Glade #1- Sharlot

Sharlot has short bobbed dark hair and thick heavy bangs straight across her forehead. She is tall with long legs, but not a very girlish figure. She has mocha skin and large honey-brown eyes. She has a long nose and very thick, roundish lips. She is soft spoken but stubborn. Kind of a whiner too. Has major issues with guilt and she thinks way too much. Oh and did I mention she's kind of a whiner? Yea, she can get kind of annoying with her "woe is me" stuff. It was no secret in Moonsong that Sharlot was related to the man who had caused all of their hardships. Keenes the Dark was an uncle of hers. Normally this was a fact that she kept secret. But her in the Glade, it was ok. It was understood that she could't choose who she was related to. There were people with much darker pasts that called Moonsong home. As long as trouble and conflict within the community was kept to a minimum, nobody cared about your past. Or your relatives.

Sharlot's mother had married a brother of Keenes'. With Keenes' rise to power, Sharlot's father received more land- and a new, younger wife. Sharlot's mother, hurt by this betrayal, fled, taking Sharlot along. They received word as they made their way across the country that Keenes' had a special task force sweeping the lands, searching for the two missing women. Sharlot's mother vowed she would never go back to that world- they would never take her alive. The two found refuge in Moonsong, and claimed a cottage in the Glade as their own.

Sharlot loved her mother. Valera was strong and full of pride, and refused to let her husband's betrayal get her down. She found work making clothing for the village. She had a loom, and spent much of her time knitting and weaving. Sometimes at night, when Sharlot lay awake, she could hear her mothers' soft sobs from the other bedroom. It broke her heart to hear her mother in pain, and she felt an overwhelming rage towards her father and uncle.

Sharlot found a special friend in Calick, a boy about her age that made his home in the Forest. His family had also been affected by the War- and by Sharlot's evil uncle. They and some of the others talked vaguely of a hope for a future where they could do something to help. Sharlot knew that they had an advantage- she was related to the man responsible for everything, and he had been looking for her for over a year. They hoped that someday this could help their cause- but for now it was just a fleeting hope, a growing idea.

Speaking of ideas. Calick was now somehow convinced that the dragons could help their plight. He had run off, suddenly, with barely any warning at all to stand on the Sands and hope to Impress a dragon. Sharlot was skeptical. Dragons were great for many reasons- company, love, someone that would never betray or abandon you, someone you could always trust and depend on.. not as fickle as humans. And sure they were strong and fierce LOOKING. But really, could a few young kids and their young dragon partners overthrow a fierce king and his armies? Did dragons even fight anymore? She hadn't heard of dragons in a war except in history books. But Calick was convinced- maybe they wouldn't have to fight. They would find a way. He was sure of it, convinced. This was the way. So Calick was gone. A pair of gnomes, she had heard, were also gone. Fell through the Portal into another world, a world that just so happened to have dragon-eggs on the Sands. There were murmurs among the young people. They wanted to go, too. If dragons were the way to peace, everyone wanted a part. Sharlot was not so sure she did.

She sat down next to her mother's loom. Honey colored eyes met their match, and the quiet whir of the loom was all that filled the air.

"What is it, Shar?" asked her mother in a soft voice.

"The others. They are all excited about this dragon business. Too excited. They have thrown all of their hope and faith into something that might not even happen. Say the three that are gone do come back with dragons. Why does that make our situation.. our life, any different? Keenes," she spit out the name like a curse, "will not falter. A scaly beast will not stop him. He is power hungry and greedy. And when he gets old and dies, one of his many sons- or maybe one of his brothers-" she thought, sadly, of her father when she said this- would her father become the next monster? "-will take over for him. It will not stop. We cannot stop it with dreams and wishes. But we don't have a plan. We are unprepared." Her mother's weaving didn't slow.

"Sharlot, you think too much. You can't expect a group of five children to bring down a kingdom. It takes time, planning. You don't need to have a plan right now. The point is that they are trying. They have the desire to make a difference. And change may not come in my lifetime, or your lifetime. But change WILL come to this world. If a handful of 'scaly beasts' can cause that man to falter, to slow- then it will have been a success. Remember, Sharlot, that he has never seen opposition. People have fled, hid, ran, but never fought. Never stood up to him. This is something that you must remember."

