A/N: Alright here is my contribution for Reverb '15! For those of you wondering, 'Oore ar Suule' translates to 'Heart and Soul'

I'm really excited about this piece and am very proud of it. The amazingly beautiful, jaw dropping art that inspired this fic can be found on my profile page. Big thanks to peregr1ne for coming up with the idea, illustrating it so beautifully, and allowing me to get creative.

This is my first SoMa story so most of you are probably new readers. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I know some of the lore is screwed up but that's why it's 'Tolkien-ish verse AU'. Also, this is rated M for a reason.

Sighing, the young woman nestled herself on the grassy earth underneath an old ash tree. Tucking her chin into her knees, she settled into the comfortable position she had grown accustomed to.

Maka Albarn always had a plan for everything. Even as a child, she was put through the most rigorous and intense defense training imaginable. She was raised to be a great fighter like her mother and father, it was her birth right.

Growing up, she was lectured time and time again about how she was to aspire to be one of the greatest warriors their town had ever seen. Morte may be a small community but they were notoriously strong. In fact, they were able to obtain resources and goods from the neighboring villages in exchange for safety.

Maka loved the rush of combat, her attacks, both fluid and flawless, were more of an art than a defense, and she wielded a sword better than any opponent. By age 11, her perfectly planned out life was unfolding beautifully, she had earned the respect of the town's high elders which landed her first solo mission at the beginning of the New Year.

But life never works out so perfectly.

"Hi Mama," she whispered to the valley which laid below her.

3 years ago, Maka had lead a small group on a 3 month mission to scout the land surrounding Morte, ensuring peace with neighboring towns and safety from lingering foes. Overall, it was an easy mission, they had accumulated many riches and were sure this prosperity would benefit their townspeople greatly, in fact they never even had to unsheathe their swords. One could even say the mission went too swimmingly, that they should have known that something must be lurking in the shadows.

No one even saw the first attack.

They came out of nowhere, close to one hundred rogue orcs ambushed the Morte warriors slashing and killing them in an overall blood bath. The clanging of metal, the horrified screams of death, and the stench of blood still haunt Maka to this day.

20 of the 50 warriors had fallen, one of which was Maka's mother.

Caught up in defending herself, Maka didn't even notice her mother's lifeless corpse until the orcs retreated with their riches.

To say she was heartbroken would be an understatement, she felt total and complete failure and blame for the death of her fellow men. She was even ashamed enough to resign as a warrior, from the last joy she had in life, and barely left the confines of her home where should would read. Reading was her greatest comfort and allowed her to overcome her overwhelming guilt and depression.

But now, she had a new plan, one that required her to leave Morte.

"This is going to be the last time I'll be visiting for a while, and it's not that I have forgotten about you." She paused not really sure how to convey how she was feeling in words.

"You see, it's just, there's nothing here for me anymore. Since you've left, I've felt so lost and I've read about these places. Places that I know that we would've loved to explore together and… Mama, I want to explore the world, I want to know everything there is to know." She let out a solemn chuckle and shook her head.

"Sometimes, I just really miss being able to talk to you and the more I grow, the more I question every little thing I do."

Suddenly, the wind rushed over her and her eyes pricked with tears. Swallowing thickly she added, "I feel you everywhere I go, and I feel the warmth of your soul guiding me. Thank you." She smiled, clutching her hand to her heart before becoming serious again.

Checking her surroundings to make sure no one was in proximity, she pulled out a note from her satchel.

"There's also this… Two weeks ago, Liz and Patti disappeared without a trace. Kid apparently left last week to chase after them and left me this." Starring at the crisp parchment in her lap she clenched in anger. Liz, Patti, and Kid had been her best friends with since birth so what Kid enclosed in his letter made her see red.

"Apparently, Alyan Thompson has been physically harming the Thompson girls for as long as Kid can remember. Kid had been taking care of them for years but now," she scoffed at the absurdity of it all, at how blind she had been to all the scrapes and bruises that marred the young girls' skin.

