New surroundings

[Ailena]

"It's all right," a soft voice carried softy through the stables. "You can relax now. No more difficult journeys for the both of us, I think. Not for a while at least." In one of the stalls that had stood vacant for many months was now occupied by a beautiful animal and his owner.

Lowering his tired head onto his mistress's shoulder, the horse allowed that small sight of accession. Smiling in turn, the young woman ran a comforting hand down his neck. If it hadn't been for her dark companion she'd have never made it to Avaren alive.

Slowly, dangerously, the memories of the life she had left behind flashed into her mind as her pale hand ran over the many scars that had lined the horse's body. Urging her nerves to settle, the woman kept the fear and pain of her past away from her present life. She had fled Maldered only so that her past could follow.

Letting go of her horse, and of her memories, Ailena decided to refocus her mind on the reason she came to visit her horse so early that morning. She had come to make sure he was well taken care of in his new home. Seeing an overturned water bucket, she decided to start with that. Looked around for the stable hand who had placed it there the night before, she hoped to get him to get it refilled or show her where she could do it herself. Sadly the sun had yet to rise and Ailena was sure that no one would come to the stables until much later, much to her dismay.

[Saphira Siparti of Elvinoire]

Saphira led Nathaniel by the silver reins through the stable's arching main doors. Many people were surprised to see her doing anything of the sort-especially those young warriors. She scowled at the thought. Though a powerful mage, she was still very young and very naive.
However, for some time now, she had to put up with many a questioning stare and jibes as to why a mage like herself wanted to dirty her clothes. Nathaniel's shining fur was the colour of Saphira's hair-dark raven black. A present from her uncle....
She shuddered with disgust, and the aura around her pulsed silently.
She calmed down some. Walking lightly upon the soft hay and the hard ground beneath, she led Nathaniel into an empty stall. Finally did she sense another occupant.

[Ailena]

Hearing the shuffle of hooves and feet against the floor of the stable, Ailena's head gently peeked out of the stalls opening as her blue eyes scanned the hallway. At the far end of the long walkway, a horse and his owner stood blocking the sunlight into the building.

The sight of another person calmed the young woman down a bit. At least she wasn't alone, for it is in loneliness and solitude that people start questioning themselves. And, for the moment, Ailena had enough of that.

"Begging you pardon," she called out to the beautifully dressed woman as she headed into a nearby stall, "but perhaps you could tell me where the stable boys are. Or, better yet, I'd gladly appreciate it if you'd enlighten me to the whereabouts of a well or some other water source, for my horse."

[Saphira Siparti of Elvinoire]

Saphira gave the young women a gaze. It was short, suspicious but penetrating.
She raised one slanted eyebrow. "Stable boys, no. Water-" she paused and pointed at a nearby bucket. She whispered under her breath. She had not yet mastered silent incantations to perfection. "adurna." Water appeared around a foot above the bucket rim and cascaded into the interior.
"Yes." she finished.

[Ailena]

Turning, Ailena was shocked to see that water had instantly appeared in the bucket behind her. It made her wonder how hard she had to train to become as able as the woman before her.

"I am most grateful," she responded with a submissive bow of her head. Realizing what she was doing was out of habit, Ailena straightened rather awkwardly and turned to walk back into the stall. As she reached for the now full bucket of water, she began to quietly lecture herself in her mind.

'That life is over with. You shall not return to it in your future. And to make sure that you don't, forget everything you were forced to do for him. Submissiveness will lead you back to the life you left!'

Letting her long and pale fingers wrap around the metal handle, Ailena carelessly carried the bucket over to where her horse stood, looking outside. Not a single drop spilled beyond the rim, a result of many years of practice. Setting it down, Ailena ran a quivering hand over her horse's cheek, chasing any early morning flies that sat there.

"Drink," she instructed him in a soft voice. And after doing so, Ailena headed back to the hallway of the stable. But, upon reaching it and glancing at the stall occupied by the woman, Ailena found that the question she had been meaning to voice to the stranger had flown out of her mind as she walked over there. With a sigh, the dark haired woman turned back from where she had just come.

[Saphira Siparti of Elvinoire]

She looked older than she really was. Her eyes had a look that susgested inner differences...eyes that hadd seen too much. Done too much. Though only 16, she looked many years older, due to her poise, the way she regarded people, her skills...
12 hard years. It bore its fruits. But also its poisons. Though an accomplished mage, if you overlooked the wit and rudeness, the cold hard shell, the amibitions, the brilliant showing off personality-you saw a little girl. Alone and terribly scared.
Saphira lent against Nathaniel, smoothing out the tangles in his forlock, whispering gently.
Nathaniel. One might think that a strange name to give a steed but Nathaniel had been her brother...
Memories came back in a trickle. And with practiced ease-though it was harder than usual-she pushed them away.
Sentiment will not get her anywhere!
She glared coldly at the floor, turned and retrieved a silk like saddle and placed it upon Nathaniel's back, strapping it down, the tassels floating like gossamar.
"Reisa Adurna."
She summoned the water from beneath the ground so there was a clear puddle for Nathaniel to drink from. She caught her reflection.
And as though it was really happening, she saw Nathaniel. She muffled a cry.

