Such as we are made of, such we be. [closed]

[Cliodhna Eoghan]

~1557, Ala Mhigo proper~

 

Cliodhna sat in the chair, her heart pounding. Though she kept very still as had been instructed, here dark jade eyes were frantically darting around the room; quickly noting there was a lot of other children here, though most were older or bigger looking than her. Biting her bottom lip to keep it from trembling, she quickly rubbed her puffy eyes; catching sight of the black sleeve of her borrowed clothes. Though long sleeved, the shirt was surprisingly lightweight and easy to move in, as were the pants; similar to the practice clothes she had used in the temple when training. Her leather shoes were also ones that had been given to her, she stared down at them now.

 

All the other children in the room wore the same outfits and their hair was all pulled back into the same fashions or cut short. Three rows of tables with ten children seated behind each; thirty in all. Though there were so many; there was little noise save for a muffled sniffle or rustling of clothing from shifting. The recent events still reverberated though the room silently.

 

Suddenly the door swung open and in strode a tall man...not as tall as some of the hyur Cliodhna had seen before but still considered tall. His black hair was pulled back; his clothing similar to theirs in style but red and black. He wore no mask, reveling a hard set jaw and dark, piercing eyes. A few of the children cried out in fear but were quickly hushed by his eyes flicking to them with a stern look.

 

Cliodhna had managed to keep herself silent but her lip was nearly bleeding from biting it so hard. Slowly she forced herself to breathe slowly and center herself; just as she had been taught by the monks.

 

"Do you know why you are all here?" The man asked finally, rounding to the middle table and placing spread fingertips on it lightly as his eyes swept over the room again. "No one?" He asked after a long moment of silence. "No one here knows why they're in this room?" Straightening up, he saluted; stomping his left foot while swinging his right fist across his chest, holding it by the left side of his face for a moment before lowering the arms.

 

"You are here to share the collective dream of Emperor Solus Zos Galvus and to further the glory of Garlamnond as we usher the world into a new dawn of greatness!"

 

Unable to stop herself, Cliodhna gave a small snort of disgust. In the quiet room, it shattered the silence. Suddenly all eyes were on her including the nameless Garlean. Arching a delicate brow, he fluidly strode over to her table in the back, stopping before her and crossed his arms. "You object to my statement, little girl?"

 

Dropping her gaze, Cliodhna winced in pain as his hand shot out and quickly cupped her chin and jerking it back up; forcing her to look at him. "I asked you a question. I expect an answer."

 

Breathing slowly, Cliodhna glared at the man's eyes; all three of them. Though she was terrified, she was more enraged than her tiny body could contain. "I hate you." She hissed, words barely above a whisper. "You destroyed our homes and families, you rode in on your war machines and destroyed our lives for your own selfish gains." Though the words sounded a bit too mature for her age; Cliodhna had heard her mother say them enough and knew the weight they carried.

 

The Garlean stared at her a moment. "Name." He simply stated. When she didn't answer, he gave her chin another jerk. "Name."

 

"C-cliodhna Eoghan..." She finally replied, the jerk enough to rattle her previous brave front.

 

Letting go of her, he made his way back to the front of the room to the desk; snatching up the folder and quickly rifling through the papers contained within. "Ah...Yes...." He chuckled after a moment. "You of all people should not hate me and what I represent. Your father was the one who entrusted you to us after all..."

 

Cliodhna felt the floor drop out from under her with those words. Though she had been there, had watched him sit by when she was forcibly carried from her home by these monsters. She had a childish help he had been unable to stop her and was now working on a plan with the resistance to free her. He had to be, but these words....Spoken by this cruel man....This was too much for her young mind to absorb. She stared at the table in front of her as everything threatened to grow dark.

 

"Now then, if Miss Eoghan is done with her silly outburst....We will commence class....You shall call me Opito Nan Kollen..." Though carrying across the room, his words slowly drowned away as Cliodhna was in a haze for the rest her new class.

[Cliodhna Eoghan]

"Cliodhna! Get away from there at once!" A harsh voice suddenly calls out, snapping the little girl out of her horror stricken trance. Jumping, she backs quickly away with a meek nod. "Yes father..." She mumbles, her gaze refusing to meet his. She knows. She overheard him talking more than once at night, saw him leave the house in a shroud to hide his face from those on the street. He can't have been the only one, but he was one. One that let the information needed to infiltrate fall from their lips, one that pointed out locations and listed names, one that handed over maps and charts. All in exchange for that single light in their house to show the flag in the window. The symbol for those that were "useful" and ensure the safty of those that sold Ala Mhigo to the Empire.

