Post by Ravendust on May 20, 2006 23:35:31 GMT -5
This story is rated T for blood, violence, and foul language. 'Origin of a Warrior' is sort of a 'prequal' to 'Lost Freedoms', which is posted in the Science Fiction part of this site. I hope everyone likes what I've got written so far...
Origin of a Warrior
Chapter 1
She sighed heavily and sheathed the sword that had served faithfully throughout the day's battle. Bodies were everywhere, and Avella found that her stomach churned when she gazed through the descending mist.
Her jade eyes flashed in the late afternoon sunlight as she dodged a badly aimed arrow. It seemed that although she was exhausted to the point of collapse she wouldn't be given the rest that she needed. Tiredly Avella shrugged her bow off of her shoulder and notched an arrow, aiming towards the small band of Viendar soldiers that were cautiously slinking towards her, two of them had bows of their own drawn taut. "Do you have no honor?" She growled angrily, "This day's battle has ended, go, tend to your wounded or fall to my bow."
A harsh laugh rang through the group of soldiers that approached and two arrows thunked into a body to her left. Avella released an arrow in anger, watching it's flight through the air. She was relieved when one of the bow-holders fell without a sound. Another arrow was notched, and Avella felt a burning pain in her shoulder as it buried itself in the unguarded flesh between her armor.
Nimbly she broke the arrow's shaft and set her bow down, drawing her sword once more. "May you b*st*rds rot in h*ll for all of eternity then." She said, her eyes narrowing to slits.
"Are you not the daughter of the empress?" The apparent leader of the group smirked cooly.
"Who I am matters not to you." She said simply.
"My lord will be pleased once we capture the daughter of the Eser empress." He said, glancing back at his comrades as though giving them mental orders.
"Second lietenant Gauro!" A clear voice rang out and the soldiers cringed.
“M-my lord!” They chorused, turning to the disapproving figure that stood behind them.
“What are you doing? This day's battle has ended. How dare you attack this woman.” Silver hair billowed around his finely chistled features as he glared at them.
“But my lord- the war can turn in our favor with her capture!” The one called Gauro protested, “She is the daughter of the empress!”
“Then I am all the more ashamed of you.” He said, stalking into their midst and glancing over at Avella, “I apologize for the conduct of my men. My name is-”
“Michael, I know.” Avella said cooly, “The lord of such uncivilized beasts as these. Do not get me wrong- I am grateful for your intereferance and scolding of their actions, but you are still my enemy.”
Michael chuckled dryly, “We will leave you then, my lady.” He bowed mockingly, “Until we meet upon the battlefield once more.” He turned briskly and indicated with a small jerk of his head that the others were to follow.
“Until then.” She sheathed her sword in relief, wincing as the arrowhead burrowed deeper into her shoulder.
“My lady!” A youthful man raced to her side, ”Why are you on the battlefield? Your mother specifically ordered that you were to stay in the campsite-”
“Do you think that I would allow my people to fight this war for me, Satul? It would be wrong for me to sit comfortably behind the lines of battle while so many died. Give orders for the med-team to treat the wounded from both armies.”
“But my lady, they are the enemy-” Satul said with disdain.
“But they are still people of this world. They need medical attention, I will not allow a single person to suffer whilst I yet live.”
Michael... she thought, such a nice name, befitting of one such as yourself, perhaps we could create an everlasting peace between our nations.
“My lady, you are wounded!” Satul put a tentative hand upon her uninjured shoulder, ”come, let the medics tend to you.”
“No.” Avella waved his hand off, ”My wound is not life-threatening. Take care of those whose lives are even now slipping away.” She cut him off as he attempted to interject, ”That was not a request.” She pressed firmly.
“Aye my lady.” He sighed and turned, jogging through the lines of both wounded and dead, “orders from the royal princess, all wounded are to be tended!” His voice drifted off into the evening.
