Welcome to Gaia! ::

In the mild morning, the sunrise lighted upon a young girl sitting on the ramparts. First it dyed her chestnut locks a deep gold, then it spread to her plain garments, turning the low quality cloth to a garments that would only be worn by a god. Even the stone wall encircling the city was transformed. Even poor things could look beautiful in the right light.

This was the best part of the day, when all was quiet, tranquil and untouchable. Unfortunately, the magic would not last long, soon the morning would come in full. Carts would wheel down the road, business would be done and, worst of all, the soldiers would be on the prowl.

Soldier's were all over these days. The war had not stopped, or even slowed down, it was simply even more ferocious. Lonwynn, the country that had attacked us and began the war, was a nation of dishonest barbarians, or so the people were told. Living in Cairnn was not exactly the best place for pro-Lonwynn propaganda. It was the capital trade city of Katherain, supplying the standard for the rest of the country. Second only to the capital where King Bronwan lived in his palace.

The girl reflected back on the war. It had started 3 years ago, when she had been only sixteen. At first it was fun, cheering in the streets, encouraging the army, having parties when the Katherainian army gained victory. That all disappeared quickly. Soon the nation was impoverished, restless soldiers assaulted citizens. Although their army had been winning lately, one could never know when that would change, the Lonwynn army could push them back any day. Every hour consisted of dancing on knives, waiting for news of the latest battle, latest slaughter.

Koreina grimaced as a line of charcoal went astray of the rest. Carefully she rubbed it out, then sat back and cleared her mind. It was no use to draw with a disturbed mind. She had been working on this picture for a week. Finally Kory had assigned herself the task of drawing the Valley of lost Souls. The view was breathtaking from the top of the wall encircling the city, but it was a difficult task. Koreina sighed, perhaps she had overestimated her skill.

A loud bell called it quits for the young girl. Soon the troops would be in the streets and a girl like her would be ripe for the picking. Gingerly, Kory closed her sketchbook and tucked it into the bag beside her, along with the drawing materials. After securing the pack on her shoulders, she swung her legs over the inside of the wall and jumped down onto the wooden walk. She made her way quickly to the stairs then descended to the street-level. A couple early risers grinned at her, patted her head or winked. Kory was well-known as an airhead, only concerned about what to draw next, not the happenings of the city. People liked that.

Kory dipped through openings in the growing crowds, ducking into an alley as she approached a guard post. Her leather boots made n sound on the uneven cobblestones. On either side of the girl were tall old ramshackle buildings. The country could spare no money for repairs. Although depressing, it made for beautiful paintings.

It was only a short distance to the Frolicking Faye, an Inn with a famous tavern. Koreina slipped in, disregarding the closed sign. The plump Innkeeper raised his head from polishing bottles, once he spotted the intruder, he only smiled at Koreina in dismissal. Kory flashed a grin his way, then made her way on the old floor to the back table she always sat at. It was the sole one that was well lit by a window, yet it was strangely inconspicuous.

Soon Barney, the Innkeeper, welcomed his workers, gave them time to settle in, then opened his tavern. Already a few regulars were waiting, no one of consequence though. Kory took out her sketchbook and spread it out on the worn table. A couple minutes later and she was laying the base work of another masterpiece of hers. This time she had decided to draw an angel, weeping for the dead souls killed in the war.

She had almost finished the base work of the drawing when two soldiers came strutting to the table across from hers. Kory pretended not to notice, instead she drew slower, so as to not destroy her drawing while opening her ears to the two men's conversation. It was easy enough to discern their rank, two sergeants.

“The war isn't going well Batso, we just lost another company to the barbarians.” The man on the left side of the table said, a sigh evident in his heavy voice. The other chipped in with a notably higher one, quite irritating to listen to.

“Well don't worry, Bronwan is taking the weapon to the next battle, we'll win for sure this time. Those cripers won't know what smashed their puny skulls in.” His voice held a sneer. Koreina stifled a shiver, no matter what the Lonwynns did, surely they were still human, not gutter-scum.

Then Barney came, lugging two very large tankards of ale. Soon the men were drowning themselves in the alcohol, and no more was said. Kory was left to finish her drawing. She was shading in the angel's wings when it suddenly hit her. A weapon? That would smash in the enemy's skulls? What could it be? Surely if it meant winning against the barbarians it would be alright, but Kory couldn't help but wonder.