Songs of a Lonely Heart

[Flamebird]

Part I
~~~

The swaying of this ship meant nothing to the girl as she once again walked around the ship. Eiskaltian trading ships rarely had passengers, but the government had given Felicity's family special permission to move away from the icy country. The first month of this voyage, the nine year old had run around the ship day and night exploring and unintentionally getting in the way of the crew. Now, she was bored out of her mind. She was used to staying in one place. For years she had felt caged in the boarded up wooden hut in her hometown. At least then, she could leave with a family member to play in the woods just beyond the village. The cold, snow laden landscape of Eiskalt had been all Felicity had known. Was she truly leaving everything behind forever?

Looking down at the waves, the hooded placed a hand on the ledge. Her dead finger made it awkward, but Felicity leaned against the edge of the ship. Was this long sea her prison now too?

"Ugh, we're almost there!" Felicity turned to see two of the Eiskaltian crew members carrying barrels. "I can't figure out how you people stay in one place for so long!"

The older shipmate laughed, "You get used to it, kid. You'll grow to consider the ocean your second home."

Second home. Felicity looked back down at the waves. Her own hooded and cloaked frame was reflected in the waves as she pondered. What would this distant land called Corone be like? Would it be her second home?"

As a flock of birds flew overhead, clamoring like loud gossiping women, Felicity looked up. She gasped, awe struck, and lifted her good hand to point as the white birds flew over the ship. "What are those?"

The older man placed down a barrel and chuckled, "Great, aren't they? Those are seagulls."

"Sea..." Felicity tried to repeat, "Goles?"

"Close enough." The sailer took a break, sitting on the barrel as the rookie stood silent. "Seagulls are only found in warmer climates. They're a joy to feed. It's like a freak show, watching them all flock towards a single piece of bread."

Felicity turned to him, heavy dress swishing, as she cried out in shock, "You feed them!"

The man crossed his arms with a happy nod.

Felicity was about to ask him if she could when the younger crew member interrupted. "Josiah, are you insane? Talking to that-that neanderthal!"

The way he spat that word, like it was dirty and disgusting, caused Felicity to flinch. She was used to this treatment, but it never stopped hurting.

"Hmm?" The man cast a side eye at him, "She's half Eiskaltian too. She's not entirely a monster. Besides, she's not coming back with us."

"Good riddance!" the younger spat as he returned to the barrels, "Our Noble Family finally did something about that hybrid abomination!"

Felicity was unable to muster the energy to feed the seagulls now. Hurt once again by her kin, she turned and stumbled off the find her family.

Her long dress was drug in dust as her boots scuffed against the wooden planks of the ship. She had always been treated like this. Her pinky was forever dead and unusable because she was attacked when she was three. She had tried to play with kids at the outskirts of town, only to be ridiculed for looking different and repeatedly kicked by the girls. When she was seven, a stone had been hurled at her while she was walking with her uncle to his shop. People had pounded her uncle's door, holding pitch forks and pickaxes, demanding she be thrown out to be beaten, flogged, killed, and left for the wild animals. She was nine now. Now, her family was finally leaving Eiskalt for good. What was Corone going to be like? Were the people there any less cruel? Apparently, her uncle thought they would be.

Tears flooded her eyes as the stumbled around the deck, trapped in thoughts. Her mother had disowned her when she was three. She had disowned her once again before they left, even thanking her uncle for ridding Eiskalt of the spawn of mountain demons right before the ship took off.

She lifted her arm and wiped her eyes. She was terrified. Would Corone be a lush haven, or simply another frozen hell? What was the meaning of her life? Her uncle and cousin protected and loved her, but why? She felt wretched and worthless. Always.

"Felicity!" Felicity looked up to see her uncle running towards her. He never ran like that - except when she or Jonathan were in danger. Terror rose in her chest as she wiped her eyes again and ran towards him. Wait, was he smiling? Why was he smiling and running at the same time? Felicity squeaked in confusion as he took her hand and pulled her along the deck. He was... excited? Fulcrum Rhyolite never got excited. Sure, Jonathan could have high spirits, but her uncle?

"Uncle?"

"Felicity! Darling! Look!"

Felicity glanced ahead to her cousin, staring into the distance with a beaming smile, "It's so green!"

"Huh?" Felicity and Fulcrum stopped at the edge of the ship. In the distance, they saw land. Yet, it looked different. Why was the ground covered in tiny plants? Why did the trees look fluffy? Where were the pine needles?

Felicity felt her uncle take her shoulders, then... a tear drop. Felicity gasped, looking up to see uncle weeping. He pulled her closer to him as he exclaimed, "Felicity! You are free! You can be whatever and whoever you want without criticism! It's our happy ending! Sweetheart!"

Tears flooded Felicity's eyes as she pulled her eyes away from him and out the landmass beyond. Was this... Corone?

"Felicity! Oh, Felicity!" Felicity's uncle dropped to his knees, wrapping his arms around her in an embrace, "I'm so sorry we didn't leave sooner..."

Tears slipped down her cheeks, slamming the deck below. Why... Why was he crying like this? The calm uncle who never lost his composure. Why... Why was he apologizing?

Felicity turned to see that Jonathan was leaning over the dock, staring upon the different looking climate. "It's so different! Father! We need to explore every inch of it!"

Felicity looked out again, still gripped tightly be her uncle, who's back was throbbing as he sobbed. The ship seemed to be approaching the dock town, built out of strange red stones, in the distance. Felicity shuddered. She wanted to see the green plants! She wanted to touch the fluffy trees! Why were they heading to the dock and... people?"

She closed her eyes, way too overwhelmed by it all.

[Flamebird]

Part II
~~~

