Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ the Necklace of four Elements ❯ Chapter two ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2

It was a nice Autumn day. A woman with red hair stood in front of a small house, there were tears on her cheeks and a little girl clamped herself against her mothers skirt. They watched a man standing in the street, a man with a mustache. `why are you crying mommy?' the little girl asked and her bright blue eyes looked up. `does that man make you sad?' she whispered. `oh Aithne.' The woman kneeled. `why don't you go play for a little?' the woman smiled but her eyes stood sad. `alright.' The girl answered hesitantly and took of, seeking her neighbor kids, while her mother talked to the strange man. That evening the woman took the girl close to her. `Aithne, you'll have to be strong and brave, will you be that? for me?' the woman asked and her daughter nodded. `I will be mommy, don't cry.' The little girl said when her mothers tears began to fall again. `I wish faith had chosen an other path for you child.' The woman said softly and her daughter didn't understand. `everything will be alright mommy.' She whispered back, hoping that her mother would stop being so sad. `you're right Aithne… everything… will work out.' She smiled and so did the little girl.

A warm snoot against her cheek woke Aithne up, she opened her eyes and looked into the hazel colored eyes of the she-wolf. Slowly the girl sat up, the sun had risen and the forest was wakening. She shook her head, she just couldn't remember what she had dreamed of. The wolf whined softly and Aithne stroked her head once. She ate part of the bread but left some for the noon, she drank and was about to stand up when the wolf pressed her snoot into the girls hand. `what is it? Do you want some?' the girl reached out the bread and the water bag, but the wolf ignored them. Instead she bowed her head and Aithne slowly stroked it. The white wolf twisted her head so the girl could stroke her neck. `you just want to get petted is that it?' Aithne whispered and smiled. The wolf stood up again, walked away and waited for the girl to follow. `I'm hoping you're not getting me lost you know, I have to go to the Hills.' The girl mumbled while standing up and following the she-wolf further into the forest. When noon came the wolf made a rest stop so Aithne could sit down and eat the last of the bread and drank a bit. The weather stayed dry but clouds had gathered some. Finally late in the afternoon they suddenly walked out of the forest and they almost faced the southern gate. Aithne wanted to walk further but noticed that the wolf stayed behind. The girl kneeled and stroked the white head with the intelligent hazel colored eyes. `thanks for everything.' The girl whispered and then watched how the she-wolf turned around and walked back, vanishing into the green. Aithne covered herself into her cloak, so no one would see her ruined dress. She walked to the gates, but the gatekeepers didn't even looked at her and she could walk right through. The girl watched the big and busy village, she only came here once when she was little. When her dad had died their neighboring farmer had taken supplies for them from the market so they didn't had to travel so far. Since then Aithne had never seen the village our her grandmother again. The girl walked until she stood on a great squire, she looked around. There had been a market today, most people where closing their shops and stalls and where going home for dinner. The market was broken down and beggars and tramps walked around looking for left over's. it was getting dark and the girl had realized she didn't even know where her grandmother lived. She spotted some woman with full baskets, chatting with each other and approached them. `excuse me ma'am, are you familiar here?' the woman stopped talking and looked at her, one dark haired woman smiled. `of course I am girl! Ask where you want to go.' The woman faced her and the others listened too. `do you know where Ebe lives?' Aithne asked and the dark woman frowned. `Ebe? I don't think so…' she said slowly and the girl sobered, `Ebe, mm…' suddenly one of the other woman jumped. `Mira! Maybe she means Ebesa with the red hair!' she said and the girl looked up `where can I find her house?' she asked quickly. The dark haired woman stepped behind the girl and faced the hillside. She pointed to the left where you could see a little light burn all on it's own. `you take that road there up the hill, follow it's curve until you reach the fork, then go left. Her house is on the end of that road.' She told and Aithne turned to face the woman. `thank you!' she said and bowed her head before quickly following the pointed road, it was twilight already.

The sun just set and the first stars were lit. Aithne stopped in her tracks, she had just passed the fork to the left, someone was following her. She pricked her ears and slowly looked over her shoulder, there was no one there. Still, she felt like someone was watching her while she was walking through the streets. The girl shook her head. “it's your imagination, it's because of that… guy…” suddenly Aithne could feel tears burn behind her eyes, she blinked them away and scolded herself. “this is absurd.” With steady pass she walked further towards the little light, the feeling was gone. The road stopped, the girl stopped, in front of her stood a little wooden house. The windows where closed but you could see the glow of the hearth through the cracks in the wood. Aithne took a deep breath and knocked the door. Inside sounded service and the scraping of a chair that was shoved away, then the door opened. The girl was surprised and took a step back, she looked at the man standing in the door. It was an older man, gray, with short hair and a modest moustache. Under two bristly, dark eyebrows looked gray eyes down at the girl. The eyes looked estimating and full with expectation. `yes, young lady?' his rough, dark voice asked. Aithne swallowed. `um… I, I was looking for Ebe… Ebesa.' She said softly and the man singed. `you're her granddaughter right? I'm sorry for you but Ebe died two days ago.' Aithne heard the dark voice from far away. `I'm alone now?' suddenly she saw the colors fade and she fell, everything went black.

