Believe Your Eyes

[Ashla]

Closed to Green Gwendolyn and featuring the cameo of Rayse Valentino. All bunnying between me and Green Gwendolyn is approved.




A young girl glanced from behind the hallway wall. Her curly brown hair falling around her entire head. She watched an elder, majestic elf walk into the entrance holding another little girl in his arms. The elder elf looked so tall and strong, it scared the human/ elf hybrid hiding as he entered the house. The girl's father walked up to him and immediately started chatting... like all boring grown ups did. Meanwhile, the blond, long haired elf placed the toddler elf down. The young girl looked the same age as the other, and she too had bouncing, curly hair. Her pointy ears revealed her heritage well enough, however neither young girls cared about such things. As they were children, their minds whirled like children. The brunette girl hopped out of her hiding place and approached the other girl.

"H-Hi..." She said shyly.

The elf girl grinned, "Hi! I'm Gwen, you?"

The two girls ran off the play in the brunette's room immediately, like all children liked too. Racing through the small, wood boarded hallway, the other one stated her name, "Asha..."

The entire house was dark due to the lack of windows, however Ashla didn't mind. This was her home, and she liked it that way. The seemingly fearless Gwendolyn didn't seem to mind either. They had just made new friends...

As the children raced into Ashla's room and started to play with some stuffed animals, they immediately started to bond.

"What are you 'doin 'ere?" Ashla asked innocently.

"Dis is me uncle's house," Gwendolyn replied, "We visiting."

Ashla beamed, "We cousins thin?"

