Black Raspberry #30, Pistachio #9
Title: Fearless Ch. 1
Author: blacksheep17
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Challenge: Black Raspberry #30, Pistachio #9
Rating: G
Summary: Welcome to a world of magic! Seraphine, an Arien (Born under the Aries zodiac), had just turned sixteen. That meant that she had to leave Veseldel (Fire planet occupied by Aries, Saggitarius and Leo) with her new-found friends from the other families (Sags and Leos) and go to Ilona (the place where the guardians of the elements meet). Why? Because the day a guardian turns sixteen, their ruling element matures and her power reaches it's full spectrum. Guardians go to Ilona to take "The Test". But an Arien has never been one to take orders and follow the rules, especially when bad guys are out to make them extinct.
Authors note: If you're interested in the Zodiac, this is all about that world. It's sort of everything I learned from studying the Zodiac--- the elements, their personalities, their colors. I'm really in to that kind of stuff. So, anyway, I didn't have a beta for this so feel free to tell me when you see grammatical errors. And of course, I'm open to any suggestions or predictions you might have. The story I've written runs five chapters only. So, I need advice on whether I should continue where I left off.
I am partial to Aries because I was born under that Zodiac.
Chapter 1: Happy Birthday!
Ugh. Day. No matter how sweet your dream is, you always have to wake up. It always has to end. Today, my being a minor has come to an end. I am sixteen years old. They will come for me today. I have been preparing all my life for the test. It is time to wake up, time to grow up. Happy birthday!
“Sera!” she called me. I know that voice. It is my mom’s. There is no sound in this world that is more familiar to me. “Seraphine! I know that you are awake! Come down from your chamber!” she repeated.
I got up my bed and hurried downstairs absentmindedly. I didn’t need to be aware of my bearings. My feet knew exactly every corner of my sunlit home. They know every fiber of the golden carpet and every texture of the wooden floor. I will miss it when I am gone.
“Get out of my way Sera!” shoved my cousin who was just getting out of her chamber. Adene is my least favorite cousin. It is a shame that she is older than me. I would never tire to punish her when she annoys me. She is irritable and boisterous. Although, I guess, we all are. It is who we are. It is our mark-the mark of passion, the mark of fire, the mark of an Arien.
And here I am in our great hall where I routinely go to every morning, only this time the banners of the ram, our family crest, are all hanged magnificently along the walls. Oh yeah, it’s my birthday. The banners are laid out for me. I suppose that gargantuan cake is also mine. Hmmm… chocolate, my favorite. Nobody obviously wants to vex me today. Odd.
“Good morning, Seraphine!” my mother said. I smiled at her and immediately frowned at the approach of my vivacious relatives. I wasn’t used to such a warm welcome. Our home is big enough for us to avoid each other. Four families live here: Hamal, Sharatan, Mesarthim and Botein. You couldn’t imagine what a house full of Ariens would be like. It is hell, I think. How appropriate! Nowhere else would so much fire be! There are only two colors here: red and gold. They are not pleasing to your eyes. For us though, it is the color of power--- indestructible.
Ug-oh. Uncle Iagan is coming. “Dear, dear Sera, today you will be taken. A-haha, I really hope they don’t make a lady out of you afterward. I hate to see you tamed. Why, when you were a duckling, I lost you in the hills. You gave your mother quite a fright! We all thought you were dead. But you came home all dirty and bruised just as always. Hahaha! I will miss laughing at you!” I hate him. I am neither unruly nor dirty… all the time. I had a good excuse to be dirty that time! I was three years old and lost. And I am definitely not a duckling. Ugh.
“Happy birthday little sister!” Finally, someone (besides my mother) whose greeting I could actually appreciate. Brenton is my big brother, my only brother, the only one to continue the Hamal sir name. Yes, it works that way too here in Veseldel, the valley of the sun.
“You better not tease me today, Brenton!” I said playfully.
“I wasn’t going to. Here, I got you something.”
He handed me a little box covered in incandescent colors. I wondered what it was made of. I opened it with a little too much enthusiasm. It was my first gift. Inside the box was a necklace. It was gold. Predictable. There was something else, though. I pulled it out of the box completely. And there it hung, a pendant.
