Legend of the Six Swords (Revised)- Ch. 0, Pt. 2

1

"Mother, show us your unending generosity this day..." I muttered, kneeling in front of the family altar. "...bodies and minds purified in your love..." My sister and father sat on either side of me, and my mother on my father's left. 2

"Fill us with compassion and virtue, and guide our hearts along the road to salvation..." We were all uttering the same prayer, our voices barely above a whisper. A dozen sticks of incense burned around us, and a fragrant bouquet of flowers lay at the feet of the moon goddess' likeness. The two scents, artificial and natural, hung heavy in the air. 3

"Make us instruments of your divine Will, and protect us always from the allures of the Flesh. Amen."4

We sat for a moment savoring a silence that was broken only by the sounds of the birds and early morning insects. The kind of silence that, despite its empty nature, feels so full, somehow.  We call it the Rapture: the sense of completeness after one has offered a prayer. Of course, back then I was too young to really appreciate it. It was my thirteenth birthday that day, and the last thing I wanted to be doing was 5

talking to a statue. I was the first to stand up, brushing the dirt off my knees.6

"All right, then. See you guys later. I'm going to go see if Ellowa is back from the fields yet." I said, turning on my heel and starting down the path that lead to the main road.7

"But aren't you going to stay for breakfast? I was going to make solma!" I heard my mother say.8

"Leave some for me, then." I said, continuing to walk. I turned into the road as the path ended, and went south towards Ellowa's home on the hill. It was a beautiful day. The sky was clear and still tinged with red, and I could see the farmers' heads peeking over the tall, green corn in the valley. Tiny cottages dotted the hillsides; wisps of smoke issuing from mud brick chimneys like lazy, gray snakes dragging themselves, inch by inch from their secret hiding places.9

It was the beginning of another mild summer. The spring flowers were giving way to the taller, more vibrant summer vegetation; every day, it seemed like more sunflowers and wild honeysuckle were erupting from the ground, taking the place of the gentle, fragile lilies of the valley and hyacinths. The wind was warm on my face, the tall grass gentle as it tickled my bare legs. The whole village was preparing for the Gate of Summer Festival; the women were already piecing together their fiery summer gowns, and the men digging out their colorful, festive accouterments, but it seemed as if the season was ready to out dress them.10

And through all this I trudged, dragging my feet and looking dead ahead, my adolescent mind oblivious to the splendor around me. After about two minutes, I was at Ellowa's garden gate, a black, cast iron affair with flowers and tangled vines running wild across it. I put my hands to my mouth, and shouted,11

"Ell! You there?" 12

No answer.13

"Ell! Come on, Ell! Get out here! I'm bored!!!!" After a moment, the heavy wooden door creaked open, and Ellowa stepped gingerly out, her feet bare, and her face set in an expression both of amusement and motherly sterness. 14

"You don't have any manners at all, do you, Everial?"15

I thought about it for a moment. Tough question.16

"Nah, not really. Get your shoes on, I want to go visit Tojo in the square." Ellowa sighed, clicking her tongue and shaking her head. Her long, ebony hair fanned out behind her, catching the sunlight and then falling gently down her back and across her shoulder. It was ever so wavy, like a dark river shining in the sun, the waves and ripples frozen in place. Her skin was pale, her cheeks slightly red, and her eyes green. Her features were soft, but somehow distinct. An angel meticulously chiseled from a block of marble. 17

She ran her long fingers through her hair in frustration, biting her bottom lip and glancing over her shoulder in to her house. He father was most likely passed out inside, after a long night of merry making, and her mother was probably out in the orchard. 18

"All right." she whispered. "I'll go get my sandals."19

She disappeared inside for a moment, but soon returned, wearing worn sandals that were a bit too big for her feet. She pushed the door gently closed behind her, and walked the short distance from her front step to the metal arch. "Let's be off, then." she said. I nodded, and we started to make our way into the valley, where the town square was. "I don't see why we have to go to Tojo's father's shop, Everial. We do it all the time."20

