Author's Notes: *bangs head against the keyboard repeatedly* I'm sooo sorry! I missed the update on Thursday, even though I promised I would make it! It's a whole day late . But better late then never right? -.-;;; I said I'd pull an all-nighter if I had to to get it done. Well, I pretty much DID, but I wasn't doing it for Arelle--I had one day to make a picture for the tshirt design for the anime convention next to me, Numa Rei-no Con. I hope I win the contest and get my pic as the tshirt picture, and then it will all be worth it ^.^
And then last night--or this morning, I guess--We sat outside for Best Boy for many many hours, waiting for i to open so we could rush in and buy good sales ^.^ We were like, 20th in line or something, and we got there at 2 or 3 AM. And it was sooo freezing! But I got my new computer for Christmas, along with a new graphics card so I can finally play EverQuest correctly with all the races enabled, so it was all worth it! Wooo!
Well, I've been having a pretty hectic week since we got it last Monday or whatever. Dad flew in (he works off-shore as an engineer in South America), Shiroi's back from college for Thanksgiving, as well as Kage and many other of my friends, and I've been running around doing all sorts of things.
Well, I better go now, and get this fanfic updated. Thank you SOOO much to everyone who has been asking about Arelle, and all the support everyone's given me so far ^.^ I'm sorry I took such a long break form Arelle, but now that I'm finished, I'm ready to update Arelle weekly like I used to! Wish me luck! Oh, and I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and ate lots of turkey and apple cider! Wee!
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In a small, brown tent in the middle of the White Wolf camp, the two most hot-tempered White Wolfs were having a pleasant conversation.
"What kind of statement is that?!" Renka exclaimed, hitting her hand against the dirty wooden table.
Myrall looked at her, eyes narrowed. "Don't act surprised, Renka! The fact that you're a girl automatically excludes you from the prospect of being the new Commander!"
"That's the stupidest thing I've heard all day! Being a girl never kept me from being by Commander Raaj's side-his right hand! I promised Commander Raaj I would be a beautiful, independent, determined lady, and this is the first step! I won't fail!" Renka exclaimed.
"Who said you were Commander's Raaj's right hand?! That's something you made up to make you feel important," Myrall said bitterly.
"From the day I became part of the White Wolfs, I was always by Commander Raaj's side! And I will be till the end!" Renka said.
Myrall's burned in anger at her words. "That's right! Always by the Commander's side, never able to do anything for yourself! Everyone can see your stupid little infatuation with him! Do you think he even ever considered you a girl, with the way you act and talk? You've always just been a little kid that follows him around, doing whatever he asks. He pats you on the head when you do something good, and you're happy! You really think he loves the back, Renka?!" Myrall exclaimed heatedly.
Renka's eyes went wide. Her stomach knotted as realization hit her. She crumpled forward, clutching her heart as if it had been pierced. Everything he said made sense. It made too much sense.
"That's a lie! Those are lies! Take them back, Myrall!" Renka said, her eyes brimming with tears. Everything was dawning on her-her true feelings for Raaj, and the fact that he didn't feel anything but the love of companionship to her. She had known it all, deep inside, but because she knew it was hopeless, she had never let herself think about it.
Myrall's anger seemed to vanish as Renka's tears started spilling down her sunburned cheeks. He looked away, not wanting to see her crying. He had been too hasty. He wished he could take back what he had just said, but it was too late now. "Just...just forget it. I'm going," Myrall said, turning to leave the small White Wolf tent.
Renka buried her face in her hands, silently sobbing into them.
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Day by day passed, each bringing more of the warmth of the approaching Summer, and each making Arelle's excitement and pleasure grow deeper. Everything seemed like a dream-this had been her dream for the longest time. To be taking Moren, Akinen, and Lilliah to Felwithe! This was a dream she had wondered if she could ever make come true. And now it was finally happening!
Slowly, both Moren and Akinen were opening up. They both were trying to overcome problems in their pasts, trying to come to a greater acceptance of the situation they were in and trying to move forward from there. Going to Felwithe was the first step to them changing. And although it seemed odd, Arelle couldn't help but feel gleeful at the fact that Moren would finally enter her city. She never told him for fear he would be angry or upset, but it had always been a burden on her when he said he would never enter Felwithe. She wanted him to see her homeland.
