The setting : A low sunset, its orange, red, and purplish light gazing upon the white, snowbound landscape. Stocky evergreens dotted the landscape to the east; the north was heavily wooded, while the south and west was a burning hulk of what once was a town. Blood covered the ground, along with the several hundred bodies they belonged to, outside of what once were the gates of the town. The interior of town was much like outside the gates; houses burned to the ground, bodies of soldiers, women, children, and those of other races strewn about in a grisley fashion. In the midst of the carnage, a lone human male, donned in beaten plate armour, hunched over a form that laid in the snow, his own blood quickly forming a pool around him. He murmured something, his fingers moving slightly, then collapsed. His hand still gripped the sword that was stabbed downward into the ground as he died. Then, the moon exploded. And all that was once known dissapeared with the sudden upheaval of the waves, the rocking of earthquakes, or the warming of lands, or the sudden freezing of others. ---------------- One year earlier... Freeport was always a city of great trade, of large armies of many races, as well as schools for learned scholars. Many came to Freeport for these reasons, to either join the mercenary bands, or perhaps join the Freeport militia, perhaps to learn alchemy or some other schools of magic. But at the end of each day, everyone needed a rest. And as in every city, inns and pubs provided such amenities. In a city such as Freeport, many pubs and inns dotted the city, and the most profitable were located along the main streets, especially those close to the militia and army barraks. However, some people enjoyed quieter places, away from the hustle and bustle of the main city. People such as Torgian, who, upon first glance, was just yet another common soldier in the Freeport Militia. Torgian had just gotten the rest of the evening off, and was heading out towards one of those quiet parts of town, where there was a small inn. It took him a good twenty minutes to walk there, but he always found it a trip well worth the taking. The sign that hung over the inn door had a drawing of a rose overlapping a sword. The "Rose's Thorn" it was called, a peculiar name at best. Torgian paid no heed to this though, as the food and drink was good, for a decent price as well. However, he had to admit to himself that he came mostly for the company of the good innkeeper and his family, who seemed happy despite their troubles. Torgian pushed open the door, which creaked open like a weary old man. The innkeeper, Borik, looked up at the noise, and his face broke into a large, toothy grin. He tossed the rag he was using to the side and greeted Torgian. "A good evening to you, lad! How's the militia?" Borik asked, as he poured a mug of foaming honey sweetened ale. Torgian sat upon a chair near the warm fireplace, pulling himself closer to a table that was nearby. "Fair enough. Another long day on patrol. The commonlands are quiet enough today," he replied, taking the mug from Borik when he had brought it over. "How are things faring for you and the family?" "Good enough. We made a bit of a profit last night," said the innkeeper. "Ah, what would you like to eat tonight?" "Some soup if you have any, along with bread and cheese." "Ohh, simple fare is it?" Borik said with a grin. Such a request was common enough though from the militia soldier, for the food that the militia gave their men was poor at best, and Torgian had always had a taste for Borik's meat and pea soup. Turning about, Borik called his daughters, who poked their heads out of the kitchen. "Bring in the usual, youngins! And an extra bowl for myself!" Torgian looked over at the two girls, one of them blushing as he looked over, the other poking her blushing sister in the ribs and grinning. Both quickly turned and went back into the kitchen. Borik, of course, noticed the exchange and smiled a bit. "Ah. They been growin up lately. Especially me little one," he said, with a soft sigh. Torgian looked back at Borik. "Your little one? Oh, you mean Kesse? Hmm. How's the...?" Borik shook his head. "Another priest came earlier today and tried, but failure as always. Ah... here comes the food." Torgian watched as Kesse seemed to argue quietly with her bigger sister, Sarah, who pushed Kesse none too gently towards his table. Kesse