The Tales of Alorin

Chapter 1

A small stone clattered across the tiles of a roof. Hitting the ground, the stone bounced a few times before coming to a stop at the feet of a man who was shelling peas outside his house. Looking up at the noise the man saw a figure leaping off of a nearby house and onto the stone wall that bordered it. He watched as they leapt down and disappeared into the street beyond. Looking back down at his handful of peas, he muttered under his breath,

"So sick of all these stupid street rats disrespecting our property, I worked hard for this damn house, least those lazy bums could do is stay off of it."

About a block away now, the person from the roof was walking down a dank alleyway past old crates full of empty glass bottles. They stopped at a plain wooden door about halfway down and gave it four short raps with their fist. After a moment the door swung open and they entered an empty and dimly lit hall. Noises of a crowd came from just around a bend at the end of the hallway, and they walked towards it quickly, rounding the bend and entering a raucous tavern.

"Hey there! Mahriel, the lady of the hour! Glad you've finally arrived, I was worried I'd have no entertainment and the crowd is getting a bit unruly!" said a loud voice which boomed out above all the other noise. A tall, stocky man came bustling over to Mahriel, wiping his hands on a dishrag. His face was red and sweaty, and what hair he still had was thick with grease and clearly unwashed. "Get up there and do your thing gal, these fellas have been waiting to see you all day, so give 'em a good show." He said in an almost threatening tone. Mahriel simply nodded and walked out into the center of the tavern.

All eyes were trained on her, all voices were hushed. She leapt onto a table and in one swift motion tore off her robe and threw it to the side. She looked almost ethereal in the lowlight of the torches. No sunlight touched this accursed place, but her presence shone like a piece of the sun had been carved out and hung from the rafters. Her hair framed her face in a halo of dark brown, curly, loose strands that had fallen to the front, while the rest was contained in a thick braid. Her eyes were a sort of iridescent blue-green that shifted like the waves of the ocean. Her nose was sharp and was slightly raised on its bridge, giving her face an almost regal look. In truth, all of her seemed sharp. Her face, with its strong jaw and defined cheekbones, her eyes, with their calculating gaze, her lips, thin and pressed into a knowing smile, her eyebrows, drawn into a look that seemed almost to be a dare, as if she were saying, "try me." Then, as quickly as she had discarded her robe, she leapt into motion. As she danced, the light reflected off of the many bright fabrics making up her dress. It was a rainbow of swirling, silky color, flowing out behind her like a fifth limb, as much a part of her as it was a part of the dance.

No one could look away. The men sat as if put under a spell, slack jawed and with eyes wide open. Eventually though, this initial amazement wore off, and that's when the shouting and heckling started.

"Hey lady, give me a kiss will ya? I gots a silver dollar for ya if you'll only plant one on these ol' lips of mine!"

"Oy, I heard a fella say you went back to his house with 'im, what's the price on that 'ey?"

"If you shine that bright all the time you wouldn't be much of a wife would ya! A fella would never get any sleep!"

"Is it true you aren't even a real lady? They say you're a half-breed, that you come from them sky people what ain't even got not gender!"

"Well damn, if you ain't no lady I ain't given you no money!"

"Me too! Not even a copper from me till you drop your drawers and prove you a bonafide woman!"

"I don't care whatcha are, I just wanna see you drop your drawers!"

Despite all of the shouting, Mahriel danced on. She had long ago learned to tune out the filthy commentary from her crowd, focusing instead on the coins that were being flung her way. As she danced she picked them up and stuffed them into the chest pocket on her dress, hidden away from greedy hands. When her dance came to an end she jumped down off of the table, picked up her robe off the floor, and left, blowing a kiss to the men over her shoulder. As she was passing the man who was in charge he grabbed her arm and stopped her.