(August '17) Prompt #1 - "New beginnings"

[.Karma.]

August’s 1st prompt is "New beginnings"



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[RobynB]

Have you ever considered just taking your most precious belongings, get in the car and drive away? Leaving everything and everybody behind. I imagined it, more than once, even.
In one version, I simply get in my black Volvo with my cat and a single box of items. Only the bare necessities… Some clothes, some money and take off. Drive into the sunset, to never return. Start anew somewhere, where there is no history. Where nobody knows me.
Rebuild my life. Get back what I lost, for as far as that’s possible… Some things lost can never be retrieved.
In another version, I get in the train instead… Much more poetic in some ways. But in the end, not as practical. Not with said box of items and a cat…
In the third version, I at least leave a note that I’m alright. That I merely left because I needed to start anew. That I needed a true new beginning. The length of the message depends a bit on the version. In some it’s a poetic bookwork, explaining in detail what drove me to this decision. In the other, it’s nothing more than a concise “I’m alright, just leaving the past in the past.”
In some fantasies, I go as far as to legally change my name as well. I always was partial to the name Robin.

One day I did it. I actually left. Though, not precisely as described above. It was two boxes. Big ones. And of course everything I needed for the cat. I didn’t legally change my name either – that’s about impossible. Not to mention expensive. I got a place to live as well. I didn’t leave a note, because there was nobody to write it too. I lost contact with my family years ago and my friends have been non-existent for an even longer period of time. No, that’s not true. One friend has been there for a very long time. I sent him a quick text. Explaining everything to him. And then I turned off my phone. It’s cowardly of me, but I didn’t want to see his reply. His thoughts and opinions. I want to be able to pretend he is supportive. That he wished me luck on my ventures. I got a new phone, with a new number. Even that piece of technology was more reminder of my past than I wanted.

The first few months in my new place, above my new bistro, I lived minimally. My bed was a mattress on the ground. My table was a few crates with a cloth over it. It was fun and exciting in a way. I did everything I could to save on water and electricity. I left with some savings, but not much, and the little I had, I put in the business. I picked this town partly because it didn’t have a bistro like mine yet. It had a chance of flourishing. It’d surprised me, that the town didn’t have a bistro yet but I welcomed it. It hadn’t taken me long to figure out the last one had left not too long before I came looking about. I never figured out why precisely, if it went out of business, or if the owner just upped and left. But I thanked a God I wasn’t sure existed for the opportunity. It felt a little bit too good to be true.

So, here we are today, months later. I stare out over the lake, the shadows lengthening quickly whilst the sun dips toward where the water meets the sky. The gentle breeze tugs at the loose strands of my hair as I stare at the water. I sit down to contemplate all that had happened in the past days. The past weeks, months and years even. So much happened, so much lost and so little gained. From the death of my dog to the loss of mother. That was really the triggering event... her death. It made me realize I didn't want to end up like her. Alone and unhappy with my life.

The people here... They didn't know anything about my past. The townspeople liked me for me, and I liked them for them. I had my clean slate. The clean slate I'd never truly get without leaving everything behind. Here there was no drama, no history, nothing. They called me by my new name - Robin. I loved the ring of it, always have. I never even introduced myself with my 'old' name. With my given name. Why? If I didn't have too... Those who did know it around here, were officials who had to keep it to themselves. Like the doctor. But then again, what did names even matter to them? To most people. Though I suppose, some would be curious to know why I changed my name. Some already try to pry into my past - asking questions, some more subtle than others. Who I am, or was, why I moved there, where I came from... Some standard questions, some I even answer. I know that at some point somebody will notice that no family visits me here, or that I never leave. That I don't speak about old friends or family. Should it come up... I'm not sure if I’ll tell the truth.
My business was still very much a start-up, but doing well all things considered. My estimates were fairly accurate. I was close to breaking even.
My days weren't stressful anymore.

I concluded that I'd done it. My journey was at an end. All the years of hard work had paid off. As this realisation dawned on me, a rest came over me. The kind of rest I hadn't felt in years. I'd done it. My journey, finally at an end. My life was as it should be. As I'd worked so hard to make it.
And I did work hard, didn't I?
I don't think everybody was against me, but I sure did have a bad streak of luck over the years. It's fine, though. It gave me the strength and courage to do what I did. To actually pack up and leave.

But all, in all, yes. Everything was finally as it should be. And I love it.
My new beginning. It's finally here.

[ArtisticVicu]

"What's that?"