Arelle looked up at the blue, lightly clouded sky. One more week before the Festival. It would take at least two day's travel to reach Felwithe, which meant they would be starting out pretty soon. Arelle brushed her hair out of her face as a soft, warm breeze swept over her.
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Renka sat, huddled in the corner of her tent, her cheeks still damp from crying. She knew she shouldn't cry. She had been like this lately. When Raaj was taken away by the guards, she had cried, whined, and said "I can't stand without you." And now, here she was sobbing in the corner just because of her stupid feeling of love. Of wanting to be beside Commander Raaj always. This is how it had always been anyway, wasn't it? Nothing had changed between her and Raaj. She knew this was how it was long ago. Raaj protected her like a little sister, but he had never showed any signs of loving her like she really loved him.
Renka sighed as she leaned backwards, resting on her back. She looked at the roof of her tent blankly. How long had it been since she had joined the White Wolfs? Surely it was over five years, now. Long ago, the White Wolfs banded together with another bandit clan, a clan called the Black Dragons, to make a raid on a High Elf town on the outskirts of Felwithe. That whole night seemed like a dream to her, foggy and dark. That night she lost all of her previous memories.
Renka was 9 that night, or so she presumed, since she had no memory of her past before that point. The first she remembered was waking up beside a flaming building. A flaming support pillar lay across her shoulder, burning her flesh. In surprise and pain, she jerked away, freeing herself from the pillar. She wiped away some sort of liquid running into her eyes, and felt faint when she realized it was her own blood. Feeling her head, she realized she had a great gash in it-no doubt where the pillar had first hit her.
Renka looked around the village, houses and shops set aflame, people running about, screaming. It was at that moment she realized she didn't know where she was or what she was doing here. Moreover, she didn't know who she was.
She looked down and realized that she was clutching the hilt of a bloody sword. About her lay a few men, blood gushing from their wounds. Had she done that to them? They looked like bandits; dirty and scarred with old battle wounds. Renka felt sweat dripping down her arms, and the smoke filled her lungs. Whoever she was, she had to get out of this flaming town before she suffocated. She began walking quickly, still in a confused haze.
As she reached the outskirts of the town, she saw more bandits--these alive. Some were cutting down the running townsfolk, some still pillaging the houses, while some seemed to be preparing to leave. Renka kept walking, her mind too hazy to realize her danger.
Some of the bandits saw her, but none seemed to bother her in the confusion. She must not have looked like one of the townsfolk, covered in blood and clutching a large sword, quickly walking out of the town towards the bandits.
The bandits were loading on small wagons filled with loot now. One of them saw her and called to her.
"Hurry and load up! We have to escape; the Felwithien guards will be here shortly! Hurry and catch up!" the bandit said.
Renka looked at him wide eyed. He was talking to her. Catch up? She quickened her pace, and when she was close enough, he grabbed her by the hood and swung her into the wagon.
"You're a scrawny thing, aren't you, boy? You must be one of the White Wolfs, for I've never seen you in our clan. Looks like you got a little carried away with the killing by all the blood covering you! Well, no matter-the White Wolfs made us Black Dragons promise not to kill, but I think we all knew that oath was foolish and would never be kept. I wouldn't have thought you, one of the White Wolfs, though, would be one to kill the villagers! But I guess that proves that bandits are the same, no matter what morals the White Wolfs preach!" the bandit laughed, leaning back on the side of the wagon.
Renka sat in silence, expressionless. It was too much. What was happening? What was going on? Who was she? She shouldn't have got on the wagon-this was a wagon of bandits. That was a mistake. But she was too confused. Her head was spinning, and she clasped it between her hands.
Renka hid her bloodstained face in her lap. The loss of blood from her head was making her feel dizzy and uneasy. Her head throbbed in pain, and tears began welling in her eyes. Renka crumpled onto the bottom of the wagon as she lost consciousness from loss of blood.
When Renka awoke, she was lying in a tent on a small, woven mat. She sat upright. Her head had been loosely bandaged, as well as two other sword wound on her side, though they still seemed to throb in pain. Her hair was caked with blood and mud, but her face had been wiped off. Suddenly, she was aware of voices outside her tent.