seemed to resign herself to the task and picked up the tray of food, carrying it over slowly. Borik turned slightly. "Ahh, daughter. Here, let me help you," Kesse shook her head and smiled. "No no, I've got it father." She looked over to Torgian, and blushed slightly as she walked over. Torgian couldn't really figure out why she was acting so jitterish though... well except for the obvious reason. Kesse laid the tray onto the table... but as she let go, Torgian noticed that it was hanging more than halfway over the edge, and began to fall. Borik was quick though, and he grabbed the tray before it could topple over. Unfortunatly, one of the large bowls of soup tipped over and hit the floor with a resounding crash. Kesse squealed as it fell, and hopped back a step. "Oh no! I'm sorry..." she exclaimed, as she stooped down to start cleaning the mess. "I'm sorry." Borik chuckled slightly and shook his head. "No no, it's quite allright, little one. Here, just wipe it up with my towel here. I'll mop the floor later allright?" Kesse stood and nodded. "Oh-kay..." she said quietly, after wiping up most of the spill. She then smiled at Torgian and hurried back to the kitchen. Borik smiled, though a bit sadly, as he looked over to the militia soldier. "You know, I think she's smitten with you, son." "Wha...? Bah, I don't think so. She was just embarrased for dropping the soup," Torgian said, waving his hand at the innkeeper in a dismissive gesture. "Hmpth. Whatever you say," replied Borik, still grinning. Torgian took a bite of bread and cheese, leaning back as he contemplated for a while. Then he said, "Her eye is whiter than the last time I saw her..." Borik nodded. "Yes. She's been growing blind in that eye. The most the priests have been able to do was stop its growth. So.. she won't be completely blind, but she doesn't have... what did they call it? Depth perception? Bah. Well, you saw the effects," Borik said, nodding towards where the soup had spilled. Torgian hummed in agreement, as he took a few more bites in silence. Then, with a thoughtful look he said, "You know, she is pretty cute though." Borik just grinned.
Torgian burped a bit loudly, as he grinned, dancing with an arm thrown over the shoulder of the innkeeper Borik. It was another week before Torgian was able to visit Borik and his family again at the inn, and tonight was the birthing day of one of Borik's daughters, Sarah. A halfling bard played a lute, while a gnome beat bongos with an uplifting beat. Hanging from the ceiling above was a sign with the words "Happy Birthing Day, Sarah!" written upon it. There were probably about fourty different people in the inn, many of them friends of Sarah or her parents, others being patrons who happened to come in, hearing about the celebration and wanting to forget their troubles for a while. Upstairs, the interior patio that overlooked the common area was full of people drinking and dancing to the music, while nearby the bar, several young men flirted with Sarah, who bore it with ease, and flirted back at a few of them. Borik's wife took care of the cooking, accompanied by Kesse and a few of the other kitchen staff. The music was at a fast and uplifting beat, and Torgian and Borik danced in circles, laughing aloud with the others as everyone danced in circles. Most were fairly drunk at this time, including the militia soldier and innkeeper, both of whom had no shame in showing their merriment. Suddenly, the music shifted a bit in tune, and people began tossing their partners to others and received new ones, as they danced. Borik almost threw Torgian to one of several females in the party, and, in his drunken state, he almost flew into the wall, though someone had caught him and danced with him in a circle for a moment before tossing him to another partner. Torgian yelled at the swirling motion, his brain trying to catch up with the swiftness, and when he was caught and dancing with another, he found that he was staring into Sarah's smiling eyes. "Hey, Torgian. I'm happy you've come to the party!" said Sarah, her full lips in a broad smile. It took a moment for Torgian to register how close he was with her, and he blushed a bit. "Well... wouldn't pass it up for anything in the world! This is entertaining," he replied, suddenly grinning. He twirled Sarah for a moment, before dancing in step with the tune. They danced for several moments, before the