Heart of A Warrior

The moon shone brightly across the forest canopy. Brilliant flashes of light sparkled all around the enormous glowing orb. The fluttering whispers of the night life whooshed all around me; busy in their work. The trees rustled in the soft breeze that swirled through my hair, caressing my face, then flitting off to play. To the west, the horizon begins to lighten to a gentle purple. It slowly shifts to the softest of pinks, then turns to a blazing red. The sky turns into a vivid embodiment of fire, as the burning ball rises above the skyline. Breathing in the crisp morning air, I relax as I realize my night watch shift is over. Stretching the stiffness from my limbs, I gather my bow and quiver. Dropping the fifteen feet to the forest floor, I am greeted by my camp leader. We exchange the formal greeting we both knew so well and he proceeded to update me on the nights events. Nothing of importance had occurred and he allowed me to go take my resting period before we needed to break camp and continue on our journey. The thoughts of returning, finally, home after so long scared me, as well as, pleased me. To see my family again was the one thing I looked forward to. Being the only daughter of seven brothers was hard. They had teased me and tormented me because I was different from them. In more than a few ways. I was terribly talented when it came to the Arts and they had grown jealous of my abilities. So much so, that they had become violent with me. They would take me into the forest, then beat me with sticks and switches until our parents came to find us. My brothers always told them that I had used my talents on them and I would be the one punished. Then one day, the town butcher happened across us while hunting and he told my parents everything. Our parents never believed my brothers after that and apologized to me for over a month. I told them that because I was the youngest I knew that they wouldn’t have believed me if I had told them what had really happened. They said that they should have kept a better eye on my older siblings because they knew how resentful of me they were. I told them that we all make mistakes and it was best to learn from them and not dwell on them. It would only have ill effects to dwell on that which was past. Falling onto my sleeping mat, it was only a few seconds before unconsciousness consumed my entirety. My sleep was dreamless as it always was. *** The moment I wake, I sense something is terribly wrong. Springing to my feet, I snap open the flap of my tent to be welcomed by a gruesome scene. My comrades lay in pools of their own blood. Many of them I cannot find. I frantically search for my leader, hoping desperately that he survived this attack. I find him leaned up against a tree trunk covered in blood, but I am relieved that he is still breathing and conscious. I rush over, kneeling so that I am eye level with him. I can tell he is in much pain and I take his hand. He looks up at me weakly. Too, weakly. His breath strains, as well as, his voice, “Run, Lianna. Run.” With that, he lets out a sigh and is no longer with me. I let a small tear slide down my cheek, then jump to my feet. I place my hand over my heart and bow my head, “Jornak, if you wish for me to leave this place, then that is what I shall do. Your memory will live on with me. Farewell, my friend.” ` Saying my goodbye, I turn and dart to my tent. Making haste, I gather my belongings, throwing them into my satchel. Suddenly, I hear crashing branches and laughter. Voices praise one another on their kills and this angers me greatly. Quietly, I exit my tent and cautiously look around. A short distance away, I spy a group of men and I freeze. One of them turns around and sees me. This breaks my frozen state and I take off. Behind me I hear them shouting and I force myself to run faster. Branches cut my face and catch my hair as I run past them. I hear them hooting and whistling to each other. I look for a low hanging branch to grab onto as I pass each tree. I spy one instantly. Taking a flying leap, I kick off from the ground and firmly grasp the branch then using my momentum, I swing up to a higher limb. Crouching on this branch I retreat into the shade of the leaves and watch as my pursuers pass under me. I wait a long while before dropping down from my hiding place. I hit ground and run straight, traveling away from the men. I see a small light ahead of me and I move carefully toward it. I realize that this must be those mens’ camp because it is completely deserted and many of my friends lay in a heap on the other side of the camp. I look around to make sure that none of the men are coming before I step into the open. I explore the camp meticulously, combing through all of their treasures and artifacts. I find a pretty necklace and I take it. I also find a staff that I recognize from a few towns back and I take it as well. Moving on to the pile that made up my friends, I grieve them briefly before departing. *** It had been three days since I escaped those men and I still felt unease deep within me. I knew they would be searching for me. No doubt