HARPER, JENNIFER A. (N: The 'A' stands for Ann. Not Anna? I wonder...)
Status: Reserve (N: Ha!)
Rank: O-5
Primary MOS: Intelligence
Secondary MOS: CLASSIFIED (N: Not even I could gain access, but that is to be expected.)
Age: 38 (N: She doesn't appear a day over twenty. See attached surveillance photos.)
Birth Date: August 19, 3792 (N: Officially, anyway...)
Height: 1.75 m
Weight: 63.5 kg
Medical History: <omitted> (N: No records exist that document her life prior to her entrance to the Lake Serenity Preparatory School in 3806.)
Blood Type: AB- (N: On a superficial analysis. Many anomalies that defy explanation.)
Further Details: According to our research, her early life is non-existent. There was no one who knew her prior to 3806. Her academic records are impeccable. Top marks in every subject from secondary school through post-graduate work. Her military record is equally flawless. Many awards and citations for a variety of things. Certifications in all manner of weapons and vehicles operations and repairs, as well as numerous technologies and devices many of which do not officially exist. One would expect no less from the officer in charge of GEMINI.
I, Doctor Yoshiro Nakamura, authorize the use of Lieutenant Colonel Harper's DNA in Project: ALAIN, Subject T.
<signature digitally removed>
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Why I Hate The Internet: Language Matters
There are a lot of things that happen on the internet that I dislike, but I believe the one that bothers me the most is the kind of passive bigotry you see in a lot of comment threads and chat streams. I'm nearly certain it happens just as often in real life, but given the people i surround myself with I'm not exposed to it there as much.
What I'm referring to is when someone says something like "that's gay" and when called out on it claims "it's not about homosexuals", or some other untenable claim regarding it's alleged non-offensiveness. Keep in mind, this sort of scenario occurs with misogynistic, transphobic, racist, classist, and ableist speech just as often and largely with the same sort of justification that boils down to this: "I didn't mean to insult the people that the word specifically refers to, just the people I meant to insult." Given the English lexicon, this is complete and utter horseshit. There are thousands of ways to say "That is bad" or "You are inferior" or whatever message you are trying to convey without resorting to using language meant to dehumanize, otherize, and otherwise demean entire classes of people who are unrelated to the issue at hand. If you cannot take the time to find a different word, then you are simply lazy, and evidently, have no interest in appearing open-minded. There is no justification for using bigoted language, when the available and commonly used vocabulary of the English language, in every single English speaking region, has a large number of alternatives.
Worse yet is the "for the sake of comedy" defense. While fairly common among the general public via "I'm only joking", it's very common among professional and semi-professional comedians and comedic personalities, which is just as, if not more problematic. The problem with this, of course, is that if you are in a situation in which you can speak to a large number of people, then you have a responsibility to uphold. While most of your audience may understand that you are "joking", the fact of the matter is, some (if not most) of them will miss the point of the joke, and laugh because you poked fun at an easy target, rather than your (presumably) intended target, the bigoted people themselves. At that point, you are not being "edgy" or "satirical", you're simply reinforcing negative stereotypes and justifying the views of the people in your audience who are bigots. Positive communication is paramount to advancement, as can easily be seen looking at any equal rights movement in history. Until actual egalitarianism reins, language choice is important.
What I'm referring to is when someone says something like "that's gay" and when called out on it claims "it's not about homosexuals", or some other untenable claim regarding it's alleged non-offensiveness. Keep in mind, this sort of scenario occurs with misogynistic, transphobic, racist, classist, and ableist speech just as often and largely with the same sort of justification that boils down to this: "I didn't mean to insult the people that the word specifically refers to, just the people I meant to insult." Given the English lexicon, this is complete and utter horseshit. There are thousands of ways to say "That is bad" or "You are inferior" or whatever message you are trying to convey without resorting to using language meant to dehumanize, otherize, and otherwise demean entire classes of people who are unrelated to the issue at hand. If you cannot take the time to find a different word, then you are simply lazy, and evidently, have no interest in appearing open-minded. There is no justification for using bigoted language, when the available and commonly used vocabulary of the English language, in every single English speaking region, has a large number of alternatives.
