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❅ Ethelfleade

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Nilah44

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Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2014 7:28 pm

S O L OXXXXXO N E
T H EXXC O S TXXO FXXF R E E D O M
Word Count: 1,170

Ethelfleade could honestly tell you that before she had gone through that hell of a war, she had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. She could do everything she tried, she was good at everything...well, except maybe being sneaky. But she was never excellent at anything. And in her opinion, it just sucked! Okay, sure she could see how knowing how to do a little bit of everything could be beneficial, but to not be really good at any one thing? To not have any kind of specialization. That, was the real tragedy to her. It bothered her so much that she convinced her parents to let her travel to Juahar to join the war efforts to try and find out what she should do with herself. With a war, there would surely be people of all different kinds of specializations and it could be the place she could find her class. That was her hope anyway. But the reality of it was way far off.

When she arrived at Neued, it wasn't at all what she was expecting. It looked...calm. Yet there was still plenty of work to do. Being a prentice, she got sent on errands for this person or that person and sent to do this chore or that one. Not that she minded being helpful, but she wasn't learning any battle skills this way! But finally, finally, people were starting to spar and train and teach. Ethelfleade, too excited for words, jumped in on the first group she found. The group happened to be teaching how to properly use a sword. She had picked up a few at home but they never felt right. This…however, a proper training sword, not some big man’s sword, but a sword meant for practice. This felt right, and she wondered if that was all she was missing, just not having the correct equipment. Was that her problem with everything she’d tried then? Was the bow too big? Lance too long? Spear too heavy? No, there was something else to it. As she listened to the swordsman instruct them on how they should hold the sword not just in their hand, but in relation to their body, and how they should move while holding the sword. It was like a dance, something her mother had been insistent upon teaching her which Fleade surprisingly liked. This was what she had been missing. It wasn’t enough for the young prentice to simply pick up a weapon, she needed instruction on it. To be taught. That was the one thing she had been searching for. She had renewed hope, and instead of going and trying all the different weapons, she stuck with the swordsman and her sword. Unfortunately for her, it wouldn’t do her much good in the days to come.

The day they would get attacked was something she’d never forget. Not only because of the horror she witnessed, but because of her own cowardice. The swordsman had finally approved of her ready for an actual sword. It was the correct length, and not too long. It was perfect. She had kept it beside her bed, or what could pass as a bed, every night since it had been given to her. Unfortunately for the prentice, all that training had not been enough to shake the fear from her soul. When she heard the screams and cries and the shouts to arms, the sword lay forgotten on the floor by her bed. Even though she hadn’t gotten used to the reflex of grabbing her sword when shouts rose, she had gotten into the habit of sleeping fully dressed and as she was fully awake, Fleade darted out of her tent. Fleade heard the shouts grow louder, longer, fiercer, more frightful. She was frozen in place and could do nothing more than watch. Her instructor valiantly calling for everyone to pick up arms and defend Neued from the Obans. But she couldn’t do it. Fear struck her heart and gripped it tight and the Zenan found herself breathless. Their eyes met and time seemed to freeze. She could see his mouth begin to shape her name before the words were projected into the air. It was loud but she heard it plain as day. She doubted he could hear her soft, ”I’m sorry” as she turned and ran. No matter how much time would pass, she would hear his scream of pain as his moment of distraction on her caused him his life.

Ethelfleade ran as fast as she could. She knew that Neued had fallen. She knew that they would soon come after her. She knew a lot of things, but it didn’t matter how much she knew because she heard people shouting behind her. They were after her, she knew they were. Fleade kept running and running and running. She had not been practiced like the shifters with their running in the trees so her frantic tracks were easily followed. And then disaster stuck. Her foot slipped on a root she was trying to avoid and twisted and bent causing her to go crashing to the floor. She tried to get up and move but it was no use. She gave in not wanting to damage it any more than it may possibly be. She was captured by some cocky Oban and imprisoned in Neued. But that would not be the end of her, oh no. Once imprisoned with fellow Tendajians was when Chi gave her the plan she needed to try their escape. It was risky, but the payout would be immeasurable.

The plan itself was simple, carrying it out, not so much. There were some pitfalls to it as one of the other prisoners had pointed out, one who seemed much more experienced than her. But yet it was she who took the lead in getting them out. It was her plan that had been successful. Her drive to escape and beat the obans into the ground was what had ultimately led to the capture of Oban nobles and their return to camp. That fear she had got left in the Oban camp to be trampled by their large beasts. She still heard the swordsman’s scream at night, and even when she just dazed off in the middle of the day. But as the big battle day drew near, Fleade found once more a sword in her hand, like it had been there all along. There were scars on her sword hand from where she had gripped the makeshift blade she used against the Oban so tight but she was proud of those scars. Proud that they now held a proper sword. Proud to go into battle, sword in hand, and fight and defeat those who had imprisoned her and her fellow Tendajians. This was THEIR home and they needed to get out. She would beat them out, she and her sword, not just one of them but both of them, every last one of them.

Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2018 8:12 pm

G R O W T HXXXXXS O L O
T H EXXI M P O R T A N TXXT H I N G S
Word Count: 1,050

A sigh escaped the woman's mouth as she rolled over in bed, sleep still evaded her. It was the middle of the night and everyone else had fallen asleep long ago. Lately, Ethelfleade had been having problems falling asleep or even staying asleep. She always ended up being awake until the wee hours of the morning. As it was becoming an unfortunate routine, Fleade got dressed and slipped out the door. It might be winter but that only meant the you didn't sweat quite as much. Still, the night air was a relief as she made her way through the oban streets. The girl didn't understand why she was having so many problems sleeping. It wasn't something she really had ever dealt with before. Well, perhaps just after the war but being abducted and held hostage could do that to anyone. That was something she had moved passed now, at least she thought she had. Ever since Keelthy had saved her…Keelthy. Her heart quickened it's pace at the thought of him. The two brothers had become invaluable to her, perhaps one more than the other especially since she had met Varinia. Reillan and the oban woman were now apparently a thing which made a little jealous bubble well up inside her. Not only because of her own small amount of feelings for Reil, but also because she knew Keelthy once had feelings for the woman.

Keelthy. Reil and Varinia were now a thing...but what were she and Keelthy? The Ice woman sighed and stopped in her tracks, somehow already on the edge of the city. It was something she hadn't really thought much about but perhaps that was the issue. Her subconscious might be mulling this over since she always distracted herself from those thoughts. Fleade's foot kicked up a small cloud of dust and then she continued the way she had been walking out of the city and into the desert. Why should she label what they were, it's not like she was anything anybody would want to be with. The only prize she ever had been and likely would be was when that Oban man Saraf had captured her. Sure Keelthy was not your typical man...or Oban but he'd already had interest in Varinia, he'd likely continue that and want a pretty oban wife like her. Ethelfleade was just...a distraction.

It was okay though. Fleade thought to herself. She wasn't good enough for Keelthy, she had too much baggage, she wasn't even close to being as pretty as Varinia. Besides, she'd threatened to kill their princess. What oban WOULD want to be with her. Keelthy. Her heart told her which caused her to stop again. Looking back, the city was barely in view. It hadn't seemed like she'd walked so far but she had. Where was she going? Home, to Zena? Fleade hadn't been home since she left for the war for one reason in particular: she was embarrassed. Embarrassed for running. Embarrassed for being captured. Embarrassed for acting the part of captor. And then she was just too angry. But then, Keelthy happened. And nothing had been the same since.

Going home was a thought but she knew it wasn't an option she had really considered anymore. Zena was the home of her childhood and her parents. Though, she thought, maybe she should go see her parents. Ethelfleade hadn't gone home after the war, she'd been too ashamed of herself and couldn't bring herself to face them after all she had done, or hadn't done. When she left home, it had been as a naive prentice with the idea in their mind that they were going to change the world! As if. Now she knew better. One person couldn't change the world but one person had changed HER world. Perhaps she should go home and tell them about Keelthy and everything that had happened after she left home. They might not even know she's alive, she realized in shock. It was something she knew she had to do then, even if it might be something that scared her more than the nightmares she used to have. What about Keelthy? If she left right now, it was the middle of the night, should she go wake him up? Should she wait until morning so the proper supplies could be gathered for the long journey home? That would be the smart thing to do, Fleade told herself. On the other hand, there was now a small urge inside her that wanted to be home and spill her heart out to her parents. But Keelthy.

No. She knew the answer as soon as she asked herself. Keelthy had been her safety net for quite some time now. It wouldn't be fair to him to ask him to uproot everything. It wouldn't be fair to do to herself. This was something she needed to face alone. Besides, that would just be one more bomb shell to drop on her parents, they would probably have enough to process with just her presence. So now the question was, how should she proceed. If she left in the morning, she'd be hard pressed to make Keelthy let her go on her own. Who knows, even Reillan might want to accompany her. And the wrath of that oban woman Varinia was something she didn't want to face again. Ethelfleade would have to leave tonight then. She could stop in the next town and buy supplies for the rest do the journey home. She'd write a note for Keelthy and leave it when she went back to gather the rest of her valuables, mainly her swords. It was settled then. She'd return to the house, write Keelthy a note, collect her things, and begin the journey back to Zena and her parents. This was something that she knew wasn't going to be easy: to have to tell her parents how much of a coward she was, and perhaps even risk her relationship with Keelthy for leaving like she was about to do. There was no other way, Fleade felt, which she included in her note to Keelthy which she left on her bedside table. “I love you.” She whispered as she stepped back out into the night to begin her journey.

Quote:

In this growth quest, Ethelfleade decides what's really important to her as well as deciding to face the demons of her past by going home to face her parents and tell them of all the things she's done since leaving home. Those she's proud of and those she's not.