Ash and Fire [Obi love story]

Chapter 1 - Folly Fight

Chapter 1 - Folly Fight

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The sweltering heat of a furnace is a welcomed feeling in the crisp chill of the morning. The townspeople of Clarines, though most still asleep, hear the morning repetitions of the blacksmith's workings. It's a standard wake-up call to all early workers, and any who don't need to rise at this time sleep soundlessly through.

Shania Fern, a youthful blacksmith's apprentice, works tirelessly at the kiln, heating chunks of metal till they're white-hot. For the past hour or so, she has been hard at work completing a weapons commission for the first prince of this kingdom, Izana Wisteria. Shania is a skilled blacksmith, her services are frequently requested by the crown, but she prefers to remain the simple apprentice in the Ash'n'Fire Forge.

It's expected that Mare Macknol, the owner of this smithery, relieves Shania of a few hours of work around midday. She freely roams the markets during that time, gathering supplies or even making a few runs for any completed requests. Then, as the sun begins to lower, Shania will venture back to the fires to work till late night draws in. This is the usual schedule, repeated daily. Unfortunately, though, a ruckus from further down the town draws many people's attention on this particular night.

From where the forge is positioned around the outskirts of town, Shania peeks her head out the door, welding mask held by gloved hand off her face. She peers towards the castle, where a small hoard is gathered at the gates. Shouting and metal clashing resonates down the path, waking a few more people from their sleep. A few pop their heads outside just as Shania has done, craning their necks to get a view of whatever is the matter.

Immediately, upon spotting a few swords swinging, Shania rushes into her workshop, removing her bulky gear and plucking a blade off of the finished wall—it's not commissioned, so no one will miss it. She races out the door moments later and barrels towards the fray. Many eyes follow her; some recognise her as the worker she is and wonder aloud what her goal is.

Shania squeezes through the crowd unscathed at the border between the castle and town. Because of her familiarity with the townsmen fighting, she manages with ease but pays their intentions no mind as she holds up the defences against the gates. The many guards with weapons drawn send worried glances at the familiar blacksmith aiding their side of the fight. They seem unneeded as her aiding sword helps push back the angered mob.

The defensive side of the fight seeks to knock unconscious or subtly injure their townspeople. However, the offensive doesn't seem to have the same in mind. This holds exceptionally true as Shania gains a rather nasty slice along her right arm. The guilty party halts momentarily, inspecting the wound; It's bad enough to hinder fighting. However, Shania pushes through a mere minute more, getting revenge by knocking the man out before the entire crowd is dealt with, and the injured and unwilling fighters are held under guard and led away.

"Miss Fern, thank you for your aid," one guard speaks up. Shania acknowledges this man as the nightly gate watcher. She's said hello to him a few times in the past. "Please follow me to have your injury taken care of."

"I should be fine to patch it up myself," Shania says. "Thank you, though."

"Please, Miss, we insist," another guard remarks.

The female simply sighs and nods, holding her arm aloft as she follows on. The guards lead her through a few familiar halls she has travelled, then out to a large building in the gardens. Shania has never been this way before, so the sight is relatively new. She is taken inside this establishment, arm still bleeding, and is halted in a waiting room until called for. Standing silently there for a short time, Shania observes a few injured people being transferred here and there, some of them fellows that she recognises from the fight. She looks closely at each one, seeing superficial injuries at first—scrapes or cuts—but eventually notices a few unconscious bodies being carried in.

Soon, the female is torn from her viewing and led further through the infirmary. She now spots a few guards she fought alongside earlier, being tended to by healers between the few injured townsmen. Shania is situated in a large room occupied by a few unconscious men she, unfortunately, can't identify. They are being tended to by nurses and should be right as rain once they wake up.

The female observes the staff's workings as they potter around, all until a lady makes her way over. This one looks very young, maybe in her late teen years. Her vibrant apple hair is pulled back out of her face, and those beautiful green eyes look at Shania with such kindness.

"Hi, I'm Shirayuki."

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Hello! Welcome to the story!

I'm so exited to start publishing the story that has been in progress for quite a few years now. I hope you are looking forward the adventure to come and let me know if you're enjoying what you're reading. It would mean a lot!

Looking forward to seeing you in the next chapter. So, until then my storybook friends! Bye!