Chapter 1

The moon was full above the storm ridden sky as Elyanna fell to the earth. Only a single tear of hers mixing with the rain. As she hit the ground there was a loud crack of thunder and the Earth shuddered suddenly and subtly, a broken angel had just fallen from the heavens. The shudder did not go unnoticed however, a young farmer making his way through the rain to the shelter of his home was the first who felt it. Nolan’s light brown hair was dripping wet as he was coming down the hill when it happened, causing him to pause momentarily.

“Thunder’s so loud it's making it feel like the grounds shakin’, Kitty's going to keep me up all night.” He mumbled begrudgingly under his breath.

That's when his exhausted hazel eyes noticed a small figure laying in his field. At first he thought it was nothing unordinary, just a mound of mud, but Nolan knew his fields and there was no mound when he left earlier that day; he knew it was an animal. Nolan cautiously continued forward until he saw that what he thought was an animal was in fact a bloody, and unconscious girl. Upon seeing her, laying motionless, covered with mud and blood he rushed to her side. She wasn't big in any sense of the word but rather small and frail looking. Instantly he knew she was still alive, as he scooped her into his arms she let out a quiet moan of pain, then sipping wet, he easily carried her into his small house.

Nolan laid Elyanna down on the poorly cushioned bed and quickly stoked the fire, this had startled the already frightened Kitty causing her to retreat beneath the bed and hiss. The dress Elyanna was wearing was no longer visibly white, it was stained in brown and deep red. Forgetting to be bashful Nolan tore the dress to find the wounds that were bleeding, his hands felt up and down every inch of her body, moving her soaked blonde hair from one side to the other as he checked her head. Once he turned her over to check her back the search was over. To his astonishment she didn't have a single scratch or bruise anywhere. The only exceptions being two large gashes, slowly but continuously oozing scarlet blood, along the sides of her spine, right between her shoulder blades.

Sometime throughout the night the sky had cried its last tears and by the time the sun began to rise in the east Elyanna’s wounds were cleaned, dressed and Nolan had finally fallen asleep in the chair by the fire. It had only been a couple hours when Kitty startled Nolan awake by accidentally causing an avalanche of the neatly stacked firewood, she then immediately fled from the loud clutter hiding under the bed once again. The chair creaked as Nolan stretched out his long limbs and stood. Leaving the wood where it lay he first checked on the mysterious lady he had rescued. Quiescent with a look of peace on her young face, Nolan gently checked the bandages, trying carefully not to wake her. They were poorly wrapped with hasty hands but they were doing a decent enough job, for the moment. Those were the only bandages he had and from the look of the wounds, he would need more soon. After this he lured Kitty out from under the bed with a bowl of milk and a small piece of yesterday's leftovers; three years previous a malnourished, dirty black kitten had wandered onto Nolan’s farm and right up to him. Taking pity on the small creature Nolan took her in and she eventually grew into a strong healthy cat with bright green eyes and an entirely black coat other than one paw, Kitty's back left paw was white.

With the cat content and the girl still sleeping, the hesitant young man paced back and forth between the small wooden bed where Elyanna lay and the large oak door that lead outside. Should he leave her to get the healer and more bandages or stay and care for her the best he can on his own? What if she woke, she would be afraid and confused and he should be there to reassure her. On the other hand he didn't believe he'd be able to keep the two wounds clean and dressed with what he had on hand.

Finally Nolan decided it was best to go, but not without leaving a note first. His writing skills were poor but he managed to write “please stay here be back soon” with charcoal on an old piece of worn parchment. Placing it on the wobbly bedside table he was now ready to leave. The previous day had been clear and beautiful before the storm suddenly rolled in so Nolan had walked to the village, today was different.

As he stepped out the door he whistled for his blue roan gelding Silver, he wouldn't be wasting any time. A gorgeous horse with strong muscles and a sturdy build came trotting over, flicking his black tail back and forth to ward off any flies that dared to land on his flanks. Silver was aptly named after the mix of black and white in his coat which gave the illusion of him being silver, he had a black mane and two distinct black socks on his hind legs, the front legs were also black but faded into silver where they met his body.

Quickly he harnessed his energetic horse and mounted not bothering to use a saddle. They galloped the entire way to town, getting there within ten minutes. Stopping just short of Irena’s front entry Nolan leaped from Silvers back and knocked forcefully on the tall wooden door, practically bursting with impatience.

