Yet, before she encountered her martial teacher and mentor, she had been faced with the arduous task of traveling with very little funds, and even less direction. But something inside her resonated when matched with a southerly direction. And it was a good thing she listened to whatever voice was speaking to her. For on the second day of her travels, she crossed paths with a traveling circus headed in the same direction as she. Though she was very apprehensive with their approach, she was unable to avoid them in spite of her efforts to remain concealed. While she was at the river fetching water, and searching for something, anything to eat, she heard a woman's voice behind her say, "Your face and body would find a very high price at the brothels."
Instantly she turned around, "I do not work there!"
"I never said you did, Deary. I just said you could, if you chose to. Where are you from?"
"I am from where I choose to forget," Athlorial returned quickly.
"Very well. I meant no offense, Deary. We all have stories we choose to forget. Most of us only joined so we could forget. Where are you traveling too?" asked the woman as she stepped closer to the still crouching Athlorial.
"Anywhere but from whence I came," she said as she stood up.
"Well then! That is good, because we are going everywhere you have not been. Tell me, do you have any talents other than your pretty face and," the woman paused as she looked her up and down, "lovely figure?"
"What do you mean, 'talents’?” she asked tentatively.
"Can you do anything of merit, Child? Or do you just stand there?" asked the woman again as she placed her hands on her hips.
"Well, I can sing, I guess."
"Can you now? We do not have a singer amongst us currently. Our last singer was unable to bear the strain of her position," said the woman with a slight grin. Athlorial looked at the woman and saw that she was strikingly attractive. Raven black hair that had been obviously dyed red at its end accentuated her sharp and demure features. Her body spoke of athleticism and her muscles rippled underneath her armless, form-fitting top. Whatever her place in the circus of performers, Athlorial knew its focus was physical in nature.
"Where did you say you were headed?" she asked at the prospect of finding a meal and prospect of protection in numbers.
"Well that all depends on if you are able to bear the strain of your position. You said you can sing. Can you dance as well?"
"I have never tried, but I think I would be able to, if someone taught me."
"Then I shall be your teacher, for I am Hithana, The Raven Dancer. Come with me, Deary, and I will not only teach you to dance, I will teach you to fly!"
Such was the enthusiasm within this Hithana's eyes that it instantly sparked hope and intrigue within the younger woman. Without pause, she grabbed Athlorial by her hand and led her quickly toward the camped caravan of circus performers. She enjoyed a very warm welcome and quick acceptance into their ranks, even before she sang. But when she had her formal audition two nights later in front of Hithana, and two men who remained yet nameless, the other performers were drawn to her voice.
"It is one thing to sing, my pretty little songbird, but it is quite another to dance. Do you have any training in dancing?" asked the man to the right of Hithana. He was an elderly man, at least twice the age of Hithana. His head was showing ample signs of age in both color and lack. He wore a single eye patch over his right eye, presumably to cover either a deformity or injury that rendered his eye nonfunctioning. He was dressed in fine clothes, at least fine when compared to the rest of the circus performers. Adorning at least three fingers on each of his hands were gold rings, each of which was set with no less than three jewels. Around his neck, he wore and equally visible jeweled necklace set in the same gold as the rings around each of his fingers.
"I am sorry, but I do not," answered Athlorial with apprehension lacing her voice for fear this would disqualify her from securing her position as a formal performer.
"That is of little consequence. Hithana will be able to teach you how to entice a man through movement. Is that not right Hithana?" the old man turned as he asked her.
"Or to entice women. I think this one will be popular with both. What do you think Markis?" she said as she addressed the younger man sitting to her left.
"We had best be careful with this one, or we may find our pretty little song bird in another's cage before she has turned us a profit. But yes, I think her voice alone would be sufficient, but with the dance, she will bring a nice crowd. However, what shall we call her?" the young man asked the others. He was not overly attractive, but neither was he ugly. As he sat, Athlorial could tell he was broad of shoulder. He wore his hair short, fitting the styles of the north, and wore the traditional trousers and tunic of the northern territories as well. He had a fairly strong jaw and dark eyebrows that seemed to contrast against his blonde, bushy hair.
"The Sun Child I think. Her hair is the brightest shade of blonde I have ever seen," spoke Hithana first.
"No. How about The Lady Sunfire, whose hair and voice were touch by the sun itself?" interjected the elderly man.
Seeing agreement from both Markis and Hithana, the elderly man spoke again with a broad smile on his face, "Congratulations! You have just been employed by the Circus of Jhndroko the Charmed!"
"Thank you!" Athlorial responded with a hopeful innocence in her eyes. She had performed in front of many and important people, but she had never been asked to incorporate dance into her vocals.
As she was about to exit the audition tent, she heard Hithana's voice, "Deary, I do not believe I ever asked what your name is."
Athlorial, caught in the hopeful beginning stopped and turned. "What did you ask?"
"Your name, child, what is it? We cannot have everyone in the circus calling you either Deary, or Child while you are with us now can we," continued Hithana with a hint of amusement.