[Ailena]

The almost silent cry reached Ailena with more ease then even it's owner would have expected. She had been trained to hear even the softest command and obey it. Perhaps now the whisper was no longer a command, but Ailena intended to respond to in in the like.

Turning on her heals, the young woman's intense blue eyes refocused on the stall from whence the cry came. Hurrying towards it, her dark locks barely lifted off her shoulders. Shoulders that were simply dressed in a long blue dress. It had been made of of a silk like fabric, but that was before the toil of her new life had changed the expensive material into looking like the garb of a maid, a servant, a slave. And, of course, that was what it had been meant to do.

"Are you all right, my Lady?" the same young woman's voice reached the other inhabitant as she looked inside her stall. The beautiful steed that stood there was perfectly matched with his mistress. "Do you require any aid or service. I will not hide from you, I heard you cry out and that was why I came here. Please forgive the intrusion." She felt the urge to give a low curtsy, a bow of the head, but refrained from doing so. She fought herself; she fought the ways of her past that had appeared all of a sudden.

The reason had to be the clothes. The beautiful materials as well as the poise with with the other woman carried herself had been frequently seen by the blue eyes of the dark haired, pale girl leaning out of the doorway of a stall. Ailena was used to treating such fair maidens with honor and respect, even if she did not know them. Now her old life had tried to take over her present, tried to transform Ailena into the servant that she had once been. Yet, reminding herself that she had left, that she was in a different place, Ailena was able to recover from her spell and face the woman before her as evenly as she could. She faced her as closely to an equal as she would dare.

[Saphira Siparti of Elvinoire]

Saphira felt a flare of hatred for her own sentiments then looked up. She liked this young women-its was an on sight thing. Something she had not experienced for so long.
And so polite. One would think...the thought treailed off into the black abyss that was her mind. Memories were hard to surface...save the worst thoughts and nightmares.
A flicker of doubt entered her near black eyes, but they too, disappeared.
"No," she replyed, "I'm fine. It was..." she thought quickly. But nothing came. she, in the end, told the truth. "I saw my brother."
And in the few seconds following, she was a young girl. And then her composure returned.

[Ailena]

Ailena felt the urge to look around as the beautiful woman mentioned her brother. But the other knew that they were alone in the stall. Perhaps he, like Ailena's mother and servants, were the living ghosts, shadows of memories that never let them sleep.

"I understand," she replied in all honesty. "If you needn't anything, I shall leave you be then, my lady. However, feel free to hinder me in any way, for I am in no hurry. And, forgive my boldness once more, I would like you to know that you are not the only one plagued. They may not leave us, but in time, your eyes grow dim to them and they no longer come back. Letting go is something I'm still learning myself."

It was true, but Ailena was sure that the woman before her was plagued for a different reason. The dark haired young woman knew that her shadows were here as reminders for her acts. And in no way were they comforting.

[Saphira Siparti of Elvinoire]

Saphira smiled very slightly, a slight lift at the edge of her lips. "You needn't be so polite." she said, rather as an after thought.
"My brother. Well. I saw him in hte water, you see," then she laghed rather at herself. The laugh was soft and clipped, rather composed-it contained no happiness.
"We look very alike. We were twins, you see."

[Ailena]

"Politeness is part of character. I doubt that I could be less polite even if I tried," Ailena told the woman honestly. Hearing about her brother, she wondered what it would be like to have a sibling, any at all. "I have heard that twins share a special bond. Perhaps that's what keeping you two together."

With a small sigh, Ailena walked forward into the stranger's stall and extended her hand in warm greeting. "My name is Ailena, my lady." The pale hand wavered slowly in the air, the whiteness of her skin making the red marks on her hands all the more visible. However, it was not as though Ailena could change anything about her past, simply moving along to her future.

[Saphira Siparti of Elvinoire]

Saphira extended her own left hand. "Saphira Siparti the Second."

[Ailena]

It was odd. Ailena noticed that the woman named Saphira had extended not her customary right hand, but her left. Reaching over with her own left hand, Ailena grasped the other's gently and after a second she let it go.

"A pleasure it is to meet you, Lady Siparti," Ailena responded with a nod.

Hoping that her small moment of hesitation and confusion was unnoticed, Ailena instead let her eyes fall on the magnificent animal that stood regally behind his owner.

"Your horse, my lady, is one of the most beautiful and proud animals I have seen in my life. I would expect him to be quite expensive. Would it be too much to ask were he is from, for I can see he was well breed."

[Saphira Siparti of Elvinoire]

Saphira blushed and ran a hand affectionately over Nathaniel's flanks.
"He is from my homeland. An elvin breed. I've had him since I was very young...as it was of tradition you see."
She smiled at the memories.
"He is one of the best."

[Ailena]

"Elven?" she inquired as her head tilted to the side in question. Never had she heard of such a land, or of such people. However, Ailena had also heard that curiosity was not one of the best characteristics one should bring to life.

"But indeed, he is a beautiful horse. Your homeland must be a beautiful place."