A young girl is left alone within nature’s cruel embrace. Time cares not for the young child. How many minutes have passed? How many hours passed? Even she doesn’t know.
Lost and afraid, she perseveres with the finite moments that her parents had saved just for her. Even so, the crackling of leaves and branches fill her with despair. All she could do was steel herself from an ineluctable fate.
The certain fate of Eclaire.
She found herself in an unfamiliar place when her consciousness returned. An apologetic woman approached the young girl’s bedside. Whether by trauma or confusion, the child’s sapphire-like eyes peered listlessly towards the woman.
“Good morning! How are we feeling today?”
“Hmm…?”
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The young girl’s crimson hair tilts to the left. She didn’t quite understand what the woman was asking. There was neither bruise nor cut; no pain, not even a hint of itchiness by the irritation of dirt. By all definitions, she is fine. Reassessing Eclaire’s response, the woman inquires once more.
“Umm, what’s your name?”
“Eclaire!”
Eclaire’s immediate response catches her off guard; she continues to ask the girl a series of questions. Using the papers next to the bed, the woman starts to document her information.
“Eclaire, do you have a surname?”
“Sir name?”
“Never mind. How old are you Eclaire?”
“I turned nine yesterday! I was eight before that!”
“I see… Sweetie, where do you live?”
“In a house!”
“O-okay… Do you have other family?”
“I have my mother and father.”
“I meant… Other than your mother and father?”
“What do you mean?”
While it was not the best course of action, the woman continues to gather additional information about the little girl. Her parents were merchants of no fame, traveling along the countryside selling products. She has no other family; thus by the ways of all unfortunate endings, she is an orphan now.
Not only that, it appears that the events of the previous night didn’t register in her mind; as if it were tucked away in a dark corner. In fact, she didn’t even attempt to ask of her parent’s whereabouts were.
Knights within the area, the ones that found the child, gave the woman a report. It was of a high possibility that in an attempt to flee bandits, her parents’ wagon fell off the road. Injured, they were left alone in the abyss of a lightless forest. Typical of many desperate situations, a senseless, reckless venture into the dangerous unknown resulted in an unwanted yet expected result.
That event was the start of Eclaire’s short journey from wilderness to shelter. She awoke in Fals Orphanage, a modest sized facility a little down the road from Fals itself. This locale does not have a lot going on and it's a miracle it's sustaining itself economically. The town itself maintains a lukewarm existence in the country, somewhat due to its bakeries, but a hefty part filled by other, more questionable facilities.
If it were not for these two factors, to pass through the dangerous roads filled with wildlife and bandits would not be worth the journey.
Unfortunately, the orphanage is one of the facilities often “used”, much more than many other amenities in the town. “Used”; that one is more likely to see children like Eclaire move in, rather than be taken out. In that sense, one could consider Fals Orphanage to be another reason for a trip to the town. In a land where monsters roam and livelihoods are challenged every day, one wouldn't be seeing many looking to take an extra mouth to feed.
Suddenly interrupting the woman’s documentation, Eclaire hops out of the bed and runs.
“Ah, wait!!”
If the door wasn’t closed she would have gotten out. Instead, the young girl slams her face into it. Dazed, she turns to the woman.
“Wh-where...?”
“Umm... You see, you’ll be living here for a while.”
“Oh.”
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With not so much of a fuss, Eclaire just planted herself on the floor and just looked at the orphanage worker. Perhaps it was the result of a mild concussion; a motionless Eclaire remained, with not so much of a peep, only a silent acknowledgement.
However, the next day revealed a stirring in her stomach she didn’t understand. Eclaire couldn’t contain how antsy she was. When the orphanage worker went to greet Eclaire on the medical bed, she bolted out the open door. She runs down the hall seeking a destination-less exit; she sees the entrance to the orphanage.
Eclaire blinded by the light of day, runs out of the orphanages' double doors and past the front garden. When she looked to the right, she saw a faintly familiar mountain path. She felt compelled to run through the forest, but she shakes her head and runs the opposite way, towards Fals. Without looking, Eclaire slams face first into a woman passing through the path.
“Owwie!”
“Oh my, are you okay little girl?”
When Eclaire steps away from the woman, she makes eye contact. Her blonde side-swept hair framed her stunning amber eyes and left young Eclaire in awe. While fumbling around, she approaches Eclaire. Bewildered by the sudden appearance of a child, the woman panics and introduces herself in an alluring, well-mannered fashion.
“Good morning ma’am. My name is Emma. What shall I refer to you as?”
“Nghwa hah!?”
“Pardon? Are you hurt somewhere?”
Concerned, the woman calling herself Emma walked closer to Eclaire. Her flowing hair moved smoothly in unison with her brilliant red dress. In addition to her dress, she wore an ornate gold bracelet with gems of different varieties engraved in it. However, it wasn't Emma's elegance, but rather her warmth that pierced Eclaire's heart at first glance. Attempting to appeal to this woman Eclaire introduces herself.
“Eclaire! My name is Eclaire!”
“I see. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance for the day, Eclaire! What a beautiful name!”
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As Emma kneeled down to get on Eclaire's eye level, she could hear a metallic rattling coming from the woman’s hips. An ornate rapier with a worn out guard was secured to those hips.
“A sword! That's so cool!”
“Oh? It's not a toy, it's very dangerous.”
“Why do you have a sword, lady?”
“Hey, it's not 'lady', its Emma. E-m-m-a.”
The woman moves her fingers to each letter of her name.
“So, why do you have it, lady?”
Emma then ruffles the red haired girl's head. This brought a large smile to Eclaire's face. The restlessness in the pit of her stomach was gently subsiding. Likewise, Emma had regained her composure, trading charming manners for uninhibited casualness.
“I won't answer you until you properly use my name.”
“Emma! Why do you carry a sword around?!”
“Atta girl! Well, if you have to know, it's to protect myself!”
“From bad people?”
“Of course, and from monsters or wild animals, too!”
“That's so cool!”
With a satisfied grin, Eclaire continued pestering Emma until a fading dusk gave birth to a night sky. The moment captivated the little girl, stealing her away from the worries she faced.
“Oh, would you look at that. I have to get going, Eclaire.”
“Awhh, why?”
“I have a son just about your age.”
“Oh... Do you need to be there now?
“Well, he wouldn't be worried, and he is way too mature for his own good, but I have to be there for him when it gets this late! I don't have many opportunities to see him off to bed after all!”
In the following year, the peculiar young girl continued to live there in the orphanage, undeterred by life's complexities. This weightless emptiness was unknown to the workers, whether it may be the coping mechanism of this young child formed to block out the tragedies, or if there may just be something inherently odd about the child’s mental process.
What could be confirmed, however, was her fascination with the heroic knights that found and aided her in time of need.
This meant she would consistently run outside to the play area and swing a branch to practice her amateurish swings. Even picking up two or attempting to swing three at the same time. She wouldn't interact with others, though it was not as if she deliberately avoided the other children. As a peculiar one, she simply wouldn't continue speaking if the topic did not interest her.
A lot did not interest her.
As some time passed, a serious incident occurred with a fellow child residing in the orphanage. This eventful confrontation led to Eclaire’s infamy among the workers, where her treatment would get worse. The kind woman named Emma Agelheed would eventually come to take her.