Worse yet is the "for the sake of comedy" defense. While fairly common among the general public via "I'm only joking", it's very common among professional and semi-professional comedians and comedic personalities, which is just as, if not more problematic. The problem with this, of course, is that if you are in a situation in which you can speak to a large number of people, then you have a responsibility to uphold. While most of your audience may understand that you are "joking", the fact of the matter is, some (if not most) of them will miss the point of the joke, and laugh because you poked fun at an easy target, rather than your (presumably) intended target, the bigoted people themselves. At that point, you are not being "edgy" or "satirical", you're simply reinforcing negative stereotypes and justifying the views of the people in your audience who are bigots. Positive communication is paramount to advancement, as can easily be seen looking at any equal rights movement in history. Until actual egalitarianism reins, language choice is important.
Monday, October 14, 2013
As Tears Go By Part 3 (rough)
The ceremony occurred a few hours later. There were a number of
important people in attendance. Indeed, it seemed that all of the
nobility in the county was sitting there. The truth was only thirty
or so select individuals were there, most were those close enough to
the city to make the journey in a day’s time, with a few notable
exceptions. Viscount Trajian was present, with his son Dracos and his
daughters, Anna and Catherine. Viscount Patrick Valentine was also
there, with his children, his son Vincent, who was a knight of the
realm, his daughter Faye, and his niece, Marie. Even Earl Reginald
Cain and his son Bradley were there.
The ceremony itself was a blur, a lot of high speech and pomp that seemed to last for hours, though it was probably only one. Autum swore an oath, and was given a number of symbols of office. The Count droned on about her duties and what was expected of her. At the end of the speech, she knelt and her seal was hung around her neck on a fine chain.
The ceremony concluded, and the assembled nobles exited the room in the structured fashion one expects from a court function, save the Count, Viscount Trajian, and Dawn. The two men moved to speak with Autum, but she took note that it appeared that Dawn hung back.
The Count spoke first. “Autum, Viscount Trajian has a request to make of you, if you will hear him out.” Autum, still too stunned to speak, nodded absently. “Very good. Should you require anything, I will be here.” He bowed in a courtly manner and returned to his high-backed seat.
Autum did not know what kind of man Viscount Trajian was, and did not know what to expect. “My lady,” he said in a smooth, silk-like voice and an accent that hinted of an exotic locale, “please, accompany me to the garden, where we may speak freely, and at length.” He gestured for her to follow, and walked slowly, but with purpose. She followed him.
Outside the audience chamber, she saw many of the nobles who had been present at her knighting, laughing and speaking with each other. When they saw her and Viscount Trajian, they invariably greeted them with salutes and gestures of respect. It all seemed foreign to Autum, and she began to wonder if it were not all a dream.
Outside the castle, they saw no one. The gardens were well kept, of course, and the small paths that ran through them allowed for a very pleasant walk in the early spring. But Autum’s attention was firmly on her feet as they walked. She was still in shock and it was only the fact that Trajian stood directly before her that she looked at him fully for the first time. He was tall man, slender, but clearly strong. While he looked like an aged man, the way he carried himself and the fluidity of his movements demonstrated that age had not robbed him of much of the strength and dexterity of his youth. His hair was a dark iron grey, long, but swept back from his forehead. His features were pleasant to look upon, with a strength and virility that spoke of the eastern corners of the empire. Autum, however, was fixated on his eyes. They were very dark, nearly black but with the vaguest hints of crimson in them. Autum thought for a moment that she was looking into the void, and when she finally broke the spell, she did not see the Viscount, but a monster posing as a man. A twisted figure from the depths of her imagination, but from the creature’s breast sprang a faint light. Though she was terrified, she felt her hand reach for the light, but as she did so, the twisted clawed hand of the creature grabbed hers. She screamed and closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable attack.
