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Neverneverland > Writings > Original > Prejudice
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Author's notes: Well, it is my first successful story I've actually written and feel extremely proud of. There are several reasons I wrote this story. It was a school project but that wasn't the main reason I wrote it. I wrote it because the story had been bouncing around in my head months before I learned of the project. I picked the theme prejudice because I have faced it repeatedly in my life and I know I will continue to until I die and so I intergrated it with the story to make it better. There are minor changes to be made and I will make them soon, hopefully. I hope you enjoy the story. Feedback is always appreciated! The sun shone brightly on the children sitting upon the lush green grass and the elderly man on a bench in the town's green. A light breeze brushed across their skin, cooling the air to comfortable temperatures. All of this was lost on the children. They were much too mesmerized with the story woven by the elder, the local storyteller. "...And so the knight and princess left the courtyard and not too soon! The castle walls crumbled, burying the husks of the evil under the dark rubble. If they had lingered just one more moment, they too would have been trapped in the tomb. After returning back to their homeland, a great celebration was held throughout the kingdom, rejoicing in the dear princess' safety. The following summer another celebration was held. The knight and princess had married and lived happily ever after." The man's blue eyes twinkled as they drank in the sight of the children gathered around at his feet. "That will be all for today. Now shoo, go help your parents. They're already mad enough at me for luring you little devils away from your chores." "Aw..." "But!" "We want to hear more!" "Tell us another!" "No, no. I've kept you long enough." "But you promised! You said you'll tell us a story about Arella!" protested a little girl with two pigtails as she climbed onto the elder's lap. She looked up at him with wide blue eyes. "Tell us, please?" "Please?" echoed the others. He laughed merrily and looked at the face of the man who stood silently behind the children. "Do I have time, Slakath?" he asked. "Yes." Slakath held up a leather bag. "You forgot this, Elder." "Did I? Well, would you take out the book then?" A smile cracked across the old man's face. "My eyes are not what they used to be. Read us the story, will you?" "As you wish, Elder," answered Slakath. Sitting down on another bench, he opened the book and began to read from it in a clear, loud voice. "The summer sun shone with all its glory without a cloud in sight to threaten its reach or mar the blue sky. The heat bore down on everything on the land, even the lone traveler on the dirt road..."
The traveler sat on the back of a sturdy, rich brown horse as it walked calmly along a road that wound through a forest, giving its mistress a smooth ride. The road led out of the forest and into a small village with two lines of plain and practical houses on either side of the road as it went through the simple village. As the traveler got closer to the inn, the children filtered out into the streets, the braver ones crowding around the woman in curiosity. It was rare for any travelers to appear during this time of the year, even rarer for the traveler to be a woman and by herself. The greatest shock was that she was dressed in wear more appropriate for men and wore the look of a fighter. Naturally, the women came out and herded the children back inside while a few men gathered around. Their amusement was barely hidden as they made a show of intimidation although they did not believe her to be a threat; after all, she was a woman and women held a subordinate position in society. Without the slightest hint of fear, she swung a leg over and dropped to the ground. With the reins in hand, she moved through the crowd towards the inn. "Where are the stables? Or is there a stableboy?" A small smile appeared on her face as she handed the reins to a tall lanky boy. "Thank you," she said, pressing a coin into his hand. With all the grace of a cat, she walked into the inn and to the owner standing inside. "Hello, sir. I would like a room for the night. Do you have any available?" "I do, miss. Would you like to be shown to it now?" the man responded. With a shake of her head, she declined, "No. I would like to have a meal first. Dried meat, stale bread, and water aren't very appetizing, you know." "Of course. Just sit down and we'll bring out some food as soon as possible." The owner left her to pick a table and went through a wooden door to the kitchen in the back. His shouts at the hired help behind the closed door could be heard clearly through the walls. "Where's Martha?" Quietly, the woman sat down at a table, setting her bag on the spotless floor beside her. With her right glove off and tucked away into a pocket, she gingerly unwrapped the cloth from her left hand to reveal a hole right in the middle of the palm, the skin around it blackened like a burnt piece of wood. "Strei ae Himmel: enfrin." A gentle blue light surrounded the hand, tissue reforming and healing on a level deeper than the eye can see. As the glow faded away, the wound looked marginally better but the table on the other side could still be seen. "Hi, lady!" someone piped from across the table. With a start, she looked up, pausing in her motions of rewrapping her hand. Sitting across from her was a little boy. Actually, the boy wasn't even sitting; he was standing on the chair. He pointed a mud covered hand at hers. "Why's that glowt?" "Why did what glow?" She stiffened. Slowly, she stood up, rewrapping the cloth back around her hand as she did so. All signs of content erased from her face. In its place was suspicion. "Arella! How nice of you to drop by. Your acts have not gone unnoticed by my lord," the voice said, coming from behind her. Her eyes closed for a moment, breathing deeply to pacify herself. She turned and faced the person. As she had expected, black hair covered the head with equally black eyes staring out from their sockets at her but she didn't expect the man's height, the top of his head could have nearly touched the doorway. "You know my name. What is yours, Xalipth?" "So, you recognize us. I am Dorol, one of Salik's men. I suggest you come with me." "I think not," she responded, her voice flat. "Have it your way. I'll be watching." He turned and left the room smoothly. Silently, she stared at his back, attempting to guess what he had in stored. She scowled, her hopes for a peaceful night dashed. "Lady?" Arella jumped, startled out of her thoughts. Turning, she saw the boy looking up at her curiously. "Yes, child?" "Food's done! Can I have chicken?" Her lips curled up into a small smile as she sat down to eat. "Some, not all." The smile faded from existence and was replaced by a frown after the young boy left. Something was going to happen before she left the village and she wasn’t going to be caught unaware.
