Anna's Short Stories

Ash's Backstory

Ash left the house, wearing her armour and cape, ready for another training session to be a Warrior. Her nineteenth birthday was tomorrow, so the next year, she'd finally be protecting the clan alongside her brother Nico and her father. Her little brother Jordan was just outside of he house, playing with his friends. Ash smiled at their antics and then continued down the path, letting the light from the morning sun warm her face. As she walked, she heard a commotion up ahead. Curious, she jogged towards the sounds, and was shocked at what she saw. It was another clan. There were dozens of soldiers running towards the villiage, a few flags with their symbol printed on it raised proudly.
The clan of Stærk was under attack.
And they were horribly unprepared.
Ash watched as the Warriors rushed out, trying to fight off the attackers. The chances looked slim.
Ash knew Nico and her father were among the many Warriors, but that didn't worry her. They knew how to defend themselves.
What worried her was Jordan. Small, defenseless Jordan.
All at once, Ash was fleeing from the scene, running as fast as she could towards her house. As it came into view, she noticed that Jordan was still outside. He was looking around wide eyed, confused at all the screaming, running people. As Ash was about to yell to Jordan to get inside, a brown blur shot out from some bushes in the woods.
And pierced Jordan in the stomach.
Dark, red liquid seeped from the hole, into his shirt making it dark. Ash cried out, tears blurring her vision. She reached Jordan, dropping to the ground and holding him.
"J-Jordan...Jordan I love you. You're...you're gonna be okay. Okay? You're gonna be j-just fine. I-I love you," she whispered to him. But she knew it was already too late. She held him as the life leaked out of him, and when he took his last, shaking breath, she looked at his once bright, green eyes before closing them with her hand. Tears rolling down her cheeks, she picked him up gently and took him inside the house, setting him down on his bed. She removed the arrow from his stomach and inspected it, quickly recognizing the symbol on it.
The symbol of the attacking clan.
A wave of anger washed over her. She clenched the arrow in her hand so hard that it broke in half. She let out a strangled scream and threw the pieces across the room at the wall, breaking them even more. She ran to the kitchen, grabbing a knife. Then she ran out the door, into the woods in the direction that the arrow had come from. She crashed through the forest, swinging at branches wildly with her knife, tears blurring her vision. She looked for an hour straight, but she eventually came into a clearing and broke down on the ground, dropping the knife and covering her face with her hands, sobbing. She didn't know how long she stayed there, and the scratches on her face and arms from the forest stung, but she didn't care. She didn't care.
Eventually, she picked up her knife and made her way back to the villiage, and the image that greeted her horrified her. Many of the houses were burnt down, with only a few small flames left burning. There were dead bodies on the ground, some alone, some surrounded by people. She found her own house, still standing, but the door had been broken down. Furniture was overturned, plates were smashed, bookcases tipped over. And then there was Jordan, still laying lifeless in his bed. Ash turned away from the sight, and then the image of the rest of her family came into mind. She bolted out the door and ran towards the Warriors posts, where her dad and brother would be. As she approached, she saw two figures kneeling over something, their backs to her. She instantly recognized them as her mom and Nico. She went up to them, wondering what they were looking at. When she saw, she instantly wished she hadn't.
Her dad lay on the ground, his neck twisted horribly. His face and chest were cut up, bloodied and bruised. There was no way he could possibly be alive.
Nico moved to her and held her in his arms as the tears streamed down her face. After what felt like forever but was probably only a few minutes, Ash pulled away a little and looked at Nico, pain filling her eyes.
"Ash, what is it?" he asked in a calm, steady voice.
"It's...J-Jordan.He was-he was shot. With an arrow. H-he's dead," she whispered. His eyes widened in shock, and he pulled her towards him once again, wrapping his arms around her to comfort them both.
x
It had been exactly two weeks since the attack, and the clan had been busy rebuilding the village. Ash hadn't joined them. If it hadn't been for Jordan and her father's death, she would have happily been outside most of the time, helping to rebuild houses and buildings. But instead, she was usually found locked away in her room, only coming out to gather up some food and keep it stashed in her room. She found herself constantly breaking down randomly and start crying. She had quit her training to be a Warrior. She no longer felt qualified to be a protector of Stærk.
~~
"What do you mean you want to quit?! Ash, that's crazy! You've dreamed of being a Warrior for as long as I can remember! You can't just give up!" Nico argued.
"Nico, I don't want to be a Warrior anymore, alright?!" she yelled.
"Ash, don't just give up! You'll make a great Warrior, I know it!"
"Bullshit!" she yelled. "I'd make a horrible Warrior! How can I be a protector when I can't even protect my own brother?! How can I protect our clan when I can't protect my own blood?!" Tears welled up in her eyes and she ran to her room, slamming the door loudly behind her before slumping against it and crying silently.
~~
That had been last week, when she told Nico the news that she was quitting. Now, she was about to tell him some other news.
X
"Leaving? What do you mean you're leaving?!" he asked in a loud voice.
"I'm leaving Stærk," she stated again, a determined look on her face.
"Well, what are you going to do out in the wild? What's your plan?" he asked.
"I-I don't have a plan," she muttered.
"Oh, so you're just going to wing it? I don't think so. Ash, I'm not letting you leave."
"I'm not asking for your permission, Nico!" she yelled. "I'm telling you so you don't wake up and I've disappeared and you think your only sibling is dead!"
Nico opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Only sibling.
The words hung in the air, and neither of them said a word. After what seemed like forever, Nico pulled her into a tight hug.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too," Ash whispered back.
X
Ash sat against a tree, the darkness surrounding her. She couldn't sleep. Sleep had been almost impossible lately. Once again, tears began to fill her eyes. Again, another often occurring thing. Before the tears could escape her eyes, however, a bright blue light suddenly lit up the forest. Ash looked up, alarmed. What she found was a glowing, floating, blue circle. Ash stood up and approached it, staring in disbelief. Suddenly, she heard what sounded like voices.
But she had been alone.
It sounded like the sounds came from the circle, but how could that be possible? Ash moved behind the circle, finding no one. She moved back in front of it again, staring and listening. But the voices were only slight whispers, and they were muffled and twisted and she couldn't understand what they said . For a long time, Ash contemplated what she should do. Should she try to go through it? Was that even possible?
Then again, what did she have left for her here? Her mom? Her brother? But how could she go on with her life normally, her dreams and destiny smashed down? Finally, in one swift movement, Ash stepped through the circle. It felt weird, like she was flying through darkness. But it only lasted for a second. Suddenly, she was in a building, with a group of people surrounding her.
"Hey, hey, you okay?" asked a boy with brown hair. Ash looked at him, then at the surrounding people.
"W-who are you?" Ash asked, backing away slightly. "What was that blue circle?"
"I'm Isroth. And that, was a portal."