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The girl ran down the dirt path through the village of Lanternhead on one of the smaller Moonshae islands, heading for the swampy forest path just outside the village. As she passed villagers shook their heads and muttered under their breath, whether it was because she was fair of skin with long red hair and emerald eyes, while the majority of the village was dark and swarthy, or because they knew she was visiting her great grandmother, a well known witch at least according to the villagers, was anyone's guess, but it was generally agreed upon that the girl was not quite right in everyone's estimate.
Not yet ten years of age she already showed the promise of being a rare beauty, while not tall she was slender and lithe, and just starting to show the curves of early womanhood, accented by the light tunic and short skirt worn by most of the women in the village for wading into the shoals to collect the shellfish that were trapped by the outgoing tide. However she still had the curiosity of a child and since her chores were done she ran to the one place in her world that was mysterious and wonderful. Great Grams.
As she turned a curve in the bath she saw her great grandmother's hut and before it sleeping soundly a large bear and a small badger on either side of the rude door. The girl smiled, she recognized the animals and new that today was a special day to visit. She had of course heard the half whispered stories about her great grandmother. How she had been a rare beauty in her own time, and how one day with no explanation she had been found to be pregnant with her Grandmother. This coupled with her tendancy to know which plants to put into a brew to bring down a fever or heal a burn was enough for the people to label her a witch, which, thought the girl, hadn't hurt the demand in the village for her Great Gram's potions.
The girl pushed open the door to the hut and saw three figures sitting around a rude table chatting amiably. The first was a tall dark haired figure with the pointed ears of his race and skin like tanned leather. He had a long hunting knife in his belt and his long bow was set against one wall with it's oilskin cover on. To his right sat another man who was shorter than even the girl's small size, a curved blade of called a "scimitar" she remembered strapped to his back and his feet dangling off the bench that was a little to high for him. In the middle was an old woman with hair silver instead of grey, and merry green eyes like the girls.
She knew them all of course, Keglas the Ranger was the wood elf, and Grylock the Gnome was the druid, and her Great Gram was the woman in the middle. She returned her Great Gram's welcoming smile and bade each of the guests a welcome in their own language, with all the pride of a young girl in her mastery of their tongues. They both smiled merrily at being greeted so and her Great Gram beamed at her, resembling for a moment the beautiful woman she had been, with pride, and beckoned her to come sit " Come in my child, I was just telling Keglas and Grylock here about your great grandfather, the one the villagers insist doesn't exist" Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she spoke and the girl came and sat, eyes wide because this is a story she had not heard before.
Her Great Gram started speaking " As I was saying, I was a beautiful girl, golden hair, but I looked about like Katie does at her age " she nodded towards her Great granddaughter " I was nearly sixteen and some of the boys were making it known that they'd like to steal away to the abandoned cove with me, and not to fish mind. " Her voice held a bit of laughter as she spoke " But I would have none of it, mostly because I thought they as dull as a mudskip, but also because even then I felt some compulsion to say no instead of yes. " She sighed. " One day I was looking for the dragonlillies along the bank up near farpoint, one of the fisherwomen was having a problem with a bleeding cut on her foot and needed it mended when he found me " She sighed at the memory. " He was the most beautiful man I have ever seen, but even at that age I could sense some power in him, like a veil on a lantern you see? " She paused to make sure her audience was listening, which of course they were. " He talked with me, telling me of the far off places he'd been and the amazing things he'd seen, but never about his past, and I never thought to ask. He took me right there on the beach and when I awoke late the next morning he was gone. I cursed myself for a fool, and went back to the village thinking that was the end of it. Which soon it would be obvious it was not. There was much speculation at that time who had finally got me to lift my skirts, for the villagers liked not at all my story of a passing stranger. Even when your grandma was born Katie, they still didn't believe it. Even though it was plain as day she was no fisherman's daughter, with her red hair and fair skin. " Her Great Gram sighed softly " They liked the tale that I was a witch better. In anycase, My ma and da took the babe to raise her, and the town turned it's back on me so to speak, except if they needed healing. Which was often enough that I didn't starve. I'll tell you something too Katie, even now I'm not sorry. I loved more in that one night with your Great Grandpa, than I could have my whole life with some fisher boy. " She smiled softly " In anycase we have company for dinner girl, help me set the table. "
Not yet ten years of age she already showed the promise of being a rare beauty, while not tall she was slender and lithe, and just starting to show the curves of early womanhood, accented by the light tunic and short skirt worn by most of the women in the village for wading into the shoals to collect the shellfish that were trapped by the outgoing tide. However she still had the curiosity of a child and since her chores were done she ran to the one place in her world that was mysterious and wonderful. Great Grams.
