[spoiler]I’m going to preface this chapter with some real quick info on how I’m setting this up. From now on, any story that occurs in a quote block (you know, with the yellow line to the side) is in the present, with Ronin, Mirage, and Jade climbing the mountain in the storm up to the old village. This is mostly for intro and outro purposes, though I may end up using it in the middle of the story to create some parallel action sequences. Any story that occurs outside the quote blocks, then, is part of the backstory and the legend that Ronin is relaying to Mirage and Jade.[/spoiler] [i]Previously in Broken Honor…[/i] [quote] “No, tell us!” Mirage and Jade both looked to Ronin and gave him their best puppy dog eyes, silently pleading for the story. After all, the man ran the OAFL - stories were his wheelhouse. If anyone could tell a story right, it was him. “That’s… a long story. We could be here all night and then some. Are you sure?” Ronin drew back his hood and smiled knowingly at the pair as they nodded excitedly. “Alright, then settle down and get comfortable. My story starts on a night not unlike this one…” [/quote] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The wind howled outside the log cabin, seeming to want to drown out the woman’s cries of pain with its own. The soft [i]pitter-patter[/i] of rain on the roof was the only anchor this poor woman had in this world. The healers and other mothers surrounded her, all working to quicken the birth. The woman was stunningly beautiful, even drenched in sweat and her face contorted with pain. Her hair was milky white, and flowed like an ocean. Her defined, pointed ears stuck out through her hair. Her skin was pale, but fair. Even during this hardest hour, she held a serene grace that was the telltale sign of an elf. Her name was Velta Lunae, meaning “The Moon’s Pride”. Velta was lying on a soft bed, barely big enough for her, and there were a few makeshift chairs in the room, but there were no other pieces of furniture in the room. Aeowin, another parent of the village, stood by her side and held her hand, reassuring her and providing the emotional support that the elf’s husband couldn’t provide. Feu Pur, the village midwife, was there as well, helping the delivery process along and providing pointers for a young adult Artemis. When the moon was at its peak in the night sky, the clouds parted for a single moment. The rain continued around the cabin, but it did not rain on the cabin. The moonlight shined through the windows and lit up the room. It was at this point when Velta’s screams were at their highest. They rent the night, casting fear into the hearts and minds of everyone in or near the cabin. Then, the screams were underlined by the joyous sound of a newborn. The screams died down as the newborn’s wails rose in volume. Velta took her baby boy in her arms and lifted him up in the moonlight. The baby quieted down as soon as his mother held him in her arms. “Rysko Lunae,” Velta murmured. “That is your name.” She strolled out of the cabin and into the clearing created by the break in the rain and held her baby high, showing him off to the gathering crowd of villagers. “My son!” she cried. “Rysko Lunae!” As she announced the good news, cheering and applause erupted from the crowd, and Aeowin, Feu Pur, and Artemis stood beside Velta. A man, a human man, walked up to Velta from the crowd and hugged Velta, embracing their son. They stood like this, silent among the rain, both joyous for the new life they now had charge of. [quote] “Wait wait wait… Is that baby [i]you[/i], Ronin???” Mirage exclaimed with incredulity. “Actually, yes. That baby in the moonlight was me, Mirage. The name “Rysko Lunae” means ‘The Moon’s Tear’,” Ronin explained. Mirage fiddled with her tail and stared into the campfire, lost in her own thoughts… “Come on, time for bed. We’ve got more climbing tomorrow, after all. I’ll resume this story tomorrow night.” “Awwww!” Mirage and Jade whined at the exact same time and pitch, but soon, both were sound asleep next to the crackling fire. Ronin sat with his back against the wall, keeping watch. He kept himself busy with weaving lightning rather than dwelling on the events to come in the story. [/quote] [spoiler]Sorry for the short chapter, this is mostly more prologue stuff. Next time will be much longer. For those of you wondering, yes. Velta Lunae is a full-on Elf, and the human is my father, which makes me a Half-Elf.[/spoiler]