Lynnius

Lynnius

Lynnius awoke one night in her bed. She stretched and glanced around in the darkness, relishing the absolute silence of the moment. She laid in bed, thinking of nothing just keeping her eyes closed. The breeze of Silvermoon blew through her windows, gently and comforting. Rolling on her side she could see outside, the stars twinkled. Then, a bright flash in the sky, like a shooting star, just larger. The wind blew harder, the leaves picked up and tossed around her home. The wind became violent, the leaves rushing into her room, covering everything. Their sound drowning out her screams. She stood, in an attempt to leave, to find her parents, to find anyone.

“Lynnius,” a voice whispered, behind her, then in front of her, it surrounded her. She collapsed. Her face hit the thick blanket of leaves, she breathed in their smell, and then blacked out. She awoke, covered in leaves. She stood up, barely tall enough to see over them. She trudged her way through to her door, leaves falling from her hair, crunching under her bare feet.

She opened her door, and the leaves cascaded out behind her, her white night gown floating behind her on the flowing leaves. The house, brightly lit by the sun was bare. Nothing remained. She tried to call out for her parents, and her voice caught in her throat. She knew they weren’t there. The air was still, the leaves from her room stood still as she wandered over the cold hard wooden floor, a floor that was clear of every and any sort of obstacle. Every trace of the life she had the day before was gone. She moved silently towards the room her parents shared and put her hand on the cold doorknob. Everything was so cold to the touch, she could she her breath as she exhaled, but continued to move unphased. She pushed the door, letting it open on its own. It banged loudly as it hit the wall, the only sound she had heard since the leaves. The room was empty, of course, except, on the floor in the middle of the room, three objects sat.

In the middle of the room there was a burgundy and gold box, a leather sheath, and a folded piece of parchment. She ran towards them, night gown billowing behind her. To any onlookers she would have looked like a wraith, red hair dropping leaves as she ran, pale skin cracked and bleeding from the cold. She grabbed the parchment , hands shaking, tears flowing from her delicate green eyes, gasps and bursts of sounds coming from her lips as she unfolded it.

Young Lynnius-

This is all you need. Find your strength and forget of us, don’t search, don’t cry, you will never find us.

You don’t need anyone. You don’t need us.

Walk the path hidden in the shadows.

-Our love always, Shorel'aran.

She let the note fall from her hands, the tears in her eyes stopped. She grabbed for the leather sheath, and pulled out the elegant blade. The dagger her father always carried, but never used. She moved quickly to the red box, opened it and found a collection of inks and a milling set. It was the inscription set her mother used when she thought no one was looking.

She grabbed the dagger and ink set and headed back towards her bedroom. She let the note on the floor. She didn’t need to read it again, the words kept scrolling past her eyes, taunting her. Abandoned, they abandoned her. She was running through the house, she could feel the cold now, feel the sting of the cuts on her face. Her feet cracked and bled with each step, but she didn’t slow.

She reached her room, pushing through the leaves to her dresser. She grabbed clothes from the drawers frantically. This house is going to kill me, she thought, run, Lynnius, get out.

She fled back through the hallway, she could see the front door, the bright sun shining through the open archway, she knew warmth would be there. It became harder to breathe, the cold air shocking her lungs each time she inhaled. Her bleeding feet sticking to the ground with each step. The blood on her cheeks freezing as soon as it reached the surface.

Faster, run faster. I won’t die here, I won’t. “ABANDONED,” she screamed. “They abandoned me.”

The rage began build, her pace quickened, the house grew colder. The archway impossibly far away. Her eyes watered from the cold as she ran, the tears froze and built up prisming her view. The breath she exhaled crystallized and fell to the ground as soon as it left her lips. Her knuckles cracked as she gripped the only possessions she had left.

The door was so close, she could see the warmth on the other side. She shifted her weight forward her left foot and coiled down and launched herself towards the outside. She half feared shattered like ice when she landed. The landing was anything but graceful. She landed hard on her right shoulder and bounced off the stairs. Her possessions flying from her arms, as she flipped and twisted through the air, hitting the ground and rolling through dirt.

When she finally stopped rolling, she was face down, she inhaled and the warm air burned her lungs. She opened her eyes to the brightest sun she had ever seen, and pushed herself up off of the ground. Her body ached but she moved through it, taking in sharp short breaths. She turned back and looked at the house. She expected it to be a gigantic ice sculpture frosty and shining in the sun. But no, it looked like any house outside the walls of Silvermoon City. She looked at the door, that evil archway, and saw a bright blue Glyph glow and then quickly dissipate. That Glyph. The one her mother always practice. The glyph her mother would write in the sand along the river, or in the flour while she baked bread, practice anywhere she could quickly brush it away when someone looked.

She gathered her scattered things, and walked towards the stream running behind their house. As she approached she gently dropped them again, leaving a trail of belongings behind her, her eyes staring directly ahead. She reached up and pulled the twigs and leaves out of her tangled hair. She walked straight into the water, pulling her torn and tattered night gown off. She stayed under the water as long as she could. Letting the cool water wash away the dirt and blood, wash away the memories of her family, her brothers and sisters, her terrible horrible parents.

She got out of the stream and dried herself with the broken night gown and then tossed it into the water and let it float away without looking. She got dressed and attached the dagger to her belt, she threw the inks set in bag. She heard the small class bottles rattle and clink, she didn’t care if they broke, in fact she hoped they all broke. She walked on the path that lead to the city. Not sure why she was headed there, but she was hungry and she hoped someone would feed her, or at least turn their backs long enough for her to feed herself.

“Child! Child, where are you headed? Where are your parents?”

It was a Silvermoon Guard standing by the path, tall and regal, glaring at a young child walking down a dangerous path alone. Lynnius looked at him and returned his glare, and walked past him. He was stunned for a second, many travelers looked at him like that, but never one so young. Her eyes had locked on his and taken his breath away. He was stunned by her hardness, her cold beauty. She was a beautiful child.

He quickly regained his focus. “Child, come here, these woods are dangerous,” he began to follow behind her, his gait quickly turning into a jog as he tried to catch up. But she didn’t run, she kept the same pace. She walked focused, He’ll take me back there, I won’t go back. I won’t! She turned her head, looking straight into the guards eyes as she veered off the path, towards the woods, towards the shadows.

“Child, Stop!” But she kept walking, her eyes locked with his, then they glowed a bright green, and she disappeared into the shadows.