 

Days had passed, as Garleans roamed their newly acquired city it wasn't safe for Cliodhna to be out in the streets unless accompanied by her father. The events causing a rift between her parents, her mother shutting herself up in one of the spare bedrooms of their large house and refusing to open the door or even answer in some cases. Had Cliodhna not gotten the rare chance to still train with her mother in the yard; she would have feared the worst.

 

"NO! You need to punch past the target Clio, " Ingrid Swiftstrike chided her daughter. "Feel your chakra and use it, rely on it, it's your most powerful ally when fighting."

 

Giving a short nod, Cliodhna closed her eyes and summoned her chi. She could feel it swirling around her, giving her strength she needed, felt the warm glow as it gathered into her fist. Snapping her eyes open; she punched hard at the wooden board her mother held and cracked it. Grinning eagerly for praise she cast her green eyes up to her mother's blue one. "That was an improvement...But you need to work harder at -" Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed Cliodhna yanking her back as three Garlean soldiers burst from the trees and surrounded Ingrid.

 

Wasting no time, Ingrid rounded on the nearest Garlean while shouting for her daughter to run. To Cliodhna's still untrained eyes; her mother's movements were a blur of fury and power as she moved but it wasn't enough. As Ingrid fought; her attention was split with the overwhelming desire to protect her daughter that was still firmly held though she struggled.

 

"NEWLYN!" She shouted, fully restrained and bleeding from a cut on her forearm. Ingrid's eyes widened in horror as her husband walked from the house, Garlean soldier on either side of him.

 

"Ingrid. You didn't. Tell me you didn't." Cliodhna's father replied, his voice flat.

 

Worriedly Clio's gaze darted between her parents. She knew her mother was unhappy with the presence of the Imperials as her father called them but she had no idea what it was he was asking now.

 

Glaring at Newlyn, her mother spat at the dirt in front of his feet and struggling against the ones holding her. "You weak bastard. If it weren't bad enough you sold yourself to them like a cheap whore. You've no right to call yourself Highlander!"

 

Brushing off her comments, Newlyn stared at his wife. "Answer the question, Ingrid."

 

He was met with only another spit in his direction, her hatred seething. The Garlean on Newlyn's left spoke up. "Ingrid Swiftstrike, you are charged with giving aid to the Ala Megian resistance! An opposing front of the glorious Garlamond imperial's forces and thus shall be eradicated!"

 

Going slack to let herself be restrained, Ingrid stared at her husband, eyes blank. "You've murdered us all." Were her last words before being dragged off.

 

Cliodhna jerked awake, tears streaming down her face as she clutched he sheets tightly. Wildly she looked around the dorm style room she had been placed in. Her mother had been killed shortly after being taken and Cliodhna had been whisked away only a few days after that one.

 

Lying back down, the small girl curled into a ball and covered herself under the red blanket. Everything was red and black, it made her stomach turn but it was all she had to use as shelter from her memories.

[Cliodhna Eoghan]

They were at the table again. Spread out before them were various parts and pieces, most were metal but one was sharpened into a blade of some fashion, there was also another that was rounded with holes in it. Curiously Clidohna looked over the pieces, mind already trying to discern why they were spread before them.

 

Opito Nan Kollen stood in the front of the room and snapped his book shut. "Now then. Everyone see the pieces before them?" He waited a moment to ensure all his pupils nodded. "Good, put them together." Stating simply before taking a seat at his desk.

 

Cliodhna had already been studying them, her brain whirling with the possibility of how everything fit into one larger piece. Reaching out, her small fingers already clicking and turning the pieces. Though dulled, she was still mindful of the blade as she attached it. It had to go before the round thing....Then this part...Now this piece. Shortly after she had it placed together.

 

Wide eyed, Clidohna stared at the gun in her hands. She had put together a gunblade that was seen on the hips of many Imperials. Glancing around, she saw the other children were still struggling with placing the pieces together.

 

Cliodhna's head turning had caught Kollen's attention. Standing he made his way to her seat and leered down. "Finished?" He asked, plucking the weapon from her hands and inspecting it.

 

"Yes..." She mumbled, glaring as she stared at the table.

 

"No...The barrel is off slighty. You failed to do it correctly." He replied, inspecting it further.

 

"It looks fine!" She exclaimed, the building frustration and fear causing an outburst. Raising a brow, Kollen pulled out his own gun and opened the chamber, popping out a bullet and snapping it into place on the one Cliodhna had placed together. He then spun it so the bullet was the next to fire before handing it back to her. "Shoot me then."

