Ring around the rosy
He was my friend.
He was my friend and she killed him.
Killed him.
Murder.
Murderer.
She was a murderer.
He was all I had...and she murdered him.
I was ten then....ten years old.
Innocent.
Trustworthy.
Lonely.
I had no friends.
No family.
All the children were too old to play with me...or too young.
I was always alone.
Then I found him.
Creeling in hunger.
Mother dead...like me.
Father gone...like me.
No family...like me.
All alone...like me.
I stole food from an old woman's sill.
She wouldn't need it. She had a home...which meant she had money.
She could live without it.
But him....he needed it. Right then.
I gave it to the dragonet and, while he fed, loosened his metal bonds.
After he polished off the food, he stared at me for a while.
He then curled up in my lap and fell asleep.
Pocket full of posies
We grew up together.
He grew much faster then myself.
He was well over my head when I reached my eleventh year.
But that never stopped him from being my friend.
We played in fields together...like one might play with a dog.
We rolled in the flowers and laid on the grass.
When he got big enough...I would lay on my friend's back or stomach.
We would stare at the sky...and wonder together if there was something more.
Some strangers in funny clothing came to the town.
They all smelled bad.
He told me that they smelled like blood.
I asked him how he knew.
He said that while he was in egg, he could smell it. That's how he knew.
We stayed away from the strangers.
But they stayed in the village a long time.
They never bothered the fields though.
That was our territory...even the villagers knew it.
And they respected our rights.
Whenever I came to town...they would ignore my little theiving.
I knew they knew I was taking things.
But I also knew that they knew I needed them.
I suppose they felt sorry for me, but it didn't matter to me really.
As long as my friend and I were left alone.
We were fine.
Ashes, ashes
I was near the halfway point of my eleventh year.
My friend was much larger then me now.
About the size of two inn's stacked on top of each other, he was.
I was on another journey to town. I needed to..."buy"...some things.
When I got there, there were new strangers.
Once was a male. He was taller then me by a great deal.
Blond hair, sword at his side.
He stood lazily, looking as if he didn't know what exactly was going on.
Another was a femal. About as tall as me...maybe a little taller.
She had fiery hair, a sword was also by her side; but, she didn't use it much.
I could tell. My friend taught me to be observant about things like that.
But she didn't seem to need it. Or so she thought herself.
She held herself that way. Cocky...almost.
She knew what she was doing.
Two more members adorned the female's party.
(I could tell she was the leader, because all of them looked to her when asked a question.)
One's face was obscured by a hood and facemask.
He (I assume it was a he by the way he walked and stood) also had a cape.
The last member was as tall as me. Older...but not taller.
She looked more...mature....then the other female did, but not as old.
Nothing else really stood out.
I was still confused by the first female's superiority.
She seemed to be the weakest...yet, all the others looked up to her.
Then...I knew why.
They were talking to the strangers that had come before.
Bandits...as I heard they were referred to.
They didn't seem very happy to see the girl.
She held herself in a strange position...then fire sprouted from her hands.
It encased the area, surrounding me as well.
I was frightened....and I cried.
We all fall down
My friend must have seen what was happening from our field.
He came rushing into town, creeling the sounds he used to call me.
I tried to cry out to him.
But I was being choked by the smoke from the woman's fire.
He went roaring through town, almost tearing buildings apart looking for me.
But he found the woman first.
She starting chanting something I couldn't quite make out.
A force shot from her hands and hit my friend in his heart.
He never stood a chance.
He fell to the ground with a sickening thud.
And was still.
I ran over, not noticing the fire that burned as it licked my bare arms and legs.
Cradling my friends head in my lap, which was very difficult to do, I spoke softly to him. Conforting him.
It was strange...I felt nothing.
No heartbeat.
Not any of the warmth that was there before.
Just cold.
I looked up...and there stood the woman.
She gave me a pitying look and just stood above me, watching me cradle my friend's head.
I glared at her, not knowing what else to do.
She looked hurt for a moment...then walked away.
I cursed her in my mind.
I cursed her that she would never rest.
I cursed her friends too...for not stopping this tragedy.
I stoppped thinking of her then...and my attention was back on my still friend.
Not knowing what to do...or even the fact that he was dead...I sang.
I sang a song that for some reason...just...fit.
It was something that I heard when I was very little.
When I was not even speaking yet.
"Ring around the rosy; Pocket full of posey; Ashes, Ashes; We all fall down...."
This I repeated till a woman from a nearby house grabbed me and hauled me away.
I kicked and screamed and faught.
I wanted to be with my friend.
I was eleven.
My innocence was shattered as I held my friends head in my arms.
From then on all I could think of was revenge.
Revenge on the one who killed my friend.
Revenge against the murderer.
I later learned her name.
I was sixteen then.
Five years had passed.
Five years of sword training and the like for revenge.
Five years of bitterness.
I continued training.
I then learned her exact location.
A part of the magic training I was receiving.
It was my own decision...not part of the course.
But it helped.
I was eighteen then.
Seven years of bitterness.
Today is the day.
Today is the day I can finally get revenge.
Revenge on my friend's murderer.
Today is the day I release my bitterness.
Today is the day I can finally rest.
I am twenty now.
Nine years of bitterness.
Nine years of bitterness released on the murderer.
As I stand on the hill before I confront her for our bloody battle...I remember the song from long ago.
"We all fall down." I smile at this. How...ironic. "It's your day to fall, Lina Inverse. We all fall down....and today is your day."
With that last lovely thought...I walk to my destiny.