Elena Pierce
Born in the confines of the inner castle city, Elena was born to an innkeep and a thief.
Beginning impoverished, Elena lived a rather sheltered life, the only disturbances the rowdy crowd that frequented the inn. Elena did her chores, cleaning the glasses, restocking the bar, and mopping up spilled drinks and blood.
The bar was in a slum, and did poorly financially. The patrons were thin, and drink prices were high as consequence. It became obvious to Elena’s father that he would have to make money through other means.
Elena’s father went to the only place he could think to gain money, a contact with the thief’s guild. Expecting to get a loan just to keep his business afloat, he was surprised when his contact dropped a bag of gold into his hands and told him to keep an eye out for his friend.
Elena’s father ran his inn for the few drunks that normally came, seemingly without change, until one night, when the clouds had gathered dark and heavy to unleash a torrent of rain and cracking light, the friend came. Throwing open the door, she strode into the inn, hood over head, and sat at the bar.
She explained that she was with the guild, and that they intended to use his establishment as a front to fence goods and launder money.
For a full year, the business went as planned, the innkeep becoming well known in the guild, patrons flicking to the tavern, which was now endorsed by the guild, and the fence kept the gold rolling in.
Eventually, the inkeep and the fence began a relationship, and 7 moons later, Elena was born.
The tavern continued to operate for 13 more years, evading the suspicion of the guard. On the 2nd moon of the 13th year, however, a snubbed customer who had wanted an item for a quarter of the price reported the fencing operation to the guard. Elena’s parents were executed within the week, and the snitch was found with 7 needles in each of his eyes and an icepick through his skull.
Elena found herself an urchin, all of her parent’s savings taken by the guild. She scraped by on scraps and panhandling, until the winter at least.
The night of the first snowfall, Elena was walking through the streets. Cold, wet, and tired, she fought against her rigid limbs on every motion. Wandering aimlessly, focused on staying awake, Elena eventually found herself against a towering stone wall, and closed her eyes for sleep.
A daughter of one of he castle maids happened to go out on that night, opened the door to the servant’s entrance, and walked to the river with worn clothes in hand, intending to wash them once more before the river froze.
When the young maid turned from the gates, she found herself 3 feet from what she thought was the corpse of a young girl. Startled, she jumped back, and Elena rose a shaky hand to shield her eyes from the lantern-light the young maid carried. Seeing the frozen girl move, the maid quickly put the girl’s arm around her neck and walked her inside.
Elena woke to a feeling of wamth, in an actual bed, after nearly a year in the streets. She could overhear bickering in the other room, between two women, one young and one older. After a minute, it stopped and she head a door open, and a 15 year old girl stepped into the room with a bowl of thin soup. She introduced herself as Mary, and told Elena that she could stay with them in the castle if she became one of the maids. Elena accepted, and spent the next few years as a maid in the castle, growing close to the rest of the staff, but especially Mary.
One day, a short while after Elena turned 19, a lord and his lady came to live in the castle, a lord by the name of Ashcombe.
Ascombe had a track record of calling for executions or jailings that often came to fruition, and so when he began to make advances on a certain maid that caught his eye, Elena did not refute him.
A moon later, Elena discovered that she carried a child. Upon her realization, she immediately went to the one she figure she could trust the most, Mary.
They schemed through the night, and came upon three certainties: Ascombe must not discover that she was pregnant, Lady Ashcombe must not discover that she was the one he had cheated with, and that Elena must be hidden for the next 5 moons.
A network of servants was formed, to deliver meals and move Elena without notice. This worked for 3 months, but Ashcombe became suspicous at her disappearance and, as the king was preoccupied, ordered his guard to search the entire castle wing. After 3 days, one of the servants ratted on Elena when one of the guards threatened to burn his holy book.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments