5/15/17

     It was right there. Right outside the girl's window. Glowing brighter than the sun, as warm as light. The silhouette of a female was outlining her floor. There was a woman behind the shine. It was so close, she was so close. The girl could practically touch her.

    So she reached, leaning dangerously outside of her bedroom window. Her fingers were inches from the pulsing fire when a woman's voice interrupted the girl's focus. The girl had been so fixated on what was outside her window, she hadn't noticed the light footsteps beyond her bedroom.

    "Joles!" The woman screamed,"Get away from there!"

    The girl, Joles, had been so startled, she would've fallen out the window if the woman's hand hadn't grabbed the back of her shirt. The woman hurriedly pulled the girl to safety before grabbing the shutters on either side of the window and slamming them shut.

    "You can't keep doing this!" The woman scolded.

    The girls eyes widened as she protested,"But, Nana—"

    "No buts!" The woman reprimanded,"I told you not to go that far. You're not ready yet."

    The girl looked crestfallen,"I'm sorry, Nana. When do you think I'll be ready?"

    The woman sighed sadly,"Not for a long time, my firebug."

    Tears fell out of the young girl's eyes, and she sniffled. The woman frowned and pulled her granddaughter close. She whispered soothing words in her ear, and sung a lullaby to persuade the girl to sleep.

    Once Joles was dreaming soundly, Nana tucked her in her bed carefully. The woman tiptoed out of the room, glancing at the shutters. They remained closed, keeping the girl's temptation at bay. Looking at her daughters daughter, she felt a nostalgic emotion arise in her.

    "One day, Joles." The woman promised,"One day you'll be ready."

******

    "Good!" The instructor stated.

    She was watching Joles fight against her opponent. It was the final test before her student could move on. Joles was clearly winning, she was faster, stronger, and more determined. The other instructor could see it too, and could tell what the outcome would be.

    Joles was her best student no doubt about that. The fight ended seconds later when Joles flipped her opponent onto her back and pushed her forearm against the others jugular.

    "Congrats, Joles," The instructor complemented,"You're ready to take on the next level."

    Joles wiped sweat off of her brow and turned towards her teacher. She looked disappointed, but ready to learn. She stood in front of her instructor, her posture perfect, and prepared to defend if needed.

    "Teacher, will you continue my learning now?"

    The instructor shook her head. The room had cleared of any participants and teachers, so it was just the two of them. Why Joles wanted to begin again after passing her test, the teacher was clueless. Joles was already a highly advanced student.

    The instructor observed her for a few moments. She leaned on her cane, studying Joles inquisitively. The girl grew uncomfortable, but stood head strong. Something in the teachers eyes changed, and she suddenly made a sound of excitement.

    The teacher muttered to herself, and wandered away. Confused, Joles followed her, abandoning her prior activities. When her instructor finally stopped, they were inside the weapons room.

    Her instructor made way to two swords displayed on the wall. They were sheathed in pure white covers with a gold engraving on the outside. The handles were white as well, and gold swirled around the ends.

    Joles' teacher pulled them carefully off of the wall and faced Joles expectantly. The girl slowly approached her instructor. Wordlessly, she was handed the sword. When the girl's hands fully grasped the weapons, they started glowing a star blue.

    The sheaths fell off of the swords, and reappeared attached on either side of her belt. The metal of the swords were shining a silver moonlight and humming with power. Joles stood in shock as the swords lay perfectly balanced in her hands.

    The instructor beamed, and made a sound of glee. Joles blinked owlishly, staring in awe at the weapons she was holding. The instructor let the girl hold the beautiful blades for a moment more, before gently guiding them into their sheaths.

    "These were your mothers." The instructor softly informed Joles.

    The instructor expected no response, and receive none. The girl continued to stand in shock as she absorbed the swords. Joles looked up hopefully at her instructor, and her teacher nodded her head at the silent question.

    "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Joles shouted.

    Then Joles ran from the room. She exited the training area, and ran all the way home. Her two hands gripping the handles of the swords tightly, keeping them secure in her travels.

    She burst through the door of her home, surprising the woman cooking in the kitchen. The woman looked confusedly at her granddaughter. The only sound was of Joles regaining her breath.

    "What's got you so worked up, Joles?"

    "Look, Nana!" Joles said lifting the swords out of their sheaths.

