Element Warrior. *Completed*

Chapter 6. The Hillside Village.

Chapter 6

The Hillside village.

The sun blared down on me, making me squint. The birds above me sang their heart-filled songs, soaring above me. I drew a hand to my hand -ow! - My head was thumping loudly, crashing against my skull. I closed my eyes. For a moment I could see the wind clapping against the trees, a golden mare running into the distance neighing in alarm... my eyes snapped open. That mare. I had to find her. I raised myself from the wind -swept grass, head rushing. I tottered forward, head STILL thumping. At last I swayed to what should be the end of the Meadows, but the fields just went on till, in the far distance a small village lived. A few meters away a woman was bent down in the field, picking cornflowers. She looked up a moment, did a double take and finally straitened up.

"Hallo, and who a 'you?" she had a thick accent; she wore plain old fashioned clothes and an apron. "I-I...um...where are we?" I Sputtered. My legs swayed...the thumping in my head grew...and grew...and grew...I crumpled to the ground.

When I next awoke I was in a house. The light was dim, but it still hurt my eyes. A cloth was damp against my fore-head, the smell of Fever few and cornflowers were thick in the atmosphere of the claustrophobic room. The woman, who had been picking cornflowers, was knelt by the bed I was laid on. She smiled and brought her hand up to my fore-head. I flinched away.

"You have a nasty bump there, lassie." She said smiling. "What's your name? I'm Alice, by the way." She smiled, her green eyes smiling with her mouth. "I-I'm...um...I..." the penny dropped. I couldn't remember my OWN name. This is weird I couldn't remember my name... "I don't...know..." I finished.

Alice frowned (I suppose people don't hear that very much.). "Well that won't do." She Said "And neither will those clothes." She looked me up and down

"Why?" I asked, which made her laugh. She hurried into another room, leaving me to pull myself to a sitting position. She came back holding some clothes, a dress I think-great!- "Why?" I asked again.

"Well because girls aren't supposed to wear...um... trousers... in Ventor Mandor." She lay out the clothes on the bed."I'll leave you to get change."

Ventor Mandor.

Ventor Mandor.

Ventor Mandor.

I put on the rag dress over my trousers.

"I'll play along" I thought. I walked out of the small room, Alice was mashing up herbs. She looked up, and came up to inspect the dress. She sighed, nodded and said it suited me. The cloth the dress was made of was a creamy-purple colour, the sleeves were short and it was ankle length. Alice placed two bowls on the table and ladled some stew into them. She nodded me to take a seat so I did (plus my tummy was grumbling.) the stew was warm in my tummy and fragrant in the bowl, with floating lumps potato and carrot. When the bowls of stew were finished I rested my arms on the heavy, hollow wooden table, whilst Alice washed the bowls away. In the pale lamplight I noticed something new, brandished on my wrist. It was gold, fiery colour, flickering in twisting leaf patterns like a forest on fire. It was red against my sunned skin; I licked my finger and tried to rub it off. But it wouldn't budge. I held it up to the lamplight; it seemed to glisten like sun on water. Suddenly it shined over, glowing like a torch. By now Alice had wondered over, mesmerized by my new branding.

"W-what is...THAT?" She exclaimed pointing at the mark. I shrugged staring at the brand made me lose control of my thoughts (If I ever ad control over my thoughts.) Alice was quivering. "It is not normal..." she jittered "its sorcery!" I was shocked; Alice didn't seem to be the kind of person who was scared of those kinds of things. "I wonder what it means..." she rubbed the mark, but she wasn't surprised when it didn't come off. She jerked backwards as though she had been scolded. She hurried off into a study like room and came back with a heavy looking, leather bound book. She thumped it down onto the table. It had a picture of a feather it seemed to be on fire, a dragon was in the background, playing with a Pegasus. It said 'Nullam et mystica' underneath translated into 'Mystic and magic.' (The one above must be Latin.) She opened up to a page labeled 'Element Bellator.' No translation though.