Prologue

Caspian Fadhren married Wunoa Jospenn when she was 23 and he was 27. They had met in their travels, when Wunoa's family joined up with the Fadhrens' traveling group. The now united clan gained more members throughout the year. Dating three and a half years after their marriage, Caspian and Wunoa Fadhren had brought three girls into the world. The eldest was Iris, the middle child was Suzella, and the youngest was Carrin. The family led an interesting life, but that is beyond the scope of the tale.

This is about the life of the middle child, Suzella Fadhren.

By the age of seven, Suzella had mastered the simple dances she had begun practicing since she could walk, as well as several other, more advanced routines.

"Now, Suzella dear, repeat this with me," said Wunoa. The ruby eyed eight-year-old girl looked up at her unwaveringly, a mischievous smile on her face. She knew what was happening. She had seen her mother and the other older women do this many times before, and she had always wanted to learn. Now she would get her chance. Finally! "Radiance!"

"Radiance!" repeated the childish voice. From her hands and fingers came a flurry of bright sparks. She moved them around as she had seen it been done before, and produced a short spectacle of her own. Wunoa laughed as the girl watched with wonder at the magic that she produced. Her very first use of magic. Red eyes turned to the older woman, wide and sparkling with excitement. "I did it, Mama!"

"Yes, you did! And I'm very proud of you," said the caring mother.

That was the first of Suzella's many wonderful experiences.

One of the women of the gypsy band would stay with the children while the others performed, sold their crafts, performed tarot readings, or sold gems and healing ointments and such. When all the ladies were needed, the children would play together or hang around the men.

"Papa," said the five-year-old Carrin, "what's that you're working with?" She was looking at the coins in her father's hands as he counted the day's earnings and noted the amount in a book.

"It's money, Carrin," Iris answered for her father.

"I know that, sister," continued the younger girl. "I meant, how come those shiny pieces can buy other shiny things� I don't get it."

Caspian laughed heartily at his daughters' antics. He proceeded to put the coins in a small bag and yank at its chord to shut it. He tossed it back on the table, the coins making a jingling sound as they hit the wood, and he bent over a bit to regard Carrin. "You don't need to understand it yet, my dear Carrin. Soon, you'll know how to deal with the money, and you'll know how to put a fair price on things as well."

Having said that, he held her little arms and twirled her, the motion ending with the girl's giggles, a hug, and a kiss on the head from her father. He looked down at Iris and seemed to search for the missing girl. "Where's your sister?" he asked.

Nine-year-old Iris sighed and rolled her eyes. "She's out playing with Janice, Stephanie, Joey, Marc, and Leon again," she informed. "Honestly, you'd think she would be back at this hour! It looks like rain, too."

"She'll be fine," Caspian said, placing Carrin on the ground. He chuckled shortly, reminiscing about his wife. Iris was going to grow up to be just like her. However, a look outside told him that she was right --another similarity between his eldest daughter and his wife. It was getting late, and the children should be back with their parents. A flash of lightning caught his attention, as did the thunder that followed afterward. He cast a glance at Iris. "How do you do it, my child?"

Iris shook her head and sighed again. Caspian decided that maybe it was time for her to learn how to perform tarot readings. She seemed to have the gift.

"Rain! Rain!" Carrin cried, clasping her hands together in front of herself. "But where is Suzella?"

"Right here!" The voice of the middle Fadhren child came from the back of the tent. She had snuck in through the back. She now stood with her fists on her hips, a smile plastered onto her face. "I was inside the whole time." She winked.

"Nuh-uh!" Carrin protested. "I would've seen you."

"I went to Mama early today and she taught me a simple invisibility spell," Suzella proudly stated.

All the while, Iris was nodding. "I wonder what Carrin's special gift will be�"

"Special gift?" the youngest girl mimicked.

Iris nodded again. Caspian looked from one girl to another, then realized just how late it was. A crash of thunder shook off the sudden thoughtful atmosphere. The tall, dark skinned man laughed at seeing his daughters' frightened expressions. "Come on," he said. "It's too late for you to be up anyway." He rounded up the girls and, when they were ready, fell into a pleasant sleep.

