Legends of Belariath

Victoria Celas

Guardian Angel

Victoria lived a normal high human life. Daughter of wealthy land owners, food always on the table, brothers and a sister to always play with, life was normal. Her brothers were normal, taking up swords for practice to become pages for the knights and hopefully become knights themselves. They would test out their skills against each other, playfully swiping at each other with their wooden swords, parrying and thrusting back while their laughter echoed throughout the large field they fought on. Her mother would watch them, often yelling at the eldest son, Jean to not hit the other so hard when their guard dropped. René, the second borne, would use this time to get back at Jean, usually striking him low, around the knees to send him off balance. By this time, Louis, the next in line, would charge forward, pushing René and sending him toward the youngest son, Michel. By the time Jean had gotten up from the sneak attack, René would be on the ground, and would be repeatedly poked by the blunt ends of the harmless swords. Without a word or a sound, Jean would pick up the two brothers by the back of their shirts and plunging them into the river; laughing heartily. Until he himself was pushed in by René who stood triumphantly by the water’s edge. Oh how Victoria dreamed she could sneak up behind René and topple him into the muck as well, shouting, “Allons!” throughout the countryside. But she remained inside. Her chores were to clean the rooms, make the food, tend to the chickens, and find a son of another wealthy landowner, so their claim will flourish………. Victoria hated all of this.

After her chores were completed, she snuck away to the barn at nights, practicing against bales of hay. Because of her shear desire to learn the skills of the blade, her form and style increased over the years she practiced in secret. Not even to boys knew that their blades were being wielded by their own sister. Although one night, when she was sixteen, Michel brought a girl he met from town into her practice facility. Shocked by what he saw, a girl moving gracefully with a sword, he tried to warn his parents of their daughter’s disloyalty to her place in life. His body was met with the wood of the sword, taking him down quite easily. The girl he brought cowered in the corner of the room as Victoria stood above the youngest brother.

“Let me be,” Victoria replied. “Let me choose my own way in life.”

Michel nodded fearfully. A person he shared dinner with had just demolished him in a few minute seconds. Realizing what she just did, Victoria dropped the wooden sword and ran off; shaking off tears as she ran to the room she and her sister, Marie, shared.

Michel never told his mother or father, but instead shared his information with his brothers. They scoffed at him, saying that a lady shouldn’t be able to use such a deadly weapon as a sword, and the only thing sharp they wield is their tongue. Michel waited for Victoria to return to her training at nights, but she didn’t come. He went searching for her, finding that she was in the kitchen, helping her mother with the food and the dishes for the next day. As eager as he was watch her again, she did not come out to train. Angered by this, he planned to reveal the fact that she had not chosen a boy yet, using her allotted time of courtship for training instead.

So, one night, when the family was gathered around the table for dinner, Michel slyly asked Victoria the question he had been planning for this exact moment.

“So, Victoria, you find that boy that’s right for you yet? The one that will extend our land by threefold?”

Victoria turned toward him, blinking in confusion.

“You didn’t? Then why were you always gone in the nighttime?”

Victoria glared at boy, almost knowing what he was hinting at.

“Oh, that’s right; you disobeyed your mother and father’s wishes by practicing swordplay!”

Victoria stood immediately, shouting at the youngest boy, who had a sly grin on his teenaged face.

“I told you to never tell them! I hate you Michel! I hate you!”

With those words, Victoria stormed off and up to her room, much to the delight of Michel and to the surprise of the rest of the family members.

That night, she could hear discussions taking place beneath her, almost as if the family was deciding her fate then and there. She didn’t wait until morning. Grabbing her stash of mehrials, she dashed out into the night, searching for a new home and a place where her skills could be brought forth to their fullest.

