Heart of stone

Waking up well before the sun rose she rubbed her eyes and stretched getting out of bed quickly. If you can call what she slept on a bed it was hay with a blanket tossed over it and the fire singed the edges since she slept right next to it. Getting dressed in her basic cotton dress she put on her apron and got to work getting water from the well and preparing breakfast. She made eggs bread and sliced cheese which was most common for breakfast, she hardly got a taste of it though.

Her father came down from his room seeing her cooking and shouted "How many times must we go through this I want my food before I get down here not after! Lazy Wench!" She turned hearing him shout just in time to be slapped across the face, she flinched at the sting and bowed her head "I'm sorry father I'll be up earlier tomorrow" she kept her voice soft and low as to not aggravate him further. She handed him a plate of food just to have it thrown on the floor "I've lost my appetite now clean it up!" She nodded and got down on her knees scurrying to clean up the food.

Hearing his footsteps retreat she looked up and saw he had taken a slice of bread and cheese. Breathing out a sigh of relief took a bite of the egg he dropped and smiled slightly, her mother had died a 10 years ago from disease and her father treated her this way ever since. A servant not a daughter why? He was convinced his wife was unfaithful when she had her since she looked nothing like her father. Instead of simply getting rid of her he kept her as a slave beating her every chance he got, he had two other daughters with her mother they were four years older than her and weren't around much. They had passed the survival tests and lived on the other side of town as warriors and protectors of the village. Being raised as a servant girl she had no fighting skills like her sisters, whenever her father would train and teach them he locked her in the kitchen.

He had managed to convince her sisters that she was not his and a slave girl does not need to learn how to fight. She wasn't completely without skill though she knew how to make a fire and make clothing, she knew how to find herbs and cook. Things also seemed to work in her favor even though her home situation was not favorable, if she needed something a tool or cloth she always managed to find it.

As she finished cleaning up the spill she grabbed the bucket of feed and her shawl heading out to tend to the chickens and cow. Going about her day as per usual she cared for the livestock and cleaned the house while her father was out. Once the sun started to set she made dinner a simple lentil soup, she set the table for her father minutes before he came home clearly drunk "Is dinner ddone? Hic wats this soup? Hic we have chickens and cow and all you make me is lentil soup?!" He shouted loudly hitting her again and again till her lip bled. After he was satisfied beating her he sat down and ate dipping bread into the soup and munching on the last of the jerky she had smoked. Going into the kitchen muttering an excuse me to her father she tended to her busted lip pressing a bit of cloth with wine on it to clean it.

She let a few tears fall before eating what was left of the soup which wasn't much but it sustained her. Wiping her tears she cleaned up dinner and readied for bed but her father walked into the kitchen a moment later "Your survival test is tomorrow at dawn little Gabrielle be sure to be ready" her jaw dropped she wasn't supposed to do that for another two years "but father..I'm not old enough to..." he cut her off with a backhand to the face "I don't care I'm sick of you messing everything up. your whore of a mother burdened me with you for long enough I slipped to the council letting them know you were old enough and they asked no questions so your going and I'll finally be rid of you." She held her swollen cheek that he struck whimpering slightly, she had some skill Yea but not enough to survive in the forest. She laid down on her arm dreading the rising of the sun trying to stay calm and think what she could do.

The next morning she woke again before the sun and quickly ate some leftover bread from the day before along with a bit of cheese she would need the energy. Thinking she knew the survival tests didn't let you take anything with you but she was clever she took some thread and a wooden sewing needle and put it in her hair like a pin, so it wouldn't be seen. As she dressed her father came in smirking "Time to go dearest daughter" she furrowed her brows in confusion since he never called her that but then it hit her the whole village is present for when someone goes off to the test and since she never went out they didn't know her father mistreated her. She stood up shaking slightly but determined "Yes father" he led her out holding her arm his face somber as they walked through the village many of them giving her flowers and patting her shoulder "You'll be fine deary" the old lady who sold flowers said one of the few who knew her since she was a child.

She smiles softly at the old women and continued to follow her father to the edge of town where the council had gathered. He tightened his grip on her arm painfully and whispered "Say anything and the next two years will be much worse then the last ten" she gulped the dark threat that hung with his words made her keep her mouth shut as the council greeted her "Hello dear the test is simple venture into the forest and survive at least a week then find your way back home, should you succeed then you will join your sisters" he blessed her and nodded for her to strip. She took in a slow breath and removed her clothing nervously her skin laid bare for all to see. 

The man smiled at her and handed her a small water-skin "this is the only thing you may take in with you Gabrielle use it wisely off you go" he gently touched her back nudging her to the forest. She took several deep breaths as she stepped into the forest clad only with a canteen and her skills. The wind whipped around her harshly making her shiver and chill, winter would be soon. Turning to look back at the villagers her father had tears in his eyes seeing his youngest walk to her death. She scoffed, he put on quite the act he cared nothing for her.

