&Yume& Newwwwww stowwy! ;D

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''Alanaodh", (c) Yumeko (Nibedita Sen) and Kasumi (Emily Pannell)

Role-played by Yume and Kasu.

Adapted into story format by Yume.

In this chapter: Yume: Yumeko, Seth, the mercenary ; Kasu: Kasumi, Cornelius

++PROLOGUE++

- “Beginnings” -

The sun rose high in the sky as its golden beams reached over the land of Alanaodh, creeping under the shaggy foliage of the forest and warming the rippling waters of the rivers. Morning in Alanaodh always came slowly, filtering in suffused and golden-baked through the chinks and peaks of the jagged lines of Morzan's Mountains, and spreading slowly over the forest and west across the plains. The fishing and shipping communities that existed where the rivers met the sea at the continents west, were always up before dawn. In other parts of the land, like the Athurian capital city nestled in the forest and the villages scattered across the fertile plains, the denizens took their time to arise. Just like the lazy sunbeams that crept their way slowly across the continent, warming the grass and awakening the land.

Even now, when the continent was gripped in a war that had raged for years now and showed no sign of ending soon, the dawn still managed to be golden and pure, as if it was ignorant of the evil spreading through the veins of the land and poisoning it.

It was noon now, and the sun glowed warm on the small village of Kikumo. Nestled on the edge of the forest, the community, small though it was, boasted several acres of lush green fields and a fertile yearly produce. Its inhabitants were for the most part farmers or cattle-herders, with the odd craftsman or weaponsmith. Skilled trade did not conglomerate in the village. It made its way to the cities and capitals.

The village proper was composed of neat, thatched huts that sprawled in a vaguely oblong design around the rice-fields. At this time of day, the men were out in the fields, their bent forms visible out on the knee-deep muddy water. The land sloped up slightly at the back of the village, ascending in a gentle rise to meet the thinning edges of the forest.

It was on this rise that one little figure could be seen, running rapidly--and to be honest, more than a little awkwardly--among the scattered and sparse trees. As one came closer, the figure resolved itself into that of a little girl, perhaps ten years old. Her unruly black hair was short, falling in heavy bangs to frame her chin. Large grey eyes blinked in exasperation at her surroundings as she stopped and bent over, panting, placing her hands on the knees of her faded pink yukata.

"Kasu!" she wailed forlornly. "Okay, I give up! Where'd you go?" One small, dusty foot kicked in exasperation at the carpet of fallen leaves that covered the earth.

Snickering resided in the tree above as another girl watched the one with the pink yukata. Her silver locks hung about her face as her ice blue eyes continued to follow her friend. Her own blue yukata was beginning to get dirty from sitting in the tree, though it was a great hiding spot to hide. She wouldn't mind the yelling she would get from her mother. On hearing Yumeko’s cry of defeat though, she decided it might be time to dismount.

With that, Kasu began to climb down the branches until she was far enough down to jump. She smiled at her friend as she said, "Come on, Yume. You shouldn't give up so easily!"

Yumeko's head snapped around so fast it was almost comical. Her eyes widened as they took in the sight of Kasumi, who had just landed nimbly on the ground.

"No fair, you know I'm not good at tree-climbing," she whined as she stomped over to her friend, feet sinking into the moist leaf carpet. For a moment, she pushed her lips out in a pout, then her expression resumed its normal sunny countenance as she grabbed Kasu by the pleated belt of her yukata and tugged insistently. "They're calling all the children down to the village." This was accompanied by a toss of her head in the direction of said village, which glimmered peacefully below the slope of the hill they stood on. Even from this distance, the black specks of people congregating in the centre of the village was visible.

Yumeko's gray eyes blinked distractedly at them for a few moments, then she turned back to Kasumi with a questioning look replacing the distraction. "Why do you suppose?"

It was clear from the tone of her voice that she fully expected the older girl to have an answer.