"Tojo's a nice guy, Ellowa. We're mates."21

"Oh, I like Tojo well enough. He's really a sweet boy, but his father scares me sometimes! And the whole place smells awful, like sweat and burning hair.."22

"Well, yeah, his dad is a bit off..." By 'off', I meant he liked the smell of grease, and sometimes ate leather like bits of jerky. It cleaned out the bowels, he said. "..but he's really nice, you know...once you get used to him." Ellowa sighed.23

"I suppose."24

We were quiet for the rest of the trip, which took about fifteen minutes in all. We eventually reached the town square, a small ring of open air shops: restaurants, a clothing shop, a place where they made pottery, a fruit and vegetable stand, a dairy with milk and eggs on ice, and many others. The one I liked best, though- the one we were going to -was the smithy's, run by the sword maker Wren. He was good at what he did, (all our militia men were armed with Wren's sturdy, reliable blades) and he was friendly, honest and generous. Many times, he was tricked out of money by people who bought weapons on 'credit', but he never did go after them.25

"I'm a blacksmith, not a tax collector." he would often say, a wide, almost manic smile on his square, sunburned face. His son Tojo, one of my best friends, was an apprentice there, and he was quickly learning his father's trade. Many people who stopped to examine his work said he would, within a few years, surpass his father in skill. Whenever Wren heard this, he would laugh, and give his son a gratified smile, a look of pride and contentment in his eyes.26

Wren stepped out as we approached, his face and arms shining with sweat, and waved. With the other hand, he wiped his brow, and then he said,27

"Why, if it isn' Tojo's little frien's? 'ow do, Everial? Ellowa? 'ow are yer parents?" 28

"Fine, just fine. As uptight as ever." I said with a wry smile. He laughed, a sudden thunderous guffaw that made a fair number of the townsfolk jump. Everything he did and said was disproportionately huge, his speech and gestures sweeping and grandiose; it caught people unawares often enough.29

"I s'pose yeh want ter see ma son, do yeh?" he asked. I nodded enthusiastically. He smiled, turning his head and shouting, "Tojo, yer friends are 'ere to see yeh!"30

"Just a minute, Dad!" came  a voice from somewhere inside, followed by the sound of hammer crashing down on steel. Wren smiled.31

"Me son works so 'ard. I really am proud, I am. 'is mother would be pleased." he said quietly. Wren's masculinity was very important to him; he wasn't used to expressing emotions, like his love for his son. His wife had given Tojo love, and he had taught Tojo to be a man. That was how it was. I can't imagine how distraught he must have been when Tojo's mother passed on, being faced with the responsibility of raising a child on his own. He had done a fine job, though. Tojo was about the most caring, loyal person I knew; like his father, he didn't emote very much, but his optimism and sense of humor made up for it.32

Soon, Tojo's shockingly blonde head popped out from the depths of the smithy, his face glistening like his father's, a bandanna wrapped around his head to keep the sweat out of his dark blue eyes. He had his father's square face and strong profile, even as an adolescent boy, but he had his mother's hair, nose and ears. He smiled, and waved with one of his big, callused hands. Wren's smile, Wren's hands.33

"All right, guys?"34

I grinned and waved back. I'm sure Ellowa would have done the same, but at the moment her hands were too busy shielding her nose and mouth. Truthfully, you could smell our friend from a mile away. 35

A  few minutes later, Tojo reappeared, looking exhausted and hot, but pleased with himself. 36

"Well, where is it?" I asked him, expectant.37

"What, the sword?" he replied, a big grin on his face. "It's a surprise. My best work yet. You'll see it later. Now, where are we going?"38

I suddenly realized that, in all my haste to get away from my home and family, I hadn't actually given a thought to what it was I wanted to do. I thought for a moment. Where was there something interesting happening? They could go fishing, but how much fun could sitting around for an hour on a riverbank possibly be? And I wouldn't be caught dead picking flowers or catching butterflies like a girl. 39

"There's always the celebration hall, I guess..." Ellowa said, hesitantly. Perfect.40

