User blog:Redknight910/RWWYD Echidna CarricStormwind

Prompt: You are an enchidna who, unlike all your sisters, have yet to find a husband who attracts you. One day while you’re searching for one, you hear two screams. When you went in the direction the screams came from, you see a man holding a knife dripping with the blood of a human woman he just killed. The you see him turn to a little boy and little girl, point the knife at them and he says “don’t worry, soon you’ll see your mother again. I’ll make sure of it.”

I shout at the man, already sprinting towards him at full speed. By the time he looks up at me I've gotten in range to strike him with my staff. The solid strike sends him careening into a wall. I stand between him and the children, glaring and waiting to see if he gets up. Guards arrive before that happens, and after checking he's still alive, drag him off to the prison.

"Ma'am, what... what happened here?" I look at the guard with a scowl.

"That madman killed this poor woman, and would have killed the children too!" I shout, shoving the guard and forcing him to stagger back.

"I-I'm sorry ma'am. But we- we had no idea Alrich was that kind of person. How could a man kill his own wife?" My heart goes still as he says that, and I look to the children.

Orphans. The poor little ones will be scarred for the rest of their life. I let out a small sigh and nod.

"I'm going to speak to the children." He nods, not making any motions to stop me.

I kneel by them, leaning on my staff. The poor things are crying over their mother's corpse. She was quite beautiful.

"I'm sorry, little ones." I say, putting a hand on their shoulders. As my hand makes contact they bury their faces into my skirts, bawling and wrapping bloodstained hands in my dress.

"Why?!" The boy cries, looking up at me with stunning emerald eyes. "Why did daddy do this!? Why did he... why?!" I pull his head into my embrace.

"I don't know why. I'm just sorry I was too late to stop him." I run my hand through his hair, trying to keep my own composure. If I let myself slip, so too will my disguise.

"B-but mommy loved daddy!" The girl squeals, leaning deeper into my skirts.

"I'm sure she did, little one. I'm sure she loved him with her whole being." I run my hand through her soft brown hair.

I crouch there for a few long minutes, quietly comforting the pair as the guards shuffle around us, a cart slowly rolling up the street to collect the dead woman.

"Come along, little ones. We need to find somewhere safe for you." I rise, holding out my hand, watching as the guards take the womans body away.

"But... but I...." The boy looks as they load her into a cart and pull her away, his tears slowing as we're left alone in the street.

"C-come on, Chris." The girl says, taking my hand and offering hers. "We... we can't be out here after curfew, remember?" The boy nods, taking her hand. I let her lead us to their house, not letting either of them out of my sight until we step into the house.

"I can never express how sorry I am. But, perhaps, I can help you." They look up at me as we step through the door.

"Y-you can?" I nod, giving them a gentle smile.

"I can. I can't bring your mother back. But I can teach you, train you so that you can stop this from happening to anyone else." The two share a look. The girl looks to be a year older than the boy, but even she can't be older than ten.

"D-do you mean teaching us to fight?" The boy asks, looking back at me. I shake my head.

"Nothing so simple." I twirl my staff around, smiling as the two watch before a swing it through the air with a loud whistling sound. "I can teach you to defend yourselves, and others. Violence should always be reserved as a last resort. To be able to talk others down, to show them another way. That's what should be your first avenue. Leave the hurting for when they refuse." He looks to his sister, who's watching me intently.

"Can you... can you teach us how to use one of those?" She points to my staff, and I smile.

"Of course. I can show you how to make use of almost any weapon." She nods determinedly.

"Okay." She looks down to her brother, smiling. "We'll protect each other from now on. Right?" He nods too, smiling and wiping the remnants of tears from his eyes.

"Right!" I smile at the two, hoping I can make them into great people. After cooking them dinner and laying them to bed, I step outside, making my way to the prison.

Stepping inside, I look around, spotting the jailer and approaching him.

"Where is the man?" He looks at me, confused for a moment, before his eyes widen.

"Y-you mean Alrich?" I nod, remembering the name. "Y-you're not the one who hit him, are you?" Again I nod, and the man's face pales.

