Evaline, covered in rain, mud and blood, now kicked out of her home
began collecting her things around her when she heard a commotion from within the tavern. The distinct sound of a mans head being slammed into a post, and grunts of pain springing to life. Evaline glanced over her shoulder towards the wooden door which at this point had closed. A few men walked by, pondering entering the tavern for an ale when the high pitched shrieks of a man in pain echoed off this buildings interior, they quickly turned and ran in the opposite direction. Finally a man shouted from deeper in the tavern. "Fucking Elf lover." The words struck Evaline like a bolt of lightening."This was because of me?" She thought to herself her eyes looking expectantly at the door which now flung open as a man swiftly exited. He glanced down at her momentarely as he moved past her. This moment was just enough for her to catch his pale eyes and facial features where it was apparent he had been the new traveller in the tavern the night before and also one who had helped in the battle against the beastmen.Evaline opened her mouth to help her find words but by this moment the gentleman had already turned and walked in down the opposite alley to the one she was sitting.
All of this happened in moments as Evaline began to stand slowly outside the tavern. Her cloak was heavy with dirt and grime, her face swollen under bruises that sculpted her cheekbones. Her hair was matted and tangled and her ears were cold after long being held secure under her green scarf. She felt the drops of rain catch her eyelashes then drip down the sides of her reddened cheeks. Evaline closed her eyes took one deep inhale, and then exhaled slowly and calmly.
"Time to begin again." She told herself under her breath. She attached her items to her belt and back then pulled her hood over her head. With a few steps her shadow was no longer under the lamp that hung over the door of the tavern.
She turned, faced it's door from the shadows as three men stumbled out two carried one between their shoulders who was seemingly hurt or unconscious, his feet dragged in the mud behind him. With the sound of the door swinging closed behind them she bowed and said,
"Thank you for your temporary sanctuary."Evaline turned on her heal and began walking. She had no destination in mind but keeping a brisk pace did her some good. She felt her life coming back to her, the good and the bad in the masters home, the good and the bad in the tavern. She did not regret any of it, the amount she had learned from both she knew she would carry for the rest of her days.
The image in Evaline's mind as her feet carried her was of a shaded hunters shake near the edge of the wood that wasn't often used. She had discovered it once by mistake when foraging the wood for herbs. It was well hidden behind a wall of pine and brush she knew she would not be disturbed there, provided no one was hunting at the moment which she gathered they would not be considering the current events.
Evaline turned slightly on her heal and headed towards the edge of the village on the east side. The rain had stopped and the smell in the air was no longer foul, as though the rain was called upon to help reduce the evidence of the attack on the village. She loved the smell of the air after the rain as though it was a clean beginning for the next day. She made a game of skipping over puddles as she reached to woods edge. It was dark now, the light of the moon dropped beams that peaked through the tree canopy above her. She followed familiar paths and landmarks, easily unnoticed if not for her consistent venturing into the shallow beginnings of the wood. The wall of pine became apparent and she began to proceed cautiously as she didn't want to intrude on someone if they were using the cabin for their own purposes.
Evaline held her breath as she approached the wooden door and pressed her ear up gently to it.
"No sounds" She thought to herself. She listened for a moment more then exhaled in relief. She slipped her hand onto the door latch and pulled it open. The door itself did not hang straight on it's hinges. It didn't quite fit where it was meant to and looked as though it was more then worse for well. Evaline stepped in as the sound of her boots on the wooden floor echoed throughout the small space. Her hands felt the wood table next to the door for the lantern she had seen there the last time she visited. She felt the dust over her fingers then finally, the base of the metal lantern. She ran her long slender fingers up the cold glass until they reached the handle on the top. With her other hand she found the means of lighting it sitting next to it, also covered in dust. She took both items out into the moonlight and ignited the lantern.
A warm light illuminated the room revealing its contents. The room was no larger then a food storage closet with two beds attached to the wall on the left side, a large wooden table along the right side, it was stained in various animal's blood from many hunting trips. Beneath it was a pile of chopped wood and between them was a fire pit in the floor. The only window in the room was above the table where dried herbs hung all around it.