"Free food? Cute girls? I'm up for it." Tojo said. I gave him a look of disgust. He may have been a few years older than us, but that was just wrong...  I forced a laugh, and said,41

"All right then, let's go." Tojo bounded ahead of me down the street, his steel-toed boots landing heavily on the worn brown cobblestones. 42

"I'll race you two!" I couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. I grabbed Ellowa's hand.43

"Everial, what are you..." she began, but I  didn't let her finish. I started after Tojo, going as fast as I could. Ellowa squeaked in surprise, but didn't say anything beyond that; in retrospect, she was probably too busy trying to keep from falling flat on her face as we sped along. I narrowly missed several unfortunate women, searching the stands for that perfect rose or immaculate last strawberry, but we didn't have any accidents. The signs and busy people gave way to trees, the smooth pavement to an old dirt road, full of potholes and puddles from the storm that had passed through the night before. We went through a particularly large depression filled with rainwater about halfway through, and got soaked from the knees down, but I was loving it. We started going downhill, picking up more speed by the second,  until we reached the foot of the hill. 44

Right before we reached the front steps of the celebration hall, something completely foreign seemed to pop up right in front of us. A huge, cloaked figure, a hood obscuring his face, was crossing the way in front of us. It was too late to slow down. Ellowa shrieked, I closed me eyes, and my feet sent us crashing into the tall stranger. It was like hitting a brick wall; we all went tumbling backward, throwing up thick clouds of dust. We finally slip to a stop, a tangled knot of legs and arms, and as the dust cleared I shook my head and looked, bleary eyed, around me. I was splayed out on top of the stranger, and, from the feel of it, Ellowa had landed on top of me. I felt Ellowa push herself up, using my sore shoulders as support, and she made a little uncomfortable noise in her throat.45

"My gods, Everial...you NEED to watch where you're going..." she said. I was about to reply when I felt a hand clasp the scruff of my neck and I was thrown sideways. I landed flat on my back, the air rushing out of my lungs and my head smacking against the earth with a dull thud, and I heard a firm, deep voice say,46

"Jeez, kid, where the hell were you off to in such a hurry?...Damn, is it so hard to look straight ahead, and maybe put one foot in front of the other like normal people?" I turned my head to see the unknown traveler on his feet, his hood down, rubbing the back of his neck and grimacing. (It was indeed a he.) He had shockingly red hair that stood up in all directions, giving the impression that his head had caught fire. His eyes were light green, his face long and shapely. His skin was pale, perhaps paler than usual, and his hands were large and rough like they had seen years of hard work and toil. His cloak trailed in the dirt, and from the looks of it, it had been burgundy once; years of staining and weathering had made it a dull brown color. He had a large battle ax handing at his side, and overall he was a very impressive and imposing figure. He would have scared me, if he hadn't had an almost childish look of discomfort on his face, and was eyeing me like an escaped mental patient. I sat bolt upright.47

"What about you, just walking up the middle of the road like that, just..." I spat. Ellowa stopped me mid sentence.48

"What he means to say, sir, is of course he'll be more careful in the future!" she said agreeably, a tentative smile on her face. She bowed apologetically, and in response the traveler did no more than snort and brush off his shoulder. At that moment, Tojo bounded out to us from inside the celebration hall, looking shocked and perplexed. 49

"Wha' the 'ell happened?" he asked, looking from me, to Ellowa, to the stranger. When he got flustered, he always slipped into a speech pattern not unlike his father's. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet.  He gave Ellowa a dirty look, and she just shrugged her 50

shoulders. The stranger looked at Tojo, and asked,51

"Hey, you. Do you know which way Wren's smithy is?" Tojo raised his eyes. 52

"Of course I do. I'm his son." he said, laughing. He pointed the way we had come. "It's that way, in the town square. Next to the fish stand." The stranger looked surprised to hear that the boy in front of him had Wren's blood in his veins. He gave him an appraising look, going over him from head to toe. 53

