Chapter I Original

I'd like to dedicate this story to: Mireiya Valimont, my dear little sister

As Adeline opened the lids of her eyes, she felt a softness against her face. A small cherry blossom had befallen the frontal of her small cherub cheek. She placed it carefully in her hand as she sat up, noting the softness, the sheer delicate constitution of this pink beauty of fragility. Little Adeline became acutely aware of the morning shower. However, this shower was not of water, nor cats and dogs, but pink petal'd cherries landing with a careful tip-toe fashion all around her. An overwhelming feeling uplifted her, it was an instantaneous moment of stunning happiness in witnessing this light shower of sweet pinkettes.

She looked below, and at herself.

"Absolutely lovely garments," she thought.

She had on a small, simple pink dress. Supporting her body was the soft bed of fallen blossoms and petals. The whole world was made of pink and she was apart of it!

But where was she?

She did not know.

Who was she?

She thought back a moment.

"My name is Adeline," she suddenly spoke. A gasp escaped her small body. Was that her voice? It was a soft voice, a child's voice. She touched her trembling lips, then slowly made her way to her feet. Taking note of her surroundings further, she saw that she was in an old abondoned church house. The woodwork of the whole building was long old and greyed to disuse. The small bed of flowers from whence she awoke was on barren earth, seemingly the centre of the cathedral from where she now stood.

Nearby, she spotted a small pool of water and made her way across the cold hardwood floors. The grey aged wood was cold and felt almost like a cushion as it bent beneath her steps. Kneeling, she gazed at the reflection back at her. A small child was there, looking back at here serenely with softened, turqautic pools of seeing. Long soft locks of hair curled down like rose vines to the back-end of her tiny waist. Fitting nicely on her head, was a small pink bow, befitting of her other simplistic apparel. How old was this child? Seven? Eight? Hardly anymore than that.

She giggled.

"Little... Adeline," her own voice softly whispered in her mind.

At once a painful barrage of visions began to flood her mind. She could make no real sense of them, they passed far too fast for her mind's eye. And there was pain, more evident than not, it was searing and burning its way through, trying to find the path. Her head was on fire and she could not stop it.

"What is this," her small voice cried out loudly in her head.

Footsteps. Clanking armor. Someone was approaching.

She glanced at the now torn doorway. Not one man, but two, with dirt cling'd armor galour.

"It's her," the first man shouted. He was obviously in lead of the two. The other was bumbling about, trying to load the crossbow in his jittered hands.

"A crossbow?", the words materializing in her head.

Were they thinking of killing her? She began to back away slowly, fearfully placing step by step on the cold floor. Her back suddenly touched the back of something hard and cold. The pew. She slowly sank down, trembling as she watched the advancing men. Try as she might, her lips would not move to form. Only small, short gasps escaped her petite lips.

The two men slowly drew near, the leader with his sword raised and stepping with a high caution, and the other advancing clumsily behind, crossbow aimed at her general direction. He was still shaking. They were proceding as if she were some dangerous animal that would, at any given moment, pounce and make mangl'd toys of their bodies. The man with the crossbow stopped. He was well in firing range.

"No! Stop! Don't!", she desperately pleaded soundlessly in thought.

The crossbowman's eyes suddenly widened in shock, or some identical emotion. It was quite clear that suddenly a horror was spreading throughout his body, rendering him helpless. He slowly began to lower the wooden weapon. The leader shouted an order back at him, without leaving his focus on her.

"It's a trick, stay focused, damn you," the man barked.

"R-right! Yes-s sir!"

The crossbowman raised his weapon again, snapping back into what little focus he had. The leader began slowly advancing again, heavy armour'd footsteps hitting the ground with a heavy metallic clank, sword at the ready.

*Clank* *Clank* *Clank*