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Posted by: Tábrasa Dec 12 2011, 12:44 AM

Hello! I'll start by introducing myself.

My name is Tábrasa and I'm new to the forums. I've been silently looking at some of the stories on the forums and have felt truly inspired.
Therefore I have decided to start the story of my Breton Wiccan, Tara Willow, who I've been travelling with for the past year. Below is an introduction to Tara, which will soon be followed by the Prologue...

INTRODUCTION TO TARA WILLOW

Tara Willow is a 20 year old female Breton born on the 14th of Rain's Hand, 3E 413.

She is primarily a Conjurer but also dabbles in Destruction and Illusion. She is also handy with a blade in certain situations.

Her father died when she was a teenager and her mother resides somewhere in Cyrodiil, under a new name following events in High Rock that led her to abandon Tara as an infant.

Tara's father was a man obsessed with the art of Mysticism; but in the wrong kind of way. He wanted to experiment the thought of finding a way to turn the human body itself into a soul gem; an experment not only ridiculed, but dangerous.

One day, however, he managed to succeed in his experiment; using a teenage Tara as his unwilling test subject. He managed to trap a spirit withing Tara's body, leaving her in an unusual state.

Tara now has to permanantly live with an extra spirit inside her, who she named Willow, after her surname.
Willow is able to communicate with Tara and take control of her body for brief periods; but only when Tara desperatly need's her assistance. However, Willow's possesions are almost NEVER a good thing.

Currently Tara is on a mission to find her mother, mainly for her own piece of mind. All she knows is that she is in Cyrodiil, but nothing else. The only thing she has to offer any aid in her quest is the memory of her mothers face...

Posted by: SubRosa Dec 12 2011, 01:16 AM

Hi Tábrasa! You have an interesting concept. The idea of turning a person's body into a sort of living soul gem is an intriguing idea. Sort of like lichdom, except in this case you have two souls sharing the same flat. Although perhaps dear old Daddy is working on a way to evict the original soul? That would give one a means for serial immortality, changing bodies as they grow old and wear out. All without all that rotting flesh the necromancers love to roll around in.

Given the name(s) of your protagonist(s) I suspect that you are a BtVS fan as well, not to mention a Willow fan. She was always my favorite character on the show. In fact, I had such a crush on her back then. Toward the end I was literally only watching to see her, and fast-forwarded through the parts she was not on screen.

You describe her as a Breton Wiccan? Not to mention a conjurer. Does that mean she will be using a different form of magic then we are used to seeing? Such as not summoning undead or deadra but something else? If she comes from the Western Reach that would make for the ideal melting pot for a very eclectic tradition of magic. In my TF, I introduced the concept of summoning Aedra for the "good" characters. Not to mention summoning animals such as wolves, bears, lions, etc... for the actual Witches.

Posted by: Tábrasa Dec 12 2011, 01:25 AM

Yes, Tara and Willow are indeed from BtVS. I was always drawn to the thought of creating one character who can't live without their literal soulmate, and being such a huge BtVS fan, I was sure the relationship between Tara and Willow would be perfect inspiration. Seeing as i've been travelling with Tara for almost a year, it's been interesting seeing their relationship grow and almost change.

Yes, she is a Wiccan, but I really want to download this Witchcraft mod I have heard of, but as I am on console normal Conjuration will do Tara just fine... for now I plan to write her with Wiccan powers, however, although in my game she does not. I've basically read what the mod provides so writing with that in mind whilst using the power of imagination will be fine

Tara's father is heavily included in the Prologue, as well as his experiment, so we may learn his intentions. Also, I forgot to mention in the introduction, Tara's parts of the story will be written in third person and Willow in first. I wanted to write something that shows the differences between the two people.

Also, thank you for your warm welcome

P.S I absoloutly LOVE Tara in BtVS. I was so upset when I watched her departure from the show :'( but from then on I was team Willow all the way

Posted by: SubRosa Dec 12 2011, 01:49 AM

I am the one who created that Witchcraft mod. Unless there is another one out there (there is a fella who created a hunter's mod that is very similar, and he too is a Pagan like myself). It basically allows you to conjure wolves, timber wolves, boars, black bears, lions, grizzly bears, and finally spriggans. There are also 3 sets of bound armor/maces you can summon of gradually increasing power.

The religion I created to go with the powers is summed up by a book I created for the mod:

Posted by: Tábrasa Dec 12 2011, 01:55 AM

All I have to say is WOW. This kind of lore you have created for the mod is amazing! If it is okay with you, would It be okay for me to use some of this lore to explain some things about Witches for my story? I will obvioulsy make a side note that you created the lore and the mod

Posted by: SubRosa Dec 12 2011, 02:22 AM

Thank you. Go right on ahead and use whatever you would like. We tend to like to share our ideas here at Chorrol, even down to simple things like terms to use for things. Some of my best ideas were borrowed from other people!

Posted by: Acadian Dec 12 2011, 03:23 AM

A very warm welcome to you, Tabrasa! As one who shares life inside the mind and body of another, I’m both delighted and intrigued by Tara and Willow!

What a fabulous foundation for a story you have here, and Tara already has a wonderful mission – to find her mother. I’m pleased that you have chosen to anchor your story in the beautiful province of Cyrodiil and I so look forward to reading more!

Posted by: mALX Dec 12 2011, 03:33 AM

The concept for your story is fascinating! Welcome to the Forums!

Posted by: King Coin Dec 12 2011, 05:12 AM

Very interesting character you have. Sounds like she has a very complicated relationship with the spirit residing in her body.

Welcome!

Posted by: McBadgere Dec 12 2011, 07:25 AM

I had a bit of a thing for Willow meself... ...Oooh, and Tara...Oooh and Kennedy...Ooooh and Ms Calendar...Did you know she was one of Prince's dancers for Diamonds and Pearls?...*Sighs*...Oooh and Buffy's mum...

...*Cough*...Sorry...

Welcome Tabrasa...*Waves*... ...

Looking forward to reading yer story...

...

Posted by: Tábrasa Dec 12 2011, 12:12 PM

Everyone, thank you so much for your warm welcomes! I really hope you enjoy Tara's story, here is the first part of the prologue.

The prologue will be in three parts.

Just a quick NOTE: There is a scene in the chapter which some people may find upsetting.

3E 423 - Farrun, High Rock

Tara was woken up, again, to the sound of her parents fighting. She never understood why. On the outside they appeared to be the perfect couple, but when the lights went out and they were out of view from the world, that’s when their true feelings for each other emerged.

Tara slowly crawled out if bed and crept towards her bedroom door. She slowly reached for the door knob and turned it ever so slightly, then pulled the door toward her. She didn’t know exactly what they were arguing about, but she heard her name mentioned on more than one occasion.

She saw it. Through a small opening in the door she saw her mother and father arguing. It was terrible, horrifying even, but Tara was used to it. She was used to the bitterness and the hatred they had for each other. She would look and the other mothers and fathers of Farrun and feel nothing but jealousy. She wished her parents could be happy, be normal. The amount of times she deemed running away the only option was one time too many.

She continued to watch her parents through the opening, praying silently to herself that the fighting would be over soon; mainly because she wanted to go back to sleep.

After five minutes of watching them Tara decided to sit down to view them instead. She knew it wasn’t going to end any time soon. Both her mother and her father were extremely strong willed and stubborn, so neither of them was prepared to end the fight without a win.

Tara then heard the arguing getting clearer as her parents took the fight upstairs. Tara slid away from the door opening, out of sight, but still listening carefully to her parents.

“This is obscure, Riccard! You can’t expect the guild to agree with this!” Tara mother pleaded.

“The guild has no business in this whatsoever, Jada, no business at all!” Riccard replied sternly.

“But you are dabbling in magic’s that no one has ever dared to! What do you expect me to do? Sit back and keep my mouth shut?”

“Well, that would be a good start!”

Then Tara heard something else she was used to, her mother harshly slapping her father on the cheek.

There was a silence. Intrigued by the silence Tara slowly crept her vision back to the door opening.

She then witnessed something she’d never seen before.

Riccard raised his fist and with such terrifying force he punched Jada in the eye, knocking her down with an incredible thud.

Tara was left reeling, eyes wide in shock at what she had just witnessed. She watched as her mother led on the floor, crying. She was in agony.

All Tara could do was run back to her bed and hide under the covers. She hoped everything would be okay soon.



“But mother, why do you have to go?” Tara asked. Her and her mother were sat at the table; or rather Tara on the table and her mother on a chair next to her, gripping her hand.

“I don’t want to, sweetie, but… it’s just something I have to do.” Jada replied, her eyes remorseful. Tara looked up from her knees and at her mother.

“Are you going because father hit you?”
Jada looked at her daughter, this time in horror. “Sweetie, what are you talking about?”

“Last night. I saw father punch you. I saw you crying.”

Jada remained silent for a second, eventually forcing a smile with the hope of comforting her daughter.

“That was an accident that you shouldn’t have seen. But no, that isn’t why I’m leaving. I wish I could tell you why I’m leaving, but…”

“But what, mother?” Tara asked. Jada thought for a while and then shook her head to remove the thought she had.

“Sweetie I really can’t tell you. You just have to believe and trust that I’m leaving for the right reasons.”

“How can I do that when I don’t know why you’re leaving?”

Jada remained silent, tears evident in her eyes. Tara then continued.

“Can I come with you?”

Jada slowly shook her head. “No, sweetie, you can’t.”

Tara looked back down at her knees. Jada then lightly grabbed Tara’s chin and lifted Tara’s gaze into hers.

“Look,” She started before taking off her silver necklace and placing it around Tara’s neck. “Keep this with you at all times, okay? Keep it as a symbol of my love for you. Where ever I am, however far away from you I may be, this is to remind you that I will ALWAYS be thinking of you. You will be on my mind from dawn till dusk. You will always be in my heart. Just because I won’t be around doesn’t mean I don’t love you, okay?”

Jada then slowly kissed Tara on the cheek, but the moment was spoiled by the appearance of Riccard. He stood in the doorway to the dining room; arms folded.

“I thought you were leaving?” He asked firmly. Jada stood and headed toward Riccard.

“I am. There is a carriage outside waiting for me. Would you at least help me with my bags?”

Riccard glared at Jada and then reluctantly headed to the front door to get the rest of Jada’s things to load them into the carriage.

As Jada was leaving the dining room, Tara asked her one more question.

“Mother… why are you leaving me alone with father?”

Jada stopped and slowly turned her head toward Tara. She said nothing; only cried. She tried to say ‘sorry’, but the tears formed a barrier her words couldn’t break through. She left the dining room. She left Tara’s life. Tara didn’t know whether it would be forever. But for now; she was alone.

3E 432 - Farrun, High Rock

Tara stepped into her house, keeping an eye out for her father as she snuck in through the door. She had just been out celebrating her nineteenth birthday with her friends, and if her father found out she knew he would freak. She didn’t even know if he remembered it was her birthday. He never had any time for her; but she was fine with that. As far as she could recall they had only had one conversation since Jada left when Tara was ten, and that conversation was only initiated when Tara accidentally got in Riccard’s way.

Tara walked through the house, looking for her father, but he wasn’t anywhere. She could only assume that he was in the basement working on his research. Ever since Tara’s mother left he had spent nearly every day working in the basement; and only the gods knew what he was working on. She stumbled into the kitchen (she had had more than a few goblets of wine) and looked in the cupboard for food. Her hunger was unbearable. When she walked over to the cupboard she noticed something on the table. A note. She picked up the note and read it aloud to herself.

“I’ve gone to get supplies. Don’t go in the basement.”

It was written by her father. She rolled the note into a ball and threw it on the floor. She went to open the cupboard, but caught a glimpse of the basement door. She stared at it for a while. Father won’t be home for a while, I think. Maybe the reason mother left is in the basement?

She slowly closed the cupboard door, ignoring her excruciating hunger for now as she walked toward the basement. When she was stood before the door she had a large intake of breath and prepared herself for the secrets she was sure to discover.

The basement was dark and miserable. The only source of light was a pathetic excuse of a torch flickering slightly in the corner of the room. She headed towards the torch and grabbed it. She looked around the basement. Nothing out of the ordinary. A few alchemy supplies and spell books. The only thing that bothered her was the unidentified smell that lingered. It smelled dead, like a rotting wolf. But with the source of the smell unknown and the basement less than interesting, Tara- Hold on. What’s this?

Tara looked at the table and saw an unlabeled, leather bound book. It looked like a journal. She placed the torch carefully beside the table and opened the book, looking behind her quickly to check for her father. Nothing.

She placed a seat near the torchlight and sat down. She began to read.

