"Good journey, love, time to go.
I checked your teeth and warmed your toes." ~ Nightwish
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KYLA folded the last bit of cloth into her backpack and strapped it down. She picked up the already rolled up blankets and lifted it on top of the bag, attaching them together with a leather belt. The bag was no more heavy than she could carry, it contained nothing else than a few pair of clothes she had, and a bit of empty wooden boxes she planned on filling with supplies on her way out of town. A piece of drawing, parchments, writing materials and few books she loved to read that her mother had been more than willing to let go, she'd even insisted she took her whole library. Kyla had complained that it would be to heavy for her to carry so she let her choose the ones she would love.

After she'd chosen the books that she thought she would love the most, her mother broke down in sobs.  It wasn't an easy sight for the red head girl, she tried all possible means to calm her but she just kept repeating that they should find a way for Kyla to stay or she should accompany her and desert her own husband. Kyla advised against these decisions as best as she could hoping her mother wasn't serious about it, cause once she decides on something, it would take the whole Communion to stop her. When she stopped, she hugged Kyla more than she could count and kept whispering how sorry she was. Kyla didn't know how to feel, her thoughts confused each other. Most of her wanted to stay even though most of her life here was miserable and she had to live in a hostile environment where everyone in the little village hated her, but still she loved her mother, she loved her so much that she felt she'd never be whole again if she left.

The woman had been the only reason Kyla was who she was. She taught her to read and write, taught her to reason logically. Taught her about music, cooking, knitting which she hated. Kyla grinned at the thought of knitting. Her mother would scream at her. "Patience idiot, you have to be patient!"

"This is a complete waste of time!" Kyla would scream back.

A tear rolled down Kyla's cheek has she recounted the bittersweet memories. She sank into her bed, her hand wiping the strands of her hair off her brown face. Kyla had hoped by morning she would be better or somehow she would discover everything she'd heard the night before was all a big nightmare. But it was no mare.

She lifted her backpack on her back and headed out of the room. Her mother was carefully waiting for her in the living room. Even though she tried to hide it, Kyla could see sadness deep within her cold eyes. Her mother was one of the toughest people she'd met, both physically and mentally. Seeing her heart shatter the other night made Kyla realise how important she was to her and how deeply she loved her even though she spent half her days calling her idiot. A compliment Kyla had fallen in love with.

"Morning mum!" Kyla forced a smile.

Her mother nodded in reply. "I see you are packed and ready to leave."

"Yes!"

The tension in the air was so thick Kyla could literally feel it halting her movement. It was time for her to make what might be the most important move in her life.

"May Avaerius be with you!" Rephana rose up and gave her a tight hug before giving her a deep kiss on the forehead. Kyla's eyes dripped with tears.

"May the spirits of Other protect you too!" Kyla replied, hugging her mother tighter.

"You can have this, it's rightfully yours," Kyla's mum dropped a pendant in her palm as soon as they released each other.

The pendant was round and dark with golden freckles littered on it, it bore an inscription that read "Draekenea Damus" in block letters around it's edges. In the center was the sculpture of a wyvren looking creature that Kyla decided was a dragon with a broken wing and two of it's leg severed, or so Kyla thought until she took a closer look and discovered the true nature of the diagram. It was incomplete, it was a dragon drawn halfway to completion. Kyla thanked her mother, putting it around her neck swiftly before tucking it into her vest.

"Jada said it belonged to your mother, if you ever want to find her, I think you should never lose it." her mother advised.

Kyla looked in her mother's eyes. "How is it that you don't hate me?" she asked.

Her mother smiled. "You never wronged me Kyla. I taught my daughter the same way I did you." she touched Kyla's chest as if to point at her heart. "To be good!"

It was as simple as that for her, but for Kyla, the pang of guilt gnawed at her very soul. Her story wasn't what she expected it to be, no it was far from it. She always thought she was the typical farmer's child and her fate was resigned to household chores and marriage, an uneventful life filled with built up anger and rage just like her mother's. She never  wanted that kind of life, but a girl child living in Illeria had little to no choice. The laws in the little town was strict and the Hallows didn't make it any less easier. They peered into people's life and gave judgment even the queen would shudder at the thought of.  Now that Kyla had been handed freedom on a silver platter, she didn't know how to feel about it. Yes, she would so much enjoy leaving Harlene behind, but leaving her mother? That was a different story.