She continued to walk, bushes brush up against her bare skin, the heat from the sun warm on her back. Not knowing if she would live out the night she held her head high and bid farewell to her home. She just caught a glimpse of her father smirking slightly happy to be rid of her clearly but he quickly changed it to a sob, the village blacksmith patting his back. Finally walking far enough she spat on the ground behind her, she wouldn't let herself die she had strength in mind. Even though the sun was rising the forest was still quite dark the air heavy around her, she walked occasionally wincing at a thorn bush prickling her skin.

Her feet were bloody within minutes since she had no shoes, she ignored the pain and continued to go deeper into the forest hoping to find a clearing to have a fire. She grabbed a few sticks and branches along the way carrying them under her arm, thankfully due to all the work she did at home she had the strength to carry a decent amount before her arm started to cramp a little. Animals chirped and scurried around her acknowledging her presence a small bunny even hopped by her feet. She jumped feeling it's fur glide across her leg but slowly kneeled down to it "hello there little bunny you frightened me"

The rabbit stared up at her frozen in panic, she cooed at it softly "it's alright I won't hurt you bunny" it inched towards her slowly. She smiled and pulled out a clover from the top of her ear it was a four leaved one so she grabbed it for luck. She handed it out to the bunny since it was the perfect snack, the bunny sniffed it and took it munching happily. Once done the bunny jumped onto her hand looking for more "I'm sorry little bunny, I only had one" she gently pet it's cheek with her thumb since her other hand was holding the wood she gathered "you wouldn't know a good place I can have a fire do you?" She knew it was silly to ask a rabbit for such advice since they couldn't communicate but maybe on some level he would understand what she asked.

The bunny cocked its head to one side and hopped off in no general direction but he didn't go fast so she followed silently. Following deeper and deeper into the forest she shook getting colder but kept her mind focused on the rabbit and keeping up with him. Her shoulder was really starting to get sore from carrying the wood and her feet were badly injured soon they came to a clearing a small spot touched by the light of the sun covered in clovers. She smiled and laid down on the grass giving her feet a rest, the bunny sat and munched watching her closely. Putting the wood in a small pile she took the canteen that luckily had some water in it and rinsed her feet with the cool water. She let out a small sound of pain as the water stung the many cuts, she looked around observing the area. The little patch of grass was only a few feet in each direction she'd have enough room for a fire and sleeping area not much else.

Sitting up she gently pet the bunny who didn't seem afraid of her he sat near her hip taking in her warmth. She cleared away a small area of clovers and piled her sticks and branches up to make a fire. Taking out a small pair of striking stones from her braid she struck it and lit it up, having a fire no matter how small gave her some comfort. She was glad to have a few things in her long hair, now that she had a place to stay and fire she had the chance to access herself and surroundings. Picking up the bunny she kisses it's head softly "Stay here ok little guy I'm gonna look around" the bunny make a squeak sound in response as she put it down, pulling her braid to the side she undid it letting her long red hair flow out and surround her helping her get covered a bit. A few things fell out the needle and thread she hid away and a small sharp rock she tucked away. The rock was as big as an arrowhead she found it when she was young and found it to be lucky so she kept it. Having tucked it away to help her hair stay up she was thankful no one noticed it. She set the items aside but held onto the sharp rock and headed into the forest around the little patch of grass, it had gotten a bit lighter since she stopped so it was easier to see.

The trees were very tall and vibrant sycamore and oak mostly surrounded her. Using the rock she cut a few thick vines from a few trees they would work for tying. A few rustled noises were heard around her she froze and looked around only to find a squirrel had scurried near her "oh I'm sorry is this your home don't worry I didn't take anything" she smiled and headed back to the clearing, along the way she found some scraps of cloth probably from other warriors who either failed the tests or just left behind. Picking them up she giggled happily knowing she could make some clothing.

The sun high above her now and her stomach rumbled loudly, she hadn't seen anything she could eat aside from the clovers which were not very nutritious for her. The thought of other warriors killing animals came to mind and she thought about the bunny she knew she couldn't hurt it even for food it helped her find a place to rest and sleep. Thankfully a stream was nearby so she had plenty of water, after gorging on water for awhile she huffed and went off to search for berries.

She knew the dangers of venturing too far from her little camp but she was getting hungry. Being mindful of how far from her camp she got she managed to find some berry bushes and as she picked something caught her attention a big stone statue. She ate a few big berries while making her way over to it and stared in awe at what it was.

The sheer size of it made her jaw drop, it was the stone dragon her village spoke about. In its chest sat a ruby the size of her head it was beautiful but what caught her eye the most was the dragons ember eyes glowing softly. Admiring the beauty of its intricate scales and wings her eyes ended on the black glowing chain around its ankle, the inscription on it was foreign to her she couldn't read it. Reaching out her finger grazed the metal, in a flash of spark the chain broke off and crumbled away. She jumped and fell backward at the shock of electrical power that surged through her body. All she saw before unconscious pulled her down was the stone dragon cracking and ember eyes stared down at her.