…I feel like my experiment is finally ready for testing. Jada disproved of it but I am certain that I can prove her wrong. For years I’ve had this theory that the human brain is capable of carrying the soul of the dead and extracting it at will into enchantments; much like a living soul gem, if you will.
I have stored some bodies that I have found under the floor board ready to extract their souls ready for the experiment…

“Bodies? The smell…” Tara gasped, but she continued to read.

All I need now is somebody that I can use as a test subject. Someone who is willing to be a marvel in the art of Mysticism. Someone who is willing to risk their life for my research into-

Abruptly Tara was grabbed from behind; her eyes covered, an arm held tightly around her neck. After a struggle, a potion was forced into her mouth, which she had no choice but to swallow. After her body started to relax, her musles loosening and her eyelids began to drop, she fell unconscious.

Posted by: McBadgere Dec 12 2011, 02:00 PM

Charming fellow that dad there... ...

An excellent and evocative write...I really did feel sad for Tara and her mother...Nasty business that...

Looking forward to seeing how the live soul gem thing works...And whether the recharging dissipates the captured soul over time kind of thing...

*Applauds*...Nice one!... ...Well done...

Posted by: mALX Dec 12 2011, 07:13 PM

GAAAAH !!! Her father is a necromancer? URK !!! Very sad (but revealing) chapter. Great Write !!

Posted by: King Coin Dec 12 2011, 08:36 PM

Great start! Poor Tara though. Dad just found his test subject.

Posted by: SubRosa Dec 12 2011, 09:03 PM

Tara is from Farrun I see? So I guess that makes her a Witchwoman of HighRock (or whatever they call the female Witchmen )

Well, that was an unfortunate example of domestic violence for Tara to witness. I wonder if that is why her mother left,? or if it was because of her father's experiments? Or perhaps both? I also wonder at why her mother left Tara behind, and suspect that it was a decision forced upon her by her father.

And so now we know that Tara was ten on that fateful night and day her mother left, and is now 19. That knowledge was very well revealed.

Don’t go in the basement.”
Well after reading that, Tara has to go in the basement! Seriously, anyone would.

And it seems Tara has volunteered to be Daddy's test subject! Assuming he did not have her in mind all along.


nits:
I am not sure if it is intentional, or if the forum is doing it when you paste your text here, but most of your paragraphs are all run together. That makes it difficult to read. For web-based text, there ought to be a space between every paragraph. For standard printed pages, there should be an indent instead. For example, your first three paragraphs should look like this:

I am so used to writing for the web that I always put spaces between my paragraphs even in my original Word documents. I am wondering if your originals have indents for each new paragraphs instead of spaces? That would probably account for it, as I do not think the forum recognizes an indentation mark when you paste.

Posted by: Acadian Dec 13 2011, 01:50 AM

A wonderful start! Well, not for Tara I guess. You did a great job of sprinkling all kinds of detail in here in a very natural manner (like the names of Tara’s parents for example, and Tara’s age). I too, thought of the nearby Witchmen at the mention of Farrun.

There is certainly some dark magic going on in Riccard’s basement and I fear that Tara is caught up in it.

You certainly built some tight suspense in this episode!

I’ll second the gentle encouragement of SubRosa to take your paragraph spacing cues from other stories on the forum – just makes things easier to read in this venue.

Posted by: Athynae Dec 13 2011, 02:38 AM

Poor Tara, witnessing such an encounter as a young girl is a horrible experience and one that will shape decisions for the rest of her life. And then having her mother leave her will only add to the psychological impact.

You are off to an incredible start with the story, intriguing to say the least. Riccard needed more than his face slapped....I can only imagine how hard it was for Jada to leave without Tara.

Too bad Tara couldn't hear all of the readers yelling "NO, DON'T GO DOWN THOSE STAIRS!" but then again if she had the story would be totally different.

Welcome to the forum, I look forward to more.

Posted by: Grits Dec 13 2011, 03:32 AM

Yikes. Tara has had a heck of a time already, and it doesn't look good for the future Willow. Unless being extracted at will into enchantments is more fun than it sounds.

Welcome, and I'm glad you're posting your story here! I will be reading it.



Tara and Willow were my favorite part of that whole series. They are also one of the few things that I remember about it. Due to small children, I was tired during those years.

Posted by: liliandra nadiar Dec 13 2011, 03:43 AM

Good, wince worthy (in all the good ways) start. Though I hope there was a reason for Jada leaving Tara behind when she was pretty clearly thinking Riccard was a threat, if not criminal. Hope you have an explanation besides Deus ex, and if it's the 'push' for a while of the story, great. ^.^

Posted by: Tábrasa Dec 15 2011, 08:59 PM

First of all I want to thank all of you SO MUCH for reading

liliandra nadiar: Haha, don't worry. I know every last inch of Tara's backstory so Jads's dissapearance will be explained... eventually

Grits: I love the relationship between Tara and Willow in BtVS, and it was perfect ispiration for my girl(s). haha. I love the idea of literally not being able to live without your soulmate

Athynae: Yes, Tara's story isn't a happy one to start with. Hopefully things will pick up for her soon and yes, he did need more than a good slap! But i don't think Jada was expecting a retaliation!

Acadian: Ahh yes, the witchmen of Farrun. Well Tara's path might not QUITE go down that path, but we'll see. Lol.

SubRosa: I'm so pleased that the story has left you with questions; much like Tara felt in that respect. and thank you kindly for your nits I'm so used to writing for novels I didn't think! DOn't worry, It will be edited

King Coin: Haha, Isn't her dad the sweetest guy?

mALX: Well, I wouldn't call him a necromancer EXACTLY, he is just more into the dark side of Mysticsism; although he does possess alot of necromancery behavior

McBadgere: I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and I'm glad you have questions i hope can be answered!

3E 413 ~ Farrun, High Rock

Jada held Tara in her arms, Tara’s tiny hand gripping her finger. Jada smiled, leaning to kiss her daughter on the forehead. She looked Tara in the eyes; those beautiful hazel eyes that made her heart flutter with pride. She never believed in a million eras that she would conceive something so… perfect.

Not before long, an anxious Riccard walked into their bedroom. He glared at Jada as she scurried over to the basinet, placing Tara softly inside.

“I thought I told you not to hold her?” He said. “We cannot have you getting too attached to her.”

Jada looked at him with a scowl. She walked over to the dresser a pulled out a blanket before going back to Tara and placing it on her gently.

“You cannot seriously believe that I’m going along with this sick plan of yours, Riccard.”

“There’s nothing sick about it, Jada,” He informed her with an eerie precision. “I’ve told you before…”

“Yes, you’ve told me, and it is utterly preposterous. ‘All the women in the Willow family line have the power to absorb the spirits of their foes into their own bodies to temporarily enhance their own magicka’; do you even understand how absurd that sounds?” Jada objected.

She walked over to the bedroom window, drawing the curtains eliminating any light from the room before heading to the bedroom door. Riccard moved slightly and blocked the doorway; blocking her exit.

“You know this is important to me, this is my life’s work!”

“NO Riccard! No! You have created this… fantasy over an unproven family legend! You can’t expect me to allow you to use our two month old daughter for your… experiments!”

Riccard slowly closed in on Jada. His silhouette in the darkened room was daunting.

“Exactly, Jada; She is OUR daughter. Not just yours. I have as much right to say what her purpose in life will be as you do.”

Jada looked at him in disbelief; horror, even.

“Who are you? What happened to the man I married?”

“I’m the same man my dear, nothing has changed.”

“YOU WANT TO KILL OUR DAUGHTER!” Jada bellowed.

Suddenly Tara unleashed an almighty scream as Jada’s outburst had woken her. Jada walked over to her daughter and picked her up, shushing her as she held her to her chest. Jada looked up at Riccard; hate in her eyes.

“You are not going to use our daughter for your experiment. That is the end of it.” She proclaimed.

She took Tara and headed past Riccard out of the bedroom. Riccard grabbed Jada’s arm; a grip Jada easily escaped from.

“You will realise sooner or later that this is the right thing to do.” He informed her in an educated fashion.

“And what if I leave? Take her away?”

Riccard smirked, “I think you know what’ll happen if you do that, don’t you?”

Jada glared at him one last time before walking downstairs. Riccard looked after her with the smirk remaining firmly in place.

3E 419 ~ Farrun, High Rock

“Riccard, please, come down and celebrate!” Jada begged. Riccard remained sat at his desk, uninterested in celebrating his daughters sixth birthday.

Jada knew he wasn’t interested, so she decided that instead of pestering him further she would just proceed back to the party.

“Mother! When is father coming down?” Tara asked as her mother approached the living room. Jada smiled.

“In a little while sweetie.” She replied, gently kissing her on the forehead.

Jada walked over to a small table by the fireplace where her friends Mildred and Aleksander were sat drinking ale. Jada sat on a seat between them.

“This is a great party Jada!” Mildred congratulated. “All the children seem to be having such fun!”

Jada looked over at Tara. Watching her play with her friends for some reason left a tear in her eye.

“Is Riccard not coming down?” Aleksander asked. Jada shook her head.

“No. He’s… busy.”

She suddenly stood up and gazed up at Riccard’s office. She had decided that she was going to make one last attempt to bring Riccard down.

“Actually, bear with me; I’ll be back in a minute.” She said to her friends before heading back upstairs, storming into Riccard’s study.

“You need to come down. Now.” Jada ordered her husband, who was still uninterested.

“The only birthday I’m interested in celebrating is the nineteenth. But you already know that.”

She did, indeed, know that; but she wasn’t happy. She was dying inside knowing what that date would mean for her daughter and being unable to stop it.

She decided to take action now, rather than later as the opportunity had only just arisen. She had always had some form of plan to at least help prevent the events that would occur on Tara's nineteeth birthday, but with Riccard constantly watching her every move, she never had the opportunity to go through with it; untill now.

She silently crept to Riccard’s supply cabinet, opening it slowly to prevent any creaks and took a piece of paper and a quill. She walked over to one of Riccard’s desks, unseen by the man himself, and began to write a note. She stared at Riccard as she folded the finished note, sealed it with wax and slowly edged out of the study and down the stairs.

Once she was downstairs she approached Aleksander and gave him the note.

“It is important that you open this note the day Tara turns nineteen, okay?”

“Um… okay. Sure, I can do that!” Aleksander replied, baffled and slightly confused.

Jada looked over to Tara and smiled. Her mind was slightly at peace. She knew she’d done all she could.

3E 432 ~ Farrun, High Rock

Tara woke up in a post blackout daze. She was lying on a table, she knew that much, but she was strapped down by something. Her arms, her legs and her waist held down by something tight. Her struggle to escape was inevitably futile. She wasn’t going anywhere and she didn’t know why.

However, she knew exactly where she was the moment her eyes began to adjust to her surroundings. The basement. W-what? What is this? Dad.

Despite the fact that she was basically held hostage in her own house, she found it odd how her kidnapper didn’t blindfold her. Surely they would want to hide their identity?

“Tara? Are you awake?”

Tara turned her head to see the blurry image of someone; a male someone. But she didn’t need a picture when the sound was perfect.

“Father?”

She saw the figure walk closer to her. The image becoming clearer as it approached.

“Of course it’s me, who else would it be?”

Tara looked at her captor in disbelief. She could slowly feel the blood drain from her face in fright.

“Father… what… what are you doing?”

“Tara, don’t be so stupid. You know exactly what’s going on here.”

Tara remained silent as her father walked over to a desk at the end of the table she was one. She was terrified. Mother, please…

“You read my journals? Yes?”

Tara said nothing.

“Answer me when I speak to you, Tara.”

Tara didn’t speak, she only nodded. Riccard skirted through some books on his desk as Tara silently wept on her prison. Eventually he spoke up.

“You are going to be a great thing, Tara Willow. You are going to be a revolution in the art of Mysticism.” He informed her, his tone cold and uncaring.

“B-but…”

Riccard looked directly at her. “But, what? Tara?”

“But… I don’t want to. Please father, don’t kill me!”

“Kill you?”

He pondered a moment and then came to a realisation.

“Oh, you mean the bodies under the floor boards? Oh, you misunderstand. Those were simply failed experiments who I managed to deposit souls into, but didn’t survive the ordeal. I have stored them until I find time to extract the souls back out again. That would be a terrible waste, otherwise.”

Tara watched in terror as Riccard pulled something out of a drawer; a black crystal of some kind.

“Is that why mother left? Because she disproved of what you were doing?” Tara asked.

“Partly. But that isn’t any on your concern.”

She watched as he opened a secret door under a rug. He then cast what she recognised as a Soul Trap spell, watching the black crystal glow after the casting. After putting the rug back over the trapdoor, Riccard began to approach Tara.

“Now what I’m about to cast is a spell I’ve created myself. It will stop your body from turning the soul you absorb into magicka. Instead it’ll cause your body, or more correctly your brain, to hold the soul in a permanent existence.”

