The cool grass beneath my feet kept me grounded. I dreamed of soaring with parrots above me or floating around like the many clouds, as a breeze blew past me the forest began to gently stir awake. The sounds of the lemurs jumping from tree to tree while the frogs down below shifted through the leaves that have fallen to the ground. The only disturbance in this peace was the sound of my footsteps trailing through the forest floor.
My vision was filled with shades of green and bright pops of color from fruit hanging from the trees. The heavy morning air left a light mist to cover the ground. While streaks of light shoot through the trees above painting the air with golden dust from the sun. It was almost as if the sun was painting a picture all around me and it was beautiful.
I followed the path I have walked thousand times over. The earth recognizes my pattern leaving me flowers and fruit along the way that I gladly picked and placed into my bag for later. The sound of water began to get louder and louder as I got closer to my destination. The air became dense with water. The trees get more scarce until I reached the river feeding the mouth of Helinda. The waterfall overlooked the valley where the animals run free and the fruit is plenty.
Shivers ran up and down my spine as my toes dip into the water. With steady steps, I began to walk towards the center of the river careful to avoid getting swept away by the current. It was steady and around my feet, I made my way to a piece of earth protruding from the river. The stone warmed from the sun and brought me back to reality. My heart began to race as I inched my toes towards the edge of the rock. The only thing that was separating me from the river was a 20-meter drop into the pool of water below me.
I looked below me into the valley. I glanced past the trees and the animals roaming. My village sat at the foot of the mountain with my home and my sister in the city. The gentle snores of the village were carried with the wind to my ears.
I was so far
I was so far away from home.
While they slept I ran to the top of the mountain past the forbidden forest. Through the many trees and animals that posed a threat to my village daily. And here I stood at the edge of Helinda.
I reached into my hair pulling out the string and keeping it in a bun. All of my long curly silver locks covered my face giving me a brief reminder of who I am. Or what I am. Why do I run here every day at the kiss of dawn? I stood there for a second listening to the encouragement of the wind blowing around me.
My mother always used to share stories of people who befriended the wind. In return, she would tell them secrets from the gods and earth. She gave warriors the strength to face monsters and dangerous enemies. She gave them the courage to face the mightiest warriors before them
I closed my eyes with the memory of my mother's sweet voice. taking a deep breath and leaning my body forward.
The wind pushed and pulled my hair in every single direction. With my eyes closed, I felt as if I were flying through the air. I was flying faster than any of the valleys or royal dragons. I opened my arms wanting to feel every ounce of excitement flowing through my body. A smile found its way onto my face as I fell through the sky.
My thoughts were interrupted by the feel of cool water surrounding my body. I opened my eyes to see I was surrounded by the beautiful clear blue water. My hair floated around my body making everything look far more magical than it already did.
My lungs began to burn signaling to my body that I was beginning to run out of air. I began to swim back to the surface. Taking a deep breath I looked around taking in my surroundings. the hummingbirds sang a love song to the beautiful world as the forest animals added percussion with their hooves running through the beautiful dance floor. the trees moved with the rhythm.
pushing my arms through the water I allowed myself to enjoy the music of the earth while cooling off in this cool pond.
After Finishing a long swim I found my way to the shore. I walked towards a tree at the center of the forest providing cool shade from the sun that was now higher in the sky. Sitting down I rest my back against a tree. I tried to run my hands down my hair but it was caught by knots throughout my whole head. Desperately I ran my fingers through my curly hair I tried to work out the knots but I felt like the more I tried the more knots I found.
With a sigh, I reached out towards the lake. My hand began to tingle with a feeling I have never found the words to describe the feeling. Water from the lake began to rise. Like a snake, it slowly shifted towards my outstretched hand. Once a had a ball of water shifting through my hand I concentrated my thoughts and began to form the shape of a comb. I messed up a couple of times but eventually, I got it right. With 13 spikes widely spaced, it was the perfect shape for my wild thick hair.
Shifting my thought I then lowered the temperature of the water and slowly, I made sure that the water wasn't shifting in shape too much. Finally, I became a solid piece of ice. I hit it against the grass making sure it was solid enough.
I began to comb through my silver locks of hair. It quickly curled each time I ran the comb through it. After a while of brushing my curly hair surrounded my head blocking my vision. I braided my hair into two cornrows get it out of my face and rested my head against the tree. Probably messing up my braids with the rough bark but I didn't care about my appearance too much, or at least I tried not to.
Sometimes it was hard. I was the only one who looked like me in my village. My sister did not inherit any of my looks. She has a sweet slender frame and I was tall and awkward looking. She had our father's dark lovely eyes and mine was my mother's light hazel. She had long wavy brown hair but mine was silver. Not gray like our elders in the village but as silver as the moon's reflection in water or like the metal blades that the soldiers around us carried around.No one in the village had ever seen anyone who looked like. I became an object of fear and shame. I found that keeping to myself, being far away to avoid their stares
I spent my days at work as a nurse in the soldier's camp. These men came to the camp to train for the rebels and recover from more intense battles. My skills with herbs and wounds were one of the reasons I got to work rather than remaining home like the rest of the women. I found myself up most nights reading and studying medicine to make sure my skills remain excellent. The other reason why I was working was my uncle was a famous war general that respects all parts of the kingdom. The soldier tolerate me because of this fact.
