Parrïn

Chapter 1: First Steps

"Never!" A man screamed.

His forehead was covered in sweat that dripped down his heaving chest. The armour he wore was dented and stained, softened by the intense battle. Yet the energy in his eyes still flared as he said:

"It is my duty to protect this family! You've taken enough already, I'm not going to let you take one of the only things I have left to live for."

"I will take from you what I wish." The man-beast stated.

Under the man's arm sat a baby's basket, an infant wailing within. The creature looked at it with utter disgust and anger, as if its very existence was insulting.

"I will not let anything happen to this child, I swear my life on it!" He declared.

The creature scoffed, breaking the stone floor of the throne room with the hilt of his weapon.

"Your kind will throw your lives at anything. You are the worst example of them all! To give your life to a child who has no family left, you would be better off killing the thing yourself."

"I would never." The man said determinedly.

The creature smiled in assumed victory.

"You will have to make a choice, either kill it now and end the suffering or send her far away. Possibly into a different realm, where she couldn't defend herself, and could suffer an even more horrific death... I think both of us know the wisest choice."

The man then looked at the child with an indescribable feeling of guilt in his eyes. He set down the basket and opened it to the hall. With bloodied hands, he stroked the baby's head and tried to calm her.

"I'm sorry my little snowflake, but the only hope to be seen is surrounded by pain. Someone will find you, and help you. May it be I or another, I promise you your life."

As the baby still sobbed, the father kissed her forehead and bade her a final farewell with one salty tear.

He muttered some words over the basket, and it simply disapperated. The creature, obviously outraged by the mans actions, leaped and attacked him. Pinned to the ground by the neck, all hope was lost for the man. The creature started to roar in steady repetition, the tone getting higher and higher.

My alarm clock?

-----------------------------------------

"Get up Alestieee! You'll be late for breakfast!"

I felt something grab my arm. Surprised by this, my vivid dream came to a halt when I fell face first onto the floor.

"Oooch, sweetie! I'm sorry! Here, let me help you up."

It was Mariza's voice, and I was thankful. For the past week my roommate, Anna, had been sick with the fever and confined to the infirmary. I was both happy and displeased at this, because my mind tended to wander without the loud and bubbly distraction.

This place way very old, causing it to creak uncontrollably when the boards warmed up and cooled down. Many nights had been spent sleepless due to this steady creaking in the cold halls that I called home. If you were to tell me that anything else existed outside of the dull, chipped paint walls and boring personalities, I wouldn't believe you.

Now, back to the matter that woke me, breakfast. Mariza had gone out of her way to get me up... again. The woman was so kind, almost to a fault.

"Come on now, don't want to be late!" She chirped, fixing my disgruntled bed.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be right down." I smiled.

Mariza looked up at me and gave a dissatisfied frown.