***

There were many departures and arrivals throughout the years of Suzella's childhood and fresh youth. As Iris had once said, Carrin had a 'special gift', just as she and Suzella had. Carrin was a stronger, more athletic girl, and while the three had relatively high endurance, the youngest of the three Fadhren daughters surpassed them. She was the most acrobatic as well, being double-jointed and more flexible than even some of Wunoa's friends. Clearly, the Fadhren Three, as they came to be known, were three very special young ladies, as well as beautiful, just like their mother.

Eventually, the time came when the girls were old enough to break off into their own bands. There had been many children with them who had come and gone. Once they gathered together with their best friends, the three left their family in a band of their own, off to travel around Avalon anew, as young women of their own.

author's note to Callie-sama, not to be put up with the fic:
I think this is all I can come up with. If I wanna write anything else, I have to delete this and start on a fresh page. ^^; (Don't ask... please.. ^^) So here it is. The Prologue to the still title-lacking story about Suzella Fadhren.

On a side note, I can't pronounce Fadhren the way it looks. It was a weird spelling at first, so I changed it to something easier. I was in a Crest of the Stars mood, so I used the "dh" in the name. Now, in Crest of the Stars (it's an anime�^^), if the name were Abh (it's a non-human race. they're humanoid, though), it'd be pronounced "Fathren", ("a" as in "father") though written Fadhren. So I pronounce it Fathren. But it really doesn't matter. It's just useless trivia to boggle your already-busy mind. ^^

Oh, and, since this is plain html, you can format it to fit the other fics' ever-pretty paragraph breaks and pretty things. ^^;; See ya~!

