Tag Archives: Arnd

Even Heroes Lose Their Way

17 Friday Apr 2015

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Here’s Chapter 1 of a new tale of Arnd!

Please enjoy “Arnd and the Trackless Desert, Chapter 1: Even Heroes Lose Their Way”!

The summer had been long and abnormally hot this year. The sun hung high above their heads, its fierce blazing seeming to bleach the blue from the sky just as it sucked the moisture from the soil of their small garden and reddened their skin.

Exhausted from the work of turning the soil to ready it for the midsummer planting, Ailin wipes the sweat from her brow with the hem of her simple cotton sundress, oblivious to the immodesty of such a motion – after all, there was no one this far from the towns, no one but herself and Auntie Nem of course. The girl – more a young woman now, as she neared fifteen winters – looked over at the comfortable rocking-chair set under a shady tree nearby, where the old woman napped through the heat, and smiled.

To pass the time as she toiled, she began to recite to herself one of the stories she had heard so many times, one brought to mind by the heat of the sun and the feeling of the earth crumbling in her hands and under her toes. So focused was she on her work that she hardly noticed that she was whispering the words aloud, nor did she see the sliver of eye peeking from behind the eyelids of the old woman who watched and listened with an acuity that belied her advanced age.

“The great hero Arnd, deep in grief over the loss of his beloved, had wandered heedlessly and far for many, many days…

For the rest of part 1, head over to my deviantArt page and find the whole chapter there!

The Nighttime Dragon

18 Wednesday Jun 2014

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Chapter 3, the conclusion of Arnd and the First Winter, is finally done!

Here’s a snip:

On the first day of Spring, Ailin woke with the dawn and the loud cracking sound of the ice in the river breaking apart, followed by the rushing noise as the water began rushing to make up for the time lost while it was frozen. She rushed outside, seeing that nearly all of the snow had melted, and that the first shoots of the brave flowers were poking up through the last of the winter’s white.

When Auntie Nem finally woke, somewhat later than that, she found that the table was already set for breakfast, and that Ailin had not only decorated the house with fresh flowers, but also prepared their morning porridge. Surprised and pleased, she asked the young girl, “To what do I owe this wonderful surprise, Ailin? It is not like you to rise early and do work without being asked!”

Giggling, the girl eagerly lead her grandmother to her place at the table and then plopped herself down on her chair. “I want you to finissh the story of the First Winter! The snow and the ice are going, and you promised if I was good you would tell me!”

Auntie Nem laughed and then nodded, beginning the tale between spoonfuls of porridge.

“The Great Hero had faced a terrible trial just to get where he was, but that was nothing compared to his meeting with the Nighttime Dragon itself…

You can find the whole thing over at deviantArt!

The Ice In The Sky

23 Sunday Jun 2013

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Part two of Arnd’s wintry tale is up on my dA! Here’s a snippet:

 

Several days later, most of the ponds and streams in the forest had completely frozen over. Once the weather cleared, the morning air was cool and still. The old woman brought her young charge out to skate on the ice for the very first time. After a wonderful day of exploration and exertion, the pair returned to the small house and sat down to enjoy a stew of small game and root vegetables. As they finished their meal, Ailin looked up at her grandmother and said, “Auntie Nem, I wanna hear more of the story about the hero and the winter!”

Auntie Nem laughed and cleared the cookware away, letting the cauldron of stew keep warm over the hot coals in the fire. “Alright, child. I think you’ve earned the next part with the help you gave me in preparing this wonderful stew.” She settled herself in her rocking chair, spread a blanket over her knees, and leaned close to the fire.

“After a long and lonely climb, Arnd reached the shores of the Heavenly Sea…

The rest over on deviantArt!

The First Winter

22 Saturday Jun 2013

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Ok, so. I should have posted this a while ago, since the story’s been up on my DA page, but we have some storytime!

Here’s the intro, then my DA page has the rest!

The wind that cut through the woods howled sadly and scrabbled at the small cottage, trying with its claws of ice and breath of frost to get inside and smother the small fire within. Inside, the young girl sitting near to the fire jumped in surprise and looked fearfully at the window, suddenly wondering if the noise was something more than the wind. On a wooden rocking chair in the corner, her grandmother laughed quietly and then leaned forward. “Ailin, dear, would you like to hear a story?”

The girl looked at the window for a few moments longer before turning to the old woman. “Yes, please Auntie Nem! I love your stories.” Amused at how quickly she seemed to have forgotten her fears, Auntie Nem sat up straighter and took a deep breath. Collecting her thoughs, she leaned toward the fire and began to tell her story.

“Long ago, in the time of the gods, the very first winter came upon the land…