“It’s a phoenix-shaped ruby. I saw it in the waterfalls last week. It reminded me of you. It took a while for me to get it to that shape so don’t break it” he commented. Fabulous. Even my brother thinks I’m clumsy enough to break a little necklace.
“Gems aren’t quite that delicate” I murmured. He laughed and ruined my hair. If only I were tall enough, I planned deviously.
It should have arrived by now. We’ve finished the fiesta already. Still, it hasn’t come. How long must I wait? I’ve already opened my other presents. Mom gave me a book from Gaia. She said it was written by humans and that my father bought it from there two hundred years ago. Aunt Vesta, my favorite aunt, gave me a flute. I don’t know how to play it. She told me playing an instrument didn’t need any tutoring. ‘We should be its master not the other way around’ she said. Oh well.
“Stop twitching, you impatient duckling!” Ugh. That word again. Somebody please murder Uncle Iagan!
“It will come, Seraphine” comforted my mother.
“I don’t know, Auntie Edana. I got mine the second I finished eating my dumpling” retorted my insufferable cousin, Adene. I change my mind. I take Uncle Iagan. Murder Adene instead.
“Why are you so disgusting Adene?” asked my brother, my hero. Murder her already! To my unparalleled disappointment though, Adene didn’t care to cause fight. She lithely danced out the hall and went, I guess, to her chamber.
The bell rang. Oh my god. Uncle Vulcan hurried to the door. I liked him. He has a good sense of humor. We all stood up as he opened the door to three strangers. The man in front was muscular and looked middle-aged. He had pale skin and brown eyes. He, like the others, wore a gray-hooded cloak. They obviously came from afar. The other one, I’d say, would only be a little older than I am. He had electric blue eyes. It was very distinct and distracting. His features were, I’ll admit, beautiful. I couldn’t see his hair though. If he were a red-head (though I liked the color red), it would be a major turn-off in contrast with his eyes. The other looked older than the blue-eyed guy but younger than the leader. He had dark skin and brown eyes too. I could see his long black hair flowing out of his hood. They all looked intimidating. I wonder which one of them would test me.
“Greetings! I am Antaeus Pleiades. This is Ymir Alderbaran---” the leader gestured to the long-haired shadow behind him, “---and Kari Zubenlilibi” he stuttered.
“Zubenelgenubi, uncle” the one named Ymir corrected him.
Hehe… an old man can’t even remember a name. He must be very confident or just forgetful. I didn’t really care. I think I’m going to like this guy.
“Oh. Sorry, Kari. You must admit, it’s a very hard name to pronounce” Antaeus replied. The Kari guy merely shrugged. I guess he wasn’t very comfortable. The Arien reputation isn’t pleasant at all and being the only air guardian, well, that would make me tense.
“I’m used to it” he finally said. Ymir chuckled. I guess he was used to it too. I wonder how many homes they’ve been to. I’m surely not the only one who turned sixteen today. Maybe someone gave them a little trouble before they came here.
“You’re late” I said. I walked up in front of them boldly, like a true Arien. My voice sounded harsh to me. I hope it bothers them. The three strangers seemed fascinated. Maybe the others before me were cowards. Kari snickered at me and the other two pressed their lips together to keep from smiling. “Are you mocking me?” I asked, miffed.
“Definitely not, miss. You are audacious and cunning. I like it. What is your name?” Antaeus inquired.
I shrugged saying, “Me? Cunning? Audacious? Stop flattering me, sir. It’s in the blood. My name is Seraphine Hamal. Welcome to Veseldel!” All three were grinning now. I smiled beatifically.
“Thank you for your warm welcome, Seraphine” spoke Kari, walking forward. “I am certain your time with us will be very… interesting” I didn’t miss his struggle for the correct adjective. I don’t know what to make of that. He probably saw confusion in my eyes as he walked towards me because his grin got more pronounced. I think he was about to shake my hands. What a gentleman. I am shocked. I’ve never been treated this way. How isolated I must have been from the outside world and now I’m suddenly ashamed of my cousins. They never showed me pleasantries such as this. I must force them next time. Kari offered his hand to me. I looked at it.
