I am really excited about this one. Asa is actually a character I created a couple years ago for a friend's DnD campaign. I put him aside when we stopped playing that world, but his story stuck with me. I want to tell it, and one of the Reaper Bones that came with my Kickstarter package really fit who he is.
So, I decided to paint him and work on a story about him. This is a prologue to his greater story. It takes place when he is a kid and sets up who he will be as a young man (and he doesn't end up exactly as you might think!).
I don't want to say more about him just yet, but I do hope you enjoy the prologue to his greater story below. I appreciate any comments you might have. Does it make you interested to know more? Does it fall flat?
This is of course a first draft, with basic proofreading done.
Thank you for reading. Without further ado,
Asa's Prologue
Phenora looked up
at the dark sky and grumbled to herself. "We finally get the
children out and it rains." She frowned as the clouds thundered
an answer from far away.
Standing on the
stone steps of the orphanage, Phenora counted the children one more
time. They seemed to not mind the slow drizzle of rain that fell
about them. Phenora lamented the laundry she had to look forward to
that evening.
After accounting
for all twelve young ones, including the three already splashing in a
nearby puddle, Phenora nodded to Lucy. Lucy, the most recent
"graduate" of the orphanage and now youngest caretaker,
called to the children to line up as they had practiced, just minutes
before, inside the safety of the entrance hall.
The coastal city
bustled around them. Carriages passed along the cobbled road. The
distant sound of news boys echoed along the buildings from street corners down near
the docks. Many on the streets hurried to finish their business
before the rain picked up.
"Stay
together, now. Everyone in line. We don't want to miss out on our
field trip today." Phenora called out over the noise of the
city street around them. The children, aged six to nine, shuffled
around. Cries of "I was here first" and "He's
cutting" rang out as the kids pushed and pulled for their wanted
positions in line.
Lucy attempted to
straighten the line as Phenora walked to the front. The middle aged
caretaker did her best to look regal and proper in her worn dark
dress and plain shoes. The children, knowing they risked their rare
trip through the city to the temple, quieted as she passed them by.
The children did not visit the temple often, but all enjoyed leaving
the walls of the orphanage and meeting with the kind priests who
provided them clothing and food.
Lucy took her place
at the end of the line as the small troop marched on, all smiling.
The children kept
the line as straight as could be expected. Lucy called out wanderers
by name as various city sites distracted the occasional child. Some
bumped into those walking ahead of them, some wandered from the line,
and some tried to distract their neighbors by telling jokes and
pointing out unfamiliar people and places.
When six year old
Henry stepped out of line for the fifth time in the three blocks,
Lucy sighed and reminded him of his proper place behind his friend,
Asa. Smaller than most of the children, Henry swerved from the line
hoping to see around his taller mates. This time, as he turned back
to take his place in line, he tripped and fell into the street. The
oncoming carriage, led by four large thoroughbreds, did not see the
small boy, nor could it stop in time if it had.
"Henry!"
Lucy cried out as the right lead horse trampled the boy, kicking him
into the gutter of the road. The carriage continued down the road
without slowing.
Phenora turned back
toward the scene and gasped. Fighting through the shock and terror,
she ordered the children back. "Everyone against the wall here,
now!"
Many of the
children, unaware of what happened behind them began to protest,
afraid one of the others somehow ruined the outing. Others began to
cry and yell out after seeing their friend lying motionless in the
gutter.
Lucy forced herself
past the shocked children, pushing two of them back away from the
street in the process. She needed to see Henry. She needed to know
if there was any hope he might be alive.
A few passers by
stopped and began to surround the scene, forcing any other carriages
and carts to steer clear of the boy. Lucy forced a path to the boy
and she hurried to reach his side.
Asa passed in front
of her and reached his younger friend first. Lucy tried to call out
to him, but the words stalled, stuck in her throat. The boy's
confidence surprised Lucy as he knelt down over Henry's broken body.
She remembered Asa to be a timid boy. He always kept himself away
from the center of attention. Lucy's heart went out to the boy. She
thought of how he must care for his hurt friend.
As Asa knelt down
and gently touched Henry, he shined, like the sun sent a special ray
of light through the clouds and rain just for these two little boys.
She wondered if she was imagining the spectacle, but a glance to
Phenora's shocked look confirmed this was no hallucination.
The light
brightened around the two boys, causing Lucy and all those looking on
to cover their eyes from the blinding flash. Lucy blinked away the
spots in her vision for several seconds as the light dimmed back to
the dull gray of the rainy day.
Henry's hand
reached up and grabbed on as Asa pulled his friend up from the
gutter. The two boys stood smiling at one another as all who looked
on gaped in amazement.
Shaking her shock,
Lucy rushed over and hugged the two boys in a tight embrace. She
then held them both at arms' length and looked them over, not
realizing the tears streaming down her cheeks.
Growing up in the
orphanage, Lucy accepted that miracles of their goddess were
possible. She never believed she would witness one. Lucy looked
over Asa once again, amazed. This boy was special, chosen. The
goddess' paladins needed to know about him.
The young caretaker hugged the boys
again and looked at Phenora, assured her teacher felt the same.
