****blah blah blah. i dont own any characters or places or blah blah blah except ataniea... which hasnt been in here since my mother died ::Sniff:: (jk for all you people who believed that! :D) and the one servant dude who isnt in this chapter... i think.... and that city--dneprov or something to that affect... and hens... eeeyah. i dont even know why i still do this. i read through the rules and it said if you have any EXERPTS (like quotes, a paragraph, a page, etc, but not characters) you have to give credit. but do i have exerpts? (do i even know how to spell that?) no... but oh well. hehe i just love torturing you people (if youre still reading this)... keep reading. dont read the chapter. dont find out what happens next. okay fine i'll let you read now...***********
I spun around to see a knight staring at me. I immediately put my face down before he could see too much of it.
"Now, now, Miss," he said in a heavy Ayorthaian accent, "don't try an' get away from me. I need to see yer face."
I didn't know this knight. Perhaps he was new, but whoever he was, he would certainly ask the other knights if they had seen ME before. "I'm sorry, sir," I said, pitching my voice higher, "but I can't do that."
"Eh? Why not?"
"Gentlemen," said a voice behind me. Someone rested their hand on my back. "This poor child has a deformation on her face. She does not wish shame upon herself by revealing it to you. Please let her go."
There was some silence, then some muttering as I stared at the ground. After a while, Mandy said, "Thank you, sir," and ushered me through.
I kept my head down until we stopped a few moments later. "What happened?" I asked.
"Hens convinced them that you had a disfigurement, of course," said Mandy, guesturing to the elf. I smiled my thanks at him. "The knights talked it over and decided to let you pass."
"This is great!" I said, almost dancing for joy in the middle of the street where we were standing. "Can we get a move on to Dneprov?"
"Why so hasty, Lady?" asked Mandy.
"I want to get there and be done with it!" At this, I really did dance in the middle of the street. Passers-by stared at me in wonder, and Mandy laughed.
"All right, sweet," she said, still laughing. "We'll go as soon as we buy some food. But first we must say goodbye to Hens." I must have had a questioned look on my face, as she continued, "Hens only intended to take us as far as Bast, didn't I tell you? He has friends here and wishes to stay. Dneprov is not ten miles from here, don't worry."
I nodded to Hens, then Mandy said a few words to him in his native tongue that I did not understand, and he left.
"Well, child," Mandy said, "let's get on with it."
In less than half an hour, we were on our way to our next home. What we were going to do there was beyond me, but at least I was away from my stepfamily and away from more heartbreak. We left in the early afternoon and arrived before the Autumn sun set on us, giving the town a glowing look.
The streets were not nearly as crowded as Bast's streets, and people were taking their time, waving at each other. Clearly, this was a town where everyone knew each other.
"We'd better find an inn until we find a small home for us, sweet," said Mandy. She led me to the nearest building that had a rough wooden sign hanging above the door with a picture of a home on it.
We entered to see a smokey room filled with people sitting at tables and ordering beer. There was someone singing in Ayorthaian at the front, but no one seemed to be listening. A waitress was rushing back and forth among the customers, finally stopping and sitting at a table, folding her hands neatly and looking around.
Mandy and I approached her. She had curly red hair that was pulled back from her face in a tight bun. Her dress was shorter than necessary, and her face was covered in different colors by her eyes, mouth, and cheeks.
"Yes?" she asked rudely when we got to her table.
"We are looking for a room," Mandy stated simply.
"How many beds, how long are you staying, and how much are you willing to pay?" She said all this quickly and without falter, as if this was something she had said her whole life. It probably was.
"Two beds. I don't know how long we will stay, but--"
"You'll pay by the night, then, hon," the waitress said. She looked us up and down, and I pulled my cloak tighter. "You two look like trustworthy people." She extended her hand. "I'm Mable. Queen of the castle." She laughed at her little joke. "I see you have no sense of humor. No one ever does." She sighed, pulling her hand back to her side.. "Come with me," she said, getting up from the table and weaving in between the tables to get to a staircase at the back.
As we followed her, someone grabbed her dress. She slapped them, then grabbed their beer mug and and dumped the contents onto their head. She continued walking without ever blinking, though once she did look back to see if we were still following her. When she saw the shocked look on our faces, she laughed again. "It happens all the time. You gotta learn to deal with these people. Ragamuffins..." she muttered under her breath.
At the top of the stairs, we turned right and went down a hall that was slightly nicer than the one we just came from, the one at the top of the stairs. She opened a door at the very end of the hall and ushered us in. The room was comfy, with two bed squeezed in with one chest of drawers and a small window in the back.
"I'll be needing to know if you'll be paying for food and the service of a maid." Mable extended her hand, expecting pay.
Mandy stuttered a bit, then said, "Both, thank you," then placed some KJ's in Mable's hand. Mable presented a small cursty, then left the room, slamming the door behind her. The door looked ready to fall off, it seemed it had been slammed one too many times.
