Disclaimer: I am poor and own nothing. And because I'm poor, this is my only source of entertainment, so please do not sue.
Authors Note: Sonia is a form of Sophia, which means wisdom.
Klumsee – Thanks you made me laugh. Sorry couldn't get this up sooner, had to write it first. Thanks for the review, keep it up.
ElvenStar5 – That sounds encouraging. Thanks for the review and please keep them coming.
Texasgrrl – Hey, I wrote three stories for you to review that is your present. Now what do I get? Hopefully you like this one as well, you get a look at my OC's here, although they'll be more developed over the course of the story. Thanks for the review though.
The Priestesses of Avalon
Chapter One: Requests
There was a chill to the air, but Mariska didn't mind as she moved from the trees near the temple and out into the clearing. A light snow had fallen, turning the earth into a white wonderland and she reveled in it, her black boots crunching as she walked on, a smile on her pale face and a basket of herbs from deep in the forest under her arm.
She was no spectacular beauty, but a beauty none the less with her pale skin, long black red hair falling in waves about her shoulders and sparkling green eyes. Her figure could be described as curvy yet slender, and was slightly muscled due to the hard work she put in both about the temple and in training with the weaponry. This called for the strings on her thick wool, corset styled dress to be pulled taught, accenting her breasts beneath the dark green cloak she wore, hood resting atop her head.
She looked up at the sky and smiled, glad to see the sun peeking out through the clouds, bringing some warmth to the earth and to her freezing hands, the long slim fingers trembling slightly as she quickened her pace towards the temple, anxious for a warm fire and the company of her fellow Priestesses. She returned her eyes to the path ahead, watching as the snow began to collect at the bottom of her dress and frowned. She would have to get it off when she made it home, or risk taking with a cold.
As she contemplated this, a screeching sounded high in the sky, sending her head up to see a beautiful hawk circling overhead. It called out again and she listened more closely.
"I am Mariska," she called up to it, holding out her arm as it came into settle there. "Why do you seek me?"
The bird cawed again, an urgency in its talk as it began to tell her a great tale, starting with the arrival of a bishop and ending with the injury of her master, who lay at a fort located at Hadrian's Wall, in desperate need of healing. Two of his brother knights were injured at his side, and Merlin was sending her for Mariska.
"Such a tale," she soothed, setting her basket on the ground to stroke the bird. "Come, we will go to the High Priestess and you shall tell it to her, and she will decide when we shall leave, eh?"
The hawk seemed pleased with this, and hopped up onto Mariska's shoulder. She knelt down and picked up her basket before moving much quicker towards the temple. Her grandfather had a lot of nerve sending this creature to her. Daring to ask for her help after the way he had treated her mother. Abandoning her, and letting her die in childbirth, but that did not matter now, for the men she was being asked to help were not of her grandfathers people, but of the people of Sarmatia, and former slaves of Rome. And more importantly, friends to the creature resting on her shoulder. And Mariska could never deny a creature of the wild anything.
As she made it to the temple, kicking the snow from her boots on the stoop and stepping through the small wood door, her mind was a jumbled, and her emotions were raging. Setting the basket onto a nearby table, and earning a few curious looks from the cooking staff, she made her way down the hall, in search of the High Priestess.
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The High Priestess of the Temple of Avalon was an old, kindly woman with graying hair and clear blue eyes known as Sonia. She was taller than some thought, but walked with a stoop due to her age, which was well over seventy summers and almost unheard of, and a bit rounder than she had been when she first joined the order over fifty winters ago. She sat on cushioned pillows thrown about the floor of her room, watching as one of her prized pupils, Mariska, paced the floor before her, wringing her hands as she moved. She had heard the tale from the bird and it had been taken to be fed and to rest after it's long journey, leaving her alone with the girl.
"You do not wish to help them?" she asked, her voice soft and kindly, taking a sip of the wine from the goblet next to her.
"It is not that, I just do not wish to see him again," Mariska countered, continuing to pace. "And they sound so injured, I do not know that I can help them alone."
Sonia thought for a moment, her eyes following Mariska's path before she spoke again. "Esmeralda and Hayley shall accompany you. You can draw from their strength and their abilities. Together you should be able to save these men, do you not think?"
Mariska paused and turned to face the woman that had raised her these past twenty years, since she was no more than six summers old. "Aye, we could."
"If you do not wish to go child, I can send another," Sonia said gently, placing down the goblet and holding her hands out to the girl. "None as practiced as you are though."
Mariska sighed and took the woman's hands, kneeling on the floor besides her. "Nay. I am needed and I will go, I only wish that I knew it was right to face him again."
"You must let go of your anger child if you are ever to heal yourself," Sonia began softly, soothing Mariska's hair a bit. "This will do you good."
"You are right as always Priestess," Mariska smiled a bit before sighing, resting her hands on her thighs. "I just wish this task were an easy one."
"Remember child, we learn nothing from the easy tasks," she patted Mariska's cheek. "Now go and prepare. I will summon Esmeralda and Hayley and have them waiting for you. I have consulted the runes and you must leave quickly if you are to help them."
"Aye Lady," she leaned over and kissed Sonia's cheek before rising and heading for the door, shutting it behind her.
"Goddess go with you child," the high priestess murmured after her, before rising and ringing the bell, calling for her other two prized apprentices, an anxious feeling about her heart.
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"How bad are they, do you know?" Hayley asked as she, Esmeralda and Mariska set out across the fields, a light snow falling and a crispness to the air about them. She was a beautiful girl with long brown hair and piercing blue eyes. She was not what you could call trim, but nor was she plump, but rather a steady balance of the two, with nice curves, long legs and a stunning smile. She was also the eldest of the three at nine and twenty.
"Bad according to the hawk," Mariska replied, indicating the creature that was flying high above their heads.
"Must be, since the Priestess had them all cast a fast travel spell. And sent us with the charms," Esmeralda agreed, rubbing her horse lovingly as they moved quickly over the terrain. She two was a stunning girl, although thinner than her two companions, and a bit shorter as well, with jet black hair tied in a pony tail falling in waves down to the small of her back and equally as dark black eyes. Her skin was darker than her companions, a nice tan color from many days spent in the gardens near the temple and her eyes sparkled as they moved. She was also the youngest at twenty four summers.
"It is essential that we arrive quickly," Mariska agreed, spurring her horse a bit faster, the other two following suit. "They do not have much time, one less than the others, as he has been injured the longest."
"Hayley, perhaps you should heal him then," Esmeralda said, earning a nod from the elder.
"Agreed, then it is settled," Hayley said and the three nodded, each spurring their horses one final time and taking off with a fury into the distance.
Authors Note: Shall I continue then? Please read and review, and as always no flames please.