“What is the matter, my dear?” the rich, baritone voice of the Viscount said.
She opened her eyes. She looked once more on the figure of the Viscount. Was his vague smile kindly or sinister? She could not tell. She shook her head to clear it before she spoke. “It’s nothing,” she said at last. “Just… my imagination.”
Viscount Trajian raised an eyebrow. “And what did your imagination show you?” He said the word “imagination” with an odd emphasis.
Autum’s face grew flushed. She did not expect him to be so blunt with his questions. “For a moment, I… I thought that you were a monster,” she said softly, as she looked away in embarrassment.
Viscount Trajian laughed heartily, causing Autum’s cheeks to flash hotter. “Perhaps that is not so far from the truth.” He said it in a way that caused her a sudden chill. She looked at him once again. He was still himself, but he was smiling fully now, and she could see his teeth. They appeared to be inhumanly sharp. “You see me for what I am, but I wonder how?” Suddenly, his smile changed to a more human expression, and his teeth appeared to be normal, causing her to wonder if it was not another hallucination.
Trajian, as if reading her thoughts, spoke again. “The second time, it was not your ‘imagination’. I showed you what I thought you had already seen. It appears that I have broken my guise in vain, for you saw something else.” He paused and his smile grew world-weary and sad. “My dear, you are the first I have shown my true nature in nearly a millennium of life. The truth is, I am a monster of fairy tale that is rumored to prey upon people as a wolf preys upon sheep. The rumors and fairy tales, however, are rarely true, though they always contain a small kernel of truth. But you saw something else. Describe it for me, if you would.”
Autum’s mind raced. She was having difficulty deciding what she should do. The Viscount patiently stood and waited, and at length, his good-natured smile won her over. “I looked into your eyes, and saw nothing but blackness,” she said matter-of-factly. “When I broke my gaze, you appeared to be a twisted form of yourself, no longer human. You were covered in darkness… but you had a light… in your heart. It reminded me of what I saw when Dawn…”
The look in Trajian’s eye caused her to stop. “Go on,” he said gently. “What about Dawn?”
Autum hesitated because of the eagerness in his eyes, but his tone soothed her enough that she continued. “I saw a light from her eyes. I… don’t know what it was. It made her appear… attractive.” Again she felt herself growing hot, and she felt a faint stirring in her body that she did not yet understand.
Viscount Trajian was silent for a long moment. When he finally spoke, it was softly, and in tones hinting at discretion. “My lady, would you kindly come with me and do as I ask?”
She thought for a moment. Lingering fear made her hesitant, though his request seemed earnest and harmless. “Yes,” she said after a moment. He offered her his hand, and she took it willingly.
The ceremony itself was a blur, a lot of high speech and pomp that seemed to last for hours, though it was probably only one. Autum swore an oath, and was given a number of symbols of office. The Count droned on about her duties and what was expected of her. At the end of the speech, she knelt and her seal was hung around her neck on a fine chain.
The ceremony concluded, and the assembled nobles exited the room in the structured fashion one expects from a court function, save the Count, Viscount Trajian, and Dawn. The two men moved to speak with Autum, but she took note that it appeared that Dawn hung back.
The Count spoke first. “Autum, Viscount Trajian has a request to make of you, if you will hear him out.” Autum, still too stunned to speak, nodded absently. “Very good. Should you require anything, I will be here.” He bowed in a courtly manner and returned to his high-backed seat.
Autum did not know what kind of man Viscount Trajian was, and did not know what to expect. “My lady,” he said in a smooth, silk-like voice and an accent that hinted of an exotic locale, “please, accompany me to the garden, where we may speak freely, and at length.” He gestured for her to follow, and walked slowly, but with purpose. She followed him.
Outside the audience chamber, she saw many of the nobles who had been present at her knighting, laughing and speaking with each other. When they saw her and Viscount Trajian, they invariably greeted them with salutes and gestures of respect. It all seemed foreign to Autum, and she began to wonder if it were not all a dream.