She never really thought much about her father, and she envisaged that the feeling was mutual. Though now that she had discovered the real reason why he was cold towards her, she wanted to stay and prove him wrong that she wasn't a cocoon of tragedy. She was just a normal child caught up in the circumstances of life. But all these feelings were jumbled up with the strong desire to find who her real parents were. The person who dumped her in the hands of an innocent girl and unknowingly caused her death.

That was the story her mother told her. Their only daughter, Jada was found at their doorstep in a pool of blood fighting for every agonized breath she took. Kyla was in her arms wrapped in a cloth drenched with blood. Three arrows protruded form her back, but she still managed to raise Kyla towards her mother with one last word. "Protect her," she then gave up on life and clutched to the strings of death.
Her father had rushed out immediately his daughter died, unable to contain his anger and sadness sorted to kill Kyla immediately. In his eyes, she was the cause. Her mother had fled to the temple where the Communion of Hallows resided. They didn't welcome her mother's disobedience, but took pity on Kyla has a baby. They passed the judgement that their family should take care of her till she was eighteen, then they could decide whatever to do with her.

"I have to get going now mother!" Kyla declared.

"Where are you heading to?" her mother asked.

"The Capital!" she replied.

"Waoh! her mother giggled eagerly.  "When you get the chance write to me alright, and write to your father too... if you want"  she said the last bit quietly.

"I will even write to Harlene," Kyla confirmed.

"That girl. If she is not dead by the time your letter reaches us." her mother replied.

Kyla giggled. "Don't spray blood on the floorboards. It gets dad mad."

The two exploded into a bout of laughter, her mother laughing more heartily than she has in years. Their laughter receded has her father walked out of his room to the living room. Kyla's mother turned sour almost immediately regarding her husband with a terrible expression. Her brown eyes emitted rage and terror. The man on the other hand stared at her like she was non existent.

"It is time for you to leave," her father announced.

"I will decide when she..." her mother began.

"No mum! It's okay!" Kyla smiled, then she turned to her foster father. "I can't bring Jada back..."

"Do not say that name, you are not worth it," he growled.

"...but thanks for everything. I will go now!" Kyla continued, ignoring his remark. "Bye dad!"

"Kyla?" Harlene called.

Kyla flinched back in annoyance, if there was anyone she genuinely hated it was Harlene.  "I am sorry!" she said.

"Okay!" Kyla shrugged, hugging her mother once more. She felt her mother slip something heavy into her pants' pocket.

They released themselves and Kyla headed towards the door and glanced back at the family once more. Her father was already turning back into his room and her mum was shooting daggers at Harlene with one of the meanest expressions she has. Harlene on the other hand sulked to a corner. Kyla smiled and headed for the world. She felt what was in her pocket, her mother had given her a pouch of coins.

"Great!" she murmured under her breath.

For the first few minutes, Kyla walked through her neighborhood. Few members of the town  had already gathered in front of their wooden houses and stone cottages whispering under their breaths and making up stories. They never really liked her, they called her all sort of names behind her back and once or twice they said it to her face. Kyla didn't understand why they acted that way then, but now she grasped it fully. She didn't care much about them anyways, half of them couldn't even read much less reason on their own.

Kyla whistled as she passed through the rows of cottages and the centre market. She considered taking a public carriage straight to Alkhamas, but decided against it when she remembered it would cost her extra. She decided she would just take the woods, since it was faster than walking the main path and also she was familiar with the woods as she spent half her nights exploring it. She had once gotten so close to Alkhamas it remained just a day's walk. Though she was scolded by her mum and her father had introduced her to his leather belt since she was missing for more than a day. After walking for a while, she took the liberty of getting supplies from Heron, a kind man that sold few things she'd need on her travels.

Heron was the kind of man you'll never expect to be kind, with two scars on his rather rough and hairy face. He had one on his cheek and another on his forehead, the one on his forehead was a round red scar that looked like a tattoo and the other was a sword wound that nearly took his eyes off. He served as a soldier for Egrimorth and fought in two wars. Kyla always went to his shop to listen to war stories, and how he barely survived them. Even though they were scary as heck, it spiked Kyla's interest in being a warrior. The idea that she would get to kick ass and shoot arrows excited her. 

"So, you are actually leaving?" he asked for the umpteenth time.

