Alanna, displaced by war from her home town, Ortus, at the age of 16, had chosen a life of endless travels. She had lost her family, her friends and the life she knew to the Venator Order, a group of hunters that chased down and killed anyone known to have gifts that transcended the natural order they believed in. The Venator Order had a word for people like her, they called them, the Execratus, the cursed. Ortus was full of people like her, born with gifts considered abnormal. Some were natives of the land, some were refugees who sought a safe haven having been exiled under threat of execution, some were wanderers who'd come looking for answers, looking for people like them while others were saved, having been abandoned at a young age by their guardians and communities at the first sign of the "curse", as they called it. Alanna came from a long line of natives in Ortus who had a myriad of gifts; for some it was to see through time, some to control different aspects of the elements, some could communicate with spirits of nature, some could communicate with spirits of those who had passed, some were masters of alchemy, some could access to different realms, some were healers, some could travel through time, some could communicate with different animals, some were shapeshifters and some had gifts beyond what Alanna had time to learn or see. Alanna was a special child who had an affinity for many different gifts, her mother believed she was one of the revered goddesses reincarnated, a goddess believed to have a tendency to incarnate in different forms throughout millennia. Others believed she was a demi-god, they had a few of those spread out through their history. Once the Venator Order had found their town and reduced it and most of its people to ashes, Alanna could no longer continue her training. During the attack, as the her community was overwhelmed, her mother had rushed her to the tunnels underground and pushed her into the magical River Lumen that flowed under the town, of which only her family knew of and guarded over the millennia. All she remembered was being pushed into the river and waking up in a place she didn't know of. She had been born and raised in Ortus, she didn't know the world beyond it. She had been found unconscious near a stream by a group of travelers who called themselves the Vagi, who welcomed her into their community and took her with them, traveling from place to place, never lingering for more than a few days. She hid her identity from everyone, other than her name and the fact that she'd lost her family in an ambush, no one else knew the truth of where she came from. Her once purple eyes now brown, the pointed tips of her ears now rounded, the streaks of gold in her auburn tresses and the markings on her skin that appeared as she trained her abilities gone, no doubt a glamour from her mother, she appeared to be as ordinary as anyone else. Except for the mark that sat in the middle of her ribcage just beneath her breasts, which she made sure was always hidden under the garments.

At the age of 23, having learned the ways of the world once unknown to her and how to blend in, she chose to go on an adventure by herself, to travel the world secretly in search of survivors if any or people like her. There had been rumors and stories of secluded towns just like Ortus, untouched by the outside world in unknown locations. She was determined to find them. One evening, she came to a small port town named Transivitus to board a ship to take her to the other side of the Sea Perditus. The ship was said to arrive the next day in the afternoon and leave at dusk. She could do with that. She found a small tavern where she could stay the night for a few hours' work, she could make do with that. She was one of three barmaids for the night. After nightfall the tavern was packed and she struggled but managed to serve mead and food to the crowded tables, often having to carefully and swiftly maneuver around the tables of grubby drunks. She was grateful that the taverner, Orin, was keen that no violence was exerted on any of the barmaids. Even in their drunken state, everyone that came to the tavern knew better than to anger the grumpy Orin. From the stories she'd heard, he was a pretty scary guy when provoked to anger and for that, she was grateful.

When Orin relieved her of her duties for the night, Alanna rushed outside through the back door for some much needed fresh air. She was exhausted, exasperated and it was quite stuffy in there. She just needed a few minutes to sit and breathe under the night sky and watch the stars before she retired into the room Orin had prepared for her next to the barn at the back of the tavern.