When she opened her eyes again she saw the wooden ceiling and heard the door close. `what happened? You were lucky I could catch you before you hit the ground.' The man said while appearing next to her. The girl sat up, she was now in the middle of the room. `I, I guess I fainted.' She looked up at the man. `I know you.' She whispered. the man offered his hand and pulled her up. `maybe you remember me, you were very small then, Aithne.' He said and the girl looked at him. `who are you?' she asked. The man gestured her to sit down at the table, the girl took a chair and watched while the man filled a bowl with soup and pasted it to her with some bread. `I'm Mendes.' He answered short and filled two cups with water. `you knew my mother, I remember you standing in the street, she was crying.' Aithne said confused and then took a sip of the soup, it tasted nice. `yes, I've met your mother, Sarah, twice. The first time was on a horrible autumn day, you would be born in that week somewhere. I came to warn your parents that there had been a prediction, a prophecy, about their unborn child. The prediction had caused some fuss in the Court and of course your mother and father were scared too. But I told them the prediction was young and could have been wrongly read. Six years later I came back to Sarah to tell her that there was no mistake now and that it was really you who had to fulfill the task. I gave her the necklace and had to make her do a terrible promise. Because no one could now about your task we tried to hide you. Your mother couldn't tell anyone, not even you and her fate would be decided. On the last day she had to give you the necklace, you would be seventeen by then. It was hard for her but everything she could do right then to help you.' The man told and then drank. Opposite of him sat a confused girl. `what kind of prediction? Which court? Which task? What do you mean? What does it has to do with my mother?' Aithne asked confused and broke a little piece of the bread. `and what's so important about the necklace?' her hand slowly traveled to the wooden pendant under her ruined dress, hidden by her cloak. Mendes looked at her. `your mother knew she would die that day and so would have your father. Ebe seemed to know the truth too for she died and disappeared just like your mother, so they wouldn't leave a trail. This would happen when the necklace touched your skin and awakened, Sullivan will know when it awakens and he will try to destroy it, we have to keep it out of his hands, you may never loose the pendant.' The man spoke with low voice and the girl nodded, tears burned behind her eyes. `so my mother knew, all the time, how she would end? That she had to die… for what? And why? What do you mean by trail?' she asked softly, she began to shake, she didn't understand it. `I'm sorry Aithne, but it was saver to not leave any evidence of where you had been living, maybe we have an advantage on Sullivan now.' The man said and then looked very serious. `Aithne, you're the Protecting Soul of the four Elements. Earth, Water, Fire and Air will be under your guard from the moment the necklace awakens. Sullivan is an evil man, using black magic and demons, he will try to destroy the balance of the Elements. You have to stop him before he succeed ore the world we know will be lost forever.' Mendes sat his cup down and watched the shaking girl. `wha… what? How… I, why me? I, I don't understand… the Elements?' Aithne choked on the words and had forgotten to eat, she was afraid and confused. “how can a girl like me defeat a man that uses… magic? And demons? I'm not even sure if I believe in such things! And mom, she knew everything the whole time?” Aithne became sad and some tears spilled, she wiped them away, she didn't want to cry in front of Mendes. She looked at the man who was watching his cup. `what was the prediction? Why are you so sure it's me you seek?' the girl asked softly, but the man shook his head. `I can't tell you the exact prediction, it isn't save. We will travel to Kern, we won't be easy to track from there, then I'll tell you what I know. It's late, finish your dinner and get some sleep, we will leave the village the day after tomorrow, so we can get some rest first.' The man sat and drank the last of his water, Aithne looked at him, her sorrow turning into anger. `who says I'm going with you? I don't know nothing about you! This could all be a lie, a trap.' She said and stood up, so did Mendes. `you know this isn't a lie Aithne. Your mother and your house are gone and you're wearing the necklace. It's you honor full duty to protect the Elements.' He stated and the girl stared back at him. `I've lost my home, my family and now you're trying to take my freedom, what's so honor full about that? Don't I have a choice?' she asked angry. `no you don't, you should be crateful that the Elements chose you girl, it's a great privilege!' the man said, getting a bit irritated too. `a privilege!? What if I don't want that privilege? What about my life?' the girl asked, her voice getting louder. `when Sullivan's destroyed and you've saved the world, then you can live your life, don't be so egoistic girl!' Mendes answered and Aithne gave him a cold look. `egoistic? And how am going to destroy this Sullivan anyway?' she whispered with icy voice. The man sat down again and gestured to the girl to do the same. Slowly Aithne sat down, she looked at the soup and began to drink it a bit, it made her calm. Mendes signed while he watched her. `Aithne, please, I know this is a surprise to you but it's getting late and you have to get some strength back first. Have a little patient and I'll tell you about the necklace tomorrow alright?' the man said and the tired girl slowly nodded. She felt like he was giving her a rebuke, but she dismissed the feeling and ate her dinner. Mendes opened a window and looked outside, Aithne could see the increasing moon. Sadly she thought about how her mother had seemed perfectly well a few moons ago, then suddenly she got sick and the doctor couldn't find anything. It was like her whole world was erased from under her feet. But her mother had known then what would happen, all the time and she hadn't been able to tell her daughter. Aithne finished the soup the bread and her water and Mendes closed the window. He walked toward a high chest and opened it's shutters, revealing a freshly made bed. `you can sleep in here, it's to small for me.' He mumbled and the girl walked over to the bed, she kicked out her little boots and climbed in it. She didn't pull the covers over her but instead used her cloak to cover her up. Then she closed the shitters, leaving only a little chink open so she could watch Mendes. The man shove tree chairs together and laid down on them while his back rested against the wall, he too used his cloak as a blanket. It didn't look really comfortable, but Aithne couldn't care less about that. the girl turned on her side and felt the wooden pendant pressing against her collarbone, soon she sunk away into a deep dreamless sleep.