The Dawn
by Camilla Sandman

Author's Note and Diclaimer: Lianna is a character invented by me, and played by me. She is placed in a Forgotten Realms setting (copyright TSR) but is besides that fully my creation. No reproducing anywhere without my autorization!

Prologue
Chapter One

Prologue

Father...
Strangely how close I feel to you now, as I am about to leave, not knowing if I�ll ever come back. I can feel your blood in my veins, your spirit in my eyes, your love in my heart. And the longing in every part of my body.
Once, a long time ago, you told me you felt a longing too, a longing that brought you far and wide, and eventually to my mother. That I know, though you have never said it, but you eyes speak the truth when your voice will not.
I still do not know what happened 17 years ago that brought you here, other than that my mother is gone, and every time you look at me, you see her too. So I leave not only for my sake, but for yours. The time has come to make peace.
I must make peace with my heart, who calls out to me. It speaks of sunrises, open lands, forest, nights and campfires and adventures, and of finding my own path.
Is it out there, father? Did you find it? Is it in a forest under the warm rays of sun, or the pale moonlight?
I must walk till I find it, less I never be whole. I know you will understand, you too felt the longing and answered its call. And what have you trained me for if not this?
So now I leave the safety of home, and never have I felt more like your child than now
- Lianna

It was before dawn in the small village, the sky still pit dark except for a small streak of gray in the horizon promising another day. The moon was small, not offering much light, hidden as it was behind a pack of clouds. Only a whisper of a wind could be heard, and then, the cracking of an opening door.
A small streak of light fell on the ground, then it grew wider as a young girl stepped out on the street. She was young, perhaps 17 or 18 years of age, clothed in dark colors, a hood shielding her face from the light. It could not, however, completely cover her thick, red hair, and an impatient throw of her head only caused more strains of hair to fall loose and the hood to fall off.
She was slim, of medium height, beautiful in her own way, and with amazing green eyes glittering in the dark. Like her father she had a strong chin, a small nose with little freckles all over it, but except for that, she did not look much like her tall, muscular blonde-haired father.
�Lianna! Ready to go?� a musical voice called out, and she turned to regard Calko, her young bard companion. A little older than her, he still had his prime ahead of him. With a smile that could lit up a room, dark curly hair and a voice that was almost divine, Calko was already a popular young man. Quite sought after in fact, he was on his way to the Carnival in Nashkel and now she was joining him.
�I�m ready Calko,� she answered pointedly, �but I had to be careful not to wake father.�
At the mention of tall paladin, Calko felt a bit of worry creep into his smile.
�You haven�t told him,� he more stated than asked. The girl shifted uncomfortably, but met his blue eyes without hesitation. �I left a note,� she explained, and he sighed, knowing that was all she was willing to do.
Even just having known her for a few days, Calko knew Lianna Meirini to be a strong-willed young girl who did exactly as she had set out, and listened only to her father.
�Like her mother,� he thought dryly, for the stories of her mother had spread far and wide, even to his ears. Not for the first time he wondered if Lianna had heard the stories. Knowing her father, he doubted it. Meirini had always been protective of his daughter, leaving his life as a paladin to bring her up, always hovering over her.
�Calko?�
�What?�
�Are we leaving or what?�
Realizing he�d been staring at the beautiful young girl as if trying to unlock her mysteries, Calko lifted his gaze to the sky, where a reddish streak on the horizon promised that a new day was just ahead.
�It�s time,� he said simply.
And with one last look at the door and her childhood, Lianna followed him out of the village, into the morning and the adventure.

Chapter One

Father..

I awoke to my first sunrise outside our village today. I�d been tossing and turning all night, feeling hard rocks against my back, and not the softness of my bed that I�m used to. And the strange sounds of the forest. Every time a branch moved, I half-expected a wild bear to come charging at me.
And sometime during the night I began wondering�

But when that sun rose, I wondered no more. Never had it looked so beautiful as when I felt its rays bring the forest to life around me, as it warmed every inch of my being.

I am where I�m supposed to be.
I will doubt it no more.

Calko woke at sunrise, as he always did, hearing the last hoot of a nearby owl. AS he raised his head, he noticed Lianna standing only metres away, basking in the sun. He opened his mouth to call out to her, but as he noticed the glow on her face, he closed it again.

She was beaming. There was no other word for it. Her hair was glowing like fire, her eyes seemed to shine as brightly as the sun, and the look on her face..

�Good morning,� she said after a while, without even looking at him.

�Good morning,� he replied softly, tossing off his blankets. She turned to him and smiled, before they both began gathering their gear. A little while later, they were trotting through the forest again, Lianna practically running.

She felt so free.. like a choice that had been lingering inside her since she was big enough to walk, finally had been made. The sky looked brighter than it ever had, and..

�Hush!� Calko suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, his whole body tensed up. As she was about to ask what was wrong, she heard it too.

The clang of metal against metal and muffled voices. Before she even knew what she had done, she taken her short sword in her hand and charged forward. Calko stared wide-eyed at her, then grabbed his own dagger and followed.

The first thing Lianna noticed, were the four ogres. Then she saw who they were fighting, a young elf with silver hair and a long sword in hand. Even clad in armour, he was moving quickly, ducking blows while trying to get some hits himself. But he was clearly outnumbered, and were bleeding from several cuts. Without even thinking, Lianna charged at the nearest ogre. He tried to spin around when he heard her steps, but she hit him squarely in the side, her blade sinking in deep.

The ogre howled in pain as she tore her sword free, and swung at him again. This time however, the ogre saw it coming, and lifted his mace in defence. Metal met metal, and Lianna felt like she�d been hit by a hammer, her whole body shook from the effort of holding onto her sword.

The ogre lifted his massive hands again, bringing the mace swinging at her, but she ducked quickly, and stuck her own sword out as she did it, hoping she would hit.

She did. The sword sunk deep into her opponents abdomen, and the ogre collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. Instinctively, she lifted her sword again, and finished him off.

Panting, she finally began noticing her surroundings. Calko was fighting another ogre, clearly without too much trouble. The elf had killed one of the ogres facing him, and was dodging the other, his sword arm clearly injured.

Reaching for her bow, she fired an arrow from it at the unsuspecting ogre, who turned around widely as it sank into his shoulder. Even as he turned, the elf had stuck a dagger deep into his leg. Groaning, the ogre staggered.. and fell.

A quick glance at Calko determined that he had killed the last one. All three stood silent for a few seconds, catching their breath.

�Thank you,� the elf finally said, his dark eyes fixed on Lianna. �You look so familiar, almost..� he didn�t finish the sentence, instead he turned his attention to Calko.

�For your assistance I am grateful. Perhaps we could travel together for a while. This forest has many dangers.�

Calko sent Lianna a quick glance, then nodded. But even as the elf gave Calko a small bow, she felt his eyes on her, and for some reason, it didn�t feel uncomfortable.

To Be Continued..

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Image Copyright � Jonathon Earl Bowser. Used with permission.

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