Evaline placed the lamp on the table once again and began stoking a fire in the pit. It was small at first and then quickly filled the room with warmth. She then sat on the edge of the bed closest to the ground and took off her boots. Mud caked the bottom of them making them heavy, with them held high so as to not drip too much more on the floor, she stepped around her footprints and placed the boots just outside the cabin door. She then took off her cloak and hung it on one of the beams holding the roof in place so the fire would dry it throughout the night. Afterwards, she began taking her items off one by one and laying them out on the table to take an inventory until all she had on was a white slip that came midway down her thighs and revealed her shoulders, her skin showed signs of faint scars from burns, cuts and lashes. Her long red hair hung low towards the fire, the warmth on her skin felt comfortable and relaxing. The smell of burning timber was soothing and refreshing
She looked at all the things she laid out on the table and began going through them in her mind. The first thing she glanced at was her coin purse. She had a bit saved up so it was heavier then you would expect at first glance. Her dagger, an 8 inch blade with about 5 inches of hilt. The hilt and sheath were carved from the bones of a bear and and eagle head was carved into the hilts edge. The blade itself bore the masters house symbol, a circle with a bear head in the center and two arrows crossed over top of it. Next to it was her chest of healing herbs. The chest was brown and simply crafted. It's hinges were copper and it did not require a key but instead stayed closed with a nob that twisted. A small travel sized cooking pot lay next to it, it was made of iron but was not too heavy to lug around. A small leather pouch with flint inside lay next to that and finally her tightly secured bedroll. There was a rope the went through the center of it which she used to adjust it and fasten it to her back.
She thought of anything else she may need.
"Perhaps a small lantern I can attach to my belt would be useful." She thought to herself.
"Or a small satchel to carry provisions in and a canteen for water" Her eyes began to grow heavy as her feet carried her to the lowest bed. The crackling of the fire quickly put her to sleep in all her exhaustion.
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Evalines eyes opened quickly that morning. A long exhale escaped her lightly parted lips as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. The fire was now going out but it had served it's purpose in drying her clothes and keeping her warm. She bent over the side of the bed with her elbows on her knees and slipped her hand behind her neck to feel her scar with her fingertips. This had become a habit when she woke from a nightmare, it was a reminder to her of what she had yet to do.
Her eyes found the window where dawn had barely crept up over the horizon. Her stomach turned with hunger as she steadied her legs into standing upright again. One by one she placed her clothes back over her skin covering the memories that it revealed until her cloak finally rested on her shoulders again. She slipped on her boots, left a few coins on the table and made her way towards the wood. With the hour or so she had before the market opened she began hunting for herbs in the area. She picked a few here and there. This one was good for aching muscles, that one was good to sooth burns, this one for head pains and that to mix with water and rub on dry skin. By this point her chest was very full and her stomach screamed for sustenance. Off to the market she strolled.
It was crowded with people and gossip. Tales of the battle were already beginning, some where realistic and with each step deeper into the market she strolled they began to get a little more fictional,
"There were thousands of beastmen and only twenty guards." She heard one exclaim loudly.
"I heard there were only a few small beastmen and just ten guards." She heard another shouting,
"Oh yeah, I bet the whole thing is a lie to get us to pay more taxes, well I'm not paying." came a reply. Mutters from every end of the market could be heard. She glanced along the dealers tables until she found a small lamp for sale.
"I'll take that one please." She said with a smile pulling out a few coins to pay for it. The dealer gave it to her kindly then saw her ears under the hood of her cloak after the trade and spat to the side in disgust.
"Excuse me, it'll cost more then that. Elf." He muttered. She sighed then pulled out a few more coins and dropped them on the table before continuing on.
Evaline walked deeper along the stalls until she found a cross the shoulder satchel big enough to carry some provisions and game should she need it. It was a deep dark cherry red leather, and had designs etched into it. The stitching was very well done, it seemed secure, as though it would take a little bit of abuse before giving into breaking. Next to it was a canteen that attached to a belt with a leather strap over the top that could easily be opened allowing her to freely detach the canteen from its place and replace it without much trouble.
"May I have those please?" She asked the shop keeper, giving him a kind and polite smile. The shop keeper glanced up for a second the grunted.