Avella sank to the ground in exhaustion and stared up at the sky through bleary eyes. Shouts rang from the medics as they slowly separated the wounded from the dead. Eventually she stood and made her way to the medics camp, delighted that no discrepancies were being made. Each was being treated, not of who they served, but of the severity of their wounds.
“My lady, will you accept treatment now?” Satul ran to her side, out of breath.
After a moment Avella nodded, “I will.”
Satul sighed with relief, “come then, there is yet an empty bed where you may lie and recuperate. This war is far from over, and that wound is far from being healthy.”
Avella stood, and was shocked when she swayed dizzily. “My lady!” Satul's voice was the last thing she heard as she
descended into darkness.
Avella's eyes opened slowly, and with some difficulty as the light of late morning pierced through her closed eyelids. She groaned and sat up, wincing slightly as a cold pain sliced through her shoulder, “My lady, you've awoken!” Satul was at her side instantly, “the arrow in your shoulder was poisoned- those d*mn*d dirty fighters.” He growled, “the medics thankfully identified it quickly.”
“Poison?” Avella asked numbly, touching the bandaging that lined her shoulder.
“Yes,” Satul wiped at his brow, “now you must rest.”
“I cannot.” Avella stood and pulled on her shirt, ignoring Satul's loud protests, “It is my responsibility to serve my people as they serve me. How are the wounded soldiers doing?”
“Three of them died in the night- two our own and the third from the Viendar. Our medics did everything to save them.”
“And the others?” Avella bit her lip as she slung her bow and quiver over her shoulder and buckled the sheath to her sword around her waist.
“Healing nicely,” Satul said, his tone pleased, “though all are still in a medically-induced slumber so that they may not slow their healing process.”
Avella smiled, “I will see you tonight Satul, but for now I must help in the battle. Our numbers are dwindling, and we need as many fighters as are able.”
“Aye my lady,” Satul sighed, “that is why I would not allow them to force you into a lasting slumber.”
Avella gave a last smile and opened the flap to the tent, making her way to the established battlefields, hoping that none of her people would fall that day.
And there you have it, the first few pages of chapter 1... I didn't want to make it too long just yet, and figured that her going to the battlefield was the perfect place to end...
Until next time! (If there are any spelling or other such errors, let me know and I will fix them right away.)
Origin of a Warrior
Chapter 1
She sighed heavily and sheathed the sword that had served faithfully throughout the day's battle. Bodies were everywhere, and Avella found that her stomach churned when she gazed through the descending mist.
Her jade eyes flashed in the late afternoon sunlight as she dodged a badly aimed arrow. It seemed that although she was exhausted to the point of collapse she wouldn't be given the rest that she needed. Tiredly Avella shrugged her bow off of her shoulder and notched an arrow, aiming towards the small band of Viendar soldiers that were cautiously slinking towards her, two of them had bows of their own drawn taut. "Do you have no honor?" She growled angrily, "This day's battle has ended, go, tend to your wounded or fall to my bow."
A harsh laugh rang through the group of soldiers that approached and two arrows thunked into a body to her left. Avella released an arrow in anger, watching it's flight through the air. She was relieved when one of the bow-holders fell without a sound. Another arrow was notched, and Avella felt a burning pain in her shoulder as it buried itself in the unguarded flesh between her armor.
Nimbly she broke the arrow's shaft and set her bow down, drawing her sword once more. "May you b*st*rds rot in h*ll for all of eternity then." She said, her eyes narrowing to slits.
"Are you not the daughter of the empress?" The apparent leader of the group smirked cooly.
"Who I am matters not to you." She said simply.
"My lord will be pleased once we capture the daughter of the Eser empress." He said, glancing back at his comrades as though giving them mental orders.
"Second lietenant Gauro!" A clear voice rang out and the soldiers cringed.
“M-my lord!” They chorused, turning to the disapproving figure that stood behind them.
“What are you doing? This day's battle has ended. How dare you attack this woman.” Silver hair billowed around his finely chistled features as he glared at them.
“But my lord- the war can turn in our favor with her capture!” The one called Gauro protested, “She is the daughter of the empress!”
