General Art Kara Elina

[vatti]

Okay, this is a story I've been working on for awhile now. At first, I'll be releasing chapters in parts to see if people like it and also to give me time to work on other chapters. If people like it, I'll probably start releasing full chapters at a time. Okay, here's my new story! Btw: rated PG13 for violence, mild language, and mention of alcohol.

Enjoy!

Kara Elina

Chapter 1 Part One

“Kara!” her mother shouted from down the loft, “A suitor is coming! He sent a messenger pigeon ahead to tell me. Get your good dress on!” Kara got stretched and sighed with an exasperated tone. She couldn’t bear to yell back at her mother, it was completely against her nature. Her mother was just trying to make sure that Kara had “prospects” for the future.

Prospects. Kara hated that word. Not that she ever told her mother that. It just seemed that even the most pathetic to the most promising man that came through the door had “prospects”. Some times she thought her mother was just getting desperate. But with good reason though. With every man that came through the door, Kara let him in, heard his case, and then said the same phrase to every one.

“You seem like a wonderful man, and I’m sure I would be very happy with you, but my heart is being saved for someone else.” Then she would escort the man out, and wave him off as he went down the road. Now she prepared herself to do it again.

She got up and washed her olive toned face with some cool water that was sitting on a table in her room. Then she brushed out her long brown hair with her jeweled comb that her passed father had given her. He had traded some silver for it with the elves and given the brush to her.

Then, using a technique one of the women in town taught her, she stuck a bristled piece of grass into a black paste, then spread it on her eyelashes, making her silver eyes look dark and mysterious. She slipped on her pale green dress and brown leather slippers, then crawled down the ladder of the cottage just in time for the suitor to knock at the door. When she opened the door, the suitor stared at her, an awestruck look on his face.

“Only one woman in the world could be as beautiful as you, and that would be the famed Kara Elina.” He grabbed her hand and kissed it, not gracefully either. Tenderly she pulled away.

“I’m sorry kind sir but I seem to be at a disadvantage. You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”

“There’s no need. We can marry with out names. Will you do me the honor?” Though the sentence was slurred she understood the general meaning. Delicately she sniffed the hand he had kissed, and smelled the scent of liquor on it.

“You seem like a wonderful man, and I’m sure I would be very happy with you, but my heart is being saved for someone else. Now I’ll see you to the door.” As she pushed him toward the door he spurted out compliments and begged to let him stay. She opened the door and pushed him out.

“Bye now!” she smiled at him as he staggered down the pathway to the road, closing the door before he even got there. She turned around and sighed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately for Kara her mother had just come around the wall, a sour expression on her face.

“Kara!” she barked, “What was wrong with this one?”

“He was drunk, mother.” she said, “I didn’t want a drunk husband.”

“All men drink once in a while Kara, your father did to.” Kara stiffened. This subject was turning touchy. Her mother acted as if her father’s death was for the greater good, making the village safer in many ways. But sometimes at night, Kara could hear her mothers sobbing coming from the bedroom on the bottom floor. Her mother had cried every night for the past 7 years, ever since Kara’s father had died when she was ten,

“Once mother. Once. And where did that get him? He got drunk with his friends one time. An Elvin Lord came into the tavern looking for father. Being drunk, father took the opportunity to insult the Lord. Father was dead before he hit the floor.

“Kara! Now what brought that on? You used to be so sweet and…”

“Nice? Kind? Polite?! Yes, I used to be that way. But that was before father died. Before you started crying every night, thinking I couldn’t hear, thinking that you were the only one suffering from his death. But you’re not the only one. I miss him to you know!” Kara could feel her temper flaring and her voice rising. “This whole village is going to miss him because he was the one who traded for weapons, and medicine, with the elves. I’m the only one left in this damned village who has a chance of trading with the elves now! And you think you’re the only one suffering!” she screamed at her mother, sobs choking out of her throat. They stood in silence, both of them looking at the floor. Finally her mother broke the silence with a timid whisper.

“Kara… I had no idea…”

“Yes. You had no idea. You had no idea what I felt, how I was coping, how I was drowning in my own sorrow. Would you like to know why you had no idea, mother?” Her mother stood there in silence, tears streaming out of her eyes.

“You never cared.” Kara whispered relentlessly, putting as much venom and malice into those three words that tore at her mothers heart. Kara grabbed her cloak and her bow and arrow and stomped out the door, painfully aware of her mother silently staring at her back.

Instead of turning left for the village like she usually did, she turned right, toward the forest. The forest was where the elves capital was. After the killing of Kara’s father, elves weren’t allowed into the human village anymore. But, being the kind beings that the fairy folk are, humans were still allowed in the elf capital.

As soon as she passed the invisible line of magic, the air, the light, the scenery, her whole mood changed. Her heart felt like it had been lifted of a heavy burden. It has been to long… she thought with a smile. Even for just the start of spring, the forest was green, lush, and colorful. The air was warmer, the sun brighter, and the fauna cheerier. Kara smiled. She had missed the beautiful forest. Her father had taken her almost every time he went to trade with the elves.

Kara stopped. She heard the music of the elf village ahead. Oh what a beautiful sound it was. More beautiful than any music she had ever heard. The music was also a warning that she was close. Damn… she cursed at herself for not thinking of it earlier. She pulled the hood of her cloak over her head. Humans may be welcome, but they were an oddity in the village. By now at least half a dozen scouts may have seen her and reported her back to the king. Just what she needed, a whole capital staring at her would just make her stand out more. She thought about turning back, but decided not to. She had spent to long away from the capital, so she felt the need to go on. She took a deep breath and kept going.