“You’re supposed to shake it, Sera” Ugh. Adene. How predictable. I looked at her with narrowed eyes. I hate her. Then, I thought better of it. I looked at the man in front of me. He was definitely amused. I smiled back. Maybe he’ll think I wasn’t really taught how to shake hands.
“Forgive the intrusion of my cousin, Adene. Please, call me Sera” I said as I shook his hands. He nodded at Adene. His electric blue eyes were piercing. I thought he looked a little smug.
“Kari, give it a rest” exclaimed Ymir from behind.
I wonder why he said that to him. I knew it would probably sound rude but my curiosity got the better of me, “Give rest to what?”
The strangers chortled. “You’ll see eventually. Come, little Sera, we have a long way to journey and I am terribly excited to see your talents” said Antaeus.
“You are?” I said questioningly. Was that a compliment? I couldn’t tell. It sounded more like what a scientist would say upon seeing a three-legged dog. “---hmmm… never mind” I let the subject drop and proceeded to the door. Two servants bringing my things came with me. The men gave way for me to pass.
Outside, the sky was gloomy and the air was dry. Perfect. I don’t like the rain and my house is bright enough to have its own sun inside. I like this weather. As I walked forward, there were two gray carriages. One of the ushers signaled my servants to enter the other carriage. Ymir was behind me and lead me to the other carriage. I stopped. I breathed deeply. This was it. I smiled. From a peripheral view, I saw my family already out of the house. I don’t know if they were happy because I was leaving or because I’m taking my first steps to maturity.
Ugh, Adene. She was eyeing me with a malignant smile. I should’ve checked my bags if any exotic animals were trapped there intentionally.
“Hey, sis!” called Brenton. I turned to him. He was smirking annoyingly. I frowned. There was definitely something in my bags.
“What?” I retorted. His answering smile was marvelous. I understood completely. I laughed. “I will, Brenton!” I noticed the men surrounding me were perplexed by the unspoken connection between my brother and me. That was really amusing to watch. And so, I went in the carriage coolly. Ymir closed the door behind me. There were only three people there including myself. I sat at the nearest vacancy.
The three men seated at the front seats. Antaeus turned towards us as he was just about to urge the beasts forward and said, “Happy birthday lads!”
#
Comments are love!
Author: blacksheep17
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Challenge: Black Raspberry #30, Pistachio #9
Rating: G
Summary: Welcome to a world of magic! Seraphine, an Arien (Born under the Aries zodiac), had just turned sixteen. That meant that she had to leave Veseldel (Fire planet occupied by Aries, Saggitarius and Leo) with her new-found friends from the other families (Sags and Leos) and go to Ilona (the place where the guardians of the elements meet). Why? Because the day a guardian turns sixteen, their ruling element matures and her power reaches it's full spectrum. Guardians go to Ilona to take "The Test". But an Arien has never been one to take orders and follow the rules, especially when bad guys are out to make them extinct.
Authors note: If you're interested in the Zodiac, this is all about that world. It's sort of everything I learned from studying the Zodiac--- the elements, their personalities, their colors. I'm really in to that kind of stuff. So, anyway, I didn't have a beta for this so feel free to tell me when you see grammatical errors. And of course, I'm open to any suggestions or predictions you might have. The story I've written runs five chapters only. So, I need advice on whether I should continue where I left off.
I am partial to Aries because I was born under that Zodiac.
Chapter 1: Happy Birthday!
Ugh. Day. No matter how sweet your dream is, you always have to wake up. It always has to end. Today, my being a minor has come to an end. I am sixteen years old. They will come for me today. I have been preparing all my life for the test. It is time to wake up, time to grow up. Happy birthday!
“Sera!” she called me. I know that voice. It is my mom’s. There is no sound in this world that is more familiar to me. “Seraphine! I know that you are awake! Come down from your chamber!” she repeated.
I got up my bed and hurried downstairs absentmindedly. I didn’t need to be aware of my bearings. My feet knew exactly every corner of my sunlit home. They know every fiber of the golden carpet and every texture of the wooden floor. I will miss it when I am gone.
“Get out of my way Sera!” shoved my cousin who was just getting out of her chamber. Adene is my least favorite cousin. It is a shame that she is older than me. I would never tire to punish her when she annoys me. She is irritable and boisterous. Although, I guess, we all are. It is who we are. It is our mark-the mark of passion, the mark of fire, the mark of an Arien.
