"My Lord...we found two people on our way here...One of them is dead, the other does not respond to us at all. She is in some sort of trance we cannot wake her from."
Lord Elgare slowly raised his head, lifting his eyes from his desk. "Have you offered her a bed?"
"Yes, my lord. And food and water too." Father Jolyon said, bowing his head. "I have sent someone to burry the man. He was beyond our help."
"Very well, you may go."
Father Joylon bowed again and left the room. He slowly walked through the corridors. The coming of this young girl had caused some worry among the monks of the monastery.
Some thought she had killed the man herself. Others thought she was a demon, because she was unable to speak in their presence. She had neither uttered a word nor moved since she had been brought in.
He halted when he met Father Elyon. "Has the girl spoken yet?"
Elyon shook his head. "No. Still not a single reaction. But...we took a look into her things to see if we could perhaps find a clue."
"What did you find?" Jolyon said curiously.
"We found some golden trinkets and money in her bag, along with more weaponry and some women's clothes."
"Give her some clothes from the monastery. There must be a cowl and a dress somewhere left by the nuns. They must have left something behind we can spare." Jolyon said with determination. "We must help her feel at ease. Perhaps then she will speak to us."
Elyon nodded. "I'll send someone right away."
He excused himself and Jolyon watched him leave. He continued his own walk and only halted when he reached the small room they had put the girl in. He entered after knocking.
The room was dark and gloomy. He looked around and sat down in the only chair before he looked at the girl who was sitting on her bed.
'Like a statue...' he thought surprised.
Apart from the chair an the bed the room had little furnishing, just like his own room. Only a small table under the window.
He looked at the girl again. Her eyes were still empty and she stared out in front of her without seeing him. He reached out to touch her shoulder but hesitated and pulled his hand back.
There was a little knock on the door and a scrawny man, dressed in grey, entered with a small plate of food and a cup of water.
"Father Jolyon..." he said surprised.
Jolyon nodded. "Give that to me. I'll try to get her to eat."
The man nodded, bowed his head and quickly gave him the food. When the door had closed behind him agian, Jolyon looked the girl straight in the eyes.
"You must eat, my daughter. You must eat a little."
He brought the cup to her lips and tipped it a little. But she did not open her mouth and he watched the small stream of water trickle down from the corners of her mouth.
Jolyon sighed. He stood up from the chair and moved over to the bed. He sat down next to her and tried to feed her something. She still didn't open her mouth, but she did turn her head to face him.
His eyes widened with surprise.
"...Do you see me?" he asked carefully. "Do you hear me?"
She looked at him and then slowly nodded. He sighed with relief.
"I am Father Jolyon of the Grey Monastery. You are safe here. Will you tell me your name?"
"...Where's Ahro?" she asked, her eyes suddenly vibrant.
Jolyon needed a second before realising what she had meant.
"...Ahro? You mean the man on the horse?"
She nodded. "Where is he? Where is he?"
Jolyon grabbed her shoulders softly. "Calm down, my child. Please eat something first."
She looked at the plate he offered her. She took it but didn't touch the food it carried.
"...Calandra." she said quietly.
Jolyon looked at her again, not understanding her for the second time. She looked up from the plate at the man next to her.
"...That's my name. Calandra."
Jolyon smiled at her.
"Thank you." He said. "I will let you eat in peace now. Someone will come and bring you some fresh clothes."
He stood up and nodded at her.
"I will come visit again when you've eaten and rested."
She watched him leave and closed her eyes when the door closed behind him. The darkness in this room surrounded her like a cold blanket, making her shiver.
That man had been so friendly to her, but he probably didn't know what she was. A thief. If they knew, they'd probably ask her to leave right away. She felt a tear fall down her face as she curled up on the bed. She wanted to disappear, to vanish.
Just as long as she didn't have to feel like she did now, empty and alone. She left like a failure, hurting so much inside that she'd rather die.
"She actually spoke?" Elyon asked curiously. "She talked to you?"
Jolyon nodded. "Well...talked to me...She told me her name. And she asked about the young man."
"What did you tell her? Surely you didn't tell her he is dead."
