Childhood
September 29th 2010 15:01
Marla
Things were simpler in my early youth. As a child of four I was not friends with little ladies my age; my parents didn't care to introduce me. My mother was not friends with many ladies her age, except of course for the Queen and a priestess or two. My mother was however friends with an old knight named Cadmon who had been her bodyguard since she was little. He and his son Logan traveled with us, dined with us, ruled our lands with us. They knew our whole family, which was not nearly as extensive as most noble families.
Logan was my best friend. One might even say he was my only friend. My mother liked to travel between all of the cities, and I didn't have time to make many friends. Logan came with us everywhere. His nanny and mine were one and the same, a kindly old woman from Lydell who had been my mother's nanny once upon a time. Logan played tea party with me and I played swords with him; gender was no barrier.
Cadmon was my uncle, having married my mother's sister who died giving birth to Logan. He was mentor and friend and teacher. He let me sit with Logan and learn about plants and animals, things that would kill and things that would heal. He really answered my questions, without ever saying 'a girl doesn't need to know such things'. He truly cared.
Though in the eyes of the world I am still a child until the day I marry, I remember quite clearly the day my easy childhood ended:
The sun shone bright over the courtyard as Logan and I played swords. I wore my riding clothes because they were easier than any dress. Uncle Cadmon watched from the edge of the courtyard as I rushed his son with a stick. Already an expert, Logan blocked my blow and stepped away; he would let me attack until he got bored. My parents had gone to the theatre with the Queen and her husband.
The sun began to set and Cadmon called us to dinner. Logan ran up behind me and knocked me off my feet with one quick blow to the legs. I yelped slightly but took his offered hand to get back on my feet. As I rose I heard the sound of horses' hooves against cobblestones. I grinned at Logan.
“Race you to the gate!”
“I'll beat you any day!”
We started running and Logan quickly outdid me. My legs hurt too much from his blow to keep up; I could've beat him any other day, or so I thought. I rounded the corner of the castle to see the Queen stepping out of a slightly mangled black carriage with a grave look on her face. Something about that look stopped me. I tripped over a rock and flew to the ground. Cadmon came from behind me and picked me up, putting me over his shoulder. I screeched with something halfway between fright and happiness. He laughed and put me down, walking me over to the carriage.
“Your Majesty,” he said with a bow, “where is M'Lady Baran?”
“There was an accident,” she said gravely, “our carriages were rammed. My husband and I barely survived; Isabella and hers lay dead.”
I didn't really understand death then, but the way Cadmon's face went two shades whiter told me all I needed to know. I burst into tears without thinking. Somehow I knew my world would never be the same...
Your turn! Post the first seventy-five words of your exercise below.
Things were simpler in my early youth. As a child of four I was not friends with little ladies my age; my parents didn't care to introduce me. My mother was not friends with many ladies her age, except of course for the Queen and a priestess or two. My mother was however friends with an old knight named Cadmon who had been her bodyguard since she was little. He and his son Logan traveled with us, dined with us, ruled our lands with us. They knew our whole family, which was not nearly as extensive as most noble families.
Logan was my best friend. One might even say he was my only friend. My mother liked to travel between all of the cities, and I didn't have time to make many friends. Logan came with us everywhere. His nanny and mine were one and the same, a kindly old woman from Lydell who had been my mother's nanny once upon a time. Logan played tea party with me and I played swords with him; gender was no barrier.
Cadmon was my uncle, having married my mother's sister who died giving birth to Logan. He was mentor and friend and teacher. He let me sit with Logan and learn about plants and animals, things that would kill and things that would heal. He really answered my questions, without ever saying 'a girl doesn't need to know such things'. He truly cared.
Though in the eyes of the world I am still a child until the day I marry, I remember quite clearly the day my easy childhood ended:
The sun shone bright over the courtyard as Logan and I played swords. I wore my riding clothes because they were easier than any dress. Uncle Cadmon watched from the edge of the courtyard as I rushed his son with a stick. Already an expert, Logan blocked my blow and stepped away; he would let me attack until he got bored. My parents had gone to the theatre with the Queen and her husband.
The sun began to set and Cadmon called us to dinner. Logan ran up behind me and knocked me off my feet with one quick blow to the legs. I yelped slightly but took his offered hand to get back on my feet. As I rose I heard the sound of horses' hooves against cobblestones. I grinned at Logan.
“Race you to the gate!”
“I'll beat you any day!”
We started running and Logan quickly outdid me. My legs hurt too much from his blow to keep up; I could've beat him any other day, or so I thought. I rounded the corner of the castle to see the Queen stepping out of a slightly mangled black carriage with a grave look on her face. Something about that look stopped me. I tripped over a rock and flew to the ground. Cadmon came from behind me and picked me up, putting me over his shoulder. I screeched with something halfway between fright and happiness. He laughed and put me down, walking me over to the carriage.
“Your Majesty,” he said with a bow, “where is M'Lady Baran?”
“There was an accident,” she said gravely, “our carriages were rammed. My husband and I barely survived; Isabella and hers lay dead.”
I didn't really understand death then, but the way Cadmon's face went two shades whiter told me all I needed to know. I burst into tears without thinking. Somehow I knew my world would never be the same...
Your turn! Post the first seventy-five words of your exercise below.
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Comment by Anonymous
It was Patti’s ninth birthday and she had been allowed to invite three friends. There was no question who they would be to have a small but spectacular Hallowe’en birthday party. Avis stood at the door with Laura and Sook Yin and waited for Patti’s mom to open the door and let them in. They exchanged the knowing glances of the informed nine-year-old.
Full text in usual spot ...
Really Long Link
I really liked your piece and the feeling at the end that it gave me ... sort of a sinking in the stomach feeling that made me want to know what happened. : )
This week mine was written in an hour (all the time I have w guests in the house etc ...) So editing may not be as tight as usual but I have to say - it's nice to have an opportunity to "give me 500 words on this" kind of pressure and see what I come up with. : ) I saw the topic earlier this morning and knew I'd only have this bit of time tonight.
Hope all is well!
Cheers!
RP
Comment by Dianna G
I Wish This Was 42
Fictional Worlds
Lovely story. I especially love the irony of the ending, considering Avis' significance to Elgin's world.
I'm glad that you enjoyed my piece and the prompt itself. Your piece is quite lovely despite its hurry, and to tell the truth, I didn't spend a particularly long time on the piece I wrote either. Sometimes it's incredibly easy to turn something into a workable story, though I'd be more likely to call these glimpses than full stories.
~Dianna