Olvan lead Sancha down several flights of uneven stairs, below the ground floor of the fortress. Sancha did her best to not trip on the stairs as she followed behind. They passed through a passage that was lit dimly with torches and deprived of natural light, and passed a door that Sancha learned lead to the Greenhaven library, something Sancha had not known existed previously, but was eager to investigate at a later time.
The ceiling was low and Olvan had to hunch to not hit his head. Sancha, far shorter, was able to stand normally as she walked. From this passage, they headed down another flight of stairs, even further down into shadowy darkness. Sancha wanted to flood Olvan with questions as to where he was taking her, but she held her tongue, deciding that whatever she was being lead to, she would come to understand soon enough.
At last, they reached the end of the stairwell, and into an even more shadowy space. The air was dry though not thick or suffocating. Olvan pulled the door to the stairwell shut, and the room was briefly encased in total darkness. Then, suddenly, light burst into being, the room bathed in pale golden light emenating from small stones imbeded like mosaic tiles in the walls of the large chamber.
"Wow," Sancha couldn't helped but whisper. She gazed around the space, and soon took notice of what lay before her and Olvan.
The ceiling was arched, culminating at a point high enough above that Olvan could stand without slouching. The gem lights lines the walls in beautiful patterns. The floor was smooth stone, untouched by moss or feet from the looks of it. Near the far wall, a large pair of stone statues stood.
One depicted a young woman, with long flowing curls carved in a way that made them appear windswept. She wore riding pants, a tunic with a belt, and a sweeping cloak fastened at the front with a clasp engraved with the letter S. A soft yet almost forlorn smile crossed her unmoving stone lips. In one hand, she held a curved sword, with the other resting on the head of the stone animal beside her.
The creature was unlike anything Sancha had ever seen. It looked part dog and part weasel, with black stripe-like markings on it's lower back and rump. It was about four and a half feet long, and around two feet high at the shoulder.
But as Sancha stared at the stone girl, she felt a wave of sensations flooding over her, and her mouth fell open in shock.
"Do you know of her?" Olvan asked, clearly surprised, though for what reason Sancha didn't yet know.
"I've seen her before. I've seen her in my dreams, though she was dressed different and her spirit animal was in passive form." She assumed the unfamilar animal was the girl's spirit animal.
"She spoke to me," Sancha continued. "She called me...called me the Retriever."
"You're certain this is the same girl you saw?" Sancha nodded quickly.
"I'm positive. I could never forget that face." Olvan's surprise seemed to ebb after this.
"I suppose it's only fitting," Olvan muttered to himself, though Sancha still heard it.
It was then that the young girl took notice of something on the ground a few feet in front of the statue. It was a large polished slab of stone, darker that that comprising the floor. On it, there were words carved in elegant yet simple script.
Criseyde
The Queen That Never Was
Gone but not Forgotten
And just below that, another set of writing:
Hawise
Faithful friend and partner
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Sancha: A Spirit Animals Story
FanfictionSancha is a princess of Stetriol, the daughter of King Irwin, the niece of Gar, the younger sister of Drina, and the twin sister of Shane. Sancha has always been close with her brother and they've had each other as they are forced to watch their par...
