Nelida's Grace

Chapter 1 - Neni

“Neni!” he heard a young girl scream his name, the crackles of flames surrounding him- he could smell the fire, the acrid smell of furniture, clothing burning, stinging his nostrils and making his eyes water.

“Neni” she continues to scream for him. He felt the fear resonating in her voice. He began to run, the house is always turning, the rooms are ever-changing, the screaming, the wailing - it’s driving him into a fervor, he realizes he has been here before, but he can’t shake it.

He arrives at a door, smoke billowing out from under it, he kicks it open, aware of what is on the other side, and he notices his sister Rosa, holding her teddy, in her nightdress, her face stained from soot and tear-streaked. He runs to her, people fighting just outside the window, the sounds of swords on wood, the screams of family servants as they are slaughtered piercing his mind - the tears begin to flow as fear overtakes him.

He grabs Rosa and runs down the stairs, everything is as it was. He rushes to his father's study and tucks Rosa under his wooden desk, where she stays hidden. He reaches up and grabs his father's rusty short sword that hangs above the mantle holding it in fear by the door.

The clashing of steel on steel emanates from the hallway he just came from, and the grunts and groans drive the fear deeper into him, knowing what is about to happen, he tells himself, no, and he tries to control the thrust as the person comes through the doorway - he thrusts - screams- and the last thing he sees are those eyes, piercing at first and then widening as if asking why, at the end of the sword, was his brother, blood flowing freely from the sword thrust in the abdomen.

Everything goes dark, it’s pitch black - he can’t see - he can only smell, it’s a faint smell, but one that reminds him of the place he called home for years.

“Neni!” came the yell and the shake that woke him. He startles awake, rubbing his eyes and feeling the wetness of tears on his cheeks. Trying to focus on the figure above him, his vision clearing, the old man was there as he has been every time this has happened. The look of concern etched on his face, the bright blue eyes furrowed in concern again, but this time, there was genuine fear in his voice.

“You were screaming, crying again me boy. The guards were on their way, I heard them outside the door, I had no choice but to wake you.” with a deep sigh, the old man sat down on the bed beside him. Neni was blessed that the fates aligned when he was brought here they roomed him with old Bimbart - the man may be seen as crazy to others, but to Neni, he was the sanest person he had ever met in his short-lived life. “You have never gotten this loud before, want to talk about it?” It was said a bit gruffly but with concern. “Rosa was in this one, I dreamed of the night,” Neni said with a deep sigh, a hint of sadness in his voice, he slowly sits up next to Bimbart, head hanging, staring at the knot in the old wooden floor. “I told you, the things that happened that night are why I am here.”

Here was called the Mystic Sanitarium - It was located north of Truechurch in Attalia. It’s where all the halflings sent their family members that have been touched with brain “illnesses”, Neni’s banishment from his family to the Mystic wasn’t a mystery to him, he shamed them and they couldn’t stand to have him around, so his father pulled some strings and has had him imprisoned here for the last fifty years.

The blessing if you want to call it that, was Neni being roomed up with Bimbart, a wise old halfling that was a little wrong in the head but had some discipline in the monastic arts. Neni laughed and mocked him when he first arrived but tended to stand up for Bimbart and the others due to their mistreatment at the hands of the guards. He took many beatings at the beginning. It was the grounding of inner peace that Bimbart exuded that eventually won Neni over. The continued teachings of the art that kept them both “sane” over the years is what managed to strengthen their bond.

Running his hands through his curly red hair, he looks up at Bimbart, his blue eyes showing the sorrow of his night. “I know we have a few hours before sun up, are you willing to practice the kata with me?” “Sure thing, let’s practice with the bo,” Bimbart stated, slowly taking off his shirt, this part always fascinated Neni, the tattoo on Bimbarts back of two dragons encircled on a palm, stood out brightly, as if freshly done, on his old weathered, wrinkled skin.

Groaning a little, he saw Bimbart lift the bedding up, and pull our a small bo staff wrapped with cloth. Neni proceeds to do the same, the clothes eliminated the noise and wouldn’t attract the guards, and would allow them to practice. Taking a stance, in the center of the room, they both turn and bow toward one another. Bimbart sets himself in a straight pose, knees slightly bent, the staff held straight out as if it were a spear. Neni assumed a side stance, looking as if he were about to lunge to the side, staff raised above his head, held in both hands, slightly turned to face Bimbart. A subtle nod of Bimbart’s head is what gave Neni warning that they were starting and Bimbart moved swiftly across the floor, covering what little distance there was between them quickly, staff coming in at a sideways attack. Neni quickly dropped his right arm, landing the staff on the ground straight up parrying the blow, a subtle thud reverberated from his staff, what he didn’t notice was the movement of Bimbart who slid to the side, bringing one leg behind his, with a quick fluid motion he continued his attack sliding to the side, dropping one end of his staff in front of Neni and pushing him back, Neni caught his foot on Bimbarts and toppled to the ground with a loud grunt.

Laughing, Bimbart looked down at Neni ‘You’re still not awake, I should have never landed that on you.” He was right Neni thought, he has used that move on me many times before and I have defended it many times in the past, why now? “Maybe my mind isn’t right for the Kata right now?” “Nonsense, you just need to clear it.” Bimbart stated flatly “Let us practice our forms without combat, that will get you right in the head.” Neni nodded and stood, taking his place behind Bimbart in the center of their little room.