 

She stared open-mouth as the gunblade was placed into her hands. This was her chance, her size was too small to take him hand to hand but an honest fight was more than any of them deserved. These were the same that killed her mother and broke her home. Shakily, Clidohna raised the gun and aimed before squeezing the trigger.

 

 

 

"Click."

 

 

 

With a swift movement, Kollen drew his own gunblade again and fired, the shot whizzing past her hair and embedding into the wall behind Cliodhna. Replacing the weapon back into it's holster, he once more pulled hers from her weak grip and removed the bullet before swiftly tearing the gunblade apart and tossing the pieces back on the table. "One small mistake is all it takes to end your life in battle. Be mindful of that in the future."

 

Panting, Cliodhna stared at Kollen. He had almost shot her. With trembling fingers, she reached up; trailing them through her blond hair that had been ruffled by the bullet's wake. Gritting her teeth, she looked back down at the broken bits of weaponry, tiny hand swiftly clutching them already to put it back together; she was not going to let him see her rattled.

[Cliodhna Eoghan]

Panting and wheezing with her lungs feeling on fire, Cliodhna slowed to a stop, bending over with her hands on her knees. Training with her mother or at the Temple was never this long. She felt as if she had been running for at least three bells. Of course it was probably less time than that but it was true this was the longest she had ever ran in one setting.

 

Still frustrated and angry from the other day with the gun incident; when they had started the run; Cliodhna had sprinted as fast as she could to get ahead and away. Her original intent had been to outrun them all and find her way back....but quickly realized there was nowhere to go.

 

Soon enough; the others had started to catch up and bypass her as she stood gasping still for air. Ignoring them for the most part, Cliodhna continued to stare at the ground till she felt a strong hand give her a shove nearly causing her to fall into the dirt.

 

"Come now, you can not mean to tell me that was all you had in you?" Opito Nan Kollen questioned as he gave Clidohna another shove. "I had thought there was some promise but it seems your father was right to give you away."

 

"He was not! He was a coward and a liar!" Cliodhna yelled as she rounded to face Kollen, words once again echoing her mother's but a shared belief. Angrily; she fell into proper form and delivered a snap punch to his stomach.

 

Quicker than lightening; Kollen grabbed her arm tightly and flung the small girl into the dirt. "You say he was wrong and that you have worth. Why not prove it instead of sniveling like an infant about your situation?" Standing over her, he stared down as she laid on her side in a minor daze.

 

Her deep, jade green eyes stared up at his. Hatred and venom in them. "I'm not worthless." She hissed in a small voice. Fingers digging into the dirt like claws, she scooped up a fistful of dirt to fling at Kollen.

 

Shaking his head and making a tisking sound, he simply sidestepped the thrown dirt. "That would be an infant's reaction, Miss Eoghan." Giving her a surprisingly gentle nudge with his boot, he spoke again. "Prove your father wrong by becoming better with the life you have been given."

 

Without a backwards glance, Kollen then resumed his jog in order to watch the other children, leaving Cliodhna in the dirt where he had tossed her.

 

Staring after him, she thought. It was true she hated everything about the Empire and what they had done; her family had become divided over it, her entire homeland had suffered the same. She had looked on in horror from the window of her former house as she saw buildings become destroyed in a moment with less notice to the unsuspecting.

 

Yet despite that, and as much as she choked when the thought of admitting it formed.....Kollen was right. This was her life now, her mother was dead and her father betrayed her along with her people. There was no way to escape back to the safety of the Temple...If it was even there anymore. Cliodhna was left with a choice; continue to cower in fear like a scared little girl or rise up and fight with what she had been given. Restart anew and become stronger with her new life.

 

Slowly clambering to her feet; she brushed the dirt from her clothes before starting back into a jog that transitioned into a run, fully intent to catch up and surpass the rest of the other children, her eyes narrowed at an unseen point ahead of her.

[Cliodhna Eoghan]

The next few weeks were a blur. Every morning, Cliodhna would raise before the sun. Dressing quickly and slipping out into the designated practice area; she trained. Mostly with her eyes closed, she ran through all the forms and stances she had already learned, opening them to strike at the nearby practice dummy until the sun would just start to peek over the horizon. Then with the grass still damp from dew, Cliodhna would start running.

 

At first she just ran in her practice clothes but after a few days, she hadn't improved her time or her stamina. Frustrated, she went out the following morning to find a small box near one of the practice dummies; opening it revealed a new set of practice clothes. They had looked the same as the current ones Cliodhna was wearing save for the weight, they were heavier by about twenty ponze. Clutching the box, she dashed back into the compound to change.