"No, I told her to rest. All in due time, I think. The time will come to tell her the truth. First she must gain a little strength."
They walked through the garden. Elyon bent down to pick up a small deep purple flower and took in its scent.
"The monks have burried him in our graveyard. Lord Elgare said the prayers."
"...I see."
"And I sent one of the clerics to her with some new clothes."
They walked on through the gardens and turned a corner.
"I must admit I find it curious that Lord Elgare would pray for a man who was very clearly a thief. I would not have thought him to pay tribute to a dishonest man like that." Jolyon said.
"Are we not taught that every man deserves a proper burial?" Elyon mused. "All men are equal, are they not?"
"...Yes, I suppose they are. I know I am not to doubt our Father Superior. But still..."
"I think it's best if you leave it at this." Elyon said as a few monks passed them.
Jolyon nodded. "Very well. I will go to my cell and consult the book of Eleonora. Perhaps She will have some advice for me how to treat our visitor."
"Praisèd be Her strength."
"Praisèd be Her strength." Jolyon agreed before nodding curtly and walking back inside.
The talking outside had stopped. The monks had moved away from the patch of tomato plants under her window. She held on to the windowsil and tried to see the sky.
She turned around and looked at the clothes that waited for her at the end of her bed. A grey cowl and a simple grey dress. This was what she had seen nuns wear at the sistering monastery at the other end of the road.
She washed her face and her arms with the water in the bowl on the table and slowly started to loosen the many straps of her armour and boots.
She stripped down to her underclothes and quickly threw the dress over her head.
It fitted her, even though it was a bit on the large side. She took the cowl and wrapped it around her shoulders to stop herself from shivering. She listened at the door while tying a rope around her waist.
There was no one in the corridor. Quickly she opened the door and hid her face under the hood of the cowl as she walked down the hallway. She turned a few corners, trying to find her way outside. She wanted to leave before these kind people would have to throw her out because of who and what she was.
Their kindness reminded her of an emotion she wanted to avoid feeling.
Finally she had reached the gardens. The other working poeple gave her no glances because she was wearing their uniform. She heard a few monks talking to each other about the meaning behind the Book. On the other side of the path she saw a couple of clerics being taught how to fight with a quarterstaff.
At the end of the garden she saw what she had been looking for. A barren place in the ground where a wooden cross stuck up into the air.
She walked over calmly, trying to keep herself from crying. She knew this was his grave, the earth was freshly turned and the cross had been made in a hurry.
She sunk to her knees and whispered his name.
"...Ahro...I'm so sorry...You shouldn't have- I should have taken better care of you. It's all my fault..." She bit her lip. "I should never have let you come along with me. I knew it was too dangerous. But I was selfish, I didn't want to be alone anymore. And...now you have paid for my selfishness."
She bowed her head and tried to see his smiling face before her eyes.
"Please...forgive me..."
She suddenly felt a soft hand on her shoulder. "I think he has, my child. He is in a better place."
She turned around to see and elderly man in a grey cowl, much like the one she was wearing. She recognised his friendly face as the one who had found her the day before and threw herself around his neck, now crying uncontrollably.
The man returned her hug softly, as if he had expected her to reach out for him like this. Once her sobbing had died down she pulled her arms back, embarrassed about her outburst.
She cast her eyes down. "I- I'm sorry, Father. That was disrespectful."
He smiled. "No, it was human nature. You're the young lady we found on the road. Will you tell me your name?"
"Calandra..."
"Well Calandra, I am Father Elyon. Welcome to the Grey Monastery."
"I thank you for your hospitality."
He motioned her to follow him.
"Would you like to tell me what happened?" he asked when they walked together.
She hesitated. What should she say? He would probably turn away from her if he knew what she was. But she knew he had already guessed her profession and knew she couldn't tell him lies while he looked at her so friendly and caring.
So she told him everything. She started at the preparations for the tournament. She told him about Finnean, about Tehk. She told him about Ahro and about her plan to rob the transport.
All this time Father Elyon remained silent, listening to her words thoughtfully.
She told him about her loneliness and about how scared she had been at feeling herself lose control. And she told him about the hurt that consumed her.