Mandy sighed. "That poor lady. Must live with a drunken husband, no happiness at all." On a lighter note, she said, "Sweet, if you want some food, go ahead and get some. I'm going to sleep now."
I nodded and left the room, heading down the hall and then down the stairs to the noisy room. No tables were available anymore, so I wandered about, waiting for a table to be unoccupied. I came across a door and opened it, hoping for a room full of more tables. Instead, it was a kitchen.
Mable was sitting on a counter while a young man chopped up vegitables next to her. Mable looked exhausted, while the young man looked full of life and whistled while her worked.
"Oh, sorry," I said, my cheeks going red. "I only hoped to find another table since there's none out there--"
"Don't worry, dear," said Mable, getting off the counter and leading me to a small table in the corner that was piled high with produce. "You can eat here. Will," she said to the man chopping vegitables. He looked up.
His eyes were a piercing blue and his hair dark. In a way, his facial structure reminded me of Char's, causing my heart to ache momentarily. He smiled and I nearly melted because of the cheerful glow it caused. "Hmm?" he said.
"Move some of this food so this young one can eat," Mable commanded him.
He laughed good heartedly as he easily lifted the load off the table and placed in on the counter next to him. "I'm William," he said. "You can call me Will."
I smiled back at him, saying, "I'm Ella."
"Good to meet you," said Will. He went back to killing vegitables.
Mable had pulled some stew off of the hot stove and poured some into a wooden bowl for me. She gave me a spoon and a cup full of water, then sat next to me. "Well, go ahead!" she said. "Eat!"
She had commanded me to, and the curse made me do it. I knew what would come of it: The same thing that had happened on my fifth birthday. I would eat until I was full, and even then, I would continue to eat. I shoved spoonfuls of stew into my mouth, not even pausing to comment on the manner of it. Between mouthfuls, I stopped long enough to say, "Tell me to stop!"
Mable glanced at my bowl. "Goodness, Ella!" she exclaimed. "You ate a lot in a short amount of time." She didn't seem to hear me tell her to tell me to stop again. "Stop eating and talk with me a bit." I was grateful to her for wanting to know more about me, otherwise I would have been doomed to eating myself to death.
*******************
blah blah blah!! hehe i like that word can't you tell... anyway, uhm sorry i haven't updated as much lately. three more people moved into my house and two are staying for the holidays, so i couldnt get the computer as often. luckily, this morning i caught my family watching a movie, so i came upstairs and wrote this whole chapter in like 45 minutes or something... ?? yah.
wow my foots asleep and my fingers are freezing so uhm... im going to stop now.
HAVE A NICE DAY!!! :D
REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! please?
I spun around to see a knight staring at me. I immediately put my face down before he could see too much of it.
"Now, now, Miss," he said in a heavy Ayorthaian accent, "don't try an' get away from me. I need to see yer face."
I didn't know this knight. Perhaps he was new, but whoever he was, he would certainly ask the other knights if they had seen ME before. "I'm sorry, sir," I said, pitching my voice higher, "but I can't do that."
"Eh? Why not?"
"Gentlemen," said a voice behind me. Someone rested their hand on my back. "This poor child has a deformation on her face. She does not wish shame upon herself by revealing it to you. Please let her go."
There was some silence, then some muttering as I stared at the ground. After a while, Mandy said, "Thank you, sir," and ushered me through.
I kept my head down until we stopped a few moments later. "What happened?" I asked.
"Hens convinced them that you had a disfigurement, of course," said Mandy, guesturing to the elf. I smiled my thanks at him. "The knights talked it over and decided to let you pass."
"This is great!" I said, almost dancing for joy in the middle of the street where we were standing. "Can we get a move on to Dneprov?"
"Why so hasty, Lady?" asked Mandy.
"I want to get there and be done with it!" At this, I really did dance in the middle of the street. Passers-by stared at me in wonder, and Mandy laughed.
"All right, sweet," she said, still laughing. "We'll go as soon as we buy some food. But first we must say goodbye to Hens." I must have had a questioned look on my face, as she continued, "Hens only intended to take us as far as Bast, didn't I tell you? He has friends here and wishes to stay. Dneprov is not ten miles from here, don't worry."
I nodded to Hens, then Mandy said a few words to him in his native tongue that I did not understand, and he left.
"Well, child," Mandy said, "let's get on with it."
In less than half an hour, we were on our way to our next home. What we were going to do there was beyond me, but at least I was away from my stepfamily and away from more heartbreak. We left in the early afternoon and arrived before the Autumn sun set on us, giving the town a glowing look.
The streets were not nearly as crowded as Bast's streets, and people were taking their time, waving at each other. Clearly, this was a town where everyone knew each other.