After weeks of searching the countryside, she finally found a landowner who was kind enough to take her in and agreed to let her train in the art of the blade. It was then and there when she received her Épée, a beautiful weapon that needed strength to control and flair to wield. Victoria swore she would never use another weapon as this was the only true gift someone had given her. She trained heavily, learning the curves of the blade, and making the sword one with herself. Her new master taught her well, so well that she caught the attention of a member of the castle of the land. The expression on her face was one of pure joy when they asked her to join the castle as an elite guard, one not restricted to a basic sword and makeshift armor. Her armor was the epitome of the armor offered to a sword wielder. Epaulets on each shoulder and a chest guard to prevent direct stabs to the torso and upper arms. Victoria was quite surprised when she found she could still move freely in the armor as if she wasn’t wearing it at all. Her skills got increasingly better. She forgot about her family and her past. She only focused on the future, and how much her skills could increase. As her domination of the fencing community continued, Victoria grew more and more cocky and defiant as the days rolled on. It wasn’t until one night that she thought she would never die.

It was a stormy night as Victoria paced the halls with her blade at her shoulder. It had been two years since she had gone to live at the castle. Her reputation as the “Lion of Monticlaire” had spread throughout the region. She felt proud of her accomplishment as she traversed the halls. Hearing something ring behind her, she turned to investigate, and then she saw who it was.

“An intruder…”

She dashed toward the sound, blade extended in front of her, striking out towards the mysterious stranger who had snuck into the castle. He parried the blow, striking back with his blade. Surprised, Victoria managed to deflect the blow. Spurred on by this turn of events, the man rushed forward, starting the amazing battle. The two battled across rooms, up and down stairs and along the catwalks that lined the castle walls. Victoria’s armor had slowly been cut apart. The straps that held the metal to her was neatly sliced by the sharp blade the man wielded. The battle raged on until they reached the slick rooftop. Above the world it seemed, Victoria pressed forward, driving the man back until the man reached the edge of the roof. Devoid of her armor now, she stepped forward. The man took a step back, nearly slipping from the roof’s edge. Not willing to win by an accident, Victoria rushed forward, attempting to grab the man by the arm and pull him to safety in desperation to continue their noble battle. The man had other plans.

Faking his slip, he drove the blade into the unsuspecting chest of Victoria. She screamed and fell backwards, her blade falling from her hand and clattering on the stone roof. Blood spilled from her chest, soaking her clothes as more blood seemed to float in the air as the sword was twisted slightly, and removed. She landed on the ground in a clump as the world spun around her. But what she noticed next completely surprised her. The man who had struck her was suddenly slashed numerous times by an unseen figure, falling back over the edge of the roof and tumbling to the ground below. The fall would have certainly killed him, that is, if he wasn’t dead before he hit the ground from the many slashes inflicted on him. Victoria lay dying on the roof as the figure walked to her. His hand glowed red as he drew a knife over the palm of the other. The fresh blood flowed up from the wound. He calmly spoke to her.

“Drink from me… if you so desire to live.”

Victoria was fearful of her death and so allowed the man to press his cut hand to her lips. The blood nourished her as his hand rested on her left breast. The glow of red radiated throughout the night sky.

The next day, Victoria awoke with a shock. What a horrible nightmare she had, that is, until she looked around. She was still on the rooftop. Blood covered the surfaces of the stone. A crowd of people had gathered below to examine the corpse of the man lying amongst a crimson spot on the ground. She gasped, reaching for her blade and touching her chest at the same moment. The wound was still open. She gasped again, realizing she had died, and then was resurrected by something.

“The blood? The faint glow? Why do I still live?” she asked to herself.

Something drove her to follow the man that had saved her. Guided only by a new instinct it seemed. She finally found his castle nearly a few miles out from where the inn was located. It was there where he repaired her clothing and presented her with a new set of armor, stronger than the first one she wore. He told her to explore the world for him, starting at the inn. He knew it was a great place to learn. All sorts of races and civilizations came together there. She referred to him as “Master” when she spoke. He would always laugh, telling her that she was no slave, and would never be one. But she always spoke to him with the greatest respect. It was there when he showed her what the cost of resurrecting her was. Her irises had now become a bright blood red. She thought this had destroyed her beauty because all the people she had encountered were quite afraid of her. It wasn’t until she stepped into that inn for the first day… Somehow, she knew her life would change. It would change for the better. Somehow… it would.

She has been called an Angel before, and she is slowly starting to believe it. The wings, however, are an entirely different story…

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