Begin

The mirror sits there in front of me, mocking me with the crystal clear reflection. An old man is revealed, periwinkle blue eyes gaze back at me, a mirror image of my own. I can see the weariness in them, a weariness such that can only come of a lifetime of experience, and this dear reader is one of the many possessions of mine. In my old age my muddled memory is oft forgiven, for remember I am but an old man prone to things such as faded memory. Although there remains with me one memory that I believe time will never fade. One memory that relates to something a truly wise woman once told me, my mother.

I can smell her scents as if I were there in her lap again, being bounced up and down, her hair falling around us like a curtain swaying with the wind, tendrils escaping to curl the air between us. The curve of her lips as she gazes on me and her melodic laugh as she expresses her complete and utter joy at life, are images imprinted upon my mind and it is there they shall stay true and unmarred until the end of time. I look up at her to see her gaze settle upon our entwined hands, her eyes crinkled from her joy, as she examines them. My small, pudgy ones enclosed between her graceful hands, elegant fingers caressing mine. There is a burst of noise above us, up on the terrace a door is slammed open thudding into the wall, sending the wildlife in a scurry of flight and colour, until after some time they settle once again in more or less the same position. I glance up at my mother, who with a freed hand hushes me, her eyes twinkling with mischief. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, as she caught sound of a mighty grunt followed almost immediately by reverberating crash, as whichever unfortunate object that had been thrown across the room connected solidly with the wall before shattering. The were a few more sounds coming from the room, mainly those of objects yet again connecting to the walls, and the grunting efforts of whom so ever was so intent on the destruction of the room. Although, I remember thinking it to be a women in the room above us, due to the swirling shadows cast upon the ground, shadows such as of a dress. After a while the noise and destruction begin to lessen, as whom ever begins to tire of their destructive rage, and soon after the complete cessation of noise we hear a door open and close as they exit the room, possibly to seek respite elsewhere within the castle.

After the exit of the rampant, we sit there, me and mother, each as silent as the other. Me, gazing at mother as she sits, my hands once again enclosed within her own, her eye's still holding in them the light of merriment and excitement, as her mind wanders down paths out of reach for me. Some more time passes in comfortable silence, once again, until she suddenly bursts out with another tinkling laugh. She looks at me, staring at her in wonder, and leans down to bestow upon my forehead a kiss.

"You know, Derek, while you are a male the female personage, I believe, will remain to you a complete and some what frustrating mystery. And although you may be young now, some day you will find your self with a lovely maiden, who will most likely be quiet a handful, for Derek you are very much like your father. I don't believe you will settle for a lovely and demur court lady, who will obey your every whim. You will want to seek out a maiden who will confuse you, who will present a mystery to which you can uncover the answer to" she says, with a loving chuckle, as she plays with our entwined hands, until with a sigh she speaks again, "I have for you some advice that you would do good to remember later in life, when you are faced with the prospect of women. I was once told that heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a women scorned. As you pass through your life be sure to remember this. always treat everyone with respect, and handle those of the female gender with special care as you may find that their scorn may be directed to you, if you fail in this. To be on the receiving end of a woman's scorn is not an enviable thing young man" she says this last part in response to my childish laughter, for it eludes me as to how a women could possibly scare me.

"Listen to your mother boy" my father appears from the shadows, apparently having eavesdropped on our conversation, "The fury a woman can unleash, well, it can be quiet deadly, in all sense of the word." Upon saying this he pulls back his shirt to reveal several, now quiet faint scar lines. He chuckles upon seeing my look of utter absorbance. "These,' he explains,'are several reminders to respect the temperament of a woman" he chuckles once again and walks over to mother, embracing her in those large arms of his, his utter love for her seen easily in his eye's as he beholds her "I learned the hard way from this lovely tempest right here" as he gathers her into another bear hug, from which she tries, with little effort to escape, finally settling for swivelling around in his embrace to throw her arms about his neck and peck him on the cheek.

She smiles knowingly at my father, then comes over to me, planting another kiss upon my forehead before gathering my face into her hands "remember" she whispers to me, her words filled with emotion. She then turns away from me and gathering my father around the waist leads him from the courtyard, their hips swaying in unison, as their heads tilt towards each other, whispering words unclear to me.

;p

My sight becomes unclear as I return to the present, my thoughts returning to their natural patterns. Weighed down by the enormity of distant memory's stirred my chest heaves for breath, an ache settling deep into its familiar position. My eye's once again come to search the mirror, seeing there a worn old man, wrinkles surrounding eye's with far too much sorrow concealed within their watery depths. I heave a sigh as I turn once again to the numerous pages that rest in front of me, their script scrawled across them in nearly illegible elegance, rembrandt of their author. I smile, a small tug of my lips, as I experience flash backs of the girl who would enter my life and prove over and again that my mother was right in the advice that she had bestowed upon me.

Rushes of colour, every shade of green imaginable, swirled past as I crashed throught the forest, chasing after my quarry. There was hardly any sign that one had passed through even in the haste of the chase, they managed to cover their tracks. Branches grazed my cheeks and stinged my arms as I pushed myself further on throught the torrent of abuse rained down upon my courtesy of the trees. The seemed as if animated, predicting my every move and moving to counteract. Eventually I found myself released, bursting out of the forest in a flurry of leaves and branches. Managing to catch myself before I was sent into a spiral down the bank of the now very near stream, I started of running in the direction I believed would have been used by the escapee.

