literature

I See Fire - Part I

Deviation Actions

Akataras's avatar
By
Published:
386 Views

Literature Text

Six centuries after the fateful words were spoken. A traveler visited the humble town from which they had been uttered, a cloak of black was pulled tight around their shoulders, and a hood hid their face from prying eyes. 

They had spotted the town from atop a hill that overlooked the massive lake that surrounded it, which itself was almost encircled by an immense mountain range. The circle of mountains was broken by the colossal waterfall that marked most of its southern edge. A perilous drop off a shear mountainside, with an immense flow of water pouring from the very top of it far far below. To say the area housing the lake and town was mountainous would be an understatement, when a mountain has other mountains upon it, the term mountainous seems somewhat inadequate. 

Chief of these immense mounds of natural stone and rock, was a mountain to the north of the lake. In truth it was not a mountain on its own, and was in fact the absolute peak of the  mountain upon which the lake, town and waterfall were situated. It was located beyond the smaller hillside that surrounded the town and through its scale alone made the other hills upon its surface appear minuscule. Most curious of all, the smaller mountains that framed the lake were rife with green forests of towering pines and snow-kissed peaks, but the monolithic apex that towered above them all was black and barren, devoid of any foliage or life. Were it in the east or west rather than north, it would have cast a grim shadow upon the town living in its wake.

The settlement itself was a curious construction, it was located directly in the middle of the lake, and a towering spire at the very center of the town would be the first thing to draw any wanderer's eye. An impressive structure, that ascended far above the height of any of the town's other buildings. It had a hexagonal balcony supported by struts at each corner, between which immense crimson tapestries could be seen, old and worn, but impressive all the same. 

The balcony was vast in scale, and shielded from the worst of the elements by a pointed roof of slanted wood and slate. With a shape like a wizard's hat, it added a certain character to the tower. The town was far from extravagant, and even the tower, impressive as it was, still appeared simple, built by nothing more than wood and the efforts of honest folk. 

The shape of the town and its overall construction were far from what one would consider professional or refined, with no determined shape or any evidence of a planned layout whatsoever. It expanded out from the tower, and took up a section of the lake, though the body of water still dwarfed it in size. An awkward shaped mass of wood, slate and rope, that while not put together in a hurry, was still built with little regard for appearance or consideration. Bridges appeared left, right and all over, connecting the multiple wooden platforms that housed and held each set of buildings. It was a ramshackle construction of lopsided planks and poor structural planning, but there was something about it that had a certain charm. 

Beneath his black hood, the traveler smiled at the abject innocence of his surroundings. No obsession with finery or wealth could be seen, it was a humble town filled with simple people going about their lives. It was no wonder that the rather fine looking black cape he wore had drawn attention to him from the very moment he boarded the boat that landed him in the town. He was not one to mind a few stares, and relished in attention when he desired it, but in this instance, being immediately identified in a crowd was not an experience he was looking forward to. 

He wasn't enjoying the whispered discussions and odd looks he was inspiring either. While he wandered the wooden streets, he soon realised that even his manner of walking stood out. The locals all walked with heavy steps and broad spread shoulders, their footsteps thudded loudly and their posture spoke of harsh lives and hardy heritage. He meanwhile walked with soft steps, almost silent, a slender build and a slight sway to his delicate gait. 

- 'I'm fairly certain they're all taller than me as well...' He thought to himself, amused at the idea. 
~ 'Must be something in the water.' Another voice echoed in his head, one far older and colder.
- 'Oh, finally awake?' He replied with a wry tone. 'And you criticise me for sleeping late. The nerve.'
~ 'I was not asleep, my thoughts were elsewhere.'  
- 'You were napping weren't you?'
~ 'Just for that, I won't warn you.' The cold voice stated. 
- 'Warn me about wha-' 

The traveler would find his thoughts interrupted and his question answered, when he collided everything first into what he at first assumed was a bear twice his size. The impact of the collision knocked him flat on his ass and threw back the hood covering his face. He was only somewhat relieved when it turned out to be a rather large gentleman with a beard. He was far more relieved when the look on their face was not one of fury, and when offered a hand to help him back up, he took it with a grateful smile. After being hauled onto his feet by someone that judging by their build could throw him the full length of the lake with only half a hand, he was quite glad they weren't angry with him.
 
- 'Oh good. I really didn't want to have to fight an angry bear today, I've gotten bored of that lately, sort of loses its appeal after a while.' He thought once he was on his feet again. It was only when he saw the raised brow and that the eyes of the wall of a human being he had walked into were inspecting him that he realised his hood had fallen down. From the expression of the man, the traveler could already tell where the situation was about to go.

- 'Five. Four. Three. Two...' 

"What's a pretty young girl like you doing in these parts?" The bear of a man asked, with a gruff tone that was also warm. 

- 'One...' The traveler thought, completing his countdown. 'Called it.' He muttered to the other voice in his head. 'He's going to be really disappointed that I don't have breasts isn't he?'
~ 'And a few other things most like. I'm just amused that people keep making this mistake.' The colder voice smirked.
- 'Well at least one of us is entertained by it... ' 

Having had to disappoint many an expectant soul that had gotten the wrong impression about his sex, the traveler was more than accustomed to this sort of misunderstanding. With his hood down and face visible, it would come as no surprise to anyone that saw it as to why. 