certain that I was not already dead for they had failed to check every tent in my camp. I was not quite sure as to why I was the only who had survived and I refused to believe that I was just lucky. No, someone or something wanted me alive and I somehow had an important role in this twisted game of life. As I traveled down the dirt road that lead to my home village, I had a powerful feeling that I was being followed. I look over my shoulder and nearly fall over. They had finally found me. Instinctively, I break into a run. I mount the hill in front of me and am surprised and relieved to find my home village before me. I must have traveled faster through the night than I had thought. I push myself to run faster, nearly breaking my limitations for speed. I rush past the first few outlying houses. I round a corner and run directly into Gorvan, the town butcher. “Oof! Lianna?” Gorvan asked astonished. “Gorvan! I need to hide. Can you help me?” I inquire frantically. He hears the fear and urgency in my voice which alerts him immediately, “Come, come.” “Thank you, Gorvan. I owe you my life after this.” “There is no need for that, Lianna. I just want to keep you safe.” Gorvan leads me to his house and takes me to his secret cellar where all of his best liquor was stored. He tells me to stay here until he came back for me. I agreed, grateful for his assistance. I was plunged into darkness as Gorvan shut the sliding panel firmly. I decided to sleep for the time being as I had not had a chance to truly sleep in three days and I was terribly sleep deprived. I lay down and close my eyes, quickly falling into a deep slumber. *** The next time I awake, I am laying in a warm bed. My clothes have been changed and my small wounds have been cleaned and dressed. I feel very well rested and relieved. As I examine the room, I instantly recognize it as Gorvan’s guest bedroom. Gorvan was like a father to me. He was the one I could go to if I was in any kind of trouble and he would always help me figure out a peaceful solution to the issue. He virtually took me in as a child because my father died in battle and my mother left me and the village behind to chase some wild fantasy. I had heard that my mother was a practicing Witch. Of course I never believed the stories until strange things started happening to me. One day, I was being teased by some of the older children and I became so enraged that I set fire to the grass around me with just a thought. That was the day I met Jornak. He allowed me to become part of his group. I was barely fourteen at the time. Jornak was very kind to me because he understood how scared of my new...Powers… I was. He had taken me to a friend of his who taught me to control my abilities and helped me to discover the many hidden ones I possessed as well. I hear quiet boot steps coming up the stairs and headed toward the door to my room. I sit up wondering who it could be. There is a knock before the door opens and Gorvan steps inside. I relax, relieved that it is just him. I get up and rush to him, embracing him as a daughter would her father after being away for a very long while. He strokes my hair as he did many years ago when I was just a wee lass. Tears of joy overflow and slip down my cheeks. I look up at him. He has not changed a bit in the last five years. He still had his thick beard and trimmed mustache. His dark hair was now speckled with grey, but he was still strong as ever. He was still the man I grew up with and I don’t think he is ever going to change. “Why are you crying, Little Kitten?” Gorvan asked. “I am crying because I am happy to be home. I missed you so much.” He holds me lovingly, “Well, you need not cry anymore. Taniya would like to see you. She has made you breakfast. Come, let us not keep her waiting any longer.” I nod and allow him to guide me down to the kitchen where Taniya quickly wrapped me in a warm, motherly hug. We cried together for a few moments then she sat me down to eat. She wanted to know everything that had transpired over the last few years while I was out travelling with Jornak. She wanted to know what I saw, who I met, what I learned. And she especially wanted to know if I had any love interests. “...Well, you see I was only focused on learning to control my abilities, so I never stopped to look for any type of relationship. I was not ready to take that step and I do not believe that I will be ready for quite some time. I still have much to learn about myself and I cannot endanger anyone in that process. I refuse to do that.” “Lianna, I will not have you sacrificing love for what happened in the past. You deserve to have a happy life and not have to worry about being Hunted by the Night Brothers,” Taniya replied firmly. “Taniya is right, Lianna. You deserve to be able to live life without the fear of being killed. You should be able to sleep peacefully and not have to hide all the time. You should be able to stay where you wish for however long you choose. I would hate to see you live your entire life in the darkness,” Gorvan said in a gentle tone. “Trust me when I say that you need not worry about me. I am strong