A/N: Yes, the disclaimer, of course: fairy tales don't belong to me, didn't write them...but my characters do, so don't steal them. I know i didn't give ya'll lots of time to review (i can't believe i just said 'ya'll') but, review both chapters please!!
"Shari, Shari! We have a guest!" Sienna bounded up to the door of a small cottage with a thatched roof and banged on the door. Still, holding my hand, she dragged me along to the next house in the small village. On each door she knocked, calling out the names of the inhabitants: Shari, Aretha, Leone, Sam, Jack, Mick, Kyle and Kevin, George and Gisela, Marie and Kate.
It was a small town.
On the last house we passed, Sienna didn't knock or call out a name. I wondered why. "Why not that house?"
"That's where Old Ilea lives. She doesn't like us disturbin' her peace."
"Oh."
"Sienna! I knows you got someone out there, and she ain't from our village. Introduce us." Sienna cringed as the old voice grated on our ears. "Coming ma'am." We stepped inside the old house and walked into the gloom toward a shape sitting in the darkest corner.
"Who's it?" Old Ilea squawked
"This is Liana, ma'am." Sienna shoved me forward.
"How do you do, ma'am." I leaned forward toward the old woman. Without warning, she grabbed my chin and turned my head toward her.
"A Runner of Syrlan!" She cried triumphantly. She traced the tattoo on my cheek. "I know some old stories about Runners…" She trailed off, lost in memory. I tried ineffectually to jerk my chin out of her grasp, but her grip was like iron.
"Uh, ma'am… could you let my chin go?" startled, she did.
"Ilea, why don't you tell us a story about Runners tonight, around the campfire?" Sienna suggested hopefully.
"I will." Ilea heaved herself to her feet and lumbered out of the hut. When I stepped out of the hut, I gasped, I hadn't realized how late it was! I had been running for almost a day and a half without stopping! I watched the sun disappear behind the tops of the wheat.
"Runner, come join us at the fire!" I hadn't noticed the fire the townsfolk had built, but now I did, I could smell the food cooking too. Eagerly I joined them.
I accepted the meat and bread they gave me with joy. Except for the bread I had eaten earlier, I hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast on the day I was scouting. I was hungry! "Tank you," I lisped through a mouthful of food.
"Ilea! Tell us a story!"
"About what?"
"You said you'd tell us about the Runners!" Sienna said.
"Ah, yes. I shall tell you of the First Runner. His name was Matthias." I sat back and listened to Old Ilea tell the tale.
"The tale of First Runner, Matthias
"The King was newly crowned, the country newly formed and his enemies were already attacking from all directions. The King felt that there was only one person he could trust: it was not the Queen, not his Bodyguard, but his fool. His fool's name was Matthias.
"Matthias was not an imposing figure, he was barely sixteen hands tall, and his sparkling blue eyes and boyish smile made him seem quite the fool. Matthias was not a stupid clod that many perceived him to be, he was actually quite intelligent, and he remembered things the first time he heard them. In short, Matthias was the King's perfect spy.
"Soon, the country was torn apart by war, and the King assembled his troops and marched bravely onto the battlefield. Unfortunately the Generals' attacks were not coordinated because of a lack of communication. The King was losing many men daily, and pondered long and hard over this predicament. He tried to send messengers on horseback, but the enemy quickly shot them down. They were too easy of a target.
"Then the fool who was not a fool made a suggestion to the King. He suggested that people on foot take the messages. They would be smaller targets, and easier to hide. The King thought it was foolproof. He assembled a small group of men, all of who were recommended by Matthias the Fool. He gave them each a message to take with them.
"The messages were not written on parchment, but memorized. This ploy worked well for a while, and the King's armies started to win their battles. Alas! The enemy soon caught on and began to hunt out the runners, then assassinate them and take their place, delivering false plans to the Generals. The plans lapsed into chaos again.
"The King asked Matthias for a new plan, since it had been his idea. Matthias decided that a tattoo should be placed on the left cheek of the Runners, as they were being called. The King wondered what the mark would look like.
"Matthias drew a design in the dirt: a "S" drawn like a vine. He made the dye to paint the insignia of the Runners out of a rare plant that was found only in a few places. Matthias himself journeyed to these places in secret, gathering the plant called krien. He then painted the first emblem on himself, since he had been the first Runner.
