As the woman slept, she dreamt of the short life of Emrys through her eyes. She mostly saw blurry figures and unclear scenery, but there was a certain warmth to them. Vaguely familiar voices filled with love, and hazy gray people holding her close. As the memories slowly got clearer, she saw these gray people less and less. Soon, she came upon a particularly clear memory. Emrys glanced around from a high vantage point, her small body huddled against a larger figure as they carried her in their arms. Turning around, Emrys’ eyes met with those of what looked to be a large humanoid bear. Its large round head was covered in brown fur, and it had two small round ears atop its head. Its mouth and nose slightly protruded from its face, and its mouth was unnaturally wide and filled with sharp teeth. It smiled at her gently, its otherwise frightening appearance giving off a feeling of reassurance.
“Don’t worry, little one. We’re almost there.” it said in a deep masculine voice, patting her back gently. Emrys didn’t respond, instead she turned around and took in what appeared to be a large village. Most of the houses were made of wood, but a few nicer homes stood out, made of wood and stone, and sometimes brick. They kept going until they arrived in front of a small wooden house. The yard was small but well-kept, and there was freshly hung laundry on a clothesline, swaying with the every gentle breeze. The Bearman carried her up to the door before knocking heavily, as if he was afraid he wouldn’t be heard. They heard the sound of footsteps quickly approaching the door before it swung open, and Delvira stood before them.
She frowned while looking them over, “What is it?” she asked, her tone conveying confusion.
The Bearman produced a stack of papers, seemingly out of nowhere, and regarded Delvira. “Are you Delvira Goswick? Sister of Eleraith Duscellis?” he asked.
Delvira’s frown deepened, and she hesitated before answering “yes, I am. What is this about?”
The Bearman cleared his throat before replying, “I am here to inform you of the unfortunate passing of Eleraith and her husband Rivelle Duscellis. My condolences.” he paused, waiting for a reaction, but Delvira just stared at him silently. “I also brought their daughter here, Emrys Duscellis, in hopes that you would take her in as her legal guardian.” he continued.
“No, I won't,” Delvira responded immediately, “We don’t have the space or funds for another child.”
The Bearman frowned at this, but still persuaded “It does not have to be for long. She is three now, and when she turns five and receives the Guide she can become independent.”
“Legally?” questioned Delvira.
“Yes, legally independent.” he said, but she looked like she would still refuse so he continued, “There will also be a small amount of compensation. 100 silver coins, as Emrys is eligible for the Children of Hope relief program.”
“That relief program? I thought they only paid compensation to the children of martyrs?” She asked, still looking as if she would refuse. “And 100 silver coins doesn’t seem like a lot. I thought they were government employees?”
The Bearman nodded, “Yes, your sister and her husband died while doing some very important work, so they are considered martyrs.” he said, seemingly unwilling to elaborate. “In addition to the 100 silver, you will receive 10 silver every year until she turns 5. After that you won’t have to be involved. At that time, she can go to the Guidance Center normally and they will have her records. The Guidance Center will help her find an apprenticeship or enroll in an academy.”
“That is still only 110 silver,” Delvira said. “If I remember correctly, she will have her birthday after a year and a few months.”
“Yes, but a normal family of five can live comfortably on 10 silver a year. This compensation isn’t a lot, but it’s still not a small amount, considering she will not have to be with you very long. The rest of the compensation will be held by the relief program until she turns 5, so that Emrys has some funds for her future.” He said, his voice tinged with irritation. “Will you still not take her in?”
Delvira sighed, then glanced at Emrys fully for the first time. “Fine, just until she turns 5.”
The memories after that were much clearer, probably owing to Emrys getting older, but they didn’t contain much information. Emrys apparently had a reserved personality, and didn’t talk very much. Even when she did, she was often ignored. Her life thus far was as the woman expected, she didn’t receive much care or attention from her aunt's family, used hand me downs, and was given less food than everyone else. They weren’t exactly outright abusive, just very negligent of her. She stayed in her room most of the time, and other than the time when she first came to the village, she had only been outside a total of three times. All three times, she had been taken out to play by the youngest son in the family, Cinar, when he couldn’t find his usual playmates. This playing was just Cinar ordering her around, and Emrys happily complying just to stay outside a bit longer.
Their last trip outside had been when the accident occurred. They had been playing catch on the outskirts of the village, waiting near the abandoned shacks there for Cinar’s friends to be let out to play. However, the ones to find them were not his friends, but two kids known to cause trouble in the village without consequence. Emrys didn’t know their names, just that Delvira had repeatedly warned them not to play with those two. The two kids weren’t gray people or humans, but what looked to be an elf and a human with animal features. The woman could recognize the first kid as an elf from certain movies, as he had the typical blond hair, green eyes, and long pointed ears. The other kid had mostly human features, except he had a pair of large furry ears on his head and a long feline-like tail. Emrys didn’t know what his kind should be called, so neither did the woman.
Stolen novel; please report.
