Everyone can participate in this story! This is a "wandering" story where the writing goes from forum member to forum member. You can write whatever you want, but please keep it serious. Rules: * You can move inside these genres: fantasy, science fiction, drama, action, romance, fairytale. * Please write more than a few sentences. You can write as much as you want but writing two or three sentences is not participating in a story. * Please keep this serious. Don't write something ridiculous just to piss off the story's readers and writers. Don't troll. * This story is not fanfiction of any kind. * Be free to bring in new characters into the story but don't forget about the old ones. Here it starts: The night fell over Nimorina Valley as 16 year old Alya went through the dark Forest of Sly on her way home. Her half-length raven hair was blowing hardly against her pointy ears as she was fighting against the storm, on her way out of the forest. Alya didn't know this night was going to be stormy. The cold wind was beating harshly against her forest green cloak and sometimes Alya felt like she was being dragged backwards by the storm. What will father say when I come home? , Alya worried. I am late and my clothes are full of leaves. I am sure father will be angry!!!. Alya was angry in herself. Why did she always have to break the rules and norms? Why did always have to do things her own way? Why did she always have to follow her heart? "Where have you been girl?", a tall elven man shouted by the entrance door to his manor. His long pale blonde hair was blowing behind him and he looked both tired and pissed off at the same time. Alya hurried inside the huge, carved stone door and thought about what her father's reaction would be. She was about to walk straight across the candle-lit corridor and into the kitchen to get a glass of water, but her father stoppen her by the open door to the ball room. "GET IN! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU, GIRL!", her father shouted angrily. The ball room was Alya's least favourite room. She hated this room so deeply. Everytime there was a ball she tried to make up an excuse not to attend. Alya hated being introduced in every ball as the daughter of Vidar, the elven lord from Calycca, Nimorina Valley. She hated acting formally. She just wanted to be known as her true self. She did love her father but she often thought her father was way too strict and close minded. Why couldn't her father relax more and act more like himself? Why couldn't he act like the loving, fun dad he was when she was a chld? The ball room was the biggest room in the manor. It was actually a very nice room full of exclusive paintings made by the greatest artists of the elven world. The huge room had four big windows with dark blue satin curtains. The reason why Alya didn't like this room was because of all the endless bad memories from balls being held. Alya often had to dance the Dance of the Valley or sing old elvish songs for all of the guests. One time she even had to dance with the bastard Migeto from Zaanak. "Alya, sit down", her father said more quietly, but in an irritated tone. Alya sat down on a blue satin sofa which was matching the curtains of the same colour. Her father did not sit down. It was typical of Vidar to stand when he wanted to express his authority. With his broad shoulders and navy blue robe he looked exactly like the man he was: the strict, serious ruler of the small Calycca region. His glance and his long hair showed authority. So did his face, even if it was still young looking. "Alya, what did you do in the forest?", her father asked sharply, his pitching blue eyes looking right into Alya's brown eyes. "I.....I-i", Alya started nervously without ending her sentence. If only her father could calm down a bit...... "Have you been out practising your stupid archery again?", her father asked with crossed arms and a shouting glance. Alya took a deep breath before answering. "I like archery!", she said trying to defend herself. "YOU do archery! Why don't you owe me to do the same thing?". Vidar looked a bit uneasy, like it was hard for him to answer. He finally opened his mouth and pointed a correcting finger at his daughter:"I am a man. Are you one?". Alya thought it was the most illogical answer ever but she could see what her father was thinking. Rich elven girls should not do archery. It was the task of their knight in shining armor. Alya really envied the normal girls who had done archery for generations now. Among them it was considered totally normal. "I have seen many girls practising archery, haven't you Dad?", Alya asked trying to get her father come to his senses. "I have only seen average, normal girls do it, and I don't want to be confused with poor people", Vidar said calmly. "But Callisto the archery champion from town has got rich parents!", Alya complained. "Her parents own the sweets factory for Simis' sake". "Yes, her parents own the sweets factory, but they are not the rulers of Calycca, are they? They don't have to show a certain style to the people, do they?", her father said desperately trying to get his daughter to get the point. "I don't see any reason why I can't do archery", Alya said and stood up from the sofa, facing her father. "And what do you have against normal people, Dad? There are no poor people here in Nimorina Valley. You even helped with eradicating the poverty!". "I have nothing against them. I am just trying to tell you that we are not anyone, Alya. We are from an ancient family. But you act like you are just another girl! You need to show some dignity!", her father said strictly, even though it looked like he felt for his daughter deep down. "I don't want to be ridiculed!", her father said sounding very secure. "Go to bed now! And please wear some finer clothes tomorrow". Alya went out of the room angrily without even saying goodnight to her father. She headed up to her bedroom. Why did she have to be rich? Why her?
