There was something that seemed to have called her here, a voice on the wind, gentle but constant. It never stopped and started to grow louder the closer she came. It had drawn the young mage away from the villages and out in to the mountains, where the cold constantly bit at her small frame, flakes of snow kept getting caught in her hair and she was soon shivering from the frigid temperature. Her kimono was hardly enough to protect her but that was all she had and so she just had to keep plodding on, forcing one foot in front of the other and keeping on the move. In truth, she had always loved the cold anyway so it could have been worse and at least it was quiet here, meaning that she did not have to worry about encountering anyone that may have been a threat to her. She just wished that she had some idea of what was waiting for her, as the girl had been around long enough to know that this could a trap, set by a member of her family. Leliana had expected some kind of retribution from them by now for her leaving them and the silence on their part was beginning to play with her mind. It was troubling and not something that the petite girl needed on her mind right now.
Just how long she spent travelling was difficult to tell and after a while, Leliana just stopped thinking about it, her mind becoming almost void of anything. The cold was beginning to play with her body as well and she almost felt like it was starting to shut down. There was frostbite beginning to appear on her nose and hand and her footsteps were starting to become inconsistent. The weariness was taking its toll and she could not even find the strength to summon her spirits to help her, which caused her to start to panic. What had she been thinking by coming up here? Why had she come up all the way here because of an apparent voice on the wind? How stupid could she have been? These questions were soon starting to emerge in her mind and did little to help her increasing sense of panic. She needed to get off of the mountain fast, before things became to overwhelming or she froze to death. Bitterly, she cursed herself for being such a weak fool and dropped to her knees, letting the situation take her over completely and allowing the darkness to over take her. A small part of her was actually happy for that, as depressing as that was and the thought of slipping in to the void did not seem too bad for a moment. All she had to do was let go and she could leave this realm and go on to the next, where she would no longer have to live with her anxieties, fear and depressing thoughts, perhaps being able to start again.
"Not yet," a voice suddenly said in her mind, managing to break through the darkness and reaching her, "You are so close to reaching the summit, just a little more. Stand up."
"I'm useless," Leliana answered in kind, still just kneeling in the snow, "I've been lying to myself all this time and I deserve just to freeze here. This is the fate that I am supposed to have."
"Damn them," the voice answered, a tone of quiet anger beginning to emerge "What have they done to you to cause such thoughts? Come, child. Dying in the snow is not going to be your fate. Please, stand up."
Those last three words were what caused Leliana to open her eyes and a brief look of confusion to cross the girls face. That was a plea, not a request and it seemed to reinvigorate the mage enough to try and struggle back up to her feet. Why would her caller be so desperate? That question was enough to push the negative thoughts aside, at least for the time being and to trudge forward. Just who was it that had wanted to meet her so badly and why? That plea was not the sound of someone that wanted to kill her, no, it was the sound of someone in distress or were they sharing hers? It was baffling but inspired the girl to at least finish what she had started.
Wearily, she managed to get a foothold on the snow and slowly continued her trudge through the snow, heading for the top of the mountain. The voice continued to speak to her, encouraging and praising her, trying to keep Leliana's mind focused on the positive. It worked quite well although Leliana still felt like she was so close to going over the edge, both physically and emotionally. It seemed to go on forever and by the time that she finally reached even ground, she could no longer feel her hands or feet and her legs gave way, resulting in her landing flat on her backside. Breathing hard, she tried to collect herself but the moment that the girl looked up, her breath was taken from her completely.
Standing in front of her was a large block of ice and frozen in the centre of it, was a woman.
Leliana's jaw dropped and she stiffly stood up once again, approaching the block, a look of disbelief on her face. She had never seen anything quite like this before and the questions that had multiplied. Just what had happened to this woman and why? The look on the frozen woman's face was surprisingly graceful and calm, despite the horrible situation that she was in and that more than anything around Leliana's curiosity.
"You see? There is more strength in you then you give yourself credit for," the voice said, a tinge of pride detectable, "Please melt the ice and release me from my prison."
With a nod, Leliana concentrated hard and was just about able to summon Blaziken to her although the toll was heavy and she staggered, having to be caught by her spirit.
"Mistress," he said, a deeply concerned tone to his voice, "I apologise for not coming to you sooner but we were unable to reach you for a reason that is beyond us."
"It is the effect of this place," the voice interrupted, startling both Leliana and Blaziken, "The path that you took to get up here is protected from any form of magic and is meant to stir up the darkest emotions of all of those who climb it. That is why your negative emotions took control so quickly, mage. It was there to test your resolve as well as your physical strength. Now, if you would not mind, I would like to be free of this ice."
