A story I wrote a while back.
I gaze upon a leaf, born upon the wind. Where it is destined, I know not,
but I contemplate the places it has seen.
It is a Mallorn leaf, still green, and thus recently fallen from its majestic home.
Another gust of wind, and it is
gone from view. The day is almost done now, and I grow weary of waiting.
My prey is out there, but I must be patient.
Timing is everything. My enemy is not yet in a position where I can end his life. So I wait.
I begin to reflect back. It seems another lifetime, an age gone by, but the memories
are clear, as if it were yesterday.
I think about the leaf again, so far from its home. I once called those Mallorn trees
home myself, and I, in much the same fashion as the lonely leaf, left that golden wood
at an early age. The winds of time had swept me along on a similar course…
The darkness was now beginning to deepen, though it did not hinder my sight.
My opponent was still elusive.I must be patient. That is what my mentor had told me.
Be patient. Wait for the right moment. If it doesn’t come now, it will soon.
That was my first lesson, and it was the hardest to swallow. As my patience was
beginning to falter, I pictured my instructor in my minds eye. Beautiful, yet cold.
Patient with her prey, but not with her pupil. She would be loyal, of that there was no doubt.
Make a mistake, though, and punishment would be severe. She would never give a cross word when
there were strangers about, but her tongue would very nearly draw blood when she got you alone.
She was always willing to teach, but quickly grew annoyed if she had to give a lesson more than once.
She was quite demanding, expecting nothing less than perfection. To earn her praise was a
coveted prize, her scorn, worse than death itself. As demanding as she was, however, she was
also surprisingly forgiving.
I had daydreamed to long. With a slight snap of a twig, my prey slipped
into the clearing, and the fight was on. I was cloaked in shadows, and he did not notice me at first.
I was able to sneak up behind him, draw my sword, and land a devastating blow. He quickly recovered
however, and turned to fight. His stance, his grin, and his subtle laugh all indicated that he wasn’t
even fazed by my attack…but looking into his eyes, I saw fear, and I knew I had already won. I stepped
in close, and landed a solid headbutt, which sent him sprawling, then drove my sword into his
chest, bringing forth a shriek of pain and terror. The fear in his eyes was growing, and now it showed
in his actions as well. He blindly ran, trying to escape, but to no avail. The cartilage in his nose was
crushed, his eyes were full of blood and tears, and I was surprised that he could see at all.
He didn’t run far before he faltered, and fell, allowing me to finish the job. It was a flawless kill.
My mind returned to my trainer. Would she be pleased? There was no way to tell, until I returned home
and told her of my deed. My heart was full of anticipation, and I was eager to return, but I also had
a sense of…sadness. She would be pleased, I was sure, but she would not show it.
She would point out all the things that I did wrong. How I should have had my blade out and ready,
how I should have been focused, not allowing my mind to wander…but she would finish her lecture with a
pat on the back, and a few simple words of praise, and that would be enough for me.
As I set out for home, I noticed another leaf, fluttering by in the now cold breeze. This leaf was in
stark contrast to the green Mallorn leaf I had watched earlier. Brittle, devoid of color, it slowly rolled
along the ground, until it stopped, caught by a low hanging ivy, and dropped to the ground.
Approaching it, I contemplated the chances of seeing two Mallorn leaves here, so far from the
golden wood. My thoughts on this matter were brief, however, as my boot landed on the leaf and ground
it into the muddy ground. There was no time for such contemplation. I had several days journey
ahead of me, and my patience was wearing thin.