"I don't know..." Kasumi lied, leading her friend by the hand towards the village. In fact, she knew very well why they were calling the children into the village. She often overheard her mother, father, and elder brother discuss the war that had been going on for many years now. And now, they were calling to recruit children into the army, though what kind of children they were looking for she did not know.

In the middle of the village, many villagers were gathered around, holding their children close or just stopping work to see what will happen. A feeling of dread filled her being as she regretted coming into the village. "Stay close." Kasumi whispered her demand to Yume as the two made their way closer, getting to the front of the crowd along with the other children to observe what was happening. She gazed around to see a few soldiers in armor, heads clad in helmets as they tried to ignore the crowd. What really caught her eye, though, was the older man in robes who was carrying around a beautiful crystal. It gleamed in the afternoon light in the grip of what Kasumi thought as a mage.

"Will all children under the age of fifteen gather in a line in front of me." The elderly man ordered, now turning to face everyone in the village. Parents now told the children to go line up, Kasumi pulling Yumeko to follow behind her as they too got into line.

Her small fingers tightly gripping Kasumi's hand, Yumeko sidled as close to her friend as she dared and peeked out nervously at the adults. Other than the tall, grim-looking man in the distinctive crimson and black robes of a high mage, there were several of what were obviously the king's guards standing behind him. Their mail was highly polished and gleamed in the sun, and twin spires of iron rose on either side of their helmets. With their metal hauberks, greaves, helms and broadswords strapped to their backs, they presented an intimidating sight.

One that, in the peaceful and simple surroundings of the village, just seemed wrong.

Ice blue eyes observed the ritual carefully, trying to figure out what the robed man was doing with the crystal as the first child stepped in front of him. He held the crystal above the little boy's head, waiting a few seconds before muttering a "Next." Then the second child stepped up, the crystal now glowing a faint purple. The mage now nodded, and a soldier pulled him aside and talked to him. So the crystal told you if you were going with them or not, Kasumi reasoned out. The line began to move ever so faster until finally it was her turn..

The grim mage held the crystal above her as he waited for something to happen. Nothing. "Next." He muttered, now allowing her to have a sigh of relief. She moved away to the side, glancing back at Yumeko as she did so.

Yumeko released Kasumi's hand with great reluctance. She shuffled her feet, tucking her hands behind her in an attempt to look big and grown up. Among these stern soldiers who towered over her, it was very hard to not feel small and insignificant.

For all her desire to appear brave, she was unable to lift her eyes to meet those of the mage. Instead, she kept them trained on the rather disinteresting sight of her bare feet and the dusty ground. A noise of impatience escaped the mage's throat. Putting his finger under her chin, he forcibly lifted it up till they were looking eye to eye.

Her eyes were drawn of their own accord--crossing slightly in the process--to the crystal he held loosely between two fingers. It was shaped like an obelisk; rectangular but with one end tapering to a three-sided point. The other end was attached to a small metal clasp, from which ran a silken thread. The crystal itself was clear and transparent, and the sunlight filtered through it to throw faint rainbow shadows on the sparse grass of the ground.

She blinked. It was glowing white now. And brightly at that; it was pulsing almost like a little nova. For a moment, she almost thought she actually felt the warm brush of waves of energy as they radiated from it. But she dispelled that thought with a shake of her unruly head. It had to be her imagination, right?

"Well, look at that," a smooth voice commented behind her. "Not everyday you find a gem like that in a rustic place like this, eh Cornelius?"

Yumeko jumped, startled. Lost in gazing at the crystal, she had almost forgotten where she was. Now, she turned to gaze at the assembled villagers, noticing for the first time how quiet they had suddenly become. Some of them were clutching their own children tighter, others were whispering amongst themselves. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but their voices were hushed, urgent.

The speaker who had startled her was another man in mages robes. Unlike the one even now lowering the crystal and releasing her chin, he was young--hardly a few years older than her, really--with soft blonde hair shot through with locks of chestnut brown, and cut in a layered style that left bangs falling into his eyes. The belt clasped around the waist of his robes was set with a green stone...which, if she had known what it meant, would have told her that he was not a full mage, but an apprentice.