Sharlot was still troubled. She hated not knowing what would happen. It was true though, that Keenes had never faced opposition. And really, how many of the men in his army really wanted to be there, and how many were forced? Thoughts whirled in her mind. She had a headache, decided to go for a walk. She sat on the riverbank, crouched with her arms wrapped around her legs, staring intently into the water. Trying to think of anything but stupid dragons, stupid wars and stupid Calick with his stupid ideas. Clearly she wasn't having much luck. She jumped to her feet and started sprinting. Just running, with nowhere in mind, just running to run, to leave it all behind. The truth was, she felt terrible, horrible guilt. She was related to the monster that caused this. There were people after her and her mother. What if those men tracked her to Moonsong? She would be responsible for the destruction of the sanctuary. What if the dragons did come, if they were willing to make a stand.. what if her friends, her family, were killed. What if Keenes' armies were stronger than they thought, and wiped out the rebels? She would never be able to live with herself. Ugh, she was still thinking about it...

Trees were blurs. She heard small animals and birds scattering out of her way. Her feet touched the earth lightly, and her long legs carried her swiftly. She was graceful. The run was exhilarating, and soon she was breathing hard. She collapsed onto the ground, panting, and rolled over to stare through the treetops at the beautiful blue sky.

"Just get me out of here," she murmured. She closed her eyes. "Somewhere were I can't hurt anybody." She heard a rustle in the brush, the whoosh sound of elven magic, a twittering giggle, and she opened her eyes. "Where am I?" she cried. She jumped to her feet, heart still racing from her run. The trees were gone. The clear blue sky. Instead, she was inside of a....something. It was chilly, and she was suddenly aware of her inappropriate attire. In the glade, the temperature was always at least 20 degrees warmer than in the surrounding forests. So she wore short knickers, a short button-up, poorly crafted, a shirt she had made with help from her mother- who laughed at the poor quality, but approved of Sharlot's attempt.

"Welcome to Moon Forest," twittered a voice, gleefully. Sharlot turned, flame sin her eyes to see.. Well, who knows. Some tiny little man. With huge ears and a grin.

"Who are you, and WHY am I here? And TAKE ME HOME." she hollered. Her voice may or may not have echoed a bit down the hall.

"I am known by many names. You may call me Robin. Or Puck. Shakespeare wrote about me." He took off his tiny hat and bowed. She just looked at him blankly.

"Shake what?"

"Nevermind. The point is, Sharlot, that you need to stop worrying so much about the future and just live your life. Stop worrying. Stop planning. Things will work out in their own way. And none of this is your fault." He tipped his hat and vanished in a blink. She just stood there, dumbfounded.

"But how can i get home? My mother needs me!" she cried out to nobody. She was starting to feel a bit ashamed, worried and scared. A voice from nowhere said, "Your mother will be fine. You'll be back before she knows you're gone." How that made any sense she didn't know, but she began to wander helplessly through the halls. "Dragons. Of course," she muttered.

"I've never seen such a reluctant candidate," said a bemused voice. Groaning, Sharlot turned around, glaring.

"Look. I am not here for dragons. I just want to go home, hug my mother, and get back to my stupid, boring life," she spat. Fire leapt in her eyes.

"Sorry kid. You're stuck here. The only way you're going to be leaving is on the back of a Dragon." Sharlot heaved a heavy sigh.

"I can't impress a dragon. It will be doomed with me as a mate. My family. He will find me. And he may kill me. My friends are already taking their lives in their hands with stupid unformed plans. I-"

"Alright look. Quit whining. I don't know who is after you, and I don't particularly care. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Whatever your friends are doing, they're clearly making their own decisions. None of it is your fault. So shut your face and accept the truth- for SOME reason my dragon here thinks you'd make an ideal candidate."

And finally Sharlot was speechless.
Moon Forest Weyr

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