Fates Girl

Part 4

I awoke to the sound of moving, chat and stamping hooves. Gently I shook Ethan and my mum awake, then began to gather our small camp together for travel.

People were chatting quietly, almost like a whisper and the atmosphere was tense with grief, tiredness and anxiety about our new start. There had been rumours about those who settled in the mountains. Some said it was safer, but some said it was even more dangerous as the enemy was not just the dragons and their riders. 

Dangerous Alkonsts and Amaroks were said to flee there when they were cast out of their villages and towns for various assaults and crimes. Some say they became rogue packs, these are said to have attacked villages in their bitter revenge but most stay in the mountains.

Our camp soon set off, men, women and children rode or pulled horses and trailers. A lively, excited chatter had ascended. Children skipped and sang old folk songs, their silvery childish voices floating around and hanging in the air. Some Alkonsts and Amaroks, flew or bounded ahead on their paws ahead of the group, most choosing to travel on human foot.

My mother stayed silent, choked with grief still over my father. I knew I needed to be strong, so I'd pulled on a concrete mask, which temporarily moved my feelings to the side. There are times to grieve, and there are times you need to stay strong.

My parents had met in Muspelheim. Mother had worked as one of Mother Natures (Muspelheims Queen) maids, she worked as a dress maid due to her quick, artistic and lighthearted personality. She didn't know her parents but was brought up by another family. She loved her home and had a happy childhood, she was only told her mother had left her to protect her. 

My father came from one of the few human/watersprite families. Yes, my father was half water sprite, but couldn't change form due to his human genes being the most dominant. He has one other sibling who was a water sprite. When a human and a Harpee have children the childs true form is placed to pure chance, it is a 50% likelihood ether way. My father and his older brother by chance were different forms, due to this, growing up he had felt like second best. When my mother came along, they soon had me on the way and settled in Laestrygon where humans were more accepted. 

I appeared human, of course I had water sprite blood, and who knows what else though. A persons form showed itself through their teenage years. I was 17 and only had one more year left till adulthood, but having only a quarter of a Harpees blood it didn't look likely that I would ever be more than a human.

Despite my nearly fully human blood, I did not look human. My eyes were orange with a darkish brown pupil, unlike any I'd ever seen before. They matched perfectly with my auburn hair, but had a strange effect on others who believed I was strange or bad. Due to legend, Salamander, the fire elemental, king of Jotunheim, the dragon island had deep red and orange eyes. It was because of this very reason that my eyes posed as a threat to some. 

I had white, incredibly pale skin that made my hair and eyes stand out dramatically. This also appeared to some as unhuman, however I figured it was due to my water sprite genes. The water sprites had incredibly pale shimmery skin, that in their true form appeared like scales. 

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We had travelled all day and the tiredness from the late night before was beginning to catch up with me, Carrie too, had slowed. Suddenly noticing this I jumped off the saddle after halting her and clasped her bridle, trudging her along with me. I had on my brown leather boots I'd had now for a good 3 years. They scuffed the sand and dirt painted a deep orange by the sunset into the air. My ice blue dress needed a wash, It had been worn for 3 days straight and the ends were covered in dried mud and dust. I realised my appearance wasn't at its best.