As the memory progressed, the woman watched as Cinar was goaded into entering one of the most run down shacks by the troublemakers. They claimed that they had lost a toy inside, and if Cinar went in and got it for them they would give him a toy sword. Cinar was tempted but doubtful, so he made Emrys follow him inside. What followed was a truly chaotic scene. As soon as they had gone deeper into the shack and started searching, the troublemakers stood at the entrance and launched some kind of fireworks. They aimed them at the ceiling, obviously attempting to scare them, but as the fireworks hit the ceiling and sparks flew the shack quickly went up in flames. Cinar had fearfully fled the building, shoving Emrys to the side on the way, causing her to fall and hit her head. Emrys had fallen unconscious from the fall, but was soon awoken by the feeling of searing pain as the fire reached her and began to melt her skin. She had been trapped by a wooden beam that had fallen at some point, and could only shriek in pain as the fire continued to consume her. Cinar had never returned.
Instead, she was rescued from the fire by those who had come to investigate the smoke and heard her screaming. Emrys was in and out of consciousness after that, making the memories choppy and hard to understand, but she could tell that she was smeared with a simple salve and wrapped in bandages before being put in bed. Emrys had held on for a night and a day, but had succumbed to her injuries on the second night, allowing the woman to take over her body.
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The woman awakened the next morning to the sound of rustling clothes. She blinked slowly, trying to gather her thoughts as the memories she dreamt of were imprinted in her mind. She turned her head slightly and watched as the teen, Orla, put on her shoes and grabbed a small pouch from under her pillow. Orla must've noticed her looking over, as she glanced at her before nodding slightly and leaving the room. Listening, she could hear more people moving about the house. Her new memories told her that the human man, Orist, and the twins, Ryfon and Ruvyn, would also be leaving the house at this time. Delvira and Cinar, the young mixed boy, along with Emrys were usually the only ones home during the day.
She slowly rose from her bed and examined herself again. The bandages had gotten even darker, and there was now a strange smell coming from her body. She let out a small groan as she realized that her wounds had likely become infected. Just as she started to contemplate the harm in taking a bath and trying to wash off the dried blood and possible pus, Delvira appeared at the door. In her hands was a pair of patchy pants and a shirt.
“Emrys, why don’t you take a bath. Those women should be by soon.” she suggested, waiting by the door. She obviously expected her to go over, so she did. Delvira placed the clothes in her hands and left without waiting for a response, seemingly heading for the kitchen. It was obviously more of a command than a suggestion. The woman turned her attention to the clothes, noting that they seemed to be too big for her. Judging by the size, they should’ve belonged to one of the twins. The pants had been ripped many times, and either sewn back together or patched with another piece of fabric. The shirt was similar, however there were no patches, and the fabric was misshapen from all the extra stitches. She didn’t have any thoughts on this. According to her memories, this family really seemed to be poor when Emrys arrived. It wasn’t until a few days after her arrival that the clothing and food situation started to get better, likely due to the compensation they received for hosting her. The reason for their financial struggles were unclear, and she didn’t know what people usually got paid around here to really pass judgment.
She slowly made her way over to the bathroom, closing the door and starting the excruciating process of getting undressed and removing her bandages. She didn’t think a bath was a good idea, but at the same time her wounds were already infected and inflamed, so cleaning them a bit was her best bet. The process of filling the tub went smoothly, but the bath itself felt like hell. She was sure she had blacked out a few times, barely making it through. After she washed and somewhat detangled her remaining hair she got out, allowing herself to slowly air dry as she steadied herself. She dressed herself while still damp, turning and looking at herself in the mirror. She had got rid of a lot of the dried blood and pus, but her wounds had started bleeding again so she was sure the crustiness would return.
She exhaled slowly, nodding at her reflection. “I am now Emrys. From now on I’ll strive to live a good life in this world.” she whispered in English. She turned to leave and was promptly interrupted by her pants falling down. Even though she was alone she couldn’t help blushing a bit. She ended up having to roll the waistband of the pants up several times before they stayed in place.
Walking out, she heard voices coming from the kitchen. From what she knew, the house only had one entrance, and that was in the kitchen. She hesitated, before deciding to stay where she was. Before she could start eavesdropping, the group exited the kitchen and found her in the hallway. The leading figure was her aunt, followed by a small man not much taller than her. They paused after seeing her, and the small man spoke up.
“Well, you must be my patient today.” he grinned, his teeth a bit crooked. “I can already tell you’re going to need a restoration. This will add 10 silver to the treatment fee.” The last bit seemed to be directed at her aunt.
It seemed like they wanted to move past her, but she decided to test the waters a bit. “Hello. Are you the healer?” Emrys questioned, trying to keep her tone childish and curious. She was a bit desperate for information on this world, especially after seeing how little the original Emrys knew. After growing up with near constant access to the internet and all the information it provided, she was starting to feel frustrated with how little she knew. She wasn’t used to being so clueless.
The man didn’t seem surprised at the question, “Yes I am. Please head to your room. It will be easier to heal you while you lay down.” he said, looking at her expectantly. Shouldn’t a normal doctor try to chat with her a bit and make her feel comfortable? She glanced over at her aunt, who seemed to be expecting the same thing. It seemed that maybe the adults here were just dismissive in general and her aunt’s attitude was normal. She turned around and made her way back to the room she shared with Orla, secretly pouting as she did. She planned to continue fishing for information later. After all, even the most reserved kids get curious.