"How could this happen? How did a young girl sneak onto one of our wagons?!" one voice exclaimed.
"She was so covered in blood and mud, and besides, she was carrying a sword! And who would have thought one of the villagers would try to sneak on one of the wagons, anyway? What could be her purpose?" another voice said.
"You don't think she's really one of the White Wolfs, do you?" another voice asked.
"Why would the White Wolfs have a little girl in their clan?! But anyway, if that really is so, then it doesn't matter, since the White Wolfs are now our enemies. Who would've thought that breaking our oath not to kill any of the villagers or burn the houses would have made them so furious! They were so upset, they declared us enemies! They honestly call themselves bandits? They don't act like any bandits I've ever heard of. Have we heard from them again since that night?" the bandit asked.
"No, not yet. Everything has been completely silent since then."
"Is that so," he said, slightly troubled. "Well, as for the girl-whoever she is, we have no use for her except as a hostage. If she is a villager, then I don't think we could ransom her for much. If on the off-chance she is a White Wolf, then perhaps we could use her to our advantage. But we have no idea who she is until she awakes and we are able to question her. She'll be a prisoner until her wounds heal; then we can decide what to do with her after hearing her story," he said.
Renka heard the bandit walk to the entrance of her tent and lift the flap up. Renka closed her eyes and breathed evenly, pretending to be asleep. Seeing her sleeping soundly, he let the flap of the tent fall back and sighed as he walked away, the other bandits following.
Renka waited a few moments till all was peaceful before sitting upright. She winced in pain, and held her throbbing head. Who was she? Who was she? She tried to concentrate, but nothing came to her. She was alone in a bandit camp. She had no memory of her past, or of any family she might have. She didn't even know her name.
Renka glanced around the tent for any weapons. There was nothing but a few pelts and some bandages. Suddenly, her eyes spotted a stick, slightly protruding from beneath the edge of the tent. She stood up quietly and grabbed the stick. She stood at the entrance of the tent and slowly raised the flap, glancing about, looking for bandits around. She didn't see any. Quietly but hastily, she jumped out of the tent and began running. She looked for the nearest way out of the camp, but there were many, many tents. But strangely enough, the bandit camp seemed oddly empty. Where were they all?
Renka pushed it from her mind--she didn't care, as long as she could escape. She saw what looked like a clearing and ran towards it full speed, but as she jumped into the clearing, hoping to escape, instead she saw what looked like the entire clan of Black Dragons, along with another clan, which she assumed was the White Wolfs. They all seemed to be scowling at each other, but when Renka jumped into the middle of them so unexpectedly, all attention was drawn to her as stared at her wide-eyed. Likewise, Renka stared back at what seemed to be a multitude of bandits, all staring at her. She gasped in shock and slowly stepped back, but her legs were wobbly from their wounds and her shock, and she tripped and fell on her back. She hurried to her feet and turned, trying to escape, but one of the Black Dragons caught her by the arm, jerking her backwards and causing her to trip and fall.
"So the girl is awake--how surprising! We didn't expect you to gain consciousness for at least another day!" he said, grabbing her by the hair and pulling her up. He turned to the White Wolfs. "I don't suppose you know this girl or have any relation to her, do you? She managed to get inside our camp, which I'm sure she'll be regretting very shortly, unless we can ransom her," the bandit said, pulling out a dagger and placing it at her throat as she frantically kicked and elbowed him, trying to get away.
One of the White Wolfs stepped forward. "Let the girl go," he said simply.
The Black Dragon looked at him, eyebrow raised. "Rakruto, commander of the White Wolfs, speaks! So you do know her, eh? Well, I'll tell you what--you can have her--if you can defeat us!" the Black Dragon said, sending a dagger flying towards Rakruto. Rakruto stepped to the side to avoid it. With the raise of his arm, the battle between the two bandit clans began.
Renka watched wide-eyed as the battle raged between the two clans. The Black Dragons looked like savage beasts, thrashing about wildly, trying to hit their foes. But the White Wolfs looked completely different--they looked somehow dignified--almost elegant--and they rarely struck killing blows, no doubt intentionally. Renka ran into the bushes on the sidelines as soon as she was free and watched the battle. The battle was over surprisingly quickly, and the winners had been evident since the beginning--the White Wolfs stood strong and tall. They scurried about the battlefield, checking for injured comrades. Rakruto wiped the sweat from his brow, leaning on his sword, and a young boy came up behind him. The boy looked just a bit older than Renka herself, yet he looked like he had fought in the battle, and his sword was covered in blood.
