The Lasine Clan

Chapter 1: The Past

Teenage years are among the roughest times in a human's life due to the mental immaturity and the heightened emotions. It's especially difficult when the teenager also happens to be one of the most famous warriors in all of the Known World. While knowing how to defend oneself is freeing, the experience is frightening and traumatizing. After Jace's first battle, she slept in her mother's bed like a child; but she was. Jace's first battle took place when she was only thirteen. Being a warrior for three years meant that Jace's body was littered with scars, some bigger than others, some fainter than others, and as Jace gazed into the pond at her reflection, she studied her scars, each having a painful story to accompany it. Her fingers ghosted across the thick, ugly, pink scar that cut through her left eyebrow, trying not to remember how she got it, but the past prevailed.

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It was one of her first times on the battlefield and she'd been foolish enough to take on one of the strongest men on the enemy's side. He had her pinned up against a tree and raised his sword to strike her down. Against her better judgement and all that her mother taught her, she raised the flat edge of her sword to stop his and they struggled like that until her arms nearly gave out. She kicked him in the stomach right as her arms buckled, and as he fell back, the tip of his sword nicked the side of her eyebrow and nearly missed her eyes. She was extremely lucky, especially for it being her first fight.

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She closed her eyes and sighed.

The Daxsons

Her eyes snapped open, remembering the arrangement between the Daxson Compound and Lasine Clan. She stood and ran back to the camp, trying to hurrying and be on time.

She knew she was late when she made her way through the gates as she laid eyes upon the caravans with the Daxson insignia. She hurried to the tent where the terms of the alliance with the Daxson's and Lasine's would take place and quietly walked through the fur that was hung up. The conversation came to a screeching halt and everyone in the tent stared at Jace as she entered.

"I apologize for my tardiness," she said as formally as she could.

"Don't let it happen again," Iqra Lasine, her mother, said coolly, with no obvious expression on her face. She was no pleased with her daughters lack of sense of time. Jace bowed and walked over to sit next to her at the head of the table. She heard some of the Elders murmur something about "kids these days". 

Iqra cleared her throat and said, "You were saying, Harlan?" She looked to the man across the table. Unlike the rest of the men that Jace knew, he was a clean looking man. He had no scars on his face nor did he have any scruffy facial hair. He had jeweled rings on his hands and gray stripes in his pitch black hair. His skin was light, a sign of wealth in the Daxson territory, and showed no signs of aging. It was obvious to Jace how rich Harlan Daxson was and how important the alliance between the two families would be.

"I was saying that us Daxsons have lots to offer, we have agricultural goods and a high jewelry export throughout the entire Known World, but, dear, Iqra, what do the Lasine's have?" he asked, leaning towards her with one eyebrow raised.

"I'm so glad you asked, Harlan," she said. Jace knew what she was going to say next. Iqra was going to use her for a show. "Jace, sweetie, let's go outside and show the Daxsons what our warriors an do." Jace nodded, standing up along with her mother and filing outside with everyone behind them. They walked to the clearing in the middle of the market and Jace shrugged her jacket off her shoulders, showing off her tattered body. All of the people from the Daxson compound and Lasine clan gathered around the young girl, waiting for what was going to happen next.