Outside the castle, they saw no one. The gardens were well kept, of course, and the small paths that ran through them allowed for a very pleasant walk in the early spring. But Autum’s attention was firmly on her feet as they walked. She was still in shock and it was only the fact that Trajian stood directly before her that she looked at him fully for the first time. He was tall man, slender, but clearly strong. While he looked like an aged man, the way he carried himself and the fluidity of his movements demonstrated that age had not robbed him of much of the strength and dexterity of his youth. His hair was a dark iron grey, long, but swept back from his forehead. His features were pleasant to look upon, with a strength and virility that spoke of the eastern corners of the empire. Autum, however, was fixated on his eyes. They were very dark, nearly black but with the vaguest hints of crimson in them. Autum thought for a moment that she was looking into the void, and when she finally broke the spell, she did not see the Viscount, but a monster posing as a man. A twisted figure from the depths of her imagination, but from the creature’s breast sprang a faint light. Though she was terrified, she felt her hand reach for the light, but as she did so, the twisted clawed hand of the creature grabbed hers. She screamed and closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable attack.
“What is the matter, my dear?” the rich, baritone voice of the Viscount said.
She opened her eyes. She looked once more on the figure of the Viscount. Was his vague smile kindly or sinister? She could not tell. She shook her head to clear it before she spoke. “It’s nothing,” she said at last. “Just… my imagination.”
Viscount Trajian raised an eyebrow. “And what did your imagination show you?” He said the word “imagination” with an odd emphasis.
Autum’s face grew flushed. She did not expect him to be so blunt with his questions. “For a moment, I… I thought that you were a monster,” she said softly, as she looked away in embarrassment.
Viscount Trajian laughed heartily, causing Autum’s cheeks to flash hotter. “Perhaps that is not so far from the truth.” He said it in a way that caused her a sudden chill. She looked at him once again. He was still himself, but he was smiling fully now, and she could see his teeth. They appeared to be inhumanly sharp. “You see me for what I am, but I wonder how?” Suddenly, his smile changed to a more human expression, and his teeth appeared to be normal, causing her to wonder if it was not another hallucination.
Trajian, as if reading her thoughts, spoke again. “The second time, it was not your ‘imagination’. I showed you what I thought you had already seen. It appears that I have broken my guise in vain, for you saw something else.” He paused and his smile grew world-weary and sad. “My dear, you are the first I have shown my true nature in nearly a millennium of life. The truth is, I am a monster of fairy tale that is rumored to prey upon people as a wolf preys upon sheep. The rumors and fairy tales, however, are rarely true, though they always contain a small kernel of truth. But you saw something else. Describe it for me, if you would.”
Autum’s mind raced. She was having difficulty deciding what she should do. The Viscount patiently stood and waited, and at length, his good-natured smile won her over. “I looked into your eyes, and saw nothing but blackness,” she said matter-of-factly. “When I broke my gaze, you appeared to be a twisted form of yourself, no longer human. You were covered in darkness… but you had a light… in your heart. It reminded me of what I saw when Dawn…”
The look in Trajian’s eye caused her to stop. “Go on,” he said gently. “What about Dawn?”
Autum hesitated because of the eagerness in his eyes, but his tone soothed her enough that she continued. “I saw a light from her eyes. I… don’t know what it was. It made her appear… attractive.” Again she felt herself growing hot, and she felt a faint stirring in her body that she did not yet understand.
Viscount Trajian was silent for a long moment. When he finally spoke, it was softly, and in tones hinting at discretion. “My lady, would you kindly come with me and do as I ask?”
She thought for a moment. Lingering fear made her hesitant, though his request seemed earnest and harmless. “Yes,” she said after a moment. He offered her his hand, and she took it willingly.