 

The weighted clothes made the difference, though harder to get adjusted to; Cliodhna made her best efforts to match her old time and distance when running. She even went so far to keep the weighted gear on when running through her first part of practice. Though training was harder now, she knew once the weights came off the difference would be seen in her strength and speed.

 

Breakfast was rushed in order to get to their odd class on time. Though she never arrived late; Clidohna would show up in class more than once with her weighted clothing. Surprisingly; Kollen never questioned it but that did not stop his relentless quizzing her on various subjects and terms. Everything he covered in class from Garlamnond's history to what seemed to be basic mathematics, every third or fourth question went to her direction. When she failed to answer correctly; he would give her extra work to study.

 

Her other meals were broken by more classes and physical activity but once supper was over; Cliodhna would use the time to study and in more cases, practice putting the gunblade she had "borrowed" from class. She had been stunned to find that no one noticed when she slipped it into her sleeve of her clothes before the end of class. Surely someone would have noticed? But then again; there were a lot of students that Opito Nan Kollen was placed in charge of. Between the class time and "field training" as he called it; something was bound to be missed, she figured.

 

Regardless, she had the gunbalde. That was crucial. Once the other children were tucked in their beds; she would slip out of the dorm bedroom and into the empty classroom. There were no guards to watch them inside the compound. There had only been a few that had tried to escape early on; older children than her by more than a few summers but no one had seen them after they tried to escape. No one said what had happened but Cliodhna had her suspicions and so did the other children that still cried at night. The Empire took resistance threats seriously.

 

Making her way through the dimly lit hallways, Cliodhna would go to the library that was typically used earlier in the day for the children to work on their studies. Keeping a close eye on the chronometer; she would assemble, tear down and then reassemble the gunbalde. She had already taken one night to study every piece critically and now it was just another matter of improving her speed in the process. The weights of them, their feel of the cool metal, each piece and it's role in the puzzle it presented had to become second nature.

 

Sliding one piece into another, the soft clicking and clanking in the otherwise dead night, was soothing to her. Without dwelling on what she had lost; her life had quickly become these few sparse hours to herself. The early mornings practicing the fighting arts in the way her mother and the other monks had taught, the silent studying as she poured over the extra class work and the bells alone in the library spent pouring over the gunblade. Cliodhna's mind was filled with these things and nothing else. She knew if she spared a moment's thought to the fate of her mother or her father's betrayal; she'd revert back to that little girl crying in the dirt easily cast aside.

 

That was not who she was. Though small; her mother had taught her to be strong and use what others would consider weakness as a strength to oppose them. Turn it into her favor and to never back down from something that was worth fighting over. Yes she may have been sold to the Empire, but she was going to be damned if she let that weakness rule her. No, Cliodhna would use it and them to become stronger, smarter and the best at everything they wished. Then it was just a matter of biding her time. These thoughts focused and pushed the eight year old girl harder than anything else had. She would become better and show her father his mistakes with her own hand.

 

Through the night she would practice with the gunblade until her eyes were barely able to stay open and she'd start to nod off. Then once the pieces were assembled one last time; Cliodhna would tuck it into her pocket and once more and scurry off back to the beds. Sneaking into the large bedroom and quietly slipping past the other beds that some of the children in her class occupied, she'd reach her own and drop to the floor. There she'd quietly reach under the bed and pry up the loose floorboard she had wedged open with the blade on the first night she had stolen it and replaced it there; hiding it under her pillow or mattress would be too easily found and arise suspicion for the wrong reasons. Still her highest goal was to eventually run away; Cliodhna was no idiot. Though trained to her skill; she was still just a child and no match for their forces if she did attempt escape.

 

No, she would stay as long as she had to and gain the required skills and resources needed before making her move. Shaking off the overpowering sleep long enough to climb into bed, Cliodhna snuggled under the blanket and curled up on her side before passing into a deep sleep until the time came to rise before the sun once more.

[Cliodhna Eoghan]

"One, two, one, two, one, two..." On and on, Kollen counted, pointing at each child in the line as he did so; pairing each one off. Once they were all paired, he returned to the middle of the line and stood in front of them. "The day has arrived for you to show the skills in which you have been trained. Each pair will spar until one has been rendered unable to continue." He paused, voice gaining a stern tone. "Weapons are not permitted nor is using a blow that will cause un-needed bodily harm. No aether or "chakra" based attacks as some of you insist on calling it."

 

Nodding once, the children spread around the practice field in pairs as they had been counted. Cliodhna stood a few flumes away from her sparring partner. The girl she had been standing next to gave the feeling she had something against her but Cliodhna was unsure what.