"Soon, the other Runners followed suit. Now they could not be impersonated, and delivered their messages in relative safety. The enemies of the King longed to find this secret plant, but they could not. The war was won in a matter of weeks, and Matthias was no longer known as Matthias the Fool, but as Matthias the Runner.
"He was treated with great respect from then on. He married a noblewoman and together they had a daughter. At first this was very disappointing to Matthias, who had been hoping for a son to follow in his footsteps. Alas, it was a girl.
"Soon Matthias learned to accept this, and he trained his daughter. Alexandria, to be the fastest Runner Syrlan had seen yet. He taught her where and how to find the precious krien, and warned her never to tell of what she knew.
"Her mother had protested, but as Matthias had accepted his daughter, she likewise accepted her daughter's choice. The other noblemen and noblewomen encouraged their own children to become Runners, for they all remembered the Runners' part in the winning of the war. Even peasants and rabble were joining the ranks of Runners.
"Matthias saw a problem in this; the Runners were too large, to unrefined. He prayed one night to Sky: OhdearSky please let there be a way to distinguish who is and is not a Runner. Let there be a mark to prove the fact. Please, for the sake of Syrlan!
"And Sky saw fit to answer Matthias's prayer. Upon the left cheek of every child meant to be a Runner was branded an "S" made of a vine from the moment they were conceived. The child knew instinctively how to run the fastest, and always had an excellent memory. Matthias's prayers had truly been answered well.
" The mark could not be duplicated, no matter how hard one tried, the ink of the krien (for it was now a well known fact that that was the plant the tattoo was drawn with) would not stick. The Runners instantly dismissed anyone whose mark disappeared from their cheek.
"This is how the Runners of Syrlan were formed." Old Ilea concluded her tale with a dramatic flourish of her hands. I smiled. Mother had never told me this story of the Runners.
"Awesome…" Sienna sighed
"Were you born with the mark?" A little boy in worn clothing gazed up at me.
"Of course she was, don't be stupid." A taller boy, probably his brother cuffed him.
"Hey! Don't hit him!" An even taller youth, who looked to be about my age stepped in. She was tall and a quite imposing figure.
"Shari, butt out!" The boy who had been abusing his brother whined.
"Uh-uh, Mickey, little bro, you're going down."
"Shari! Don't call me Mickey! You know I hate the name!" he turned to me, "Hello, Runner, my name is Mick."
I stifled a giggle. "Hello Mick, my name is Liana. Now I believe Shari here is waiting to speak with you." I left him to Shari, and she laughed.
"Thank you, Liana." Immediately the two engaged in an all out wrestling match, which ended up having to be moved to a spot where the participants and onlookers would not be likely to catch fire.
I felt a tug on my tunic. "I'm Chase. That's short for Charles," The little boy said importantly.
"Well, hello Chase! I'm Liana." I bowed to him.
He giggled. "I've got a mark to y'know."
"Really? Can I see?" He nodded shyly and brushed a wisp of blonde hair out of the way so I could see his mark better. I traced it lightly with my finger. "Wow! You'll be a good Runner someday Chase!"
"Yeah! I can already beat Mickey in a race! And sometimes Shari too, if she's tired." I was smiling at the thought of this tiny little boy beating the taller Mickey in a race.
"Liana!" I looked up to see Sienna bearing down on me. "C'mon, I've got a bed for you." Suddenly, I realized how tired I was. It may sound cliché, but I had been so wrapped up in the story and meeting new people that I had completely forgotten my weariness.
I smiled gratefully at Sienna, "Thank you. Night," I waved to Chase as
Sienna led me to the stables and pointed at a pile of hay. "You're going to have a good night's sleep on that. Its soft, I should know! I tried it out. Alone of course," she hastily added as she blushed.
I laughed and smiled. "Thank you, but where are you going to sleep?"
"Oh, I picked sentry tonight. That's my bed. I slept earlier today." Sienna grimaced. "I have sentry with Mickey of all people. Anyway, good night!"
"Night…" I drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face.
A/N: (yes, another one) thanks all who reviewed previous chapters. does anyone have a favorite fairy tale? tell me please. i'm looking for something to make this story fit into this category... heh. oops. anyway...names names names!!! and does anyone have any ideas about a romantic interest for Liana, should she even have one, and other friends along the way. Is there any perilous situation you would particularly like to see her in? Or an embarassing situation...(musing to self)...hmm....anyway, tell me!!!!!!!! please!!! and always remember to review after reading. thanks a bunch! :) i hope you enjoyed this chapter...