As Tears Go By Part 2 (rough)
She was born as a result of a drunken deacon’s play with a bar
maid. Her father had told her mother to keep the child a secret, to
not affect his chances at the priesthood. She had, but when Autum was
very young, her mother died. Her father, though he had taken a vow of
celibacy, took her in. However, because of his rectitude and honesty,
he was denied entry into the priesthood for violating his vows. He
tried to cope, but he crawled farther and farther into the bottle. He
became increasingly violent when he drank, and eventually, he took
his frustrations out on the young girl. Whether he remembered or
regretted this, she never knew. When she was seven, he enlisted her
into the military.
Though she was small for her age, she took naturally to the life of a soldier, thanks to her natural intelligence, diligence, and ability to follow orders. In a few years’ time, she was selected to participate in a training exercise for Dawn Stryfe, the count’s daughter, who was soon to be attending the Imperial academy.
Dawn was set to face her companion Bradley Cain in a contest of strategy. Bradley was to defend an abandoned fort, and Dawn was to take it. Unfortunately for her, Bradley had proved a cunning tactician and cut her off at every opportunity. Dawn surely would have failed, had Autum not made her way to the command area and given Dawn the advice she needed to take the fort.
However, Dawn did not accept the praise of those around her, instead admitting that it was Autum who had won this battle. It seemed that no one was willing to believe this fact, except Viscount Victor Trajian, and Bradley himself, having witnessed Autum’s brilliance firsthand.
Nonetheless, the Count was prepared to elevate her family to the peerage, until it came to light that her father had been killed in a tavern brawl.
The news had struck Autum like a blow. She did not hate him, despite his cruelty towards her. He was, after all, her father. The only family she'd known. She did not cry, but for the first time, she thought about the future. Her future. Without him, she had no home to return to. In the past few years, se had grown and matured. She had seen only eleven summers, but she no longer considered herself a child. But in that time, the simple life of a soldier had made her fall complacent in its routine and its monotony. She had not considered what might become of her should she choose to leave that life.
It was a day like any other, it seemed. She sat in the barracks, thinking about what would become of her. She supposed now that she’d be a soldier all of her life. It was then that Dawn came into the barracks. The other soldiers were transfixed, not expecting to see the daughter of the Count here. The young baronet merely strode with confidence right up to Autum, and smiled in a devilishly charming way.
“I never got a chance to thank you properly, for all of your help,” she said softly, “So, I’ve made an arrangement with my father. You’re to come to the castle.”
Autum was a bit shocked at the sudden appearance of Dawn. It took her a moment to comprehend what Dawn was saying. “When?” was the only thing she could manage to say.
Dawn giggled. “Now, of course.” Autum got up and began making her way to the door, but Dawn put a hand on her shoulder. “You might want to gather up your personal effects. I’ll help you with them, if you wish. Father was going to send servants, but I told him you might not go for that.”
Autum paused for a long moment. Realization had dawned, but she was still in disbelief. “What… do you mean?” she asked slowly.
Dawn giggled a second time. “I mean, that if you’re going to live there, you’ll probably want your possessions, right?”
Autum’s vision blurred. It was all so sudden. But in a moment, she collected herself and steeled herself against the inevitable. It couldn’t be what she was thinking. Why would it be? In silence, she gathered her things. Dawn tried to help, but each time Autum politely declined assistance.
When they arrived at the castle, the Count received them as he would receive a visiting dignitary. The Countess sat on his left, with their eldest daughter standing beside her. To the Count’s right stood Viscounts Mark Stryfe and Victor Trajian. The Count’s young son Samuel, stood beside his uncle. The Count stood as they entered the room and bowed in greeting. Dawn returned the bow without hesitation, but Autum was awestruck. She did not know at all how to react to this new situation.
She didn’t come out of her state of paralysis until the Count began to speak. “Welcome, Lady Autum,” he said in a booming voice. “I would like to extend my apologies for not coming to the barracks to get you myself, but my daughter insisted that she go alone.”
Autum’s faculties returned to her at once, and she fell to her knees in an awkward kneel. “My Lord,” she said in a halting voice she did not recognize as her own, “it is not necessary for you to trouble yourself on my account. I am merely a soldier. I am undeserving of the favor you have shown me.”