"We'd better find an inn until we find a small home for us, sweet," said Mandy. She led me to the nearest building that had a rough wooden sign hanging above the door with a picture of a home on it.
We entered to see a smokey room filled with people sitting at tables and ordering beer. There was someone singing in Ayorthaian at the front, but no one seemed to be listening. A waitress was rushing back and forth among the customers, finally stopping and sitting at a table, folding her hands neatly and looking around.
Mandy and I approached her. She had curly red hair that was pulled back from her face in a tight bun. Her dress was shorter than necessary, and her face was covered in different colors by her eyes, mouth, and cheeks.
"Yes?" she asked rudely when we got to her table.
"We are looking for a room," Mandy stated simply.
"How many beds, how long are you staying, and how much are you willing to pay?" She said all this quickly and without falter, as if this was something she had said her whole life. It probably was.
"Two beds. I don't know how long we will stay, but--"
"You'll pay by the night, then, hon," the waitress said. She looked us up and down, and I pulled my cloak tighter. "You two look like trustworthy people." She extended her hand. "I'm Mable. Queen of the castle." She laughed at her little joke. "I see you have no sense of humor. No one ever does." She sighed, pulling her hand back to her side.. "Come with me," she said, getting up from the table and weaving in between the tables to get to a staircase at the back.
As we followed her, someone grabbed her dress. She slapped them, then grabbed their beer mug and and dumped the contents onto their head. She continued walking without ever blinking, though once she did look back to see if we were still following her. When she saw the shocked look on our faces, she laughed again. "It happens all the time. You gotta learn to deal with these people. Ragamuffins..." she muttered under her breath.
At the top of the stairs, we turned right and went down a hall that was slightly nicer than the one we just came from, the one at the top of the stairs. She opened a door at the very end of the hall and ushered us in. The room was comfy, with two bed squeezed in with one chest of drawers and a small window in the back.
"I'll be needing to know if you'll be paying for food and the service of a maid." Mable extended her hand, expecting pay.
Mandy stuttered a bit, then said, "Both, thank you," then placed some KJ's in Mable's hand. Mable presented a small cursty, then left the room, slamming the door behind her. The door looked ready to fall off, it seemed it had been slammed one too many times.
Mandy sighed. "That poor lady. Must live with a drunken husband, no happiness at all." On a lighter note, she said, "Sweet, if you want some food, go ahead and get some. I'm going to sleep now."
I nodded and left the room, heading down the hall and then down the stairs to the noisy room. No tables were available anymore, so I wandered about, waiting for a table to be unoccupied. I came across a door and opened it, hoping for a room full of more tables. Instead, it was a kitchen.
Mable was sitting on a counter while a young man chopped up vegitables next to her. Mable looked exhausted, while the young man looked full of life and whistled while her worked.
"Oh, sorry," I said, my cheeks going red. "I only hoped to find another table since there's none out there--"
"Don't worry, dear," said Mable, getting off the counter and leading me to a small table in the corner that was piled high with produce. "You can eat here. Will," she said to the man chopping vegitables. He looked up.
His eyes were a piercing blue and his hair dark. In a way, his facial structure reminded me of Char's, causing my heart to ache momentarily. He smiled and I nearly melted because of the cheerful glow it caused. "Hmm?" he said.
"Move some of this food so this young one can eat," Mable commanded him.
He laughed good heartedly as he easily lifted the load off the table and placed in on the counter next to him. "I'm William," he said. "You can call me Will."
I smiled back at him, saying, "I'm Ella."
"Good to meet you," said Will. He went back to killing vegitables.
Mable had pulled some stew off of the hot stove and poured some into a wooden bowl for me. She gave me a spoon and a cup full of water, then sat next to me. "Well, go ahead!" she said. "Eat!"
She had commanded me to, and the curse made me do it. I knew what would come of it: The same thing that had happened on my fifth birthday. I would eat until I was full, and even then, I would continue to eat. I shoved spoonfuls of stew into my mouth, not even pausing to comment on the manner of it. Between mouthfuls, I stopped long enough to say, "Tell me to stop!"
Mable glanced at my bowl. "Goodness, Ella!" she exclaimed. "You ate a lot in a short amount of time." She didn't seem to hear me tell her to tell me to stop again. "Stop eating and talk with me a bit." I was grateful to her for wanting to know more about me, otherwise I would have been doomed to eating myself to death.
*******************
blah blah blah!! hehe i like that word can't you tell... anyway, uhm sorry i haven't updated as much lately. three more people moved into my house and two are staying for the holidays, so i couldnt get the computer as often. luckily, this morning i caught my family watching a movie, so i came upstairs and wrote this whole chapter in like 45 minutes or something... ?? yah.
wow my foots asleep and my fingers are freezing so uhm... im going to stop now.
HAVE A NICE DAY!!! :D
REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! please?
