Here you are, as promised, the next chapter.
Six reviews! I feel so honored!! I wasn't expecting such a good turnout!
This will be short, and unfourtanatly, will have only a few moments of D/N. Maybe more, but who knows? I'm letting this story write itself.
~^~
Daine stood at the gate of the town for a long, long time. Finally, forcing her leaden feet to go on, she stepped into Snowsdale.
It was exactly as she remembered it. The baker and the Ferrier were still on the Main street, and vendors, setting up their wares in the watery morning light still supplied the village with fruits and vegetables. One or two called out to her, but she ignored them and continued walking, heading for a certain place. It took only five minutes to come to it. Burnt ground still lingered. Stones from the kitchen, scorched from fire were still in the ground. As she knelt on the ground, she even caught a glimpse of a fire ward that her mother had hung in the kitchen. The ground was untouched, except by time. It was like the village had declared it sacred. Daine, still kneeling traced the ground with her fingers, reveling in the soft dirt that had once been her home.
As she sat there, footsteps came behind her, thudding so loudly that they made her wince. They were boots, and in them was a man, authoritative.
"Who are you?"
Daine let her hair cover her face, not wanting to be recognized.
"A traveler."
There was a hand on her shoulder, and before she could do anything, she was turned around. A face that she had not seen for six years met her eyes. Yet in that face, there was no recognition.
"A traveler, hm? Odd that you would travel so far into the mountains. And to Snowsdale. Why do you come here, and not announce yourself, only come as a shadow and linger where death lurks?"
Daine looked to the place where her home had once sat.
"You know nothing of death Hakkon Falconer." She spat, steely eyes piercing him through.
The man's face grew suddenly surprised, and he dropped her. Then he regained his cool confidence, as quickly as he had lost it.
"I do not?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "Do you know what happened here-" he paused, "Traveler?"
Daine knew, all too well, but shook her head, letting him tell the story from his view.
He sat beside her.
"A sad story it is. A woman and her bastard daughter lived here once." Daine winced at the name. Hakkon ignored it and continued. "The woman lived with her father, and let the girl ran free. Her daughter brought home the food, while her mother and grandfather worked none at all for her." Daine became angry at the thought that her mama and grandfather had done nothing for her. They had been better parents than Hakkon could ever hope to be. Hakkon sighed. "Anyhow, bandits attacked the village, and killed the mother and grandfather, leaving the girl, who had been away at the time." Daine recalled the night she had spent at Lory and Rand's, half wishing she had just gone home, and half glad that she hadn't. She realized that Hakkon had stopped talking.
"And the girl?" she prompted, wondering what he had to say about her, "What happened to her?"
Hakkon shook his head.
"The girl went mad. I swear by Weiryn's horn," Daine smirked at the irony. "she turned into a wolf, running with the pack and everything. They killed the bandits, I'll give her that, but she was mad. There was nothing we could do. I tried to kill her mercifully, to make it swift, like you kill a rabid dog, but she ran off. I don't even know what happened to her."
Daine stood, brushing off her riders cloths. She wiped her eyes. Hakkon Stood up as well.
"You see? I do know of death." He said, looking at the ground.
Daine shook her head.
"No?" Hakkon asked, "And why do you say that, traveler?"
Daine took a breath.
"Because, falconer, I was that girl that you spoke of."
~^~
*snerk* cliffie!