Alura's backstory

What's your story?

I had done my research. Lord Atton was visiting The Wild Geese this weekend and he wasn't supposed to be back for at least half a day. Plenty of time to sneak in and gather up enough coins to buy a carriage ride to the next city. When I saw that all of the lanterns in his house were out, I took it as a good sign. Unfortunately, he had decided to postpone his trip.

When I picked the lock on his back door, he was sitting next to his fireplace reading. I think I was more startled than he was. I turned to leave, planning on traveling to the next city on foot, when he called out to me and invited me to sit by his fireplace and have a cup of tea. If I didn't, he said he would call the guards and have me thrown in the dungeons.

Lord Atton hands me a cup of tea, pulling me from my thoughts, then stokes the fire. He says nothing for a few minutes, making me squirm in my seat. After what feels like forever, he sits down in the chair across from me and smiles gently.

"What's your name, child?"

"Alura."

"Alura. That's beautiful." He takes a sip of his tea, his steel blue eyes watching me intently. "What were you hoping to find in my home?"

I look down at the tea cup in my lap and pick at the chipped, blue paint. "I just needed some gold so I could get a carriage to the next city. You're a fairly wealthy man, so I didn't think you would miss a little bit of gold."

"I will gladly give you some gold if that's all you want." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small leather pouch. He shakes it gently so I can hear the gold inside. "All you have to do is ask me to help you." Lord Atton sets the pouch on the wooden table in front of us and leans back.

I look at the gold then look up at him. I know I'm faster than he is. If I just grab the gold and run, I can make it out of town before the guards are alerted. I hadn't truly slept for weeks since escaping Lady Naluin's grasp, though; nor had I eaten an actual meal. I open my mouth, but my pride stops me. I'm better than this. I shouldn't have to ask this man for help. I stand, placing my cup on the table.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to beg you for help. I can find my own way." When I look up, Lord Atton is smiling.

"That's what I thought you would say. How about this: you tell me your story."

"My story?"

"Everyone has a story. I want to know yours." His smile has vanished, but his blue eyes show affection. I can tell that he genuinely cares for others. I sit back down and stare at him for a moment, then take a deep breath.

"You may want to get a fresh cup of tea. This is kind of a long story."

Lord Atton pours himself another cup of tea, then fills up my cup as well. He puts some fresh kindling on the fire and it burns brighter. He sits back down, gets comfortable and stares at me, waiting patiently for me to start. I sigh and take a sip of my tea.

"I'm a siren. My brother and I were born into the Black Steel tribe. When we were born, Lady Naluin had just established her crime syndicate known as The Bleeding Hearts. By the time my brother and I were 10, Lady Naluin had taken over completely. She ruled with an iron grip. My brother was the first boy to be born in centuries and Lady Naluin felt that it was her right to call him hers. He was ripped from my mother's grasp on our 11th birthday. Lady Naluin paid my mother a hefty sum for my brother, but my mother thought his life was priceless.

One morning, my mother left to meet with Lady Naluin to try to bargain for my brother. I never saw her again. The third day after my mother had left, Lady Naluin showed up at my house with a small army. She came inside, sat me down at our kitchen table, and told me that my mother had been found dead outside the city. I was alone. Lady Naluin left me with nothing. So I took to the streets. I found other orphans and we banded together. We were small and young, but we were fierce. We stole just enough to survive, nothing more.

Fifteen years later, Lady Naluin had turned her crime syndicate into an empire. Her army was growing bigger every day and her name struck fear into the hearts of many. I was no empress and I had no army. All I had were my friends. As we got older, we learned how to sneak around without getting caught. We formed a small thieves guild and would steal from the soldiers and anyone who happened to fall into the good graces of Lady Naluin. We gave some of the money to the families of our tribe, little by little. Just enough to help out, but not enough to alert the soldiers to our activities. Somehow, Lady Naluin found out about what we were doing. We were so scared she was going to come in the middle of the night and kill us all, so we ran. We were on the move for weeks, never stopping in one place.

She found us though, and when she did, she wasn't angry. She was impressed. She offered us jobs and a place to live. She saw that we were all very skilled and our numbers were growing and wanted to be able to control us. She gave us a few days to deliberate. To join her or die..." I pause, giving Lord Atton the chance to say something. Anything. He doesn't. I lean forward, running my fingers through my silky black hair, and stare into the fire. The memories come rushing back and it feels as if I'm reliving them.

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