Of course, not knowing anything about it, she was not overly concerned with it. She was more occupied with wondering why she had only just noticed him. He must have been at the back, amidst the villagers.

Well one thing was for sure, she didn't like him. The way his dark gold eyes were roving shrewdly over her was distinctly uncomfortable. Then, he lifted his gaze from her to the elderly mage, and she let out a small whuff of relief, feeling as if a physical load had been removed from her shoulders.

Twiddling her fingers nervously, she glanced sideways at Kasumi. The stricken look on the other girl's face didn't help the apprehension suddenly welling inside her.

Yes, you're right. She's different from the others." Cornelius muttered, a slight smirk appearing on his face as he looked up at the young man. "Course, you certainly know how to find them, Seth." A tint of exaggeration could be picked up on in his voice as he said that. Turning his gaze away from him, he grabbed Yume by the shoulders and led her over to the side.

Gems like that were rare, indeed.

x-x-x

The sun began to set along the horizon as Kasumi made her way around the huts in the village. Even though Yume spent many nights at her family's home, she lived in a hut near the edge of the village. She never understood why the younger girl never liked being alone. Would have been better for her if she stayed with her family.

A bleak twilight had fallen on them as Kasu finally arrived at Yume's hut, overhearing said girl rummaging through her belongings. She hesitated for a moment to knock, but in the end her fist reached the wood of the frame. Walking in without looking at her, she said, "You're getting ready?"

Yumeko didn't answer for a moment. The younger girl was kneeling beside her futon, occupied with the contents of a small, worn leather satchel she had placed on the sheets before her. The contents of the small hut--never much to begin with, consisting mainly of the futon, a stool and whatever assortment of flowers or woodland creatures Yume had collected at the moment--were strewn around in disarray.

"Yeah," she answered eventually, though the mess the hut was in gave the lie to her words. Having finished stuffing in the crumpled yukata she had been battling with, she rose to her knees and eyed Kasu mournfully. For once, her usual bright smile was quite absent. In fact, as Kasu could easily tell by the familiar pout of her lips, she was on the verge of tears.

"Hey, hey!" Kasumi exclaimed, taking the younger girl by the shoulders, "Don't get upset, this'll be a great experience for you. You'll get to see different places, meet new people..." She smiled to try and reassure Yume. As much as she wished the best for her friend, the sorrow was hard to hold back, her smile soon faltered. To cover it up, she leaned forward and pulled the smaller girl into a hug..

"You be good while you're away, alright?" Kasumi muttered over her shoulder, acting much too mature for her age. Yet, she had to put up a good act for Yume's sake.

Unfortunately, she was in the presence of the one person whom her acts had never worked on.

Yumeko's big eyes welled up with tears so fast it was almost comical. Her small fingers gripped the sleeves of Kasu's yukata, winding themselves tightly into the fabric, as she proceeded to bury her face in her friend's shoulder and break down into muffled sobs.

"I...don't...want to go," she sobbed. Pressed as her face was into the fabric of Kasumi's yukata, and along with the sobs, the words came out muffled and barely decipherable.

"Sssshhh..." Kasumi lightly said, patting her friend's back as she cried her tears, "It'll be alright, trust me on this." However, the words had no effect, and Yumeko continued to bawl into her shoulder, her small form shaking with her sobs.

Then, suddenly, it came to her in a flash. Pulling Yume away for a minute, Kasumi went through her yukata and pulled out a beaded necklace. Its wooden beads were painted with blues and purples, the detailed design something she had been fond of for a long time. "Here, I want you to have this." She said, presenting her with a more genuine smile this time. "You know, like a going away present! So whenever you're sad, just pull it out and think of home."

A few more stray sniffles escaped Yume, but the necklace did indeed, seem to have distracted her. Her tear-filled eyes were wide as she ran her fingers over the smooth painted wooden beads.