"Prices are on the tags." She looked at the tags then began counting her coins. She removed the tags from the satchel and canteen then placed them on the counter in front of the keeper where she placed a stack of coins on top of them.
She ran her fingers in her coin purse and counted to herself.
"I should have enough for a bit of food left." She thought to herself. She made her way to her final stall where she purchased some apples, two loaves of bread, a mound of cheese wrapped in clothe, a small salt container and two bottles of milk. Evaline pulled out almost the remainder of her coins and handed them over the the dealer. With all of the items in her new satchel she began making her way out of the village when she saw a little boy of about eight years old, tired looking and dirty hunched over a little girl who was perhaps a year or two younger then he was. Everyone else seemed to be ignoring them. She made her way towards them when she noticed the little girl had shallow breathes with closed eyes.
Evaline quickly went towards them where she heard the faint whimpers of the boy. Tear streaks drew lines on his dirty face.
"She won't wake up miss." He pouted, looking at Evaline with sorrowful eyes. She looked at the boy and spoke calmly.
"May I see her?" Her voice was gentle and kind. The boy nodded and sniffed then stepped to the side as Evaline put the little girls tiny hand into her own and she began singing an incantation. It almost sounded like a soothing lullaby. The girls pulse was slow as Evaline continued.
Keeping on hand on the little girls, she took a bottle of milk out of her satchel and opened it. The little boys eyes grew with the site of food but he waited patiently and quickly let his worried eyes shift from the little girl to Evaline. She continued her incantation, the pulse of the little girl began to increase slowly and her warmth began to grow just a little bit. Evaline opened her chest of herbs and pulled out a few, placing them in the milk where she recapped it and shook it gently. She placed the milk to the little girls lips and whispered.
"Just a sip. You will feel better with just a sip." She gently brushed the little girls checks and when the child opened her tiny mouth and drank a little bit of milk.
"Thats it, just a little more." Evaline said encouragingly. The girls pulse began to quicken until it reached normal rate when her pale eyes finally opened.
Evaline put the bottle aside and helped the little girl up into a seated position. The girl was still a little dazed and the boy choking said,
"Thank you miss. She's my sister miss, Papa said, keep her safe, and I've tried to miss, honest I try." He began whimpering again, hugging his sister who had now had some of her strength restored. Evaline smiled at them both and kissed each of them on the forehead. She opened her satchel, pulled out a loaf of bread and two apples and gave them to the little boy. She then felt in her coin purse for the last few coins and put them in the pocket of the boy.
"You take care of her now." She told him
"Can you do that?" The boy nodded, his eyes bright. She began to rise when the boy dropped everything and hugged her, tightly, his musky hair touching Evalines face.
As she rose she felt a tap on her shoulder where she whipped around quickly to find it was a guard.
"You are Miss Elaine, are you not?" He asked her sternly.
"I am, sir." She responded quickly, thinking the tavern owner and Adriana called on the guards with a tall tale.
"This is for you Maddam." He said handing her a letter with instructions to meet at the south gate.
"Though why they are summoning your kind I will never know." He mumbled as he walked away. Evaline was now anxious and jittery until her stomach reminded her she had yet to eat. She began walking to the south gate, reaching a hand into her satchel bag, tearing off a piece of bread and grabbing an apple as she did so. The food dropped to her empty stomach and relieved it of some of its pain.
"I wonder what this is about." She thought to herself as she began to near the gate. There were three men already standing there as though waiting for something.
Leon, the man she recognized from the Tavern and the man he dined with the night before who had also participated in the battle of the beastmen. To his right standing a little further back was that man again. The traveller from the tavern the night before. With the sight of him she flushed lightly but curtly gave him a slight bow of her head where she mouthed Thank you. Evaline exhaled gently then turned her attention back over to the Leon and his cohort, her letter clutched in her hands. "E..Excuse me." She said shyly towards them. She held up her letter.
"Did either of you have this sent to me?" She asked almost hesitatingly. She flinched her face a little, waiting for some backlash as she knew they must have been aware of her heritage.
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Edit: Amendments to the original post are in grey.
