Categories > Original > Fantasy

Andaliah The wonderer

by innuyashi 0 reviews

this is a VERY RUFF draft of a story that was inspired by a nightmare I had lol

Category: Fantasy - Rating: PG-13 - Genres: Drama,Fantasy - Warnings: [V] - Published: 2009-01-04 - Updated: 2009-01-05 - 2927 words

0Unrated
Andaliah-
A self sufficient young woman afraid of commitment. she is a free spirit. She lives off the earth and has a knack for befriending the forest animals she has two best friends who are animals, a Timber wolf and a cougar , Reith and Zara


Andaliah came from a small town which was burned , when she was 12, by and opposing force lead by an evil man that goes by the name of Zark . Her mother was burned to death holding her dearest son child and her older sisters were raped and murdered
she only managed to escape because she had been wondering about the woods when they raided the town her family was one of the last to die so she saw them brutally murdered when she came back from her playtime

Andaliah never cried ...
Her mother never really loved her she was too busy having children to busy with her last, her youngest and only surviving boy child, her eldest children had been a boy he was her favorite doting upon him every motherly affection you could imagine he was her only love child his father died shortly after his birth of an illness after that she had two daughters with a town lord two illegitimate daughters and after the second of his bastard children were born he wanted nothing to do with her .. Cutting off her means of providing for her family after that she had been with a drunken slob who had a little money and had twins a boy and Andaliah the boy had died a few months after birth her mother had grown sullen and some how blamed her for his death the drunken slob lived with them ate their food and beat them during that time Benjamin, the oldest was more like a father to her than ever he became her protector from the drunken man her sisters didn't care much for her and were married off as soon as they came of age. when she was 10 her brother was forced into the kings army and was killed. This devastated with out him she was with out a protector and a mentor and her best friend. her mother became pregnant once more and she had her boy the youngest and she called him James. Andaliah sat by as her mother loved the little brat child while she received none


She was a sad and lonely child accustomed to supporting herself
So she was, prepared you might say, when her family was murdered
Every thing she had known had been taken away it might not have been much but it was her family and all she had known

Andaliah was playing in the woods filling her often empty stomach with the berries she was so good at finding in the underbrush of the tall green trees. Tramping happily through the dead leaves and debris from falls past this was the only place that Andaliah was truly happy. She had animal friends she played with and she was feeding one of her tamed chipmunks some of the berries she had collected. That was when she smelled it , a burning smell, the unmistakable smell of fire. Alarmed by this she ran back to the little town which was quite a distance away, the fact that she could smell the smoke so clearly from such a distance
away alarmed her even more. As she neared the town she became more cautious she edged toward the clearing she saw the town being razed by dark men on dark horses wearing the unmistakable black chainmail and armor of Zark's legion. Curiosity drawing her in and fear making her cautious as well as brazen she crept closer getting a better look at the men taking every thing she had known away from her . She saw them, she saw her house being burned solders standing round laughing as if this provided some kind of merriment and as one of the soldiers shifted out of view she saw in the broken doorway of what was her home her mother clutching her little bother James trying her best to shield him from the flames consuming them as the vile men stood outside the door way with purposefully dull blades pushing them back into the inferno. Screams of desperation were heard and she looked over to see her two sisters naked struggling with soldiers lingering on top of them as they finished their cruel act. the men grabbed each by the hair and brought them to their knees one of the soldiers pulled out a cruel looking serrated dagger and drew it slowly across each of the girls throats sickly caressing them as he did so. Andaliah was only 13 and a witness of this brutality she was sickened by it, it welled up inside her and she vomited on the ground the smell of burnt flesh over whelmed her and she could do nothing else. her faint retching sound was heard and a soldier motioned in her direction. She was over whelmed by fear. All she could do was run and in to the only place that she new to be safe, the forest. Adrenalin rushed through her veins giving her speed and her small size gave her a clear advantage in navigating through the thick forest flora. green whizzed by her in a hazy blur, Andaliah only saw what was in front of her as she was being pursued by the vile men in black armor. she ran a great Distance before the men tired of chasing her and she ran as long as she could before she let herself pass out in the safety of a bush

