Fell: Without Honor

Chapter 1

"Dinner!" A kind voice pierced the air, putting Aria's head on a small swivel. Aria found her mark soon, as a tall woman, standing in the doorway to a large shop-like building, waved at her. The girl turned around, but not before looking at her friends.

"Gotta go!" She said quickly, before trotting off toward the building. The town of Ardel was a large trade village on the outskirts of Umei. The town kept to itself, staying quiet during times of civil unrest between the barons and the people. Aria ran past the farmers market, the long alley full of produce, and meats, as well as other treats.

"Oi, Ria!" A gruff voice called to the girl as she ran. She quickly dug her heels into the dirt, stopping quickly and letting out a pant.

"Ye?" She spoke quickly, still catching her breath. Her gaze caught a tall man, muscular but thin, holding a bundle of meat in his arms.

"Fer yer mother, for fixin me axe!" He laughed heartily, tossing the bundle to the small girl. She jumped up and caught it, though she fell into the dirt. She let out a small grunt as the air was knocked out of her lungs. It took a few seconds for Aria to recover, but when she did, she was back on her feet, and running back towards home happily. She could hear horse hooves as she got closer to home.

"Aria, finally, got me worried ye little git." The kind voice spoke, as the bundle of meat was taken from her arms.

"Sorry, mum!" She said, breathless. "Willie and Hara wanted to play knights!" She smiled, skipping in the front door, after watching her mother step away. The shop was tidy, swords on one wall; armor on stands, bows, and quivers on a second wall. Aria's mother began to climb up the stairs behind the counter, leaving Aria alone on the shop floor.

She could hear the clang of a hammer colliding against an anvil. Before a loud chuckle interrupted the noise.

"Oi, Celtra, let's get ye inside for some soda bread!" A gruff but cheerful male voice spoke happily.

"Only if ye have some nice mead." A slightly more gruff and sadder sounding voice spoke, a slur to their speech. Two men walked in. Aria's father Arlo, and her uncle Celtra.

"Oh my sweet little darlin!" Arlo said brightly, and scooped up Aria in his arms. "Been givin yer mother a hard time lass?" He asked, smiling and kissing Aria's cheek. Aria just giggled and smiled.

"I was just playin with friends!" She quickly defended. "One last time before I learn from uncle Celtra." She spoke softly, her voice sounding sad.

"Lass, I know ye want to stay here, but Celtra is the best, he taught me what I know." Arlo said quietly, comforting his daughter. He had begun to walk upstairs, carrying his daughter. Slowly, he set Aria down on a chair. "We'll still be here, don't worry." He pinched her cheek.

Suddenly a scream pierced the air.

"What in the sam fuck?" Celtra cursed. He quickly threw open the window shutters and looked outside. And within a second, he fell backward away from the window. The expression on his face showed horror. Arlo quickly ran toward the window.

"Shite...we need to leave..." He quickly pulled Celtra to his feet. "Helena, get the armor, take Celtra and Aria and leave with them." He spoke quickly, in a very focused manner. To Aria, this made no sense, but it seemed to make sense to Helena, her mother.

Helena ran over to the door to the shop, when a sword pressed into her chest, forcing her to back up. Right as Helena crossed the threshhold to the dining room, Arlo charged the man holding the sword, knocking him down the stairs within a second.

The next several moments, were a blur from Aria's perspective. She was suddenly scooped up, and her face was buried against her mother's shoulder, to keep her gaze away from what was happening. She could hear screaming, and she saw flames from the corner of her eyes.

The flames kept growing, and the screams grew louder. But then she felt something underneath her, a saddle.

"Go Celtra, get her out of here!" Helena said. Celtra just let out a grunt, and the horse beneath them took off. Aria looked behind and saw her mother holding a sword and fighting a few armored men, before arrows began to pierce into her, causing her to fall down, and make her swings more sporadic and weak. Aria let out a scream, as Aria and her uncle rode away from the town of Ardel, onward toward Skelowyn.