Elaine of Artharia

The rain painted the sidewalk like teardrops from the eyes of heaven. Small feet pounded the pavement, a river dance, a smooth unspoken rhythm mixing in time with the downpour. The green of summer was hinged by the kiss of autumn, leaves melting from emerald to ember as the night took hold of the world. A warm breeze sent raindrops towards the shadowed figure. The umbrella could only do so much against the water. Pausing on the path, the sound of laughter echoed like a distant melody as bundled figures joined her on the white-bricked road. Thunder crashed overhead, a reminder of how small a person truly was in the scheme of things.Rain had always been a rarity for Elaine growing up. The ebony-haired girl had seen little more than an occasional winter rain or summer drizzle. She supposed that’s what she got for being born in a desert. The lightning flashed through the sky like a slash of a sword from the hands of a god. Looking up for a moment, she moved the umbrella out of the way, d

The training room was filled with the familiar clash of sword against sword. It was the time of year when the tests began and the students were ranked. Elaine and Andrew had been first and second in their age range for years, but as they grew older, they climbed higher in the ranks. Now, they were the top students and everyone knew it.Elaine gave her dueling partner, Leana, the smallest hint of a smirk. The ginger seemed to lose her footing. Leana was always easily swayed by her emotions, something Elaine didn’t struggle with. The ginger’s feelings made her likable to her fellow students, but weak in a duel. With a swift movement of her sword, Elaine sent Leana’s weapon clanging to the ground a foot away, then held the blade to the pale girl’s neck.“Get your feelings in check, Leana, I can read your frustration like an open book,” Elaine said smoothly and coolly, as if it was a fact so obvious it was dull. Lowering her blade, the knight stepped off the dueling mat. With a slight hop

Elaine’s feet ached from walking, and her eyes were weary from the night of keeping watch. Andrew needed sleep, and despite his insistence, she hadn’t woken him up to switch shifts. Now they were inching closer to the smoke that towered in the distance. The town of Lydie stuck out like a jagged tooth of an old woman, all harsh shapes against an often clouded sky. Lydie lacked the beauty of the capital city, and the people were often rude and uncivilized, or so she had been told.They reached the town by noon and entered the bustling square right in the middle of market day. People were rushing to and fro, and Elaine swallowed the uncomfortable feeling of too many bodies in such a small space. Andrew's hand seemed to brush hers. “Should we ask someone if they know her?” His words were a near shout in the chaos of the market.Elaine nodded, pushing towards the rim of the city where fewer people were bartering. Shaking her hands, she nearly shivered, “Gah, I hate people.” It wasn’t supp

“Walk faster, Elaine is way ahead of us.” The fifteen-year-old ordered the boy whose back she hung off of. Andrew couldn’t remember why he was giving the brunette a piggyback ride; if he was correct, it was because she had said he wasn’t strong enough to.“Faster, huh? I’ll show you faster.” Andrew grinned mischievously and ran along the dusty road. Naomi clenched her arms around his neck to keep from falling off the boy's back.“Stop! Stop it! Andrew!” Naomi ordered, but the boy kept running until the pair was past Elaine, who kept her steady pace. They seemed so carefree to the knight that she felt out of place, like a character in a very different story. It was as if the author had reached through the pages and picked her up, out of her tale, and dropped her here, leaving Elaine to figure out the plotline and her place in it. Whether it was Naomi letting go or Andrew shaking her off, the fifteen-year-old had ended up in the dirt ahead of Elaine. From the slight distance whe

The rain fell from the sky for so long that Elaine was beginning to believe the world was made of water. From the curls clinging to the skin of her neck, all the way down to her sopping boots, water coated her clothing, her skin. It felt as though every breath was a drink of ice water, coating her lungs until Elaine found herself coughing. Elaine was drowning on land; the only comfort the rain brought was the chill, numb, and constant distraction from the pain in her heart. “The town is close, just around this hill,” Naomi was shivering beneath her thin cloak, teeth chattering through her words. The fifteen-year-old stood close to Ruby, who seemed unaffected by the raindrops that pelted the dust into thick, black mud. Elaine met her with silence, speaking would only let the water in, and she was sick and tired of talking. Andrew held his cloak above his head, but it hardly did anything against the current of the rain. He looked at Elaine as he often did, her own dista