tenth: an mcd ff

one

For most of her life, Tenth had no idea what she was doing. She was confused, yet she asked Zane Ro'meave no questions. It wasn't that she was afraid, rather, she was unsure. Unsure of whether her question mattered.

Tenth was unsure of her age. Unsure of her past, and her mistakes. She was a girl on the taller side, with long dark hair, with a single mysterious red streak, usually tied into a tight ponytail. She didn't wear any Jury armor, only a pair of brown shorts, a dark green top that exposed her midriff, and a gold-chained necklace, which was engraved with the crest of O'khasis. She wore dark knee-high boots and her emerald sword rested on a sheath falling from her waist.

And then, on her upper arm, there was a red crest tattooed on her. It wasn't the crest of O'khasis, but an outside tattoo that not even Zane could link. Tenth hated it. It was a constant reminder that she was an outsider, and a reminder of her past mistakes.

Tenth also hated her amnesia. For months, she'd lie awake in her bed, eyes wide open, trying her hardest to get even a sliver of her past back to her. The most she'd been able to recall was that she was a bad person, who hurt good people. She felt no remorse for it, because she couldn't remember anything. She wished she could.
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It was a humid, cloudy day in O'khasis. Nonetheless, people were bustling about in the O'khasian markets.

Tenth sat up in her bed slowly, groggily. She was staying in an inn close to the Ro'meave Manor. It had been about a year since Zane found her outside the gates with her sword. Not even his family knew about her.

Zane, however rarely contacted her. He'd trained her, but not for long. She was an incredible swordsman, and it didn't take long for her to prove herself.

Tenth glanced out the window after pulling back the shades. The bright sun blinded her for a second and she stepped back. She put some clothes on and walked out of the room and locked the oak door.

"Hello miss, how was your stay?" the innkeeper asked as she entered the lobby.

"Not over yet," the girl replied bluntly.

The innkeeper sighed. "Miss, you've been staying here for over a week. That's longer than most people. Don't you have somewhere to go?"

Tenth ignored his question and walked out of the lobby. She breathed in the humid O'khasis air and wondered what she would do today.

She strolled through the streets, and decided she'd make for the O'khasis pub. She liked how the cobblestone walkways sounded beneath her boots as she walked to the pub.

It was crowded, even for the morning. She pushed a strand of dark hair behind her ears and weaved through loads of people to get to the bar tables.

"Morning, miss! How can I serve you today?" the barkeep asked.

"Water," Tenth replied.

"Water?!" The barkeep laughed heartily. "You comin' all the way t'the pub 'n get water?! Mus' be a lightweight." He nudged on of the men sitting at the bar. He had dark brown hair and a muscular build. The barkeep muttered something to the man.

"Ah well, cus'mer's always right." He grabbed a cup and filled it with iced water. "One water f'you, Miss Lightweight."

Tenth gave a nod of thanks and sat next to the brunette man. She sipped her water quietly.

"Good morning," the man said in a quiet tone.

Tenth gives a nod of acknowledgement. "And to you."

"Are you sure you don't want a beer?" the man asks. "I can buy it."

"No thank you," Tenth replied. "It's a little early in the morning. If I may ask, why are you drinking?"

The man's crystal green eyes darted to the ground. "I had a long night last night."

"How so?"

The man adjusted. As he straightened up a bit, Tenth caught sight of what he was wearing. It was a Jury of Nine uniform, with the emblem in green fabric on his chest. Her breath caught in her throat. She'd never met a real Juror. She never really wanted to.

"I guess you can see I'm in the Jury," the man said. Tenth glanced up at him. He'd seen her staring. "You can draw your own conclusions. My name is Jeffory. Jeffory the Golden Heart."

Once Tenth realized there was an awkward silence, she remembered she had to say her name. "Um, you can call me T." She shook hands with Jeffory.

"Your name is T?" he asked after a bit of silence.

She nodded.

He sighed. "I see."

Tenth played with her straw absentmindedly. "What kind of stuff do you do in the Jury?"

Jeffory's expression pained. "Dumb assignments given to us by the High Priest. I was forced to do it."

Tenth winced. "I'm sorry about that."

Jeffory waved his hand and ran his fingers through his wavy brown hair. "I get by. So, um, it looks like you're a swordsman?"

Tenth shrugged. "You could say that."

He cocked his head in a slightly confused manner. "What do you mean? I think that's a pretty straightforward yes-or-no question."

She took a sip of her water swiftly. "Mr. Jeffory, you may buy me that drink now."

Lil short chapter, but I'm looking forward to writing this book!

xxx,
vylad