He looked up, his hand clasping around the strip of metal he was certain had caught the dwarf's attention though he wasn't worried of the dwarf stealing it. Well, not this one. He already knew that the one with the odd, almost star like hair style had already helped himself to a few of his things.

"A sfyríchtra tou desmoú drákon, or a bonded dragon whistle in the common tongue," he answered, pulling the leather cord from around his neck. He handed over the slim tube of metal to the curious dwarf beside him. "It's useless so there's no worry of bringing a dragon here."

"How?"

He looked over his shoulder at the gruff dwarf with a dark mane of hair. Though no more attire than those he was with, it was clear that this dwarf was the one in charge even if they hadn't already shared introductions. "Well, for two reasons. The first - and probably the most important - is that the dragon this whistle is bound to is no longer living, or so I was told. Bound whistles don't generally get bound to a new dragon. Instead they are normally melted down and recrafted and not always back into a whistle. Additionally, whistles are not generally passed on to a new bearer without the dragon's permission. While a dragon can be controlled by the whistle, the dragon has final say of who controls them." He nodded at the whistle that the younger dwarf was inspecting. "That one's dragon is long since gone and was given to me by someone who had received it from the true bearer of the whistle as a trinket to remember home by. I wouldn't use it even if the thing worked. Case in point," he reached over and revealed the large crack that ran the length of the whistle, effectively making it nothing more than a trinket, "the second reason why it's useless is the damage that it had when I received it. Even if I wanted to bind another dragon to it, I wouldn't be able to. But I digress. Blowing on that and taking the chance that the bound dragon still lives would surely bring me death. The dragon was not able to say whether or not I could be the handler of this whistle and thus has all right to melt the whistle and me on sight. Additionally, calling an unbound dragon to bind with the whistle is a ritual I do not know fully and would most likely fail at the cost of my life, your lives, and anything within a rather large radius."

He accepted the return of his whistle and hung it back around his neck before focusing back on the gruff dwarf. "He was not lying when he said that I could help. I am not a dragon tamer but I know enough to keep your Master Burglar safe. Well, as safe as one can be with a fire breathing lizard in a cavern system."

"How do you have that?" growled the very large dragon. He wanted to whimper and cry but it would do nothing to get him and the halfling out of there alive. Instead, he stood his ground between the massive beast not breathing fire quite yet because questions needed answers and he was the only one with the answers the dragon wanted. "It should have remained with Fengari. Not get passed around when he-"

The great beast reared back, lips curling in a snarl, but he was stepping forward, hand firmly clasped around the cracked metal tube. "Fengari believed you to still be alive," he called out, suddenly understanding the odd riddle that had been spoken to him when he had received the whistle. "He gave it to Nychta, who gave it to me before I left our home. Fengari had believed you still lived and thought passing it on would bring it to you to do with what you pleased." He closed his eyes, his heart heavy with the following words. "I think he wished that you had something to remember him by, even if he could not give it to you in person."

The great fire drake stilled, focusing on him. He kept from fleeing on instinct. The halfling was still clinging to his leg, grounding him in the reality of the situation. One misstep and he and the halfling would be burned to crisps. "Fengari is dead?"

There was no need for future sight to know that this had just turned for the worst. As much as the dragon boasted of his strong hide, a bond between dragon and whistler was that of family and death of either hurt the one left behind. He forced the words beyond his lips and was surprised at how steady his voice sounded. "I am the second generation to hold the whistle. Fengari passed two generations before I was born."

If dragons could lose color like most mortals did, he was sure the one before him would look like death. The stillness was suddenly broken by a grieving dragon roaring in agony, dragonfire unleashed in their direction. He dropped to the ground, dragging the halfling with him, but he slipped off their ledge and into the gold beneath it. The dragonfire had missed the gold he fell in but somehow his motion to avoid it had gotten the whistle caught in the blast. It bounced hot against his chest, scorching through his attire and burning the skin beneath it. He yanked it off, leaving a nasty red mark across his palm from where the hot metal had touched his bare skin and he released it as soon as it was clear of his chest, the leather tie long since burned away. It fell into the gold, melting coins. The pile he was on shifted as the dragon stirred the coins. He grabbed at the ledge the halfling was still on and shouted, "Get to the company! Tell them! Warn them! I have to get my whistle!"

"But-!" the halfling tried but he cut him off.

"Go! I'm right behind you!"

