3. Annew Sharpthorn

Annew Sharpthorn

  • S

    Character: Annew Sharpthorn
    NWN Login: Shaugg
    Forum Login: Shaugg

    In a seemingly forgotten village at the base of the Galena Mountains, not far from Ostra is Itandural. A young Annew Sharpthorn, hugs her ribcage with her bloody left hand, her expression trying to hide the pain she feels, a small knife recently knocked from her hand lies in the road, and in her right hand a rapier is clutched tightly. Surrounded by glossy dark hair, her milk white face seems to glow under a rare bright sun in Ithandural. She ignores the small crowd that has gathered and glares at the tall uniformed man, “A lucky hit is all it was! You will soon breath through your skin”.

    The guard, neatly dressed in a suit of studded leathers, towers over her by greater than a foot. He holds a longsword comfortably in his hand. With an amused look he addresses Annew, “Even if you could strike me down, your mother wouldn’t be released from her shackles. Do you think Carllock and Lou are just going to release a murderer?”

    Gritting her teeth and issuing forth a growl, Annew lunges forward, her rapier aimed at the guard’s heart. His eyes widen and his lower lip hangs as the stiff blade quickly approaches his chest. The look of hate on Annew’s face intensifies, her eyes narrow, and her lips pull back baring her teeth. In her mind spins the single though, ‘I will see him bleed’. The small crowd stands frozen with looks of astonishment on their faces, some gasp for air. The action is fast and the guard’s fingers tighten about his sword as he drops to one knee, twists his body, and avoids the attack. Quickly standing, he glares at Annew, “Annew I am warning you for the last time, stop this attack least you want to feel the sharp edge of my sword.”

    Annew turns to face the guard holding her rapier down. The entire of her body is tense as she stands motionless, a blank gaze cast at the guard. Tears fill her eyes, cutting trails through the dirt on her face, till salty drips fall from her chin. An angry yell bursts out of her mouth, “Don’t kill my mother!” She lunges forward only to have the guard pivot out of the way and knock her down with a solid hit to her shoulder with flat of his sword. He quickly kicks the rapier from her hand as she lies moaning in the muddy road. She pushes with her arms trying to rise from the dirt. The guard picks up the rapier and turns toward Annew. In a stern voice he commands, “The name Sharpthorn is no longer welcome in the good community of Ithandural. Following your mothers execution I expect you will be gone from this town.” He turns and walks away.

    A murmur among the small crowd confirms good riddance.

    The crowd disbands with few occasionally looking back then shaking their heads in disappointment or disgust. Annew slowly rises to her hands and knees. As she spits dirt from her mouth, she sees the glint of the dagger in the dirt a few feet away. Crawling over to it she sits and on the side of the road and puts the dagger in her belt and wipes her bloody hand in the grass.

    Most residents are gathered on the north edge of the community that afternoon. Four stakes are in the ground next to a pile of large rocks collected from the surrounding fields. A group of uniformed men exit a nearby building yelling at and shoving a woman of 32 years. “Lets go! Keep moving!” They push her roughly between them. The crowd yells and cheers shaking their hands in the air. Her hair is black and her face pale and tear streaked, four thick ropes, one tightly bound at each her ankles and her wrists, she cries out, “I was just defending Annew and myself, you’d have done it too!” Words fall on ears deaf to her pleas.

    The men lead her to the stakes, forced her down onto her back, and tied the ropes to the stakes. Another speaks loudly and all becomes silent except the woman’s sobs, the mans booming voice, and a chill breeze rustling the leaves of nearby trees . “Today Ithandural be rid of the killer, the scoundrel, and the whore Estella Sharpthorn.” The crowd cheers as the men yank the ropes pulling Estella to the ground, “Annew, Annew!” she calls out.

    Annew, who's tears fell like hail, rushes from where where was hidden behind a stack of logs. She throws herself toward her mom only to be caught by a guard before the mother and daughter can touch. They both struggle but Annew is held back and she cries "let her go let my mother go." Estella is bound, sprawled, between the stakes unable to comfort her daughter. The look of horror which Annew wears on her face rips at the bound mothers heart. Even during all the abuse Estella had never felt so helpless and horrible as she does now. She curses her life and that of Annew for all the pain they had gone through. Estella’s eyes narrow and her face twisting a bitter expression and she speaks loudly and sternly to her wide eyed daughter, “Remember, Don’t take any shit from anyone Annew, Don’t take any shit from anyone!”

    The crowd cheers in its maddness and thirst to feel justice and security, and the men rush to pick large rocks from the pile and surround Estella. As Annew is held struggling for freedom just a few feet away, the men hurl the rock onto Estella and Estella shrieks and cries straining against the ropes as rock land on her feet and arms. Annew cries for her mother kicking and struggling to free herself from the man’s grip, watching in sheer horror. It is chaos, more rocks are thrown and the crowd yells and cheers and pick up more rocks. Rocks land on Estella’s stomach and she spits blood and bile. Annew struggles reaching for the dagger in her belt. Rocks land on Estella’s chest and head, ripping the skin on her face, breaking her ribs and skull.

    Annew, whos eyes are swollen from crying hail, yells in anguish, and holding the dagger, drives it into the man’s s abdomen causing him to loosen his grip. She pauses only briefly, a glimpse of what is not hidden by rocks, the spilt blood and the mangled flesh of her dead mother’s body then runs from the chaotic crowd. The stabbed man has fallen to his knees crying, but before the crowd reacts Annew is running through the woods her mothers final word to her echo in her head.

    Having eluded any whom gave chase, Annew is now on her own.

    Revised but originally posted Mon Sept 1 2003


  • Reviewed - XP pending.