 

[*M i d n a*]

Again, what can I say? Your stories are awesome, cool, and enjoyable, the kind I like to read. So this Kara is waiting for someone to marry, and she has lost her father and lives alone with her mother. You also included Elves, and Kara is heading to the Elven capital, I wonder what she will do there. I like the whole description you gave for the forest, etc. Keep it up, and if I were you, I'd keep posting it, I for sure wanna read more. ~Ao

 

[Elvenknight]

Wow! Great story so far! I hope to see the rest of it!

 

[vatti]

Thanks guys! I really appreciate the good feed back.

Okay here's Part 2!

Chapter 1
Part 2/2

The trail turned into a cobblestone road, and as quickly as it had been the magical forest, it turned in to a beautiful stone city. The streets were filled with vendors, selling there various goods. A few noblemen were carried down the street in carriages, as the peasants respectfully stepped aside, their shimmering blue tattoos glinting in the sun. The elves weren’t what you would say the average elf is. They were built tall and strong, and very slender. They had grey skin with blue swirling tattoos that they were born with, and their eyes ranged from deep greens to light grays. They were very beautiful creatures. There were many legends of human women running off with male elves, or vice versa. Kara had always dreamed that she might fall in love with an elf, though she had kept that dream to herself. Even before her father had been killed the elves had been considered wild. They were outcasts to the humans, always standing out. The same stood for elves when they thought about humans. Though they were too polite to mention it, elves never liked the humans that much.

As she was thinking someone pushed her over as they walked past. She jumped up and turned around, about to face her pusher, but stopped. She recognized those eyes, the steely glint in them with a tattoo coming out of each one like a tear.

“You!” she growled in rough Jargon, the national language so all species could communicate.

“I’m sorry, but do I know you?” the elf asked.

“You killed my father!” Kara practically roared. The elf blanched. This encounter was receiving stares from the crowd and passing nobles.

“What is your name young one?” the perturbed elf asked, worry laced into his cool tone. With one fluid motion, Kara threw off her hood and strung her bow, pointing it at the elf’s face.

“I am Kara Elina, daughter of Stefan Elina, a great trader and master marksmen. You killed my father after one insult, and I should kill you right now.” Some women in the crowd screamed, and someone called to get the king. Kara had to end this now. “But I’m not going to. That would be against his wishes, and my conscience. I will leave you as the killer you are.” Kara heard the hooves of the king and his horses trampling down the cobblestones. The crowd was to thick to go the way she came, so the only way to go was farther in to the city. “You got lucky,” she growled at the elf, and she ran into the nearest alleyway. She pulled her hood on as she crossed the alleyway out on to another street, where no one had seen her yet. Walking leisurely, she blended into the crowd using a technique her father had taught her. Kara was tingling with excitement. I haven’t had this much fun in years! she thought, her heart pounding as she struggled to keep her breath steady.

She took her time of hiding to look at the stalls that were full of clothes and trinkets. She checked the pouch on her quiver to see in she still had any elfin money left in there, which luckily she did. Jiggling the penza in her hand, estimating that she had enough to buy meals for about two days, lodging for a night, and maybe something special for herself. Kara looked around, wondering what she may get. She sniffed the air, searching for something that smelled good. Turning the corner of the busy street, she was hit with the smell of pastries. Hurrying over to the stall, Kara bought a loaf of spice bread to hold her over for the rest of the day. It was then that she heard the clang of metal coming from across the street. Kara looked over, and saw a public armory stall, that even had it’s own fenced in practicing area so customers could test the weapons they wanted to buy. As she watched two male elves duel, she thought back to a week earlier, in one of the lessons where her best friend, Michael, had been secretly teaching her how to use a sword. The lessons had been going on for a while now, and Kara realized that she had been getting pretty good. She also realized that she didn’t have a sword of her own. And what better place to buy a quality sword than the elfin capital? Kara turned her attention to the stall.

There were so many swords! Long swords, short swords, twin swords, curved swords, Kara almost felt dizzy from all of the choices. Since Michael had been teaching her the long sword technique, she decided to look at those. She spotted one that looked promising, and picked it up. The hilt was made of silver, with emeralds embedded into it. The handle was wrapped in dragon leather, which if cooked in the right way can be soft and sturdy, perfect for handles. The blade was made of a white, strong metal that Kara had never encountered before. It was light and easy to swing, which would be good for Kara. The general appearance and feel of the sword appealed to Kara. She turned to the stall keeper.

“How much for this sword?” she said, feeling slightly uneasy, because a sword this good must come at a price.

“15 penza with the scabbard” the stall keeper said. Kara double-checked her money. Well, it was more than she expected to spend, but she could manage if she was frugal with her money. She handed over the money and took the sword. Kara strapped the sword onto a belt around her waist, knowing she made the right choice. She looked up at the stall keeper, about to thank him, when she was hit in the neck with a dart. As she stumbled, she grabbed onto one of the stalls supporting polls to keep her up. She looked at the terrified shopkeeper for help. Just then, she felt herself roughly yanked around her waist up onto a passing horse, and she blacked out.

 

[*M i d n a*]

Lolz, I could just about imagine Kara's face when the dart hit her. Nice update, vatti, you are good at writing, I love this story and where it is going, please update again soon. Good job. ~Ao