Rakruto and the boy looked towards Renka, and she leapt backwards frightened. They stood there, watching her, uninterested in chasing her into the forest. Rakruto and the boy looked at each other, and Rakruto nodded to him. The boy looked at Renka and smiled in a friendly manner.
"Greetings, I am Raaj of the White Wolfs--my father is commander. You have nothing to fear now, for the White Wolfs are honorable. Well, as honorable as bandits get, anyway. But we certainly don't take young girls as hostages for ransom or anything of the sort. I don't know how you managed to get in those bandits' camp, or why on earth you might want to, but you're free now, so you may do whatever you wish," Raaj said.
Renka stared at him, ready to leap back into the forest at any moment if he looked like he was going to chase her.
"Say, you look High-Elf...am I right?" Raaj asked, taking a step towards her to get a better look. Renka jumped back a foot, too, and made no reply. "Could it be that you were taken from the village we raided?! How could those Black Dragons be so low, to take a young girl from her village like that! Though it's nothing compared to what they did to the village itself," Raaj said, clenching his fists in anger.
Renka made no reply.
Raaj paused, looking at her. "You certainly don't act like the typical proud, arrogant High-Elf, but I suppose you must be scared--which I don't blame you for, actually," Raaj said.
"Am I....am I really High Elf?" Renka asked.
Raaj looked at her curiously, an eyebrow raised. "What do you mean? You mean you don't know what race you are?"
Renka paused. "I...I don't know...I don't anything...." she muttered quietly, rubbing her head where she had been hit. It still throbbed terribly. She realized as she raked her hand through her hair how much blood had dried in her hair--no doubt from her head wound.
"Your head is badly injured, isn't it?" Raaj asked, taking a step closer, curious. "The whole left side of your head is covered in dried blood! You must've been hit really hard! What happened to it? Those Black Dragons didn't do this, did they?" Raaj asked.
Renka's held her head tightly. "I...I don't know...I don't know how I got it...I don't know anything!" she said painfully.
"What do you mean, you don't know anything? Is something wrong? Did you hit your head a little too hard, maybe?" Raaj asked, curious.
"I...I don't know! I don't remember...anything! I remember waking up, and then, the bandits....and they wanted to ransom me, but they were going to kill me....they wanted to ransom me, but I don't even know who I am! I don't know who I am!" she sobbed the last out, covering her face with her hands, the tears running across the dried blood covering her arms, dripping to the ground around her. All the pain and fear she had been feeling since she hit her head began to release right there, and before she knew what was happening, Raaj was at her side, his arm around her comfortingly. And surprisingly, she didn't jump away. Instead, she cried into his shoulder, and he patted her back comfortingly.
That happened so long ago, it seemed now. Rakruto and Raaj had offered to let her stay with the White Wolfs until she remembered her past, but she never remembered, and ended up becoming a White Wolf herself. Everything had been generally peaceful since then, until that bounty hunter captured the commander, Rakruto, and things went downhill for a while. Rakruto's right-hand man took control of the clan, but he proved to be a bad leader, and tried to make the White Wolf clan turn from their ideals in order for him to get more wealth. But Raaj, being the son of the previous commander, and well-loved far more than the current leader, was able to gain control of the clan, and banished the old leader. Things had gone well then, until again, the same bounty hunter came and captured and turned in Raaj. Now things were just as thrown off as they were last time the commander Rakruto was taken, but hopefully they wouldn't be led astray by a poor leader this time.
Renka sighed. This time it was time for her to take control of the group. She would lead it to the best of her abilities, for Raaj and Rakruto's sake. They had already done so much for her.
Renka got up, her tears finally dry, and her eyes not so red anymore. Just as she began to stretch her arms, someone threw back the flap of her tent.
"Renka! There's trouble at the north corner of the camp! Big trouble! Come quick!" he exclaimed.
Renka grabbed her sword and strapped it to her belt as she ran out of her tent.