"Sometimes it's a gentle hand that helps you move forward in the face of heartache."
- Yaqut

Chapter Three: Znoud el Sett

The sun shined down on her back as she walked forward unseeingly, her skin drier than the desert and blistering in places. She looked kind of like the crustaceans the dock workers would pull in during the colder months, the blisters resembling barnacles and her red flesh nearly reminiscent to the shell color.

To be frank, Shirin hadn't made it to Qishan and didn't even know if she was going in the right direction anymore.

Two days my blistered ass, Kou boy…

She was on day three and even now she wasn't sure if she could last another day, her feet felt like they were bleeding. Her mouth had stopped foaming a day ago, and she hadn't sweat in hours.

Am...Am I going to die out here? Please Yaqut look out for me…

Her vision darkened and she fell to her knees, a gush of vomit forced her to her hands as she expelled bright yellow stomach acid. She rolled to her back, gazing up at the sky. Her hand raised towards the sun, casting shadows along her face. She passed out before her hand made contact with her face.

Fingers played with a strand of her golden brown hair, a soft blue light tinting it as it curled around pale fingers, his voice was smooth and deep as it played along her ears, "Do you… do you ever wonder if we're part of a large story being written by somebody else?"

"Sometimes…" She murmured with a smile tugging at her lips, "I just hope we aren't part of some corny tragedy."

"Well romance needs it drama sometimes," he teased and her head turned to gaze at his face.

"I don't know what such a young child was doing out there by herself," A voice whispered to her right as someone wiped a rag along her forehead making her face scrunch up from the chilled feeling of the water, "Finally awake, little one?"

"Nngh.." She groaned peeling her eyes open to stare up at the amused blue eyes of an older man with graying hair, "S'what happened?"

"That's what we'd like to know, missy," The male spoke more firmly than before and she glanced around spotting an elderly woman leaning against some staff looking thing, "Our scouts found you on the outskirts of our village."

"I… There was a battle and a boy with eyes the color rubies…." She stated dizzily with a slur in her voice, " Sheeva is no more…"

Gasps escaped the elderly duo but she didn't remain conscious for much longer, her body shaking with the effort of speaking and waking had been too much. She spent the first week between wakefulness and resting under the tender hands of the elders. A feverish month of hell passed her by until she was able to stay awake for more than an hour.

"He was kind to me," She admitted as the old woman rubbed some funny smelling paste into her skin causing it to tingle, "He was kind to me… and I.. I don't understand."

"You are lucky to be alive thanks to him and your own stubbornness child," The elder woman stated with a hearty laugh, "Nearly gave Baba and Jiji a heart attack you did!"

"I'm sorry Baba," The girl sighed softly, "But if I didn't keep moving you never would have found me, neh?"

"You would have died if you hadn't kept moving," The old woman stated cupping the girl's cheeks and having their eyes connect, "You would have died and joined the Rukh far too soon with the way the Rukh act around you."

"Mm they do act strangely around me, huh?" She asked as she stared at the fluttering rukh around Baba but the resting calm of the ones around her spoke volumes, "Does that mean I could be a magician?"

"Who knows child?" Baba asked lightly with a smile, "Your path is of your own making in this destined scripture."

"What'dya mean Baba?" She asked with her head tilting to the side curiously.

"You'll understand one day when you're older," She replied petting the top of the child's head, "For now you must rest."

Long red hair spilled around his back the wind tussling with the strands as the young girl watched him relax against the railing of the balcony, she didn't have to see his face to know that his eyes were close simply enjoying the warm sunlight kissing his skin.

"Shirin?" A voice called her out of her stupor of the pretty red locks, her eyes moving behind her to look at the tall figure of her father dressed in expensive fabrics with hints of purples and jewels that spoke of his status.

"Father." She murmured as she moved with her short legs to look up at him, his long black hair shining a cold light with red carmine eyes shrewdly looking her over.

"Come along it's time for you lessons," He spoke gruffly, moving her along by a gentle hand at the back of her head.

"Women don't need to know how to fight," Scoffed a man as he watched the young pre-teen being led through a kata, her eyes pinning him with annoyance before focusing on her movements. A thunderous whack from wood impacting a skull went through the clearing and shushed the other protesters as they eyed Baba innocently twirling her staff as she took a seat on the back of the newly unconscious man..

"Swing your elbow up, Rin-chan!" Baba called out encouragement as the girl adjusted her elbow as advised and moved along her katas. The swing of her fist, easily moving into the next block maneuver. The strain to her muscles felt pleasantly good, she'd never been trained in her life. She didn't count the times she'd copy her attendant during his own lessons, looking like a windmilling fool back then. A smile working at her lips as she swung from the block and into a sidekick that wooshed through the air.

Sweat trickled down from the young female's temple, heliotrope eyes tracking silently as she nimbly moved around the rocks and small shrubs of the prairie of the Kouga Clan. Her long soot colored hair was tied up into a bun, some portion braided into it, as her fringe framed the right side of her face. Her muscles lean beneath the dark sun kissed skin as she moved along the unknown path after her prey. She wore something similar to a Shalwar Kameez from her own kingdom, a white jacket like tunic that ended at her ankles. A light pink long sleeve shirt and pants underneath the tunic with a sash of magenta tied tight around her waist. A black hilted Yataghan short saber fitting her hand and short stature perfectly.

Her prey sat before her nibbling on the grass with its large fluffy tail twitching before her, her partner dashed past her crying loudly for 'Toya' startling the rabbit into fleeing. However, she was damned if she was going to let it go, her sword flying from her hand like a dagger speared the rabbit mid flight into the ground.

"You did it Shirin!" A toddler of a girl cried as she pet the back of a sobbing boy, Shirin shook her head with a sigh as she moved towards her kill. Pulling her sword free she flicked the drying blood off of the blade and sheath it on her left hip.

"Rabbit stew tonight!" She called getting cheers from her entourage of children.

One, two, one,two…

She thought as she was lead in an elaborate dance with a large hand on her hip, the duo easily spinning around the dance floor.

"Stop thinking about it so much Kat-" The male whispered into her hair, tugging her closer, "Just trust me to lead you around."

"If I step on your feet," She halfway threatened with a blush coloring her cheeks, "I won't be sorry for it."

"When are you ever sorry, love?" He laughed loudly drawing attention but they were lost in the other's eyes.

He has such pretty green eyes…

"Baba and Jiji will miss you dear," Baba stated hugging the young teen close to her chest even as the girl was a few inches taller than the elder now, "Be safe and may the rukh guide you home."

"My home… " Shirin whispered thinking of the probably ruined castle to the east even as her heart tugged her westward, "I hope I can find it too."

"If you ever need reminding where home is just come visit Baba and Jiji and we'll let you know!" Jiji called stepping next to his wife, leaning on her head causing the old woman to trip him up with her staff.

Those silly old fools…

"I'll miss you guys, but you'll always be in my heart!" Shirin called as she raced off to join the caravan heading towards Qishan.

Author's Note: So I didn't change much in this chapter, it was a lovely one that I didn't want to change too much.