“W-what? What are you talking about?”

“Basically, this spell will cause a soul to be trapped in your body until it is extracted again. In conclusion, you will be a human soul gem.”

“But… why me?” She asked; her tone pathetic and childish.

Riccard glared at her as if she should have known ‘why’ she had been chosen to fulfil his need.

“It is a well known fact that the Willow women have the skill to absorb souls and turn tem into magicka. Only I plan to change that theory. It’s a risky experiment; but you WERE born for this purpose after all.”

Born for this? Did… did mother know he was going to do this to me?

Tara panicked, realising the extent of her father’s madness. She tried desperately to escape her bonds as Riccard slowly placed his hand on her chest.

Riccard readied himself for his spell; his hand glowed a brilliant blue. He didn’t even have any words of comfort for his daughter. He didn’t even hear her beg for her life.

Posted by: SubRosa Dec 16 2011, 02:09 AM

Now we are getting some answers. Including why Jada did not take Tara with her when she dumped Riccard. He is quite the controlling bastich. I take it he is from the Willow bloodline, not Jada?

And now we know that 19 is the magic age. How good to see that Jada at least left some insurance with Aleksander. But now that Tara is 19 (in the present) that makes a big

Those were simply failed experiments who I managed to deposit souls into, but didn’t survive the ordeal. I have stored them until I find time to extract the souls back out again. That would be a terrible waste, otherwise.
This is so creepy on so many levels. Not in the least because here we see what it is store for Tara! Let us just hope that her Willow blood is all that dear old dad believes it to be.

All around, a very neat episode, with both dashes of the past to fill in the gaps in our understanding, as well as a continuance with the storyline in the present.



nits:
Her struggling to escapes was inevitable futile.
I understand what you meant here, but I think you may have had some words from a leftover edit in the end here?

She could slowly feel the blood drain from her face in fright
Your period at the end ran out on Tara. I do not blame it in the least, under the circumstances!

You are going to {be} a great thing
Did you perhaps was a be where I inserted it above?

Posted by: Acadian Dec 16 2011, 03:42 AM

What a beautiful job you do here of setting the scene for the very end of this episode. Wow! I’m fascinated and frightened by what is ahead for Tara. In fact you quite had me mesmerized throughout.

’But she didn’t need a picture when the sound was perfect.
“Father?”
Magnificently worded!

’Riccard readied himself for his spell; his hand glowed a brilliant blue. He didn’t even have any words of comfort for his daughter. He didn’t even hear her beg for her life.’
A very powerful ending that fully delivers on showing Tara’s fear.

Yikes. I'm hoping Aleksander shows up soon, but I'm not sure what he can to at this point. Edge of my seat.

Nits:

’She walked over to the dresser a pulled out a blanket before going back to Tara and placing it on her gently.'
I’m sure you want ‘and’ instead of ‘a’.

’Riccard moved slightly and blocked the doorway; blocking her exit. ‘
I would recommend not repeating variations of block in such close proximity. Perhaps simply: ‘Riccard moved slightly into the doorway, blocking her exit.’

’uninterested in celebrating his daughters sixth birthday.’
I recommend the possessive instead of plural form here: daughter’s.

“It is a well known fact that the Willow women have the skill to absorb souls and turn tem into magicka. ‘
‘Them’, of course.

Posted by: Fawkes Dec 16 2011, 04:32 AM

Holy! Really well written!
My heart is actually pounding in my chest, I know what's going to happen, but I can just imagine how Tara must feel right now, helpless, while her own father is far gone into madness.
At the same time I feel Riccard feeling really excited, years of planning, research, and experimentation finally coming to a end, and he will see the fruits of his labor.

Also, I want to punch Riccard so bad!

Posted by: McBadgere Dec 16 2011, 05:31 AM

Blimey...He really is a lovely chap...I know several chaps who would have liked a word with him... ...

Really excellenly done...*Applauds*...I love your style of writing, and the imagination is - if a little dark - Brilliant...

The section with the mother and baby is brilliant, then she gets older and more brilliance and then the damed scary bit at the end...

I'm looking forward to seeing where it all goes and how the extra soul does stuff...And indeed how she gets away from the odious little chap... ...

Posted by: King Coin Dec 16 2011, 06:02 AM

“We cannot have you getting too attached to her.”]
What the…?

“Who are you? What happened to the man I married?”
I was thinking something vaguely similar.

The note, I wonder what it is?

This is inadequate, but her father is SICK.

I too am wondering what happened to Aleksander. That was a long time to hold onto a note. And how could Jana just leave her daughter with him? What sort of power did he hold over her?

Great story so far!

Posted by: mALX Dec 17 2011, 04:16 AM

Holy Cow, this is like watching a horror movie! Awesome Write!!

Posted by: Grits Dec 19 2011, 10:18 PM

Very exciting. I'm still on the edge of my seat!


“I thought I told you not to hold her?” He said. “We cannot have you getting too attached to her.”

This is so sad. At this point I'm just as mad at Jana for leaving Tara with Riccard! I like how you're letting the details come out slowly, it makes me curious for more.

Posted by: Athynae Dec 19 2011, 11:15 PM

Hey McB you bring your chaps and I'll call up some of my "Friends in low places" and we'll introduce them to our friend Riccard here, maybe they'll think of something more appropriate to use that table for, as well as the area under the floor boards!!!

Awesome write my dear, just awesome. And dark yes, but knowing that Tara survives makes it a little less horrific.

Where is Alexsander? and what about the note? Edge of my seat here!!!

nits:

Typically I don't do this as the "nits" I notice are noted before hand so there is no need for me to offer my two cents. Anyway, just trying to help, as the story is quite remarkable.

“Is that why mother left? Because she disproved of what you were doing?” Tara asked.
I think what you want here is "disapproval" instead of disproved. Disproved means she proved something false, disapproval means she did not approve of what he was doing.

Keep up the great work, I am thoroughly enjoying the story!!!

Posted by: Tábrasa Dec 23 2011, 01:22 AM

SubRosa: Thank you so much for reading As to you're assumption that Riccard is the Willow, I wanted to leave it ambiguous as to which parent is the origional Willow; despite the fact that I know which it is! Lol. Thank you for the compliments and the nits

Acadian: Thank you so much for the comliments! I'm glad you enjoyed my wording of the picture/sound quote I'm so thrilled that you are enjoying the story

Fawkes: Wow, thank you! Your comment about that segemnt was a huge compliment! I'm so glad i can help the readers feel for Tara

McBadgere: Thank you so much for the compliments! I'm glad you're enjoying the dark tone to the Prologue

King Coin: I'm so thrilled that Riccard's behaviour leave you pondering about him. And no, calling him sick was totally NOT inadequate; I'm sure many feel the same

mALX: Haha, thank you! I'm happy my writing passes off some kind of emotion to my readers

Grits: I'm so glad you are enoying the story! Even though i wrote the words, i too felt for Jada when she was scolding for loving her child.

Athynae: Thank you! Yes, Tara's story does begin quite dark, and hopefully once Willow is intorduced it'll bring more cheer to our dear Bretons otherwise unlucky life Thank you for the nits

3E 432 ~ Farrun, High Rock

The pain was unbearable; like a spark spell attacking every inch on humanity she had inside of her. Tara couldn’t even scream; the pain forced the scream into a silent whelp. A single tear strolled faintly down her cheek.

The spell lasted at least ten minutes as Tara has watched the clock in the basement as she suffered her torment. Each minute slowly dragging and painfully as she had felt.

After a what felt like an hour, she could feel something emerging slowly from within her as the spell appeared to be drawing to a close due to the glow of Riccard’s hand beginning to soften from a harsh light to a tiny shimmer. It felt like something was crawling from inside her chest, slowly reaching upwards, eventually into her brain. Her head began to violently tingle, before eventually settling down. It felt heavy.

Riccard’s spell began to ease, and then eventually cease. He stared at her in shock, a smile on his face.

“I’ve done it…” He mumbled to himself.

Tara stared at her father. He was motionless, as was she. She felt strange, yet in extreme pain. It felt like something was rummaging through her brain very softly, but making enough noise to be easily detected. She didn’t know what to do; she was exhausted.

“This is it Tara. We’ve done it. My life’s work, accomplished. Now all that’s left to do is…”

“RICCARD!?”

Riccard moved his head towards the basement door. Aleksander stood sturdily with a sword drawn, his eyes wide in horror at what he was witnessing. In Aleksander’s eyes all he could see was Tara tied to a table with Riccard groping her chest. He may have read the situation wrong; but it was enough.

“Riccard, you get away from her. NOW.” He demanded. Riccard didn’t move. Instead he stared at Tara with intense glee.

“Aleksander, I’ve done it! I’ve been waiting nineteen years but I’ve done it! Her body is mine!”

Aleksander glared at him, gripping his sword tighter; anger fuelling the adrenaline he had gained. He thought Riccard was his friend; a good man. There was no way he had prepared himself for this.

“You sick monster!”

Almost instantaneously Aleksander sped toward Riccard and plunged his sword into his abdomen. He held Riccard in that position whilst Riccard spoke his last words.

“You don’t know what you’ve done! I… wasn’t finished…”

Riccard looked at Tara before falling off Aleksander’s sword with an almighty thud. Neither Tara or Aleksander felt any pity. H-he... he had it coming…I’m sorry it had to come to this father…

Aleksander stared and Riccard, then spat on his corpse. Tara felt an ounce of pity for her father at that point. To Aleksander, Riccard was molesting his daughter; but Tara knew the truth. Whether she would tell the truth was a different story.

All she knew now was that it was over.



Aleksander held Tara by the waist, supporting her as he led her to his and Mildred’s house.

“I don’t understand why he would do such a thing. He was such a well respected man,” Aleksander pondered. Tara remained silent. Aleksander looked at her. “I don’t want you going back to that house. You’re coming to stay with Mildred and me.”

Tara looked at him and smiled.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t worry, Tara. You need SOMEWHERE to live.”

“N-no I mean, thank you, for helping me,” She said. “I thought I was going to…”

“You thought you were going to, what?” Aleksander asked. She was going to reveal that she thought she was going to die, but Tara remembered that she wasn’t going to tell the truth, so she remained silent.

They continued to walk as Tara began to notice many residents of Farrun staring at her. She looked at the floor and refused to acknowledge them; despite the fact that she could still feel their eyes boring into her.

“Anyway,” Aleksander started, looking at Tara. “You have your mother to thank, not me.”

Tara’s eyes shot a look at Aleksander with a small smile etched onto her lips. My mother?

“She wrote me a note on your sixth birthday ordering me to keep an eye on you on your nineteenth birthday. I just wish I hadn’t lost sight of you at the party. Maybe I could have stopped this sooner and spared the bloodshed…”

Mother DID know this was going to happen! Why did she let father keep me if she knew what he was planning?

Tara looked into Aleksander’s eyes and smiled; holding him closer as he supported her.

“Thank you, Aleksander…”

3E 433 ~ Farrun, High Rock

“Tara? Can you hear me?”

Tara woke up, startled at the sudden voice she heard in her ear. She looked around the room. No sign of anyone. She put her head back down on the pillow.

“Tara! Don’t ignore me, rude-o.”

Tara shot up again, her eyes darting across the room.

“H-hello?”

“Hello! No, wait, you know I’m here. Doofus.”

Tara jumped out of bed and spun, looking behind her for the speaker.

“Who… who are you?”

“Me? I could tell you my name… but it’s stupidly long. Call me what ever you want.”

“Who?”

“ME!”

“Who’s ‘me’!?”

“OH! Sorry. I’ve kinda been in a dormant state since daddy dearest did his wacky mumbo jumbo spirit trap thing. That was cool… although maybe not for you”

Tara panicked. She was too freaked out, even for words, so she did the only thing that made sense to her. She screamed and ran to her bedroom door to seek Aleksander and Mildred’s aide; but halted as she caught her reflection in her bedroom window.

She saw something in her image, a girl stood closely behind her. Her body was nude and partly misty. It looked as if half of her body was growing from Tara’s back as the Red-headed girl looked over Tara’s shoulder. Tara smiled. Even though it was strange and completely, undoubtedly and unexplainably petrifying, it was quite beautiful.

Tara relaxed as she gazed into the eyes of the Redhead.

“Where did you come from?”

“Well before I died I used to be a Spellsword from Bravil, then I took an arrow to the knee… and the eye. I think it was the eye shot that did it.”

Tara giggled. Even though she was completely in shock about the current situation, it felt somewhat comfortable; almost like the Redhead was a part of her. Part of her soul.

“That sounds pretty painful.”

“Ah, I’m over it. I’m sure I’ll get my own back one day.”