And here I am in our great hall where I routinely go to every morning, only this time the banners of the ram, our family crest, are all hanged magnificently along the walls. Oh yeah, it’s my birthday. The banners are laid out for me. I suppose that gargantuan cake is also mine. Hmmm… chocolate, my favorite. Nobody obviously wants to vex me today. Odd.
“Good morning, Seraphine!” my mother said. I smiled at her and immediately frowned at the approach of my vivacious relatives. I wasn’t used to such a warm welcome. Our home is big enough for us to avoid each other. Four families live here: Hamal, Sharatan, Mesarthim and Botein. You couldn’t imagine what a house full of Ariens would be like. It is hell, I think. How appropriate! Nowhere else would so much fire be! There are only two colors here: red and gold. They are not pleasing to your eyes. For us though, it is the color of power--- indestructible.
Ug-oh. Uncle Iagan is coming. “Dear, dear Sera, today you will be taken. A-haha, I really hope they don’t make a lady out of you afterward. I hate to see you tamed. Why, when you were a duckling, I lost you in the hills. You gave your mother quite a fright! We all thought you were dead. But you came home all dirty and bruised just as always. Hahaha! I will miss laughing at you!” I hate him. I am neither unruly nor dirty… all the time. I had a good excuse to be dirty that time! I was three years old and lost. And I am definitely not a duckling. Ugh.
“Happy birthday little sister!” Finally, someone (besides my mother) whose greeting I could actually appreciate. Brenton is my big brother, my only brother, the only one to continue the Hamal sir name. Yes, it works that way too here in Veseldel, the valley of the sun.
“You better not tease me today, Brenton!” I said playfully.
“I wasn’t going to. Here, I got you something.”
He handed me a little box covered in incandescent colors. I wondered what it was made of. I opened it with a little too much enthusiasm. It was my first gift. Inside the box was a necklace. It was gold. Predictable. There was something else, though. I pulled it out of the box completely. And there it hung, a pendant.
“It’s a phoenix-shaped ruby. I saw it in the waterfalls last week. It reminded me of you. It took a while for me to get it to that shape so don’t break it” he commented. Fabulous. Even my brother thinks I’m clumsy enough to break a little necklace.
“Gems aren’t quite that delicate” I murmured. He laughed and ruined my hair. If only I were tall enough, I planned deviously.
It should have arrived by now. We’ve finished the fiesta already. Still, it hasn’t come. How long must I wait? I’ve already opened my other presents. Mom gave me a book from Gaia. She said it was written by humans and that my father bought it from there two hundred years ago. Aunt Vesta, my favorite aunt, gave me a flute. I don’t know how to play it. She told me playing an instrument didn’t need any tutoring. ‘We should be its master not the other way around’ she said. Oh well.
“Stop twitching, you impatient duckling!” Ugh. That word again. Somebody please murder Uncle Iagan!
“It will come, Seraphine” comforted my mother.
“I don’t know, Auntie Edana. I got mine the second I finished eating my dumpling” retorted my insufferable cousin, Adene. I change my mind. I take Uncle Iagan. Murder Adene instead.
“Why are you so disgusting Adene?” asked my brother, my hero. Murder her already! To my unparalleled disappointment though, Adene didn’t care to cause fight. She lithely danced out the hall and went, I guess, to her chamber.
The bell rang. Oh my god. Uncle Vulcan hurried to the door. I liked him. He has a good sense of humor. We all stood up as he opened the door to three strangers. The man in front was muscular and looked middle-aged. He had pale skin and brown eyes. He, like the others, wore a gray-hooded cloak. They obviously came from afar. The other one, I’d say, would only be a little older than I am. He had electric blue eyes. It was very distinct and distracting. His features were, I’ll admit, beautiful. I couldn’t see his hair though. If he were a red-head (though I liked the color red), it would be a major turn-off in contrast with his eyes. The other looked older than the blue-eyed guy but younger than the leader. He had dark skin and brown eyes too. I could see his long black hair flowing out of his hood. They all looked intimidating. I wonder which one of them would test me.
