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| Dark Blossom
Posts: 1,821 Status: Duke Karma: +560 [+1] [-1]   |
Subject: Part 3.....flash back while riding | |||||
| Flash back in thought... The silence of this journey did little to keep her mind from wandering. Images and moments in time coming back to her to be relived as though they were the first time that they had taken place. Kabress knew well enough to follow the horse before him and to keep pace without her direction and so in the lack of activity she began to hear voices from her past, live moments over within her mind as though someone were telling her a story. Stories come at a price however, be it the sanity of the one they originally happened to or something undisclosed that the listener has yet to give. Angel had paid more tolls for this story of her own life than any in the countryside would ever pay in taxes to the royal houses and state. Her payment was not in gold or silver, there were no gems or rare items that came from her. The tax this young woman had paid had always been in the most priceless of offerings... her life. She remembered with ease the training that the new house master had taught her. How he brought to her body and mind a sense of balance and calm. There was grace within her step, ease of motion that rolled fluid from every limb of her body. But if balance was her first lesson, than detail was her second. After he had taught her the grace and ability to balance on the smallest of objects and to move without making a single sound, the Lady of the house taught her how to make all the senses in her body work in unison without needing the prompting of the mind to calculate all that was around her. Angel was a fast learner and in less than a week she had everything rolling in motion. Her ears could hear the faintest of sounds, eyes train to the smallest of details; her sense of smell could pick up changes in the spaces around her and her touch was so fine tuned that a small splinter of wood became a deadly spear within her hand. Yet still, there was more to learn. Things that would come to compliment the strengths she had learned with them. Upon the one month anniversary of her survival and rebirth into her new life the now surrogate parents offered up a few large boxes to her. Those sapphire eyes trailed the outer limits that held the secrets within. Too heavy to be dress boxes, to narrow and long to be most other things. A hand would rise to the surface of the first rather long narrow box to lift the lid so she could see within. Shock stunned her from thought as fingertips slipped over the beauty resting within a satin lining. “ I... I cannot accept these, they are.. I am sorry but they must be priceless and belong in your family. “ The man laid a hand to her shoulder, there was no flinch in her to another’s touch anymore, at least the touch of someone she accepted and trusted. “ You are family now Angel, and these are yours, all of this is. We think of you as a daughter and would like nothing less than for you to accept these things so that you remember what we have taught. Besides, you will need them my child. “ Bewildering words met a soft smile on her lips. Turning her arms wrapped about the man before she moved to the woman and hugged her as well. It was the first time the girl had given freely the simplest of embraces. Both hands slipped into the box once more and lifted out the matching set of blades. They were so light in her grasp. The ornately decorated sheathes depicted a language she had started to learn only days before this one. “ It says Honor lays between the darkness and the light. “ It was as though the man had read her questioning look to the lettering. “ It is a motto, Angel... to remind the bearer of these swords that things are not always black and white. Not always death or life. One can be a warrior without ever shedding blood. There are two sides to every story, two sides to every soul... it is the person who must remember to remain within the shadows so that both the light and the dark within remain balanced and at peace. I promise that it will make more sense as time passes... “ The woman stopped though looked like there was more to speak upon. Her lips pressing together as the blades were laid into their place once more and set aside for the moment. The second box was longer but wider than the first. The contents within had her staring in disbelief. A bow hidden within, hand carved, hand strung... elven craftsmanship at its finest. Fingertips trailed the smooth surface a moment. “ Virgin willow wood, taken before the first seeding, from within the breast of the wood. There are no rings to mar the surface of this wood, so it was the very heart core of the tree itself. “ Her lips moved and voice reverberated as she spoke in awe, hands moving from the wood to the actual pull and strand of the bow. Silk spun and braided in the most talented of weavers hands, so finely woven that unless you knew what to feel for, you would think it any other regular string. The last box present there upon the table was not long or narrow but tall and wide about the size of a great tomb one would have the craftsman bind for a grand library. Slipping the cover off, she could not help but smile at the wondrous gifts within. A dark blue, long, hooded cloak, hand stitched and embroidered with silver thread. Two special hair ornaments that hid within their ornate mask a slender blade. “ Thank you both, these... it is all so beautiful. I do not know how to ever thank you for the kindness you have shown me. “ The man and woman smiled and nodded to her as though it were nothing more than a random everyday doing. Never before had she been given such beautiful items, or for that matter given anything that was not beaten into her. “ It is autumn now, and we have finished the harvest. Winter will come and then spring. After the planting season we are sending you away, Angel. There is someone we have spoken to in regards to your training. We cannot teach you what you will need to know my dear one, so we have asked a master to apprentice you. He is not a master like you are used to, but a master of the art of war. In his old land, across the water he was known for his stealth, his fighting ability and his peace making. He will give you all your mind needs to know to put together the things we taught you and the weapons you will have to know how to use. When he is done his teaching, we hope you will return to us. Until that time when you leave there are tutors who will come to instruct you so that you can read, write, and know all that you have missed out upon. “ The word master sat oddly within her, like sour wine over brine that