So, I've started writing a story.
I wanted to post the first chapter of a story that I've started writing, after thinking about writing it for so long. XD Um. It's not very good, but the story'll get better. This is more of a prologue, telling how the adventure begins. Anyway!
The August sun was shining brightly up in the azure sky, cruel and unrelenting. There were no clouds to dull the harsh brightness of midday, so most people were in their homes, waiting for the sun to start making its decline into the western horizon. There were a few people out and about, though, mainly in the more questionable areas of the medium-sized town. A young woman named Rose was one of those people. Rose was what one would most likely consider a beautiful woman, though she didn’t find herself to be so. She wore sensible clothes, her fashion sense dictated by her wandering ways. Her tan-colored shirt was long-sleeved, though she had the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, only about two-thirds of the buttons done up to combat the heat in any way possible. Her trousers were dark brown, made of worn, durable leather. Her semi-worn boots were made of tougher leather than her trousers, but were the same shade of brown. Her long, white-blonde hair was fashioned in a braid that trailed down her back, the tendrils that would not go into the plait coming to rest at the small of her back. Her face had a subtle oval shape to it, her features soft and gentle. The ears setting on either side of her head were bigger than most, the tips arching up into a point, making it apparent that she was a half-elf, for they were too short to belong to a full-blooded elf. Her cheeks were flushed from the heat, little beads of sweat scattering over her forehead. One of the beads of moisture slowly trickled down the side of her face, across her jawline. She reached up and wiped it off with a sigh, glancing up towards the sky with her sapphire-colored eyes. Her eyes were probably the most incredible feature she offered. They were such a dark, bright blue, the shape of them akin to an almond. In her hand, there was a set of reins that led to a massive, black stallion. It was a great beast, standing much taller than Rose. It looked as though it would be more at home on a battlefield, than being led by a small wisp of a young woman. It plodded behind her placidly, though, seemingly content with the lazy, slow pace that Rose was walking at.
Rose had a good reason to be out and about on this hot and humid August afternoon, ambling up and down the streets aimlessly. She was waiting for someone. She had met him the night before at a tavern, where she had gotten a bite to eat and some ale to quench her thirst before she’d turned in for the night. She had been sitting in the half-emptied alehouse, listening to the conversations going on about her. This was something that she normally did, though she never really made it known that she was eavesdropping on the fellow patrons of bars. On this occasion, she could not help it, though. She’d heard a man discussing a map with the tender of the bar. The map led to a place of legend, he had bragged between drinks of his liquor. It was a place that he had no opportunity to go to, though, due to responsibilities to his wife and children. Rose had listened as he described the supposed beauty and serenity of that place, of how it had survived through the ages, seemingly untouched by time. He did not know that all he was saying was true, of course, since he had never been here, but Rose was intrigued. She had listened raptly, finding herself quite curious about these legendary ruins. It was a passion of hers, to see things that people normally did not see. Ever since she’d found herself alone, she’d filled the emptiness in her heart with travelling to remote places that people normally did not dare to go. She’d seen things that people hadn’t seen in centuries, places untouched by civilization. Sometimes she would make her way back to the place that she called home, but more often than not, she was on the road. After she had listened to the bartender and the man talk about the map and where it led for awhile, Rose finally let it be known that she was interested in their conversation. She turned slightly so that she was facing the man who had been talking the bartender’s ear off, and offered him a smile. “Would you ever be interested in parting ways with your map,” she asked him.
The man turned to her in surprise, his dark brown eyes reflecting the shock of having an actually enquiry about the piece of parchment he’d been rambling on about for the past thirty minutes. His look of shock turned to one of wariness after a few moments of studying Rose. “I don’t know,” he said to her after taking a small drink of the amber liquid in his small cup. “The map’s been in the family for many generations.”