With soft features and smooth skin with a slight blush, a sharp edge to his lower jaw, high cheekbones and a gentle smile, his facial features were far from what one would consider masculine. His slender body and feminine frame did nothing to assist with what one would consider a typical masculine image, and so he had encountered this situation more times than he could count. His long light brown hair framed his face in a way that only helped accentuate his features, and his blazing bright blue eyes added a certain alluring quality to his gaze. In essence, a towering pillar of burly heroism and muscle, was not something Vincent was about to embody.

"Well, two out of three isn't bad." He smiled in reply to the man's question. "I do love it when people notice that I'm young and pretty, though I'm not really your type." He smirked, a playful tone to his comment.

"Awfully pretty for a lad." The bearded man responded with a hearty laugh. "Might just give you a turn anyway. Always fun to try new things." He added, and flashed him a grin.

The blush that went to the traveler's cheeks in that moment could've been seen from across the lake, which only resulted in another bellow of laughter from the bearded brick wall. 

"Ah, the look on your face. That was worth this little meeting alone." He chuckled. "Name's Beirahn. " He continued, offering a hand. "Do you have a name traveler? Or are you simply known for a pretty face and not paying attention to where you're going?" 

The traveler blinked, first bemused, then amused at the odd encounter. After an entertained chuckle, he shook the bearded Beirahn's hand. "Vincent." He stated, introducing himself. "Often known for his pretty face and not looking before he leaps." Vincent smirked. 

"You seem a curious sort." Beirahn said with a chortle. "And I'd love to know just what you're doing in this sleepy little town. Since half the town already knows you're here, and the other half probably does too, there's no point to privacy. If you're willing to chat, there's only one place in town that makes sense." 

"And that would be?" 

"The tavern of course!" Beirahn announced with yet another laugh. 

~ 'You must be blessed or cursed. One way or another. You always end up in a tavern.' The voice in Vincent's head muttered.
- 'Usually not wearing undergarments by the end.' 
~ 'Oh believe me I've not forgotten the many occasions where that has occurred.' The cold voice sighed. 
- 'It's not always been my fault.' 
~ 'Don't remind me... Just try to keep them on this time. This town appears homely enough, but I am not certain of this place. Something of this world feels off...' 
- 'And there's no better place to gather information than at the nearest bar.' 
~ 'I'm amazed at how often that works with you.' 
- 'I'm amazed how often anything I do works.' 
~ 'Indeed.' 

"Excellent idea!" Vincent laughed in turn, with equal enthusiasm. "Lead the way." 
- "I see fire. I see flame..." -

I See Fire: Prologue - fav.me/d6xxrdy
I See Fire: Part I - Here
I See Fire: Part II - fav.me/d6ytbpg
I See Fire: Part III - fav.me/d6z8sxz
I See Fire: Part IV - fav.me/d6zxdvn
I See Fire: Part V - fav.me/d70y1hv
I See Fire: Part VI - fav.me/d72bfgh
I See Fire: Part VII - TBR
I See Fire: Part VIII - TBR
I See Fire: Part IX - TBR 
I See Fire: Part X - TBR

(More parts to be announced, if the story doesn't run its course in three. [Author Edit - That didn't happen, it's getting expanded. Current expected volume is seven parts] [Additional Author Edit - That also didn't happen, now it's in ten parts] I'll add links to all parts from all parts when they're uploaded. TBR stands for: To Be Released)

The first main part of a short series I plan to write and release over the holiday season. 

Heavily inspired by certain events of The Hobbit, both the book, and the films. I consider the overall story a small homage or tribute to one of my favourite books, and its flawed but excellent adaptations and imaginings on the silver screen.

------
"Now I see fire, inside the mountain. I see fire, burning the trees, and I see fire, hollowing souls. I see fire, blood in the breeze... and I hope that you remember me." - Ed Sheeran: I See Fire
------

Special thanks to DayanDeVarlo for reviewing this piece before it was released. Thanks to her interest and kind comments, I was able to release this piece sooner than expected.

Author Personal Notes:

Rather than repaste the same walls of text from the Prologue's deviation description, I'll direct you toward it instead, to minimise clutter in these deviation descriptions, and leave more room for personal comments that are related specifically to this segment of the story. You can find the prologue here: fav.me/d6xxrdy

Having seen Desolation of Smaug, the appearance of a town in the middle of a lake should come as no surprise to anyone. I've always liked the idea of this sort of setting, and decided to put my own spin on the idea of a lake town, though you may not have seen it yet. 

I've reviewed this a few times, but since I've not taken a few days away from it like usual, there may still be a few errors here and there.

For an idea of what Vincent looks like, check out this artwork by deadTwinkies - fav.me/d6i2smy

And for more offerings, the My Characters folder of my favourites has more images available: akataras.deviantart.com/favour…

The events and characters that occur within this story series, are of course (c) to me. I claim no ownership over the story title however.

Either way, enjoy. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them, if you have any comments, feel free to make them. :) (Smile)

Thanks for reading! :>
© 2013 - 2024 Akataras
Comments6
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In