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.:Wandering Star:.

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The spring sun shone down warmly on the small valley of Tef'ner. The grass was now a lush green, no longer the drab yellow of autumn or the glossy white and sparkling silver frost of winter. Elraen sat looking out over the green valley. Her family's house was positioned at the very eastern end, nearly half a mile away. A long trail led to it, winding down the center of the valley like a long brown snake. The valley floor was carpeted in thick grasslands. Only a few clumps of trees stood, their short, leaf-laden branches only feet from the ground. The air that morning was thick with the smell of blooming flowers. It was Elraen's favorite time of year. The black haired girl looked down at the beautiful valley she lived in. She could see everything from up here! She could see a herd of sheep far below her, being driven by a small boy and a few companions. To her left were large fenced off portions of land and horses nibbling contentedly on the fresh green grass. She could even see her friend Pama's house just beyond the pastures. The chimney was barely visible sticking straight up from the side of the house. The flowerbeds that surrounded the house just looked like multicolored mounds. High mountain peaks rose on either side, crowned with white veils of snow at the very top. In winter the whole mountain and the valley below would be draped with a thick blanket of snow. But at the moment, the valley walls were green with mossy growth. A cloud of dust was forming on the western horizon. Her father, Rumar, must be returning from his trip. The girl's dark jade eyes sparkled with anticipation. She loved her father dearly and had missed him while he was gone away. He was often away. Rumar was a merchant and enjoyed checking his ships and talking with his captains. The past few years he had been gone more and more. Elraen was about to get up and return to the house when she stopped. There was no use leaving now. The group of riders wouldn't reach the house for another hour or more. She turned her attention back to the song she was writing: Beauty is only as deep As the skin it is on, It will eventually fade Like the late rising dawn. Elraen paused for a moment in thought. A light breeze swept past her, blowing a clump of thick, black curls in her face. Elraen absently brushed them aside rubbing the diamond shaped birth mark on her neck as she often did when she was thinking or nervous. Then she quickly scribbled down the last verse: So search for a beauty, That's as deep as the soul And take in its vastness Then you'll become whole. Nodding, Elraen read back over the song. She would have to show it to Pama next time she went over to the girl's house. Though Pama belonged to a poor family Elraen still visited her, when Rumar was away and Elraen's mother Omala wasn't looking. For Elraen to associate with a lesser class was highly improper to her parents. And appearances were everything. Elraen stayed a while longer, fiddling with the cords and note placement of her song, before she finally packed up her things and headed towards the house. It would be expected of her to look her best for her father's return. …… Rumar reined his horse to a stop in front of the large house. He glanced up at the tall windows. Their latches thrown open to invite the cool evening breeze. He dismounted swiftly, seeing his wife and daughter standing under the arch of the tall front entrance. Omala was wearing her red cotton dress he had bought for her last summer. Its color was just the right shade to accent her dark brown eyes. She wore a dark jade necklace, that lay against her skin just above the collar of her dress. Her dark chocolate-colored hair was held back with a stylish gold clip. Very noble she looked, and Rumar approved greatly. Elraen wore a light blue velvet dress that came down to her ankles. Long sleeves covered her arms down the back of her hand hooking at the point around her middle finger. She had put her black curls up in a loose bun. A few small strands had escaped and hung over her eyes. The diamond birthmark on her neck was clearly visible against her creamy skin. He strode over to his family, kissing his wife and hugging his daughter tightly. "Welcome home, father," Elraen greeted, her well-formed rosy lips smiling up at him. "It is good to be home! Take those horses around the back," he bellowed with a deep voice to the servants holding the horses as their riders dismounted. Elraen noticed a few unfamiliar faces among those in her father's group. One in particular stood out to her. He was very tall, pale blond hair neatly combed back, shadowy blue eyes peered out of a long thin face inspecting everything as if he owned it. Most of his height was in his long