Gwendolyn smiled and reached out her hand to shake her's, "Cousins."

~~~

It was way too soon though that the tiny Ashla watched the elder elf, her uncle, carry Gwendolyn away. It was also saddening to Ashla when she realized after several weeks that they would never return...

[Ashla]

Thirteen Years Later:

Ashla Rose Icebreaker. A seventeen year old young woman with too much clinging onto her life. Like leeches, her troubles were sucking out her own blood which was meant to give her so much life. Exhausted from just plain life, Ashla decided to take a night off her troubles and stepped into an inn. The Majestic Rose Blossom was a warm and happy place. A diner was right behind the oak swinging doors with many merry people eating and drinking without a care. Meanwhile, upstairs were various rooms to sleep for one night. Ashla sighed and walked up to the counter, "A small meal, I don't care what it is... And some apple cider please?"

The innkeeper smiled and nodded, "Coming right up, young lady." He was big and bulky. A messy apron he wore; he also had a round face and a gruff beard. However, his smile proved that the book was so much different than the cover - this was kind gentleman she was standing before. The man called back to some helpers and a cook to prepare 'the finest meal in the house' and then turned back to her. "What's such a beautiful, young girl doing with such a troubled face?"

Ashla leaned against the smooth, light-colored counter, "... I don't know myself..."

Ashla had so much smacking her across the face... More like backhanding her across the face... Every time she attempted to leave her old self behind, something would come around and draw her back to it. She was trying start life anew, but every time something old came back to haunt her. She only wanted to have a peaceful, serene life her her love Julius Tabor and perhaps even start a family... that wouldn't be happening any time soon. Julius was just downtown attempting the buy a horse... He was having a hard time doing that. Whether he was done or not Ashla did not know. She had told him though that she was going to the nearest hotel to settle down for the night though. And tomorrow they would go back to their nomad lives once again.

At the thought of her companion, Ashla looked up at the innkeeper again, "Oh! Um... can you make that two meals? I have an acquaintance who will hopefully join me soon."

The man grinned at Ashla's annoyance towards her acquaintance's 'hopeful' coming along and nodded. He turned back to the kitchen to help out with the cooking. Meanwhile, Ashla sat down on the round stool she was next to and silently waited for tonight's special.

[Green Gwendolyn]

After living the fine life of stalking around the fresh forests, hunting wild game among the grasses of the fields and flowers, and honing her skills with crafting in the Trading Company, it was nice to just take some time to slow down. Gwendolyn Stormhollow walked into an inn called The Majestic Rose Blossom and walked up to the counter. She smirked and placed some money onto the table with a swift smack. A thud was heard on the light, oak counter as she called out, "Apple cider! In a pint!"

The innkeeper glanced back to her from a meal he was preparing and chuckled, "A fine pint for a fine girl coming right up!"

Gwendolyn rolled her eyes and sat down on a stool next to another girl. She had pale skin and beautiful black hair. The high elf immediately envied it. All she had for hair were these stringy, curly, blond threads of thickness. This other girl's hair looked smooth and silky. Gwendolyn noted her various melee weapons she carried and a handheld crossbow. This girl looked like a fighter, like her. However, she seemed so sad... Gwendolyn noted a look of despair and felt pity for the girl. Gwendolyn smiled, wondering how to open a conversation with this girl. Gwendolyn had little social skills, so finding a good conversation starter would be hard... so she just kept staring at her.

[Ashla]

Ashla felt eyes scorching her like the Fallien sun. Ashla turned to see an elvish girl looking at her with curious green eyes.

"Yes?" Ashla questioned her.

The girl seemed taken back by her, "Hi, grump." She chuckled a moment later.

Ashla shrugged, "'Grump'? Okay..." She didn't take the offense at all and turned back to the direction of where the food was being prepared. She hoped it wouldn't take too long... she also hoped Julius wouldn't take too long!

The other girl's voice peeped in again, "What did you order?"

Ashla blinked without looking at her, her stunning blue eyes standing out above any of her other features, "Apple cider."

The girl clapped in a hyper state beside her, "Ooh! Me too! So... where you from?"

Her innocent mood suddenly reminded Ashla of herself, this was her a million times. She chuckled, suddenly becoming more interested in the conversation. "Eiskalt." She stated the words simply, as if she was a regular citizen from there and not the former duchess. Being royalty was a pain in the back! As much as Ashla had tried, she was never fit for it... So she left it forever. Ashla looked over to the other girl and smiled, "What's your name?"

The girl smiled nervously, "I'm Gwen."

Ashla smiled and reached her hand out, "Nice to meet you, Gwen. I'm Ashla."

There was something about this girl, something like she had met her before... but from where? Ashla could have sworn she had seen her once before... but nothing came up in her memories... Where had she seen this hyper elf before? The sweet aromas of various foods and the warmth of the inn was making Ashla sleepy. Her eyelids were dropping slowly, Ashla had to blink it away until...

... The innkeeper came up to the two girls with a pleasant smile, "Two hot, steaming apple ciders in pints!" he placed two, identical looking pints filled with apple cider down onto the table. He looked at Ashla, "The two meals are coming up soon."

Ashla nodded and gave him a sincere smile, "Thank you."

The man nodded and turned back to his work. Ashla bent down to her pint and let the sweet smell of the warm apple cider fly up her nose. She closed her eyes, placing her cold hands on the heated pint. She cherished this moment. She opened her eyes, twice times more sleepy than before, and then glanced back at Gwen.

[Green Gwendolyn]

Gwen watched in amusement as this 'Ashla' engulfed herself into loving the pint of cider. Gwen could tell that just like herself, this girl loved her apple cider. Gwen chuckled as Ashla looked up to her, "My, you look sleepy."

Ashla slowly nodded, "I sure am..."

Gwen tilted her head, "So... have you been in Concordia before? It's a forest close to here, beautiful place full of wildlife and wonder..."

She heard her new companion chuckle, "I've been there before. It's a neat place."

Gwen smiled, "You know a place better than Concordia though?" She didn't wait for a reply before continuing, "The Red Forest! It's so full of peril and weird... creature... thingies... - you'll never get bored!"

Ashla chuckled again, "You must like wildlife if you're willing to go into that place..."

Gwen scoffed, "Are you kidding me? I was born to reign in the forests!" Gwendolyn enjoyed any forest area much better than a crowded pub and people, however she was actually enjoying this conversation with this girl. Gwen could swear though, she had met Ashla down the road. Gwen's life was so full of meeting new people and going new placed, she knew her assumptions of this were likely. However, Gwen could not pull out any specific memories. So, she decided to question Ashla about it.

"Hey," she asked, "have we met somewhere before? I think we have..." Gwen was beginning to think that all her jabbering was annoying Ashla, and she didn't want that. She was trying to pace herself now, and she stopped to give Ashla time to answer this time.

[Ashla]

Ashla gave Gwen a look of curiosity, she thought the same thing she did. They had met somewhere down the road...

The building full of many people, cheery and dreary alike, was a distant scene to Ashla. She was thinking hard about where they had met before... She searched her mind over and over again, but nothing came.

Ashla blinked, "I do believe we have met... but where and when I have no idea." Ashla followed that statement with a chuckle. It sounded innocent and sweet, like what the Icebreaker used to be.

Gwen smiled sweetly in response, "Maybe my full name would help." She stated without a care, "I go by the full name of Gwendolyn Stormhollow."

Ashla nodded, she took a sip of the refreshing cider and continued to think. Suddenly, the image of an apple came into her mind. It was followed by the vague memory of a blond toddler eating a beautiful, big, red juicy apple.

Ashla suddenly remembered everything between them... as family. Are cousins...

Ashla pointed, "Did you go by another name once?" Ashla inquired, "Gwen Rose?"

[Green Gwendolyn]

Gwen looked at the brunette with surprise, "Y-Yes... How in the world did you- ..." Gwen paused. How on earth did she know her former name? Where did she get it from? It was such a shock, her old surname being spoken. Gwen felt defensive, she felt cold. She caught herself glaring at this Ashla, astonished. "H-How do you know my name??"

The warmth of the inn was faded out, blurred compared to what was going on now. The staring contest between the girls eating away at the casualness of the conversation. Gwen has pushed that name, alongside her old family, away from her. Now, it suddenly came back to backhand her in the form of this young woman she sat next to.