Felicity clung tightly to her uncle's coat as they exited the busy docks. This strange town felt so warm, it was so weird. Why was it warm? Was Corone always warm. As those sea-goles fluttered around squawking above, Felicity was latched to her uncle's arm as they passed... What on earth was that!

It looked human, yet it had green skin and was way, way heavier. Bulging muscles like she had never seen and canine teeth as he casually walked by eating a carrot.

"Huh?" She whimpered, running to the other side of her uncle and hugged his waistline. The creature, much to her terror, looked down with amused, sentient eyes. His amber eyes sparkled as he stopped for a second and looked at the frightened girl. "I can always tell when someone hasn't seen an orc before. It's fun remembering how scary and awesome I look!" He smirked and chomped his carrot again, turning and walking away with a bit of sass to his stride.

Felicity's uncle rustled her orange hair. Felicity sputtered, pulling away for the first time since the ship had stopped. "Uncle!"

"Isn't it great, Felicity?" Uncle Fulcrum smiled, "One of the reasons I chose Corone was because there's so many wild and weird races."

Felicity blinked, blank and confused. She turned to see that orc guy laughing with a woman with unusually pointed ears. Wait, how were they not fighting?

"They're not at war?"

"Nope!" Uncle Fulcrum smiled and took her hand, beginning to walk again, "Unlike Eiskalt, multiple races live in Corone in harmony. As if no wars ever broke our between them! Human, neanderthal, does not matter, kid. You can be you in Corone and nobody cares."

It was such a bizarre concept. Different races not fighting? Did they tolerate each other? Felicity was interrupted when her cousin, several leagues in front of them, started stripping off his coat.

"J-Jona-!" Felicity started a gasp.

Holding his fur coat in his arms, Jonathan turned to his family with a bewildered and amused smile, "You don't need coats here! It's so odd!"

Felicity turned to see Fulcrum pulling his coat off too, "Yeah, this will take getting used to."

Felicity once again felt the unfamiliarity of this place. Wouldn't everything need getting used to!? As they left the docks, Felicity noticed a pointed eared, slender man with skin black like charcoal talking to a short, stout, man with a beard reaching to the ground.

This felt like a bizarre dream after accidentally drinking wine instead of grape juice.

The sun beat down on them as Felicity still refused to remove her coat. The port city had many winding streets made of stone and a red, square block called "bricks." The scents here were unlike anything she had ever smelled before. The air was earthy like the ground, but softer and without frost. Strange foods swurled around her, as well as fresh smelling, natural scents. Felicity walked past a pine tree, and was shocked to see that a tiny, yellow plant was poking out from the ground. "What is that!"

Her uncle and cousin exclamed in confusion as Felicity bent down and looked at the yellow leafed plant as it gently swayed in the wind. It looked so gentle, so delicate. Felicity extended a finger, but was too afraid to touch it.

"Do you know what that is?" Jonathan asked from behind her.

"I do believe," Fulcrum muttered slowly, "That looks somewhat similar to the short summer flowers in Hope Valley during the quick summers."

A flower? Felicity looked down at the gentle plant and was so in awe. This was a flower?

Footsteps resounded from behind the tree. Felicity looked up to see a woman with yellow hair looking down at her with some kind of smile.

"Hello, sweetie."

A stranger! Felicity bolted back with a cry and ducked behind her cousin. As Felicity whimpered, she was confused and scared as Fulcrum chuckled at her. "My apologies, ma'am, my niece has had bad experiences with strangers in the past. We all have, actually."

The woman pushed some blond hair behind her ear, "Oh, no, I'm sorry. I must have startled the poor girl. She was acting like she'd never seen a lily before."

"Honestly," Fulcrum rubbed the back of his head, "None of us have ever seen that kind of flower before. We just moved from Eiskalt, near Salvar."

The woman giggled, "Ah, new to summer seasons, huh? Well, welcome to Corone! I do hope you enjoy it here."

She looked down at Felicity with a gentle look Felicity had only ever seen from her family, "You will love growing up here. I moved here from Alerar, a long time ago. I never looked back."

Felicity's head was spinning. New people, new places, new plants, new buildings, new names! Felicity was terrified, adventurous, and exhausted all at the same time.

Was this truly home?