tore through the breath. Her eyes had widened and her breath stilled until they explained it to her. Master of weapons, of war and battle, of those things she had never known. It made sense within her now and something stirred as though it was waking in her mind and soul. A presence within her stirred and as the day moved to night she would come to stand in the blackness of her mind’s eye, face to face with her true self, something she did not recognize or understand. Angel shaded her eyes and turned her head as she stared at the figure before her within her mind. It was blinding, brilliance unlike anything she had ever seen or known. The silence within was broken after a moment by the softest of whispers ~you are the light, when all other lights fail~ The months came and went in a blur and before she could turn around again it was time for her to leave. There had been little talk on where she was going or the man that would be her teacher and then that day came when a knock on the door to their homestead summoned her to take her few belongings and say farewell. Her eyes told a story to the man that looked upon them, he backing up a step or two and bowing with reverence to her while Angel had no clue why. “ We go... we go boat. Yes, boat take us to master,yes? “ His voice was heavily accented and he spoke with broken English. A glance to the two foster parents had them both nodding to her with large smiles. Those eyes turned back again to the man who had come to get her. He was short, lanky and looked like a mouse in size compared to those that lived around her. Long black hair wrapped up into a special knot sat against the back of his head, his thin beard trailed long, beads curled his hand and arm. With a sigh and a shrug she nodded to him. “ We take the boat to Master “ This seemed to please the small man as he loaded up her things to a horse drawn cart before scampering up to the bench with the reigns. Angel hugged the people and told them she would be back soon. Little did she realize that her being back soon would only happen after nearly a decade of training. The years rolled by where her body met and broke in every possible manner only to be built up stronger than one would think it could. Time made her understand how the small man that had fetched her had been so agile and strong. The master had always been pleased with her work, her ability to pick up on things swiftly. The student of a thousand years he called her, telling her it meant that having a student such as her only came once in one hundred lifetimes. Angel had come to love the man that taught her, as one would love an overly protective grandfather who passed family secrets to the ones they were to go to. To look at him you would think he were only 30 or so. His face held few lines, many scars but few lines. His body was toned and well shaped and although his hair held whispers of silver, the calf length mass of brown black was still as pure as the freshly rained upon soils in a tilled field. Age seemed to become only a label that society placed upon the mortal body to assert who was younger and better suited for Kings and Princes. Angel came to see that age was a strength and asset to any who knew how to use it wisely. Many moons slipped through the black sat skies above her as she walked the path lead by her Sensei. The art of war and peace learned twice over as her weapons became a mere extension of herself. Hand to hand combat flowed as easy as breath from her lungs and moving in any form seemed to be a dance between her and the earth beneath her... so light and silent that one might think she never touched the surface. Ten years would pass this way, were lessons learned became first nature and all else did not really matter. The day of her final testing had come on the day her physical body became 31. The temples testing grounds were in bloom with cherry blossoms as far as the eye could see. A breathtaking sight to any who saw any wonderment in the world around them. These shades of white, cream and pink, blanketing the green grasses with delicately placed petals. Yet there amid the beauty of trees that matched in perfect harmony to one another, stood an individual tree that grew against the will of the others. Tall and curved, many branches reaching to all directions, and cherry blossoms in the deepest rosé hue, no white upon them as the darkness of that color faded to the lightness of the others. Angel was there in silence, alone and unmoving as she stared at the oddity in awe. “ There is a tale about the cherry blossom trees among the samurai warriors. They say that there is one who comes every few generations that can command the very spirit within the tree. They can speak to the elements and nature all around. That no one ever knows who that special person is until they settle beneath the blossom tree. Fate will reveal them in a shower of crimson which comes as the tree dies from losing its kindred spirit. In all my years of life, I have never seen any blossom tree unfold its petals to be anything other than the whites and paled pinks. This is your tree is it not, Angel? “ Sensei’s hands were behind his back as he turned to look upon her in that moment. A nod of her head was all she could muster while mulling over the words in her mind. Those eyes coming back to the tree before her. Over a decade of time had been spent in silence under the limbs of this delicate piece of nature, stolen moments that had been her own and no others. Surely he was jesting with her, he had to be. Yet as she looked closely to the tree that rose up before her body a deeper knowing calmed the chaotic thoughts of improbability in her mind to leave nothing but acceptance. Turning slowly where she stood her orbs shimmered in their sockets only to blink in disbelief at the multitude of faces that had gathered for this moment. It was a single thought that slipped her mind ~ he is right ~ that spurred her to stand in humble reverence before those here. Head came to bow to all there as a shower of crimson petals began to trickle down around her as though the blessing of the world had been laid upon her. “ You are the Dark Blossom, Angel. Once called that for being nothing more than a wilted flower in the darkness, now called this for the mighty Blossom Tree you have become. Your roots are anchored, your mind is clear and your heart is healed. You are ready. “ Angel thought this meant that it was time for the test of every warrior, but the Master never once moved to his blades and neither did she. Moments trickled past as a river in the creek would navigate the curves of the river bed. “ It is time isn’t it Sensei, time for me to journey home again. To walk the path