As she turned a curve in the bath she saw her great grandmother's hut and before it sleeping soundly a large bear and a small badger on either side of the rude door. The girl smiled, she recognized the animals and new that today was a special day to visit. She had of course heard the half whispered stories about her great grandmother. How she had been a rare beauty in her own time, and how one day with no explanation she had been found to be pregnant with her Grandmother. This coupled with her tendancy to know which plants to put into a brew to bring down a fever or heal a burn was enough for the people to label her a witch, which, thought the girl, hadn't hurt the demand in the village for her Great Gram's potions.
The girl pushed open the door to the hut and saw three figures sitting around a rude table chatting amiably. The first was a tall dark haired figure with the pointed ears of his race and skin like tanned leather. He had a long hunting knife in his belt and his long bow was set against one wall with it's oilskin cover on. To his right sat another man who was shorter than even the girl's small size, a curved blade of called a "scimitar" she remembered strapped to his back and his feet dangling off the bench that was a little to high for him. In the middle was an old woman with hair silver instead of grey, and merry green eyes like the girls.
She knew them all of course, Keglas the Ranger was the wood elf, and Grylock the Gnome was the druid, and her Great Gram was the woman in the middle. She returned her Great Gram's welcoming smile and bade each of the guests a welcome in their own language, with all the pride of a young girl in her mastery of their tongues. They both smiled merrily at being greeted so and her Great Gram beamed at her, resembling for a moment the beautiful woman she had been, with pride, and beckoned her to come sit " Come in my child, I was just telling Keglas and Grylock here about your great grandfather, the one the villagers insist doesn't exist" Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she spoke and the girl came and sat, eyes wide because this is a story she had not heard before.
Her Great Gram started speaking " As I was saying, I was a beautiful girl, golden hair, but I looked about like Katie does at her age " she nodded towards her Great granddaughter " I was nearly sixteen and some of the boys were making it known that they'd like to steal away to the abandoned cove with me, and not to fish mind. " Her voice held a bit of laughter as she spoke " But I would have none of it, mostly because I thought they as dull as a mudskip, but also because even then I felt some compulsion to say no instead of yes. " She sighed. " One day I was looking for the dragonlillies along the bank up near farpoint, one of the fisherwomen was having a problem with a bleeding cut on her foot and needed it mended when he found me " She sighed at the memory. " He was the most beautiful man I have ever seen, but even at that age I could sense some power in him, like a veil on a lantern you see? " She paused to make sure her audience was listening, which of course they were. " He talked with me, telling me of the far off places he'd been and the amazing things he'd seen, but never about his past, and I never thought to ask. He took me right there on the beach and when I awoke late the next morning he was gone. I cursed myself for a fool, and went back to the village thinking that was the end of it. Which soon it would be obvious it was not. There was much speculation at that time who had finally got me to lift my skirts, for the villagers liked not at all my story of a passing stranger. Even when your grandma was born Katie, they still didn't believe it. Even though it was plain as day she was no fisherman's daughter, with her red hair and fair skin. " Her Great Gram sighed softly " They liked the tale that I was a witch better. In anycase, My ma and da took the babe to raise her, and the town turned it's back on me so to speak, except if they needed healing. Which was often enough that I didn't starve. I'll tell you something too Katie, even now I'm not sorry. I loved more in that one night with your Great Grandpa, than I could have my whole life with some fisher boy. " She smiled softly " In anycase we have company for dinner girl, help me set the table. "