*smiles*
"Shari, Shari! We have a guest!" Sienna bounded up to the door of a small cottage with a thatched roof and banged on the door. Still, holding my hand, she dragged me along to the next house in the small village. On each door she knocked, calling out the names of the inhabitants: Shari, Aretha, Leone, Sam, Jack, Mick, Kyle and Kevin, George and Gisela, Marie and Kate.
It was a small town.
On the last house we passed, Sienna didn't knock or call out a name. I wondered why. "Why not that house?"
"That's where Old Ilea lives. She doesn't like us disturbin' her peace."
"Oh."
"Sienna! I knows you got someone out there, and she ain't from our village. Introduce us." Sienna cringed as the old voice grated on our ears. "Coming ma'am." We stepped inside the old house and walked into the gloom toward a shape sitting in the darkest corner.
"Who's it?" Old Ilea squawked
"This is Liana, ma'am." Sienna shoved me forward.
"How do you do, ma'am." I leaned forward toward the old woman. Without warning, she grabbed my chin and turned my head toward her.
"A Runner of Syrlan!" She cried triumphantly. She traced the tattoo on my cheek. "I know some old stories about Runners…" She trailed off, lost in memory. I tried ineffectually to jerk my chin out of her grasp, but her grip was like iron.
"Uh, ma'am… could you let my chin go?" startled, she did.
"Ilea, why don't you tell us a story about Runners tonight, around the campfire?" Sienna suggested hopefully.
"I will." Ilea heaved herself to her feet and lumbered out of the hut. When I stepped out of the hut, I gasped, I hadn't realized how late it was! I had been running for almost a day and a half without stopping! I watched the sun disappear behind the tops of the wheat.
"Runner, come join us at the fire!" I hadn't noticed the fire the townsfolk had built, but now I did, I could smell the food cooking too. Eagerly I joined them.
I accepted the meat and bread they gave me with joy. Except for the bread I had eaten earlier, I hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast on the day I was scouting. I was hungry! "Tank you," I lisped through a mouthful of food.
"Ilea! Tell us a story!"
"About what?"
"You said you'd tell us about the Runners!" Sienna said.
"Ah, yes. I shall tell you of the First Runner. His name was Matthias." I sat back and listened to Old Ilea tell the tale.
"The tale of First Runner, Matthias
"The King was newly crowned, the country newly formed and his enemies were already attacking from all directions. The King felt that there was only one person he could trust: it was not the Queen, not his Bodyguard, but his fool. His fool's name was Matthias.
"Matthias was not an imposing figure, he was barely sixteen hands tall, and his sparkling blue eyes and boyish smile made him seem quite the fool. Matthias was not a stupid clod that many perceived him to be, he was actually quite intelligent, and he remembered things the first time he heard them. In short, Matthias was the King's perfect spy.
"Soon, the country was torn apart by war, and the King assembled his troops and marched bravely onto the battlefield. Unfortunately the Generals' attacks were not coordinated because of a lack of communication. The King was losing many men daily, and pondered long and hard over this predicament. He tried to send messengers on horseback, but the enemy quickly shot them down. They were too easy of a target.
"Then the fool who was not a fool made a suggestion to the King. He suggested that people on foot take the messages. They would be smaller targets, and easier to hide. The King thought it was foolproof. He assembled a small group of men, all of who were recommended by Matthias the Fool. He gave them each a message to take with them.
"The messages were not written on parchment, but memorized. This ploy worked well for a while, and the King's armies started to win their battles. Alas! The enemy soon caught on and began to hunt out the runners, then assassinate them and take their place, delivering false plans to the Generals. The plans lapsed into chaos again.
"The King asked Matthias for a new plan, since it had been his idea. Matthias decided that a tattoo should be placed on the left cheek of the Runners, as they were being called. The King wondered what the mark would look like.
"Matthias drew a design in the dirt: a "S" drawn like a vine. He made the dye to paint the insignia of the Runners out of a rare plant that was found only in a few places. Matthias himself journeyed to these places in secret, gathering the plant called krien. He then painted the first emblem on himself, since he had been the first Runner.
"Soon, the other Runners followed suit. Now they could not be impersonated, and delivered their messages in relative safety. The enemies of the King longed to find this secret plant, but they could not. The war was won in a matter of weeks, and Matthias was no longer known as Matthias the Fool, but as Matthias the Runner.
