Sparkles of the Past
Chapter #10
The Brave and the Filthy
The next day Serena went out into the courtyard for some fresh air. No offense to her
scouts but they were just a little annoying after about five hours of questions and
consistent "Are you sure your all right?"
Even Jarl and Camaan were on her nerves, she just needed some air and quiet.
She saw a bunch of children playing ball over in the corner. One particular boy was
laughing and jumping into the air. His blond hair glinted in the sun. Serena decided to see
the market, it was so different from the grocery stores at home and she was interested on
how they actually traded goods without money. She was watching one man selling some
sort of fruit to a lady in her late twenties when she was hit from behind.
"Oww!" she whirled to face the culprit and discovered that her culprit was a raw hide ball.
Picking it up she looked for who ever threw it. The boy that she had been looking for ran
up to her.
"Miss, oh, I'm so sorry, It slipped and I couldn't jump that far.." Serena smiled and tossed
the ball back at him.
"Erling!" The woman who was buying the fruit called out to the boy.
"What are you doing now?" She walked over to them. "I swear your more trouble then
your worth." She was smiling when she reprimanded him and bent to kiss his head.
"Oh, Its all right, there is no trouble ma'am." Serena fell into her manners and curtsied
before the woman, who laughed.
"Oh, forgive me." she said smiling even more. "But you don't have to bow to me miss, its
obvious that your much higher on the social scale then me." She gestured towards Serenas
well made dress. Serena smiled and held out her hand.
"My mother always told me that any one older then I was due my respect."
Erling squeezed in between them so that he could see what was going on.
"I am called Serla, and this rugrat is named Erling. His fathers gone right now and he
takes advantage of it greatly."
"Do not!" Erling pouted at his mother and then turned to Serena. "Is it true that your a
fairy princess from another world?" He asked his golden eyes shining with curiosity.
Serena laughed, he was just soo cute!
"Well, " she whispered conspiratorially. "I am from another world, but I doubt that I'm a
princess. You however are sure to be a knight, your so brave and strong."
Erling flushed with pleasure and giggled. "Do you want to play with us Lady?" he asked
looking over to his friends.
"I would love to, and my name is Serena." she bowed again to his mother who looked
shocked that she would want to play with children and took his small hand in her own.
She spent over an hour playing ball with the kids before she was found out.
"Serena! what do you think you were doing?!" Rae stormed over making the children
scatter, all except Erling who jumped in front of Serena.
"Halt!" he yelled spreading his legs wide. "I am a knight and a protector of this fair lady, I
will duel you to the death!" he picked up a near by stick and brandished it around at Rae.
Rae stopped, puzzled for a minute and then turned to Serena.
"Uh.. the queen wants to see you about something." She stood far enough away from
Erling so as not to get hit. Serena nodded and then bent down to Erlings size,
"I have to go now my little knight on important Lady business. I want to give this to you
for your valiant deed of protecting me."
She held out a small Japanese coin to him." Now go straight to your mother and behave
all right?" His blond head bobbed and then he was off and running towards his mother, his
new treasure clutched in his hand.
"All right , I guess that my vacation didn't last that long did it?" she grinned at Rae who
was NOT grinning back. She counted for it. Three..Two....One..WHAM!
"Serena you know your not supposed to be out here alone. How are we supposed to
watch over you if we can't even find you your so irresponsible sometimes it makes me
want to shout I can['t believe....."
Automatically Serena tuned her out and waited until she was done. "Rae , I just needed
some time to myself you know? I was under too much pressure."
Surprisingly Rae let her alone and they walked in silence. Suddenly two men jumped out
at them and grabbed Rae around the neck.
"HEY!" she shouted and jammed her elbow into his stomach. He backed away.
Rae high kicked him in the chin and sent him sprawling backwards.
"Pervert." She muttered and turned to see if Serena was doing all right with her attacker.
To her shock Serena was just standing there. The man was holding her neck back with his
arm, surely cutting off her oxygen supply, and had his hand splayed across her breast. At
the very least Serena should have been struggling or screaming, but she stood there, her
eyes vacant and her face pale.
"What the hell! Serena!" Rae yelled charging at the pair. The man chuckled and squeezed
his arm tighter. Serenas lips and face were turning an unnatural shad of blue now. Rae
stopped, she had to thing of something fast. She smiled, rested her hand on her hip and
flicked her long raven hair over her shoulder.