At length, her head snapped suddenly up. "I have something for you too!" she exclaimed, and then whirled around to crouch by her futon once more. A few minutes of rummaging under the covers, and she withdrew her hand, now clenched into a fist.

"I made it," she confessed shyly as she crossed back over to Kasumi and opened her fist to reveal the object. It was a small, rectangular piece of wood. By some means, Yumeko had carved the character for 'friend' into the center of the worn but smooth bark. A cord was attached to a knot in the wood.

Deposting the necklace in Kasu's hand, Yume quickly tugged on the one her friend had given her. The beaded string was a little too big for her, and passed easily over her head.

Having adjusted it around her neck, she sobered down again. "Kasu..." she whispered sadly. "You won't forget me, will you?"

"Me?" Kasumi confidently said, "I'd never forget you, Yume. Not in a million years!" She even laughed a bit to this, hoping that Yume would cheer up.

"You did a good job on this." she complimented, placing it around her neck after tying it in place. "You should get ready now. Don't want to worry about packing tomorrow, now do you? Here, I'll even help you!"

Some of the sorrow in the atmosphere seemed to have lightened as the two children began packing things up, Kasumi trying hard to keep her friend smiling. She didn't want her last moments with Yume to be filled with sorrow. When every needed item seemed to be packed up, she looked out the window to find the sky already filled with stars. Time I got going, she thought sadly to herself, before turning back to Yume.

"I want you to be good while you're away. I shouldn't have to hear anything about you getting in trouble..."

"I won't," Yume promised. Despite all Kasu's efforts to the contrary, her eyes were still downcast, though she had attempted a smile for her friend's sake. Her eyes traveled over the now strangely bare-looking hut and the overstuffed satchel before coming to rest on Kasu once more.

"We'll meet again, won't we?" Despite the childish quaver that accompanied the words, there was something of a firm determination behind them that carried the strength of an adult.

Kasumi’s confident smile was unwavering as she proudly said, "Yes, we will." Giving her one last big hug, she said her last good-bye and she left the hut. She turned her gaze up to the stars, the tears finally falling down her face as they glistened under the starlight provided by the night.

She was going to miss her.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Life in the village had not changed much in the next two years of Kasumi's life. Now that she was old enough, she was sent out into the fields to help with the nurturing and cultivating of the rice crops. Thoughts of Yumeko and what she was doing constantly plagued her mind. She was glad her friend was not stuck in her life, but she also yearned for something greater. Like her friend, she wanted to be able to leave her small village and see what it was like out there beyond the protection she had grown up to.

Her desires would come true sooner and harsher than she would have ever thought.

In the middle of one night, slashing and screaming shook Kasumi from her sleep. In a frenzy, she pulled on her yukata as she ran out of the hut she had lived in all her life. She stood by the door frame, only to behold a horror she would never have thought to come true. Her village was on fire, while women and children ran in panic from the armor-clad soldiers who circled and wheeled around the huts on horses. The entire scenario was lit by the red-gold tint of fire, and screams filled the air.

"Dagda..." She whispered in terror, but not before her mother grabbed her by the hand and began to pull her towards the forest with the other panicked villagers.

Yes, the enemy that Athuria had been fighting against for so long now, had come to destroy her village. In black armor, the dark-skinned and pointed eared warriors rode about her village while carrying torches and burning the homes down. Men tried to fight back, but their field tools stood no chance to the powerful swords these fighters carried. Kasumi was sure her father and brother were out there with everyone else, and dread began to consume her being.

This couldn’t be happening! She tried to reason as she began to run after her mother, while taking glances back at her now burning home. Her village was so far away from Dagdan territory, why would they decide to come up north to attack a village in the middle of nowhere? Nothing made any sense to her, and just trying to figure things out was just slowing her down. However, slowing down may have been a good thing, for Dagdan warriors had gotten in front of the running crowd and begun to slash at the horrified women and children.