Tara continued to look at hers and the Redhead’s reflection. An awkward silence ensued; but only for a mere moment.

“So I guess I’m going to be sticking around then, huh?”

“Why do you assume that?”

“Well Mister Wacko created a spell which would leave a spirit trapped inside your body, right?”

“Right, but with the soul eventually being put into an enchantment. Who knows how long you’ll be with me.”

Tara then suddenly remembered something. Aleksander and saved her BEFORE Riccard completed the spell. For all she knew, the Redhead could be trapped inside her forever. She didn’t know how the spell worked, so that was all she could assume.

“Well if we’re going to be soul mates I’m going to have a cool nickname or something.”

"Well, you're very outspoken considering you've only just come round." Tara joked.

"I may have only just come out, but I HAVE been watching you, you know!" She revealed. "But that's beside's the major issue here. Are you gonna give me a super cool name or what?"

“…Like what?” Tara replied, surprisingly calm

“Um… I don’t know… how about Phoenix?”

“Really?” Tara questioned. “You don’t really look like a Phoenix to me.”

“Oh… Mental slap in the face right there. I could easily pass for a Phoenix.”

“Really?”

The Redhead looked disappointed. The name clearly had meant a lot to her for some reason.

“You need a name which I feel comfortable saying all the time. You ARE a part of me, remember…”

Suddenly, with that thought in mind, Tara had the perfect name for her new friend.

“How about Willow?”

“Willow? Your surname?”

“Yeah sure, that way you will always be associated with me. We will always come as a package deal. So?”

She thought for a while, pondering the thought of having such a tree-like name. It was very tough and it certainly wasn’t very intimidating; but nether the less, she loved it.

“Alright,” Willow smiled. “Willow it is.”

Tara nodded, and then smiled with her. Despite everything, she was happy. She grabbed a seat and sat looking into the mirror.

“So, Willow, why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself?”

Tara knew, somehow, that this was going to be the start of something wonderful.

Posted by: Acadian Dec 23 2011, 02:43 AM

What a horrible experience! Then saved by Aleksander.

Then,

Then. . .

WILLOW! Even though I sort of knew what was going to happen, this was soooo cool! I love how you introduced her and everything about her so far! I’m fully with you, Tara, this is going to be so much fun! I love it!

Nits:

Okay, the biggest nit here is what we call headhopping. This story is clearly intended to be from Tara’s perspective, so you need to limit it to telling us only things that Tara knows or feels. Like this:
’After what felt like an hour, she could feel something emerging slowly from within her’

In the following two passages, you are clearly inside Aleksander’s head, not Tara’s:
’In Aleksander’s eyes all he could see was Tara tied to a table with Riccard groping her chest.’
’Aleksander glared at him, gripping his sword tighter; anger fuelling the adrenaline he had gained. He thought Riccard was his friend; a good man. There was no way he had prepared himself for this.’

And finally here, you are inside the heads of Tara and Aleksander at the same time:
’Neither Tara or Aleksander felt any pity. ‘

It takes some creativity to get around these things. For example in the last example, Alek could have said he felt no pity and Tara could have thought to herself that she felt the same way. Or Tara could have shared her thoughts with us that she felt no pity and judging by the hard look in Alek’s eyes imagined that he felt the same. When in Tara’s head, you always have to ask yourself, how would she know this?

Okay, a couple tiny mundane nits:

’The spell lasted at least ten minutes as Tara has watched the clock in the basement as she suffered her torment.’
Tense hopping here. The fix is as simple as going to 'had'.

’Aleksander stared and Riccard, then spat on his corpse.’
I'm sure you wanted 'at' here.

Posted by: McBadgere Dec 23 2011, 05:50 AM

*Applauds*... ...

I have to say, I chickened out of it the other day...So I applaud and bow to you for it... ...

Well, he got what was coming to him didn't he?...

The only nit I can say about that...From a fan of fights is that unless the spell took a hell of a lot from Riccard or Aleksander is also a spellsword, it seemed a teensy too easy...Not a complaint and I suspect that is just me being a git... ...Just an observation...

An most excellent write!!...Loving it...

And the world really doesn't have enough naked redheaded mist-women... ...

Stop now Robert...You'll go too far...Again...

Awww...

Nice one... ...

Posted by: jack cloudy Dec 23 2011, 06:29 PM

Oh, this is interesting. I'm not sure where it is going, but it's still the prologue so I'll just wait and see. So with that said, on to some more specific comments.

I'm honestly surprised that Riccard was a 'respected man' and a 'good friend'. I probably just missed the part where it is explained, but my image of him was that of a recluse at least. You know, the guy who spends all day in the basement doing his experiments, doesn't look after his own image (and hygiëne) and is generally obviously nutters. I guess he was better at the double-life than I expected.

As for the ease with which Aleksander killed him, well I find that convincing enough, apart from how quick Aleksander's mind switched from 'friend and nice guy' to 'monster, kill it kill it'. The way I see it, Riccard was in full blown muhahaha evil psycho monologue-mode. He probably didn't even notice the sword till it was making holes in his intestines.

Posted by: liliandra nadiar Dec 23 2011, 07:12 PM

Nice chapter, 'poor' Riccard. Compromising positon and his first words didn't help at all.

Still curious about Jada. Even if, from what I gathered, she knew Tara was safe until she turned 19 I'm curious why she left her with him even for that long.

Some nits. You have some odd tense usage at some points.
She screamed and ran to her bedroom door to seek Aleksander and Mildred’s aide; but halted as she caught her reflection in her bedroom window.
You have her action in the past tense, but interrupt it before it happens. Maybe instead use:
She was about to scream and run to her bedroom door to seek Aleksander and Mildred’s aide; but halted as she caught her reflection in her bedroom window.

Also you have Willow 'named' before she offically gets her name, not a nit per-say, but it takes things from the naming a few lines later.

Posted by: SubRosa Dec 23 2011, 10:07 PM

Yay for Aleksander! Too bad he had not spitted Riccard like a pig a decade earlier.

I loved the description of the nude, misty red-headed girl growing out of Tara's back in the mirror.

then I took an arrow to the knee
Is this a Skyrim fic now? Seriously, it is nice to see someone poking fun at the silliness in these games. Sometimes it is just impossible to resist.

So now we get to meet the second half of our dynamic duo. I am wondering how far you are going to take the bond between the two women? Will Willow be just a voice in Tara's head, or more? For example, she said she had been a spellsword. Might Willow then be able to cast spells from her piggy-backed position in Tara's body?

Posted by: King Coin Dec 27 2011, 03:56 PM

If only Aleksander had arrived but a little sooner.
Though I am surprised he remembered the note from thirteen years prior.

Willow’s got a lot of personality. I’m interested in what they are going to chat about now. Not everybody has their personal ghost to chat with. Well I suppose some of the Dunmer might...

Posted by: mALX Jan 10 2012, 02:10 AM

I have to agree, even knowing Willow would soon pop up - very cool the way you carried it off !! Great Write !!

Posted by: Tábrasa Jan 12 2012, 02:01 AM

mALX: Thank you so much! I'm so happy you're reading

King Coin: Haha i'm happy that you have lots of things to wonder about Yes, Willow i a very different character to Tara; that's part of her charm i suppose!

SubRosa: Haha yes, it is a shame, but Jada gave his specific instructions to follow; Instructions we may discover at some point. I'm pleased you like the description of Willow. I've always had the image so clear in my head of her

liliandra nadiar: Haha do not worry, all your queries will be explains; just not all right away Thank you for the suggestion with the nit I'll go about editing it soon.

jack cloudy: Nope, you didn't miss anything, but i'm pleased you had your own image of what Riccard was like; hopefully future chapters will help by giving you answers you seek

McBadgere: No, you are not being a git! haha, you are allowed your opinion. My only answer to that is that Riccard was so caught up in his success that he failed to noticed Alek's sword; but that is just one of many theories haha

Acadian: I am so thirilled by your reaction! I know, this IS going to be fun Thank you for the nits. I will edit them when i do an appropriate re-write with less head chopping. haha

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE: Might I just apologize for the lack of an update recently, but from this point on the journal will be updated every Thursday. Thank you for your support

Willow
Unknown Era ~ Bravil

I stood at the Statue of the Lucky Lady of Bravil. I hadn’t been to my hometown in over three years, nor was I planning to stay there long. The university had sent me on a mission to discover the identity of a rogue mage that was rumoured to be hiding out, or rather blending in, at the Bravil mages guild.

I took to tradition, kissing the statue for luck; I felt stupid, but I didn’t want to offend anyone. I stared at the statue a little while longer expecting to feel a burst of luck or whatever, but nothing; not even a spark.

I sighed and headed toward the guild. I grabbed the paper holding my mission brief from my knapsack, reading it thoroughly to avoid any misdirection. As usual, everything was on par.

Walking to the guild I noticed something. Behind the chapel I saw something. A human something.

A child.

The child was huddled behind a tree; probably under the impression that they were hidden. The child looked distraught, the most awfully wailing sound screeching from their mouth. It was wearing scraggy looking clothes and a overly large cap; quite clearly your average runaway.

I stopped and stared a while. I wanted to approach and see whether or not this child needed my help. I couldn’t be entirely sure. It may have just been a bust up with the parents and the child needed to blow off some steam.

Yet it could have been something serious.

Against my better judgement I decided to see if the child was okay. I approached carefully, not wanting to alarm them. The child could have been feral.

“Hey, are you okay?” I asked. I didn’t get a reply, so I stepped closer. Eventually I was directly in front of the child. I knelt in front of the child.

“Look whatever you’re afraid of it’s okay. Tell me what’s wrong.” I smiled. “I don’t bite very hard.”

The child slowly looked up at me. It was evident that they were only young; probably around the sixes or sevens. Once the child met their eyes with mine they leapt at me with an almighty embrace, an embrace that startled me to the point of my bottom colliding with the ground.

“What’s your name?” I asked the child.

“...a....er” I heard the child mumble, although I thought I could make out the name.

“Palmer?” I asked. After a few short seconds the child nodded. With Palmer being a boy’s name, I managed to work out that the child was of the male variety. I stood up.

“Right then Palmer,” I reached out my hand. “Feel like solving a mystery with me? We can talk on the way?”

Palmer was hesitant at first, but he eventually took my hand. Once we were joined I leaded on to the mages guild, interacting in conversation with Palmer on the way.

“So, are you going to tell me what you were doing?” I asked.

Palmer was silent for a moment, but he eventually told me.

“I ran away.”

“Well yes, I can see that, but what are you doing in Bravil? Do you have family here?”

Palmer shook his head. I’ll admit it, I was a little concerned. I was even intrigued by the fact that he clung to me, a total stranger, with such trust that anyone who saw us would think he was my child. But despite that I knew that once we got to the guild I would have to leave him there. I knew that someone there would be able to help him.

Hopefully.

Tara
3E 433 ~ Farrun, High Rock

“I-is that it? You don’t have any more?” Tara asked Willow, disappointed at the sudden halt of her story.

“Sorry, but I’ve been dead a long time. Things tend to be forgotten post-mortem.”

Suddenly Tara heard her name being called by Mildred from downstairs. She looked at her door, then back at the mirror, only to see that Willow's reflection had vanished. She shrugged it off with a mild disappointment and headed downstairs.

Tara hopped into the kitchen where Mildred was sealing a letter. Once she saw Tara she handed the letter to her.

“I need to you take this over to Karliah at the guild.” She instructed with a smile.

Tara smiled back and took the letter, kissing Mildred on the cheek before heading out the door.

Tara walked through the city of Farrun, noticing her house on the way. She stopped for a moment to look at it.

A lot of bad memories had taken place there. She found out what kind of a man her father was and that scarred her for life.

She shook off the emotion she felt and headed toward the guild; but before she even had a chance to approach the guild, Karliah walked out of the main entrance door; almost colliding with Tara.

“OH TARA! I’m sorry!” Karliah apologized.

“It’s fine, don’t worry.” Tara assured her as they both laughed it off. Karliah began to walk away but Tara managed to stop her in time.

“Actually Karliah I came to see you.”

Karliah raised her eyebrows as Tara handed her the note. She carefully opened it and read the contents.

“Oh,” Karliah started. She looked at Tara and smiled sympathetically. “It is only the menu draft for your father’s memorial on Friday.”

Karliah looked distressed. If only she knew...

“I still can’t believe that a year ago your father was taken from us by those assassins.” Karliah mourned.

Tara nodded in false agreement. After Aleksander had done what he did he went back to the house in the dead of night and removed the bodies, how he did it was a miracle, and the following morning alerted the guard about witnessing a ‘shadowy looking man’ entering Riccard’s house during the night, and ever since then Farrun had believed that he was murdered by assassins. A good cover which resulted in a guilty conscience.

