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I know it's been a while since I've posted a piece of the story up here, but thanks to my slightly more laxed classes at school, I've been able to harness some of my creative energy for my own personal projects again. ^_^ And yes that's the most snobbishly artistic thing you'll ever catch me saying again...well at least for a while. *ahem* I do hope you enjoy this and if not...tell me why or something so I can do better next time. sweatdrop

Dancing shadows flickered across his face and the campfire crackled as he stirred the kindling around the log trying to encourage more life from the flames. Mayve was staring at the stars overhead thinking over the story Kain had just told her; his childhood and how it had been ended in blood and fire by the hands of orcs. She was still taking it all in when her blue-violet eyes were snapped to focus on Kain's dark features.

"Sorry, could you repeat that please?"
"I just asked, what was it like growing up in Qeynos?"
"I..I didn't."
"Wait, but you...I'm sorry I assumed since that's where you're from.."
"Its okay, I did live in Qeynos for the past several years, but I grew up in a quiet little fishing village quite a ways from there."
"So your father was a fisherman?"
"No, a ranger, he worked as a guide and guard for merchants... my mother was a magic user and she would craft magical items for part of their income."
"So your mother was the Elven parent and your father was Human?"
"Other way around, my dad is Wood-elven, my mother was Human."
"Ah I see, wait you say was...did human age catch up to her?"
"Actually I'm only a year or so younger than you Kain, my mother died young even by human standards."
"Oh, I'm sorry, how did it happen?"


Mayve looked away for a moment, her eyes distant, when she turned back she sat up straighter, determination in her features.
"I haven't talked to anyone about this in a long time, but it would be good to get off my chest. It was six years ago, but its still a fresh wound to me. Where to start? My mother's side of the family sent word that horrible things were taking place in her home town...my parents told me a plague had taken hold and that her family wanted her to come help. I think that's the only time my parents really argued like that. But in the end they agreed my mother would go and my father would stay for my sake. I try to hold onto that morning; we had a great big breakfast, laughed, cried a little, and I even gave my mother this silly traveling song I wrote for her so she'd have something for the road...."

Mayve seemed to choke on the words for a moment and Kain tried to hide his suprise at the first real display of emotion from her he'd ever seen, concern filled his voice as he spoke.

"You don't have to go on if you don't want to."
Mayve sniffed back the tears, rubbed one eye, and smiled sadly as she shook her head saying.

"No, I should finish what I started. Its just that I was remembering that the last time I ever heard her voice, she was singing that rediculous song."
Kain's voice was gentle."It couldn't have been that bad if she liked it, right?"
Mayve sighed and took a deep breath before beginning again, a small smile at the corner of her lips.


"You're right. Maybe one day I'll sing it for you. I should go on. It was two weeks later we received the message that my mother...wasn't coming home. My father told be she had been killed by the problem she'd left to cure. I don't know what the letter said exactly, I didn't want to read it and my father seemed hesitant to let me.

Almost imediatley, we moved to Qeynos. My father couldn't take care of me by himself, especially not in his line of work. He had friends that could help take care of me while he was on the road. That's how I came to meet Tera'sana Rosenblade; when we went to Qeynos that was the first time I'd seen Paladins and they seemed so...strong and at peace with everything.

Tera'sana, or Lady Rosenblade if you prefer, seemed the embodiment of a graceful Elven warrior. Turned out she was pretty damn down to earth, a rare thing for any race, but really rare for a high elf might add. She took me on as her squire and it was almost like having a mother again...no that's not quite right, it was more like gaining an older sister and a mentor. I can't say how glad I am to have had her around when I found out the truth of my mothers death."


Kain gave Mayve a questioning look and she steepled her fingers in front of her lower face.
"It was just a chance encounter with one of my mother's old friends out on the road when Rosenblade was taking me on my first patrol. I had a habit of singing travel songs when Tera'sana and I were on main roads and we didn't have to be wary of our fellow travelers. This mercenary who was traveling the same road as us thought the words to my song were strangely familiar, so he pulled his horse along side ours, when he saw my face and recognized my features, he asked for my name. I should mention here that Locke is my Mother's family name. Anyway this man identified himself as having fought with my mother in the Orc wars..."
Interupting Mayve, Kain started, the stick he was stirring the fire with snapped as he pushed it too hard into the logs of the fire.
"What?!"


Mayve smiled wryly as she responded.
"I'd always known my mother was a magic user, but what no one had told be was that she was a necromancer from Freeport. This soldier had fought beside her, Kelstone, I think. He told me everything, including how my mother had fought and died as a hero defending her old home. She'd exiled herself from Freeport so she could marry my father, but when her family told her about the 'plague' of orcs, she came home one last time. I can't tell you how furious I was with my father for having lied to me, how could he not tell me my mother was a hero, so what if it was only in Freeport? She'd died fighting, not stolen by sickness. When I got back to Qeynos we had this horrible argument. After that, I didn't talk to him again for a year, that was three years ago...it took a lot of thinking, but I came to fully understand he'd done it to protect me and for the past couple years we've been writing to each other trying to patch things up, but I've only seen him once in all that time and that was because I wanted to tell him in person I was a full fledged paladin."
Kain looked away for a moment, then he turned back, in the flickering light, Mayve couldn't be sure if he was smiling or not, but his voice was warm. "Who knew? We actually have more in common than I thought."

Mayve awoke as sunbeam struck her eyes filtering through the window of her small room. She thought she could catch just the slightest trace of a familiar scent and the pain of the memories from the day before came flooding back glimpses of blue eyes, silvery hair and dark features came forward; mixed in with the foggy images of her dream a handsome man's face floated forward, warm hazel eyes, suncolored features framed in black hair and accented by long pointed ears. Rubbing her eyes and speaking to the empty room she said quietly. "Stupid, damn men, they try to protect me and it hurts more...I'm not putting up with this nonsense anymore."

Well hope you liked this entry, expect more soon. Also, please please tell me what you think, comments and constructive critiqes are deffinately appreciated.
-Yume