Scarlett sat in the room brushing her curly golden brown hair as she looked at her reflection in the mirror resting on the wall in front of her. Her face had at one time been the most beautiful in the land, but that had been before the fire. She put a hand gingerly to the reminders of that horrible night, to the scars that covered the right side of her face, leaving her only half disfigured, but it was enough to send men scrambling away from her where ever she went.
She sighed, and moved her hair over her face again, hiding the scars beneath waves of honey, only one of her eyes stared back at her from her reflection, swirls of green, blue, and brown looking at her questioningly, almost as to ask where it's twin was, asking why she hid her other eye. She sighed again, and set the brush down and turned her back to her companion, her reflection, "What am I doing?" she asked herself as she gazed around the egregiously expensive room.
Silk bed sheets decorated the extravagant bed, and all the furniture was made of ivory, and as she pondered where so much ivory had come from, she gave a shiver. She walked torpidly over to the bed, and ran a hand across the smooth sheets, "...What am I doing?" she asked herself again as she shut her eyes for a moment and thought.
She reopened her eyes, and walked over to the closet, she found a bag, and began packing clothes, and what little money she could find, 'I have to leave...' she decided mentally as she tossed off the velvet dress she had been wearing, and changed quickly into some rough pants and a tunic.
She opened the window, and looked down, it was a few feet to the ground. She frowned, debating on whether or not she could reach the ground safely or not. She made sure her bag was tied securely to her back before she took the jump.
She landed on her feet, but then stumbled and rolled a few feet before popping back up, and brushing herself off, 'Okay that was about a 2 for landing... glad no one saw that clutzy moment...' she told herself as she looked around.
'No gaurds..alright. Time to split!' she thought almost happily, and took off from the place she had called home for months, never stopping to look back.
************************
"Come on, it's my sword!" Scarlett yelled at the peddler.
"Sorry missy, but it was sold to me, and I ain't lowering the price none." the old man nodded.
She sighed, and pulled out a few more coins, "There. Happy?"
He grinned a gummy grin, and handed her the sword as he greedily took the coins.
She grumbled as she walked away, unsheathing the sword and inspecting the blade. Once she was statisfied that it was indeed her sword she put it away, and looked around the town.
She gave an involuntary shudder as she walked past the blacksmiths and caught a glance of fire, and a whiff of smoke. She drew her cloak up, and hurried past, running into a few people. The town was a filthy place, nothing at all like the palace she had just left, the buildings were falling apart, the wood was rotting, and there were beggars everywhere, all of them toothless, and sobbing for food.
She walked briskly past them, not acknowledging their presence, even when one pulled on her cloak, and threw themselves at her feet.
'I have a mission that I've been ignoring for too long...' she thought as she stepped over the beggar, and left the town, her grip on her sword's handle tightened.
"You will pay demon..." she muttered, putting a hand to her scarred face, "You will pay..."