Rose nodded a bit when he said this, seemingly in understanding. “I can imagine it would be hard to let go of something that’s been passed through a family for so long,” she said to him even as she leaned closer, smiling at him. “I can make the loss of the map quite worth your while, though.” Money was no object to her, for she could always make something on her paintings. All she would have to do is paint one of the things she’d seen in her travels, and she’d be set for a nice long while from the selling of it.
The man became suspicious when she said that she could pay him nicely for the map. He stared at her for a few moments, his brow furrowed in both confusion and the suspicion he was feeling. “Why would you want to pay for a map that leads to a place that might not even exist any longer,” he asked. He had just been telling tall tales when he had spoke of the ruins with the man he talked to every night. It was something that he did to detract from the mundane way of life that he had right now.
Rose shrugged a bit when he asked his question, still smiling at him politely. “The adventure,” she said to him, “the prospect of seeing a place that’s only existed in legends for ages.” She paused for a moment, gauging his reaction to her reasons for wanting the map in her possession. He continued looking at her suspiciously, like she were trying to steal something from him. “I promised I could make it worth your while,” she said to him reassuringly as she untied her money purse from her belt and set it down on the counter with a subtle thud.
The man looked down at the leather pouch for a moment before picking it up, weighing it in his hand. It seemed a substantial amount, he thought to himself. Curious now, he undid the string holding the pouch together, and took a look inside. He gasped at the amount of coin she was willing to part with, his eyes darting back to hers quickly. “All of this for a map that may lead to nowhere,” he asked incredulously.
She nodded once at his question, smiling knowingly. She could see the greed reflecting in his eyes, that greed assuring her that the map would be in her possession. “Bring the map to me on the morrow, and all of this will be yours,” she said to him before taking a drink of her ale. She held her hand out to get the pouch full of gold back, and he sighed ruefully as he gave it to her. He kept in mind that it would soon be his, though, and that brought a devious smile to his face.
“On the morrow,” he said, nodding. “Meet me outside of the tavern at noon, and you shall have the map.”
“Thank you, good sir,” she said to him as she stood, deciding to make her exit now. She gave him a wave before turning to exit the alehouse, wanting to get some sleep for the journey that she would be starting once she got the map.
She had made her way to the tavern precisely at noon on that next day, hoping the man would come. Rose was pretty certain that he would, for he looked like a man of meager means. She did not begrudge having to pay a high price for the map, for if it did him some good, it would be well worth it, even if the map did lead to a few pillars of crumbling stone. She’d grown tired of walking up and down aimlessly, so she made her way to the building, leaning against it as she waited patiently.
After nearly half an hour, the man finally made his appearance. He approached her cautiously, ever-wary of the woman who was about to throw away such an amount of gold on a piece of faded parchment. Her waste was his gain, though, he thought. The money would do so much good for his family and himself. When she saw him appear from around the corner, she straightened herself up and waved. He jogged over to her and held out the rolled-up map. “Here it is,” the man said to her.
She took it from him and unrolled it, wanting to make sure she’d be able to read it before she handed over the gold. After she was satisfied, she nodded a bit and rolled the parchment back up, tying it before she went over to her horse and tucked it safely into her sack. “Thank you,” she said to him as she untied the purse from her belt and held it out to him. He held his hand out, and when she dropped it into his open palm, he tucked it safely in his shirt.
“Have a safe journey, miss,” he said, looking almost guilty now that the transaction was finished. He patted the purse that was making a slight bulge in his shirt, reminding him that this was for the good of his family, so that eased the feelings of guilt a bit.
Rose smiled at him reassuringly, noticing the look on his face. “I shall,” she said before walking over to the stallion. She ran her hand along its long, graceful neck affectionately before she looked at the man one last time. “Have a good day, sir,” she said to him before mounting the steed. How she could mount something so much bigger than her in such a graceful manner bewildered the man slightly. He said nothing as she picked up the reins, but simply waved goodbye to her. She waved back before gripping the reins of the horse and flicking them slightly. The horse galloped off at the signal that they could go, leaving the man and the old tavern behind them. Rose was grinning, looking forward to her newest adventure, her mind already forming a picture of the ruins, giving herself expectations, hoping that she would not be disappointed.