    Nana gasped as she recognized the weapons. The glow familiar to the woman, as was the power behind it. A hint of fear was portrayed in her eyes, but also a sense of sadness.

    "Where did you get those, Joles?" The woman asked softly.

    "Teacher gave them to me." Joles replied excitedly.

    A frown made its way to the woman's lips. Joles eyebrows knitted in concern. The woman sighed tiredly, and stopped cooking. She turned off the fire, and walked to the living room.

    She beckoned Joles to sit beside her. Slowly, the girl complied, laying the blades across her lap. The woman gently ran her fingers along the sheaths, tracing the designs. Finally, she turned to the girl, a somber expression on her face.

    "These were your mother's." Joles' grandmother clarified sadly.

    "How come my instructor had them then?" Joles asked her curiously.

    Nana sighed,"I gave them to her when your mother passed."

    A nervous expression came across the girl's face. This topic was a forbidden one for the girl. The subject of her mother was never discussed because of her grandmothers reaction to it.

    "Why did my mom have these?" Joles cautiously questioned.

    Nana's eyes connected with Joles' seriously,"She was a Knight of the Stars."

******

    "Today's the day." Joles' instructor informed her proudly.

    Joles' lips curled into a small smile before a look of seriousness was etched across her face. She dusted her clothes off to get rid of the imaginary dirt that had appeared. The instructor watched as her students movements implicated one of nervousness.

    "I'm ready." Joles announced, taking a deep breath.

    Her instructor smiled,"Go."

    Joles nodded and checked her outfit once more. Once she deemed it good enough, she pushed open the doors in front of her and was faced with three sophisticated women.

    They all stood stiffly with their hands clasped behind their back. An orb was floating in front of them, showing them Joles' training experience. Once Joles entered the room, the orb disappeared, and all three women's attention was on her.

    "Your determination is admirable." The woman on the left stated.

    "Your skills are exceptional." The woman on the right praised.

    "You have succeeded all the qualifications to make a great warrior." The lady in the middle declared.

    Joles bowed her head,"Thank you, my ladies."

    "But, you're descended from Kaedynce the Courageous."

    Joles lifted her head curiously,"My mother was a Knight of the Stars, yes."

    The women's faces became indifferent. The air took a different tone, and the tension became thick. Joles knew of her mother's actions within the warriors. Apparently the judges held a prior emotion towards her.

    "Are you aware of Kaedynce's... memorable behavior?" The middle woman questioned Joles.

    Her tone held one of disdain, and Joles was taken aback at the hostility behind the words. Although, Joles wasn't very surprised. Her grandmother told her of her mother's adventures, both the good and bad ones.

    "I do." Joles clarified.

    Simultaneously, the women's faces curled into a sneer. Joles' fingers started twitching behind her back. Her face remained blank, containing the reaction she wished to display.

    "Then you see why we can not accept you." The middle woman alleged.

    An expression of disbelief spread across Joles' face along with a couple others, such as anger, sadness, defeat, before settling on determined. The women had narrowed their eyes, and clasped their hands even tighter behind their backs.

    "I don't, but I see why you came to your decision." Joles announced stiffly,"I assure you, I am not my mother."

    The woman on the left sneered,"You are her kin. Her blood runs through your veins."

    Joles gritted her teeth,"A small percent, but I am my own person."

    The woman on the right rolled her eyes,"Nevertheless, it is in your nature. You are bound by your blood."

    Joles held her tongue, but responded with a curt tone,"I believe that a person becomes who they are by the environment they live in."

    The woman in the middle scoffed,"You are a naive girl. A child, we did not ask for your opinion on the matter. You will never be a Knight of the Stars, leave!"

    Joles bit her tongue, and silently did as requested. Turning on her heel, she stalked out of the room in a silent fury. Her teacher waited expectantly in the other room.

    The instructors mouth dropped open in shock when Joles shook her head. The teachers lips fell into a thin line of anger, her eyes expressing a cold fury that matched Joles'.

    "Find a way." The instructor ordered to her now ex-student.

******

    It was night once again. Joles sat beside her window, looking wistfully at the stars. They flickered with hope, and the crescent moon sat high in the sky. The bedroom door creaked, and when Joles turned, she found her grandmother peeking in.

    "How're you doing, firebug?" Nana asked her cautiously.

