Thread: The Fairest in the Land

Larka woke from her sleep and stretched in her bed only a moment before rising from the soft, feather mattress. Her 'boys' would soon be leaving for work and it was her duty to provide them with food to sustain them through a long day of mining in the heart of Choquoi Mountain which was located in the depths of the Mulascelon. Both the woods and mine brought their own share of problems, for which the men would need full bellies to handle. Quick steps carried her lithe figure to the kitchen causing the yellow linen of her skirt to sweep across the tops of her toes softly. Long legs that were hidden by that skirt made it easy to maneuver quickly about the small rooms of this home. The men who dwelled here were able to make their living from the mine due to their naturally small stature. Those who were less kind may refer to them as dwarves, when really they were just smaller men. These men had found her as a toddler, wandering the woods and singing to the animals. Her voice was sweet as the meadow lark's which was part of her name, while Larka was also a name for white, a color that perfectly fit her porcelain skin. Long black tresses, thick dark eyelashes, and ruby red lips contributed to the stunning canvas of her skin while her hazel-green eyes added a splash of a different color. Don! Harold! Stephen! Derrick! Garret! Barret! Sven! Your breakfast is ready and your lunches are being packed. Time to go! Her voice was cheerful as always as she called down the names of the men. They were like brothers to her, her protectors. She wouldn't know that they hungered for her, for she didn't know of her beauty. She didn't know that her heart shaped face, and hourglass figure captured their every waking thought. Their feet tromped down the stairs as each placed a good morning kiss upon her cheek. We will work very late tonight. We'd appreciate dinner but you don't need to stay up dear Larka. And as always, be careful how far you wander. Garret spoke to her, his turn today to inform her of their whereabouts and give their usual warning. She gave her usual mysterious smile and headed a lunch pail to each of them as they plodded through the door to do their day's work. Left alone Larka set to tidying up the house. After cleaning each of the men's rooms, each of them their own disaster, she barely had time for a quick change of clothes before heading back to the kitchen to prepare their dinner. Since they were going to be working so long today she decided to go out into the forrest and gather some of their favorite berries to make a dessert for them. Her pet fawn clumsily followed along behind her, and soon her singing had attracted many of her usual wildlife companions. Birds, deer, skunks, wolves, foxes, you name the animal and it was probably gathered somewhere within hearing distance of her. Finding the usual berry bushes had been picked clean by the birds she decided to go to the ones across a large clearing. Usually the men would escort her across this clearing and to any of the woods beyond it. Today she figured she could handle herself, visibility was good and she would be fine. Finding a large berry bush she sat down beneath it, pulling the berries off contentedly and piling them in the basket beside her. Of course she was sneaking some and soon found herself wanting a break. With the sun sweet taste of berries on her lips she fell asleep in the afternoon sun.