“Greetings! I am Antaeus Pleiades. This is Ymir Alderbaran---” the leader gestured to the long-haired shadow behind him, “---and Kari Zubenlilibi” he stuttered.
“Zubenelgenubi, uncle” the one named Ymir corrected him.
Hehe… an old man can’t even remember a name. He must be very confident or just forgetful. I didn’t really care. I think I’m going to like this guy.
“Oh. Sorry, Kari. You must admit, it’s a very hard name to pronounce” Antaeus replied. The Kari guy merely shrugged. I guess he wasn’t very comfortable. The Arien reputation isn’t pleasant at all and being the only air guardian, well, that would make me tense.
“I’m used to it” he finally said. Ymir chuckled. I guess he was used to it too. I wonder how many homes they’ve been to. I’m surely not the only one who turned sixteen today. Maybe someone gave them a little trouble before they came here.
“You’re late” I said. I walked up in front of them boldly, like a true Arien. My voice sounded harsh to me. I hope it bothers them. The three strangers seemed fascinated. Maybe the others before me were cowards. Kari snickered at me and the other two pressed their lips together to keep from smiling. “Are you mocking me?” I asked, miffed.
“Definitely not, miss. You are audacious and cunning. I like it. What is your name?” Antaeus inquired.
I shrugged saying, “Me? Cunning? Audacious? Stop flattering me, sir. It’s in the blood. My name is Seraphine Hamal. Welcome to Veseldel!” All three were grinning now. I smiled beatifically.
“Thank you for your warm welcome, Seraphine” spoke Kari, walking forward. “I am certain your time with us will be very… interesting” I didn’t miss his struggle for the correct adjective. I don’t know what to make of that. He probably saw confusion in my eyes as he walked towards me because his grin got more pronounced. I think he was about to shake my hands. What a gentleman. I am shocked. I’ve never been treated this way. How isolated I must have been from the outside world and now I’m suddenly ashamed of my cousins. They never showed me pleasantries such as this. I must force them next time. Kari offered his hand to me. I looked at it.
“You’re supposed to shake it, Sera” Ugh. Adene. How predictable. I looked at her with narrowed eyes. I hate her. Then, I thought better of it. I looked at the man in front of me. He was definitely amused. I smiled back. Maybe he’ll think I wasn’t really taught how to shake hands.
“Forgive the intrusion of my cousin, Adene. Please, call me Sera” I said as I shook his hands. He nodded at Adene. His electric blue eyes were piercing. I thought he looked a little smug.
“Kari, give it a rest” exclaimed Ymir from behind.
I wonder why he said that to him. I knew it would probably sound rude but my curiosity got the better of me, “Give rest to what?”
The strangers chortled. “You’ll see eventually. Come, little Sera, we have a long way to journey and I am terribly excited to see your talents” said Antaeus.
“You are?” I said questioningly. Was that a compliment? I couldn’t tell. It sounded more like what a scientist would say upon seeing a three-legged dog. “---hmmm… never mind” I let the subject drop and proceeded to the door. Two servants bringing my things came with me. The men gave way for me to pass.
Outside, the sky was gloomy and the air was dry. Perfect. I don’t like the rain and my house is bright enough to have its own sun inside. I like this weather. As I walked forward, there were two gray carriages. One of the ushers signaled my servants to enter the other carriage. Ymir was behind me and lead me to the other carriage. I stopped. I breathed deeply. This was it. I smiled. From a peripheral view, I saw my family already out of the house. I don’t know if they were happy because I was leaving or because I’m taking my first steps to maturity.
Ugh, Adene. She was eyeing me with a malignant smile. I should’ve checked my bags if any exotic animals were trapped there intentionally.
“Hey, sis!” called Brenton. I turned to him. He was smirking annoyingly. I frowned. There was definitely something in my bags.
“What?” I retorted. His answering smile was marvelous. I understood completely. I laughed. “I will, Brenton!” I noticed the men surrounding me were perplexed by the unspoken connection between my brother and me. That was really amusing to watch. And so, I went in the carriage coolly. Ymir closed the door behind me. There were only three people there including myself. I sat at the nearest vacancy.
The three men seated at the front seats. Antaeus turned towards us as he was just about to urge the beasts forward and said, “Happy birthday lads!”
#
Comments are love!