Andaliah was lost she had no clue were she had run but it didn't matter because the place she belonged was gone, a mere memory now. Dazed and alone she wandered about this new part of the forest. Andaliah let the days pass by, still in a daze cased by the images of the torture burned into her mind, she had no will to find food or water. It had been four days since she had a drop of water and a burning thirst washed over her. Finally she was forced to search for nourishment. Weak and wandering through the densely wooded forest of various oaks and birches the leaves were still green and the weather warm and the underbrush was so thick that she could hardly see the brown of the rotting leaves on the ground she made her way in the direction she thought was north, she really didn't care what direction it was. The only sure thing she new is that is was away from the place she once knew as home. Struggling through the unfamiliar greenery in the midday heat she heard a faint burbling sound such as one would hear from a brook or a stream. Andaliah became overwhelmed with thirst and she ran as fast as her tired little body would allow. She found it a tiny little stream. it was moving water so Andaliah plunged her head in and drank as much as she could, finally her burning thirst was quenched and she could rest. She culred up once more underneath a bush and slept until the morning sun awoke her. She must have traveled at least a hundred miles because the scenery was so different and the landscape had changed from flat Forrest ground to ground that was filled with sharp hills bigger trees and nearly impassable underbrush.

It had been quiet some time since she had escaped the soldiers almost thre months, Andaliah lived off of edible plants but the nourishment was hardly adequate. her little body was gaunt with malnutrition. With such a weak body she started a fever and as her temperature rose Andaliah sank into delusions. She began wandering about the forest with no aim barely conscious. Andaliah thought this was the end and she lay down to die alone in this god forsaken land, only 13 and already ready to die.