When she was done they were silent for a while. She couldn't look him in the eye. Finally he coughed.
"...Your heart is troubled. Confusion consumes you after all that has happened and this makes it hard for you to see what path to take now...Your life has been very difficult."
"I understand if you want me to leave, Father." She said quietly. "I am sure a common thief is not welcome at a monastery like this."
But Elyon let out a soft yet friendly chuckle. "A thief? Perhaps not. But, my dear child, don't you think it's time for you to put that part of your life behind you? It would be wise for you to start over, to take a new path."
She looked at him confused.
"Why don't you lay down your thief's existance? You are a troubled person with all that has happened. Perhaps devoting yourself to a deity will give you some clarity. Perhaps that way you can give yourself some peace."
She hesitated. "...Me? Become a nun? I- I'm sorry, Father, but that would not be right for me. I'm not a good little girl. I love fighting, it's what I have done all my life. I would never be able to live peacefully with just books and crops to look after."
Father Elyon seemed to think.
"...There are other ways of devoting yourself to a deity besides studying the Book. Not all of those ways are peaceful."
He looked at the clerics at the other end of the garden. The sound of their quarterstaffs hitting each echoed through the courtyard.
"They are devoted, but not peaceful. They go out to fight fiends and pagans, to bring our teachings across with a more firm hand than we do. They use force as a way to bring across their message."
She watched them.
Elyon laid another hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to decide now. Think about it. Take your time. Life here is good...and you would be able to visit your friend too, if you staid."
She averted her eyes from the clerics and looked at the ground.
"I'll be inside." He said when they finished walking around the garden and had reached the grave again. It's nearly time for our afternoon mass. You're free to join us, if you like."
He left the young woman behind in the garden. She looked back at the clerics and at Ahro's grave.
"What...do you think I should do?" she found herself asking the wooden cross.
It stared back at her silently. The bells rang in the tower behind her and she looked up.
'Perhaps...' she thought with a soft smile.
She bent down to kiss the cross and quickly whispered a soft prayer before heading inside. Perhaps Father Elyon was right. Perhaps this was her second chance in life.
The End
Well people, that was it! I enjoyed writing it and I enjoyed all of your reviews even more :)
Olga de Bont: Ik speel inderdaad mee met het HWSO maar van een auditie is het nog steeds niet gekomen. Ach, daar ben ik niet rouwig om; da's minder stress voor mij he ;) Fijn dat het verhaal je beviel en dat je de conversatie tussen Lan en Writath echt vond. (Daar zat ik zelf nogal over in namelijk. Ik ben heel slecht in het schrijven van confrontaties.)
Kar-Vermin: I never thought you had abandonned me :) And I understand it if you are very busy. Iget that a lot myself, so I know what it feels like. Glad you liked chapter nine as well, I am waiting anxiously for your review on chapter ten and of course on this final one as well. About the sentance structure; I know it can be clumsy. I'm working on it though. I mannaged to convince a friend into being my Beta reader, but she's covering a different story. But talking to her is really helping me to improve my choice of words, grammar and scentance structure. Thank you for being such a faithful reviewer and for always giving me good and uselful advice. Because good advice is hard to come by, these days.
Grayangle: Perhaps chapter ten WAS all for you ;) But aside from that, I am really happy with all the reviews you sent me and the faithfulness in reviewing you showed towards this story. I let Ahro die because he was only a plotdevice, unfortunately. He was there solely for me to explain Calandra's difference in behavior. She grew to love someone who was the opposite from Finnean, she learned to care for him deeply. And he softened her up a bit. So when he died, she lost all self-control and attacked those who had killed him to make them pay for the crime. But this loss of control scared her beyond what fright she had kown; she saw a side of hreself that she had not wanted to see. Ever. So it was only because of that loss of control and the fear of it happening again, that she accepted Elyon's offer.
Again I'd like to thank you for your reviews and perhaps I'll see you at some other stories of mine, even though they fall into different categories.
Everyone who R&Red, thank you so much. You can write stories, but unless you get feedback, a posted story is pretty useless. A piece of fiction is only as much as the opinion of the readers, I feel. So thanks again!
Love, Raven55