"Please melt the ice with your flames, Blaziken," Leliana asked her spirit without any further ado.
"Got it," Blaziken answered, opening his mouth and unleashing a powerful blast of fire which easily melted the ice but thankfully left the woman unscathed.
Stiffly, the woman rotated her shoulders a bit and briefly stretched to get the blood flowing again. She was a beautiful young woman, with pale skin and long lavender coloured hair, which had a strand which fell across her eyes, similar to Leliana's. Her eyes were an icy blue and she stood somewhere between five and six feet, somewhere in between of Leliana and Blaziken. When she was satisfied with her body, she then turned to the mage and her spirit.
"I thank you for freeing me from that prison," she said, her voice a little hoarse due to lack of use, "I cannot tell you what it feels like to be from that block."
"I should be thanking you," Leliana answered, "I would never have climbed that path if you hadn't helped me through it, I'd given up."
The mage staggered slightly again and with a brief nod, Blaziken disappeared in order to save what was left of his owners magic power.
"I know, I felt everything that you did and I am sorry that you have had to suffer so much," came the answer from the lavender haired lady, "You see, I am.....responsible for what happened to you."
"I don't understand," the mage said after some time, "Just who are you anyway?"
"Do you not see the resemblance between us?" the woman said in answer, stepping closer and kneeling down in front of Leliana, "My name is Mikaela, your mother and the reason why you have had to suffer for so long."
There was no answer from Leliana at all although and she just stared at the woman in shock, her lip quivering and her purple eyes beginning to tear up.
"I am so sorry for everything," Mikaela said softly, placing her hands gently on Leliana's shoulders, "I know that this is a lot to take in but it is true."
Words were beyond Leliana and all she could was tightly wrap her arms around her mother and hug her for all she was worth, sobbing her heart out. Everything that the mage had tried to bury during her climb came rushing back to the surface, exploding in one massive outburst. She had never understood why she been abused so badly by her family and they had never once mentioned her mother to her at all, simply beating her even more if she asked. The girl had never once been given an answer and it was that question which was on her lips when she was finally able to pull away and look her mother in the eye.
"Why do they not speak of you?" she asked, her eyes red from sobbing, "Tell me the truth, please."
"Is is because that your father and I were never married," Mikaela answered with a sigh, "You see, he was already married when we met and our relationship was seen as taboo by the family. You know better than anyone about how strict the family is when it comes to tradition and by being with me, he had broken that. When I broke the news that I was pregnant with you, both he and the family completely lost their minds. Your father was at least honourable enough to care for me during the pregnancy but once you were born, he took you in and forbade me from contacting you at all. He is a cruel man at heart and he knew that by making your life hell, he would be doing the same for me. In the end, he despised me so much that he convinced some of his magical friends to perform the ritual that froze me in the ice and it is because of him that I have sat here for so long."
Leliana shuddered as her mother spoke and everything became clear, she took a step back and folded her arms, looking completely broken, "So I'm just an accident? Just a scrap that father could beat and humiliate to rile you? Is that all I am?"
"No and I never want to hear you say anything like that again," Mikaela replied icily, closing the gap between them and pulling Leliana back in towards her, "You are a mage and a damn good one. Think that, the next time that you feel overwhelmed. You are not useless and you are sure as hell no accident. You are my daughter and I could not be more proud of you, remember that. We clear?"
Leliana nodded her head and embraced her mother again, gently this time.
"Are you a mage too?" Leliana asked softly.
"You did not think that you got your magic power from that pig? Did you?" Mikaela replied with a small smile, "Yes, I am a mage too although my magic is rather different than yours. In fact..."
Breaking the embrace, Mikaela took a few steps, before clasping her hands together and slowly pulling them apart. A sword appeared in the gap and the woman was soon grasping on to a beautiful white blade. The pommel, the hilt, the tsuba, as well as a long ribbon that was hanging from the end of it were all purely white. Leliana was amazed by the gracefulness of the weapon and the look on her face brought a smile to Mikaela's lips too.
"Pretty, yes?" she said proudly, "With this blade, I am able to manipulate ice in anyway I wish, both for defensive and offensive purposes. It also lowers the temperature of my body to such a degree that any opponent who strikes me will be frozen, as well as any area that I touch. I am basically a walking icicle, if that makes it easier to understand for you. However, this magic is not one for the reckless and the time that can be spent using it is limited and the stronger abilities are just as likely to harm me as they are the enemy. It is something that you will need to bare in mind."
