Chapter 1: Disguise her Grace.
She ran, hard. She flew from in between the trees with blinding speed. She ran from what used to be her home. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew she had to get away.
Her skirt flapped as she ran. The skirt itself was a fine silky, white material that had a black border that came right below her knee but had slits running up either side to the hip. Her shirt was a kimono top of course, but the obi had been ripped off, so it hung around her shoulders untied, showing her under white kimono. Her shoulder length, dirty blonde hair echoed her skirt. The tangled mess of fluttering hair masked her brown eyes.
The quarter moon above gave her little light in the dense dark forest. She wasn't afraid of the forest though. She loved the forest in fact. The place was serene, especially at night. The crickets softly hummed with the occasional frog croak. She would've sat down and stayed there in this lovely comfort of the forest, but she couldn't. She kept running.
She shut her eyes and slowed down. The pain in her side was agonizing. She rested her head against the steady trunk of a tree as she panted. She held her side, trying to ignore the ever-growing pain. On the inside of her eyes, she found herself looking at what she was running from.
flashback
"Papa! Papa!" the girl yelled, happy to be home after her excursion to the clan of demons.
They had to be talked to about not attacking some of the cattle in the neighboring lands.
She turned the corner in the forest quickly, as she smelled smoke and saw a soft orange glow with the soft cackle of a fire ringing in her ears. She figured it was Papa outside with the court around a fire, but normally he would've answered her.
Her eyes met a huge bright orange flame licking the sky, engulfing her house within its mass. The brown eyes opened wide and tears fell. She ran toward the house and dropped her bag. The once large house started collapsing.
"Papaaaaaaaaaa!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.
"Ryann…" she heard a labored voice whisper.
"Papa!" she turned around to see him near the door of the house, almost escaping.
She ran up to him and hugged him and started helping him out of the house the rest of the way, only 4 feet left.
The roof gave in, and the lumber began to fall.
Ryann looked up frozen, but he reacted quickly, quickly enough to save her at least.
"Go!" he yelled as he shoved her out of the way of the falling boards; it nicked her side, making a deep wound that would heal, but with time.
He, however, wasn't so lucky.
"NO! PAPA!" she fell a foot away from the doorway, and she pulled her face from the cold ground and saw where her welcoming doorway and beloved father once stood.
She got up and ran.
end flashback
Now she lay slumped, her body resting entirely on the strength of the tree, trying to collect her breath. She didn't even have time to.
"Stop right there," a firm male voice spoke.
Her eyes fluttered open to see herself surrounded by men clad in armor, all of them pointing spears at her.
"What's the trouble?" she asked trying to mask her anger, fear, and sadness behind her own voice.
"You're on the lands of Lord Griffin. That's the trouble," he said stuttering a bit. He looked into her eyes and everything spun for a moment.
She was beautiful, one of the most beautiful women he had seen in his life. The elegance of her made her look like royalty of a sort but no one royal would be snooping around alone.
"I see," was her answer.
Lord Griffin…I've never heard of him. Must be a human lord then. I could just kill all these men and escape but…wait what if I went to this castle? I could work there; I can't go back to my lands and rule without Papa. I'm not ready. I could ask for help. No, I can't because then my subjects will think I'm weak.
She was snapped out of her thoughts by the 'clink' of shackles around her wrists. She was so…so…repulsed by the way they treated her. The round captain put the shackles there as a precaution. Although she looked frail enough, he didn't trust the innocent look about her.
"C'mon, you're going to Lord Griffin's for questioning and punishment."
She didn't reply; she just kept her head level and stared them all down as they began their slow walk to the castle. By the end of the trek, all the 15 guards were nervous.
"My lord, we have brought a captive. She was snooping out at the eastern border." The young captain bowed low as he talked.
The young woman didn't dare look the lord in the eye. It was a great disrespect that a lot of people did. She looked at the ground in front of his feet, shielding her eyes from his own, as her hair fell over them.
The young lord looked down at the lady below him. She was small but not young, probably 15 or so, only a year younger than himself. He saw the way she looked down at the ground,
Was she scared? No, she wasn't shaking. At least she has manners. Not very people knew not to look their superiors in the eye. I wonder what she looks like...
"Well, my lady? What have you to say for yourself in defense?" he spoke firmly but not angrily.
She bowed low, "My lord, I have simply come to ask for work."
He wondered why such a woman would come ask for work at his castle. She dressed like a royal. He started admiring the curves in her legs that were made visible by the high slits. He worked his way up her body and found her kimono completely off her shoulders, hanging at her elbows. He couldn't see the front of her because the way she bowed.
"What can you do?" he asked curiously.