“Your father was a wonderful guild head. It’s no wonder he got rather anxious and reclusive near his final days. He probably knew that someone was after him. If only he had said something...”

Tara felt bad about the fact that everyone had this perfect image of her father. It’s true that he was well respected and well liked; but he had his dark side.

Maybe it wasn’t even a dark side? Maybe he was just misunderstood...

Whatever theories Tara may have come up with in her mind at the end of the day her father was a killer. She couldn’t and wouldn’t forget that.

Tara said her goodbyes to Karliah and headed back home to Mildred and Aleksander, but again caught a glimpse of her childhood home on her travels. She stopped and stared intensely and the scene of her horror. She wondered and pondered about what was really going through her father's mind that day, and she knew that the house had the answers she needed. There were alot of things that her father said that she didn’t understand, things that she wanted to understand.

The next thing she knew she was stood in the hallway of her family home.

She didn’t even have time to think as she found herself heading to the basement. She opened the basement door and scurried down the steps. Nothing had changed. All of her father's apparatus was still intact. His book’s, his ingredients; her torture table.

She slowly approached the lab. She could feel something burning within her. Anger? Hate? Sadness? She wasn’t sure. All the emotions she felt that day came flooding back hard and fast, forcing itself into her weakening calm demeanour. Before she knew what to think she screamed, casting an incredible shock spell that knocked the majority of her father’s things onto the wooden floor.

With her remaining strength she sprinted to the things still standing and threw them at the walls. When there was nothing left to throw and no more words to scream she collapsed in tears, breaking down; the break down her body had craved since the incident.

Then she noticed something. She looked down to see an envelope hidden in the floorboards by his desk, or rather where his desk used to be. She squeezed her fingers through the floorboards and slowly pulled out the envelope. It had her name on it and it was written in her father's writing. A part of her wanted to open it; yet another part of her wanted to burn it.

But she listened to her head and opened the letter. It was marked as the day of her birth. The date Riccard must have written the letter.

Dearest Tara.

If you have found this letter, the chances are I have passed on as I would never let you in the basement had I been alive.

I understand that you have a lot of questions that I simply cannot answer. All I need to say is that I’m sorry. Whereas, and this may sound selfish of me, I do not regret the experiment I will no doubt perform, I do regret that you were specifically born for this fate.

I’m sorry for the pain I will eventually put you through and I’m sorry for you having this perception of me as an evil man.

But I have a dream, and I wasn’t ready to give up on that dream.

Despite everything I put you through I DO love you, I just wouldn’t allow myself to show it for reasons you couldn’t possibly understand.

I knew you were strong enough to survive this and I am so glad that you have.

I’m proud of you.

I’m sorry.

The letter baffled her to new heights. She didn’t know what to think. She was confused at his reason for the letter. He regretted hurting her but he didn’t regret performing the experiment. She was confused, angry and on the verge of another breakdown.

But she understood. Strangely she understood completely how her father felt. She thought long and hard but she knew that what her father had written was the truth. She knew. Despite what he’d done and how he’d treated her he was still her father.

As she thought, she felt something, something in the air. It was comforting and warm. She’d never felt like this before. She never felt safe and secure. And as the feeling began to intensify and make her mood grow more content, she uttered the words she never thought she would utter in a million years.

“I forgive you, father...”

Posted by: Athynae Jan 12 2012, 03:26 AM

Nice segment Tabrasa. I really liked the peek at Willow.

Funny this should come up just now, but aren't they all at some point in their life, just a thought.

Tara's experience in the basement was intense, deeply emotional and also realistic, excellent job.

Keep it up, great so far.

Posted by: Acadian Jan 12 2012, 03:29 AM

What a neat glimpse of ancient history from Willow’s past! I wonder what became of Palmer? And I see Willow was/is a mage.

I loved how you presented the coverup of Tara’s father’s death.

Her scene in the basement, including reading the note, was very poignant and you described her confusion and anger very well. Whether or not her father deserves forgiveness or not, I’m glad to see that Tara found a touch of peace regarding her memories of him.

Nits:
’She shook of the emotion she felt and headed toward the guild; ‘
Here, you want ‘off’.

’Before she knew what to thing she screamed, ‘
‘Think’?

’With her remaining strength he sprinted to the things still standing and threw them at the walls. ‘
I think it is Tara doing the sprinting so you want ‘she’.

Posted by: mALX Jan 12 2012, 03:31 AM

Anyone who thinks that has obviously been at the grocery store when I came in with my brood of banshees, lol.

Tabrasa - I'll have to come back to read this another day, battling a migraine right now at the end of a day from H.

Posted by: Athynae Jan 12 2012, 03:34 AM

um, not necessarily, remember mALX I have my own litter.

Posted by: mALX Jan 12 2012, 03:37 AM

They couldn't possibly behave as badly as mine, most of Maxical's mis-adventures in my story were taken from my own children's bios, lol.

Posted by: Athynae Jan 12 2012, 03:46 AM

Imagine if you will, just for a moment, a five blade ceiling fan, on high, and a young boy about 3 with a hand full of tennis balls.

Finally result, broken glass in front door, two pictures on the wall broken, and for him who was playing "pitch" a bloody nose because the ball was too fast to move, as well as being too fast for me to get to him from the kitchen 20 feet away.

Posted by: mALX Jan 12 2012, 03:57 AM

ROFL! Now you are getting into things my husband does.

Tabrasa , I promise I'll quit spamming your thread till I get back here to read my Tara and Willow fix, I'm sorry

Posted by: Athynae Jan 12 2012, 04:06 AM

Sorry Tabrasa, we'll go play in the Coffee Shop now.

Posted by: McBadgere Jan 12 2012, 06:52 AM

*Tuts*...Be'ave you two!...Blimey!... ...

Loved the chapter...I was impressed how much different the Willow section felt...It was more confident, assured somehow...'Cause it was a different person and all... ...

Brilliant...I likes Willow... ...

And Tara forgave her father...Well, she's a better man than I am I tell you!... ...Erm... ...

Well done!!...Nice one!!... ...

Posted by: SubRosa Jan 12 2012, 11:01 PM

A moving start, giving us a peek into Willow's past. Also not just one mystery, but two. Who is this Palmer? And who is the rogue mage Willow was sent to hunt? I wonder if we will be seeing either of them again later in the tale?

Some interesting developments concerning her father. He was the guild leader in Farrun? Oh my. Aleksander was quite resourceful indeed, to get rid of the bodies, then concoct the story about the assassin. Then again, perhaps Aleksander knows a necromancer who needs a few bodies?

Then finally an after death confrontation with her father, via his letter. The entire scene of Tara's entire return to the basement was very cathartic. But the letter is the final, and most important, piece of that. She has quite a warm heart, to forgive her father for what he did to her. Certainly doing so is healthier then holding on to hate and recrimination beyond the grave though.

So now it seems the only thread left dangling is the fate of Tara's mother. And of course Willow, and all the questions she raises.



nits:
so i stepped closer
You will want to capitalize that I.

Once the child met their eyes with mind
I am thinking you meant mine?

only to see that Willow{'}s reflection has vanished.
You should have an apostrophe in Willow's above, and that ought to be had.

She found out what kind of a man her father was and that scarred her for like.
For life, I am sure.

She wondered and pondered about what was really going through her father{'}s mind that day
You missed the apostrophe in father's above.

All of her father{'s} apparatus was still intact. His book’s,
And you missed both the apostrophe and trailing s in father's. I think it slipped into books at the end.

With her remaining strength he sprinted to the things still standing and threw them at the walls.
I am sure you meant she, unless there is something about Tara we do not know...

It had her name on it and it was written in her father{'}s writing
Another missed apostrophe above.

I would never let you in the basement had i been alive.
And another missed capitalization of I.

for reasons you couldn’t possible understand
possibly

Posted by: mALX Jan 13 2012, 09:31 AM

*

First: Loved the glimpse into some background on Willow!

What powerful moments you gave the reader in these quoted lines - knowing what happened to her in that house we feel (with her) what Tara must be feeling at these moments; and again with Tara's inner thoughts as Karliah was sympathizing with her.

These were really great ways to remind us of what Tara had been through and draw us into how it is still affecting her now.

The fact that she has to hear him praised and revered knowing what she does - and put on a false front of agreement - you absolutely ROCKED this chapter in the use of touches such as these to completely immerse us in Tara's position - Awesome job !!

I found myself wanting to yell, "Don't go in the basement!" when Tara entered the house, but knew she would be drawn to because she was sure that answer to why would be found there.




This was a gut-wrenching, emotional scene - very hard to accomplish, but you nailed it perfectly! Very powerfully done, written so well that the reader could easily visualize it as if we were present and witnessed it ourselves - Awesome job!

*

The Letter:

If I was Tara reading that letter, I'd have to go find Riccard and kill him all over again - how easy and simply he can dismiss what he plans to do to her, dismissing how it will affect her - Oddly, it had the opposite effect on her, lol.



Not really, not when he admits he created her specifically for an experiment and didn't care how that experiment would affect her - that is sperm donation for research. The fact that his sperm was used is the only connection he has to fatherhood, especially when we've read how he treated her growing up.

*

My thoughts:

For some reason I wondered if it was her mother's warmth and comfort she was feeling - and she probably was safe now that Riccard was dead.

I'm not sure that I wouldn't have rather seen her struggle to come to that forgiveness, probably because I'm sure you would have brought us through it as well as you did Tara's thoughts in this chapter.

Coming as quickly as it did leaves me wondering if she considers herself in the same mindframe her father did when he created her specifically for/raised her as: (worthless except as a useful tool to his experiments regardless of how it affected anyone else)

It feels like she is muting her own worth just like her father did, and minimizing the evil of what he was.

*

I have to agree with McB, you showed a tremendous ability in doing two completely different characters in the same chapter - that is talent!

I also have to agree with SubRosa here:



Agreed, was wondering the exact same thing and couldn't have phrased it better!

I'm so glad I waited, didn't try to read this while fighting off that migraine. Reading then would not have done justice to the Awesome write you gave us on this chapter.

*

Posted by: King Coin Jan 14 2012, 01:11 AM

the most awfully wailing sound screeching from their mouth.
At that, I thought that the child was a ghost. That was a neat intro though, even though you decided to save the rest for later.

At first I was unhappy with the ‘assassins killed the father’ cover story, but I’ve reconsidered and I think that’s better than ‘father was raping his daughter so I ran him through with my sword.’

What a bizarre letter. Maybe that’s enough for Tara, but I still think he’s evil. Perhaps he meant it when he wrote it, but that was all gone during Tara’s life.

Posted by: Tábrasa Jan 25 2012, 12:02 AM

Athynae: Thank you. There will be more about Willow's past as the story progresses, But it will be spread over the course of the tale. Thank you about you thoughts of the basement scene. It has recieved a mixed response, but i'm glad you have such a positive opinion with regards to it

Acadian: Thank you so much with your compliments! I'm glad you enjoyed the basement scene! It was emotional to write as Tara has been through so much, but I'm glad it came across well and you liked it Thanks for the nits

mALX: Wow! Thank you so much for your interesting thoughts about Tara willingness to forgive her father! Your thoughts about her feeling the memory of her mothers presence rather than that of her fathers was interesting. I'm am neither going to correct or verify this as i love that the story inspires so many therories and thought. Thank you so much

McBadgere: I'm glad you feel thie difference between the two characters! I hope the writing styles were easy and fun to pick up! Thank you for your kind words

SubRosa: I'm glad you picked up on Tara's naturally warm demeaner. She's had a tought life, but the fact she can forgive something so horrifying gives her alot of depth, which i hope comes across! Thank you for the nits

King Coin: I do very much think that Riccard meant what he wrote when he wrote it, but it is very hard to decipher whether or not his conscience was still there during the actual act of the soulf transfer. Thank you for your thoughts

A quick note: I apologize for the lack of an update. As i previously stated there would be an update every thursday, but with my current schedule it is difficult to keep track of Tara's story! But i will update as quickly as i can, and i thank you for your patience and your comments

1.2 Beginnings

After what felt like the longest year she had ever endured, it was the day of Tara’s twentieth birthday. Did she feel like celebrating? No. The memory of her last birthday was still burned into her mind; a scar that wouldn’t fade with time; despite her forgiving actions the previous day.

She sat at the dining table with Aleksander and, by the look of his expression; he didn’t feel like celebrating either.

Mildred was in the kitchen preparing Tara’s birthday dinner, singing out of tune as she cooked. Tara used Mildred’s singing as an excuse to spark a conversation with Aleksander.

“I think this dinner is going to be delicious, even though I HAD told Mildred I didn’t want a fuss.”

