Chapter Text
If you think this is a happy story then you'd be wrong. This is a story of a girl who becomes a woman. Her life surrounded by pain, betrayal, love, and loss. Her story of sorrow and revenge. Her life of becoming what she needed and what she truly desired. This is her story of life and death of birth and rebirth.
And this is how her story begins.......
Ever since she could remember Bright knew pain, loss, and loneliness. Since her birth she had been scorned not only by her father but also the superstitious people of Feline. All of this was because her mother had died bringing her into this world. It was considered a curse if a woman was to die giving birth to a child. It was looked as though the child was a demonspawn. She didn't know why people thought this way, but she would learn one day. Her mothers death was such a loss to her father that he fell into a drunken depression and not a month had yet to pass since her fifth birthday when her father decided he could no longer stand her or life itself. She had been the one to find him hanging from a beam inside their home after a day of exploring the outer edges of The Golden Forest. She had hoped that when she returned home that evening that maybe her father had remembered her birthday this year, that it would be different this year, the hope that her father acknowledge her for once in her lonely life.
Yet it was not to be, she had arrived back in the poor district of Feline only receiving harsh looks from the townspeople some threw harsh words her way, calling her curse, abomination, and demonspawn. She had not known what these words meant and in her nativity she dismissed them. Once she arrived to her home not a moment had passed since she had opened the door and screamed alerting all near her that something was wrong, Her father hanging not two feet in front of her, his neck was bent to the side his skin the color of gray, a hollowness to his eyes. The memory forever ingrained into her mind. She remembered screaming, and crying. She remembered townspeople shouting, pushing her out of the way, someone taking her by the arm dragging her away from the house to the other side of the road. They took his body away, the city guard went in and out of her home words drifted into her ears, “suicide,” “he left a note,” and “suspicious death.”
Many townsfolk glared at her as if she caused his death, some openly asked the guard to get rid of the “curse,” even the city guard eyed her warily. She felt nothing, all of her emotions drained away, “shock” she heard another say as the guard came to question her. A guard took her by the arm dragging her to her house telling her to grab what little belongings she had. She stood there for a moment trying to figure out what he was saying doing what she was told. Grabbing her fathers traveling bag she went to her little storage place stuffing all of her earthly possessions and a few of her mothers. Before she left she stuffed what little food they had left into the bag as well. Turning back to the guard she noticed he was conversing with another paying no notice to her. She tugged on his pants leg to get his attention. He looked down at her nodding and lead her out of the home. His grip on her arm wasn't has harsh as before as he lead her away from what she once called her home. She looked back briefly to see three guards now boarding up the entrance to her home.
The walk with the guard seemed like forever when both finally came to a stop in front of the jail. In a gravely voice he ordered for the door to open. “You will stay the night here, but tomorrow you're on your own kid” he said as he lead her to a cell with a small cot. “Get some rest you leave as soon as dawn” his face was blank as he talked to her. Bright nodded crawling onto the cot, her mind racing with all that had happened. It seemed like ages before she slowly drifted off into mind numbing sleep.
The next morning a loud bang woke her from slumber, “Dawn is here, out you go.” Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she gave a small nod getting up to exit the cell. From that day till now she was on her own, most days she went and stayed in the meadows near the forest by the river dwelling on her thoughts. For bright shelter was easy to find as it was early summer and she would sleep under the stars, or when the rains came in an abandoned hovel near the outskirts of town. The one thing that was hard for her was finding food. Some days she would go without eating others she would be able to find a loaf of old bread the baker threw out or bruised fruit that was left in the orchards. One day an old man with a peg leg took pity on her and bought her a hot meal and food to take with her. He only traveled to her town on occasions to buy medicine from the new town healer Orchid who had set up shop shortly after her fathers death. Bright knew things would be better one day, she needed to think of good things. If she was good maybe someone would take her in, maybe she would have a new family.
With her mind set in place Bright go up from her spot under a willow tree making her way toward town.
Bright noticed when she walked quietly into town that people were a buzz with chatter. Some with worried expressions, other with fear in their eyes. She new something was going on, even the local boys were hyped up gathered at the end of the district huddled looking around the corner in the Nobles district. She wondered what could be so fascinating that had everyone on edge, well other than the children who could hardly contain their excitement. Bright walked up to the boys tapping one on the shoulder.
“Mark whats going on” she asked quietly
The boys turned to stare at her, surprised at her even standing near them.
“Bright what are you doing here, shouldn't you be outside of the city?” The boy Mark asked eyeing her warily.
“I came to see if anyone would like to play with me today,” she stated and listened as the boys burst into laughter. “Why would anyone of us wanna play with a girl let alone a cursed girl” an older child stated between laughter. Bright looked down at her feet, she expected this, she knew it would happen, they told her all the time no one would ever want to play with her. Bright just hoped that one day someone would want to be her friend.
