Prologue :
She lived in a small town placed a few leagues at the North of the junction between the Mitheithel and the Bruinen. This lonely village called Elekhin just contained one inn, witch explains why this place who lacked so much in warmth was still busy. Her father owned this establishment and she was forced to work there from the morning to the evening. She was enduring this life since she was seven and was not payed for her work, excepted for the rare tips she received, but even there her father kept an eye on her to make sure she would give him 50 percentsof it.
She could have been beautiful, but she was not. She had long black hairs and a pale skin, but because of her hard work and the scarcity of the moment where she could wash herself, her hairs were greasy and her skin covered by dust and dirt.
She also had even eyes. One was of a shade of blue so light that one tought it was white while the other one was emerald green. Her father took pleasure of this unlikeness and constantly used it to lower her and treat her of monster. Jade hated both her life and her father. Wasn't it normal after all? Since eight years already she was obliged every day to prepare every meal, clean the stables, take care of the inn and feed the traveller's horses, without forgetting the 3 miles she had to walk each morning before the sunrise to go get some water for the daily chores and the customers. What was her father doing during this time? He was 'taking care of the reputation of his inn' according to his own words. In fact, he spent all his days talking with everybody.
First chapter :
On that evening, Jade returned to seek some more water to make sure the customers would not run out of it during the night. She came back at the inn a few minutes before a few minutes before the nightfall and climbed up the stairs. She was heading for the attic where her 'bedroom' was when her father called her and ordered her to follow him to the stables. He was drunk, as usual. Arrived there, he started to criticise the work Jade had done that day, confused and incoherent at some moments. There was just one exit from this building and the young woman was cornered in one of the boxes. She tried in vain to make him understand her point of view, but his fists were stronger than hers, as usual.
She came out of the stables a few minutes later, limping with her nose bleeding and a black eye. He had beaten her, once more. She entered the the inn and climbed up the stairs again to get to her room fastly and closed the door behind her before kneeling down on the floor while cursing her father. She removed one of the laths and plunged her hand in the hole, from where she took out a little leather purse. It contained all the money she had saved to run away from this hell. She put back in place the lath carefully and took the bag she had prepared since two weeks. It held a flask, a rope, a knife, a few clothes – the only rags she possessed – and dried meat. She left stealthily the inn by a dormer window and came down to the streets thanks to all the little roofs of the building. Once on the ground, she headed for the old Smith's smithy. The only friend she had, but totally reliable.
Making her way there took her about thirty minutes instead of ten, because she avoided all the men and women she crossed by moving as silently as possible in the shadows. Once at Smith's house, she knocked gently two times at the door. It was the signal they had since the old smith knew all of her plans.
He opened the door to her and made let her enter the suffocating atmosphere of his shop. Then, he guided her to her kitchen where they ate a light meal before returning back to the shop.
- Since we have been friends for so long, I am going to let you buy everything you want for half of the price. I wouldn't want you to get hurt and if you have better weapons you will be able to protect yourself better.
- Thanks Mr.Smith! But are you sure?
- Of course! Come on, choose!
He had always been paternal to her and that's why she appreciated him, especially at this moment.
She headed for the further wall where were displayed all the weapons, shields and armours that were ready to be sold. She chose two daggers and two short swords for weapons, before starting to look for an armour. They were all too heavy or too expansive, excepted for one constituted by several ladders of leather superposed with a few pieces of metal. After that, she took two bracers made of bronze before finally coming back to Smith.
- How much for all these?
Suddenly, someone hammered the door.
- Smith! Open that door! I know my daughter's in here, her prints leads to your door!
The smith looked at Jade and made a motion to make her understand to put all of her equipment in her bag, what she did. Once it was done, he helped her to climb to the beams of the ceiling since there was almost no light in the shop excepted for the last smouldering logs burning and he did not think the intruder would look at the ceiling to find his daughter.
Afterwards, he headed for the door and opened it at violently as possible. The other one was surprised by that but even more by what followed. Smith spoke to him in such a fashion that he was almost yelling at him.
- What do you want? You just woke me up and I hope you've got good reasons!
- My daughter's in here and I know it! Where are you hiding her, he asked a little less sure of himself.
- You woke me up for your stupid daughter? You are so pathetic! Just because you can't handle her you put the blame on someone else? You are such a looser, drunk man! You may enter if you want but you will see that she is not here.
Jack threw a glance at Smith and entered the shop. He searched here everywhere: in the house, under the tables and even in the barrels filled with trashes, but Jade wasn't there. He continued his examination while continuing to argue with Smith. Finally, he left the Smithy grumbling, without his daughter. Jade had seen everything from her perch. When he was sure her so called father was gone, Smith closed the door and helped her to get down. She thanked him and tended her purse toward Smith so he would take what she owed him but he gave her back saying she would need it later.
She put on her armour and her bracers, placed a dagger in one of her boots and the other one around her waist and strapped her swords with lashes of leather so they would form an 'X' in her back. After, Jade grabbed her bag and threw a last friendly glance at the smithy before leaving him in the darkness of the night.
She left Elekhin by the West bridge and took a little tortuous road leading to the Greenway. There, if the map she had examined during hours at the inn was right she would head to the North to finally get to Bree. After a short pause to remind herslf of the way to take, she started to walk in almost total darkness, her path only lit by a pallid moon.
N/A :Please review and be indulgent, I'm doing my best to translate this story but English is not my first langage.