The August sun was shining brightly up in the azure sky, cruel and unrelenting. There were no clouds to dull the harsh brightness of midday, so most people were in their homes, waiting for the sun to start making its decline into the western horizon. There were a few people out and about, though, mainly in the more questionable areas of the medium-sized town. A young woman named Rose was one of those people. Rose was what one would most likely consider a beautiful woman, though she didn’t find herself to be so. She wore sensible clothes, her fashion sense dictated by her wandering ways. Her tan-colored shirt was long-sleeved, though she had the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, only about two-thirds of the buttons done up to combat the heat in any way possible. Her trousers were dark brown, made of worn, durable leather. Her semi-worn boots were made of tougher leather than her trousers, but were the same shade of brown. Her long, white-blonde hair was fashioned in a braid that trailed down her back, the tendrils that would not go into the plait coming to rest at the small of her back. Her face had a subtle oval shape to it, her features soft and gentle. The ears setting on either side of her head were bigger than most, the tips arching up into a point, making it apparent that she was a half-elf, for they were too short to belong to a full-blooded elf. Her cheeks were flushed from the heat, little beads of sweat scattering over her forehead. One of the beads of moisture slowly trickled down the side of her face, across her jawline. She reached up and wiped it off with a sigh, glancing up towards the sky with her sapphire-colored eyes. Her eyes were probably the most incredible feature she offered. They were such a dark, bright blue, the shape of them akin to an almond. In her hand, there was a set of reins that led to a massive, black stallion. It was a great beast, standing much taller than Rose. It looked as though it would be more at home on a battlefield, than being led by a small wisp of a young woman. It plodded behind her placidly, though, seemingly content with the lazy, slow pace that Rose was walking at.
Rose had a good reason to be out and about on this hot and humid August afternoon, ambling up and down the streets aimlessly. She was waiting for someone. She had met him the night before at a tavern, where she had gotten a bite to eat and some ale to quench her thirst before she’d turned in for the night. She had been sitting in the half-emptied alehouse, listening to the conversations going on about her. This was something that she normally did, though she never really made it known that she was eavesdropping on the fellow patrons of bars. On this occasion, she could not help it, though. She’d heard a man discussing a map with the tender of the bar. The map led to a place of legend, he had bragged between drinks of his liquor. It was a place that he had no opportunity to go to, though, due to responsibilities to his wife and children. Rose had listened as he described the supposed beauty and serenity of that place, of how it had survived through the ages, seemingly untouched by time. He did not know that all he was saying was true, of course, since he had never been here, but Rose was intrigued. She had listened raptly, finding herself quite curious about these legendary ruins. It was a passion of hers, to see things that people normally did not see. Ever since she’d found herself alone, she’d filled the emptiness in her heart with travelling to remote places that people normally did not dare to go. She’d seen things that people hadn’t seen in centuries, places untouched by civilization. Sometimes she would make her way back to the place that she called home, but more often than not, she was on the road. After she had listened to the bartender and the man talk about the map and where it led for awhile, Rose finally let it be known that she was interested in their conversation. She turned slightly so that she was facing the man who had been talking the bartender’s ear off, and offered him a smile. “Would you ever be interested in parting ways with your map,” she asked him.
The man turned to her in surprise, his dark brown eyes reflecting the shock of having an actually enquiry about the piece of parchment he’d been rambling on about for the past thirty minutes. His look of shock turned to one of wariness after a few moments of studying Rose. “I don’t know,” he said to her after taking a small drink of the amber liquid in his small cup. “The map’s been in the family for many generations.”
Rose nodded a bit when he said this, seemingly in understanding. “I can imagine it would be hard to let go of something that’s been passed through a family for so long,” she said to him even as she leaned closer, smiling at him. “I can make the loss of the map quite worth your while, though.” Money was no object to her, for she could always make something on her paintings. All she would have to do is paint one of the things she’d seen in her travels, and she’d be set for a nice long while from the selling of it.
