-1The Legend of Ajira
Chapter 19: The Dream
Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to my friend Brittna', who gave me the name of the new character in this chapter. Thank you, Brittna'!
It had been several hours since Kark had left Ajira alone to decide her fate. She had found a small bedroom at the back of the shop, presumably where Moonsliver had slept. The bed was creaky and worn, and Ajira was a little uncomfortable sleeping in a dead man's bed, but it felt nice to rest. It seemed like forever since she had slept in a bed, when in fact it was only a few days. Ajira lay there silently, the auburn fur on her face matted from the constant flow of tears. She had been racking her brains all evening, trying desperately to decide whether to Accept the Prophecy or not. Her head ached terribly. In fact, every part of her ached. Even her soul was crying out. This was too much for me to handle, she thought bitterly in her head. I shouldn't have had to make such an important decision as this. Or better yet, I shouldn't have been assigned to that stupid Prophecy at all. My life was just fine before.
Ajira stopped, suddenly thinking of her mom. I wonder what she would say right now, if she knew that I, her only daughter, was able to Accept a Prophecy. Does she even know right now? Ajira hadn't seen her mom Estella in what seemed like ages. She would've liked to deny it, but her mind had already subconsciously labeled her as dead. Would she ever know her mom's fate? Would she ever see her again?
She was overcome once more, growing silent but for the slight sniffling sounds of her sobs. Taking several deep, ragged breaths, she told herself not to worry. Don't think about Mom...just don't think about her. Think about the task at hand. A thought hit Ajira like a truck. Think of Kark.
Thinking of Kark both soothed and exhilarated her. They had only known each other for a few days, and yet she felt genuinely in love. She knew of course that Kark was only doing his duty to the Gods, but he felt like so much more to her. She wondered if Kark was not an angel, if he was not forever immortal and he did not have supernatural magical abilities known only to the Gods, and he didn't have to help her do anything...Could they ever be together? She remembered the first time they had met. It seemed so long ago now. In reality, it was only a few days. Or was it? Ajira had completely lost all track of time. She remembered feeling a little surprised that there was another Khajiit in the camp, and she remembered, well, not remembering anything. She would have never met Kark if it hadn't been for the Memory Spell put upon her. Thank you, she whispered to the Gods, for bringing us together.
Where would she be now without Kark? He had helped her so much. She would probably still be in Zainab Camp now, oblivious to her destiny. She didn't know if that was a good thing or not. Maybe she would still be in her comfy little hut now, living happily with her parents, with not a care or worry about the world.
Ajira sighed ruefully, slumping over on the worn bed. She took several slow, deep breaths. Her eyes stung and she was truly exhausted. She began to feel extremely tired, her eyes begging to close. The dim light in the shop and a slight breeze blowing in from town soothed her, and made her forget all about her troubles, at least for the moment. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep...
Ajira found herself in the middle of the forest. It was the middle of the day and the sun was shining brightly, but not much light was let in under the thick blanket of trees. She walked carefully through the forest, having no idea where she was. It became increasingly hard to see, and the path was getting rough. Suddenly she tripped over a root sticking up from the ground...
She opened her eyes to find herself in the middle of the sea. A wave of fear struck her. How could she breathe? Ajira looked around, feeling the breath in her lungs diminishing. Feeling a shower of pink sparkles rain over her head, she gasped for breath, and discovered that someone had cast Water Breathing on her. But who? She spun around, the water rushing in her ears and stinging her eyes. Another Khajiit floated before her, smiling and waving. She looked a little younger than Ajira, and was dressed in lavish clothes, the folds of her elegant shirt billowing in the water. Bubbles issued from her mouth. She pointed a paw toward the surface, indicating for her to follow. Ajira swam upward, seeing the sun glinting above the water...
Ajira then found herself in a Telvanni home. It amazed her how everything was made of trees and roots, and this...bulbous material. Her mother had helped teach several of the great Telvanni Mages. The young Khajiit girl waved again, motioning for her to sit down on a tree stump-stool. Ajira wanted to say Who are you? but she didn't want to seem rude. The girl seemed to have read her mind. "My name's Ashikarilini1..."
Gasping, Ajira woke uneasily, to find that she was still in Moonsliver's shop, and she still had a decision to make. Groaning, she rolled over, wishing she could fall back asleep. To make things worse, she heard the rush of magic outside the door, meaning Kark had returned.
He walked forward and pushed open the door to her room gently. "Ajira?" he said softly. "There's someone I'd like you to meet."
Startled and confused, Ajira got up and walked to the door, peeking out. A small Khajiit hand waved.
"Meet Ashikarilini."
1 Ashikarilini - Ash-ih-CAR-uh-lean-ee