Janerin
Jennarin
Her emerald green eyes shone brightly of life and joy from behind her long silvery hair that she always had in front of her face. Her smooth pail skin made the fact that she was still quite young all to obviouse. She wasn't tall by any stretch of the imagionation or extreamly short. I guess you could say that she was the perfect hight, standing to were her head could rest on you chest. She had small features on that tiny frame yet you could tell just by looking at her that she wasn't weak and could do a desant job at defending her self. Skilled with speech she could talk any one I knew into giving her what she wanted. As good with people as she was she was never talorent of people acting childish. I always found it humorise to watch her around imature people
-Volan (mercant under Jennarin's father)
I was never allowed to travel with my father when he left white Wall to trade with other towns. "It is too dangerous on the travelers road for a young girl" was always his response when I asked why I wasn't allowed to go. Then 3 days after my 16th birthday he arranged for my mother and me to travel with him to Cherak were he was planning on leaving me with an old friend.
Three days into the journey the horse my mother was on caught the scent of fair folk and became anxious. After 3 hours mother dismounted and tried to calm the beast but all it did was scare the poor animal more. Out of reaction it reared up, knocking mother back. Father, who was already walking next to his mount as is ran to catch her.
They let her horse run off just happy that mother was fine. The one thing that he kept telling me before leaving White Wall was, "Never leave the road! The road is protected. The Fair Folk can't touch you on the road."
With that I dismounted, watching the wall of mist off the road. Soon dark forms started to appear off the road. Obviously my mother was watching the forms as well, rather than watching the road, because she tripped over a large rock. Unfortunately father's reactions were slower this time because mother fell rolling to the side of the road. I tried to help but she was out of reach. All I could do was watch the Fair Folk drag her into the mist, her screams fading, following her into the mist.
Due to her screams the father's and my horses ran off leaving my father and me 5 days walk of White Wall. Knowing we could never survive the trip to Cherak with out our supplies (which left with the horses) we turned back to White Wall.
After that Father never left town again. He sent his workers to the surrounding towns. It crushed me to watch him sink into this depression. Nothing meant any thing to him any more (not even me). Quickly his workers stopped giving him (or more like stopped giving me) the money they were getting for HIS goods that they were selling for him. He didn't care that we were losing every thing. I knew if I didn't do something we WOULD lose EVERYTHING.
My father was always particular that I was learned in language and that I was good with people. I don't know if it was because he wanted me to take over his merchant business or if he just thought that a "proper" lady should be able to know what people wanted to hear and how to let them hear it. I took this knowledge and put it to a not so "lady like" use. I knew what people in white wall wanted and I knew how to talk them into what I wanted, whether it is money, goods, or knowledge.
Father never figured out how I was spending my days or how I was getting my money, not that he cared. As the year progressed I saw less and less of him he stopped leaving the house or going near the windows. I tried to comfort him but it only angered him because I never showed remorse in losing my mother. I could never convince him showing and feeling are two different things.
Three years after mom died father fell ill; I don't know if he died of his illness or his lack of a will to live. It almost hurt my feelings that I wasn't any reason for him to live. The day he died I spent the entire day with him. I watched the color slip from his face and the energy run out of his body. Most would not look at the one they love slipping away with nothing you could do to stop it, yet there I sat, almost incapable of looking away, watching the final light of life flicker out of his eyes. For a minute or two I sat there looking at his lifeless body with an emotion that I didn't know. It was fear and anger, joy and sorrow wrapped in one. For some reason the joy over whelmed me. I don't know why but every pore in my body was filled with joy and energy. I knew my father was happy, as he was with mother, no longer ill or weak, and the thought that mother was no longer alone.
Soon after, I noticed a look of pure horror on the face of the doctor taking care of my father, who had just walked in the room. At that point I noticed that my father's room was now glowing with the light that you would think was coming from the setting of a fall sun. The pinks, purples and oranges radiated throughout the room. The source seemed unclear to me but from the look on the doctor’s face it was obvious it was coming from me. I ran to the mirror Father kept in his room and was practically blinded as the light reflected back into my eyes, the light was coming from a cast mark shining from behind my bangs that were falling almost into my eyes.
"You're an Anathema?!” is all I hear as the doctor runs out of the room.
Suddenly, I remembered the merchant that was found to be an Anathema 2 weeks before. He was banished from the town. If that wasn't enough men were now breaking into my house accusing me of using my powers (which I didn't even know what they were yet) to kill my father. Once again the memory of a man convicted of murder being banished from town with no supplies, left to the fair folk, came to mind. Next thing I knew I was standing outside the walls of town staring down the traveler's road with the walls of mist just off the road.
As I started to walk down the road leaving Whitewall I started to realize there was no way I would ever survive the walk to the closest town. I don't know what I was thinking when I walked off the road. I guess I figured it was better to be killed by something then to die the slow painful death caused by starvation and cold.
I quickly realized that might not have been such a good idea. It wasn't long before the death knights found me. I don't know what scared me more their presence, all tall and thin peering down on me from their mounts or the unnatural science that surrounded them. One stepped forward saying, "Welcome, daughter of the Unconquered Sun. What brings you into the shadow lands?"
"My reasons are my business sir." was my reply. Quickly I realized how rude that sounded and worried what his reaction would be.
Yet, all he said was, "If you do not wish to answer that is your decision, I will not force you. Yet I feel my lady The Lover Clad will expect answers. Will you please come with us? My lady would like to speak to you."
I went along partly because I had no were else to go, but mostly because I didn't think it was so much of a request as telling me politely.
As we approached the place were they were camped, I noticed a woman standing as if waiting for something to happen. She was a tall almost wiry woman, wearing long maroon robes and a matching veil. Even threw the veil I could see a very smooth, pail, healthy if not sedate face. Yet even as alive as she appears she seems cold. At her side was a long thin translucent soul steel blade that gave me the definite feeling that she wasn't some one to cross.
"What is your name dear? And what brings a young lady like yourself into the shadow lands?" Lover Clad inquired.
"I am Jennarin, I was banished from Whitewall and had no were to go." I reluctantly replied. I don't know why I told her the truth I guess I felt that she some how already knew the answers to her questions.
"You may stay here for a wile if you'd like, as long as you agree to deliver a message for me when you leave."
"Who is this message to? And why can't you or your men deliver it? If you don't mind my asking."
It is no problem Jennarin. The message is to me husband, Kijui, I would deliver the message myself but the last time I saw him we got in a big fight. And as my men are death knights he would kill them out of principle. I can promise to get you to were he is unharmed. Or my men can escort you back to the road and you can continue your journey to were ever you'd like to go." Given those options I didn't have much choice but to except. After eating and resting she told me were I was going.
She did good by her word and I arrived unharmed. I don't quite know what happened before my arrival but the place was in rubble. As she was good on her word I was goon on mine. I found the giant called Kijui (since he was an ice walker he wasn't hard to spot.) I, in a way, gave Kijui the message. Well actually, when I found him and started to talk the Lover Clad's voice came out of my mouth.
When the message was finished a ring appeared in his hand. He became outraged. I thought for sure he was going to kill me. Then another guy called Mako walked up fallowed closely by 2 apparent dynasts named Chahalis and Jasala. Mako and Chahalis seemed reckless to me. Chahalis looked younger then me though so I ignored it. Jasala I couldn't tell much about except that she was a dragon blooded.
I guess it was because of whom the message was from, but they suddenly didn't trust me and wanted to know how I ran into "the likes of her" as Mako put it.
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