*title* Chapter 1 Glass shattered. "Run!" Once again, the young gypsy band was forced to flee from a local tavern due to a few not-sober men and their attempts at getting a few of the ladies to 'stay' with them. It wasn't an unusual thing. But it was nonetheless degrading and perilous. They ran as fast as they could go -- with Carrin going the fastest, tailed by Leon Tailor -- and did not stop until they reached their camp in the woods. The sound of leaves crunching and branches snapping under their feet, the jingling of coins and jewels, some of their tired breaths, the owls' mysterious song, and the gentle yet attention-grasping chorus of the crickets being the sounds that accompanied them in their dash. The light from a lantern carried by Leon, one of the strongest of the men, was all they had to guide them in their run. It reflected off the ladies' jewels and clothing, off everyone's hair, and off their eyes. Each individual closely watched the one before him or her. And after little over five minutes, they reached their destination, tired, sweating, yet smiling. Ruby eyed Suzella laughed amidst her panting. "That was a rather clever thing to do, Stephanie," she teased the brunette girl who was a few months younger than herself. "Did you not see his eyes?" Stephanie closed her emerald eyes and shook her head. "It doesn't matter, Suzella. He was drunk!" "You should have payed more attention to that!" continued the darker skinned young woman. "Speak for yourself! Don't you recall--" They were interrupted by Iris, who had loudly cleared her throat and demanded their attention as well as everyone else's. There was a sage look in her golden honey eyes. "Don't bicker over such a trivial thing. No one was hurt, we're all alive, and we got our money." "Next time I'm asking for a tarot reading before we go somewhere," Marc joked. "I don't want any more trouble." "That would be up to me," Iris said, smirking as she did so. "All right, now that that's settled," Carrin interrupted. "Where is our next stop on the map?" Black haired, grey eyed Janice tapped her right index finger on her chin and looked up to the leaves and branches above them in a thoughtful manner. "Well�" she began. Lowering her gaze to the group, she continued, "This is our last stop in Sahria Hills for the moment. We're near the border. We just cross over into Belle Terre, and from there we take a ship to Moon Valley, and we start our rounds again. We may meet up with our families there, if I'm not mistaken." "Which city do we conquer first?" blue eyed Joey asked, mischievous grin gracing his facial features. Janice called off the name of one city in the kingdom of Belle Terre. One, and then they would stop at the capital of not just the kingdom, but all of Avalon: Lumiere. ******************** "It's . . . glorious . . . " said an awed Carrin. The group stood quite a distance from the famed Chateau Lumier, home of the King and Queen, and of the Prince Darian and his wife and children. Their story had traveled to the ends of Avalon, as had that of the beautiful castle. But, clearly, they did the sight no justice. No matter how far away they were, they could still see the rises and falls in the building's architecture, the shadows it cast as the mid-morning sun hit its eastern side, the rich tones of the material used to build it. Violet eyed Iris breathed in the air that had traces of freshly baked bread and smoke from distant pipes and closed her eyes. 'Something important will take place here . . . I can feel it.' No sooner had the dark haired young woman thought her thoughts, a young man came nearly running in their direction. Her amethyst eyes kept a sharp watch on him, but hid any suspicion. As he stopped before them, he paused briefly to catch his breath, giving the eldest Fadhren sister her chance to speak. "Are you all right?" "Quite all right, ma'am," he stated, straightening out the fabric of his left sleeve. "I come from the Chateau Lumiere with a message for your group." "What makes you so certain we're the ones you're looking for?" Leo asked, crossing his muscular arms before his wide chest and nearly glaring down at the messenger. The pale young man gulped before answering. "Descriptions, sir," he said. "And the direction from which you came. You're coming from the west. That is where the town Trefle is. You were there last." "The royals are certainly well informed," caramel eyed Carrin whispered to Stephanie and Janice, who nodded. "It is at the request of a visiting noble who has heard of you that you may come and perform for him at the Chateau Lumiere tonight." Murmurs of surprise arose within the small group, with the occasional glance from the ever-vigilant Leo and Iris. The latter was the one to give a brief, proud smile to the young messenger, but the former was the one to speak after he saw the eldest Fadhren girl's gesture. "Very well then," said he. "Are we to go there ourselves, or will we be shown inside?" "You are to arrive at the gates at seven. You'll be taken where you need to be once you get there." With a quick bow, the young man turned and went back in the direction he had come from, this time at the pace of a brisk walk. The group silently watched him retreat, mulling over the news and request. "Why are we just standing around here?" Suzella very determinedly broke the silence. "We're going to the palace. Chateau Lumiere! It's nearly everyone's dream to go there, and we, who never even mentioned that before, get to go!" "I'll say it's amazing . . . " Janice said, her lips curved into a small smile. "Wait 'til the old band finds out," Marc popped in, a twinkle of childlike excitement glimmering in his olive eyes. ******************** "Suzella." The young woman turned to the sound of her older sister's voice. Her honey colored eyes looked distant and knowing, yet, oddly, warm and gentle. The red eyed girl registered the feeling she felt when she saw Iris as the same one she'd been sensing all day from the older Fadhren. The group had gone through the town's shops that day, searching for new jewels or outfits to celebrate the acceptance of what they had been called to do. And now the tone of voice matched the look in her sister's eyes. Cautiously, as if expecting something serious, Suzella replied. "Yes?" Iris averted her gaze to her younger sister and sent a fond smile at her. She then nodded sagely, eyes closing and opening with the dip and rise of her head, and said, "We all love you very much. Watch yourself." "What," Suzella intoned with partial disbelief. "Do you think I'm going to mess up tonight?" "No, that's not it," Iris continued, shaking her head lightly. "Nevermind." "Iris . . . ?" The elder sister dismissed the thought with a wave of her hand. "It's nothing fatal or health-related. Just remember that you are loved, no matter what." With that, the dark haired, honey eyed young woman rose from her seat and spun, her simple skirts flowing with the movement; at the door flap of the tent, she turned to regard her sibling, then gave her a nod of approval, to which the younger one smiled brightly. Once outside, Iris cast her gaze to the stars that were visible in the twilight. She breathed a short, deep sigh before going on to finish with her preparations. ******************** Lights and rich colors whirled before her eyes, and the jingle-jangle of the instrument her sister held, along with a string instruments some of the young men played, were barely noticed as the girls finished their dance Note: This is where I'm stuck. I don't know how I could phrase the next few things� This is the scene where she meets Cameron. I don't think it should happen all too soon, though. But that's the thing: If I kept writing, it'd be low in quality (we do NOT want that! Not at the Society, which is so awesome!) and ... put simply, dull. Would it be horrible of me to ask for help? Thanks so much for your patience and general wonderfulness.