“Oh hello Nolan, I wouldn't have guessed it was you this early.” Magdalena's soft voice chimed as she swung the old door past her swollen pregnant figure.

“Morning Miss Maggie, is Irena home it's rather urgent.”

“Ma’ you best come down, Nolan’s here for you.” She hollered up the stairs, even yelling her voice was still gentle somehow. Magdalena had dark brown hair that reached her hips in a tight braid down her back, she had a slightly crooked nose from breaking it once as a child and her eyes were a soft brown that reflected her gentle personality. They stood at almost equal heights as she went on in saying. “She'll be right down don't you worry, you haven't been working yourself sick again have you? You need to go easier on yourself you know, working ain't everything in this life.” A look of motherly concern washing over her face.

“I work until the work is done you know that-” Nolan cut himself off when a middle aged woman with long black hair pulled into an effortless bun revealing a full, serious face strode down the stairs towards them. Irena was much shorter than Nolan and her daughter but where she lacked in height she made up for in skill and determination. There was very little this woman could not do.

“You haven't been sleeping enough” Irena reprimanded in an unnaturally stern voice, pointing her small worn finger at the shadows under Nolan’s eyes. “That's not why you’ve come though, what is it you need dear?”

Nolan, who had been waiting impatiently, wasn't sure where to start. “No Ma'am it's not, I uh, well you see, I would greatly appreciate it if you could bring some bandages and medicine and come back to the farm with me.” He paused gathering his thoughts and Irena started gathering her supplies without hesitation.

“Tell me what happened on the way.” She commanded Nolan, then addressing her younger teenage son she called. “Edgar fetch Buck and bring him ’round front!”

They could hear the wooden chair creak from the next room followed by the back door clicking shut, signalling Edgar obeying his mother.

By the time they were ready to go a few minutes later, Buck was too, he was taller than Silver though not as built, he was a dark bay with a long black mane, four black socks and a white star between his large intelligent eyes. They had found Buck when he was a yearling, wounded, separated from his mother and abandoned by a merchant thinking he wouldn't live long. After Irena and her family nursed him back to health he was big enough to ride, and that is where he got his name. It took weeks before he stopped bucking every time a saddle blanket was put on his back let alone a rider. Eventually, with patience and love, he learned not to fear being ridden.

Mounting the horses they took off on the road Nolan had come in on. They rode hastily past fields of wildflowers, spotted with bunches of tall trees, and berry covered bushes. When they slowed to trot up the brief incline that lead to his farm Nolan explained his bizarre situation involving the mysterious woman. All the while Irena had furrowed brows and a slight frown on her small mouth.

The farm featured a humble log cabin that Nolan called home, a rough looking but sturdy barn and a field of wheat that was almost ready to harvest. Worried that she would be gone Nolan lead Irena through the front entry into the main room which was one of three other rooms in the cottage. The whole place consisted of, the main room, a bathing room and an attic which a had a set of creaky stairs that barely separated the kitchen from the rest of the main room. Irena went straight to her unconscious patient and assessed the bloody lesions.

Pale blonde hair draped off of the bed and framed the visible half of Elyanna’s face. Nolan froze when he saw her, noticing for the first time how beautiful she was. Her fair skin and slight features contrasted greatly with the rough interior surrounding her. An artist of the highest standard could not create a face more perfect than this, not in a painting, drawing, or sculpture.

Delicately Irena stitched each gouge, with her steady hands transforming the wounds into neat narrow lines.

“She's going to be fine.” Irena spoke softly, not wanting to disturb the peaceful room. “Might not of made it if you hadn't found her last night, you did a good job dear. Her body is healing itself nicely she just needs time now.”

“Will she wake soon?”

“There's no way of telling but I don't suspect she'll be out much longer. There's no infection and she has no fever.”

Nolan thanked her hugging her tightly then as she handed him a tear shaped glass bottle as green as dark pine needles, she instructed him to apply the ointment to the strangers wounds morning and night until she healed. They said their goodbyes and he watched as horse and rider disappeared down the trail. Turning back towards the breathtaking woman, Nolan leaned against the worn wooden pillar and wondered what to do next.