He found the whistle out of sheer luck. It had been hot enough to melt gold but not lose its shape. He didn't have time to ponder that as he scraped off what he could and scrambled to the nearest exit. The dragon was outside, threatening the lives of more than those on the mountainside and he had to do something. The air outside was sharp against his face but he barely noticed as he brought the still hot whistle to his lips and blew.

He stared at his wrapped hands, lost in some other space in his head where thought wasn't really a thing. Things entered him mind only to slip out and it wasn't till someone was actually shaking his shoulder and dragging his attention to them that his mind started retaining thoughts and information.

Relief crossed the face of the dwarf before him. It was one of the eldest of the company, the gruff one's adviser or something like that. "All right there, lad?"

He nodded. He received a rough pat to the shoulder. "Good. The royals are awake and wanted to speak with you. Do you feel up to company?"

He frowned. "Aren't they in worse condition than I?"

The dwarf chuckled. "Well, yes, but it would seem saving a Prince's life has earned you a special place in that odd family right along with our Master Burglar, whom of which has been between your room and theirs so often, I think he created a trench in the floor."

Amusement pulled at his lips. "Hey, at least that's easier to repair than damage done by a grieving dragon."

He received another rough pat to the shoulder. This time he couldn't suppress the wince as it jarred the massive side wound he had sustained protecting previously mentioned Prince. The dwarf's expression softened and the touch to his leg was much gentler. "New beginnings are always welcomed in this dwarven kingdom if our current king has anything to say on it."

He actually chuckled at that. "As long as I can make amends for my new charge, I think we'll be good."

Two dwarves that he knew rather well joined them and with the help of all three, he was up on his feet and walking the hall to what had been dubbed as the royal confines by the others. It wasn't hard to see why as he found three dwarfs tucked into three separate beds in the rather large space with an elderly dwarf and a small halfling rushing about aiding the elven healers. At least two of the elven healers were aghast to see him moving about but the dwarven king, the princes, and even the dwarf and halfling's spoken relief at seeing him alive seemed to ease the elven healers' initial response.

"I have your whistle!" the prince he had saved called out, waving the shiny tube about over his head.

A kind smile pulled his lips and he crossed to sit in the chair beside the bed. He couldn't completely hide his wince as he sat down. "And why, pray tell, do you have my whistle?"

The dwarf didn't even look remotely sheepish. "I was bored out of my mind so I asked someone to snatch it from your person so that I could restore it for you."

He blinked at the whistle resting the dwarf's palm. What had once been a silver, cracked tube of metal was now a blend of gold and metal that seems to have been varnished blue. It was the oddest thing till the prince spoke up. "The dragonfire heat treated that metal of yours. It's not unheard of for some oars to do something similar with high enough heats but I've never seen that color before, let alone something not simply melting when touched by dragonfire. The gold filled in all the flaws. I just made it look nice."

The dwarf had done more than just that and he could tell. Etched into the metal were all sorts of designs and images, things that he recognized even if just barely. But he did have a good enough eye that he commented, "More than one hand etched something into the metal." He looked up at the prince, gaining a sheepish grin from a flustered dwarf before he looked at the other two bedridden dwarven royals. Sure enough, the younger prince was beaming even more than his brother was as the king's ears had turned red as he tried to maintain his gruffness. There was a bit of the dwarf under the king's facade showing, though, and he smiled. "Thank you. All of you. I'll do my best to make such a gift worth receiving."

"It is a gift," the king spoke out and he could see the confusion behind the sharp words. "There is nothing to repay."

He stood. "I heartily disagree. The dragon bound to this whistle you have so magnificently restored for me while bedridden yourself has caused a massive amount of damage to your home and land and it is my responsibility to make amends." Several shouts when up but he heard none of the words. He shook his head and regretted the action as the world moved without him. He gripped the chair to keep from falling. "I will help with the repairs to your home and write to the dwarrows of my land to see if any clans would be willing to make the long journey to bring you aid in craft and strong forms."

There was something in all the expressions around him that he did not understand, something that seemed to have touched all of them in a way he had been left out of. Pity, he didn't know how to properly counter such a reaction not knowing what it was.

He was too tired to really care about that anyways.

"I will make sure there is a solid connection between our kingdoms so that you are never without aid," he continued. "It'll take time but the dragon bond I now have will help tremendously. I will see about making sure that what aid I can provide from my own homeland is here within the year."

The dwarven king dipped his head. He heard the thank you loud and clear and offered the dwarf a nod in return.