The man became suspicious when she said that she could pay him nicely for the map. He stared at her for a few moments, his brow furrowed in both confusion and the suspicion he was feeling. “Why would you want to pay for a map that leads to a place that might not even exist any longer,” he asked. He had just been telling tall tales when he had spoke of the ruins with the man he talked to every night. It was something that he did to detract from the mundane way of life that he had right now.
Rose shrugged a bit when he asked his question, still smiling at him politely. “The adventure,” she said to him, “the prospect of seeing a place that’s only existed in legends for ages.” She paused for a moment, gauging his reaction to her reasons for wanting the map in her possession. He continued looking at her suspiciously, like she were trying to steal something from him. “I promised I could make it worth your while,” she said to him reassuringly as she untied her money purse from her belt and set it down on the counter with a subtle thud.
The man looked down at the leather pouch for a moment before picking it up, weighing it in his hand. It seemed a substantial amount, he thought to himself. Curious now, he undid the string holding the pouch together, and took a look inside. He gasped at the amount of coin she was willing to part with, his eyes darting back to hers quickly. “All of this for a map that may lead to nowhere,” he asked incredulously.
She nodded once at his question, smiling knowingly. She could see the greed reflecting in his eyes, that greed assuring her that the map would be in her possession. “Bring the map to me on the morrow, and all of this will be yours,” she said to him before taking a drink of her ale. She held her hand out to get the pouch full of gold back, and he sighed ruefully as he gave it to her. He kept in mind that it would soon be his, though, and that brought a devious smile to his face.
“On the morrow,” he said, nodding. “Meet me outside of the tavern at noon, and you shall have the map.”
“Thank you, good sir,” she said to him as she stood, deciding to make her exit now. She gave him a wave before turning to exit the alehouse, wanting to get some sleep for the journey that she would be starting once she got the map.
She had made her way to the tavern precisely at noon on that next day, hoping the man would come. Rose was pretty certain that he would, for he looked like a man of meager means. She did not begrudge having to pay a high price for the map, for if it did him some good, it would be well worth it, even if the map did lead to a few pillars of crumbling stone. She’d grown tired of walking up and down aimlessly, so she made her way to the building, leaning against it as she waited patiently.
After nearly half an hour, the man finally made his appearance. He approached her cautiously, ever-wary of the woman who was about to throw away such an amount of gold on a piece of faded parchment. Her waste was his gain, though, he thought. The money would do so much good for his family and himself. When she saw him appear from around the corner, she straightened herself up and waved. He jogged over to her and held out the rolled-up map. “Here it is,” the man said to her.
She took it from him and unrolled it, wanting to make sure she’d be able to read it before she handed over the gold. After she was satisfied, she nodded a bit and rolled the parchment back up, tying it before she went over to her horse and tucked it safely into her sack. “Thank you,” she said to him as she untied the purse from her belt and held it out to him. He held his hand out, and when she dropped it into his open palm, he tucked it safely in his shirt.
“Have a safe journey, miss,” he said, looking almost guilty now that the transaction was finished. He patted the purse that was making a slight bulge in his shirt, reminding him that this was for the good of his family, so that eased the feelings of guilt a bit.
Rose smiled at him reassuringly, noticing the look on his face. “I shall,” she said before walking over to the stallion. She ran her hand along its long, graceful neck affectionately before she looked at the man one last time. “Have a good day, sir,” she said to him before mounting the steed. How she could mount something so much bigger than her in such a graceful manner bewildered the man slightly. He said nothing as she picked up the reins, but simply waved goodbye to her. She waved back before gripping the reins of the horse and flicking them slightly. The horse galloped off at the signal that they could go, leaving the man and the old tavern behind them. Rose was grinning, looking forward to her newest adventure, her mind already forming a picture of the ruins, giving herself expectations, hoping that she would not be disappointed.