The brick I had taken offered something unique. Something that didn't belong in the room was now offering itself as a great holder for light. Perhaps I would be the same. I did not belong here, for all I knew. For all I that I know, I could only come up with simply strange and silly excuses as to why I am here. Still, the fall. But how and why it is here, and what, where and when about the fall. Memories seemed to come less and less lately.
I returned to the house, pondering what light my existence here could provide. I felt some sort of tie to this place. I couldn't understand it. Another thing I couldn't understand. It hit me then that I didn't understand a lot of things. Obviously I'm not omniscient, but this started to make me feel rather insecure to a point I couldn't bear. What was really going on? Really. . .
"It offers . . . powers." "You'll die! What if. . . he will not hesitate."
My surroundings surged towards me, and in the same instant they backed away. It happens again, again, again, again. I drop to the ground. In my mind, I hear a faded and distant conversation. It's missing pieces, words, and context. I don't understand it at all. I crawl to the side of the house and sit down. The sun was slowly setting behind the vast ocean ahead of me. I could not see it, but I knew it was going to be night soon because of the chromatic sky. I close my eyes.
I slept there on the ground, leaning against the house. It was peaceful, full of solace and very quiet. But I awoke when my arm gave out from supporting me. I slowly slid over to my left, waking up in time to catch myself. I got up, and began to return to the inn. I walked through the open-ended building, which surprisingly still had many people awake and going about whatever it was they did. It must have been about two o'clock.
As I was walking through, one of the men in the room called for every bodies attention. I stopped to listen.
"I have found the legendary. . . Mirror of the Lich Queen!" He grinned, awaiting everyone's response, which was surprisingly a bunch of boos. He laughed a nervous laugh.
"How many times are you going to go on about some Lich Queen!? You-- there is no evidence there is one."
"Yeah, give it up. There are some better things to pursue in the desert."
"Oh ho ho! When will you learn Gerald? There is no such thing as legendaries!"
Really, they were all just joking, but in that manner only good friends can do and appreciate. Although it was all just fun and games, per se, he seemed rather upset. The mirror was rather beautiful, and I began to believe I understood his disappointment. Such a nice piece, whether it held a historic value or not, was hard to appreciate in their eyes.
I approached the man, Gerald. He looked up at me, a small bit of sorrow in his eyes. I smelled alcohol. Perhaps they all thought he was drunk.
"It's really the Mirror," he tried to explain, "it's something special. . . I wish they would know." I felt bad. I looked into the mirror, and for the first time since I've arrived here I saw my own reflection.
My hair was as red as blood. My eyes reflected the candle light nearby, giving my eyes a glow that made them appear more yellow than their normal gold color. My ears were slightly pointed, but nothing like an elf ear. My lips were colored like my hair, and my cheeks had red color in it, though not as much. All the angles of my face: cheek, nose, chin, everything, was sharp and smooth and strong, yet it captured the beauty of any noble woman. My skin was clear, and ever so slightly tanned, and I looked young. All the curves of my body were well defined. In essence, I looked perfect.
Yet I wasn't perfect. Who was I? Was I noble, or famous? Something about my appearance seemed more taunting and rude, rather than being complimentary to who I was. I felt that because I missed so much in what I am, I didn't deserve such looks. Like a thief who stole the beautiful jewels of any grand being, I must have stolen the beauty of another living person.
Quickly, I dismissed those thoughts. I knew that I didn't want anything from any other life, and those thoughts only brought me to that level.
"How much?" I asked, smiling. He looked shocked, and didn't know if he heard me right.
"What?" he asked, his ears twitched.
"How much for the mirror?" I repeated myself. He tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing, examining me, trying to decide if I was really serious. I was. It would like nice above that table, or maybe even somewhere in that brick house.
"I suppose. . . a thousand gold coins. No wait! A pretty, young lady like yourself deserves this mirror for, say, two-hundred coins. Sound good?" I blushed a bit, although I knew it was something other than flattery that made me blush. And it was not love.
"Well, I don't know if I can really afford something so nice as that." I said innocently. He looked a bit stressed.
"If 'ems don't like it, or believe it, I guess I can let it go. How 'bout. . . one hundred and fifty." His eyes met mine. "Er... one hundred?" I laughed softly.
"One hundred-fifty is fine! But you're so sweet for making such a nice deal for me." I pulled out my coin purse, which quickly captured his attention.
"What a nice purse, there! It must have been expensive. Where did you get it? How much? What kinda job do you have? It looks like it's from far away."
"I--. . ." Counting coins, I began to wonder where I got this? I hadn't thought about where my money came from. I never thought of what to tell someone these kind of questions, and now I started to panic inside. Keep calm. And where I got my clothes and equipment. Keep calm! My past. . .
"It's, uh. . . I work. . . in. . . foreign. . . affairs." He smiled. It worked. My past tells me I'm a foreigner, and so I wasn't lying, not that I cared if I did.
"So are you from across the ocean?" I didn't know what was out there, but I went with my story.
"Yeah, I just travel a lot. No real home for me. I can't even remember my home. Been on the road for so long, you know?" He nodded in agreement. "Well, here's your money."
I walked out with the mirror. It was large, and heavier than I thought. It wouldn't have been too much for me to handle, but its size made the weight awkward. I struggled to carry it. As I was walking, I stumbled and began to lose balance. I fell backwards, hoping I could try to save the mirror, but my fall was stopped. . .
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