"He was treated with great respect from then on. He married a noblewoman and together they had a daughter. At first this was very disappointing to Matthias, who had been hoping for a son to follow in his footsteps. Alas, it was a girl.
"Soon Matthias learned to accept this, and he trained his daughter. Alexandria, to be the fastest Runner Syrlan had seen yet. He taught her where and how to find the precious krien, and warned her never to tell of what she knew.
"Her mother had protested, but as Matthias had accepted his daughter, she likewise accepted her daughter's choice. The other noblemen and noblewomen encouraged their own children to become Runners, for they all remembered the Runners' part in the winning of the war. Even peasants and rabble were joining the ranks of Runners.
"Matthias saw a problem in this; the Runners were too large, to unrefined. He prayed one night to Sky: OhdearSky please let there be a way to distinguish who is and is not a Runner. Let there be a mark to prove the fact. Please, for the sake of Syrlan!
"And Sky saw fit to answer Matthias's prayer. Upon the left cheek of every child meant to be a Runner was branded an "S" made of a vine from the moment they were conceived. The child knew instinctively how to run the fastest, and always had an excellent memory. Matthias's prayers had truly been answered well.
" The mark could not be duplicated, no matter how hard one tried, the ink of the krien (for it was now a well known fact that that was the plant the tattoo was drawn with) would not stick. The Runners instantly dismissed anyone whose mark disappeared from their cheek.
"This is how the Runners of Syrlan were formed." Old Ilea concluded her tale with a dramatic flourish of her hands. I smiled. Mother had never told me this story of the Runners.
"Awesome…" Sienna sighed
"Were you born with the mark?" A little boy in worn clothing gazed up at me.
"Of course she was, don't be stupid." A taller boy, probably his brother cuffed him.
"Hey! Don't hit him!" An even taller youth, who looked to be about my age stepped in. She was tall and a quite imposing figure.
"Shari, butt out!" The boy who had been abusing his brother whined.
"Uh-uh, Mickey, little bro, you're going down."
"Shari! Don't call me Mickey! You know I hate the name!" he turned to me, "Hello, Runner, my name is Mick."
I stifled a giggle. "Hello Mick, my name is Liana. Now I believe Shari here is waiting to speak with you." I left him to Shari, and she laughed.
"Thank you, Liana." Immediately the two engaged in an all out wrestling match, which ended up having to be moved to a spot where the participants and onlookers would not be likely to catch fire.
I felt a tug on my tunic. "I'm Chase. That's short for Charles," The little boy said importantly.
"Well, hello Chase! I'm Liana." I bowed to him.
He giggled. "I've got a mark to y'know."
"Really? Can I see?" He nodded shyly and brushed a wisp of blonde hair out of the way so I could see his mark better. I traced it lightly with my finger. "Wow! You'll be a good Runner someday Chase!"
"Yeah! I can already beat Mickey in a race! And sometimes Shari too, if she's tired." I was smiling at the thought of this tiny little boy beating the taller Mickey in a race.
"Liana!" I looked up to see Sienna bearing down on me. "C'mon, I've got a bed for you." Suddenly, I realized how tired I was. It may sound cliché, but I had been so wrapped up in the story and meeting new people that I had completely forgotten my weariness.
I smiled gratefully at Sienna, "Thank you. Night," I waved to Chase as
Sienna led me to the stables and pointed at a pile of hay. "You're going to have a good night's sleep on that. Its soft, I should know! I tried it out. Alone of course," she hastily added as she blushed.
I laughed and smiled. "Thank you, but where are you going to sleep?"
"Oh, I picked sentry tonight. That's my bed. I slept earlier today." Sienna grimaced. "I have sentry with Mickey of all people. Anyway, good night!"
"Night…" I drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face.
A/N: (yes, another one) thanks all who reviewed previous chapters. does anyone have a favorite fairy tale? tell me please. i'm looking for something to make this story fit into this category... heh. oops. anyway...names names names!!! and does anyone have any ideas about a romantic interest for Liana, should she even have one, and other friends along the way. Is there any perilous situation you would particularly like to see her in? Or an embarassing situation...(musing to self)...hmm....anyway, tell me!!!!!!!! please!!! and always remember to review after reading. thanks a bunch! :) i hope you enjoyed this chapter...
*smiles*