Chapter 2: The Tell of Her Past
A child stood in the doorway of her chambers, looking down the hall. She was the only one left in the upper chambers by her parents. Her elder siblings lived down stairs with their own families, or with their husbands. Her brother was at Corus becoming a knight.
Her long blonde hair cast her out amongst the shadows, as she moved across the hall. She opened to door to her parents sleeping chambers, and started to enter.
Her scream echoed threw the manor and to the homes below. The guards, by dozens, rushed among the servants to the youngest child's room. Seeing nothing, they went to their master's chambers.
Upon entering, the servants quickly left again. The scream was nothing compared to the sight. The youngest of the guards rushed forward to the child, picking her up and began to move away from the bed.
Rayne's mother lay on the bed, but without a head. The bed was a mass of red sheets and a pool of blood began to flow towards the center of the room.
The five year old began to kick the young guard, trying to get down. When her feet made contact with the ground, she made a dash for the bed. Falling in the blood she screamed again. Pushing herself threw the blood and away from the bed. This was something she'd never seen before. She moved until her back touched the wall.
The guard closest crouched and saw Mistress Anya's decapitated head hidden under the bed. Gagging he stood and ordered her to be taken out of the room, and for the servants to begin to clean up the blood. The last order, before Rayne was carried out, was for someone top retrieve their Lord, Rayne's father, Padric.
Rayne was covered in blood, and cried until the tears could no longer come. Her older sisters, Isabel, Lizabeth, and Cassidy, came to comfort her, not knowing what had happened. Her speech was not able to be understood by anyone. They cleaned her up quickly and put her to bed. For the longest time she slept with nightmares, no one knows if they still continue or not.
Years have past, Rayne now seven, but her father always cast her out of his sight. She looked too much like her mother for him to try and forget. She looked like a young Anya, blissful and happy. But Rayne was never blissful or happy. Not since she saw what had happened to her mother. She locked her self in her room, trying to keep herself away from her sisters and her father, but things made it necessary for her to make an appearance. No one knew how to ease the pain she felt, or how to stop the burst of outrage against everyone. She became very vengeful to every person, except the guard who tried to get her away the first time. She would leave him alone, but watched him with glacier blue eyes. He, in the last year, became her best friend. His name was Nathaniel, or, as she was only allowed to call him, Nate. His eyes were brown and were the same shade as his hair, which fell to his shoulders. He was only about the age of Julian, so no one commented when they found the two alone. He became her protector.
On the day of the third year her mother died, she walked out across the garden and to the temple, where he mother's body lay. Her father was there already, along with Isabel, Lizabeth, and Cassidy. Also Cassidy's first born child Nea. She looked upon her family as they mourned for their lost one. While the youngest one stood alone, she prayed her mother watch over her as she knew then her journey was only beginning. She knew she didn't belong, and never would again.
With blue eyes, colored and cold as glaciers, her set off to her room and began to pack. As unnoticed as always she left her home, and went to the stables. Telling the stablemen she was only going out for a picnic by the fields. They helped her mount her mother's old horse.
"If ye get lost, just tell the horse. No matter where ye be, it'll bring you home safely. Always knows how." The stableman said giving her the bag.
As she rode down the path leading her towards Port Legion, she stopped and looked behind her. The home she grew up in was now just a shell that only left her with horrid memories. With her mother gone and Julian away becoming a knight there was no reason for her to stay.
Turning in her seat to head on, she was surprised to see Nathaniel on his horse Bark. The horse received its name by the color of its hide. It looked as if could hide among the trees and no one would ever discover it. Rayne's mother's horse, Dasher, whinnied and nuzzled Bark.
"On a picnic, young Mistress Rayne?" Nathaniel asked laughing slightly "Where do ye plan on headin'?"
"Anywhere, maybe the Port, or Trya." Rayne pulled at Dasher's reins and made him move forward. "And if you plan to get my father, you'd be wasting your time. I'll be gone before you get back."
"What if I take ye home by force?" Nathaniel asked looking at his best friend
"You'd never try to hurt me, but you would because you know I'd struggle and try to get away hurting myself. Though you'd think you were the one who'd done the damage."
"At least ye haven't lost ye sense. Well not more then I'd 'ave thought. Why ye plan on runnin' away Mistress Rayne?"
"I am because Father doesn't know who I am. He thinks I'm just a small copy of Mother. A ghost of her."
"Your sisters would be upset." Nate said to her looking at the manor.
"No they wouldn't."
"Surely you know I would." Nate looked at her with hopeful eyes.
"Then as an order, you are to come with me." Rayne said and trotted away
Forced to follow an order, Nathaniel turned Bark around and trailed after his young mistress. First to Port Legion, then Trya, and after that Cria in Galla and finally Rayne ended up in Corus of Tortall.