The Count laughed. It was not a cruel laugh, rather a mirthful, pleasant sound. “Were you but a soldier, you may be correct, but as of today, you are a knight of Lennaire. You have inherited the title of your father,” he said.
“My father was not a knight,” Autum replied, feeling her throat tighten.
The Count smiled impishly. “Not while he was living, no,” he said. “But I made good on my promise to raise him to the peerage, even if it was posthumously. As he is deceased, the title falls to you. There will be an official ceremony this afternoon. You may rise.” Autum stood shakily. “However…” the Count continued, “you are still only a child. I cannot allow you to live on a fief on your own. For this reason, I have appointed a steward to your estate until you have become an adult, and are capable of maintaining your own land. Until that time, you may live here, in the castle.”
Autum’s legs gave out as the Count finished, but Dawn’s arms shot out to support her before she fell. She could not believe it. “Thank you,” she managed to stammer after a pause.
Autum could not recall what transpired after that. There seemed to be more talking, but she did not hear it. When she came to her senses, she was in a large bedchamber. Her things were all placed carefully on the bed, and Dawn stood next to her, smiling at her.
For the first time, Autum looked at her fully. She was short for her age, which Autum gauged as thirteen or fourteen. She kept her dark hair tied back loosely, and her features were soft and delicate. But what struck Autum most were her eyes. They were a deep green, almost emerald-colored, and they seemed to emit a strange light that enhanced her already attractive face.
“Something wrong?” Dawn asked, still smiling.
Autum started and blinked to clear her head. When she looked back at Dawn’s eyes, the light she had seen before was gone. “No,” she said at last, “no, nothing’s the matter. I just… I’m not used to all this.”
Dawn laughed. It was a clear, calming sound to Autum. “Well, of course not,” she said when she had finished. “It’s got to be an adjustment for you. I can’t imagine a soldier’s life prepares you for this…”
Autum smiled despite herself. “No, it really doesn’t.” As she moved to put her things away, she expected Dawn to leave her, but she was surprised when the other girl merely walked to the nearby chair and sat down.
“You’ll get used to it,” Dawn said as she threw her legs over the arm of the chair. “In fact, it will get incredibly boring. That’s why I can’t wait to get out of here…” Dawn’s voice trailed off and a far-away look came into her eyes, and as Autum looked, the light she had seen earlier returned, brighter than before. Dawn snapped back to the present and smiled ruefully, causing the light to vanish. “Sorry, ma cheri,” she said softly. “I suppose you want some privacy, before the ceremony.” She stood and bowed gracefully to Autum.
As she was turning to leave, Autum’s hand caught her shoulder. “Thank you, ma dame,” Autum said in a near-whisper.
Dawn turned to face her fully, and to Autum’s surprise, wrapped her arms around her waist. “You’re welcome, ma cheri,” she replied, and planted a kiss softly on Autum’s cheek. Autum pulled away quickly and covered her face with her hands, as she felt the hot crimson rise. She heard the other woman’s footsteps exit the room, and the door softly close behind her.
Though she was small for her age, she took naturally to the life of a soldier, thanks to her natural intelligence, diligence, and ability to follow orders. In a few years’ time, she was selected to participate in a training exercise for Dawn Stryfe, the count’s daughter, who was soon to be attending the Imperial academy.
Dawn was set to face her companion Bradley Cain in a contest of strategy. Bradley was to defend an abandoned fort, and Dawn was to take it. Unfortunately for her, Bradley had proved a cunning tactician and cut her off at every opportunity. Dawn surely would have failed, had Autum not made her way to the command area and given Dawn the advice she needed to take the fort.
However, Dawn did not accept the praise of those around her, instead admitting that it was Autum who had won this battle. It seemed that no one was willing to believe this fact, except Viscount Victor Trajian, and Bradley himself, having witnessed Autum’s brilliance firsthand.