"What do you mean me?" Leliana answered, raising an eyebrow, "It is your magic, not mine."
"Was," Mikaela quipped, "After being forced to spend so long in that block of ice, I no longer have the desire to wield such a weapon. It was the most ironic of prisons to say the least but I have learned a thing or two about myself. I no longer wish to follow the path of the mage and you will need this magic more than I will. Please accept it as an apology from me for all the pain that I have made you suffer, Leliana. I promise that it will keep you safe. Just remember, never use it rashly nor in anger and always be deliberate."
With that, she tossed the sword to the ground, where it stuck blade first in to the snow.
"Pull it out and it will accept you as its mistress," the lavender haired woman said gently, "I bequeath it to you."
Leliana said nothing for a moment and simply looked at the blade, before glancing up at her mother, who nodded her head and smiled. The black haired mage then stepped forward and softly pulled the sword out of the snow, feeling an almighty rush of magical energy course through her body the moment she touched the ice cold blade. Once it passed, she brought the beautiful blade up in front of her face and briefly seemed to radiate with an icy aura, which caused Mikaela's smile to widen.
"Well done, it has accepted you as its mistress and will now aid you in your future battles," she said cheerfully, "However, you will need to train diligently in order to master this and it will take time before you will be able to use it in battle. Oh, you will need this too."
Mikaela tossed over a pure white coloured scabbard, which Leliana just about managed to catch with her left hand.
"I am afraid that you will not be able to summon it in the same way I do and will have to use this," Mikaela said coyly, as she watched Leliana sheathe her new weapon. "It suits you," she added.
Leliana felt somewhat uncomfortable with the weapon but in an odd way, it did feel right, "What is the blades name?" she asked.
"Yukina," Mikaela answered, "It means snow in your tongue, quite fitting I think. Now though, I think it is time for you to learn how to use it, yes?"
Leliana sighed, she was completely shattered after the whole ordeal and just wanted to sleep for a while and process things but the look in her mother's eye was one that she did not want to argue with. Besides that, there was also a part of her that wanted to push herself for a change and see what she what she was truly made of. There was much to be said about what she had experienced today but perhaps that could wait. So, instead, she pulled out her newly bequeathed weapon and took up an incredibly awkward looking stance.
"Right, show me how.....mother," it felt so odd to say that word but it sent such a feeling of relief through Leliana's body that it seemed to met her tiredness away.
It was difficult to say just how long they trained for but by the end of it, Leliana was absolutely dead on her feet and collapsed in to her mother's arms, falling asleep as soon as she did. Mikaela simply smiled, immensely proud of her daughter and appreciating those precious few moments that they had together and for the first time, both mother and daughter felt completely at peace.
(2794 Words)
Just how long she spent travelling was difficult to tell and after a while, Leliana just stopped thinking about it, her mind becoming almost void of anything. The cold was beginning to play with her body as well and she almost felt like it was starting to shut down. There was frostbite beginning to appear on her nose and hand and her footsteps were starting to become inconsistent. The weariness was taking its toll and she could not even find the strength to summon her spirits to help her, which caused her to start to panic. What had she been thinking by coming up here? Why had she come up all the way here because of an apparent voice on the wind? How stupid could she have been? These questions were soon starting to emerge in her mind and did little to help her increasing sense of panic. She needed to get off of the mountain fast, before things became to overwhelming or she froze to death. Bitterly, she cursed herself for being such a weak fool and dropped to her knees, letting the situation take her over completely and allowing the darkness to over take her. A small part of her was actually happy for that, as depressing as that was and the thought of slipping in to the void did not seem too bad for a moment. All she had to do was let go and she could leave this realm and go on to the next, where she would no longer have to live with her anxieties, fear and depressing thoughts, perhaps being able to start again.
"Not yet," a voice suddenly said in her mind, managing to break through the darkness and reaching her, "You are so close to reaching the summit, just a little more. Stand up."
"I'm useless," Leliana answered in kind, still just kneeling in the snow, "I've been lying to myself all this time and I deserve just to freeze here. This is the fate that I am supposed to have."
"Damn them," the voice answered, a tone of quiet anger beginning to emerge "What have they done to you to cause such thoughts? Come, child. Dying in the snow is not going to be your fate. Please, stand up."
Those last three words were what caused Leliana to open her eyes and a brief look of confusion to cross the girls face. That was a plea, not a request and it seemed to reinvigorate the mage enough to try and struggle back up to her feet. Why would her caller be so desperate? That question was enough to push the negative thoughts aside, at least for the time being and to trudge forward. Just who was it that had wanted to meet her so badly and why? That plea was not the sound of someone that wanted to kill her, no, it was the sound of someone in distress or were they sharing hers? It was baffling but inspired the girl to at least finish what she had started.
