Frozen Promise
A/N: The first chapter of the story is an introduction, the 'promise' I've mentioned about, is yet to come in the following chapters.
Chapter 1Novice Abychsel
"Lord Abychsel, its too much for her…" a hunter remarked as he followed his lord's march in haste towards his daughter's room. Several hunters followed behind them, trying to keep up pace, while a priest and a sage followed far behind the party, admiring the paintings and items on display along the hallways of his lord's mansion. His lord seemed not to hear him, but he continued to try and catch his attention, "My lord…she's been forced to become a novice before her time…and even with the training, we would still have to rely on her luck rather than her skill,"
"Shut up Tavos!" Lord Senkain Abychsel roared, as he turned on his heel to face his subordinate, "I should give you just punishment for even trying to meddle in how I should raise MY daughter, she's an Abychsel! In God's name, she has my blood in her…and she WILL handle what I tell her to do, or lose her Abychsel blood by death in the process!"
The hunter silenced, and suppressed the brewing anger within him as he glared at the snickering hunters that eyed him degradingly.
In a distant room of the mansion, a young girl's head raised in anticipation as she heard heavy footsteps heading towards her. Hayrinn glanced up at the wooden willow doorway as it swung open, and immediately she rose from her sprawled position on the bear footskin rug and bent in a curtsy to her Father when he entered, followed by several hunters, a priest, and a sage. "Welcome back, father…" she greeted jovially, smiling up at him.
She was given a stern look, and a small grunt which she believed was meant to acknowledge her greeting. She was donned in a novice ninja suit that had been made for youngsters far from her build, and for those years older than she was.
"Hayrinn, I've brought you some presents…" Senkain Abychsel announced, watching his daughter as she gazed up at him in eager and childlike anticipation.
"is it a toy or a doll?" she inquired, her blue eyes were wistful and excited as she seemed to suppress her anticipation.
The man before her smirked, seemingly berating her for being so childish as he took from his cape, a knife—the hilt was ornately carved, and the look of it alone was beautiful without a doubt, and from Hayrinn's entranced gaze, he knew that the child was both in awe and curiosity of the item he held out to her. The man extended the weapon to his daughter, and watched her hold her hands out to take it.
The dagger landed on her palms and he watched her observe it, "What is it?" she asked openly. The hunters behind him smiled suspiciously, and one of them went forward, pulling with him a creature.
The creature's red eyes slanted menacingly, while its dark hair flailed about as though a typhoon surrounded its atmosphere. The skin on the creatures face and body was ash grey as it continued to force itself to hide amongst the shadows of the large room in retaliation to the forceful pull of the rope tied around its wrist, and the glint of a silver knife against its throat.
Hayrinn gasped, "Father…it's a sohee…"
"I'm glad you know…" her father grinned, though his face showed no hint of what emotion he held behind his forced smile. "Go and tame it with your knife…"
It seemed more an order than a prodding, and Hayrinn obeyed immediately. Her young heart bled for her father's approval, even if it meant facing the terrifying creature before her.
"Hayrinn," a hunter began, his voice was low and intimidating, "this creature led the sohees in the Payon caves, and her strength of mind alone had been enough to break three silver knives of chastity that we used to control her until she arrived here…at this moment, the one we're using on her is on the verge of shattering, once it does, use your knife and try to tame her…" the hunter smiled at her and handed her a main gauche, "just in case you cant…use this to protect yourself, until we can kill her…"
Soon after, the hunter threw silver knife of chastity that he had held against the sohee to the carpeted floor, and in Hayrinn's hawk-like gaze, it seemed to vibrate and shiver as hairline cracks began to appear upon its blade, ready to shatter it. The two items, one for taming, and one for protection, quivered unsteadily in her hand. She mustered up as much strength as her thirteen-year old body could provide, and positioned herself in a battle stance while her eyes took on a fiercely dark shade of sapphire blue that meant to intimidate the sohee.
"trying to be brave are you not?" a voice resounded in her head, and she stifled a gasp of surprise when she saw the sohee's eyes glow scarlet as its lips poised in a menacing grin. "Do not bother trying to hide your thoughts…you are too inexperienced to even attempt to block out my voice," it continued,
From the corner of her eye, she saw her father and his companions back off a distance from them. None of them even drew their bows and arrows in attempt to save her lest she fail to tame the sohee. Only Tavos seemed to hold a slight sign of pity and sadness for the young novice before him.
"You are too young to be a novice…"the sohee's voice questioned, and she felt a throbbing headache as she fought the creature's forceful delving into her mind, her thoughts, her feelings, her memories. "I see…the man who leads the hunters who try to tame me is your father?"
"Cease your intrusion on my thoughts damn sohee!" She answered back mentally, and she blistered with anger when the sohee seemed more amused than threatened by her insult.
"I've gotten all I need to know from your thoughts, and just why you're a novice, when at your age…you shouldn't even be allowed to touch a weapon," The sohee's voice in her head grew soft and mellow, as though trying to soothe her, "Child…I do not wish to hurt you, but you're desire to please that man you call 'father' is pushing you to do what he wills, do not try and force me…I have a proposition for you…"
A/N: The other chapters are soon coming up…please R&R,