"Why do you always get the handsomest ones?' she said sweetly. The man grinned and
relaxed his hold on Serena, who slumped to the ground. He advanced on Rae who winked
at him and swayed her hips subtly. When he grabbed her arms she raise her hands to his
face, bringing his head down close to hers as if to kiss him willingly. Her hands began to
glow a bright red. His eyes bugged out of his face and he jumped away from her
wrenching his face from her hands. There where they had touched his skin were two red
burns in the shape of hand prints. He turned and ran from her grabbing his fallen comrade
on the way. Rae shook her head. What wimps men were sometimes. A small whimper
caught her attention. She ached to rant at Serena for not putting up a fight, but she knew
that this was probably an after effect of what had happened to her earlier. She had to talk
to some one, to get it out of it would eat at her. Rae knew this from experience. She
gently helped her friend to her feet and walked her over to a near by tree. The queen could
wait she decided and sat down next to Serena to wait for her to talk. She waited, and
waited, and waited. Finally when her short temper gave up on being patient she began to
tell of her own experience. How she had been attacked one night, right near the temple.
As she recounted the experience Serenas blue eyes refocused and the color returned.
"Didn't you feel dirty?" she asked softly. "I feel filthy inside. It was my fault, I didn't fight
him."
Rae shook her head hard. "At first yes, I did. And then I talked to my counselor at school.
She said that this happened a lot to girls and that my reaction was normal. But she also
told me that the only way to fight it was to accept that it wasn't my fault at all. It was his.
He was the dirty one. It made me feel a lot better. I wasn't afraid anymore. You're not the
filthy one Serena, you're not a coward. He is. He attacked some one smaller then him in
order to win. He is evil."
Serenas lower lip began to tremble, and then the whole story was spilling out of her
mouth. When she was done she was spent, but her eyes were brighter.
"Thank you Rae." She leaned over and kissed her friend on the cheek. Rae hugged her and
blushed a little. Then she got up and started towards the castle.
"Some on meatball head. You made us late again!" Serena got up and raced after her.
Some things would never change.
"Raeeee! Wait up, ughh your soo mean! Why don't you wait?' she whined smiling the
whole time.
Chapter #10
The Brave and the Filthy
The next day Serena went out into the courtyard for some fresh air. No offense to her
scouts but they were just a little annoying after about five hours of questions and
consistent "Are you sure your all right?"
Even Jarl and Camaan were on her nerves, she just needed some air and quiet.
She saw a bunch of children playing ball over in the corner. One particular boy was
laughing and jumping into the air. His blond hair glinted in the sun. Serena decided to see
the market, it was so different from the grocery stores at home and she was interested on
how they actually traded goods without money. She was watching one man selling some
sort of fruit to a lady in her late twenties when she was hit from behind.
"Oww!" she whirled to face the culprit and discovered that her culprit was a raw hide ball.
Picking it up she looked for who ever threw it. The boy that she had been looking for ran
up to her.
"Miss, oh, I'm so sorry, It slipped and I couldn't jump that far.." Serena smiled and tossed
the ball back at him.
"Erling!" The woman who was buying the fruit called out to the boy.
"What are you doing now?" She walked over to them. "I swear your more trouble then
your worth." She was smiling when she reprimanded him and bent to kiss his head.
"Oh, Its all right, there is no trouble ma'am." Serena fell into her manners and curtsied
before the woman, who laughed.
"Oh, forgive me." she said smiling even more. "But you don't have to bow to me miss, its
obvious that your much higher on the social scale then me." She gestured towards Serenas
well made dress. Serena smiled and held out her hand.
"My mother always told me that any one older then I was due my respect."
Erling squeezed in between them so that he could see what was going on.
"I am called Serla, and this rugrat is named Erling. His fathers gone right now and he
takes advantage of it greatly."
"Do not!" Erling pouted at his mother and then turned to Serena. "Is it true that your a
fairy princess from another world?" He asked his golden eyes shining with curiosity.
Serena laughed, he was just soo cute!
"Well, " she whispered conspiratorially. "I am from another world, but I doubt that I'm a
princess. You however are sure to be a knight, your so brave and strong."
Erling flushed with pleasure and giggled. "Do you want to play with us Lady?" he asked
looking over to his friends.
"I would love to, and my name is Serena." she bowed again to his mother who looked
shocked that she would want to play with children and took his small hand in her own.
