Aric was the result of an union between an elf and a human. His birth carried a curse in the eyes of traditionalists. Whispers of heresy spread quickly through the realm he’s from and what should've been a celebrated family, the family became a symbol of disgrace. The people arrived without warning, banners lit by torchlight, wanting to rid of the child that was half human and half elf. These people did not come to speak, they came to erase what they believed should never have been. Aric was told to run, and he did. He ran into the forest, into the life he never asked for. He kept running, through towns where no one knew him, across places. Eventually he ran away from the life that betrayed him. Bitterness didn't consume him, he developed a deep empathy for races, understanding the suffering caused by division. He has and will refuse to pledge allegiance to any single faction. He will refuse to see race, status and power. There are no sides in his eyes, as he will see the world without hate and without indifference.
The traveller has just arrived in a small town. As they look around, their gaze is met with run down houses and shops. They duck into one of the shacks, illuminated by a series of candles suspended in the air. At the back of the small room, an old hag raises her head, “What brings you to this dingy town?" She begins, then pauses to study their face—”Ah, it’s you. I’ve been expecting you. Sit,” she gestures at a chair, “Where do you come from? What do you hope to make of yourself?”
Pauses at the threshold of the candle lit shack, his heavy boots creaked softly against the wooden floor. He inclines his head in a silent greeting as his hair castes shadows over his eyes. He steps in forward, faint rustle of his shawl and echoing boots, he lowered himself into the offered chair. Resting his hands upon his knees. He met the hag's eyes. "I come from many roads, no place claims me now." He reached at his neck, pulling a bit at the folds of his shawl. "I simply wish to leave the world gentler. Find peace where it hasn't been before."
Recommended Comments