gnome and halfing bards stopped their playing. "People, people! We're switching instruments, so if you give us a moment please!" yelled the gnome at the noisy crowd, which quieted down a bit since the music stopped. The gnome turned around, standing on his stool and rummaging through a large box. With a loud, "AhHA!" he pulled out a strange contraption... it looked like a bag with several pipes sticking out of it. The people closeby murmured, wondering what new invention the gnomes had made. The gnome put his lips to the mouthpiece and blew, and a loud Brrrrmmmm noise came out of the pipes. A most horrible noise. The patrons groaned, but after several short moments, the gnome started to manipulate the pipes and the bag itself, and soon a fast tune came out of the long pipes, and, accompanied by the halfling drumming three bongos, it made a decent tune. The people danced again. "Well, that looks cool! Hey, Torgian, it was great dancing with you!" Sarah exclaimed with a giggle. She waved to him and hurried off to the kitchen, leaving a bewildered soldier staring after her... but then he saw a mug of ale walk by and he swiped it from its accompaning tray. Taking a gulp, he turned to dance with another woman. Meanwhile, Sarah was pushing her way past several boys, who were chatting amongst themselves, complaining as she shoved them out of the way with a rude shout. When she was past, they huffed and shook their heads, before resuming their conversation. Sarah made her way back into the kitchen, where several of her friends were talking with Kesse standing nearby them, stirring a mix in a small bowl. "Hey, sis! Still working? You should go out there and have some fun!" Sarah said, punching her little sister in the arm lightly. "OH!" exclaimed Kesse, as she tried to keep the bowl flying from her hands. After a moment she regained control of it, the others laughing. Kesse blushed in embarrasment. "Haha! That's what we were just telling her, Sarah," said one of the girls. The girl, named Olise, grinned. "We've been trying to get her out there and stop moping around in the kitchen. She doesnt have to work tonight anyhow!" Another girl chiped in, "Yeah! You should go meet some of the boys out there!" Kesse blushed at the mention of boys. "Um... um... I'm just not good in crowds..." she said quietly. Sarah looked a bit angry, and she threw an arm around Kesse's shoulder, pulling her close to her side. "Aw, come on! How are you ever gonna have fun if you just keep yourself locked up in this house, huh? Really, sis, you need to get out more." A slight knocking noise diverted the girls attention away from Kesse, and a young man walked in, his hands in his tunic pockets. Black hair was spiked back, a permanent grin on his face as he walked over to the girls. He greeted Sarah. "Ahh! Eile, you were able to come! I'm surprised your teacher let you get away from your studies," said Olise, who rushed up to Eile and gave him a big hug. "Ohh! Hey now!" Eile said, gently pushing Olise away. She giggled and rushed back to the others. Eile waved slightly to Sarah. "Heya. This is a great party you got here, girl!" "Hey! How many times do I have to tell you, not to call me 'girl' like that!" yelled Sarah, grabbing Eile by the collar. "EEhhh hey! I don't mean it in a bad way!" yelled Eile, trying to get away. The others giggled, including Kesse, who always found Sarah's wild emotions funny to watch. "Hmpth. You better be glad I'm in a good mood, or I would've given you another blackened eye," Sarah said, huffing slightly. "Heh.. yeah well... anyway, I cam here to give you your present." Eile grinned as he reached into his small pack and pulled out a wrapped box, and the girls ooooooed, though they quickly stopped and looked away when Sarah gave them an evil look. Sarah looked back at Eile and took the box, smiling. "Well, thanks. Olise, can you take this to dad? He's collecting the presents." Olise smiled and nodded, and she grabbed the present, as well as pulling Eile by the arm and headed towards the commons area. The girls could hear Eile complaining, trying to pull his arm away from Olise. Sarah grinned, then she pulled Kesse and the other girl close together. Kesse tilted her head in confusion, but leaned in close to listen to what Sarah had to say. "Kesse," said Sarah, "Torgian's out there right now. You should go ask him out now!" Kesse blushed. "But um... wh.. what if