Arella woke with a sense of alarm but laid motionless on the bed. With her eyes still closed, she searched for the source of it. Shouting, she leapt out of the bed and blew air onto her hand. Cursing, she scooped up her pack and sword and broke through the door of her room. Taking a quick glance both ways confirmed her suspicions. A fire was raging at the stairs, waves of heat rolling down the hall and smoke rapidly forming in the air, but the other way was not yet lost to the raging fire. Hearing screams from that direction, she quickly drew a circle in front of her with her index finger and within moments, a transparent blue bubble surrounded her. Her bare feet slapping the floor, she reached the innkeepers' room and slammed through the door. Huddled against one another on the floor, the husband held his wife in his arms, speaking to her. Whatever it was that he was saying, the wife was disagreeing and crying. It was immediately apparent that the woman did not wish to leave despite what the husband said. "'Lo!" Arella shouted, "Quickly, come." A hand beckoned for them to come to her. “Are there others?” "Our son! He’s in the room across the hall," the man said, his voice rough and wavering slightly. Pulling his spouse along, he entered the protective sphere and followed Arella to the son’s room. Quickly, he rushed forward to pick up the child but was beaten by the traveler who scooped him up and held him to her chest. Arella grabbed the man’s arm and shouted over the crackle of the fire. "Hold onto your wife and put aside your hate." Abruptly, she released him to raise a hand and released a ball of magical energy at one wall and then grabbed the innkeeper tightly as she ran toward the opening, white wings growing quickly from her back. She could hear screams, from the woman held in the master of the inn’s arms and from the crowd below. With all the extra weight, she could not outfly the crowd with their improvised weapons. Nevertheless, she set down on the ground and removed her grip on the couple and son, the bubble dissipating. Her eyes darted over to look at the incoming crowd and with a sad look, she swiftly leapt up into the air. She didn’t get very high up into the air before she was dragged back down and blows rained her body. "Monster!" "Demon!" "Evil doer!" "I am none of that! You’ve been--Ugh!" She fell to her hands and knees, blood trickling out of the corner of her mouth and flowing from various points of her body. In between hits, she muttered words under her breath. Small points of light gathered around her, growing brighter as more accumulated. Though it affected no one, many of the townspeople backed away, leaving only Dorol and a few men left. With a harsh shout, the ground ripped upward, sending the remaining men into the air and away. The dirt fell back to the ground and in center of the raining soil, Arella stood glowing in a soothing white light. "I will not be subdued! I will not be taken!" she screamed. "She is the one I have warned you about. She is one of the race your mothers have warn you about! Do not let her get away! Send her to darkness but do not kill her!" Dorol roared. From the folds of a sleeve, a knife was revealed. Leaping forward, he slashed at her, drawing another line of blood but not deeply. "Stomp her into the dirt she is!" "Send her to depths of hell!" "End the evil!" In an unorganized fashion, the mob surged forward, waving their crude weapons. Once again, Arella was buried under the crowd, strikes flying in from every direction. They were pressed in so closely, she could not move. The hits came so quickly, she could not speak. "Leave her alone!" A young man rushed in, turning his sword to strike away the people around the fallen traveler with the flat of the blade. With a particularly savage swing, he slapped the flat against Dorol. The sword in one hand, he crouched down and slipped an arm under Arella to help her up. "Will you be all right?" "Sou. Just help me out of--" The rest of her words were drowned out in the screams of a passing dragon. Her eyes rose to trace the dragon's path and frowned. "What is she doing? Polais shouldn't be acting this way..." Her nails dug into her palms, drawing even more blood. The sight of the fire breath raking across the roofs of the houses and narrowly missing the townspeople angered her. "Toranks, get us up." "You're too hurt." "Not as much as I will be, all of us will be, if she's not stopped." "Sou...Faster this gets done, sooner you can rest and heal." He sheathed the sword and wrapped a hand around an amulet. "Vagai da!" They rose into the air quickly with Toranks having a tight grip on Arella. "Do it quickly." "Lady Dragon of the Casik, heed my calls!" With a yelp, she was jerked out of dragon’s path. "Asuyande lich! Don’t you recognize me?" Catching a glimpse of Dorol’s face, a scowl appeared on hers. Her eyes half-closed, she begun to murmur the words of a spell, her hands weaving an