Mark gave her a pitying look “Sorry Bright we don't play with girls, and since you haven't been here recently you wouldn't have known about the knights.” Bright cocked her head confused. “What knights”
“They're from the great city of Scarcewall, I heard that the Lord Second wanted to make allies of the city, but my dad said Scarcewall Knights are only good for one thing killing anyone and everyone who gets in their way” Mark told her. Bright bit her lip for she knew nothing about Scarcewall or their knights. She felt stupid now for not coming to town more often, she might have known.
She grew a little angry at some of the boys who were still laughing at her.
“That still doesn't tell me what your doing looking into the nobles district, what's so amazing that your staring” she barked at them. Two of the older boys glared at her. “If you wanna know so much you little brat just take a look yourself” They pointed around the corner. Bright peaked around the corner and saw two knights, one tall and bulky, and the other shorter with a mean looking face. Both knights stood outside the towns Inn talking and laughing. Bright liked funny things maybe she would go ask them what caused them to laugh. She started walking towards the knights, she could hear one of the older boys hiss at her “Bright get back here you brat.”
The closer she got the more she could hear the knights talking, and they were talking pretty loudly. She kept hearing the word 'pussy' being shouted. She now stood behind both the knights, wondering what 'pussy' meant. “What's a pussy?” she asked, seeing both knights go still. Both turned to look at her, Bright smiled at them wondering when they were gonna tell her what that word meant. The smaller knight looked mildly uncomfortable nodding to the taller knight “He'll tell ya lassie,” the taller knight glared at the shorter one “Well I ain't telln her Brashy boy.” The older knight stared down at her lowering down to one knee keeping eye contact. “You wanna know what it means kids” his voice held a serious tone, Bright nodded eagerly smiling at him the whole time wanting to know what this new word meant. She could see the shorter knight slightly shaking a hand covering him mouth. “Alright then, it means people who are useless, frightened piece of shits, who are ignorant, and can't do their jobs right.” She could see the knight quickly glance over at a passing group of city guards. Bright smiled “Oh you mean the city guards,” no sooner than the words left her mouth the shorter knight fell to the ground gripping his stomach roaring in laughter. "Aye Brashy boy this is a smart one here" the shorter knight said in between his roaring laughter. The taller knight stood up laughing “yeah kitten that's right, the city guard are pussies.” Bright made a face, no one had ever called her kitten before. They had called her many other different names, but never kitten. “My name's Bright not kitten, but I like kitten better than the other names people call me.” She gave the knights her biggest smile.
She could tell the shorter knight stopped laughing looking at her with one squinting eye. “An what do they call you little lassie?” Bright gave a small smile “Well I've been called demon, stain, curse, brat, urchin, and little shit, but I like kitten better than all those other names.” Both knights were frowning again, Bright liked all the laughing better than frowning. “Kitten I think you should go back to your parents now” “Aye do as Brash says,” now Bright frowned “They're dead so I can't go back to them," she couldn't tell what the knights were thinking, though the looks on both faces were of stone.
Before either knight could say another knight ran up toward them, "Sir Brash, Sir Jarlan Lord Mace has ordered me to find you at once." With that said both knights turned and headed towards the direction Lord Seconds Manor. Bright pouted she liked talking to the knights, she hoped to talk with them more, and the interruption made her almost angry. Turning she headed back to the poor side of the city only to be greeted by the same group of boys from earlier.
“You're a little shit” the eldest of the group shouted shoving her to the ground. The other boys surrounded her, looking at all of them she was confused. What she done wrong that they would be acting like this.
“You should know your place by now, no one wants to talk to a little curse like you, I know everyone lets teach her a lesson.” Before Bright could understand what was going on she felt pain on her face. Raising her arms she covered her head as they started to punch and kick her. Closing her eyes Bright waited for them to stop. It hurt, she hurt. Moments went by, it felt like forever to her before they stopped growing tired of hurting her.
“Lets go, the freak should learn her lesson now” the other kids agreed with him walking off to their homes.
Bright waited and waited, laying in the dirt arms still covering her head. She hurt all over, but she could not hear them any longer. Slowly she lowered her arms, using her strength to push herself off the ground. She felt shaky, both arms and legs wobbling as she moved limping towards the gates of the city. Her chest hurt with each breath she took, Bright wanted to go home, she would just have to make it there first. Warmth trickled down her face, but she carried on finally reaching the outside of the city gates, only a little further and she would be in her meadow.
Before Bright knew it her favorite tree came into view. Limping faster only to trip on a root of the tree barely catching herself as she fell towards the ground. “ I'm not a freak” she said to herself, pushing up to still against the tree. “I'm not a freak” she shouted to herself. Her hands coming up to wipe her face of the tears she now shed.
“I never said you were a freak” a soothing voice stated in front of her.
Bright stilled moving her hands away from her face, noticing a pair of hooves in front of her. Slowly raising her head Bright stared at the figure leaning over her. Red skin, short horns, huge wings, long black hair, she blinked once, then twice cocking her head to the side. “What are you,” she blurted out before she could think any further. The thing gave a half smile showing a few sharp teeth. “Now why would I tell you that when you've accused me of calling you names” he said rather smugly.