The Entrance

[Amoonsinas]

©Sept 2005 Crystal Siemens

I had just gotten a mug of Elven ale and had sat down at a table in the bar, when she walked in. The bar was filled with a variety of people, mostly rowdy warriors just returning from battle with bellies full of too much ale and farmers tired after a hard day at work. The usual drunks were sitting slumped over the bar with their eyes downcast into their ale trying to drown the sorrows on their mind. Some others banged their tin cups loudly against the bartop or yelled at the barmaids for more ale hoping to drown their troubles further into the bottom of their dirty mug.

Even with all of this, the busty barmaids and patrons alike stopped everything they were doing and turned their attention towards the door as it swung open gently, admitting the woman into all of our lives. The barmaids stared jealously for a moment at the vision with a squinted glare as she closed the door and then seemed to return to their routine with no more then a nonchalant bob of their shoulders in silent resolve. I couldn't quite return to what I had been doing before and, with a quick sweep around the bar, I noticed that I wasn't the only one who had been caught up in her arrival.

She looked out of place here - so out of her element completely - but she sauntered towards the bar as if she were no better then the rest of us, weaving through the various people and offering them a smile if any part of her body had touched them during her travel. They all smiled and shook their head, demanding that it was their pleasure to be in her way. Can you believe that!

After a few moments, everything seemed to get back to normal. The odd drunken warrior would approach her and bow at the waist, offering her anything she wanted. Castles, acres of the best land, even their undevoted heart and soul to her to try and urge her to sit with them. But, she would simply smile at them all and politely refuse their offer, and cup their chins in her delicate little hand and show them that divine smile before walking away from them all. (This, of course brought on even more arguments between them.) I just watched her from my corner table in the room silently, knowing that I could never be good enough for even a shadow of the kind of woman she was.

It was then to my surprise that she walked up to me with her drink in her hand and gave me a smile. She had extended that beautiful, milky white hand in greeting to me -me of all people! - and introduced herself. I took that beautiful hand in both of mine and kissed it, making me high and my head swim happily with the delicious scent of her as it filled my senses. My mind went back to my childhood for just a moment, of the days when I would sit and eat fresh strawberries in the field in back of the cottage I grew up in. I'm not sure how long I had been sitting there with her hand against my lips, I can imagine it was quite a fair bit of time that had passed before I had been shaken from my thoughts. It was her gentle voice that shook me from my memories as she squeezed my hand just slightly.

“Perhaps I was too forward to ask. This table must be your reprieve from the noise of the room.” She had commented and was about to pull her hand away when I jumped up, nearly spilling my ale as my knee caught the edge of the table.

With my leg screaming at me for my insolence, I gave her my best smile as I rubbed my knee with my other hand. She watched me, laughter twinkling in her eyes but not once did she laugh outright at my misfortune. Fool, I was. I hadn’t even stood in such a woman’s presence. I deserved every little bit of that pain! Next time maybe I’ll remember to use my manners.

“Please, Milady. I would be more then honoured if you would join me. Forgive me I was just... “ I had to pause, she took my breath away!

“... Just that you had surprised me with your approach. I did not expect it in the least. Please, I would be more than honoured to share my table with you.” I couldn’t believe the words were coming from my mouth!

I made it behind the nearest chair and pulled it out for her to sit, offering the seat with what I'm sure was a crooked and awkward smile. She was so radiant, even with the hood of the cape she wore drawn around her face. The edges of the cloak were hiding the sides of her face from the others that I could feel staring at us and a bit of raven black bangs defiantly peeked out of the top. As I studied her face, I noticed the black spiraling locks leaking out of the bottom of the hood near her neck, a few of the rogue curls laying neatly over her shoulders.

Yet here I was, gawking at her and acting like a lovestruck fool. You would think that she would have slapped my face and walked away for being so... stupid! Instead, she merely smiled and took her hand from my calloused grip and removed the hood to reveal the rest of the hidden locks before sitting down in the chair beside me. BESIDE ME! It was all I could do to sit back down in my chair without falling over my own feet.

“Thank you, sire,” she spoke silently and so softly that usually a person wouldn't have heard her words unless she had whispered it in their ear. But suddenly, it seemed that all eyes were now on us both and the corner table that she had decided to sit herself at, away from the bustle of the crowd. I scanned the bar with a nervous glance, and noticed the various scowls from the zealous warriors and drunken faces. I could hear the sounds of the soft stretch of leather gloves as they all seemed to flex their fists at the same time, amplified by the corner I sat in, the walls directing the sound to my ears alone.

... And I was sure there was a wizard in the group amplifying the sound to intimidate me.

Were those knuckles I heard cracking?