Aleksander looked up at Tara, a faint smile etching across his face.

“You know what she’s like. No means yes.” He joked.

Tara laughed, despite the fact that Aleksander’s joke wasn’t particularly funny.

“He need’s cheering up, pronto.” Willow suggested, looking at Tara through her reflection in a spoon.

I know, he’s probably feeling worse than I am. He killed his best friend, that’s got to do stuff to you…, Tara replied in thought.

There was a moment of silence before Willow spoke again.

“I still find it strange that Aleksander remembered the note he said your mother gave him after, what? Thirteen years?”

Tara had pondered that thought ever since Aleksander rescued her, but she never really questioned it; despite how peculiar it seemed.

Yes, I’ve got to admit, I thought it was odd too, but what have we got to complain about? Maybe he’s just got a good memory.

“hmm… still, I think there’s more than what meets the eye, here…”

Tara laughed in her head, stop being all suspicious! You’re worse than me!

Not a moment later Mildred emerged with a platter of food. She walked over and placed it on the table. She turned to Tara.

“Now, don’t start yet, there is more where that came from.”

She smiled and began to head back to the kitchen. Suddenly she turned back to Aleksander, remembering something urgent.

“OH! Aleksander, did you remember to give Tara that card that came for her?”

Card? For me? Tara looked at Aleksander, smiling, but was intrigued by Aleksander’s baffled expression.

“Card? What card?” He asked her, apparently confused.

“The card I saw you pick up from under the door this morning? I could only assume it was for Tara, seeing as, well, it’s Tara’s birthday.”

Aleksander looked even more baffled after this revelation.

“You must be confused. That was merely a leaflet advertising the new menu at the Inn. Nothing more.”

“Oh. My mistake.” Mildred giggled as she trotted back into the kitchen.

Tara continued to look at Aleksander. She knew he was hiding something, she could see it in his eyes. They were oozing guilt.

“Tara, he’s lying.” Willow pointed out.

You think so? Why would he lie about something like a card?

They pondered for a moment, before Willow had an idea.

“Right tell Aleksander you need to go to your bedroom for something, then go into his office.”

What? No…

“Why not? Do you want to know what that card was?

Tara thought, she was desperate to know what Aleksander was hiding, should he be hiding anything, but she didn’t know whether she was willing to steal for it.

H-how do you even know it’s in the office?

“Honey, I’m a ghost. I know stuff.”

Tara wasn’t convinced, but she had nothing else to go on. If Willow was adamant that Aleksander was hiding something in his office, it was at least worth a look. She looked back to Aleksander and stood up from her seat. He didn’t even look at her. A distraction didn’t seem necessary.

“Look’s like this will be easier than I anticipated.”

Tara walked away from the table, taking the reflective spoon with her for contact with Willow, Aleksander still not paying any attention. She walked with stealth toward the office. When she reached the office door she opened it and snuck inside, careful not to make any unwanted noise. Once she was inside she thought to Willow.

Right, we’re in. Where to now?

Willow instructed her to search everywhere, so she did. The cupboards, the desks; she even tried the bookcase to see if it opened a secret wall. Nothing. The last place she tried was the work desk. She opened the large drawer on the right hand side. It was full of paper, but nothing incriminating.

“Well, that was a waste of- wait, look!”

Tara looked back to the drawer. She picked up the paper to reveal that the bottom of the drawer had a small hole inside. Tara put the paper on the desk and stuck her pinky in the hole, pulling out a false bottom.

“I’m good. No praise required, please.”

Tara looked at what was underneath the false bottom. Envelopes., and lots of them. All addressed to Aleksander.

Tara looked hesitantly at the evidence laid out before her. But despite that, she grabbed one. She looked at the envelope for a second, reluctant to invade the privacy of a man who had been so good to her.

“Open it!”

Tara refused, but she couldn’t help but wonder what the envelopes held. Aleksander was hiding some, that was clear now; but did she really want to find out what?

Without a moments pause she stopped halted her worrying and opened the envelope. She felt a rush of rebellion as she took the letter out. The letter was dated 13th of Suns Dusk, 3E 427. She read the letter:

Aleksander,

Do NOT forget to keep an eye on Tara on her nineteenth birthday.

Jada.

Tara looked at the letter, confused. She pulled out another letter and read it, this one dated 27th of Heartfire, 3E 423. The letter had exactly the same message as the letter before.

She pulled out more letters, all with the exact same message with different dates of sending.

She sent all of these? One a week for years?

Surprisingly, Willow was silent. She most likely couldn’t think of what to say; and neither could Tara. Tara pulled out one final random letter. This one was different from the rest. It was dated a week after Jada had left Tara. Tara sat down to read it.

Aleksander,

I am writing to tell you that I am safe. Whatever you have been told as to my leaving are most probably lies, but unfortunately I cannot tell you the truth. What I will tell you is that I am currently residing in Cyrodiil. I have taken residence in one of the mages guilds under a new name. Please, do not worry for me. I am safe. And please tell Tara I-

Before Tara could finish the letter she heard Mildred calling her for dinner. With extreme haste and panic she threw the letters back into the drawer and carefully placed everything back to how it was.

She walked back to the dining room. She had all these emotions rising from what she had read. She now knew, finally, that her mother knew something of her father’s plans. But that still didn’t answer the question as to why she left.

A question like that could only truly be answered with a confrontation with the woman who left her to die.

Posted by: Athynae Jan 25 2012, 01:20 AM

I wonder if Tara will be diplomatic and reserved when she asks Aleksander or if she will say anything to him at all about finding them. Then there is always the Athynae approach though I wouldn't suggest it, it probably wouldn't be very effective in a case like this.

I do wonder though, what has Aleksander so distracted. Does it have something to do with the letters or is it something else entirely?

Great stuff, the story is moving forward and keeping my attention. Tara and Willow are learning to work together which is probably as precarious as my children getting along but I hope it isn't too problematic.

This line was just giggly fun.


I could just see her reflection in the spoon buffing her nails on her shirt

Nit: (Just one)
"Without a moments pause she stopped halted her worrying and opened the envelope." That's a lot of stopping you have there for the opening of an envelope.

Looking forward to more soon.

Posted by: mALX Jan 25 2012, 01:27 AM

Willow is hilarious in this chapter (example: “Honey, I’m a ghost. I know stuff.”). You do extremely well in showing two completely different characters in the same scene !!

I wonder why they would hide her mothers letters and it be particularly important to watch her on the 19th birthday! Intriguing stuff. Urk - how can she so easily forgive her father but hold anger at her mother?

Awesome Write !!

Posted by: King Coin Jan 25 2012, 01:45 AM

That explains how he remembered to go over to the house on Tara's birthday. I wonder why he would keep all those letters, and in a hidden place as well.

Posted by: Acadian Jan 25 2012, 02:15 AM

‘Willow suggested, looking at Tara through her reflection in a spoon.’
I love this!

You’re doing a great job of sorting out both the temperaments and mechanics of portraying Tara and Willow. They are great fun to read!

Hmmm – I see a clue. Sniff, sniff. Do I see Tara traveling to each of the Mages Guildhalls in search of her mother and maybe some progress of her own in the guild? Oh, maybe I’m just way off the mark. Regardless, Tara's mother has generated some answers but even more questions.

Posted by: McBadgere Jan 25 2012, 05:15 AM

Cool... ...

Looking forward to seeing how much fun that covresation will be... ...

Excellent job...

Nice one!!... ...

Posted by: Fawkes Jan 25 2012, 08:22 PM

Ohhh this was awesome!

“Honey, I’m a ghost. I know stuff.” part made me chuckle.

Ha xD, will leave a more detailed comment when I get home, class is about to start!

Ohhh, so the mom was sending letters!

"A question like that could only truly be answered with a confrontation with the woman who left her to die."
The mystery thickens!
Count me as entertained and hooked!

Posted by: SubRosa Jan 25 2012, 11:48 PM

A wonderful update. Like the others, I also loved the reflection in the spoon, along with the entire inner conversation over dinner.

I’m good. No praise required, please.”


So her mother was sending reminders to Aleksander! Brilliant! So now we will be off to Cyrodiil, and a tour of the Mages Guild halls!

Posted by: Tábrasa Jan 30 2012, 05:06 PM

Athynae: I'm so glad that you are enjoying the story and are looking forward to more! I hope this next chapter satisfies any questions you may hold to what Tara may have in store for Aleksander! Thank you for the nit

mALX: Hehe I'm so glad that you love Willow! Thank you for the compliments. My only notion to Tara anger at her mother is the feeling of abandonment, but TBH onlw Tara can answer those questions... Maybe she will one day

King Coin: I'm glad the chapter help answer some questions for you

Acadian: Aww thank you! It is fun to write for two different characters, and it's so much fun seeing how they interact with each other.

McBadgere: Hehe, thank you!

Fawkes: Thank you so much for the compliments! Im so glad you liked that line of Willows

SubRosa: Thank you for the compliments So glad you're enoying te story

P.S I wonder if any BtVS fans noticed the reference to the S5 episode 'Forever' with Willows line '...I'm a ghost. I know stuff.'

Tara walked over to the dining table, glaring at Aleksander as she sat in her seat. She wondered why he would do such a thing. It’s one thing that he had been in contact with her mother for years on end, but to not tell her about it? It was unacceptable.

Still, despite the subtle anger dripping from her every pore, she couldn’t bring herself to ask him about her discovery. Was she nervous? Yes. Was she scared? Most probably.

She sat with Mildred and Aleksander as she ate her meal, occasionally glancing at Aleksander with every bite of the delicious food. She desperately wanted to say something, but she couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t. Maybe she couldn’t handle confrontation which to lead to the loss of a great friend.

She didn’t know what to think, and with Willow constantly nagging for her to ‘demand answers’ from Aleksander, thinking was not going to get any easier. So she did the next best thing.

“Mildred,” She started, holding the back of her palm to her forehead. “The meal was lovely, b-but I think I need to lie down…”

“Oh, dear what’s the matter? Is it my cooking?” Mildred panicked.

“No, just a mild migraine,” Tara lied. “But I do need to lie down.”

Mildred nodded as Tara stood up and headed to her bedroom. Aleksander was paying no attention to her whilst Mildred had a worried expression on her face. It made her feel sick that she had to lie to avoid confrontation, but she knew that if she had time to sleep on it, she would feel better in the morning. Hopefully.

She walked into her bedroom and changed into her bed clothes. She could see Willow’s image in the window, which made taking off her bra rather uncomfortable. She decided to take her Bra off under her blouse, leading to an awkward moment of trying to undo the knot with minimal room to even move. She couldn’t quite reach, leading to an even more awkward motion of trying to move the bra around so the knot at the back would be at the front, which, again, her having her blouse on for privacy made ever more difficult.

She looked in her reflection and could see Willow giggling at her actions.

Tara smiled slightly before finally removing the bra. She then crawled under her duvet and swapped her blouse for her bed shirt. She knew that one day she would be comfortable with the fact that there would always be someone around watching her change but for now? She wasn’t going to let it happen.

She put her head on the pillow, regardless of the fact that she wasn’t even sleepy, and tried to get her forty winks.

“So what are we going to do about Aleksander?” Willow asked. Tara ignored her.



The next morning Tara woke, surprised that she had actually fallen asleep. She got out of her bed and put on her clothes. She walked out of her bedroom and headed downstairs. She stared in awe at the state of the dining room. It was a mess, a mess that certainly wasn’t there when she went to bed the previous night. Chairs were thrown around the room, glasses were smashed and food was splattered on nearly every inch of the wall. The sight that horrified her the most, however, was the painting above the fireplace. It was ruined. Slashed from end to end with burn marks from which looked like- A shock spell?

She continued to stare until she saw Mildred wander in through the kitchen. She ran downstairs to speak with her whilst she brushed the mess into a tidy pile.

“Mildred, what happened?” Tara asked. Mildred didn’t reply.

Tara stood directly in front of Mildred and asked her the same question, but was again met with no reply.

“W-who did this?” Tara asked. This question peaked Mildred’s curiosity. She looked at Tara with a disgusted expression, as if Tara was a lowly beggar asking for change.

“How dare you ask a question like that? You know very well who did this!”

Tara looked at Mildred, confused. Mildred then turned and walked away from her. Tara wasn’t ready to give up, so she decided to try Aleksander.

She assumed he would be in his office so she headed there, and she was right. She walked into the office and before she could say a word, Aleksander looked at her from his chair; a forced smile on his miserable face.

“Tara…” He greeted. His tone worn and empty.

Tara approached him slowly.

“What happened? Is Mildred okay?” She asked.

“I think last nights antic have upset her a bit. You must understand.”

Tara looked shocked. Everyone spoke to her as if she was supposed to know what had happened.

