Marinia and the new generation (Inheritance cycle fanfiction)

In which introductions are made, and the inciding incident takes place (sort of)

Marinia was shoved rudely out of the house, into the chilling snowfall. "Hey!" she yelled, banging on the door. Although dressed warmly on furs, the cold still chilled her face. She gave a final kick to the door, a satisfying thud resounding from it, sighed, and stalked off into village. It was quiet, and peaceful. Snow coated to wood- and mud huts, and some houses had smoke curling out of their chimneys. She walked up to the door of her friend Amana's house, and knocked on the door dejectedly. Amana's sleepy face peeked out, but was soon awakened. "Mer! (Marinia's name is actually pronounced as Mer- in- ee-a, so I just made it Mer, because Mar makes it sound like her name is mar, like as in ruin.) W- what are you doing this early in the morning?" Her concerned face soon changed. "Of course you got kicked out again. I told you not to go and get your dad angry. Especially this early in the morning." Mer looked sheepishly to the ground. "Well", Amana said, "come in. What are you thinking, standing out in the cold air like that? What did you do this time, not bake the bread in the wrong shape?"

Amana- as well as the entire village- knew about her abusive father, but the village had no heart to throw him out- after all, if they threw him out, where else would her go? There was only forest all around, not a place for a six- and fifty year person to go. Although Mer was only thirteen, her father had been married in his late twenties. His wife, Freesia, had been trying to get a child for a long time. She finally gave birth to Marina, but as soon as Mer had become of age where she no longer needed her mother, she dissipated into the night. Gone, forever. Mer barely remembered her mother going on long trips for a moon cycle at most, but she always came back or took Mer with her. Mer also remembered her mother looking at her and saying, "Alagaesia. I'll be at Alagaesia. I can't be with a man whom I have not a drop of love to give. " She bent over and kissed Mer's head of wavy gold streaked hazel brown hair. " I love you, Marinia."

"Come when your ready."

Merinia snapped out of her mothers last words and walked into the threshold of the house. She sat down on the piles of blankets strewn across the front of the fireplace. Amana added a log in the fire, sending up a cascade of sparks. Mer broke the silence. "Mana, do you know where"- a pause-" Al- a- gae- sia is?" she said, stumbling over the odd word. "No", Amana said. But it is rumored to be around the south, I think, if Odyn's a trustworthy source." "What." Mer said blatlaty. "Odyn's never a trustworthy source, what are you thinking?" A silence. A whispered response, full of excitement and sorrow. "I, I was thinking of going with him to a camp. To be a servant." Mer gaped at her friend. Mana continued. 

"For Dragon Riders."

"When do you leave?"

Amana looked at Mer. "Are you sane? Why-" Mana closed her mouth, knowing what she was going to say was too insensitive. "Would I leave my father?" Mer finished. A silence. "He- he doesn't care. He's too distant. Ever scince my mom left, he- well, he changed. And he's not my father anymore. He's nobody to me. All he does is lock himself in his room except to beat me for the smallest things, kick me out of the house, or get drunk. He's not a father."

"And I want to leave. I have no more family."

"I have nothing else to loose."

"Get ready. Three days from now. Meet me at midnight in the forest, by the crooked tree."

"Midnight. Three days. Crooked tree."

"Yep. Be ready, Marinia."