Forsaken Winter

Prologue

Gather around the fire of the ancestors and listen to the tale of a particular heroine whose travels bring her through trials of sorrow, love, fear, and peril.

November 2

    A tavern known by the name of, Witches Broomstick is home to the most ruthless of men and women; all are notorious for murder, thievery, and much worse. From the gusty and frosty wind revealed our main savior. The door kicked open creating a hush over the bellowing crowd of monsters. Our heroine stood in the doorway, her head lowered and covered by a cloak to shield her from the harsh winter storm. The smell of mead and mutton filled the air with a stench so foul. "Ay lassy wa'doya think yer doin' here in this pub?" Said the bartender. His stare was vicious, yet he still cared for the woman's safety. The cloaked woman answered in silence as she pointed to the wall with many scraps of paper – each one having a type of request for a set amount of money or reward. "You think a pretty lady such as yerself would best a request?"
    The young woman smiled under her cloak and slid out a knife the size of the longest forearm in the room. The atmosphere tensed up as a number of monstrous beings revealed their own weapons. The woman held up a hand and made her way cautiously over to the board of papers. She lifted her knife and stabbed a piece of paper that read:

Beast of Tork Wanted: Dead.
Reward: £500,000,000.

The room gasped before laughing a hearty laugh. "Listen little one, any one man who has dared take on such a task, never returns. Aye dare not even leave th'old comfort of me home." The bartender claimed and motioned to the others to kick the traveler out. Two men reached for her left and right side but she ducked and kicked both of their legs out from under them. They crashed with great force, knocking some wooden tables to the ground. She grabbed her weapon and pointed it at a rugged woman who was approaching her.
    The battered woman stopped with the knife just inches from her throat, "What in the guzzlin' depths of hell. . Are you?" No answer. She stood there for a minute and assessed her situation before retreating her weapon. She gave a small smirk before nodding and walking out the door, into the hellacious weather; towards the town of Tork.