Starlight

Prologue

Tip tap tip tap!

With the afternoon sun blazing down on the small village, a young, energetic girl can be seen dashing through the dirt paths. Dressed in long black pants and a white, short sleeved top with leather worn boots, at a first glance she could be mistaken as a young village boy. Her long, beautiful silver hair glimmered in the sunlight as it swayed in her high ponytail and she had a pretty heart shaped face with hints of baby fat still present. She was graced with light gold almond shaped eyes that shone in the sunlight, long curled eyelashes, a cute button nose, porcelain like skin, and thin pink toned lips. Once people took a closer look, her adorable features made it impossible to mistake her for a boy.

Carrying a stack of firewood on her back with a short axe strapped to it, she continued to dash through the streets, hurriedly making her way home.

"Lass!" A voice suddenly boomed.

The girl quickly skidded to a halt and faced the direction of the voice. A large man wearing a leather apron was standing at the doorway of one of the cottages. He was the village blacksmith, and one of the few that was friendly with the girl and her mom.

"Hello Uncle Blacksmith!" The girl said, grinning and showing off her pearly white teeth.

"Lass, take these fruits with you back to your mom. The medicinal paste she gave me for the cut on my leg worked like a charm! I know both of you can hunt and fish, so instead of meat I figured you both would enjoy some of these instead."

A smug and proud looked appeared on the man's grizzly face. "My wife used her magic to grow them, so I can guarantee that they are the sweetest you've ever tasted!"

"Thank you!" The girl said. Taking the fruits, she carefully held them. "Let us know if you need more medicine. See you later Uncle Blacksmith!" Flashing a smile again, she turned and dashed down the dirt path.

Shaking his head, the large burly man grumbled, "that lass, she's such a young girl but she acts like a boy. How will she get married in the future?"

In a misogynistic world with elemental magic, mystical races, and constant conflict, the human world was still dominated by the view that men did the fighting and leading, while the women stayed at home, gave birth and took care of the kids. Likewise, young girls were supposed to be groomed from a young age to act like a "woman" should. The Kingdom of Alagorn was no exception.

Any positions of authority or power were basically blocked off, and girls were taught to expect this from a young age.

To see one like the young girl the Blacksmith just spoke to was incredibly rare in this Kingdom. Most girls her age were already wearing skirts and dresses, and staying at home to learn how to take care of a household. Things like cooking, cleaning, embroidery, and childcare were the norm.

Noblewomen would also learn poetry, music, and dance. In a rural village like theirs, this was what young girls could only dream of.

However, this young girl was wearing boys clothes and running around without a care in the world. But, that did not decrease the affection the grizzly Blacksmith held for her. He was an open minded man who had married an opinionated woman himself.

He was just worrying about her future. The harsh reality was, a young independent girl like that would eventually face discrimination, and he did not want to see that young, innocent light to be darkened in any way.

Sighing, the man turned and went back into his house.

While she continued to run, the young girl's grin became even larger as she approached her cottage that she lived in with her mom. Situated at the outskirts of the village with a small patch of land  growing herbs and vegetables and decorated with planted lilies, a soft breeze gently dispersed the pure and sweet smell of the air towards the girl.