The Swored Returns
Preface
DÉSIRÉE stared in horror at the… The THING. She could find no words to describe it. The thing had piercing, beautiful green eyes that seemed vaguely familiar, and yet, at the same time, the emotions held in those eyes were… undecipherable. It was coming towards her, filling her heart with fear. She began to look for a weapon; anything that might help her defend herself against this thing. She glanced over the meadow. Nothing. Should she jump in the lake? She heard a voice, calling, beckoning… “Look under the oak,” it said. DÉSIRÉE felt something pulling at her. She scanned the meadow again. She glimpsed a gleam and looked closer. “Was that a Sword?” she thought. She hadn’t remembered seeing it there before. DÉSIRÉE felt something pulling her… pulling her towards the sword. “Should I risk it?” she thought. The thing leaped for her neck, malice in its eyes. She has reached the point of no return. Her final choice must be made. She must reach for the sword or die; no time for indecision, no time to think. She grabbed it. As soon as she touched the sword she felt a surge of power go thru her. The forest started to blur, to waver. She heard a growl faintly, like the sound was far away. Then a voice screaming “Nooooooooo” and it faded, as if into the distance, like the forest seemed to be doing. Then the forest disappeared completely. She was suddenly in a room; its walls were grey with tapestries. A bed was centered in the middle of the room, a red carpet underneath it. The first thing she noticed was the girl sitting on the bed. The girl with fiery red hair and spicy green eyes. Then she noticed the dress. The girl was dressed in a gorgeous light blue gown with a gold beaded bodice. The girl jumped up and drew her sword. “Who are you?” she demanded, in a voice as cold as steel. DÉSIRÉE smiled shyly, “My name is DÉSIRÉE Dessisslava Organium,” DÉSIRÉE replied. “And as for how I got here, I don’t know. I was in the woods and I laid down to rest. I heard this sound and suddenly this beast appeared before me, and started to attack me. I stood up and started to run. I heard a voice telling me to look under the oak, but I disregarded it. I looked around the meadow. I saw a sword, and I grabbed it and here I am.” The girl sighed and put down her sword, “It was as I suspected then. You are the girl in my vision. My name is Estelle Ermanguard and I am a captive of the king of the Ferndale court.” “What did you do,” DÉSIRÉE asked.
“Nothing, I see visions.” “Oh,” said DÉSIRÉE. Why does he want you then,” Estelle sighed. “He wants me to tell him when you arrive.” “What,” asked DÉSIRÉE. Estelle started to answer her but then she gasped. “He is coming! Hide quickly!” DÉSIRÉE ran to a wardrobe that she had not noticed before. With a small crack just large enough to see through. A man dressed in elaborate colors appeared. “Now, young one, she got away. Where is she?” Estelle closed her fearful eyes. “I see her in a wood a shining lake beside her.” “Ah! Thank you young one you have been MOST helpful.” And for a short moment DÉSIRÉE saw his eyes… piercing GREEN eyes.
CHAPTER ONE
Estelle stared in hate at the spot where Lord Drakeman had disappeared. She thought again of the girl in the wardrobe and sighed. “How am I supposed to get her to trust me,” Estelle wondered to herself. Estelle walked slowly over to the wardrobe and opened the door. The girl with blond hair and beautiful brown eyes fell into her arms and cried. After a while the girl’s tears ran out. “There, there now, it’s alright,” Estelle said. “Now tell me what’s wrong.” Desiree looked down and was suddenly very formal, her voice quivering. “I am sorry I behaved as such. It was just that I saw his eyes and…and they looked EXACTLY like the eyes of the monster that attacked me.” Estelle started to cry with her, “Yes he was the monster you saw. I think that I should tell you a story.” Desiree looked at her, curiosity and distrust in her eyes. “O-o-o-kay?” she said hesitantly. Estelle smiled a little, “Come; sit on the bed with me.” She walked toward the bed and looked back to see if the girl was following her. She was. After they were seated on the bed Estelle began. “Long ago, in a kingdom far away, there was a girl named Arlene. An ordinary girl but a special one. Bad things happened. When she was mad at someone they would get lost in an unexpected storm or something like that…” Estelle was looking absentmindedly at the wall and the tapestry suddenly changed. Desiree gasped; now the tapestry that USED to be of a lake with deer beside it, was now a picture of a forest, the top of a castle skimming the trees and a girl sitting in a tree that overlooked the castle. The girl’s features stood out. More than anything else she was skinny and had big blue eyes, curly red hair and an abnormally pale face with dominant cheek bones and cherry red lips. Estelle sighed and started her story again. “In ANY kind of storm she would be up in a tree or on the roof. Many people thought it was weird but then the men came. They had red hair and when an inn keeper denied them rooms the leaders’ heads burst into flames.” Desiree gasped in horror “What were they,” she whispered. Estelle smiled a dark, grim smile. “What I am,” said Estelle, “a Fire Witch.” Desiree gasped and edged away from her. “Don’t worry,” said Estelle. “I won’t—can’t—hurt you.” Desiree looked at her, the fright apparent in her eyes. “What,” Desiree asked. “You are protected by the sword.” Desiree’s eyes looked at the sword lying by the bed. “I…I…I don’t understand,” she finally managed to say. “Let me finish my story it will explain more.” Desiree nodded a stiff nod, decision in her eyes. “Anyway,” Estelle said, “the men earned great respect from the villagers. No one dared to say no or refuse them anything. One day after about one month of being in the town they started packing their things to leave and they saw Arlene. They gasped and started to talk amongst themselves. After what looked like a heated argument one of them, a young one who was tall and graceful with piercing eyes who seemed close to Arlene’s’ age approached Arlene and said, “My name is Adair Shienkof and I have noticed that you are a fire witch,” he said. “What is a Fire witch,” Arlene asked him. ”Do you not know what you are,” he asked, appalled. “What in this STUIPID world is a fire witch? ANSWER THE QUESTION,” she yelled as it started to storm. “Apparently you are also a storm witch; a half breed very uncommon… with no idea of what you are OR how to contain yourself,” he said. “I am not some kind of rare thing you can buy,” Arlene said as her hair started to sizzle in the rain. Adair smiled. “If you want to learn to control your. . . err… Powers… then you should come with us when we leave. But you must choose now, as we are leaving soon.” Arlene glared at him. “Fine, but I expect a full explanation SOON,” she screamed. Arlene had turned and walked away. Arlene’s Aunt Adele saw Arlene’s expression, and was immediately guarded. “What’s wrong?” she asked, warily blowing her long brown hair away from her face. “Why did you not tell me,” Arlene had asked sounding close to tears. “I do not know what you mean,” Aunt Adele hedged, clearly lying. “What am I? Tell me the truth.” Aunt Adele sighed “All right, come inside,” she said as she disappeared into the house. “It was my job to make sure you stayed out of harm until your mother came back for you. But when she was killed… .“A noise suddenly interrupted her, a sort of humming sound and then the door turned a glowing red and just… Burned was no longer there. A man, clearly evil, appeared then he took one look with his hate filled eyes and suddenly her aunt screamed in pain and agony. “GO WITH THE MEN!” she had cried “THEY WILL HELP YOU!” Then her angelic face turned purple and the man who had just killed her aunt without even touching her turned toward Arlene. She did not even feel scared. All she felt was hate - hate that was building inside her. She felt a weight in her hand. She looked down and saw a sword. She did not even wonder where it had come from. She was no longer herself; she pointed the sword, said alien words that she had never heard before, and suddenly the man was gone. Arlene immediately felt frightened and thought about her aunts’ words. She had told her to go to the men and that is what she would do.
