There once was a fair maiden named Kamari who lived in a small Lillycan village. Her family was poor and she lived in a small house with her mother and two siblings, yet, she managed to still be the most lovely girl in town. A war was blazing throughout the country as this story was being told, and her father and oldest brother were drafted to fight. She was heartbroken, and to get her mind off of her sorrowful future, she sat by the river and sang to herself every morning and every night.
One night, Kamari was walking through the forest to get to the river, she stopped in her tracks fearfully. There was a young man there who looked to be in his early twenties wearing a beige t-shirt and long black pants. He was covered all over in white scars and blue bruises, and he seemed to be washing his face in the cold water. There was one thing about him that caught her eye, and it was his hat. There was a peaked cap of dark, faded yellow with a red ribbon and a golden pin. On top of that, a lovely black horse sat beside him.
This was no ordinary man, no, this was a soldier.
She quietly saluted him, blushing the slightest bit, and returned home as to not disturb him. Her youngest sister, Yakari, questioned her.
"What a short walk, sister! Did something happen?"
"Oh no, Yakari, not at all. It is just particularly cold tonight." She said. Her sister nodded in understanding and went back to tailoring. Kamari walked towards her room to ponder about the handsome east-sider she'd seen that night. She giggled and smiled at the thought of him, but there was one problem. Peasant women were prohibited to loving soldiers. In LillyCo, tradition was, back then, that one could only love someone if they were at the same hight of rank. So therefore, peasants could only love other commoners, and soldiers could only love other soldiers or those of a similar rank. When Kamari remembered this rule, she was stricken with guilt.
"Oh silly me! Loving a soldier? How could I?" She huffed. She laid down to rest.
That morning before breakfast, she went back out to the river in her pale yellow dress and veil and began to sing. She sung a lovely harmonic tune as she waded. She sang so loud that she almost couldn't hear the footsteps behind her. When she did hear them, she stopped immediately and panicked. She almost fell into the river before the person grabbed her hand and pulled her back up.
"My most sincere apologies, ma'am." he said. She looked at him, and immediately recognized him. It was the soldier boy from the night before.
"Oh! There's no need to apologize, sir!" She stood up and saluted him, as that was the polite thing to do.
"Oh, I'm not in action, there's no need to salute." He laughed. "I came here because I heard your singing. It's very beautiful."
"Oh! Thank you!" She smiled. "My father always used to sing it to me before I slept. He went to fight a couple years ago and so I come here a lot and sing it to remember him." She said.
"Did he write it?" Asked the soldier.
"He did write it. It started out as a poem." Said Kamari.
"He was a great writer then." He said. "What's your name?"
"My name is Kamari. Yours?"
"I'm Ivan. Pleasure to meet you." The two shook hands.
(TBC)