“No, I don’t. Tell me!” She begged.

Aleksander gave a sigh of regret, then rose from his seat and embraced Tara.

“I’m sorry that my deception upset you that much, Tara. And I completely understand and support your decision to leave to find your mother.”

Tara stared at Aleksander in utter disbelief.

“Wh-what? What decision?”

“Tara, don’t try and make me feel better by denying what you said. It may have been said in anger, but you spoke of what your heart desires. Maybe with you going on your journey it will help me find piece of mind, too.”

Tara broke away from his embrace. She couldn’t remember anything that he was speaking of, but she decided to go along with it anyway. If it made Aleksander feel better, then there was really no point in arguing.

“Now, I put your bag by the front door last night.”

Tara smiled reluctantly. She was being pushed out by something she wasn’t even aware of. She didn’t know whether or not she should go, but it was clear that she did. Maybe she did say all those things the previous night and somehow lost all memory of it. Maybe she hit her head during the destruction and caused her memory loss. All she was aware of was that she was gone. For no reason or explanation she was to leave Farrun and Go to Cyrodiil. Why? She didn’t know. But even though it wasn’t her decision, something inside her made her realise it was the right one.



Tara stood with her backpack outside Aleksander’s house. Mildred wasn’t present; she was still upset and wasn’t going to forgive the innocent Tara any day soon.

“Make sure you write to me when you find Jada.” Aleksander made her promise.

“How am I supposed to find her? I can hardly remember what she looks like?”

“You’ll know, Tara. Believe me.”

Tara smiled. She didn’t know what else to say, so she waved goodbye and began to walk away. However, after taking a few steps she turned around to ask Aleksander one final question.

“Why didn’t you tell me that Mother had been writing to you?”

“Because she asked me not to. I’ve told you this.” Aleksander informed her.

“Remind me.” Tara asked. Aleksander seemed hesitant for some reason, but he obliged.

“She was worried about your father finding out that she was betraying their agreement.”

“What agreement?” Tara asked.

“I don’t know, she didn’t tell me.”

Tara looked at Aleksander. She could see in his eyes that he was telling her the truth; but it still wasn’t enough.

She smiled and turned to walk away again, but this time turned and ran toward Aleksander, jumping into his arms and holding him tightly. Tears falling softly from her eyes.

“Thank you… for everything.” She muttered. She held the embrace for a few seconds before gradually releasing it.

“Goodbye.” She smiled. Aleksander nodded in a reply.

“Good luck.”

She walked away for a final time and headed out of town. The Farrun air soon to become a memory, but she wasn’t phased. Despite the rush of her leaving she had a new, important focus in life. Despite the people she was leaving and the state she left them in she knew it was the right decision to make. She didn’t make any more final goodbyes, not to Karliah or anyone. She was leaving and that was that.

This was the start of something new for her; a mission. Her mother was waiting and Tara had her questions ready. All se knew was that her mother was in one of the mages guild halls in Cyrodiil under a new name. it was going to be a challenge, but she knew she was going to find her. She knew the journey would be tough, but it’s not like she didn’t have any company.

Maybe now Tara would find the brighter future she’d always craved.

Maybe…

Posted by: mALX Jan 30 2012, 06:22 PM

*

SPEW !!! ROFL !! I could picture this whole scene, this had me rolling !! These kind of details totally make your story, I love them !!!




I love these lines, they show how fragile Tara really is inside.


URK !!! Looks like "Watch her closely when she turns 19" has a meaning now.


Poor Tara, and BRILLIANT plot !!!! Love how you've thought this out !!!

*

Posted by: Acadian Jan 31 2012, 01:36 AM

This was wonderfully written and I so enjoyed being inside Tara’s head as she wrestled with her feelings and self-doubts over dinner. Then a cute as can be scene of modesty at bedtime. Then an unexpected walk of shame (no, not that kind) in the morning!

The glaring takeaway from this episode is a simple and new truth: Never, never, never ignore Willow!

I am so looking forward to the next conversation between T&W!

Nits:
’Maybe she couldn’t handle confrontation which to lead to the loss of a great friend. ‘
I’m not sure what your intended wording was. Did you perhaps mean a ‘could’ instead of the ‘to’?

’She decided to take her Bra off under her blouse, ‘
I wouldn’t capitalize bra here.

’All se knew was that her mother was in one of the mages guild halls in Cyrodiil under a new name. ‘
You meant ‘she’ of course.

Posted by: SubRosa Jan 31 2012, 08:40 PM

I loved Tara trying to take off her bra underneath her top. That is so much easier to do with the kind that have clips in the back!

Uh oh, what happened in the dining room? Let me guess, Willow was walking around in Tara's body getting her anger out?

And now we see where the title comes from! Let us hope that she finds that brighter future in Cyrodiil, and that she does not kill anyone in her sleep...



nits:
She decided to take her Bra off under her blouse
No need to capitalize bra here.

Maybe she did say all those things the previous night and somehow lost all memory of it. Maybe she hit her head during the destruction and caused her memory loss.
Since these sentences are phrased as questions, they ought to end in question marks rather then periods.

Posted by: McBadgere Feb 1 2012, 05:23 AM

Naughty Willow... ...That was rude...I'd give myself a damn good talking at the next time we were about...

Excellently done though...Loving it all...*Thumbsup*...

Battlemage or not...That was rude...

Blacking out and making a big mess seems to be becoming a theme around here... ...

I absolutely loved this...

Nice one!!... ...

*Applauds heartily*...

Posted by: Grits Feb 2 2012, 04:12 PM

I like the way Tara and Willow can see one another in reflections. Poor Tara is going to have to cover every mirror and window, or perhaps get over her modesty. Unless Willow learns to politely look away! It’s fun to see the two of them coming to terms with their situation.

Yikes, then in the morning we see the results of Willow taking charge. She did push Tara into seeking her bright future, but I wonder what else she’s willing to do while she’s walking around as Tara. As Acadian said, do not ignore Willow!!

Posted by: Tábrasa Mar 27 2012, 01:36 PM

Just thought i'd explain my absence for the readers of A.B.F. Basically my internet went down unexpectedly and i've been unable to get in back up for quite some time. I have been on occasionaly with the use of my phone, but that is to impractical when it comes to reading stories due to the awful state my phone is in! Haha

But I am back, and new A.B.F. will be up soon, as well as me FINALLY being able to catch up with everyone's stories!

Posted by: Grits Mar 27 2012, 01:43 PM

Yay, welcome back!

Posted by: Acadian Mar 27 2012, 02:54 PM

Thanks so much for checking in! We were getting worried about you, Tara and Willow. I'm so looking forward to you continuing this wonderful story!

Posted by: Tábrasa Mar 27 2012, 10:57 PM

mALX: Thank you so much! I'm very glad you are enjoying the plot and how it's unfolding! Hehe I'm glad you found the bra scene amusing, too

Acadian: Indeed, Tara does have trouble communicating her feelings towards people and the dinner scene shows this. Maybe she'll overcome these issuses and become a stronger person in the future? But for now, we have Willow for that Thank you for the nits

SubRosa: I hope dear Tara finds her brighter future too, but I doubt it will be easy I'm glad you enjoyed the bra scene too! Thank you for the nits

McBadgere: Thank you for enjoying the story! Blackouts are annoying for the victim, especially with how it appears Tara sleepwalks! haha

Grits: Haha sell they say a mirror is a gateway to the soul! Or that is at least what i say! I'm sure they'll learn to live with each other... eventually! Haha

Cyrodiil wasn’t how Tara had pictured it at all. From what she had read she expected a mass of dense jungle as far as the eye could see, but from where she was there was no jungle. Barely a group of trees in sight that could even attempt to qualify for the status of ‘jungle’.

She could see forests and fields of grass swaying in the gentle breeze, but that was about it. To say she was disappointed was an understatement, but she couldn’t really let it get to her. She was here for a reason; a reason more focal than the lack of excessive shrubbery.

Tara had entered Cyrodiil from the Hammerfell border, but didn’t have a single clue as to where to go from there. She dropped her bag and barely managed to climb a bulky rock. She stood atop of the rock and looked out into the distance. She managed to see what looked like either a large castle or a small city. Despite the notion that she had no idea what it was she decided that it would probably be the best place for her to go. At least from there she could ask for directions, maybe even find a nice room for her to spend the night in.

She hopped off the rock, stumbling onto her bottom as she landed. She stood up, brushed herself off, grabbed her bag and followed the path to the city. She spent the majority of the journey wondering what she had left behind. She still couldn’t explain what had happened back at the house. Both Mildred and Aleksander had spoken to Tara as if she had caused the destruction, which she was certain she hadn’t. She had no theories that she hadn’t already pondered, no more questions she could ask herself that would be more than answerless. All she could do was hope that she would have some sort of answer soon, but until then, her current task was her main focus.

She wondered why Willow had been so quiet. She understood that she could only see Willow in a reflection, but she didn’t know that she needed a reflective surface to speak with her, too. Unfortunately, Tara didn’t have any way to test whether a reflective surface was the only source of communication, which annoyed her deeply. For all she knew Willow could have known something about what happened back at Alexander’s house.

It annoyed Tara that she couldn’t get what happened out of her head. She had a focus, a goal, that she had to complete for her own gratification, but she couldn’t help thinking about what had happened.

She continued walking, looking at her surroundings and taking in the Cyrodillic air. On second thought, Cyrodiil was rather beautiful. From the herbs and plants that seemed to be in every empty space, to the deer and other wildlife that pranced gayley to the harmonic sound of unseen birds was rather breathtaking. She gave herself a mental slap on the forehead for being so prejudiced about the province at her first glance, but she now knew that she was in a place of beauty. A place she couldn’t wait to explore... whilst looking for her mother of course – Wow, I forgot that for a second...

Suddenly she stopped and edged her eye line toward the main road again. She saw something which caught her attention. A man sat by the roadside. He didn’t have anything with him, no bags or rags, and he was dressed too nice to scream homeless. He looked happy, a large smile on his face as he appeared to be singing to himself.

Tara felt uneasy. She looked for a road she could take which would avoid the man, but she couldn’t see any such thing. She didn’t want to take a detour through the wilderness as Mara knows what could have been out there.

She decided that bravery was her only option; although she kept a shock spell in her mind just in case. She slowly began to walk again, trying to avoid eye contact with the stranger. She continued pacing past the man, giving him subtle glances as she passed him. As she passed him she could feel his eyes watching her as she walked. She ignored it and continued walking, relieved that she managed to avoid an awkward conversation with the-

“Excuse me, miss, I don’t know you do i?”

Tara stopped again. The man was speaking to her. Avoiding being rude, she turned around with a smile.

“Um… no, I don’t think so…” She replied, turning back to her original position. But before she could take a step the man said something which made the hairs on her neck stand up.

“You’re looking for someone, aren’t you?”

Tara slowly turned to look back at the man.

“H-how did you know that?”

The man chuckled, standing up as he did. He began to approach Tara.

“I am a seer of things not too distant. I am told things from the spirits beyond that those mere habitants of Nirn couldn’t possibly understand. I’ve been given a message about your path and I knew I had to wait for you at this time, on this day. I have been waiting a long time for you.”

“You have?” Tara replied with a cautious tone as the man continued to approach her.

“Yes, I have. You’re looking for someone lost. Someone who is lost, but you’ve never forgotten.”

Tara smiled, “Yes, yes I have! My mother!”

Tara began to get excited. This man knew things that only she did, and that surely must have meant something.

“I know, child.” He replied. He finally reached her, but instead of stopping to speak with her he walked past her. Her gaze followed him, slightly confused.

“If you want to know more then, please, follow me. The journey will be long, but it will be worth it, I assure you.”

Tara thought for a second. She barely knew this man and he was already basically promising her answers? But he knew thing’s he possibly couldn’t? That is not just coincidence…

“Where are we going?” Tara asked the man, who continued to walk.

“I own a shop near the imperial city. I bought it from a friend of mine. It’s an alchemy shop, but I use it for other purposes. It’s very private and secluded. Perfect for me to tell your fortune.”

Tara thought that this seemed too good to be true. Could this man truly tell her what her path will lead to? Could he tell her where her mother was? Could he be the person who gives the one thing she had been craving her whole life?

She thought for a second, wishing that somehow Willow could tell her what to do or what to think, but she was alone. This decision was hers to make alone. She knew what the right thing to do was and she knew she had to tell the stranger now.

“…Okay. How far is it to your shop?”

Posted by: Acadian Mar 28 2012, 12:36 AM

I'm delighted to see you continuing this!

I agree with Tara that a newcomer to Cyrodiil might expect jungle, but I also agree with her assessment that ‘Cyrodill was rather beautiful’. Then she backed it up with some delightful descriptions.

