Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ the Necklace of four Elements ❯ chapter one ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter one

It was quiet. The thunderstorm hang thick in the air. It was like the whole earth was waiting for it to start. No bird sang, no noise, no movement, nothing. Suddenly lightning crackled through the sky, trying to break the air. A soft rumbling thunder followed and the wind started to blow. You could smell the rain, but nothing fell. They where waiting. `mother lay down.' The girl whispered while softly pushing the sick woman back in her bed. The woman coughed in a piece of cloak and hided the blood, but her daughter knew already. `here, drink some water.' The auburn haired girl held the cup of water to her mothers mouth. The woman drank but when she spoke her voice sounded cracked. `Aithne, listen carefully, the left drawer of the oaken chest has a second bottom. Take it out and you'll find a necklace with a wooden pendant. Take that necklace Aithne and wear it on your skin, it is of great value, don't ever loose it.' The woman coughed again and Aithne frowned. A second lightning split the darkness and the thunder rumbled darkly. The wind increased and tugged on the wooden farmhouse. `Aithne, when the necklace touches your skin you have to get out of the house, do you understand? Get out immediately.' The woman looked up to the girl with her soft green eyes, Aithne nodded. `now sleep mother, you'll need it.' She whispered and the woman smiled. `my time here is over child.' She said softly `NO!' the girl clasped her mothers hand. `you'll get better.' She whispered and repeated it while looking at the bleach hand, avoiding the light green eyes that showed her the truth. `Aithne don't be sad, this goodbye is not fore ever, you know that. You have to be strong and I'll be with you every day.' Outside the lightning flashed again, followed by harsher thunder. The woman signed and the girl looked up. `can't I go with you mother? There's nothing left here for me.' She whispered and the woman looked at her with sad eyes. `I understand what you feel child, but promise me you won't give up, there's a future and important things for you to do here.' The woman swallowed and closed her eyes. `I, I…' Aithne felt the tears prickle behind her eyes. `Aithne, don't forget… what I told you.' The woman whispered while outside the wind got stronger and the thunder got bolder. `I'll miss you mother.' The girl whispered and the woman smiled. For a moment everything was quiet, then the tears fell on the floor and outside the rain finally came. The woman was no more. The rain gushed and the lightning struck again and again, followed every time by the loud thunder. Aithne cried her heart out but couldn't overcome the sound of the thunderstorm. She stood up, her vision blurred by tears, and walked over to the oaken chest. She fell on her knees and opened the left drawer, she took out the linen and found the fake bottom. She removed it and took out the necklace. It was a simple necklace. The ribbon was of leather and the hanger a round little plate of wood. The girl wiped her tears away and looked at it. There where symbols carved in it, an open spiral like a snails shell and four little rounds that were different from size. The girl hang it around her neck and stood up. She looked at the woman that seemed to be asleep. Aithne took her cloak and hang the pendant under her dress, against her skin, then she stepped outside into the cool summer rain. Her blue eyes looked up at the sky and she walked a bit further, not knowing why. Suddenly the lightning struck and the girl turned around. Her house was broken down and on fire. The thunder rolled away and the rain subdued, the wind stopped blowing and Aithne watched in horror how the wood was licked dry by the fire and then burned down. `no…' she whispered and began walking back. `no! stop!' she ran to the house and tried to get to door without getting burned herself. `wait! No!' she cried out. Part of the roof that was still standing now collapsed and Aithne was forced to get away from the house. She stepped back and watched how everything she had vanished into ashes. The rain stopped and the clouds evaporated. The girl turned around and walked to the road. Her father had died years ago when she was to little to remember him and now her mother was gone too. Her only family now was her mothers mother, who lived in the Hill village about two days walking from here. The girl set of, not knowing what else to do. Her head was empty and her feet took her away. When the sky was clear again the first stars could be seen, the night was quiet and dark, but only after the girl had fallen twice she decided to get of the road. She walked towards the forest next to the road and found a place to sleep, she didn't care much about how vulnerable she was like this, she didn't care about anything really.