She spent over an hour playing ball with the kids before she was found out.
"Serena! what do you think you were doing?!" Rae stormed over making the children
scatter, all except Erling who jumped in front of Serena.
"Halt!" he yelled spreading his legs wide. "I am a knight and a protector of this fair lady, I
will duel you to the death!" he picked up a near by stick and brandished it around at Rae.
Rae stopped, puzzled for a minute and then turned to Serena.
"Uh.. the queen wants to see you about something." She stood far enough away from
Erling so as not to get hit. Serena nodded and then bent down to Erlings size,
"I have to go now my little knight on important Lady business. I want to give this to you
for your valiant deed of protecting me."
She held out a small Japanese coin to him." Now go straight to your mother and behave
all right?" His blond head bobbed and then he was off and running towards his mother, his
new treasure clutched in his hand.
"All right , I guess that my vacation didn't last that long did it?" she grinned at Rae who
was NOT grinning back. She counted for it. Three..Two....One..WHAM!
"Serena you know your not supposed to be out here alone. How are we supposed to
watch over you if we can't even find you your so irresponsible sometimes it makes me
want to shout I can['t believe....."
Automatically Serena tuned her out and waited until she was done. "Rae , I just needed
some time to myself you know? I was under too much pressure."
Surprisingly Rae let her alone and they walked in silence. Suddenly two men jumped out
at them and grabbed Rae around the neck.
"HEY!" she shouted and jammed her elbow into his stomach. He backed away.
Rae high kicked him in the chin and sent him sprawling backwards.
"Pervert." She muttered and turned to see if Serena was doing all right with her attacker.
To her shock Serena was just standing there. The man was holding her neck back with his
arm, surely cutting off her oxygen supply, and had his hand splayed across her breast. At
the very least Serena should have been struggling or screaming, but she stood there, her
eyes vacant and her face pale.
"What the hell! Serena!" Rae yelled charging at the pair. The man chuckled and squeezed
his arm tighter. Serenas lips and face were turning an unnatural shad of blue now. Rae
stopped, she had to thing of something fast. She smiled, rested her hand on her hip and
flicked her long raven hair over her shoulder.
"Why do you always get the handsomest ones?' she said sweetly. The man grinned and
relaxed his hold on Serena, who slumped to the ground. He advanced on Rae who winked
at him and swayed her hips subtly. When he grabbed her arms she raise her hands to his
face, bringing his head down close to hers as if to kiss him willingly. Her hands began to
glow a bright red. His eyes bugged out of his face and he jumped away from her
wrenching his face from her hands. There where they had touched his skin were two red
burns in the shape of hand prints. He turned and ran from her grabbing his fallen comrade
on the way. Rae shook her head. What wimps men were sometimes. A small whimper
caught her attention. She ached to rant at Serena for not putting up a fight, but she knew
that this was probably an after effect of what had happened to her earlier. She had to talk
to some one, to get it out of it would eat at her. Rae knew this from experience. She
gently helped her friend to her feet and walked her over to a near by tree. The queen could
wait she decided and sat down next to Serena to wait for her to talk. She waited, and
waited, and waited. Finally when her short temper gave up on being patient she began to
tell of her own experience. How she had been attacked one night, right near the temple.
As she recounted the experience Serenas blue eyes refocused and the color returned.
"Didn't you feel dirty?" she asked softly. "I feel filthy inside. It was my fault, I didn't fight
him."
Rae shook her head hard. "At first yes, I did. And then I talked to my counselor at school.
She said that this happened a lot to girls and that my reaction was normal. But she also
told me that the only way to fight it was to accept that it wasn't my fault at all. It was his.
He was the dirty one. It made me feel a lot better. I wasn't afraid anymore. You're not the
filthy one Serena, you're not a coward. He is. He attacked some one smaller then him in
order to win. He is evil."
Serenas lower lip began to tremble, and then the whole story was spilling out of her
mouth. When she was done she was spent, but her eyes were brighter.
"Thank you Rae." She leaned over and kissed her friend on the cheek. Rae hugged her and
blushed a little. Then she got up and started towards the castle.
"Some on meatball head. You made us late again!" Serena got up and raced after her.
Some things would never change.
"Raeeee! Wait up, ughh your soo mean! Why don't you wait?' she whined smiling the
whole time.