Wearily, she managed to get a foothold on the snow and slowly continued her trudge through the snow, heading for the top of the mountain. The voice continued to speak to her, encouraging and praising her, trying to keep Leliana's mind focused on the positive. It worked quite well although Leliana still felt like she was so close to going over the edge, both physically and emotionally. It seemed to go on forever and by the time that she finally reached even ground, she could no longer feel her hands or feet and her legs gave way, resulting in her landing flat on her backside. Breathing hard, she tried to collect herself but the moment that the girl looked up, her breath was taken from her completely.
Standing in front of her was a large block of ice and frozen in the centre of it, was a woman.
Leliana's jaw dropped and she stiffly stood up once again, approaching the block, a look of disbelief on her face. She had never seen anything quite like this before and the questions that had multiplied. Just what had happened to this woman and why? The look on the frozen woman's face was surprisingly graceful and calm, despite the horrible situation that she was in and that more than anything around Leliana's curiosity.
"You see? There is more strength in you then you give yourself credit for," the voice said, a tinge of pride detectable, "Please melt the ice and release me from my prison."
With a nod, Leliana concentrated hard and was just about able to summon Blaziken to her although the toll was heavy and she staggered, having to be caught by her spirit.
"Mistress," he said, a deeply concerned tone to his voice, "I apologise for not coming to you sooner but we were unable to reach you for a reason that is beyond us."
"It is the effect of this place," the voice interrupted, startling both Leliana and Blaziken, "The path that you took to get up here is protected from any form of magic and is meant to stir up the darkest emotions of all of those who climb it. That is why your negative emotions took control so quickly, mage. It was there to test your resolve as well as your physical strength. Now, if you would not mind, I would like to be free of this ice."
"Please melt the ice with your flames, Blaziken," Leliana asked her spirit without any further ado.
"Got it," Blaziken answered, opening his mouth and unleashing a powerful blast of fire which easily melted the ice but thankfully left the woman unscathed.
Stiffly, the woman rotated her shoulders a bit and briefly stretched to get the blood flowing again. She was a beautiful young woman, with pale skin and long lavender coloured hair, which had a strand which fell across her eyes, similar to Leliana's. Her eyes were an icy blue and she stood somewhere between five and six feet, somewhere in between of Leliana and Blaziken. When she was satisfied with her body, she then turned to the mage and her spirit.
"I thank you for freeing me from that prison," she said, her voice a little hoarse due to lack of use, "I cannot tell you what it feels like to be from that block."
"I should be thanking you," Leliana answered, "I would never have climbed that path if you hadn't helped me through it, I'd given up."
The mage staggered slightly again and with a brief nod, Blaziken disappeared in order to save what was left of his owners magic power.
"I know, I felt everything that you did and I am sorry that you have had to suffer so much," came the answer from the lavender haired lady, "You see, I am.....responsible for what happened to you."
"I don't understand," the mage said after some time, "Just who are you anyway?"
"Do you not see the resemblance between us?" the woman said in answer, stepping closer and kneeling down in front of Leliana, "My name is Mikaela, your mother and the reason why you have had to suffer for so long."
There was no answer from Leliana at all although and she just stared at the woman in shock, her lip quivering and her purple eyes beginning to tear up.
"I am so sorry for everything," Mikaela said softly, placing her hands gently on Leliana's shoulders, "I know that this is a lot to take in but it is true."
Words were beyond Leliana and all she could was tightly wrap her arms around her mother and hug her for all she was worth, sobbing her heart out. Everything that the mage had tried to bury during her climb came rushing back to the surface, exploding in one massive outburst. She had never understood why she been abused so badly by her family and they had never once mentioned her mother to her at all, simply beating her even more if she asked. The girl had never once been given an answer and it was that question which was on her lips when she was finally able to pull away and look her mother in the eye.
"Why do they not speak of you?" she asked, her eyes red from sobbing, "Tell me the truth, please."
"Is is because that your father and I were never married," Mikaela answered with a sigh, "You see, he was already married when we met and our relationship was seen as taboo by the family. You know better than anyone about how strict the family is when it comes to tradition and by being with me, he had broken that. When I broke the news that I was pregnant with you, both he and the family completely lost their minds. Your father was at least honourable enough to care for me during the pregnancy but once you were born, he took you in and forbade me from contacting you at all. He is a cruel man at heart and he knew that by making your life hell, he would be doing the same for me. In the end, he despised me so much that he convinced some of his magical friends to perform the ritual that froze me in the ice and it is because of him that I have sat here for so long."