Perhaps a few more ales would be in order. I glanced over at the bartender and silently begged him to add a round of ales to my tab for the entire bar. It was to my relief that the man nodded and called his barmaids closer as he grabbed a handful of dirty cups. Disaster had been averted, for now.

For the first time in my life, I was glad that I had a regular watering hole where the management knew I could pay such a tab. It might have just saved my life this time, and after a few ales in their stomachs, people would start enjoying themselves again. By then, they would hopefully be drunk enough to forget what I had accomplished without even trying to play the favor in my own hand.

Laughing softly at my fortune, I shook my head and took a drink of my ale. “I am far from a sire, Milady. My name is Vincent.”

“Such a bold name, Sir Vincent,” she said with that beautiful ruby smile, a set of perfect ivory teeth shining behind them. She sipped her drink, setting it softly on the table in front of her as the pair of stunning crystal blue eyes glanced at me waiting for me to speak.

“Just Vincent please, Milady,” I replied, caught in the depths of those eyes. I had travelled far and wide and seen much in my time. Sapphires I had pilfered from many a king's treasury never sparkled as divinely as her eyes did at this moment, even in this poor light. It was like she had baby blue topaz jewels in her eyes, luring me to her with every glance. “I am far from a noble. So, I would rather you just call me Vincent.”

“Very well” I heard her reply, flashing a smile at me that made my knees shake. I had barely sat back down in my seat when her next sentence made my heart flutter with joy.

“I will call you Vincent, but only if you call me Allissa. I am far from a 'Milady'.”

“I think that is a very, very fair deal” I nodded and smiled before taking another sip of my ale to wet my dry mouth. “But, if I may ask, mil… Allissa, what brings you to this place? It’s not the best place in the city, not to mention province. Especially for one as beautiful as yourself. "

“Why, I came to meet you!” She said with a giggle, and I almost leapt off the chair with my heart as it threatened to burst from my chest at that moment.

She must have saw how my eyes popped from my head, or maybe it was the fact that I choked on my next mouthful of ale I attempted to drink. But she had, for the second time that night, touched my hand sympathetically and offered a handkerchief from her pocket hastily to help me. I took the handkerchief and brought it to my mouth, and hoped the thin silk cloth held back the soft moan that erupted from my throat between coughs. Again, that scent of fresh strawberries hooked into my mind, and drew me away as I wiped my mouth with its soft silky touch.

I wondered to myself if the touch of her lips against mine would feel the same as the touch of her handkerchief. And I’m not entirely too sure how long I was sitting there, smelling the wonderful offered bounty. But I had been roused again by my stupor as the woman patted my hand.

“Are you sure you are alright, Vincent?” She asked softly and I simply nodded my head yes and cleared my throat of the inhaled ale as best I could before offering her the handkerchief back.

“Yes, yes thank you. Just went down a little rough is all” I said as I tried to maintain my manly dignity again.

“You can keep the handkerchief” She said softly and beamed that smile at me, and I could feel myself grinning like a fool idiot!

“Thank you, Allissa” I answered back and set the dainty cloth in my pocket. I had never stolen anything so precious, and her giving it to me had made it something I would deem priceless. They were going to have to pry this treasure from my cold dead hands.

“Again, I ask for even just conversation sake. What brings you to this place?”

“Alright” She agreed and nodded her head slowly and I watched those beautiful silken locks bounce softly around her face as if I were entranced with the motion as she sipped her drink.

“I have been traveling for quite a while, and I had come upon this place. Since I was hungry and quite thirsty, I decided I would come in and see what the place offered me.” She finished with a smile, brushing one of those disobedient locks of raven black hair from her creamy peach colored cheek and folded it behind her ear. I watched it as it curved happily around the back of her ear and followed her finger submissively before the length of it fell back over her shoulder lazily, and I again found myself staring at her helplessly. It even took me a few moments before her answer clicked something in my mind to answer her.

“Traveling? Well, we have that in common then” I had answered quickly and sipped my drink to wet my mouth again. “I have just stopped in as well from traveling from the Far East.”

... Were they making this ale out of cotton??

It was then that I saw Allissa’s eyes perk up a little as I answered her, and she smiled widely.

"I have always wanted to go east again. It has been far too long since my last visit! What part have you returned from?” She asked, interested, and I found that I could not even refuse her that knowledge.

“I have just returned from Arabia myself. Tried to find a job or two, but ended up mainly stealing my suppers at night.”

The words had fallen from my mouth before I had even thought to hold them back. Sighing, I sipped my drink again as she looked at me with an indescribable look for so long, I nearly averted my gaze from her in embarrassment. Then, I saw her smile return and her beautiful topaz eyes twinkled even more. I felt the tidal wave of relief wash over me, and a soft sigh of relief escaped past my lips.