he says no? Um... and how do you know I...?" "Oh, you idiot! You're always staring at him when he's around!" Sarah said loudly. Then she spoke in a teasing tone. "That bright armour, the messy hair, those stroonng, riiippling musc..." "Allright, allright already!" Kesse said out loud, blushing a deep red. "Yeah, so what if I like him!" She looked down for a moment. "I doubt he likes me though..." "Oh, whatever! You're always saying, 'I want to be stronger.' Well, here's your chance! Even if you don't want him, just ask him out anyway, just to be stronger, right?" said Sarah, leaning back a bit, her arms crossed as she stared at her little sister. Kesse looked at her sister, then, with a serious look, she nodded emphatically. "Right! Stronger... I've got to be stronger! I'll do it." Then she blushed again. "But... he won't like me. My eye..." "Oh, forget about your eye and just do it! Besides, if he doesn't see you for who you really are, a nice, sweet girl, then you don't want him anyway!" Kesse nodded, then smiled brightly. "Aww, sis! Thanks for saying that," she said with a smile. Sarah grumbled. "Yeah yeah, now go out there and get it over with already." She looked over at her friend, another girl whos name was Eolin. "And don't you dare tell anyone about me being sweet or anything!" she said loudly. Eolin gulped and nodded. Satisfied, Sarah grabbed Kesse by the arm and pulled her towards the entrance to the commons. Kesse took a step, then stopped and looked back up at her sister, who nodded, and none too gently shoved her towards to crowd. Kesse looked around and walked slowly through the crowd, who were dancing slowly to a slow song, this time the instruments being a violin and flute. It took her some time, but she soon found Torgian sitting at a table with her father Borik. Blushing, she made her way over to the table. Torgian and Borik were talking about various rumours spreading around, but stopped as soon as Kesse got close to the table. Torgian noticed she was blushing, and Borik looked over, a worried look on his face as he asked her if she needed something. "Um.. no, just um..." she looked around slowly, trying to work up the courage. Oh, why did dad have to be here, she thought. It'd be so much easier if he was soemwhere else! Sarah granted her wish. She was watching Kesse approach Torgian, and when she saw Borik sitting there at the table, she raced over. Borik and Torgian both looked up in surprise as Sarah suddenly approached, calling for her father. "Dad! Come! I can't move the barral of ale from the celler. I need some help!" Borik blinked and grumbled a little. "Can't the others help you...?" "Dad! THey're busy with the cooking, I need your help, ok? Get off your butt and help me!" Sarah said, tilting her head and scowling at Borik. Borik grinned and waved his hands in the air. "Okay, okay! lead the way, princess!" Borik got up and grinned at Torgian, shrugging. "I'll be back in a few!" Torgian nodded, then looked over at Kesse, who was looking down, still blushing. "Um... did you need something, Kesse?" Torgian asked. He felt confused, though he was a bit drunk on top of that, but not so much that he couldn't think. "Well.. um... Torgian ahh...well... I was wondering... Will you go out with me?" Kesse looked up at him with big eyes, and Torgian blushed. Several moments passed as Torgian tried to sort out in his head what just happened, and Kesse took this as a no, and she began to sniffle as tears welled up in her eyes, the embarrasment and her emotions beginning to overwhelm her. To this, Torgian paniced. "Oh! Um.. yes, sure! I'll go out with you. Just don't cry," he said quickly, not knowing how else to act. Kesse looked up, a slow smile forming on her lips. "Re...Really? You'll go out with me?" Torgian smiled and nodded. "Sure, of course I will! Oh, but um.. I'm in the militia, so I don't know when I'll have another day off... but I'll try to get one next weekend. So how about then?" Kesse smiled, and she nodded. "Uh huh! Okay!" Smiling, she turned and quickly walked back to the kitchen, leaving Torgian to think. He leaned back in his chair and thought about what just happened, then groaned. "Oh maan. She's cute. But why did I have to promise her next weekend?! I just remembered that I'm supposed to go out to the tournament with my buddies!" Torgian sighed and sat in his chair. "Guess I'll have to tell them I've got a date."
