Internal Storm

      The storm within grew greater with each passing step. For every soft thud of her heel in the mud came a louder crash of thunder within. The innocent sound of her delicate silver bangles clinking on her left wrist mirrored the clashing of lightning inside. The air about her was deceptively calm, her hair flowed freely from her head, but to glance at her, o’ the folly. One glance betrayed the fierce storm within, not that the long, slender sword didn’t, however, in this age everyone with the least bit of talent carried with a blade carried some sort of protection after dark. She walked self assured through the streets of the modest town towards the courtyard where the town’s nobles would rise their platform whenever they deemed the citizens worthy of seeing their faces. Normally one walking in the way she did would have been waylaid by any number of people, bandits, guards, and yet, instead of stopping her, they all looked upon her with a mixture of fear and curiosity. The fire within grew hotter.

    They followed her. Against all odds they followed her. The guards, the young children, the ruffians…. All followed as she headed straight towards the courtyard. Today was one of the rare days in which the town’s nobility had declared their intentions of coming out. When she arrived there were only a handful of people there to hear what the nobility was going to say. But with her, the whole of the town and country seemed to arrive.

    Startled, the Duke rose to his feet, in his head intending to demand what preposterous nonsense was this. But then he too got a good look at the women and her eerie calm. Leaving her gawkers behind her, she stepped forward, lifting her sword she pointed it at the eldest son and in the in a voice that reminded those there of the calm in the middle of a storm declared his life forfeit and plunged the blade deep into his throat. Turning her back on the stunned noble family she addressed the town, in plain and simple terms laid out the rape and death of her sister at the hands of the eldest son.

    With that she turned and proceeded to walk out of town the way she came in. Too stunned to do anything, everyone stared at the eldest son as his life blood was soaked up by the earth.

    Taking her first step outside of the town, the young women felt a great renewing release, reminding her of the sweet dewy smell after a storm. Taking a deep, invigorating breath she headed home to her mother.