ch2


A woman in mid age was gathering various forest fruits foraging in what, to her, was like a back yard. She was a pretty woman still young looking with sharp features, blond hair and blue eyes. She was walking when she stumbled right over the little girl, passed out and gaunt with hunger. Alice picked her self up off the ground and quickly looked for what had caused her to take a tumble "oh my god" she exclaimed kneeling beside Andaliah, Alice gently brushed the locks of tangled, unbrushed hair way from the girls face and she was burning to the touch. Alice carefully picked the unconscious girl up and carried her to her home which was a little ways up a small path.
It was a nice home with glass windows and a little stable for goats and horses. The little girls arms dangled as Alice carried her to the house
Little arms and legs sticking out of torn clothing the little girl was amazingly filthy and Alice wondered how long she had been alone. Once inside the house Alice hurried to draw a cool bath to calm the fever of the still unconscious little creature she had found. She undressed the little girl and carefully placed her in the tub of cool water hoping it would break the fever. Minutes passed by and the little girl came in and out of dazed consciousness hardly aware of the cold water on her skin. The fever broke and Alice washed the grime of the girl and her hair , which went amazingly from a matted brown to a shiny golden color. "Now", Alice thought to her self, "I'm sure she's not some forest creature". The water was the color of mud. Alice said out loud with a smile, "you'll have another bath soon dear", as she brought the girl out of the tub and dried her off. Alice found the girl some of her old clothing, dressed the ,barely conscious, girl and tucked her in to bed. The girls fever had gone down considerably and she now slept with Alice watching over her in a comfortable chair next to the bed, they had both fallen asleep.
A shriek awoke Alice and the little girl was writhing in a night terror. Alice didn't know quite what to do, she never had any children, but she couldn't stand to watch as the little girl cried in her sleep so she laid down next to the little girl and held her close till the night terror subsided and morning woke them. Alice woke first and looked down at the little girl still sleeping in her arms unaware of any thing she stroked the girls soft hair and wondered where she had come from. Soon after the girl awoke, opening her eyes to an unfamiliar face in an unfamiliar stetting , which was quite unsettling. She simultaneously shrieked and jumped out and away from Alice, smacking hard against the wall. Pitifully shaking in fear in the corner between the bed and the wall. Alice was a bit taken aback by this behavior "heaven sakes" ,she thought, " hasn’t she ever seen another human being before?" the girl had an eerie wild animal look so Alice began talking to her in soothing tone with her hand held out toward the girl as if to signal she would do her no harm. "Shhhh its okay , your alright, I'm not gonna hurt you. You were very sick when I found you so I brought you here, this is my home" Alice said to the little girl. "do you under stand?" she asked. "what's your name?" "mines Alice" the little girl lost the wild animal look and looked at Alice in amazement " finally some one else", she thought, but as she opened her mouth to tell Alice her name nothing but rasps came out. The girl was puzzled but it had been three months since she had uttered any words. The girl grabbed her throat. She came out of the corner back onto the bed and touched Alice's face , she wanted to be sure she was real. Alice saw the look of wonderment on the girls face , and was herself amazed by the girl's simple , yet astonishing act, it was almost as if she didn't believe she was actually there. The girl tried again to speak but the words still wouldn’t come so Alice told her to come with her. Alice boiled some water in a teakettle on a black Iron stove then she poured the water in a mug with some honey, salt, and lemon juice and gave it to the little girl. Then Alice went into her pantry and got a small bottle of amber colored liquid, she smiled, "its brandy" and served a table spoon of the stuff to the little girl. The girls eye widened as the sweet liquid burned on its way down, Alice laughed and patted the girls back. "Now what's your name?" Alice asked once more with a grin. The words finally came as the little girl, in a whisper announced her name to be Andaliah. With out knowing why Andaliah got out of the kitchen chair, wrapped her arms around Alice's waist and started to sob. A bit confused, Alice returned the embrace and picked the girl up so they could sit together in a more comfortable chair. Alice held Andaliah close while the girl sobbed on her shoulder. She gently rocked Andaliah and hummed as best she could to console this obviously heart broken little child. After the crying subsided Alice looked into the girls soft brown eyes and asked, "what happened to you?" Horror flashed a crossed Andaliah's face and she put her head on Alice's shoulder, her forehead touching the woman's neck. Alice didn't think she would answer but after a long pause a timid little voice that was barely audible said " they murdered every one" Andaliah latched on to Alice tighter and went on , " men in black burned my mother and little brother" , Andaliah paused and went on, "they slit my sisters throats. When I saw I couldn’t help but throw up that’s when they heard me so I ran and ran away in one direction….. For as long as I could." Andaliah started to sob again. Alice squeezed the little girl, she was at a loss for words. How could something so terrible happen? Alice took the tear stained little face in her hands and said " As long as you are here I will never let anything like that ever happen to you."
Andaliah managed a half smile and said "my... Some one named Benjamin once called me Andy and I'm 13 years old" she didn't even look twelve, Alice thought to her self. "Off to bed with you, I'll get you up for the evening meal", and with that Alice escorted Andy to bed and tucked her in. Alice watched as the girl drifted into sleep then went to make soup for their evening meal. As she let the soup boil she heard Andy's quiet plight, writhing in her sleep as the memories of the pursuing soldiers still chased her. Alice saw the silent screams forms by Andy's mouth and tears streaming down her still sleeping face. still running away, still trying to escape the horrors she had witnessed and while her body moved she crept closer and closer to the edge until a thump was heard and Alice saw Andaliah on the bed no more. Alice went to where Andy had disappeared, she knelt down and caressed the girl's head with her hand stroking the hair out of her face. " Andy, Andy , wake up.", she cooed to the girl. Andy woke up somewhat disoriented and followed the now disturbed Alice hurrying in to the kitchen while their soup boiled over. They sat facing each other. Andaliah sat, only her shoulders barely above the table top, sipping soup from spoons. There was nothing but silence between them, Andy wasn't accustomed to "meal-time togetherness " the only thing close to this was when Ben, her oldest brother, was alive they'd catch a rabbit and share it over an open fire pit. This however was different, she was served and she was allowed at the table. After Ben had died she had to fend for herself, her mother never did any thing for her and the drunken slob that lived with them never let her sit at the table at meal time , so her food was served and thrown outside like a dogs meal.
Andaliah deep in thought didn't see the quizzical look on Alice's face and was startled by a hand brushing the hair out of her own face. "what am I going to do with you?, Alice sighed. "I can leave, I can take care of myself." the little girl said in an emotionally void tone. Alice got up took Andaliah but the shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes "Your not going any where. If you could take care of yourself I wouldn't have found you and you wouldn't have been sick" she said in such a stern voice that Andaliah put her hands up to block any blows that might be coming. Alice new what kind of treatment trained a person to react this way and she was concerned, she hugged the girl close to her and promised Andy that she would never strike her ever.
Alice them into bed and they slept Alice holding Andy close keeping the nightmares away.
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