enough to take care of myself and still be able to do as I please. I am well aware of the dangers in my life and I have evaded the Night Brothers for years without fail,” I reassure them. “Yes, but how much longer will you be able to avoid their grasp? You could be captured tonight, tomorrow, or perhaps in a few days. You need to be cautious and never let your guard down. If you do, then you may just end up as another one of their minions,” Taniya argued. “Taniya, please have faith in me. I have survived this long. What more do you wish from me? You know as well as I do that if I stay in one place for any length of time, they will find me. I can’t risk putting innocent people in danger because I am merely in their vicinity. That would not be right.” “Lianna, Taniya and I both love you as our own. We only want what is best for you. Please, try and understand that,” Gorvan insists. “Gorvan, Taniya, I love you like the parents I never really had and I thank you both for giving me something to live for. But I ask you, how do you expect me to live my life if you won’t allow me to make my own decisions?” I get up and leave the room, letting them ponder what I have just said. I felt bad about leaving like that, but I could not take hearing them worry about me like that. It is true that they are the one’s whom had raised me and I thank them deeply for giving me a fighting chance in this world. I am not paying attention to where I am going when I bump into someone, “Sorry! I… Gjorden?” The man in front of me suddenly looks shocked, “Lianna, is that you? I mean...look at you. You grew so much. Where have you been?” “Yes, it is me, Gjorden. I have been travelling all these years and I have grown. I am most definitely the same girl you knew when we were children,” I grin at him. “You most certainly are not the same person as you were before you left. It is so good to see you again. Jya will want to see you, you realize.” “Where is she,” I ask excitedly. “I will take you to her. She will be so happy you are home,” Gjorden takes my hand and practically drags me along. We stop in front of a small green colored house at the edge of the village. Gjorden knocks three times on the front door and steps back. A moment passes and a tall woman with a child on her hip answers the door. I do not hear what is being said for Gjorden and the woman are speaking quietly. The woman suddenly becomes aware of me and hands her baby to Gjorden. She runs to me and I am encased in this womans arms. “Lianna, it has been, too, long. Why haven’t you send us word? Why haven’t you been home for so long? Why have you returned…?” This woman I realize, is little Jya Marklevin. “I am so glad to see you, Jya. You have a family now? When?” I ask as tears begin to stream down my face. “It has almost been three years. In two weeks will be our anniversary. I have three children. Two boys and a girl.” “I am so happy for you. Who is your husband?” “Do you remember Kortel?” “No?! Crusher Kortel,” I inquire baffled. “That is him,” Jya says smiling. Suddenly, Dankor, the villages Day Guard Captain came rushing up to us. He seemed to be very worried about something. He stops next to us and struggles to catch his breath. Jya and I look at each other, both wondering what was going on. Gjorden comes over to us to find out what the situation was as well. “Lianna, some men came and they are looking for you,” Dankor forces out the words in a rush. “Men? Oh no, they found me,” I feel true fear for the second time in my life as I say this. “Lianna, what are you talking about,” Gjorden asks me concerned. “A while back, my camp was attacked and everyone was killed. Jornak is lost as well.” “Why didn’t you tell us, Lianna,” Gjorden asks slightly angered. “I was not ready to talk about it,” I snap back. Dankor interrupts, “Lianna, you need to leave as soon as possible. They have a Wanted Bullet out for you.” “Dansket! Jya, Gjorden, I need your help.” “We will help in any way we can, Sister “Jya, I need all the provisions you can muster. Gjorden, I need light weapons that are still sturdy enough to battle with.” They both nod and depart not arguing with the tasks I had just given them. Dankor looks at me with concern. I simply smile back at him as if nothing is amiss. “Lianna, who are those men who have followed you here,” Dankor asks me quietly. “Dankor,” I say, “I do not know who they are. I only know that they want me for some diabolical plan. You do not realize how frightened I am. Who can kill my entire group of comrades in only a couple of hours? And manage to slay Jornak, the best warrior that I have ever known?” “Lianna, I know you are not alive because of some twisted plan. You are alive because you were meant to be. Do not place your fate in the hands of evil, for it will surely be your downfall if you dare do so.” I embrace Dankor gently, “Thank you, my friend. Those are the words I needed to hear to overcome my fear. I know what I must do. Again, I thank you.” “You are very welcome, Lianna. Now, that Jya and Gjorden have returned, we had best get you a horse. You won’t be able to outpace those men if you are on foot.” ***