’For all she knew Willow could have known something about what happened back at Alexander’s house.’
Yup. I’d be takin’ that to the bank!

A wonderfully mysterious encounter with an equally intriguing stranger. Tara displays quite a bit of courage here as she initially travels into Cyrodiil by herself, then takes a chance on trusting a stranger. Testament, I believe, to how strongly she yearns to find her mother. I hope she finds her answers ahead.


Nits:
“Excuse me, miss, I don’t know you do i?”
‘I’ of course.

“I own a shop near the imperial city.”
I’d capitalize the proper name of a city and the game calls it ‘The Imperial City’.

Posted by: McBadgere Mar 28 2012, 04:21 AM

Oooh!!... ...

Excellent stuff!!...

Definately nice to see this story back...Some really nice stuff in there...

I'd heard that Cyrodiil had been supposed to be jungle...Strange really...It's not like Bethesda to arbitrarily change things on a whim... ...( )...

Love the descriptions of Cyrodiil though...And it seems as though Willow is hanging her etheric head in shame at the mo... ...

The man!!...The could be considered slightly creepy in an "I've been sat here for some time waiting for a teenage girl to wander along" way...And yet, I like him!! ...He's brilliantly done...Looking forward to seeing where this leads...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds*...

Posted by: mALX Mar 28 2012, 04:53 PM

Yeah! You're back! I loved how Tara expected a jungle when she came to Cyrodiil, nice bit of touching on lore! Great Write !!!

Posted by: SubRosa Mar 28 2012, 11:26 PM

I loved your dig at the jungled Cyrodiil. Funny how it magically turned into Merry Old England when it came time to make a game based there, isn't it?

For all she knew Willow could have known something about what happened back at Alexander’s house.
Somehow, I think Willow just might have a few ideas...

This stranger whom the spirits speak to seemed to be a harmless nut at first. But then when he mentioned his nice and secluded shop, well, the creep factor really kicked in. I hope that is a good shock spell Tara has ready, just in case!



nits:
wildlife that pranced gayley
I believe you wanted gaily.

Posted by: Grits Mar 30 2012, 01:20 AM

Unseen birds, I like that!


“I own a shop near the imperial city. I bought it from a friend of mine. It’s an alchemy shop, but I use it for other purposes. It’s very private and secluded. Perfect for me to tell your fortune.”

Uh oh. Better keep the shock, fire, and frost spells handy!

Posted by: King Coin Mar 30 2012, 02:16 AM

Interesting, I think Willow took some liberties with Tara’s body. She seems to be exerting some influence on Tara’s thoughts too, not just hiding what she did (or while Willow was ‘in charge’ perhaps Tara wouldn’t be able to remember?). This is more than a friendly rider.

What a bizarre guy. Considering the only alchemy shop I can think of near the Imperial City is rubble, that can’t bode well for this encounter.

Posted by: Tábrasa Apr 3 2012, 08:55 PM

Acadian: I'm so glad that you waited so patiently for an update! I too agree with the hope that Tara's encounter being able to help find her mother, but didn't mother always tell you not to talk to strangers? haha

McBadgere: I'm glad you enjoyed the description of Cyrodiil! I'm sure anyone would be dissapointed to learn that what they've researched wasn't exactly meant to be

mALX: Awwww thank you mALX!

SubRosa: Haha thank you! I was surprised to learn that Cyrodiil was meant to be a jungle! I'm sure tara was equally as surprised to learn it wasn't

Grits: Hehe thanks! I had to give SOME mention to those ninja birdies

King Coin: Your theories on Willow intreague me! I'm so happy my story can provoke so much thought!

Author Note: I am still catching up with everyones stories. my lack of internet for a month left me dangerously behind! haha.

It took Tara and the stranger almost half a day to travel to his shop. Conversation was kept to a minimal, with the stranger making idle chatter involving mud crabs. He did, however, reveal his name as Argenor, which she was grateful for as calling him ‘Stranger’ was verging to the point of rude.

Tara stood outside the shop whilst Argenor fumbled for his keys. The shop was located by a large river, and it was out in the open. Not as isolated as I thought...

She stood awkwardly, looking around at her surrounding. The shop, which the sign insisted was called ‘All things Alchemical’ was large, easily three floors tall. It was surrounded by unique trees that she hadn’t seen before, which made her smile and Cyrodiil was surprising her more every second. It was quiet, beautifully quiet... but also slightly eerily.

Eventually Argenor managed to find his keys and he went to unlock the door, looking around as he did so, which Tara found odd. Once the door was open he beckoned Tara inside, but she was hesitant.

“Are you coming in?” Argenor smiled. Tara remained hesitant, but the grin on Argenor’s face slowly eased her nerves. She took small steps until she was stood by the door. She looked behind her at the road leading to the shop, her reasons why uncertain to her.

Tara walked into the shop, followed by Argenor who closed the door behind her. That’s strange. Why is he using his key to close the door? Maybe the door is broken.

Once Argenor had closed the door he walked over to Tara, leading her to a seat. The shop was rather bland, empty even. Apart from a table and chairs and a few books scattered around, the place looked abandoned.

Tara assumed that this was part of what made the place so secluded, after all you didn’t need much equipment to tell someone their fortune. But there would be something like a crystal ball at least.

Tara stopped thinking so hard and sat down as Argenor headed upstairs, calling down whether she would like a glass of water or not. Tara accepted and not before long Argenor came back down the stairs with a glass of water. He handed it to her and smiled before he sat down.

Tara waited for him to do or say something, but no, he just looked at her. She saw his eyes slowly examine her face before he began to chuckle.

“Oh I’m sorry! You must think I’m so rude!”

Tara smiled nervously and shook her head, “N-no, not at all.” She took a sip of her water, eagerly observed by Argenor.

“It’s just you look so much like you’re mother, it’s astonishing!”

“You’ve met my mother?” Tara smiles.

“No, dear, but i have seen her face in my visions. A beautiful woman; much like yourself, in fact.”

Tara laughed awkwardly, taking another sip of the water, which tasted odd. Must be water from the river.

“So... are you going to tell me more about my mother?” Tara eventually asked after a short silence.
“Indeed.” Argenor replied as he continued to scan Tara with his beady eyes.

She couldn’t help but feel that something was up. He was creeping her out on an epic scale. He defiantly had something other than fortune telling on his mind, but she couldn’t figure out what. All she knew was that even though she’d only been there for five minutes, she needed to get out. She gulped down the rest of her water and stood up.

“I’m sorry, sir, but i really have to go. I can’t be here to long.”

Argenor ignored her, continued to leer over her. She took this as her que to leave. She headed to the door, only to discover to her horror that it was locked. She turned to Argenor; subtle panic in her voice.

“Can you unlock the door please?” She asked. Argenor continued to ignore her. She could feel anger and panic welling up inside her.

She also felt something else. Something unusual. Her legs began to fall weak, her head faint. Her whole body began to turn cold. She stumbled to the door again, desperate to escape. Suddly her legs gave and she lost control of them, collapsing to the floor, still with a firm grip on the door knob. She began to let out a tired scream as her eyesight began to go. Her surroundings began to turn black and her grip started to loosen at an alarming rate. Before she knew it she had blacked out.



Tara woke, still groggy and unable to mover her arms or legs, but this time due to the fact that they were bound to a chair. Her mouth was gagged with a cloth. She was unable to speak. She was unable to do anything.

She could see Argenor sat opposite her, doing something to himself with his hands that she could barely make out. She didn’t want to think about it. All she wanted was freedom.

“Oh, you’re awake!” Argenor said as he slowly rose from his seat. “That’s good; I would have felt uncomfortable if you were asleep during our time together.”

He began to walk over to Tara. Someone who was once a kind old man had now become a threat. She struggled for freedom with muffled screams and she tried to set herself free, but it was a failed effort.

Argenor finally reached her and began to stroke her face with his wrinkled hand. She screamed again, tears of fright welling up behind her eyes.

“You’re so beautiful...” He informed her. He put his face close to hers and kissed her left cheek. His hands began to touch her inappropriately. They started on her shoulders, slowly removing part of her shirt to reveal bare skin. He then moved his lips from her cheek to her neck; and act which caused her to scream and revolt with more passion.

She looked to her right to avoid seeing what the old man was doing to her, when to her surprise she saw something. Something which made her smile inside.

Willow.

There was a mirror to the right of her, Willow in her misty goodness staring at her.

“Tara, relax. You have to relax.” Willow ordered.

Tara shook her head, confused and still frightened. Willow repeated herself again, but this time had aggression in her voice.

“Listen to me you NEED to RELAX! Trust me Tara, okay?”

Tara didn’t understand but decided to take Willows advice. She closed her eyes and thought of calm things, all the while still aware of what Argenor was doing to her.

She continued to think of happy things, Farron. Aleksander. Karliah. Kittens. Flowers, Clothes. Mildred’s mystery stew. Farron. Aleksander. Karliah. Kittens. Flowers, Clothes. Mildred’s mystery stew. Farron. Aleksander. Karliah. Kittens. Flowers, Clothes. Mildred’s mystery stew.

She opened her eyes. She was outside. Her hands and feet were unbound. She smiled with elation as she rose to her feet. She checked her body for damage, which there was none of. She bagan to laugh in relief, but then collapsed to the floor again in shock. She didn’t understand what had happed, but she was glad that Willow had done something. Whatever it was- wait, what’s that smell?

Tara turned her head and looked behind her, staring in shock at what the source of the smell was. Argenor’s shop up in flames. The roaring fire that was at least 100 feet high was releasing a cloud of deathly looking black smoke.

She stood and backed away from the fire, still in utter shock about what had happened. First she was tied up and gagged, about to get attacked by Argenor, and the next she was free and outside the burning Alchemy shop.

What is happening?

“WHAT’S GOING ON!” She screamed as she watched the shop burn.

Posted by: Acadian Apr 4 2012, 01:41 AM

You painted a wonderfully gradual picture of sixth sense doubts turning into a real threat. We could see and were suspicious, but Tara’s youth and drive to learn more of her mother blinded her until it was too late.

Not too late for Willow though! My gosh, I was so relieved to see that reflection of her in the mirror. Knowing what she was capable of, it brought a smile to my face - and she did not disappoint. Yes, think calm thoughts, Tara – of Mildred’s mystery stew - while I open up a can of Willow Witchcraft Whoopass! I love how you managed Tara's escape from this danger and even tied it into that burned out shop on the banks of Lake Rumare.

I have no doubt that Willow ensured Argenor was trapped inside and will never terrorize another young girl again. Willow: You go girl!

I loved this episode!


Nits. Forgive me here, but your editing was off a bit. Perhaps this episode was rushed to post?

“You’ve met my mother?” Tara smiles.
smiled

“No, dear, but i have seen her face in my visions.
I

He defiantly had something other than fortune telling on his mind,
definitely

She took this as her que to leave.
cue

Suddly her legs gave and she lost control of them,
suddenly

He then moved his lips from her cheek to her neck; and act which caused her to scream and revolt with more passion.
an

Tara didn’t understand but decided to take Willows advice.
Willow’s

She didn’t understand what had happed,
happened

Posted by: McBadgere Apr 4 2012, 04:28 AM

Brilliant!!...

Told you he was odd!!... ...

That was scary and creepy and many other squirmy type emotion things...

Geez...Trusting much?!... ...

Love the way Willow took charge...I hope we get to see Willow in full fight-mode at some point...I like her... ...

Excellently done...Loved it...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

Posted by: King Coin Apr 5 2012, 01:48 AM

Oh cool. Nothing like a weird guy leading you into an abandoned shop, locking the door behind you, and then giving you strange tasting water.

Ah yes! Willow! She pulled through for Tara.

Posted by: SubRosa Apr 6 2012, 10:19 PM

So The Stranger - Argenor - owns the original All Things Alchemical? From his furtive nature, I wonder if he really does own it, or if he is breaking in. Or if does own it, if someone is after him.

Nope, he is just a creep. The way he locked the door behind Tara showed that, and how he took so long to go out of sight to poison her water.

Looks like Willow saved the day. For once her habit of destroying places was a good thing! Thankfully that mirror was there. I loved Tara trying to think happy thoughts, so that she could relax enough for Willow to take over. And now we know a little more of what it takes for that to happen in the bargain.

Finally, now we know how that shop got burned down!

Posted by: Andrea Apr 11 2012, 11:05 PM

I can't stress how much I love this! As soon as I saw 'Tara Willow' I immediatly assumed '...yup, thats Buffy', but I take my pre-judgement back because this ROCKS!

I'm all for the whole dark past thing, as Jessika is, too, looking for her Brighter Future, so she and I can relate!

I'm still reading, but I look forward to more!