Vidar sighed and returned to his office. Better that the girl think of me as the villain, he thought. Better she not know the true extent of the situation. He looked up as Haullen, chief among the scouts and trackers of the valley, entered. "Was anyone following her?" he asked. "Every step she took in the forest, a dozen pairs of eyes noted," the tracker replied. "I was forced to kill one, an over-eager youngster. The fact that the others did not intervene means he was acting against orders, but it won't be long before they take action." Vidar nodded sadly. "I'll take your full report in the morning, Haullen," he said, looking down at his desk once more. "I find myself weary of hearing of death." "I find myself weary of delivering it, my lord," Haullen replied pointedly. "I am no assassin." "I know, Haullen," Vidar sighed. "I will deal with this problem soon. Please, I just ask you watch over my daughter a little longer." Haullen paused, bowed his head and left the room. She is growing more difficult to control, Vidar thought. If I push her much harder she will leave me completely. Run from the safety of the valley in pursuit of a life free of control. Once Vidar had been as young, as passionate, as determined. He had elevated Nimorina Valley from a slum to a prosporous city, and earned the nobility his daughter now hated. But if she ran now, she would learn of the dark consequences of her father's ambition. Vidar turned to the previous reports, made by Haullen and the other scouts. Dark Clansmen were lurking just beyond the borders of the city, it was all but certain. In cleaning up Nimorina, Vidar had driven away the thieves and smugglers. But they had enjoyed the isolation of the valley. It had been a perfect place to store their ill-gotten goods. And they would do anything to take back their old home. Anything.
The next morning was gloomy and foggy, especially in Calthrindale. Calthrindale was said to be no man's land, even if the only people living there were the elves who were driven out of Nimorina Valley (or the Dark Clansmen). Calthrindale was a steppe without much vegetation and it was a lonely, unappealing landscape. The Dark Clansmen had taken over Calthrindale in a way but they had not built any civilization there. Atico had tried to be recognized as the official ruler of Calthrindale but he was unacceptable by the elven world. Calthrindale's Dark Clansmen hated Vidar for driving them away from their homes in Nimorina Valley. Atico had collected the people of Calthrindale and he was planning a great revenge on Vidar. He had chosen a bait: Alya, Vidar's daughter. His plan was to imprison Alya until Vidar gave them back their rights to live in Nimorina Valley. Atico had informed Vidar many years ago through a letter that he would kill his daughter if The Dark Clansmen were not given back their home. Back in Nimorina Valley, Vidar was thinking by his desk early that morning. Is it ethical of me to take away her freedom? Imagine how I would feel if my father did the same thing with me...... But I don't want to lose her....... She's the most important to me in this world........ Vidar saw no other ways than being overprotective. For all those years, she had been so small that it was not difficult to tell her that she was not allowed to do this and that. Now she was sixteen and she could think for herself. She had grown into a strong woman and she had hopes and ambitions about seeing the world. Vidar felt caught in his own mind. If he gave her the freedom to go everywhere, she would definitely be made a hostage by Atico. And if he was too strict and gave her too little freedom, she might be fleeing any day, and then she would also be made a hostage by Atico. The only place Vidar let his daughter go was to Calycca Village. If she wanted to head elsewhere Vidar or some guards had to come with her. It is not weird that the girl does not want me or some guards around her all the time, Vidar thought. Doesn't she deserve the truth? Or does she? Vidar's thoughts were interrupted when someone knocked on the door to his study.