Morning came and birds began to sing. Carefully and as slowly as she could Aithne opened her eyes. She saw the grass and the road and sighed. She sat up, her palms where scraped and her knees and right ankle hurt too. She looked at the forest which sounded to be filled with live. She looked at the sky where grey clouds drifted bye, hiding the sun now and then. A brave blackbird landed in front of the girl, watching her with one eye, but it made a noisy getaway when the girl moved. Aithne watched the wooden pendant, but tried not to think about the things that had happened last night. She had to find her grandmother. Roughly she blinked the tears away and put the necklace under her dress again. She stood up and noticed the dull pain in her right ankle, she must have twisted it a bit somewhere yesterday. she held her breath and took few steps, she decided that she would manage. She walked to the road and looked east to the hills. “I hope she recognize me… if she still lives.” Aithne quickly put the “what if” questions away and began walking. While the sun climbed the sky, chasing the clouds away, Aithne's cloths dried and her stomach began to rumble. She had nothing to eat and she didn't know the berries. The girl ignored the hunger feeling like she had done in the worst time of winter for years. When noon past the girl sat down beside the road to give her legs some rest. If she walked on like this she would reach the village by evening the next day, besides, her ankle was starting to hurt more. The girl sighed and laid flat on her back in the soft warm grass. The sky was a bright blue now with some little white clouds drifting by. It felt warm and her clothes where totally dry by now. The girl closed her eyes and breathed out, she listened to the soft sounds of the forest and felt how tired she was. Suddenly a sound reached her ears and she sat up, it was the sound of hoofs on the road. Aithne stood up and walked back to the road. She watched and from the west came a firm horse, pulling a small open wagon. When they had almost past her it stopped and the man on the wagon looked at her. `all alone on the road miss? Not a wise thing to do, you know.' He said and Aithne nodded. The man was big and had blond hair and dark blue eyes. `well, where are you going?' the man asked and Aithne swallowed. `to the village in the hills.' She answered and the farmer grinned. `that's a long way to go, you can clime on board miss.' The man pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, but the girl did not move. Something inside her was warning her, but Aithne was tired from walking and the hunger and ignored it. `thanks.' She said and walked over to the wagon. She shove some boxes away and sat down next to them. The wagon began to ride along the bumpy road but the rocking movement made the girl doze of into a dreamless sleep. `wake up miss.' Aithne opened her eyes at the strange voice but recognized the blond man and let her breath escape. It was getting dark and the wagon had gotten of the road. `we'll do the last part tomorrow when it becomes light. I don't want Tom to break a leg in some hole in the road.' The man gestured toward the horse, who now stood grazing next to the forest, his reins loosely bounded to a tree. Aithne slowly climbed of the wagon, she felt bruised and hungry and her stomach noisily acknowledged that. the blond farmer chuckled and looked at her. `if you get some firewood, then I'll have some bread for you.' He said and hungry as the girl was she gathered some wood from the forest side. The man made a fire going by clasping two stoned together and got a basket out of the wagon. `want some water?' he asked and Aithne nodded. The man handed her a water bag and the girl began to drink eagerly from it, some droplets where spilled and made their way along her throat, the man watched them. The girl finished and closed the water bag, she sighed. `so, miss, and how did you plan to pay for my food and drink?' the man said while smacking his lips. Aithne was on guard immediately and looked at the man. `I don't have payment.' She said and the blond man smiled. `oh, I think you do.' He said and Aithne stood up but the man grabbed her wrist and pulled her down on the ground again. `where were you going miss?' he chuckled and reached for her body when she slapped him across the face. `let me go.' She said with icy voice, but she only angered the man. `you little…' he jumped her and Aithne screamed. She kicked around and tried to crawl away but the blond man was way to strong. The girl heard her clothing rip and when the man tried to kiss her she bit his lip hard. The man cried out and slammed her hard in the face. The girl was dizzy for a moment and the man sat up, bringing his hand up to his mouth and watching the blood. `little witch.' He murmured and was about to hit her again when they suddenly heard growling. The man looked up to the forest when a white wolf jumped the man who screamed and fell backwards. Aithne sat up and looked at the unmoving man, slowly she stood up and walked around him. The blond man had hit his head against a rock when he fell and the little pool of blood told the girl he was dead. Aithne shivered and looked over to the she-wolf who growled to the dead farmer and then turned towards the girl. “shouldn't I be afraid right now?” the girl thought while looking at the wolf. Then she glanced at the horse who hadn't moved a muscle, he wasn't afraid either. Aithne swallowed and inspected her dress. Her left sleeve hang by a thread and she ripped it of, her under gown was torn and the front of her dress was ripped open. Luckily it still covered her up good enough, but the girl needed an new dress soon. She checked if the pendant was still there and unharmed and the wolf walked over to her. A snoot was pressed into the girls hand and she kneeled. `thank you.' Aithne whispered, knowing that this wasn't a normal wolf. Then the girl grabbed the bread out of the basket and took the water bag, she unbounded the reins so Tom was free and set of into the forest, following the bright fur of the she-wolf. After hours of walking they reached an open spot between the trees and the wolf sat down. Exhausted the girl fell on her knees and saved the other half of the bread for tomorrow. She drank a bit and then laid herself down, falling asleep as soon as her head touched the ground. The half moon and the white wolf watching over her.