unusually thin legs. That combined with long equally thin arms gave him an almost spidery look. Elraen didn't like him, and forced herself to keep smiling as the men wandered towards the house. "Elraen, I want you to meet Harkor of the house of Barner," Rumar said motioning to another blond haired man dismounting his horse to their right. He was a fat man, obviously very well to do with all his diamond rings and flashy gold necklaces. "And this is his son, Domakar," Rumar continued, motioning to the spidery man she had first noticed. Domakar stepped forward bowing politely. She returned his bow and smiled as nicely as she could, but the grin that had formed on his face made her uneasy, nor did she like the sly gleam in his eyes. "Omala, why don't you go see if you can convince the kitchen staff to give us an early dinner?" Rumar asked his wife with a smile and they all passed through the doors into the house. …… When dinner was finally ready, Rumar, Omala, Elraen, Harkor and Domakar gathered around the long dining room table. Rumar and Harkor discussed different business dealings. Elraen wasn't very interested, business dealings bored her. She understood it well enough, but the dark haired girl was more interested in music and song. So as the two men talked Elraen let her mind wander, drifting over notes and musical cords. She was poking at her dinner, quietly humming a new tune when her father's voice broke into her peace. "As soon as the wedding is over, we'll be able to join all of our trade routes and double our profit," Harkor was saying. Elraen's mind snapped back to the diner table, a strange fear growing in the pit of her stomach; but she wasn't yet sure why. "Who's wedding is this, Rumar?" Omala asked politely. Omala was always polite and soft-spoken, never questioning her lord or contradicting him. "Domakar and Elraen's of coarse! Didn't you get the letter I sent?" Rumar's voice boomed into the hall and was met by silence. Elraen froze, her fork fell from her hand with a sharp clang. Long moments passed before she blinked out of her shock. "I never gave my consent to this!" She said in a low voice, still amazed her father would do this to her without even a by-your-leave. "Your consent wasn't needed. It's a simple enough matter," Rumar began, but was sharply cut off. "'Simple enough matter'! You're talking about who I'm going to spend the rest of my natural life with! And you call it a simple matter!" Elraen said, her voice raising with each word. The slender girl's eyes were smoldering with rage. "The papers have already been signed. There's nothing you can do," Domakar's smooth cool voice interrupted her next burst of outrage. She glanced over at him his sly smile now sickening to her. "I will never marry him!" Then without another word she pushed herself from the table and, ignoring her parent's protest, ran from the hall. She nearly tripped several times as she raced up the steps to her room, trying to see though tear-clouded eyes. She wiped her wet cheeks as she entered her room. She firmly closed the door behind her, then locked it quickly. Trying to control her tears in vane, she began to pace the room rubbing her neck as she walked. Working hard to keep herself under control she slumped to the end of her bed trying to catch her breath. Why had her father done this to her? She thought. He must have known she wouldn't marry under those circumstances. But Why!? Ideas began to flash through her mind. Most she disregarded as childish. She knew her father loved her. She knew he would never purposely hurt her. And she knew she still loved him. What could she do? If she publicly said no, that would disgrace their family the most. But she would not marry Domakar! The light was fading fast outside her window. Elraen walked to it and leaned against its frame. She could see a small hut in the distance, its small chimny rust red in the evening light. Pama. …… Pama sat reading next to her family's empty fireplace. The nights had been warm enough that they didn't need to heat the small cabin near the mouth of the Tef'ner Valley. Pama knew something was wrong the minute Elraen walked in. Sweat covered her brow and she was breathing hard. It was obvious that she had ridden long and hard to get here. The next thing Pama noticed was that Elraen's eyes were red and swollen from crying. "What's the matter?" she asked in a worried tone, rising to comfort her friend. Elraen sat down in the chair opposite her, trying to catch her breath. "Father wants me to marry Domakar of the house of Barner," the young woman said in a rush still not quite in control of herself. "You don't want to," Pama said quietly, hearing what her best friend hadn't said. The black haired woman shook her head vigorously causing the small curls that had escaped her ponytail to bob around her face. "I can't. I