"Yes Heron, deal with it," she laughed heartily. "You are so gonna miss me!"

Heron filled Kyla's box with lots of bread. He took the second box and started filling it with as much dried meat. "Hey don't add too much meat. I can't afford those, and I can hunt once I am in the woods."

"Oh do not worry, it's all on the house,"

"No... No you can't do..." Heron raised a finger, and for a second he gave Kyla a deathlike look.

"This is the best I can do for you girl. You've been nice to me, helped me with loads of chores around here. This is me saying thank you. So please do not reject it."

Kyla kept quiet, and after he'd finish stuffing up her little boxes, she packed them in her bag and bade him goodbye. Just as Kyla was about to turn around and walk out of the shop, he scooped her up and gave her a spine breaking hug. Kyla thought she could hear her bones crack from the strength of his muscles.

"You will kill me!" Kyla replied, making a mental note to add Heron to the people she would miss list.

"Sorry," the huge man said, patting her on the head. "Off you go now. May Krusé watch over your journey."

Kyla nodded and left, not turning back once.
After few minutes Kyla exited her little town. A wooden signboard that bore the name Illeria was placed at the entrance of the town. She picked up a small stone and carved her name into the signpost. *I leave now*. Then she stepped out of the town into the woods, heading for the next town.

She travelled for hours before the next town shimmered out of the horizon like a mirage. Alkhamas, the town of commerce. It had the largest market in all of Egrimorth and also had the largest concentration of the rich and the poor. At least that was what the stories said. Even Heron had confirmed that Alkhamas was an unsightly city where the rich always tramples on the poor. He always called them greedy bastards. Kyla on the other hand was never really interested in stories about Alkhamas. She always wanted stories about King Alaroc, the first king of Egrimorth. Stories of how he battled demons, vampires and giants while riding on the back of his dragon, Elda. Not stories of trade and wealthy people treating other people badly because they were somehow fortunate than them.

Dragons were Kyla's favourite historical beasts. They were magical beasts, magnificent and scary. They were capable of loads of magical abilities, and were as intelligent as elves. They suddenly disappeared from the realm at the time when demons started crawling from the bowels of earth. Demons on their own were another interesting topic that she enjoyed. She never believed they ever existed, and always pressed Heron with so much question that the poor man stopped telling her stories about the hellish creatures. Now that she thought of it, she giggled to herself.

She skidded down the hill whistling to herself. Navigating the woods was easy for her since she was familiar with most of the areas. She spent half of her sleepless nights in the woods, sneaking around in the dark. She'd always been able to see clearly in the dark for some reason. She didn't tell her parents    or anyone about this, except Heron, and the former warrior only told her to keep quiet about it. He never asked about it again, and Kyla just shrugged it off as something unimportant.

Soon the afternoon sun began to singe her as it seeped between the forest leaves. Even though she only felt the heat occasionally she began to tire out easily.  She sat down at the base of a large chestnut tree that formed an umbrella and shielded her from the sun's unrelenting beam. She took off her bag and picked up one of the water skins in it's side pockets. She gulped down the soothing liquid, not taking a breath until she felt like exploding. She stopped drinking and laid her back against the tree, closing her eyes for a while. No sooner had she relaxed that the sound of footsteps startled her.  She jumped up on her toes, and lifted her backpack. Few people passed through the woods, since they thought it was haunted and contained loads of wild animals. Only very few, like hunters and strangers walked the woods. She tiptoed towards the passerby using the trees as a shield.

"What are you doing?" the stranger asked, facing the tree she was hiding directly.

The stranger was a girl, probably five seasons older than she was. She was beautiful, with freckles on her cheeks and grey eyes that gazed intently at her. She tied a scarf above her head, hiding her ears but leaving an hollow center to let her brown long hairs flow out.

"Hiding!" Kyla replied, revealing herself.

The stranger was dressed like a merchant, with three different robes wrapping around her torso and complimenting it with a bulky silk trouser.  She carried a travelling backpack like Kyla.

"My name is Miadigarisi," she declared. "You can call me Mia." she quickly said on seeing Kyla's squinted expression.

  "Kyla," she replied.

"You are heading for Alkhamas?"

"Yes." Kyla replied.

"Oh great I love company."

Kyla didn't really mind travelling with someone, so they set out together, talking about different things on their way to Alkhamas.