"H-he's down the corridor, third cell on the left, but I don't think he'll be talking much after what you did to him." I ignore him and stalk down the cell-lined hall, finding him slumped in the corner of his cell. I look at the guards, giving each a glare.

"Unlock the cell, and leave me alone with him." I use some magic to influence them, not that they're hard to persuade. As the door closes behind the last one, I step into the cell, grabbing the unconscious man by the throat and lifting him.

"Even though you can't see me, I want you to listen to me, loud and clear." I pressed him against the wall, burning a seal into his skin.

"''You are not to see those children ever again. You cannot remember their names, you do not know their faces. If you ever try to recall them, you will feel a sudden, severe pain in your skull." ''I let the spell go, dropping him back to the ground. As I step out of the cell I make sure to lock it.

The next morning I wake the children with a warm breakfast.

"So, if I'm going to be teaching you from now on, introductions are in order." I sit down across from them. "I am Mirabelle Athanas."

"I'm Christine, my brother is Christopher." The girl says, her brother too busy digging into the food. I shake my head, sighing.

"That won't be difficult at all." The girl nods, giggling. I don't start training them for a few months, instead making sure they're okay under the guise of teaching them about the world. Both of them certainly had an underlying fear and timid hate towards what happened to their mother, and I did all I could to help them through their grief.

Of course I still had to keep a close eye on my home. I checked it weekly, disappearing to 'get supplies' as I told the children.I not only trained them as adventurers, but also raised them as people. I spent almost nine years training them, the two growing up into strong, confident people. Christopher still looked to his sister or myself for support more often than not, but even on his own he was a skilled man.

I remember the day the two of them finally beat me. I was so proud they'd learned so much, and gave both of them a gift of armour and specially made staves. Another month later and they'd left, going out to find and help the people of the world.

I didn't see them with my own eyes for another three years, though I didn't spend a day without getting news of them, hearing of how their accomplishments and power kept growing. I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face when one of my servants said they were coming up to the cavern's entrance. I made all the preperations to ensure they'd find their way to me, and donned my disguise once more.

The shock on their faces when they found me standing at the end of the cavern.

"L-lady Athanas?!" Christine gasped, her staff dropping slightly.

"Indeed. It's so good to see you again. Christine. Christopher."

"Miss Athanas, what's going on? Why're you...." I saw the faint glint of recognition in his eyes as his sister squared up.

"What are you?" She whispered, and I took a deep breath.

"I am Mirabelle Athanas, first daughter of Galanea Athanas, the Serpent of Galtea." With that I allow my disguise to drop, revealing my serpentine body.

"B-but...." Christophers eyes widen, and he looks on in shock as I turn into a monster before his eyes.

"Why? Why would you train us like this if you were just going to lure us here anyway?" Christine asks, not quite angry, but clearly upset.

"Because, I sensed the power you and your brother held. I knew you were destined to do great things. And I felt the world owed you something for taking your parents from you." We all share a sombre silence at the mention, and I hear the clatter of a staff hitting the ground. Looking back up I see Christopher, fallen to his knees, shaking his head.

"I... I can't do it." He says, looking up to me. "I can't fight you." I look to Christine, whose eyes are darting between me and him, before sighing, and hooking her staff to her back.

"Niether can I. You taught us, saved us." She smiled grimly as she looked up at me. "I couldn't kill my own mother." That brings a tear to my eyes, and my heart skips a beat. I rush the two, wrapping my arms around them and pulling both into my embrace.

"I love you two. As much as anyone can love another living thing." I say, kissing both of them on the head. Christine looked up at me, and smiled as she kissed me on the cheek.

"We've met a lot of monsters around the world. It's... strange. I never felt... never felt like this around any of them. Even that alraune with the giant flower never made me feel this... attracted to someone." I smiled back at her, chuckling.

"That's the thing about echidna's. We sometimes train our partners, occasionally without even realising it." Christopher looks up, confused.

"W-wait, what?" I just smile and kiss him on the forehead.

"All in good time, little one. Let's just enjoy the moment."