"What's a beautiful girl like you doing in a place like this?" Alanna quickly stood and turned from the log she'd been sitting on, startled out of her wits. There, leaning on the barn door was a man, taller than her, face shrouded by the hood he wore. She regarded him for a few minutes trying to figure out if he was dangerous. "No need to be afraid, girly, I'm not here to cause any trouble, I'm just curious," the man chuckled. Alanna could see his smirk even under the hood. "Who are you?" Alanna asked firmly, trying to hide her nerves. "Name's Aimil, I'm a traveler," he said moving closer to her. He sounded amused, his voice deep and rich with an accent Alanna couldn't quite place. "I'm Alanna, I'm a traveler too," she said, trying to keep her voice steady, watching him cautiously. She noticed he walked with a slight limp as he came closer, setting himself down on the log she'd been sitting on. She sat back down, making sure there was enough distance between them and continued gazing at the stars. "So, what are you doing in a place like this, Alanna?" He questioned again, she could feel the heat of his gaze searing the side of her face. "Taking the next ship out of this stuffy place," she answered with her gaze set on the stars, trying to ignore the loud thumping of her heart. "The Bajolus?" He inquired, still staring at her like she was a puzzle he was trying to solve. "That's the one," she responded curtly, unnerved by his stare, "And by the way, it's rude to stare," she added. He seemed to ignore her curt tone and commentary. He couldn't tear his gaze from the beautiful guarded woman sitting near him, something about her called to him like a moth to a flame and he was entranced.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, save for the muffled chatter and cheer in the tavern, and he finally dragged his gaze from her to the dark starry sky. Alanna couldn't figure out what he was after, she felt a pull to him that rattled her to her core, he was a stranger after all and she didn't trust him, she didn't trust anyone anymore. "Me too," he muttered looking at the stars trying to figure out what it was about her that drew him in, he wasn't usually chatty or curious about anyone. What were the chances that they were boarding the same ship? Maybe it was fate, he mused to himself. He was lost in thought, his hood sliding back revealing his face as he gazed at the sky above them. Alanna dragged her eyes from the sky to look at him. His face, now mostly revealed, seemed familiar to her, his olive skin and grey-ish eyes slightly glowed under the moon's light and his dark brows furrowed as if in deep thought. He was handsome and he seemed strong, no doubt about that. The scar below his eye that disappeared into his thick beard gave him a ruggedness she liked. His dark curly hair peeked from under the hood, waving across his forehead as the wind blew. Have I seen him before? She wondered quietly to herself, she couldn't help but feel like she knew him from somewhere. Aimil, shaken from his thoughts by her stare turned to look at her. Goddess, she was beautiful under the moonlight, even with her dark reddish tresses strewn across her face by the breeze. They sat, staring into each others eyes for a few breaths before Alanna turned her head, her caramel cheeks flushed, flustered at being caught staring when just a few minutes ago she reprimanded him for the same. Hades! She was never the type to get flustered over a guy or even have time to like one, what the hell what this?

Just then Orin came through the backdoor of the tavern and called to her. She quickly stood and rushed to him as he handed her the key to her room, her satchel and a lamp. She thanked Orin and hurried to her room, unlocking it in and stumbling inside, closing the wooden door in a rush. She could still feel Aimil's eyes on her through the door as she locked herself in. She stared at the door for a moment, holding her breath as if Aimil was going to come crashing in. She reprimanded herself for even thinking about him as she turned, dropping her satchel on the ground, setting her lamp on the small table beside her bed and laying down. She let out a shaky breath and closed her eyes, her mind still reeling from that strange encounter and after a few steady breaths she found herself swept into a deep slumber full of strange dreams that had one thing in common, Aimil.

Aimil had been left staring after Alanna long after she had disappeared into her room, slightly amused and very bewildered. He hadn't even realized he'd been holding his breath until he dared to look away from her door into the glimmering waters at the edge of the docks. He didn't understand why she felt so familiar, surely he would know if he had met her before, who could forget such a beautiful face? Who was she? He pondered. He didn't just feel like he knew her, he felt attracted to her in ways he had never experienced before. It was a good thing they would be aboard the same ship, that would give him some time to figure out who she was and most importantly, who she was to him. He was never one to seek out friends but he was too curious to stay away from her. He was determined to find out why she evoked such strong feelings within him. He sat on the log for a few more minutes before he walked back into the barn where he'd planned to spend the rest of his night. His dreams were strange, and all of them had one thing in common, Alanna.