Small sparks of water flew into the air around my feet as I pounded through the ankle deep water, a cascade of white wash following every footfall. Up ahead a small, dark figure flitted through the water, small white sparks following their steps, barely visible. It appeared as if they flew through the air above the water, hardly coming into contact with it. I was gaining I could fell it, almost see it in the distance between us that was slowly, but surely, closing.

I was close enough now to see the figure reach up a hand toward their head, only to come back down with a hat in its possesion. Their sure step not faltering once thoughout this gesture. Their pace seemed to be even more sure now as of they had finally come to terms with their situation and destination. Although when I registered their pace quicken, I altered my own to suit. There was a strange sound begining to register in my mind. Almost a rushing, as of water, getting louder with every passing step now. The water around my feet also began to increase in depth, it now coming up to kiss my knee's with it's icy touch. The current started to increase in strength.

A thought flew through my head, 'uh oh'..

Another glance at the figure revealed that their pace had not slowed or altered and in that glance toward them, the rushing sound became a torrent of noise, only getting louder as we ran on. I became tempted to admit defeat, but my legs would not quite from their mad dash. My glance once again searching before me for the source of the sound, revealed to me confirmation of my thoughts. There ahead of me, it seemed as if the ground or rather the river ended.

The figure continued to run flat out for the edge of the world, but before they reached it, they turned. I am sure my shock was apparent, clearly evident in my face. For the escapee was a woman, as she glanced back over her shoulder to face me, with not a break in her stride, her hair whirled to frame her face in a halo of burgandy, the last rays of the setting sun blindingly bright, setting her whole frame alight, giving her the appearence of a goddess. Her eye's held a fire all their own, a determination and spirit such that none could hope to capture. There was a peculiar twinkle in her eye's as upon holding me in her gaze she flashed me a cheeky yet determined smile, before she turned around again, her hair once again flying around her head in a crown of light.

With a final surge she reached the edge of the river, and launching herself from a rock situated there, threw herself with all her might into the air beyond the spray of the waterfall. Her feet together, back curved and hands spread eagled at her sides, almost as if she sought to fly through the air. Her figure stilled me as I reached the rock form which she had launched herself. Her appearance even more so resembling that of a goddess, as she flew through the air, curving down through the air and mist of the waterfall, the dying rays of the sunset beholding her in all their might and her glory. She appeared suspended for a time before the light dimmed and she dissapeared into the swirling white mist that was the base of the waterfall.

I stood, too astonished to move, for quite a time. Untill finally I pulled myself together and with a final glance at the waterfall, turned and started my long journey back to camp to report to my fellow's the mysterious girl that had eluded me so cunningly. My lips pulled upwards as I remembered the final glance she had thrown me, so full of cheer and teasing challenge, and with a seemingly lighter tread continued onwards, untill the forest had enveloped me once again.

;p

A smile once again upon my lips from this remembrance, I settle myself deeper into my chair, pulling myself and the scripts into a more comfortable position for veiwing. Another sigh escapes me as I prepare myself, as I turn to the first page and my gaze settles upon the first line.

Derek,

I hardly know where to begin, for this story would threaten to be a long, winding and tragic one indeed. I am unused to relating this story to others, as it is one close to my heart, which I have long believed better of forgotten. Although it seems that as my time upon this earth becomes more and more limited in its capacity, the refusal of your request seems to be one of stupidity.

But you once told me that to truly move foreward, to be able to continue with my life I have to accept the past, and the things that I have both seen and done. I truly hope that upon finishing my life story that you will find it within your heart to accept me, to continue as we would. Do not believe me a tragic maiden, for that is not the intention of what could truly be called my confession, I was fully aware of everything I did, and while I may have had just reasons for doing so, that does not counteract the fact that some of my actions could be considered unlawfull and unmercifull. For you must understand my position. I was but a girl, now I do not attempt to provide excuses, but I was and with that came a child's view, unwhole and unexperienced. Although I have been told by some who have heard various accounts of my doings that I have a wisdom beyond my years, I do not believe that to be true. For all I did was what felt right, more oft than not just doing what needed doing to get the job done.

I acted out against a force that destroyed so many things, so many people. Lives were born into this world only to suffer under the drugeny of a power hungry force, a force not easily satiable. Being who I am, I do not believe I am evil, nor do I feel remorse for what I have done. It was done with the intention of freeing my nation, well maybe that is not completely true but my latest actions certainly occured with that motive in my heart.

For sooth, I am but a girl. Albeit one with a habbit of attracting trouble, although I am not forever looking for it as some believe, it just has a habbit of finding me. I escaped from my life of servitude only to find myself embarked upon an adventure that is far more than either you or I will ever undertsand. I find that memory's swirl around me, each and all crowding for my attention. But for now I will stop my rambling, and move on with my story...I hardly know where to start although it seems appropriate to start at the events that I believe set everything in motion...

So here I go...

In my minds eye images start to form, her story turning forming moving pictures as I become embedded in her lifes story.

Author's Note:

Well I am pretty sure that i will keep this as my first chapter...from now on the story will be told form third person view though, mainly focusing on the girl as the main character...

thats it thank u if u have read this

plz review thanxz...