"Now, their father was arranging to give Liz's hand away in marriage to a known rapist and murder for a hefty price." She spat with disgust before taking a cleansing breath.

"I'm going to chase after them too," she stated determinedly. "They're the only ones I have left, they're my family now."

With an overwhelming sense of clarity for the first time since she considered running away, she stood up and gathered her small amount of worldly possessions.

"If I want to make it to the next town before nightfall, I'm going to have to leave soon, before anyone realizes I'm gone."

Before retreating down the hill, she kissed the trunk of the tree and closed her eyes, "I love you, Mama. I'll carry you with me."

"*"

"Excuse me, I think someone may have left a message with you?"

This was the fourth town Maka had stopped in this month making it her ninth town since she left Morte. Kid had been leaving a trail of cryptic notes for her about his progress and where he was heading to next with shop keepers at each town he passed through.

Two weeks ago, Kid was able to find Liz and Patti in Lake-Town causing him to move at a less rapid pace between towns.

"I'm not sure about that, but it looks like rain is coming." The burley shop keeper responded causing Maka to roll her eyes.

In order to prevent Alyan Thompson and anyone else who was looking for her friends to gain any information on their whereabouts, Kid would leave a secret saying at the bottom of the latest message so she could obtain the new one at the next stop.

"Why would you think that, the sparrows are still flying?" she replied tersely, partly annoyed and mostly exhausted.

"Here you go Miss Albarn," he replied gleefully to which she quickly thanked him and snatched the parchment before hurrying back through the dark to her room for the night.

Locking the door behind her, Maka lit a candle and unfolded the latest update and couldn't believe her eyes. It was dated two days ago.

Maka,

I'm still with Liz and Patti. We will be stopping in Liore to acquire supplies and maps of this area. By the looks of it, we will be able to make it to the restored city of Framsburg within the next month.

The next town we are heading to is Bath which is on the opposite edge of the forest, there should be a path which will lead us straight through without much complication (so we're told). The three of us are going to head out early tomorrow morning and will probably spend a week in Bath.

I hope you're faring well on your travels and that these messages are not in vain.

Enclosed is some money in case you're running low.

We miss you and hope to see you soon.

-Kid

P.S. The shop keeper will say "I don't know about that but can I get you something to eat?" you will respond "I don't think I could eat another bite, I had a large lunch."

Maka scoffed, "Kid, these are getting dumber and dumber…" But she couldn't help but let a smile grace her face since she was so close to rejoining her friends she could almost taste it. If it wasn't for her body's aching plea for sleep, she would probably take off after them tonight.

But as the sun rose, Maka was already hurrying along the footpath straight towards the largest forest she had ever encountered.

Pausing slightly, due to sheer intimidation, she double checked her map to see if there was any way to avoid the woods all together. It would be far too easy to turn herself around and wander in circles for days until she died of dehydration or worse.

She shuttered, the forests had many nooks and bushes to shield lowliest scum who liked to prey on unsuspecting travelers.

Kid said the path was a straight shot though so it shouldn't be too bad, right?

Taking a firm step forward into the forest, her fear instantly dissolved as she was overcome by the magnificent beauty and tranquility of the woodland. Pretty appearances aside, Maka still remained on guard for lurking foes because she wasn't an idiot and never let her guard down completely.

She followed the winding foot path for what felt like hours before she stopped along a stream to relax for a minute before continuing on her journey. Taking the opportunity to collect as much drinking water as she could, she knelt along the banks and filled her canteen.

As she was reveling in the refreshing chill of the water which soothed her overheated flesh, a sharp snap caught her attention right before a small branch whacked her on the back of the head.

Reaching for the hilt of her sheathed weapon, her eyes wildly scanned her surroundings for an assailant when she noticed a man with stark white locks and distant incarnadine eyes lounging in the tree above her, idly breaking off small twigs and throwing them to the wind.

"Hey! Watch where you're throwing, Asshole!"