intricate pattern in front of her. A light blue sparkling light lingered in the air, glowing brighter as her words became louder, loud enough for the crowd to clearly hear her words. "Nabaka’insla’iknie. Spirits of the Langis find the spell. Unbind the chains on Dragavionli. Return to its caster!" "Asaki bai, Areyisa!" Damn you, Arella! Arella replied harshly, "Ichi lain asakis demo ichi lunaga bai dey ich!" I may be damned but I will take you with me! "Speak the human language. They deserve to know the fate the Xalipth will lead them to. Or are you afraid?" "They are insignificant! They can die for all I care. One less town will make no difference to the world." Black wings similar to Arella’s shot from Dorol’s back and helped him into the air to face her. "The only thing I want is you; the power you will give me." "You will have to get through me." "Toranks!" Arella cried. Lowering her voice, she whispered, "You can’t! You haven’t found your power yet." "It does not matter. I have sworn to protect you with my life." "Can’t do that while I’m holding on." Intertwining her arm around his, she continued, "Besides, I think I can drive him off." "Who dared enslave me? Who dared to defy a guardian of this world? Speak up!" boomed a voice, drawing everyone’s attention to the long red dragon in the sky. "Lady Dragon of the Casik, I bid you hello. I ask you to be calm. These people are under your protection as decreed by the Elders. Do not be quick to anger. You know your anger, Lady Polais." "Sooouu, Arella. Forgive me. Who slaved me?" "Dorol did, Lady Polais." Toranks pointed at the black winged man. "Do you have the power to heal Arella?" "Sou. Let me take care of him first." "No!" shrieked Dorol. Rapidly, he begun to speak an incantation, his fingers tracing runes into the air. Realizing his spell had been countered, Dorol’s face transform into a look of fear. His voice rose into a loud scream and dropped abruptly. His body was no longer there. It was a cloud and was rapidly shrinking. "The penalty for his action has been done." Polais closed her great eyes and transformed into a beautiful woman. Floating majestically to the two in the sky, a smile touched her red lips. "You have done well, my child. You will suffer your injuries no more." She lightly placed a hand on Arella’s body and the hand glowed with a pale blue. The cuts closed; the bruises faded away; even the wound in the hand healed. "Sayornia, Polais," Arella said softly. "Stay well, my child. And you, too, Toranks. Continue to protect her." Turning to face the people below, she lowered slightly. "I will be back to help repair the town. I must speak to the Elders. Nasol!" Returning to her dragon form, she rose higher into the air and disappeared into the distance. "Sayornia, Lady Polais!" Toranks shouted after her dwindling form. "Wasi." For a moment, the amulet glowed and then slowly the two floated gently to the ground. "We are sorry for what we have done." A man could not look at them. For the matter, many could not meet their eyes. "There has been great misunderstanding. I do not expect forgiveness but I, at least, will do whatever that may be in my power to make up for the wrong I have done to you." "Sayornia..." Arella murmured to the man at her side, "How are the forces in the north?" "Don’t worry about it. You need to rest." Toranks looked out at the crowd. "Is there a place for us to stay and gain some sleep?" "Yes. My sons are away. You can sleep at my place tonight." A woman smiled motherly. "I think she needs it." "Arella, will this be fine?" Receiving no response, he looked down and chuckled. "That would be wonderful. Lead the way, ma’am." Hefting the sleeping form into his arms, he followed after the woman. The townspeople followed, asking whether they could help in any way.
Dressed in the same outfit she arrived in, Arella sat atop her horse, looking refreshed and ready for the journey ahead. "Please, do not ask for forgiveness. I have forgiven you all. I do not place blame on you. You had been deceived by the words of the Xalipth. Simply let this event be a lesson." She took a quick glance at Toranks beside her. "I wish you all luck. Goodbye!" With a quick squeeze of her knees, the horse galloped off with Toranks following closely on a horse of his own. "Goodbye!" "Good luck!" "Defeat the evil!" "Come back soon!" The people dispersed, returning to the work that awaited them. The lesson would never
be forgotten. The price had been paid and they would not pay it once again.
The Elder smiled down at the children. "That is the story of Arella. She opened the eyes of the people and saved our village from complete destruction." "Where’s Arella now?" asked a little blond girl. With a knowing smile, he answered, "She’s around somewhere." He looked at the woman standing behind the children. The woman turned and walked away. "She’s around." |
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© Copyright May 2001 |
