Author's Note: If you are looking for a quick sex filled story then this story is not for you. I pride myself on character development, plot and storyline. It will be a long while before sex comes into the picture. I have several of the chapters written up thus far, however, I am finding myself rewriting them more often than not but I should be posting several. Thank you for reading.
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The morning dawned crisp in a cloudy spring sky, the sun peeking over the eastern mountains and causing fingers of pink and pale orange to spread out across the misty blue canvas. The light was watery at best, filtering through dark clouds and barely reaching the ground but it made for a fine display as it tried. A chill wind blew off the sea, bringing in the tangy scent of salt and foam to the small fishing village of Siaro and whipped at the hair of the girl who sat at the crossroads that led to her home.
A traveler wandering down that path might have thought she was a statue, so still did she sit, her deep violet eyes gazing off down the long road ahead. A sigh rose in her chest and fell unbidden from her lips. Most would think she was waiting for something or someone to travel down that road towards her, but that was not the case.
Kyla had been up for hours. While it was not unlike her to rise before the dawn, the night had given her little rest. She had tossed and turned in her bed while sleep hovered just beyond her reach, eluding her, taunting her. There was something in the air, something that she couldn't quite put her finger on though try she did. She didn't know what it was but she could feel it, just as sure as she could feel the cold new spring wind sting her cheeks or the smoothness of the rock she sat upon.
She had finally given up on rest and done her chores early before drifting outside for a moment of peace. The village was so quiet in the morning time, she thought to herself. Then again, it was quiet most of the time. Nothing ever happened in Siaro. Today would be the same as yesterday was. Next winter would be no different from the last. The spring festival that would be taking place in a week would be exactly as the first she could remember from her childhood. She wondered if it was the same in every village across the land. If it were, life in general was decidedly boring..
While some people craved the security that Siaro provided through its unchanging predictability, Kyla craved for something more. She stared down the crossroads where she sat, daydreaming about one day leaving the home of her youth. Northwards lay the Crown city of Eritan, famed for its cultural venues, its schools and its unique landmarks. To the south, the city of Vishtor, known for their craftsmen and the grand mages tower, nestled itself in the Valley of Burgouf. In between were various towns and villages, places that she had never seen but had heard about in the stories of travelers and bards who had passed through on their way to and from wherever it was they were going.
She thought for a moment of standing up and walking down one of those roads. The earth seemed to call to her feet, begging them to take one step after the other, to walk off and leave this world she knew behind. It was a strong urge, one that she had to force herself to resist and it made her heart ache in her chest with both longing and guilt.
She could not leave those that depended on her. Her grandmother, the woman who had raised her since her mother had passed on, was getting on in years and would not be around forever and her younger brother, who despite not having a father figure to guide him, was turning into a young man but was not yet old enough to take care of himself.
She sighed deeply and drew her cloak tighter around her body to ward off the early morning chill. One day, she thought to herself, she would be able to leave this mundane life behind but for now she would have to be content with what she had.
She took one last look down the road before standing and heading back towards the inn. It was going to be a slow and stormy day, she thought to herself as she made her way towards her home, but with the coming of the festival the village would be busy and some of the smaller hamlets nearby would be joining them for the festivities. That meant The Swan and Grouse would be seeing much more business than normal and she would be on her toes trying to keep up with customers.