"Oh," said Athlorial. "I am sorry. I did not hear you at first. I guess my excitement at being able to sing again distracted me," she answered and was just about to turn toward her exit.
She heard the elderly man's voice again, "Well, what is your name?"
She was about to answer the simplest of all questions when she realized that it was not simple at all; at least, not now, and certainly not after she considered the entirety of her life. From the time she could remember, hers was the existence of being under the power of those greater than she. She looked to her father and mother who relentlessly and without cause merited upon her the full measure of their dysfunction. Her thoughts fell on the awful Lord Cuetori who exacted his vengeance from the only person who was always there for her. She had visions of Matteos and his brutal treatment of her. And lastly, and most heavily, her emotions fell upon Eriboth.
For her life she had been nothing more than a prize to be possessed or a trophy to be placed upon a mantel. She had been birthed a bird of brilliant song only to be caged, eternally prevented from becoming everything she could become all because she lacked the power to become it herself. The Lady Sunfire whose voice and hair was touched by the sun, she thought. Her life had been defined by fire and darkness, perhaps not actual flames all the time, but certainly its destructive and all-consuming nature. And she was tired, so tired of the darkness that was set upon her. How she longed to be in the light.
That was it! She had to become light, but not just any light; she had to become the strongest and most powerful light to shine away any and all need for reliance upon any other to achieve and become all that she could. And in doing so, she had to forever destroy everything she was and everything that had been done to her. No longer would she be Athlorial Lumendel, the helpless girl who was constantly at the mercy of those who possessed none. No longer would she be the weak and powerless girl whose only talent was the sounds she could sing. And no longer would she live in the imposed darkness of those who were not worthy of her.
No, today, in this moment, she would change and become everything
she had wanted to become. She would forever be free of those who sought to possess her, to cage her, to own her. She would own herself and be property of none. And just as her sister's life had ended in the flames of an accident; an accident that caused the darkest days of her life, her name would echo the most powerful light in the world. It would echo the power that only myths and legends could contain. Her name would echo the light and flames of the greatest of fires. It would be formed from the very breath of dragons. She would become the Solin’Dra.
It was Markis who spoke next moments before her tears would breach their home, "I do believe we have scared this little one into forgetting her name!"
As Hithana and the Elderly man laughed at Markis's statement, it was Athlorial who silenced them with a new found confidence, "Soliana. My name is Soliana!"
During the next several weeks, Soliana spent most of her time with primarily two people, Hithana and the circus's resident minstrel, Edmorio. As physically demanding as Hithana's dancing lessons were, Edmorio's vocal lessons were equally so. He drove her to auditory perfection, often times leaving her voice stretched and raspy the day following her lesson. He insisted she exhibit the skill of the other performers in the circus, and while he complimented her on her raw ability, he said she "rank of amateur quality, but with the proper training, would eventually be worthy of her name."
From her very first performance, she was a favorite. Her lessons with Edmorio, as difficult as they were, enabled her to stretch her voice to pitches she never thought she would be able to reach. Her new vocal refinement combined with the effect of Hithana's dancing lessons had made her lethal to the hearts of men and women both. She continued on like this for several years, enjoying the attention of the patrons as the renown of her name grew. After the first year, whenever their caravan would enter a city, the streets would be lined with children and parents alike, many of them calling out her name. She was perhaps the most identifiable of their group because of radiantly blonde hair. So when someone did spot her, it was not long before chants of "Sunfire" would be shouted from the crowd.
She had, quite naturally, fallen into a relationship with Markis, though more because of convenience than actual love. Being honest with herself, she did not believe in love anymore. She had certainly felt it once, at the tips of Eriboth's confident fingers and in the depths of his eyes. She may have even felt a small aspect of it for Matteos because of his initial devotion to helping her, but because both of those instances proved only to be a dream, she no longer believed, and therefore, could no longer feel. But Markis was suited to her.
He was not overly attentive, nor was he completely dismissive of her. His eyes showed affection, but in such a closed community, it was easy to stand apart from the others. He never said that he loved her, nor did she say she loved him. But both were warm and understanding of the others history. Not that much of it was shared, but they both knew they each had one, and were content to accept its affect upon each other as the primary force dictating their behavioral patterns. Neither Soliana nor Markis showed interest in where the other came from because neither cared. They were both here, as warm bodies when needed and sometimes when wanted. But to cross the boundary of diffuse affection into the kingdom of love would have meant one or the other had become deluded to thinking their companionship was caused by anything more than their proximity.
As she continued to trot to the front of the tightly spaced formation, she slowed to address her second in command, a slender yet lethal elf named Asuin. "Asuin, have you seen to the condition of the weapons yet?"
"Yes, Commander," he replied dutifully.
"And their condition? Are they ready for battle?" she asked.
"Commander, perhaps it is because of your inexperience with the Elves, but I can assure you that all weapons are always maintained in battle ready status, even when not threatened by a rumored Dark Legion," he said with a droll and unenthusiastic tone.