“Then I am all the more ashamed of you.” He said, stalking into their midst and glancing over at Avella, “I apologize for the conduct of my men. My name is-”
“Michael, I know.” Avella said cooly, “The lord of such uncivilized beasts as these. Do not get me wrong- I am grateful for your intereferance and scolding of their actions, but you are still my enemy.”
Michael chuckled dryly, “We will leave you then, my lady.” He bowed mockingly, “Until we meet upon the battlefield once more.” He turned briskly and indicated with a small jerk of his head that the others were to follow.
“Until then.” She sheathed her sword in relief, wincing as the arrowhead burrowed deeper into her shoulder.
“My lady!” A youthful man raced to her side, ”Why are you on the battlefield? Your mother specifically ordered that you were to stay in the campsite-”
“Do you think that I would allow my people to fight this war for me, Satul? It would be wrong for me to sit comfortably behind the lines of battle while so many died. Give orders for the med-team to treat the wounded from both armies.”
“But my lady, they are the enemy-” Satul said with disdain.
“But they are still people of this world. They need medical attention, I will not allow a single person to suffer whilst I yet live.”
Michael... she thought, such a nice name, befitting of one such as yourself, perhaps we could create an everlasting peace between our nations.
“My lady, you are wounded!” Satul put a tentative hand upon her uninjured shoulder, ”come, let the medics tend to you.”
“No.” Avella waved his hand off, ”My wound is not life-threatening. Take care of those whose lives are even now slipping away.” She cut him off as he attempted to interject, ”That was not a request.” She pressed firmly.
“Aye my lady.” He sighed and turned, jogging through the lines of both wounded and dead, “orders from the royal princess, all wounded are to be tended!” His voice drifted off into the evening.
Avella sank to the ground in exhaustion and stared up at the sky through bleary eyes. Shouts rang from the medics as they slowly separated the wounded from the dead. Eventually she stood and made her way to the medics camp, delighted that no discrepancies were being made. Each was being treated, not of who they served, but of the severity of their wounds.
“My lady, will you accept treatment now?” Satul ran to her side, out of breath.
After a moment Avella nodded, “I will.”
Satul sighed with relief, “come then, there is yet an empty bed where you may lie and recuperate. This war is far from over, and that wound is far from being healthy.”
Avella stood, and was shocked when she swayed dizzily. “My lady!” Satul's voice was the last thing she heard as she
descended into darkness.
Avella's eyes opened slowly, and with some difficulty as the light of late morning pierced through her closed eyelids. She groaned and sat up, wincing slightly as a cold pain sliced through her shoulder, “My lady, you've awoken!” Satul was at her side instantly, “the arrow in your shoulder was poisoned- those d*mn*d dirty fighters.” He growled, “the medics thankfully identified it quickly.”
“Poison?” Avella asked numbly, touching the bandaging that lined her shoulder.
“Yes,” Satul wiped at his brow, “now you must rest.”
“I cannot.” Avella stood and pulled on her shirt, ignoring Satul's loud protests, “It is my responsibility to serve my people as they serve me. How are the wounded soldiers doing?”
“Three of them died in the night- two our own and the third from the Viendar. Our medics did everything to save them.”
“And the others?” Avella bit her lip as she slung her bow and quiver over her shoulder and buckled the sheath to her sword around her waist.
“Healing nicely,” Satul said, his tone pleased, “though all are still in a medically-induced slumber so that they may not slow their healing process.”
Avella smiled, “I will see you tonight Satul, but for now I must help in the battle. Our numbers are dwindling, and we need as many fighters as are able.”
“Aye my lady,” Satul sighed, “that is why I would not allow them to force you into a lasting slumber.”
Avella gave a last smile and opened the flap to the tent, making her way to the established battlefields, hoping that none of her people would fall that day.
And there you have it, the first few pages of chapter 1... I didn't want to make it too long just yet, and figured that her going to the battlefield was the perfect place to end...
Until next time! (If there are any spelling or other such errors, let me know and I will fix them right away.)