you spoke of so many times. “ He nodded once and unfurled his hair so that it hung loose in the warm winds. The crowds departed leaving them there without eyes watching. His hand pointed to the spot she always settled in under the tree and thus she sat as he did so. “ There is no test that I can give you, Angel. You have learned all and fought as any other in this village would. You are just in your decisions upon others, you are wise beyond your years and your abilities are more than I have ever seen learned by any student of mine. It is time for you to return to your home land and seek what it is you need to find. Your path is wide as is your heart and mind, you will become a great leader to many, hope to many others. It was written in the stars before you were even born and I promise it will all be revealed to you at the proper time my sweet Sakura. “ He took her small hands within his and kissed them both before moving to lean against the tree’s trunk. The night would come and pass where neither of them found sleep or the will to move. Life was talked about, both past and present. What had been the bond of Master and Apprentice now became the bond of two equals and friends. At sun’s rise she would again see the face of that same man who had fetched her more than 10 years before. All her things had been repacked and rested into the cart again. “ I know, I know. We go boat now” Strong arms wrapped her body pulling her into the embrace of a man she had only known at the end of a blade. His lips to hers spurred shock within as she was released to look into his deep eyes. “ Be blessed my sweet blossom... we will meet again, in the next life. “ There within eyes that normally held nothing was the hint of sadness as he released her completely and turned to walk down from the hillside. Angel could not muster anything to say as she watched him leave, only to also make passage to leave these ancient lands. It would take near another year till she stepped foot upon the path of her foster parents dwelling. Settling back to life as they had lived before she left, but it was harder than expected as Angel sat up night after night listening to the call of something far past her own control. The need to leave and travel began to eat at her from the inside out. It played upon her mind day in and day out until she could no longer take the voice that was calling to her and told everyone she was going in search of the last living family member. As reluctant as they were to see her go the people that had cared for her helped in all ways that they could. Her journey was set up with a guide, her horse and an extra as well as a few things that were more personal. That final meal they shared was crushed in the silence of the home, neither sure what to say or do. The would be mother taming her tears as the would be father grit his teeth. Neither wanted her to leave again but both knew there was no way to stop her. Angel left the next morning, before the house woke, before the suns pallet of crimsons, pinks and yellows would blend across the sky. A note left as her final farewell. Word would reach them of the city that was burned down less than a week after she had gone from there. It was all the people could speak upon in a tavern they had stopped at for a meal. No survivors as all men, women and children had been killed before the fire swept through in one raging inferno. It was here that the Lady’s heart sank within her breast and her lips parted long enough to utter a soft apology. “ I left you to die, how could I leave you there to die... I am sorry, oh goddess I am sorry. “ These words came from the lips where a mind was still entranced by memory. The grief of this knowledge crept through her, the pain making her body shimmer as though to protect her. The hand that rested now against the abdomen of the Knight who reigned her horse would actually cause a star lit reflection upon the armour he wore. A single tear strayed from her eyes and swept the curve of her paled cheek, clinging with mighty force before quivering into a release that shed it upon the fabric of her clothing. Forehead came to settle against the back of his armour as she sighed outward gently in a way to release the pains that welled within. Her mental state changed in that instant, realizing she had shown the emotion rather than contain it. Swiftly she lifted her forehead from where it laid as she resurrected herself to that poised position, drawing the hood of the cloak over her face more. What was it with this man that she would lower some of her guards. First allowing him to accompany and not just that but share her steed, and now, now she was weeping and showing weakness to this man whom she did not know... even if he felt familiar to her. “ We stop here for night. There is a waterfall and pool here to the south that feeds a stream the horses can drink from while grazing freely. “ A couple of clicks from her lips and Kabress stopped and lowered down allowing her to slip off with ease. Her footfalls made no noise as she wandered around for a moment, stopping here and there before nodding and settling on a spot that would do well for them this night. Flanked on one side by the river and on the other side by rocks that had no tree line, they would be afforded coverage and the strategic advantage incase of an intruder. The escort began to build a fire and tend the horses as she stood there a moment before coming to a case that had been on the third horse and opening it. Removing one arrow and her bow that had been gifted to her, Angel stood in silence, turning slowly and steadily before the bow came up and the arrow was released into the nothingness that lay before them all. Setting the bow back to the surface of the case she started off into the woods without even taking a blade, only to fade into the distance like a haze on the horizon before turning and coming back to the men some 40 minutes later with two plumped Hares, skewered through the neck together on one arrow. The escort would take them from her and begin to prepare them by removing the pelts so they could be cleaned and taken with them to sell. Angel had said nothing to anyone since they stopped. Her mind a wash with things she could not grasp upon. So rather than trying to talk to someone she could not figure out she took up a brush and began to tend to Kabress like you would a child. Minutes would turn to half an hour as she found peace in the chore of grooming her best friend and most trusted companion. Softly song would come to rise from where she stood, like a whisper at first until turning into something hauntingly beautiful to any listening. |
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