    In response, Joles faced the window again, sighing sadly. She lay her head on her folded arms and stared at the stars. The woman frowned and made her way to the window.

    For awhile, they both observed the lights. They sparkled like sunlight on ice, and got brighter as night approached. Eventually, the grandmother fell asleep, snoozing beside Joles.

    Joles glanced at her, carefully maneuvering her to the bed. When Joles returned to her window, a star was hovering near her shutters. It glowed a soft blue light, and its heat was comforting.

    Joles raised her head, and recognized the same star that haunted her from many nights ago. A woman was outlined within the star. A faint shadow of her crawling across Joles' floor.

    The star drew closer, and Joles' breath intensified. The light washed over her room, and the woman became more defined. Her outline grew larger as she got closer, and a feeling of realization overcame Joles.

    "Mom?" She whispered warily, not daring to believe it.

    The figure nodded. Joles eyes watered, and she stood. Slowly the star approached, its fire rippling in waves. It stopped a mere jump from Joles' window, too far for her hands to reach if she tried.

    "Where are you?" Joles asked the woman, wishing to hear her voice.

    She got no response. There was no movement from the woman. No shrug or shake of the head, not a sound. Not even the outside world sent its waves of music.

    "Why are you here?" Her voice cracked in desperation for an answer.

    The star inched forward before retreating to its previous position. When Joles tilted her head in confusion, the star repeated its motion.

    Joles raised her eyebrows,"Me?"

    The woman nodded her head. The star glowed brighter, and its fire pulsed excitedly. Joles could feel the heat from her window, and she squint her eyes to see better.

    "What do you want me to do?"

    The woman opened her arms, and her hands beckoned Joles forward. Immediately Joles' mind strayed. Her mother came for her, after all these years. Even after her failure to become a Knight.

    As if in a trance, Joles feet carried her so she was standing on the windowsill. Her feet prepared to jump, tension forming in her body. She blinked when she heard a snore from behind her.

    "I can't leave." Joles said sadly, glancing at her grandmother.

    The figure cocked her head in confusion. Joles gestured to the woman sleeping on her bed. The woman's shoulders hunched in disappointment.

    "I'm all she has." Joles reasoned with her mother.

    The woman's head faced downward in sadness. A silence overtook them both, no words were said. Joles was afraid to further disappoint her mother, but she didn't want her to leave either.

    "Are you still a Knight?" Joles asked the woman.

    The woman shook her head. She brought her hands to her head and made a shape, then acted as if she was holding a weapon. The woman repeated her actions a number of times before Joles had an idea of what her mother was implying.

    "A Queen among warriors?"

    This time she nodded. Joles smiled, her mother wasn't the bad guy. She lay in the stars as the best of the best. The woman's hands folded together in a pleading matter. The girl bit her lip in contemplation.

    "Will Nana be okay?" She asked her mother.

    In response, the star retreated till it shone over the front door. When Joles peeked her head outside of the window, she saw a man standing nervously in front of their door holding a bouquet of flowers. He kept raising his hand to knock, but always stopped himself at the last moment.

    Joles turned her eyes away from the heartwarming scene. Her grandmother would be happy, but would she? All Joles' life, she's trained and trained and trained to be a Knight. If she went with her mother, what would become of her life? How would she fulfill her dream?

    "Will I be able to become a Warrior?"

    The woman nodded. Steeling her nerves, Joles quietly made her way to her grandmother. Pushing the woman's hair gently out of her face, Joles kissed her forehead.

    Then the girl searched her room until she found what she was looking for. She snatched up the twin blades, locking the sheaths onto her belt. Joles backed up until she decided she had enough distance to gain an appropriate amount of speed.

    Looking at her grandmother one last time, she ran. Each foot fell in front of the other perfectly. Almost no sound was made. Her hair fell behind her. Her eyes stared straight forward, glinting with determination.

    Joles right foot stepped on her windowsill, and she launched herself towards her mother. Halfway there, Joles heard her grandmother's scream, but she persevered. She had taken a leap of faith, and there was no going back now.

    First through the fire was her left foot. Warmth encased it, claiming the rest of her leg soon after. Then her waist entered the fire. Next her face, and lastly her right foot. Joles had closed her eyes in anticipation, and when she opened them, she finally saw what was behind the light...