades. The guy grabbed my wrists and held them against the wall. Pain shot up my arms at the guy's grip, and I ended up dropping my swords. They clanged on the streets almost musically, but it sounded painful to my ears. I was about to knee the guy until his full weight pressed against me. His body was warm against the chill of the rain, and I struggled against it.
"Who are you?" He demanded.
"None of your goddamn business," I retorted. "Who the fuck are –?"
"All right, American," the guy said, musing. "That's a start."
My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wait, what? How do you know that – I –"
"Your name," the guy ordered. His eyes finally met mine, and I could see under the hood when we just hit the right amount of light.
Bright blue eyes met mine, so bright and pure they made mine feel plain. They seemed to be hiding a lot more emotion than just shock. His face was angular and young, maybe just a little bit older looking than me. He was in total period clothing, which made me doubt he was even for real.
"No, hold on, wait," I spluttered. "How do you even – it can't – what –?"
"Please," the guy sighed. "In case you didn't notice, you're wearing a Led Zeppelin shirt. Kind of a dead giveaway. What are those swords –?"
My God. He knew Led Zeppelin.
"Back off!" I shouted, trying to push him away. It didn't do much good, though. This guy was way bigger than me. I couldn't take him strength-wise.
Suddenly, with a burst of power I didn't even know I had, I ripped my wrists from his hands, and shoved his chest. Hard. He flew back and hit the back of the wall across from me. I reached down to grab my swords, and held them out in front of me. They broke out into their original bright light without even needing to be commanded, shedding more light on the stranger.
His hood had fallen back, revealing wet, sandy blonde hair that was cut too short for the time period we were supposed to be set in. I glared at him while his focus was on my swords.
"How do those –"
"An-motherfucking-gelic divinity," I snarled. "And now that I have the upper hand, I want to know who you are."
He didn't say anything, his gaze flickering from me, to my swords, then back to me again.
I slowly lowered my swords, their light dimming, and sighed. "I see you're in too much awe to speak. That's okay, everyone is at first. Too gorgeous or too awesome, I never know which. Maybe it's both. Why don't we start off simple? My name is Madison Verdantia. Who are you?"
Before he could respond, a raspy scream shot through the air.
We both turned in the direction of the Prancing Pony, my heart thudding even faster in my chest. I turned around to see the guy –
He was gone.
I ran further back into the alley, peering around a corner to see he was nowhere to be found. My stomach flipped, and I sincerely hoped I wasn't hallucinating.
Another scream pierced the air of Bree.
"Fuck!" I shouted, and tore off towards the Prancing Pony, more confused than I'd ever been in my entire life.
.M.I.W.