My uncle was Famous for almost never failing to lead his men back to victory until he died last summer. My heart began to hurt with the thought of him being gone.
He loved my sister and me with all his heart, but he had to keep us hidden. We are immigrants of this land we are immediately put into the servant's quarter. We lived outside of the city near the mountains so we would not run into anyone of importance.
Over the years because of my sister's light features my uncle was able to sneak my sister into the city and allow her to go to school. She is one of the smartest kids in her class and very beautiful as well. She was a dancer, i would often sneak into the city leaving colorful dresses and cloth at her doorstep for her to wear to school or her shows. She has captured the hearts of many with her moves as well as her dances. I heard she already has many marriage offers from high-ranking generals.
My uncle had to keep me in the immigrant quarters because my strange looks would not allow me to blend in well enough. My gift with water also wasn't very easy to hide as a child either.
the gift popped up when I was angry, sad, hurt, and happy. I was out of control. I would cause it to rain and make a room humid in the middle of the winter. I could freeze or heat up water with just the movement of my hand. I could move water through phases and states just with the way i change my breath.
Eventually, my uncle taught me to control my powers. He worked with the royal family and trained many of their member who was gifted with fire. But he has never met anyone with abilities like mine.
He always told me that is why I would be the "fiercest warrior on the battleground"
And so he trained me like one
Long nights
Cuts a bruises
And many hits
On the night when it got hard. I closed my eyes and pretended that I was normal. That I didn't have these gifts. I looked like my sister. And then maybe I could have been in school as well and had friends. Walking around my hut i would pick up the few books i had and pretend to have conversations with my group of friends about mean teachers and silly boys. Once my eyes opened again i would look around that small hut, at the pile of bandages and the bucket that i used to collect herbs from the forest bringing me back to reality.
But this is what the Gods decided to give to me and I shall live with this until my time has come.
I've learned to adapt. I have enough control of my power to be in public and I use a cloth to cover my hair. I walk through the city with my head down and never draw any more attention than I need to.
The only time that i could completely relax and allow myself to be seen was now. In the moring strolling through the forest sitting down at the bottom of the waterfall with nature as my witness
A mighty roar was heard above my head. I quickly ducked down hiding my body behind the tree. I looked up to see metallic red scales and huge wings swooping through the sky.
I watched until its tails disappeared behind the trees.
A dragon I questioned in my mind.
Most dragons have become extinct throughout the war the few left were owned by the royal family and their fiercest soldiers.
A few seconds later I heard a thud farther up in the forest. The landing must not have been graceful.
I quickly ran to the river and started to swim towards Helinda.
concentrating on the feeling of water around my body. I closed my eyes and let my body sway with the movement of the water.
I moved upward, allowing my body to rise with the water. I started to increase the speed until I started to feel the wind blowing past my face.
Once I reached the top I pushed myself forward until my feet rested in the cold water of the river.
Looking around I searched for a sign of the dragon or anyone else who may have been on the dragon but there was no sign of anything, everything was as I left it.
I followed the path back to the village. But I couldn't help but feel a set of eyes on me. I started to speed up looking around for any flashing eyes and analyzing the path for possible footprints.
As beautiful as the forest may be many predators roam. It is incredibly dangerous for anyone to be roaming out here by themselves. Even worse if a person were to catch me using my powers I would be taken away. Away from my home and my sister. Away from everything I know.
My eyes caught a flash of blue up in the tree. I tried to get a closer look but my body collided with another hard body.
Cerian was on the floor and white soldier's uniforms were scattered across the muddy ground. I quickly sat up trying to pick up as much as I could before the mud stained the clothes. I felt a pain on my side causing me to fall into some mud. I looked up to see Cerian standing up her face red as a tomato.
"Stay on the floor whore" Cerian hissed looking down at me.
I tried to get up by slowly getting my knee dusting off the mud of my dress but I only earned laughter from the rest of the girls standing around
"you might as well stay on your knees right there, maybe a man will come to find you instead of you sneaking into the soldier's camp at night trying to find a man" my eyes met some familiar brown eyes.
Rosalinda now standing in front of all the other girls laughed harder after her rude comment.
My sister knows better
I waited until all the girls left and I fully stood up. I felt a bruise forming on my side from where Cerian kicked my side. I pushed the pain to the back of my mind and hurried back to my home to get ready for work. I had to walk through the village and I would like to do so before too many people wake up.
I made my way back to my house. The floorboards creak with each step that I take. Papers with unreadable handwriting were scattered all over the floor.
I grabbed a brown top and a pair of loose-fitting pants with a matching scarf.
The blouse fell just above my belly button. I threw on my pants and wrapped the scarf around my head.
Finally grabbing some of my notes off the floor and placing it in my book of notes I headed off to the city.