Red Sonja 1 - Birth

Chapter 1 -- The Birth and Circumstances of the Red Sonja

The girl the Mountain Lake villagers referred to as the "Red" Sonja was so named because she was born with distinctive fiery-red hair that was nearly full grown, despite no one else in the village, or even in the clan, for that matter, having such an exotic feature.  Almost immediately rumors began to swirl about the mother  -- who not less than a year ago returned from a long journey abroad, no doubt meeting with all kinds of barbarous, primitive clans such as the red-haired Slave Barbarians far to the west.  Whether it was rape or consensual, it didn't really matter to the villagers, or even to the husband, who all turned their backs and abandoned both the mother and Sonja.  In a climax of desperation, the mother raised a dagger to Sonja as the infant slept, but could not bring herself to kill the child.  

The mother had resolved herself to a life ostracized when one night a reclusive old wizard came to visit the village tavern.  When he overheard the ridicule and gossip about the child, he suddenly demanded to be shown where Sonja lived.  When the inebriated villagers refused, he grabbed one of their vessels of ale and caused it to explode in a great fireball.  Thus persuaded, the villagers all gathered around Sonja's house at the late hour and demanded the wizard be able to see the child.  Both the husband and mother appeared outside the doorway, the husband furiously ashamed and the mother dejected and quiet.

"Is it true that this child is an offspring of the Slave Barbarians?"  The wizard shouted loudly. The entire village cast their eyes on the mother, who, for the first time, nodded in consent, tears streaming down her shut eyes.

"I will pay you 100 gold pieces for this child."  At the unheard-of amount, the villagers of Mountain Lake gasped in astonishment.  The husband suddenly forgot his shame and reached his open hand out to coldly accept payment.  The wizard plopped a heavy bag of coins into the husband's hand, which nearly caused him to lose his balance and topple over.  The transaction completed, the mother, without a word, went into the bedroom to retrieve the infant Sonja while the husband opened the bag to properly make count of his new riches.

The mother returned and handed Red Sonja over to the strange old wizard, only seeing now a glimpse of the wizard's face, who did not seem that old after all.  The wizard carefully peeled back the blankets to reveal the infant and its luscious red hair.  He quickly covered the child back up and disappeared into the crowd, never to be seen again.  

Red Sonja, however, would return to Mountain Lake as a proud, free woman, exactly the way her mother dreamed that night.

***

Mountain Lake was deep within the center of the world, about as far inland as one can imagine.  The open ocean was only a rumor for the villagers, for it would take several years of dangerous travel even to glimpse it.  The mountains of Mountain Lake stretched east to west, and collectively were known as the Ceiling of Heaven, and kept the village somewhat protected from the Northern Horseman Tribes, who on a whim would conquer vast tracts of open land and then live off the spoils of war until they again felt the urge to plunder.   Far to the east, past the mountain range, was a newly restored Middle Kingdom formed from the Three Warring Tribes, and silk once again flowed along the trade routes, greatly improving the economy of Mountain Lake.

To the south-west were the Parthians,  known for their riches and brilliant culture. Despite this, they were greatly weakened by wars against a massive Empire far away, an Empire so vast it was said to turn a sea into its own internal lake.  To the west were the red-haired barbarians, the Slave Barbarians, who seemed to migrate closer and closer each year.  They were so named not because they took slaves, but because they often become slaves themselves as they were attacked and forced from their homes.

And to the south, past the Canyon Pass, was the great Govi Desert and the Monk States.  To this strange land Red Sonja was taken, sold off by the wizard at great profit to a small tribe of monks that was said to hold a prophecy:

In the Third Century after the Birth of the Western Savior, a child of the Slaves and the Heavens, of the very low and the very high, there will be born a child of red hair, white skin and blue eyes that will become the greatest of heroes, so much that balance of good and evil will be restored.

These monks were known as the Manichae, Followers of the Prophet of Mani.  It was said that they believed not one religion but three, combining the best elements of all to form the True Way.  The Electi, or leaders, held themselves to strict standards of restraint and self-denial, while the Auditori, or followers, lead mostly normal lives and took care of the Electi, hoping that in the next life they would reach that level.  Sonja was designated as a "Auditori Specialis", or a "Follower not of the General Purpose."  She was to be different, and would need a special upbringing.  She would need combat, tactics, and leadership training, while also morality and science lessons.  If she was to save the world from darkness, she would need every advantage available, and the Manichae were willing to provide.