Aria's Quest

I mentioned when I talked about my goals for this year that I wanted to start writing a serial fiction, and feature it on this blog. Well, after many false starts and delays, here's the first chapter! I hope to update it once a week, so check back next Monday or Tuesday for the next piece of the story. Of course, feel free to read my posts the rest of the week too :P

The art work was done by my lovely friend Cara - check out her shop at www.carapace.etsy.com

Section 1

The Beginning

Part 1

Running Late

Aria swooped around a tree at top speed. She couldn’t believe she’d lost track of time yet again! Her Mom was going to be so mad…if she found out that is. There was a chance that Dahlia had covered for her, but it wasn’t too likely. Dahlia had always looked down on her with distain, calling her flighty and wild. In her defense, Aria really did work hard; she just also could get caught up in other things that she found important, things that Dahlia had never understood.

Dahlia was one of those fairies that that lived for tradition and family. She was the one cooking behind the scenes when the fairies feasted, and she longed for the day that she would marry and raise her own children. Aria and Dahlia were only a couple years apart, the only unmarried girls in the family who were the right age to take care of the young ones, and with 8 younger siblings, their Mother often needed their help!

Usually Dahlia took the morning shift so Aria could go join the dance team for practice and study. While Aria was officially out of school, she had a thirst for knowledge, so she treasured that time she got to spend amongst the dusty scrolls and books. Usually she was able to keep track of the shadows shifting so she made it back in time to help with lunch, but occasionally she’d get lost in a new find or a conversation with another fairy. Today she’d been talking with Eiowinn, one of the oldest fairies in the tribe. Getting a chance to ask Eiowinn questions was like finding a treasure trove to Aria, and so she’d lost track of time once again despite her good intentions.

Aria skidded as she landed outside their front door. She rushed down the main hallway, her wings folding away with hardly a thought, and looking around hoping not to see her Mother. Ducking into the playroom she found the young one’s sitting down and eating lunch, and Dahlia glaring at her while she fed the baby. “I’m sorry Dahlia I was talking to Eiowinn and…”

“I don’t know how often you expect me to cover for you, but I’m getting tired of it! You’re lucky I was already planning on feeding the young one’s some stew, if lunch had been any more complicated I don’t know how I would have done it without asking for help.” Dahlia grumped.

“I’m sorry; I’ll try not to let it happen again Dahlia. Just, it was Eiowinn, she knows so much!”

“How are you ever going to manage on your quest if you can’t meet your daily responsibilities?”

“How are YOU going to take care of the young one’s without me when they give me my gem to head out on my quest?” Aria replied, getting frustrated.

Dahlia snorted. “Aria, your only 17 years old, what makes you think you’ll receive your gem soon? For that matter, what makes you think you’ll go before me? I’m 19 and I haven’t gone! Darien didn’t go until he was 22.”

“Yeah, but Aeryk went on his quest when he was 18, so it could happen soon. And Daffyd received his gem before Jenna, so they don’t always go in age order!”

“Dream on Aria.”

Aria just ignored her and went to work cleaning up and helping the younger one’s as they finished with their meals. Dahlia always got her so frustrated! But she knew she was going to get her gem soon, she just felt it deep inside, Dahlia would see!