Nonetheless, the Count was prepared to elevate her family to the peerage, until it came to light that her father had been killed in a tavern brawl.
The news had struck Autum like a blow. She did not hate him, despite his cruelty towards her. He was, after all, her father. The only family she'd known. She did not cry, but for the first time, she thought about the future. Her future. Without him, she had no home to return to. In the past few years, se had grown and matured. She had seen only eleven summers, but she no longer considered herself a child. But in that time, the simple life of a soldier had made her fall complacent in its routine and its monotony. She had not considered what might become of her should she choose to leave that life.
It was a day like any other, it seemed. She sat in the barracks, thinking about what would become of her. She supposed now that she’d be a soldier all of her life. It was then that Dawn came into the barracks. The other soldiers were transfixed, not expecting to see the daughter of the Count here. The young baronet merely strode with confidence right up to Autum, and smiled in a devilishly charming way.
“I never got a chance to thank you properly, for all of your help,” she said softly, “So, I’ve made an arrangement with my father. You’re to come to the castle.”
Autum was a bit shocked at the sudden appearance of Dawn. It took her a moment to comprehend what Dawn was saying. “When?” was the only thing she could manage to say.
Dawn giggled. “Now, of course.” Autum got up and began making her way to the door, but Dawn put a hand on her shoulder. “You might want to gather up your personal effects. I’ll help you with them, if you wish. Father was going to send servants, but I told him you might not go for that.”
Autum paused for a long moment. Realization had dawned, but she was still in disbelief. “What… do you mean?” she asked slowly.
Dawn giggled a second time. “I mean, that if you’re going to live there, you’ll probably want your possessions, right?”
Autum’s vision blurred. It was all so sudden. But in a moment, she collected herself and steeled herself against the inevitable. It couldn’t be what she was thinking. Why would it be? In silence, she gathered her things. Dawn tried to help, but each time Autum politely declined assistance.
When they arrived at the castle, the Count received them as he would receive a visiting dignitary. The Countess sat on his left, with their eldest daughter standing beside her. To the Count’s right stood Viscounts Mark Stryfe and Victor Trajian. The Count’s young son Samuel, stood beside his uncle. The Count stood as they entered the room and bowed in greeting. Dawn returned the bow without hesitation, but Autum was awestruck. She did not know at all how to react to this new situation.
She didn’t come out of her state of paralysis until the Count began to speak. “Welcome, Lady Autum,” he said in a booming voice. “I would like to extend my apologies for not coming to the barracks to get you myself, but my daughter insisted that she go alone.”
Autum’s faculties returned to her at once, and she fell to her knees in an awkward kneel. “My Lord,” she said in a halting voice she did not recognize as her own, “it is not necessary for you to trouble yourself on my account. I am merely a soldier. I am undeserving of the favor you have shown me.”
The Count laughed. It was not a cruel laugh, rather a mirthful, pleasant sound. “Were you but a soldier, you may be correct, but as of today, you are a knight of Lennaire. You have inherited the title of your father,” he said.
“My father was not a knight,” Autum replied, feeling her throat tighten.
The Count smiled impishly. “Not while he was living, no,” he said. “But I made good on my promise to raise him to the peerage, even if it was posthumously. As he is deceased, the title falls to you. There will be an official ceremony this afternoon. You may rise.” Autum stood shakily. “However…” the Count continued, “you are still only a child. I cannot allow you to live on a fief on your own. For this reason, I have appointed a steward to your estate until you have become an adult, and are capable of maintaining your own land. Until that time, you may live here, in the castle.”
Autum’s legs gave out as the Count finished, but Dawn’s arms shot out to support her before she fell. She could not believe it. “Thank you,” she managed to stammer after a pause.
Autum could not recall what transpired after that. There seemed to be more talking, but she did not hear it. When she came to her senses, she was in a large bedchamber. Her things were all placed carefully on the bed, and Dawn stood next to her, smiling at her.