She paused for a second in thought, "I'm a skilled in healing, fighting, and cooking. I'd prefer healing though," she said calmly hoping for that job.
"Fighting?"
Crap...He's going to make me fight.
"Yes, my lord, I am quick with a sword but I also can use a bow decently well," she answered, still low to the ground.
"Let's see, then!" He wanted to see if what she said was true, if such a delicate lady could fight.
She mentally cringed. "With whom, my lord?"
"You there, lieutenant, come fight this woman," he said pointing to a young man, probably in his mid-twenties; he was too thin.
"My pleasure, my lord."
The lieutenant came out from his circle of guard with his sword drawn.
"Now we jus-" the lord began, trying to find her a sword, but was cut off when the little lady in front of him drew a long sword with a very jagged edge.
The sword was very intimidating. She turned toward her opponent before the lord could get a look at her face again. He did however notice the white under kimono she had on. He was both relieved and disappointed in the discovery of clothing underneath her top.
A lower guard came and undid the shackles around her small wrists and they both hit fighting stances.
The lady whipped the sword around her head, then brought it back down in front of her body, making the long black scarf it brandished dangle in the air.
Impressive…
"Fight!" Lord Griffin yelled.
The lieutenant charged at the woman clumsily, yelling out a battle cry.
The woman held her ground and parried as he slashed at her.
He looked like a drunkard next to the graceful female who easily dodged and blocked all of his attacks, but she never took the offensive.
Why?
The officer jumped back after a relentless but useless number of attacks, breathing hard.
He looked at her angrily,
"Attack me wench!"
She stared at him coldly.
She ran forward, disappeared, then reappeared quickly in front of the man with the tip of her sword at his neck.
The officer's neck stretched trying to get away from the sharp blade, his eyes were wide in fear.
She hated that.
She sheathed the sword and bowed to the man. She turned to face the lord again and kneeled, waiting for his response.
The young man was simply astounded. He was in awe of this woman's skill.
"Where did you learn?" he asked, trying to hide his amazement.
"M-My," she paused trying to hide her sadness, "My papa."
She failed, but she had her head bowed, so no one saw the one tear that had escaped from her eye. It landed on the ground and quickly soaked in.
He heard the dread in her voice and decided against asking who her father was.
"What is your name?" he asked instead.
"L-" she cut herself off, she was no longer Lady Ryann.
"Ryann, my lord."
"Ms. Ryann, why is it you do not like to fight?" he asked, trying to figure her out.
"I don't like to hurt others," she answered simply.
He chuckled.
"You find this funny, my lord!" she asked angry at his laughter, but she quickly realized who she was talking to and where she was.
He was surprised by the sudden lack of manners.
Not a complete good girl
"Not at all, I just find it strange that an obviously talented fighter doesn't like to fight," the lord said amused.
She smiled which the lord didn't spot. "I see"
"Well, if you want, you can help with the healing, but if you should ever change your mind about fighting, tell someone," he said smiling, she not perceiving it.
"Thank you, my lord."
"Kamaru," he ordered.
"Yes, my lord?" a handsome man stepped of out the circle of people. He was tall and thickly built. He had dark hair and dark eyes.
"Show her to her room."
"Which one my lord?"
Lord Griffin looked up in thought, than waved the man closer.
He whispered something in his ear, and Kamaru looked shocked.
"Yes, m-my lord." He stuttered.
He turned toward Ryann.
"Coming miss?"
She stood up, nodding, and followed Kamaru.
She looked at the men on either side of her and found them all staring at her. Some with astonishment and some with hunger. She was used to both but liked neither.
She suddenly dropped to the ground with a yelp but quickly got back on her feet.
"Ryann?" asked the lord, sort of amused with the thought that the graceful woman tripped.
"Sorry my lord, earlier wound was bleeding so I healed it. When I heal I sometimes get a little dizzy," she answered seriously.
"Wou-?" he was cut off when she moved her arm from her side and saw a bright red stain on the white kimono.
"You fought my officer with that huge wound in your side!" he asked incredulous to her statement.
"Yes, my lord," she answered evenly.
"And you just healed it up? Just like that?"
"Yes. My lord," she answered in the same tone.
He gaped at this woman, as she quickly walked to catch up with Kamaru.
She left the room, and the Lord didn't have a clue to what or who this woman was.
Later that night
He tossed and turned in his bed. He couldn't sleep.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw that woman fighting the officer with great ease and then saw the red stain. He heard her voice, but in all his visions of her, she never had a face. He hadn't seen her face. He had to see her face.
Eh? This is my first chapter for my prequel to Inuyasha, Kagome, Angel, and Warrior. It's a good story or at least I hope it's a good story lol go! Read! Review! Shoo! Whoa ryhymes….