"Thanks kid..." he said softly after a moment. Then, he turned and started up the hill. Before he had gone far, he turned his head and said to me, "And you should keep that temper in check." When he turned back and continued on, I found myself wishing I had a crossbow. What an ass. 54

"C'mon, Tojo, Ellowa." I said sharply. I turned and stormed inside the celebration hall, to see dozens of mothers and teenage girls, even some that were about nine or ten, all flitting about, frantically preparing the space and tables, not to mention arranging decorations and cooking scores of different dishes for the festival, which was this evening. There was a tall dais at the far end of the room where the elders and priests traditionally spoke. When one of the women, a stout, busty lady with apple red cheeks and black hair in a tight bun saw us, a huge smile spread across her face and she strode over the greet us. It was Eleena, the head cook. Every year she made the most decadent dishes you would ever sample in a thousand lifetimes, and she was known to be a very well organized and responsible woman, both respected the world of the culinary arts and among the everyday towns person in our little settlement. 55

"Why, hello there, littluns! I sure hope you've come to help!" she said, that big, blinding white grin still sparkling at us from between her cheeks. Then, her face fell a bit. "Or have you just come hoping to pinch some food?"56

I smiled amicably. My heart said, 'snag food, Everial! Come on, no one will miss it!', but I was smarter than that, so I said, 57

"We came to help, of course, Ms. Eleena." I gave Tojo a sideways glance, and he sneaked off as the cook turned her head. He traversed the crowd of people, making his way without trouble towards the stoves where about twenty pots of soup and sauce simmered over sizable fires. The cooks had, fortunately, left their posts to attend to other matters. When he reached the row of pans and pots, he artfully removed the lids one by one, sticking a finger in each and sucking it afterwards to appraise the contents. He looked like he was having the best time, and I envied him. I tore my gaze from my stealthy friend and tried to look innocently at Eleena as she started listing things that needing doing, but my mind was on a full stomach and not a hard day's work. Before I knew it, she said,58

"Okay then, get going!" and I had to resist the urge to ask what she wanted me to do again. As she turned her back to us, Ellowa clicked her tongue at me.59

"Oh, like you were paying attention anyway!" I hissed when she was out of earshot.60

"Of course I was."61

"Shut up..." I muttered. I HATED being wrong. "What did she want us to do?"62

"Well, she did say that the hors d" oeuvres had to be arranged on plates..."63

"On it!" I said before she could finish. She shook her head and sighed, but I ignored her and made a beeline for the tiny delectables that I was to watch over. There was one table just covered with trays and trays of hors d" oeuvres, a stack of small plates at the upper right corner. I took to my task, making sure to have two of each variety on each plate, arranged as neatly and methodically as personally. They may have lacked creativity, but at least they were manageable. Of course, no one would miss one or two, or five, little morsels, which I sampled at my leisure. Of course, I was nearly caught once or twice, but I managed to stuff whatever bit of half eaten finger food I had in my mouth and return to my task with faux dedication.64

So there I was, pretending to work while I was really stuffing my face, and having a time of it, while Ellowa, bless her, was actually working. It's safe to say we were being rather counter-productive, actually, and at the time I was damn proud of it. This whole business went on for a while, and as we finished each 'task', we moved on to bigger and better things, namely cake and sweetmeats. 65

"Ah, life is good..." I muttered to myself as I sampled the icing on a modest sweet bun. Suddenly, I felt a less-than-friendly hands on the small of my back.66

"Enjoying yourself, dear?" Eleena asked, her voice as cold as ice.67

'Damn it!' I thought, turning my head to see her smiling face, but the smile was strained. "I hope so, because your escapade ends hear." I saw that another apron-clad woman had Tojo by the ear behind her. Eleena simply pointed to a nearby table, and I quietly shuffled over, downcast, and sat. Tojo landed next to me; it appeared his captor was stronger than she looked. He grimaced.68

"Ooh, I think I got a splinter in my..."69

"Stop. Right. There." I groaned, laying my head down on the table like a shamed dog.70