*Note: You may want to read -A Peek Into the Land of Second Draft-Iraella and Baeddan Prologue first to understand this :-) I hope everybody enjoys. Sorry for the double post BTW!!
Chapter One I remember quite vividly the first time I asked my mother what my name meant. I was at the tender age of seven, and I was trying to be a big girl and help her clean dishes. “Mama?” I asked, scrubbing Mama’s favorite plate over a bucket of water. She smiled at me. “Yes, Ira?” “Athter said that my name means death. I said that was a terrible thing to say. He said it was true. He said he asked his mama, Ms. Nella. But he lies a lot, Mama. It is not true? A Fortuna would never prophet a death for a baby? Plus, I am alive, aren’t I?” I placed a hand on my chest as if to make sure I was still breathing. I nodded, smiling at the feeling of my heart beating normally in my chest, and then looked Mama in the face. She had tears swimming in her eyes, but she looked away. When she looked around, the tears were gone but her face strongly resembled that of the Queen Esadori’s statue. “No, dear. Ira means great joy,” said Mama. Her voice was much less strong than usual. It was almost a whisper I furrowed my brow confusedly. “But Mama,” I said slowly. “That is only my short name. My name is Iraella.” Mama stared at me. “We won’t speak of this anymore, Ira. Do you understand?” she said sternly. Fearful, I nodded. Mama nodded too, still looking stony. “Good, now bedtime.” “Mama, it cannot, it is only--” “Bedtime, Ira!” she said more firmly, and loudly, on the brink of irritation. I remember running off to bed, pondering the thought that Athter might have been telling the truth for once. Two short years later, I met my best friend. Baeddan. We were like two birds in a nest. Baeddan was blind, but he could do everything I could, and everybody else could. We would go just behind his house or my house, and play and pretend to be elves. Lots of people walked through the forest, and would jump and look away (looking an elf in the eye would make you go blind. That’s how Baeddan did), and we would laugh until we could hardly breathe. Then we would talk. Sometimes we climbed trees and talked. I didn’t need girls to play with, anyway. They were too prim for my taste. Plus, people thought that Baeddan and me were peculiar. Baeddan and me thought that they were peculiar. Three more years and we were twelve, and another boy moved in to the cottage next to Baeddan. His name was Mabon. He came from Bellord, where some have magical talents (fairy blood). Mabon could water-tame. The first time he demonstrated for me, I was terrified. “No, no! Stay away from me, fairy-boy!” I yelled, backing away quickly as he made a small serpent out of the water. Mabon laughed, and I saw his blue eyes sparkle. “If I were a fairy, wouldn’t I have wings?” he said. I stopped backing. “Well, they could’ve been cut off, for using bad magic!” I said accusingly. I had read many books about humans and fairies, and this sometimes happened. He went on smiling infuriatingly. “I’m no fairy, but my great-great-great grandfather was,” he said finally. Ugh, he wasn’t even looking at me! Staring at that ugly little snake he had crafted with his fairy-magic. “Can we be friends?” Mabon asked suddenly, looking up and stopping the snake, letting the water fall into a basin at his feet. I was flattered and taken aback, but still I watched him suspiciously. “What does your name mean?” I asked, and Mabon rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatedly. “Is that everything in this land? The meaning of your name?” he groaned. I raised my eyebrows. “Well, yes. A Fortuna comes to your house when you’re born, sees your fate, and gives you a name accordingly,” I explained. It was just as Mama said it. “Well, I don’t know what my name means, because we don’t do that on Bellord,” said Mabon. “So it doesn’t really matter.” I was shocked. He didn’t know what his name meant? I don’t either, I thought absentmindedly. I should ask Mama that soon, I’m older now… “I’ll be your friend,” I said, folding my arms. Mabon nodded, smiling again. “Good. I’m also friends with the boy Baeddan. You know him?” “Of course I do! We’ve been best friends for years,” I said in a rather hurt voice. Mabon noticed my tone and raised his arms in a surrendering way. “Easy now, I don’t mean to intrude,” he said, and he pointed his finger randomly at the basin of water, and soon I noticed that he was drawing the water up and out into the open. This time, I was slightly charmed. I giggled. “Could I do it?” He smirked. “Probably not. Try it,” he said. I pointed at the basin and traced my finger up some invisible wall, trying to copy him. Nothing happened. “No fairy blood, I suppose,” said Mabon. Frustrated, I glowered at the basin. “Don’t take it personally,” said Mabon, and to my fury, he looked like he was about to laugh. “Good-bye,” I said abruptly, and I stormed back to my house in a rage. ~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~* Three months later. “It’s been a while, Ira. You really should just let it go.” “No.” “Why not?” “He’s snotty.” Baeddan gave a short laugh. “No he’s not! He didn’t have many friends in Bellord.” “Then he’s snotty and has no social skills.” He laughed again. We were leaning against an oak tree at the very base of the forest and staring at the pond that sat in the middle of town square. “Ira?” Baeddan asked, shifting. “What?” I replied. “What does the pond look like?” I paused, searching for the right words to describe it. I couldn’t go from looks-he hadn’t been able to see since he was only two years old. “The water……Um….Come with me!” I grasped his wrist and pulled him straight onwards to the pond. Queen Esadori’s statue stood proudly in the middle of the large pond, and we had to dodge her hand that hung too low. We stopped. “Put your hand in the pond,” I instructed, feeling bossy. Baeddan didn’t seem to mind, however, because he willingly put his hand in the clear water. “How does it feel?” I asked. “Like…..” He moved his hand a little, his face distant and thoughtful. “Liquid ice that never ends.” I was surprised. It was a much better description than I would ever had come up with. “Find the algae,” I said. He did, and then said, “It feels like long velvety grass.” I smiled. “Find a fish and touch him.” I held his arm as he leaned in further to find one of the large black and golden Esa fish—the queen Esadori herself had these bred for her and placed in all of the village ponds. “Touched it!” Baeddan laughed suddenly. “It felt like a water dragon.” I giggled and helped pull him back up. “You’ve touched a water dragon?” “Not a real one, but Mabon made one,” he turned to me with a questioning look on his face. I defiantly crossed my arms. “I still say he’s snotty.” Baeddan shrugged. “Your loss. He really wanted to be friends with you, Ira.” And he walked away.Genre
Comments
Thanks so much, Clare!!! Wow,
Thanks so much, Clare!!! Wow, nobody's called anything of mine epic, so that's one of the best complements I can get!
"You were not meant to fit into a shallow box built by someone else." -J. Raymond
That was epic!!! Me love!!! A
That was epic!!! Me love!!! A ZILLION THUMBS UP!!!! I didn't read the reccomended thing above and i still loved it lol. I'll look for it! Awesome...keep posting!!!!