Arianna awoke sometime in the light before dawn, quite disoriented. She
looked around. She was on top of Euae Roeal, near the creek. Her crimson
dress was very torn and was missing all of the silver and gold decorations
on it. Something warm trickled down her nose and by her eye. She put her
hand to he forehead, noticing a very sharp, intense pain radiating from a
giant bump that was drawing blood. What happened? How long was she up
there? Why hadn't anyone come looking for her? And how was Morwen? Morwen!
She needed to get to Morwen! She looked around from her pitcher, but only
found shards of it lying around her. She'd have to go down and get another
one. Could she afford to wait that long? Ari decided to ask questions
later. She washed off her forehead, and then started down the path, still
feeling that danger she had felt the night before.
_________________
When she was close enough to the ground to see her village, her throat tightened and her fists clenched. Tears started to brim in her eyes. Her entire village was devastated. Roofs of houses were burned down, all of the celebration décor torn down. An unheard scream arose in her throat but she choked it back. She ran up to the Gate of Linderwall, which had been demolished, and stepped on a body. She looked down and quickly backed away. A dead body of... something lay there. It was hideous. As she looked around even more of those somethings were laying around, dead, strewn through the entire village, along with humans. Not just any men, her people. It looked like it was a surprise attack, her people caught off guard. Even women lay in the streets. She tried to force herself to scan the dead bodies to look for her father, but she couldn't do it. Such evil, her head was splitting. She didn't know exactly where to go or what to do, so she started towards her house. Before she could think anything else one of the things emerged from a street opposite of hers.
Before the thing could see her, she ducked behind one of the statues of her father's ancestors. The first thing (that seemed to be in charge) was soon joined by another thing. They quickly got into the shadow of a building. For about the next ten to fifteen minutes they talked in low voices, but since Ari always seem to have very good hearing, she could tell they were speaking in another language anyways. She decided that while they were busy talking, she should get to better cover in case more of them came.
She bent down and ran towards the building closest to her side. She stood there for a little while, and then heard a thing coming her way. She found a door and went into the building. She crouched beneath the broken-in window just before the ugly thing came by. It sniffed the air once, and then continued on his way. Ari let out a breath she did not know she had been holding. She stepped back and stepped on yet another body. She looked down, expecting it to be one of the uglies. She had to hold her mouth tight and squeeze her eyes shut to keep from screaming. It was her father.
_____________________
Stunned into a tearless silence, she knelt down and cradled her father's head in her lap. Lying nearby was Remart; she guessed Kyrtan was upstairs, heading the archers. Her father had 2 arrows sticking out of his chest, and many slash marks along his arms and abdomen. She bent down and kissed his head. How could this have happened? What did happen? She didn't understand and she didn't particularly want to. She pulled the arrows out of him with some difficulty, emotionally and physically. All of his and the uglies and other people's armor and weapons had been stripped, so she was mostly sure they weren't coming back. What could she do now? She had to tell someone, but who would care? What would they do? How would she get there? What if the uglies got her first? What did the uglies want? Too many questions. She lay down beside her father's dead body, slightly recoiling at first because he was so cold, but then settled into a restless and tortured sleep. ___________________
Ari awoke later in twilight. It took her a moment to remember what had happened, but when she did, she spent the next hour weeping and grieving. The night before, she had given up hope for anyone to be alive. She had decided to leave Linderwall as fast as she could and never look back. It was too painful. She also vowed to learn how to fight, to honor those who died.
Ari crept slowly and quietly towards the stables, hoping the uglies hadn't thought to kill or cripple all of the horses. On her way to the stables, she passed near Morwen's house. She knew that she shouldn't, but she headed towards Morwen's, to see her one last time.
Morwen's house was burnt. Burnt to the ground. Ari stood there, staring, wondering what kind of race of things would do such a horrible thing. She made her way through the blackened doorway, past the still smoldering entrance room, and made way for Morwen's bedroom.
Morwen was on her bed, lying there, looking surprisingly peaceful. No marks or anything was on or around her that would suggest she had struggled or was ever sick at all. Ari knelt down on one knee beside the bed. She felt so calm here. She whispered a small goodbye and headed towards the stables again.
Ari got to the stables without seeing or hearing any of the uglies. Luckily, if such a word can be used; they didn't think to kill or cripple all of the horses. Well mostly. Two horses were left, a young foal and a full-grown black mare. She mounted the mare and with a silent 'giddy up' they were off. Ari didn't want to risk using the main entrance/exit, but she did remember a secret exit her father had told her about years ago
They got to the secret exit uneventfully, but in their way, was a balled up blue object. She was too far away to see what it was, so she hopped off the mare (which she had named Chase) and approached it cautiously, not knowing what to do. First, she saw faint markings of decorations, such as lace, meaning it was a dress. Then, she got close enough to see a mess of red hair poking out. It couldn't be, she thought desperately. She stepped over to the body and rolled it onto its side. What she saw confirmed her worst fears. Ari's mentality, unable to support itself, collapsed, her bright green eyes brimming with tears.
"Kath! Kath! Wake up!" she sobbed, not caring who heard her anymore, half- hoping someone would find her and put her out of her misery. "Kath, come back, Please!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, over and over until her throat hurt. She bent over and buried her face in Kath's side and cried until she was exhausted and then cried some more. *How could this have happened? What could I have done, anything I could have done to help them! But I didn't, I let them all die!* These and a million other thoughts rang through her head, searching for something that could've prevented this from happening. Too many thoughts, of Kath, of Rhysati, of her father, of her brothers, of Morwen, each of them bringing up a fresh deluge of tears. After she had cried all of the tears she had in her, she shakily got back on her feet and started towards Chase. But something caught her eye. Something in Kath's hand was glowing, something she hadn't noticed before. She turned back and gently pried Kath's fingers apart. It was a blue crystal, about the size of her palm, and was glowing with a pale blue light. She took it, holding it in her hand, warming it up, and turned around again towards Chase. Even though she did not know what it was, this would be the one thing that would forever remind her of Linderwall. She put the crystal in one of Chase's empty saddlebags, and galloped out of the exit without looking back.