 

Nothing was ever said; but the looks she gave Cliodhna across the classes they shared...Then again; she seemed to glare at everyone. The girl in question was about her build but a bit taller, dark eyes and reddish blonde hair pulled back into the tight ponytail enforced for any girl with hair past her shoulders. She narrowed her eyes and grinned, already sizing up Cliodhna for an opening attack.

 

Seeing the other girl shift her weight, Cliodhna fell into her normal opening stance, it was different than the girl across was using (What was her name again? She couldn't remember...) but different teachers would do that, she supposed. Just as Cliodhna raised her fists; the other girl rushed her, hair whipping back as she aimed low for her stomach. Cliodhna had tried to block but had gotten the breath knocked out of her. Wheezing both girls tumbled as she struggled to get out from under her. Being bigger the other had the advantage but Cliodhna was able to wiggle out from under her, swinging hard she tried to go for a head blow but the other girl quickly grabbed her arm and using the momentum, tossed her to the ground before scrambling to her feet.

 

Rolling, Cliodhna recovered quickly, standing just as she felt a hard kick connect with her back. Gasping she fell over again with the weight of the other girl atop her. Feeling her fingers grip and twist in her hair, the girl yanked Cliodhna's head back to whisper in her ear.

 

"You weak little bitch, thinkin yer so smart answering all the questions doin everythin they ask ya. Makes me sick, the way you rolled over so fast, bet it makes yer mama sob at night knowin how much you love these three eyes!" She sneered, her breath hot on Cliodhna's ear. "She was so proud of you, always showin you off, trainin you and for what? For this? Yer mama should have swa-AGH!" Furiously she scrubbed at her eyes. While she had been slinging hateful curses, Cliodhna had managed to grab some dirt and threw it behind her into the girl's eyes.

 

Feeling her grip loosen, she rolled over onto her back, and swung out hard; hitting the girl in the side of her jaw while she still tried to remove the dirt from her eyes. Cliodhna then gave a hard shove and managed to knock her off, scrambling to her feet once again she swung out with a hard kick at the girl's teeth before jumping on her and proceeding to punch her seriously, letting lose a string of curses in the process.

 

Her frustration, rage, and anger from the situation, her life and the girl's words had only brought it to a boil. Furiously she clawed at the mass of bruises and blood of the girl's face still not done with her, her punches taking on the unmistakable power of aether as she continued her strikes. Suddenly a pair of strong hands grabbed Cliodhna and yanked her off the other girl.

 

Turning to swing at the new opponent, her tiny fist was caught, the bigger hand squeezing her hand until she winced in pain and looked up; gaze meeting Kollen's hard stare. "My office." Was all he uttered, tone devoid of emotion. Behind them, two medics already treating her sparring partner.

 

Cliodhna sat silently in the oversize chair across from the expansive wooden desk. Kollen sitting behind it, fingers splayed lightly in front of his mouth as he regarded Cliodhna, her face still smeared with tears, dirt and blood. The room was dim save for a lamp in the corner and designed to be intimidating it felt. There was a stuffed coeurl in the corner, it's expression fierce with bared fangs and a paw frozen mid-swipe. Bookcases lined another wall and the curtains were drawn to block out the sunlight from the day. Scuffing the toe of her shoe on the thick carpeting, Cliodhna finally spoke up, soft voice breaking the silence. "I broke the rule, so now what?" She mumbled, already feeling defeated.

 

"Yes you did, a number of them in fact." He replied simply. "I could list them but we're both aware of them, aren't we?"

 

Cliodhna could feel her heart threatening to leap from her chest as Kollen pulled open a drawer in his desk and placed a gunblade on the surface; the same one she had stolen to practice with.

 

Hanging her head, she waited for her punishment, mind already leaping to the worst. "In light of this and the other occurrences, you're being placed in the advanced placement program." Snapping her head up, she stared at Kollen, not sure what he had meant.

 

"You stole, evaded detection when sneaking from your room and despite rule in today's test; did what you had to in order to win your fight. You did not follow the rule but have broken them only in ways to further your learning. For example, you were able to avoid detection but did not try to run away, you stole this," Motions to the gun. "But used it to improve your understanding of how it's made, that itself Miss Eoghan, also points to another direction you will be taking in regards to our engineering program."

 

Then he did something that took Cliodhna by surprise, he smiled. "You'll report here in the morning for information regarding your new curriculum. Do not be late." With that he waved her out of the room with vague instructions to clean up before returning to class.