Leliana shuddered as her mother spoke and everything became clear, she took a step back and folded her arms, looking completely broken, "So I'm just an accident? Just a scrap that father could beat and humiliate to rile you? Is that all I am?"
"No and I never want to hear you say anything like that again," Mikaela replied icily, closing the gap between them and pulling Leliana back in towards her, "You are a mage and a damn good one. Think that, the next time that you feel overwhelmed. You are not useless and you are sure as hell no accident. You are my daughter and I could not be more proud of you, remember that. We clear?"
Leliana nodded her head and embraced her mother again, gently this time.
"Are you a mage too?" Leliana asked softly.
"You did not think that you got your magic power from that pig? Did you?" Mikaela replied with a small smile, "Yes, I am a mage too although my magic is rather different than yours. In fact..."
Breaking the embrace, Mikaela took a few steps, before clasping her hands together and slowly pulling them apart. A sword appeared in the gap and the woman was soon grasping on to a beautiful white blade. The pommel, the hilt, the tsuba, as well as a long ribbon that was hanging from the end of it were all purely white. Leliana was amazed by the gracefulness of the weapon and the look on her face brought a smile to Mikaela's lips too.
"Pretty, yes?" she said proudly, "With this blade, I am able to manipulate ice in anyway I wish, both for defensive and offensive purposes. It also lowers the temperature of my body to such a degree that any opponent who strikes me will be frozen, as well as any area that I touch. I am basically a walking icicle, if that makes it easier to understand for you. However, this magic is not one for the reckless and the time that can be spent using it is limited and the stronger abilities are just as likely to harm me as they are the enemy. It is something that you will need to bare in mind."
"What do you mean me?" Leliana answered, raising an eyebrow, "It is your magic, not mine."
"Was," Mikaela quipped, "After being forced to spend so long in that block of ice, I no longer have the desire to wield such a weapon. It was the most ironic of prisons to say the least but I have learned a thing or two about myself. I no longer wish to follow the path of the mage and you will need this magic more than I will. Please accept it as an apology from me for all the pain that I have made you suffer, Leliana. I promise that it will keep you safe. Just remember, never use it rashly nor in anger and always be deliberate."
With that, she tossed the sword to the ground, where it stuck blade first in to the snow.
"Pull it out and it will accept you as its mistress," the lavender haired woman said gently, "I bequeath it to you."
Leliana said nothing for a moment and simply looked at the blade, before glancing up at her mother, who nodded her head and smiled. The black haired mage then stepped forward and softly pulled the sword out of the snow, feeling an almighty rush of magical energy course through her body the moment she touched the ice cold blade. Once it passed, she brought the beautiful blade up in front of her face and briefly seemed to radiate with an icy aura, which caused Mikaela's smile to widen.
"Well done, it has accepted you as its mistress and will now aid you in your future battles," she said cheerfully, "However, you will need to train diligently in order to master this and it will take time before you will be able to use it in battle. Oh, you will need this too."
Mikaela tossed over a pure white coloured scabbard, which Leliana just about managed to catch with her left hand.
"I am afraid that you will not be able to summon it in the same way I do and will have to use this," Mikaela said coyly, as she watched Leliana sheathe her new weapon. "It suits you," she added.
Leliana felt somewhat uncomfortable with the weapon but in an odd way, it did feel right, "What is the blades name?" she asked.
"Yukina," Mikaela answered, "It means snow in your tongue, quite fitting I think. Now though, I think it is time for you to learn how to use it, yes?"
Leliana sighed, she was completely shattered after the whole ordeal and just wanted to sleep for a while and process things but the look in her mother's eye was one that she did not want to argue with. Besides that, there was also a part of her that wanted to push herself for a change and see what she what she was truly made of. There was much to be said about what she had experienced today but perhaps that could wait. So, instead, she pulled out her newly bequeathed weapon and took up an incredibly awkward looking stance.
"Right, show me how.....mother," it felt so odd to say that word but it sent such a feeling of relief through Leliana's body that it seemed to met her tiredness away.
It was difficult to say just how long they trained for but by the end of it, Leliana was absolutely dead on her feet and collapsed in to her mother's arms, falling asleep as soon as she did. Mikaela simply smiled, immensely proud of her daughter and appreciating those precious few moments that they had together and for the first time, both mother and daughter felt completely at peace.
(2794 Words)