For the first time, Autum looked at her fully. She was short for her age, which Autum gauged as thirteen or fourteen. She kept her dark hair tied back loosely, and her features were soft and delicate. But what struck Autum most were her eyes. They were a deep green, almost emerald-colored, and they seemed to emit a strange light that enhanced her already attractive face.
“Something wrong?” Dawn asked, still smiling.
Autum started and blinked to clear her head. When she looked back at Dawn’s eyes, the light she had seen before was gone. “No,” she said at last, “no, nothing’s the matter. I just… I’m not used to all this.”
Dawn laughed. It was a clear, calming sound to Autum. “Well, of course not,” she said when she had finished. “It’s got to be an adjustment for you. I can’t imagine a soldier’s life prepares you for this…”
Autum smiled despite herself. “No, it really doesn’t.” As she moved to put her things away, she expected Dawn to leave her, but she was surprised when the other girl merely walked to the nearby chair and sat down.
“You’ll get used to it,” Dawn said as she threw her legs over the arm of the chair. “In fact, it will get incredibly boring. That’s why I can’t wait to get out of here…” Dawn’s voice trailed off and a far-away look came into her eyes, and as Autum looked, the light she had seen earlier returned, brighter than before. Dawn snapped back to the present and smiled ruefully, causing the light to vanish. “Sorry, ma cheri,” she said softly. “I suppose you want some privacy, before the ceremony.” She stood and bowed gracefully to Autum.
As she was turning to leave, Autum’s hand caught her shoulder. “Thank you, ma dame,” Autum said in a near-whisper.
Dawn turned to face her fully, and to Autum’s surprise, wrapped her arms around her waist. “You’re welcome, ma cheri,” she replied, and planted a kiss softly on Autum’s cheek. Autum pulled away quickly and covered her face with her hands, as she felt the hot crimson rise. She heard the other woman’s footsteps exit the room, and the door softly close behind her.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
As Tears Go By Part 1 (rough)
Dawn sat in the main chamber of her home at Seraph Falls. She was contemplating the years that led her to this moment. The rebellion in Gildour that had caused her to go to war for the first time. The many battles with the men who would later become the Crusaders. Dietrich’s assassination of the emperor and usurpation of the throne. The betrayal of Earl Cain. The arrival of the people from across the sea. And most recently, the reemergence of the Crusader called Megrim.
Fifteen years, and less than a third of them spent in peace. She thought about her children. Nine all told, and Hilda was carrying another. She dearly loved each of them. Misty, Aurora, Vincent, Alexander, Charles, Aeris, Edward, David, Jacy… She wondered what would happen to them if the turmoil she had lived through should return. Would they be taken care of? She knew that her father did not approve of some of her relationships. She knew, at least, that Hilda’s children, and those that bore the name Valentine would be well taken care of. Bradley would care for his nephew, surely. But what of Jacy? The young boy, who has not yet seen a single winter, is the son of a woman who came across the sea. Sitsi is her name. Dawn cared for her, and her child, the same as she cared for all her children and lovers. But if she should die? What then? Who would care for them?
She turned an eye to the red-haired woman sitting nearby on the floor, plucking a zither and singing softly to herself. “Smiling faces I can see,” she sang, “but not for me…” A sad song, but a happy tune. The woman caught her eye and smiled sadly. “Returned to us, have you?” she said teasingly. “I thought you’d be sitting there lost in thought for hours yet.”
“Autum,” Dawn said softly. “I was thinking about what we’ve been through, over the years, and… what might become of my children.”
Autum nodded, and her face grew very serious. “You worry for your youngest son.” It was not a question. “If the unthinkable should happen to you, I will care for the child, and all of the Ayania, as I have.” Dawn was cheered by this, but Autum’s face remained grave. “You are right to worry, though. I’m afraid that these past years have only been indications of things yet to come. We may once again face wars and conflict.”
Dawn remained silent, and once again she dropped her head and began ruminating on Autum’s words, and whatever thoughts came to her. Autum was neither surprised nor distraught, for she too was thinking of the past.
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