I remember the last song we played. We, my family I mean, played in Corus for a royal ball as honored performers and honored nobles. The last song was the Ballad of the Three Sorrows, a song from the Immortals War. I remember the music floating softly through the crowd; Da's voice strong and deep with Mum's voice chiming in like church bells. Kristen mute as always, but a master at the violin. And me. My light voice floating and skimming the music like a bird picking bugs off the water. Mum always said my voice was like brushing a feather across your face. A rare gift she said…
A small girl walked down the East Road. Her clothes were in tatters and her face was filled with a tight sorrow and wariness. At the hint of any sound she would crept into the surrounding forest and disappear until the people had passed.
I remember leaving that night. The nobles all applauded grandly. Mum and Da were so proud of Kristen and I. We had played amazingly; Kristen on the violin and clarinet and me with the flute and my own voice. As we packed up and headed out on the road, hurrying to our next performance, it was raining hard, but that didn't dampen our spirits. We trotted out of Port Legann singing a jolly tune about a traveling singer. "What a life he had made for himself…"
Every so often she had to stop as pain racked her body. Her long, light brown hair was matted with blood and though she had bandaged her wound, it still bled easily.She carried just ripped canvas tarp and a small case.
I also remember the attack. It was so vivid yet it all went by in a blur. There had been no reports of danger on the road so we decided it was safe to go by ourselves. Again we were singing, but it was interrupted by the most horrible sound. Mum's voice ringing through the rain and trees and then her scream, the worst thing I have heard in my entire life. I turned to see her fall from the back or her horse with something sticking out of her back. Then Da yelled out for us to dismount and hide ourselves as best we could. I crawled into some reeds on the side of the road and lay listening to the ensuing fight. Da fighting bravely, sword against sword; and then, his last struggles before he to was brought down. I didn't know about Kristen until later, because she made no noise. Just as the attackers were about to leave I heard a rough voice say "I'm sure there was four…where is the fourth one?" My heart pounded uncontrollably in fear as I heard them search all around and come nearer. And nearer. The reeds were pulled away and I heard "Ah! Found it!" as I let out a cry for help. Of course, no help came. His blade flashed in the dim light and he struck me across the back.
The case held a flute. One of the most beautiful flutes ever crafted by a Tortallan. The case was battered and dirty, but inside the velvet was clean and soft and the flute still lay shiny and oiled, waiting to be played. Now it was the nicest thing she owned. It was was worth a lot and could probably be sold for enough money to get by for awhile. But she would never sell it. It was her family, all that was left.
Pain. Uncontrollable pain. Dirt and rain covered me but I took no notice. I lay there wondering where I was. Was I alive? After what seemed like an eternity the pain turned to numbness so I tried to move onto my stomach. Pain. Uncontrollable pain. I wondered about my family as I slipped into the darkness of unconciousness.
She was nearing Port Legann. Probably only 4 miles to go. She heard the sound of many horses and dashed off the road. Looking out through the bushes she saw a regiment of soldiers, the King's Own it looked like. They were heading towards Port Legann. That means they would have seen it, the wreckage of the attack. Indeed they had, they carried a large litter between 4 horses. There was a pile of something on it. Humans. She resisted the urge to throw up. Her family. Da, with the deep, strong voice. Mum, her chiming music that always put the girls to sleep. And Kristen, her sister and best friend, master of the violin. How could her life go so quickly from a wonderful family to seeing this?
Finally after ages of pain and renewing pain I was able to move about slightly. I found a canvas tarp that was left behind and tried to wrap it around my wound. The cut went from the bottom of my back up to my shoulder blades. This only resulted in it bleeding more. I crawled onto the road. There lay my family all…dead. I vomited over and over until the pain overwhelmed me again for a small period of time. There. Beside their bodies lay my flute. Everything but that had been stolen. How had they forgotten it? Well, it didn't matter now, all it meant was that that was all I had. For some reason, I felt like I needed to hide. To get away from this place and not be found as the remaining member of the family. An orphan…
There was a trash pile outside Port Legann. All the vendors dumped their garbage there. This is where the girl found her haven. She created a shelter with her torn canvas and scavenged for food in the pile. Her wound did not heal easily or cleanly, but finally she got it to the point where it scabbed over and would not bleed. She grew gaunt and thinner than she already was. At night she lay under her shelter, afraid to go to sleep until finally she would and she would be met with the same nightmare every time: the attack. She realized she was going to have to change something soon, it was not a healthy way to live. She still had the instinct to hide her identity. Finally, one morning she found a sharp rock and cut away her hair until it was ear length and choppy. She dug through the trash pile until she found a set of shirt and breeches that was in slightly better condition that her own. Before leaving she sat down and got out her flute. She played a legato piece that she made up as she went. The beautiful, haunting notes floated around her signifying the ending of one part of her life and the beginning of another…
A/N: woot woot! I haven't written some fanfic in a while so I'm a bit out of practice but hey…you could review..if you are nice..please. :D thank you.