won't!" She said, striking the arm of her chair with a tight fist. Elraen's tone worried Pama. She blew a creamy blond lock of hair out of her narrow face. Then she noticed the heavy dark brown traveling pants and shirt Elraen wore. "What are you going to do?" she asked, but already knew the answer. "I have everything packed. Food, water, extra clothes, a little money.... I don't see another way. Father won't listen. Mother won't do anything either. But I need your help. I need to stay here tonight so I can leave at dawn tomorrow." Elraen's jade green eyes were pleading. Pama couldn't say no. Elraen and she had grown up together. She couldn't turn her away now. "All right. You'll have to sleep in the back, so mom and dad won't wake when you leave," She said with a sigh. "Thank you, Pama! I knew I could trust you." …… Neither girls slept that night. Thoughts of their time together filled their minds and gave them no rest from the sorrow. Elraen was double haunted; she was going to leave everything she had ever known. Everying she had ever loved. When morning finally came, Pama was awake to see Elraen off. Wrapped in her thick robe to keep the morning chill out, she helped Elraen collect her things. It was quite a beautiful morning. The sun was just peeking over the east ridge of the valley, throwing it's golden light over the small cabin. The rainbow colored flowers in the beds around the house and long thin grass were covered in twinkling diamonds of moisture. The light breeze made Elraen tighten her cloak around her. "I guess I better go," Elraen mumbled turning to her friend. Pama threw her arms around her and hugged her tightly. "I'll miss you," she whispered. Elraen could hear the pain in her friend's voice. "I'll miss you too," Elraen hugged her with equal tightness. When Elraen finally turned to go her eyes were fogged with tears and she knew Pama's were too. She ran down the trail not stopping or looking back until she knew she was out of sight of the small log cabin. Her heart felt like it was going to explode with grief. All the memories she had of racing Pama across the long fields filled her mind again. The times she had snuck down to the small pond at the far western end of the valley to fish, even though her mother and father had said it was below her rank to do such things. Would she ever see her family or Pama ever again? It was too late to turn back now. She had to keep moving. She would not go back. She could not go back. Elraen kept at a steady pace. The air seemed fresher in the morning and she filled her lungs with it. Along the trail, to help pass the time, Elraen hummed a tune that she had found in her father's library: We must remember to look ahead To see into tomorrow To see the joy and hope it holds And try to avoid the sorrow The best of times is upon us We all need to take hold To live today and every day We all must learn to be bold Memories of long days gone Can sometimes slip away But trials of the past are sometimes The only thing that can guide us through the fray At about midday Elraen paused at the top of the trail looking out over the bay. Tall ship masts were silhouetted against the blue cloudless sky and slightly darker ocean. Men and women alike were bustling here and there hauling boxes, bags and all kinds of goods. A stiff salty breeze hit her and made her soft curls whip about her face. She felt for the coins in her pocket. She tucked the cold pieces of metal more securely in her cloak. She tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ear and started down the path. A ship on the far right side of the docks was preparing to leave. Hurrying, Elraen made her way to it, pushing past crewmen hauling the last minute supplies aboard. She found the captain easily enough, standing at the top of the long gang plank shouting orders to the hoard of people. "You want what?!" he asked with a voice scratchy from years of yelling over wind and storm and crowds. "You heard what I said. Safe passage to wherever you're going." Elraen said in the most fearless arrogant voice she could muster, standing firmly in front of the tall sailor. She dug for her coin purse and selected the proper amount handing him the coins. Then added a few more. "And you never saw me." The man regarded the sum and nodded. "Whatever you say," he took the coins and motioned for her to join the few others who were also passengers. She set her things down where she hoped they would be safe and returned to the upper deck. Men were untying the lines that held the ship to the dock. The captain ordered the gangplank to be withdrawn and the sails to be unfurled. Elraen felt the ship groan as the stiff salty breeze filled her sails. "No turning back," she mumbled solemnly to herself as the ship drifted slowly away from the shore.

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