_________________
When she was close enough to the ground to see her village, her throat tightened and her fists clenched. Tears started to brim in her eyes. Her entire village was devastated. Roofs of houses were burned down, all of the celebration décor torn down. An unheard scream arose in her throat but she choked it back. She ran up to the Gate of Linderwall, which had been demolished, and stepped on a body. She looked down and quickly backed away. A dead body of... something lay there. It was hideous. As she looked around even more of those somethings were laying around, dead, strewn through the entire village, along with humans. Not just any men, her people. It looked like it was a surprise attack, her people caught off guard. Even women lay in the streets. She tried to force herself to scan the dead bodies to look for her father, but she couldn't do it. Such evil, her head was splitting. She didn't know exactly where to go or what to do, so she started towards her house. Before she could think anything else one of the things emerged from a street opposite of hers.
Before the thing could see her, she ducked behind one of the statues of her father's ancestors. The first thing (that seemed to be in charge) was soon joined by another thing. They quickly got into the shadow of a building. For about the next ten to fifteen minutes they talked in low voices, but since Ari always seem to have very good hearing, she could tell they were speaking in another language anyways. She decided that while they were busy talking, she should get to better cover in case more of them came.
She bent down and ran towards the building closest to her side. She stood there for a little while, and then heard a thing coming her way. She found a door and went into the building. She crouched beneath the broken-in window just before the ugly thing came by. It sniffed the air once, and then continued on his way. Ari let out a breath she did not know she had been holding. She stepped back and stepped on yet another body. She looked down, expecting it to be one of the uglies. She had to hold her mouth tight and squeeze her eyes shut to keep from screaming. It was her father.
_____________________
Stunned into a tearless silence, she knelt down and cradled her father's head in her lap. Lying nearby was Remart; she guessed Kyrtan was upstairs, heading the archers. Her father had 2 arrows sticking out of his chest, and many slash marks along his arms and abdomen. She bent down and kissed his head. How could this have happened? What did happen? She didn't understand and she didn't particularly want to. She pulled the arrows out of him with some difficulty, emotionally and physically. All of his and the uglies and other people's armor and weapons had been stripped, so she was mostly sure they weren't coming back. What could she do now? She had to tell someone, but who would care? What would they do? How would she get there? What if the uglies got her first? What did the uglies want? Too many questions. She lay down beside her father's dead body, slightly recoiling at first because he was so cold, but then settled into a restless and tortured sleep. ___________________
Ari awoke later in twilight. It took her a moment to remember what had happened, but when she did, she spent the next hour weeping and grieving. The night before, she had given up hope for anyone to be alive. She had decided to leave Linderwall as fast as she could and never look back. It was too painful. She also vowed to learn how to fight, to honor those who died.
Ari crept slowly and quietly towards the stables, hoping the uglies hadn't thought to kill or cripple all of the horses. On her way to the stables, she passed near Morwen's house. She knew that she shouldn't, but she headed towards Morwen's, to see her one last time.
Morwen's house was burnt. Burnt to the ground. Ari stood there, staring, wondering what kind of race of things would do such a horrible thing. She made her way through the blackened doorway, past the still smoldering entrance room, and made way for Morwen's bedroom.
Morwen was on her bed, lying there, looking surprisingly peaceful. No marks or anything was on or around her that would suggest she had struggled or was ever sick at all. Ari knelt down on one knee beside the bed. She felt so calm here. She whispered a small goodbye and headed towards the stables again.
Ari got to the stables without seeing or hearing any of the uglies. Luckily, if such a word can be used; they didn't think to kill or cripple all of the horses. Well mostly. Two horses were left, a young foal and a full-grown black mare. She mounted the mare and with a silent 'giddy up' they were off. Ari didn't want to risk using the main entrance/exit, but she did remember a secret exit her father had told her about years ago
They got to the secret exit uneventfully, but in their way, was a balled up blue object. She was too far away to see what it was, so she hopped off the mare (which she had named Chase) and approached it cautiously, not knowing what to do. First, she saw faint markings of decorations, such as lace, meaning it was a dress. Then, she got close enough to see a mess of red hair poking out. It couldn't be, she thought desperately. She stepped over to the body and rolled it onto its side. What she saw confirmed her worst fears. Ari's mentality, unable to support itself, collapsed, her bright green eyes brimming with tears.
"Kath! Kath! Wake up!" she sobbed, not caring who heard her anymore, half- hoping someone would find her and put her out of her misery. "Kath, come back, Please!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, over and over until her throat hurt. She bent over and buried her face in Kath's side and cried until she was exhausted and then cried some more. *How could this have happened? What could I have done, anything I could have done to help them! But I didn't, I let them all die!* These and a million other thoughts rang through her head, searching for something that could've prevented this from happening. Too many thoughts, of Kath, of Rhysati, of her father, of her brothers, of Morwen, each of them bringing up a fresh deluge of tears. After she had cried all of the tears she had in her, she shakily got back on her feet and started towards Chase. But something caught her eye. Something in Kath's hand was glowing, something she hadn't noticed before. She turned back and gently pried Kath's fingers apart. It was a blue crystal, about the size of her palm, and was glowing with a pale blue light. She took it, holding it in her hand, warming it up, and turned around again towards Chase. Even though she did not know what it was, this would be the one thing that would forever remind her of Linderwall. She put the crystal in one of Chase's empty saddlebags, and galloped out of the exit without looking back.