“Then, we have something else in common, brother pilfer.” She joked and squeezed my hand. “I had no choice but do that as well at first. So many stories I could tell you about my journeys East! Oh, but I’m sure you’ve experienced something just as exciting and adventurous, now haven’t you?” She said with a wink before taking a drink from the cup and set it down.

“Any story is an adventure” I agreed with her and smiled the biggest smile I could. “But I would be lying if I said that I wouldn’t want to hear your stories, Allissa. In fact, I would be more then honored to hear them all.”

It was true. I would sit here until I was an old man and Fate cut my strings listening to this divine woman, and hear all about her life. From the time she was born to this very passing second. Hell, I would even whisk her away to show her the heavens and the four corners of the earth if she let me!

“Very well” She agreed after a time and I thought my heart would explode out of my chest.

“I will be happy to tell you everything you would ever want to know about my journeys. As long as you promise me that you won’t fall asleep during them.” She said with teasing grin.

“I could never do that, even if I wanted to.” I replied with a merry laugh and sat up in my chair a little.

Nodding once, she removed the black cloak that she had been wearing to reveal her small framed body, adorned with a soft white silk blouse that arched down delightfully and resting on the milky cleavage that peeked out. As the cloak slid down the back of the chair, my gaze couldn’t help but follow it as it touched the soft hips that were resting below. A white thigh-high skirt adorned a pair of perfect legs suggestively, but never allowing a glance at what it covered underneath.

There, under the chair I now noticed a beautifully hand crafted longbow and quiver full of handmade arrows, tangled around a thick quarterstaff. The carvings I saw on the bow I couldn’t say I had ever seen before, but they looked beautiful and as unique as she was. A small dagger’s point had poked out from underneath the skirt on her inner thigh, and I quirked a brow as I noticed that it didn’t look like a normal dagger. It seemed to be made of a clear purple Amythyst, and gleamed with the same runes on the bow and staff.

My eyes finished their sweep down those lovely legs and noted the tan coloured sandals on her feet, their laces tied up the calves of her legs almost to her knee. The woman took my breath away! She was clearly a hunter, and the gentle peaks of muscle adorning both her arms and legs told me that she was very good at what she did. I wondered to myself if I would ever find out.

Clearing my throat apologetically as my gaze returned to her face, she smiled knowingly as she brushed that same disobedient lock of raven black hair back behind her ear, and once again I watched it caress down her shoulder and rest on her chest. And now that there was no cape to hide her back, I saw the length of her hair. Beautiful silky raven locks spiraled down behind the back of the chair and stopped along a shapely hip, the ends disappeared into the cloak bundled behind her bottom that hung lazily over each side of the chair’s seat, caressing the floor.

Crossing my fingers over the mug of half-finished ale, I sat back and looked at her and waited to hear her stories as she took a drink to moisten her mouth. But something had drawn my attention away from her for a moment. I glanced over her shoulder and noticed the whole bar itself had died down and they too were waiting on her first words. Evidently, the whole bar had been eavesdropping on our conversation and now had taken various seats around our table.

Some of the drunken warriors rested the barmaids on their knee, who were resting their elbows on their serving trays they had balanced lengthwise on their lap. Everyone that was in the bar now hung on Allissa’s first words. Catching my gaze behind her, Allissa's topaz gaze left mine. Turning her head to see what it was that drew me away from her attention, the side of her body slid gently along the back of the chair as she turned her head and looked at everyone grinning at her shyly.

“We would all like to hear it, if you wouldn’t mind telling it to us” one of the warriors said from his chair directly behind Allissa herself. I could tell by the look on his face that he could smell the sweet smell that she possessed and was as taken by it as I was. The barmaid's telltale grin told all as she sat on his lap, feeling the warrior’s affliction with Allissa's glorious strawberry scent and wriggled softly on his lap to direct his attention back to her.

I watched Allissa look at the man for a long moment and I thought perhaps she would deny him the request. But she simply smiled at him as her crystal topaz gaze swept across the warrior and then across the room at everyone thoughtfully.

“Well, it would be very rude to tell a story to only one in a full room, wouldn’t it?” She agreed with a nod of her head.

Calmly she stood up and picked up her drink, leaving her cloak where it was and turned the chair so that she could face everyone but not ignoring me as well, carefully avoiding her bow. I felt a twinge of jealousy growl in the back of my mind aimed at everyone in this bar, jealous that I no longer fully held her attention. But silently I scolded myself and realized that I could not deny any one person here the blessing of her presence, especially when she was so very willing to do something so selfless as to tell the entire room of people about her life and travels.