Kasumi turned west and tried to avoid it as her own neighbors and friends began to be killed. She could hear the shrieks and wails of them all dying, tears filling her eyes while almost blinding her. They were all dying and there was nothing she could do! Why? Why did this have to happen?! She ran frantically, eyes blurred by tears, hearing the footsteps beginning after her and knowing they must have spotted her escaping.

The tree root seemed to reach up from the ground to grab her ankle, as earth and sky tilted before her. Pain lancing through her body from the impact, she landed heavily on the ground. She pulled herself up, only to find see two Dagdan soldiers looming darkly over her like twin spectres of death.

The swords made a sharp whistling noise as they sliced down through the air. Kasumi closed her eyes, unable to watch. However, instead of the slicing pain of contact that she had expected, there was a harsh, ringing clash of metal on metal.

And then, silence other than the hiss and crackle of the flames as they devoured the thatch of the houses and the panicked screams and yells of the scattering people.

Slowly, ignoring the ache in her side from the tree root she had tumbled over, Kasumi turned onto her back. Standing over her silhouette darkly against the light of the flames, was a woman.

One thing was for certain, she was not from the village. Her build was tall and slim, and she was garbed in a durable, lightweight armor that consisted of buckled greaves, hauberk and vambraces. A thin leather mask covered the upper half of her face, from underneath which dark brown streamed. The rim of her armor ended at her chest, leaving her shoulders bare. Visible on the right one was a red tattoo of a bird of prey, wings raised in a predatory dive. There was a long, battered sheath hanging buckled at her side.

The sword that obviously occupied that sheath was only now being lowered from the swing that had struck down the two Dagda soldiers. The blade was stained red. Combined with the flickering light of the flames, which painted her form with a red sheen and danced across the polished edges of her armor, it served to make her--at least to Kasumi's fearful eyes--an apparition not much less fearsome than the soldiers.

However, the woman did not seem overly concerned with the young girl's evident fear, or with the two men she had just killed. She wiped her sword off on the trousers of one of the corpses, then slid it back into its sheath with a soft 'snick!'. Without another glance at Kasumi, she turned and began to stride off into the forest, away from the village.

She had gone about ten paces before she stopped to glance back. Her eyes flickered across the now dying fires and the almost deserted village before coming to rest on the girl.

"Well?" Her voice was calm, and melodious, quite unlike her grim countenance. "Are you coming or not, hun?"

What else could Kasumi do but quickly get up and follow after the mysterious woman? Soon, however, her anger and frustration led to tears spilling from her eyes as if they would never end. She tried to wipe them away with her dirty sleeve as she chased the woman into the woods, bare feet pounding on the cold earth, but it all seemed useless to her. She wished with all her might that she could have saved her village, and even more that she could kill every last Dagda scum that ruined her life.

Stopping in the middle of the road, Kasumi stopped to look back at the strange woman in front of her. Building up some courage, she stared at her and said, "Why did you save me back there? You had no reason to..."

Her question hovered uncertainly in the chill night air for what seemed like forever. Around them, the dark boles of trees towered up to block out the night sky with their foliage, and cicadas chirped mournfully. The ringing clashes and shrieks of the carnage back at the village was muted now. In fact, the sound of screams had almost completely died away.

There would be no one left alive in the village to see the dawn.

"A reason?" the woman repeated after Kasumi. Half-turning to look at the girl once more, she raised her hand to grasp her leather mask and stripped it from her face. Her eyes were dark brown, features aquiline. She was younger than she had seemed at first, perhaps in her late twenties.

"Who says I need a reason?" There was a trace of amusement in her words. Letting the hand gripping the mask fall to her side, she stalked slowly to Kasumi and took the girl's chin in her hand, forcing it up to look into her eyes. "That's one thing about being a mercenary, hun, you don't need reasons. You do as you please."

"You'll learn soon enough." With these words, she released Kasumi and took a step back. She beckoned to her to follow, and then turned, setting a rapid pace forward across the leaf-strewn forest path. Confused, distressed, lost and scared, Kasumi could think of nothing to do but numbly follow this, the one anchor she had in the sea of uncertainty into which she had fallen.