"Asuin, if the rumors be true, and the approach of this dark army upon The Stone Keep is inevitable, do you not think the armor they wear will be thicker than anything you have encountered before? Do you not think they would have considered the possibility that we, the Elves, would join the ranks of Man and bolster their defenses? Do you not think they would have accounted for the superiority of our blades and constructed shields with the specific purpose and ability to withstand our weaponry? Or do you believe them to be nothing more than barbarian rabble, possessing nothing more than rudimentary weapons themselves?" Soliana threatened in response.
At her second's silence she answered for him, "It is not enough that our assumptions be greater than our enemy, but our actuality must reflect our complete superiority. Only then can we ensure our victory. Only then can we ensure our lives," her stare bore deep into him.
"Yes, Commander," Asuin responded with a short but courteous bow.
As Soliana trotted away upon the back of her horse, she could not help but smile at how readily she spoke the words of her long time instructor and mentor, Psumayn. The rigors of his training had shamed that of the combined efforts of Hithana and Edmorio. There was a time where she had resented him so much that she took a silent vow to kill him. Never had she thought to ever speak his words, but the longer she spent under his teaching, the more it grew within her the necessity for the strict mentoring required for the production of excellence. The more unyielding he was, and the more he demanded from her, the more she was able to attain and become. If she was to ever move with the lethal intent as he did, then she would require a force bidding her to do so. And years later, still vividly seated in her mind, was the first time she bore witness to this force.
Traveling with the circus had opened her reality to and endless amount of previously unconsidered possibilities. And one of these possibilities was realized during one of her own performances. The circus had made its way to the southern territories and taken residence in its most prominent city of Unthago. On the fourth night of her performance, such was the magnitude of the gathered crowd, the city guard was enlisted to assist in controlling the throng. Her reputation preceded the caravan and prepped the growing excitement. Because of her uncanny shade of blonde hair, there were rumors she was descended directly from dragons, which of course was impossible since dragons themselves were only myth. But regardless of its truthfulness, the rumors added to her surrounding mystery and the number of people in attendance.
Right in the middle of her performance, she noticed some motion in the center of the gathered attendees. At first, she dismissed it as people who were simply joining in to dance, as often happened during her performances; however, when their rhythm surpassed that of the accompanying music, she focused more intently upon the commotion. It was not long before she was able to distinguish a singular figure standing against at least eight other men, all with swords brandished and blood in their eyes. The man at the center stood impossibly calm, holding his short and oddly curved blade close to his chest.
As the other men closed in, the single man, with his dark grey hair flowing long and free, exploded into a calculated and fiercely fluid pattern of slashes and parries. Within moments, the attackers were all laying on the ground, mortally wounded and unable to continue. The single man simply bowed and walked away unharmed and completely untouched by the efforts of his attackers. Soliana needed to find this man. She needed to possess these skills. Yes, she was able to entice crowds and enthrall men and women alike, but in the end, she was still physically at the mercy of those stronger than her. She was still the same as her mother had been, helpless.
Because of the deaths, the guards had no choice but to dismiss the crowd and end her performance prematurely. But this did not upset her as it gave her the opportunity, born from increased time, to seek out and find this man. She began her search by jumping off the stage and walking in the direction she had seen him leave. But she did not get far before she realized she was out of her element. Nonetheless, she was as tenacious off the stage as
she was upon it and resolved herself to find him.
She wandered the streets for at least an hour and when she was just about to conclude that her current goal would remain unmet and she would be forever a victim, a voice of confidence and pride spoke from behind her, "If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed The Lady Sunfire would be seeking my company."
Startled, she spun around, prepared to defend herself. "Oh my, I did not mean to startle you. You have been seeking me, have you not?" asked the man whom she sought.
Relaxing just a bit at his presence, she tentatively answered, "Yes, I have been seeking you."
"Do you know why?" asked the man as he tilted his head slightly to the left in consideration.
"I want to do what you do as well as you do it," she said flatly.
"And what is it that I do?" he asked her again.
"I saw you defend yourself against so many men. I want to be able to defend myself as you have done"
"Are you sure that is what I have done? Or is it merely the visual effect of what I have done?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean are you sure I killed those men as an act of defending?"
"I saw them threaten you, and you defend yourself."
"Then you did not see what it is that I have done. I will ask again. What is it that you saw?"
Soliana was beside herself. Here was her ability to be free of everything. Here was the man who, upon training her, would allow her to become more than her mother ever was. Here was her answer to all the problems of her life. If he but agreed to take her as a student, she would possess that which she needed in order to do what she needed. Here was her allowance to return to her son; an allowance she had no idea how to earn apart from this man.
Seeing her frustration, the dark grey hair man asked her another question, "What is it you wish to possess?"
"Freedom."
"Freedom is not earned at the tip of a blade, but felt in the deep reaches of the soul. You are not free yet because you do not know this. What is it you wish to know?"
Convergence (The Dragon Within Saga Book 1) Page 71