Taking a long breath, she sighed before she began. “I suppose I should begin somewhere. So maybe I should start with how I grew up.” Allissa pondered to herself. Everyone nodded and she giggled merrily as she watched the sea of heads bobbing together in agreement. And then, she took a sip of her drink and began.

We all sat on the edges of our seats as she got ready to tell us her story. At one point, I could see the cook in the back dressed in the long skirts and flowing apron peeking out to see what was going on and wiping her hands on her apron. Her hired help peeked their heads out behind the kitchen mistress, wondering what had brought her from her station. The bartender himself had come out from behind his counter and stood against a pillar close to the rest of us. Cleaning his hands with the dirty bar towel as he leaned his shoulder against the rough wood, the smile on his face told me that he seemed to enjoy the eerie quiet that had surrounded his bar with Allissa's presence.

“Where do I start?” she asked herself as she tapped a perfectly manicured fingernail on her glass in thought.

Then, she smiled a little, and the men in the room could feel themselves smiling with her as well. I know because I could feel myself wearing that same grin I saw stuck on so many of the other men around her. We had all stolen the proverbial pie from the kitchen in the back and gotten away with it.

And then when I had thought that this woman couldn’t surprise me any more then she had, I found myself staring at the soft white glowing aura that surrounded her whole body and softly spread over the entire room. Soft golden runes seemed to spark to life within the aura, making my mind as well as my body a happy but helpless prisoner.

As I sat and surrendered to her, I watched the runes dance hypnotically around her body within the aura... then something else had caught my gaze as well. The handcrafted bow and quarterstaff under her chair danced with the same identical golden runes, and the dagger against her leg moved with the same hypnotic glimmer.

My eyes widened in surprise as I could feel myself being drawn into her! It was like the aura around her was amplifying the magic she was emitting to everyone in the bar and it was bringing us all into her mind! Suddenly, I could feel the emotions of not only every person in the room, but I could see every word she spoke come alive in front of my eyes like musical notes on a page.

But, she wasn’t saying a word. She was letting us all read her thoughts and feelings. I couldn’t help but gasp as she started the story, and I was lost in her as I gazed into those beautiful topaz depths, and tuned out everyone and everything.

[Raya]

Ohmigod, you are going to stop there??? I might have to track you down!

Seriously - excellent opening, great description and compelling reading. I do hope you finish what you started. I really do want to know about this hunter and also why she picked Vincent to share the table with.

... Were they making this ale out of cotton?? This line is priceless. I am a big fan of writers who use all the senses to describe their story in such a way that the readers lives in it. You have a very happy knack of doing that...using sound, smell, feel, as well as sight, to flesh out your story.

A couple of things that I wanted to point out - only happened in the first part but they were unintentionally funny. Here is one of them:

The bar was filled with a variety of people, mostly rowdy warriors just returning from battle with bellies full of too much ale and farmers tired after a hard day at work. - I would think with bellies full of farmers, there wouldn't be any room for the ale at all. - this is a misplaced modifier and would really benefit with some well-placed commas. For more info on this (and every writer does it, especially when they are in the thrall of their Muse and writing fast), try Raya's Dungeon here

I look forward to your next instalment. I see this was written last fall and updated in December. I do hope the lack of response hasn't discouraged you. I just didn't get around to reading it until now. Your talent in this tale is very evident.

MORE! MORE!

[Greymain]

That Allissa is one foxy lady. more please!!

[Jaeth]

Yes, give us more of this great tale!

[Aredhel]

Funny you all should pick this week to read this story! I was hooked, too, so...be ready for a surprise, ok?

[Jaeth]

Originally Posted by Aredhel

Funny you all should pick this week to read this story! I was hooked, too, so...be ready for a surprise, ok?

Well, someone replied to this thread, and hence I saw the story... Happens a lot.

[Pirotess]

Hopefully Amoonsinas pops her head back in soon. She's been dealing with RL for a couple weeks.

[Amoonsinas]

Wow, I simply can't believe that people have enjoyed it this much already!

Thanks for all your kind words about my obsession.

Raya: I thank you for the critique, and no, I did not stop there. Far, far from it. Although, my hard drive crashed not once, but twice, and wiped out a fair chunk of the last bit I had written (Like.. 3 whole chapters). But, I have since learned my lesson, and now back up everything. I guess that's just my inner Critic winning the internal struggle... for now.

Again, I thank you all so much for the positive comments. I still can't believe people like it this much. (The inner critic works constantly.. i'm sure all people that write know which one I talk about.)

*huggles*

[Jaeth]

So... When are you going to publish some more of this excellent story?

[Aredhel]

soon!(tm)

/snicker