Protect Her
Chapter 1:
"Oi! Girl! Get out here and serve the ale! What good are you if you keep getting lost in your fantasies?" an angry voice breaks through my daydream, making me jump.
"Coming, Papa!" I run out of the small kitchen at the back of the tavern. Walking into the main room, I grab a large pitcher to serve the patrons. Everyone seems to be in a somber mood, nursing their mugs and speaking in hushed whispers.
Talk of the blight has spread throughout Fereldan, making everyone jumpy, even in the sleepy, little village of Lothering. An ominous feeling starts to spread through me. 'I need to get out of here, soon. It isn't safe here anymore,' I think as I look around the tavern.
"What is going through that empty little head of yours, Izana?! Get back to work, you useless thing!" My Papa yells at me from behind the counter of the bar.
"Sorry!" I quickly go back to serving the few patrons left in the main seating area of the tavern. A few hours later, I help close up for the night. Turning to my Papa, I smile and bid him goodnight, before going up to my room. There, I close and lock the door, leaning against it sighing. "He still treats me like a servant. instead of his daughter..." I whisper to the empty room, as tears start to fall from my eyes. Wiping my face to rid it of any wetness, I stand up from the door. "No time dwelling on that," I say to myself. "I need to get out of Lothering, quickly. Something is coming. I can feel it." I walk over to my small wardrobe, opening it to grab my worn traveling pack. I then fill it with the few sets of clothes I own, which consists of two pairs of breeches that cut off just below my knees, two slightly faded and worn out dresses, two slightly baggy tunic style tops, and a set of small clothes. I go around my room, filling the remaining pockets of my pack with personal belongings that I knew would be missed if I left them behind, including my mother's pendant that she gifted me before she passed away. Walking towards my window, I place my pack on and glance towards the setting sun. 'Time to head out,' I think as I listen to hear if my Papa has gone to bed yet. When all I hear is the stillness of my room, I begin to climb out the window and head towards the outskirts of the village.
I just cross the bridge before I glance back to see Lothering one last time, only to see smoke and flames rise as a horde of monstrous creatures drag bodies away. I try to stifle a scream as I see one of the larger creatures stop and look towards me, signaling towards the smaller creatures to capture me. Without wasting any time, I turn and run away from the blighted monsters, toward the Korcari Wilds. 'I have to get away! I have to get somewhere safe!' my panicked mind keeps repeating.
Out of nowhere, a huge battle-ax swings into my line of sight. I quickly change directions, barely dodging the large blade, only to be cornered by three genlock at the edge of the Wilds. 'No, No, NO!' my mind screams as I dodge around each creature, running deep into the Wilds. Suddenly, I feel a sharp pain on the back of my head, making me stumble and trip on a root, falling flat on my face. Rolling onto my back, I try to identify what hit me, the edges of my vision starting to blur. "Someone...help me..." I mutter, weakly as I see a large ax arch toward me, as if in slow motion. I then hear a deafening roar and see the creature wielding the large blade being knocked aside by a larger creature as it runs past, killing it instantly before the darkness takes me.