I opened my eyes. Closed them again. Then opened them fully. I was garbed in full steel armor, the helm under my arm, in my right hand was a bare sword, shining, clean. HEavy at my waist was it's sheath and a purse of gold. But the paper! Where was the paper? My head moved about, searching and then a crackle alerted me. Looking down I found that I had stepped upon it, a neat little roll of white bent under my boot. Withdrawing my foot I leaned down and with a clangle of armor picked it up and scrutinized it. After a minute I stuffed it in a pack that was suddenly at my side. My head swiveled, absorbing my surroundings, at my feet lay a wooden floor, well sealed, everything else was wooden as well, except the roof which was thatched. No windows. There was a door to my right, but I did not approach it. Suddenly there was a soft hum and with a speed I never knew I possessed I had my hand gripping my sword blocking an attack from behind with a hard CLANG! But what I blocked, I did not see, there was nothing against my upraised sword. A voice, her, whispered behind me, her breath caressing the back of my neck, "Good." Swirling I saw her, the hooded woman who was at my bed that night with the others. I gulped. We were so close our noses were touching, but there was no intimacy, no arousal at our closeness. She did not smile, but instead stepped back and drew a longsword that did not seem capable of her size, nor her's to it. [/i] "Again." She murmered, then lashed out, her now visible face, young and beautiful, tight with concentration. My hands moved as if they had a mind of their own, parrying her attack and following through with some of my own. Our swords met, grating together as if lovers then pulled apart again only to meet once more with a harsh embrace. We danced, for that is what it was, whirling, stepping, pace by pace, blades moving as if they were a fith appendage, and in many ways they were. All that I did, I did without thinking, as if some part of me knew all this and the rest had to catch up. After a while, we ceased, I was hardly breathing, while her shoulders lifted and raised slightly with the effort. "Good." She repeated, "Good. We will meet again, remember the list. Remember your blade. Remember who you are." She kissed my forhead and placed something in my hand. Looking down I saw that it was a mirror, then looking up again I saw that she had disappeared. Lifting the mirro, myeyes widened with astonishment, I was a completely different boy. Sharper chin, sharper nose, slanted highs and high cheekbones complete with bronze skin. A name ran through my mind and opening my thin lips a silvery tenor voice spoke, "Denyel Fahnvyle." noting immediatly that the name sparked a memory, but it quickly faded away. Shaking my head I pushed the door open, squinting at the sudden brightness, my eyes slowly unwrinkled, immediatly darting about. A stone path was before me, leading into the woods. Looking behind me I found there was nothing, at all, I came from nothing. I looked into the woods, sheathed my sword, heaved my pack over my shoulder and sighed. From nothing into nothing. A new adventure ahead of me, a new beginning, a new life.
