by Razhak » Thu Feb 04, 2016 4:53 pm
A Flight Forward
She pressed her back against the door as the sounds of pursuit grew louder in the alleys. Her little room here was warm and save. At least it had been save for months since she had discovered it in this derelict warehouse. It had always been here when she returned from her nightly forays into the city. A hard, narrow bed was in the far corner, and a small, wormbitten chest that she had dragged here held her few possessions.
The girl forced back her tears as she rested the back of her head against the hard wood of the door. The last rays of today’s sun fell through the small window that her room had. She was so tired.. so very tired. She had been avoiding the search parties all day long, and now it was almost night. She never could sleep when the sun was down, not since those 2 days she had spend in the smoldering ruins that had once been her home town, almost 14 years ago now. Dreams came to her in the dark, the faces of her relatives, friends, neighbors and always the face of the Darkness. She always woke up from those dreams, screaming wordlessly, soaked in sweat.
At first she had lived with relatives in Maradon. But bad luck had followed her around. Her uncle had died in a freak wagon accident and 2 of her cousins had short after died from a fever. Her aunt had send her away shortly after. She had been passed around between foster parents for a few years, but wherever she went, her past had followed. Darkness seemed to lurk around her, and it didn’t take long before she had a reputation as someone who brought bad luck to the roof she lived under.
She ran away when she turned twelve.
Since then she had wandered the streets, never knowing where she would spend the next day until dusk and the next night would drive her out of her shelter again. She had gotten used to wandering the streets at night, trying to find something to eat, steal or beg together enough money to provide in her basic needs. She tried not to interact with anyone, for she knew only ruin could become anyone close to her, just like it had become her family and the whole town she had lived in. Her brother had only been 11 years old as he had tried to fend of the Darkness with fathers old sword....
She had never understood why she had been spared, and she could not stop thinking about it. Day and night the question tumbled through her head, and she found herself yelling at the shadows in the night time streets. People looked at her warily then, and she hated herself even more. However a few months ago she had found this little room. Her own place to hide during the day. With an old but strong door, and a little window high in the wall opposite to her bed so that the room was always lit during the day.
Lit and safe.
She felt at ease for the first time in years within her own hideout. And as fall turned to winter she had remained there. She had found a chest to store her belongings in during the night, and even an old, raggedy horse blanket. It had been thrown out with the junk, but it still had a bit of embroidery depicting a sunburst on a field of white.
She loved the sun.
But winter had been harsher then she could ever remember. People were having a hard time, and had nothing to spare. Not even the fat grocer in the cobbler’s district would give her any left over food no more. She could not remember not being hungry. She could not remember not being cold. She could not remember the sun…
Yesterday she had sold her body.
She had not known what else to do. No one would help the crazy girl who wandered the streets at night. No one wanted to help the girl with the Dark One’s bad luck hovering over her like a dark rain cloud. The merchant guard from Andor had not known about her, nor would he have cared. He also did not care about her being skin over bones. He did not care that she was dirty either. When he was done with her in the ally behind the Dancing Cow she had cried, but she had held on to the silver he had given her.
She never saw his fist the first time he hit her.
He had tried to take back the money, and his fists seemed to come from everywhere. She screamed and wrapped her hands around the silver that would feed and clothe her for weeks to come, but famished and weak as she was she was no match for him.
She passed out for a few moments.
When she regained her senses, she found the silver lying next to her, and her assailant pressed against the far wall of the alley, staring at her with huge eyes. She blinked the blood from her eyes and looked around into the shadows. The Darkness seemed to smile at her, and she scrambled to her feet and ran for the main street. Halfway down the street she remembered her silver. She warily returned to where she had lain, keeping an eye on the man, who kept following her every move with his eyes, still unable to move.
She had begun to run once she made it past the corner in the alley. All she wanted was for the day to begin and to sleep. She stalked through the still dark streets, scowling at the shadows, at times yelling at them to leave her alone. People avoided her again, and she ran on, hot tears streaming down her bruised cheeks. It was so unfair, she had no one. Everyone had been taken from her by the Darkness. Sobbing she picked up a rock and hurled it into the dark.
That was when she had heard the hounds.
Hopefully the men would not find her now she was back in her secret place. After having barred the door she wrapped herself in her once white blanket, and caressed the sunburst. She was so tired. All day she had walked the streets in the gloomy winter sun. All day she had escaped the men of the Watch that had been send out to find the crazy girl that was in the centre of so many disturbing rumors. She had gotten no sleep, and the combination of her injuries and fear had exhausted her even more.
She wrapped her arms around her knees and rocked herself as she sat on her hard bed. The hounds were scratching at her door now. An axe bit at the old wood. She was so afraid, and it felt like all those years ago again, when she and Doran had sat in the cupboard. But then she had not been alone. He had whispered to her in there, had told her he would protect her, that everything would be all right. He had lied to her.
Everyone had lied to her ever since. Her aunt. All her other foster parents. The fat grocer when he said he had no food. The merchant guard.
The men shouted at her through the door. The hounds bayed and snarled. More axes joined the first one. The sun set. Terror gripped her. She could not go outside, but her fear could not let her stay inside as the night set in. Still a bit of light fell through her little window, but she knew it was a matter of minutes before the room would go as dark as night. She would be all alone in the dark.
She was tired of being alone. She was tired of being afraid. She was so, so tired…
She pressed her hands to her ears and screamed as loudly as she could to drown out the noises coming from the other side of the door. The shadows crept towards her and the sun rays withdrew from her slowly as the sun dropped below the horizon.
She sat in darkness now.
She dreamed waking. She relived those two endless days. She heard the trollocs baying and shouting again outside her door. She heard axes biting at the door like all those years ago. But now there was no one to hold her. No one to comfort her. No one to take her fears away. No one to lie to her…
She screamed again.
She opened her eyes and stared into the blackness around her, unable to see anything. The howls outside the door rose, the axes bit deeper and faster now. She drowned in her fear for an eternity and resurfaced within mere seconds. She had realized she was not alone.
She was no longer afraid.
The Darkness smiled that special smile for her, that she had seen for the first time on that fateful day. She spread her arms, and the shadows took her in.
When the Watch finally battered down the door to the old basement underneath the run down warehouse, they found it empty. They searched the room, but found no clue where the crazy girl had gone. Many blamed the Dark One, and the commander of the Watch ordered the warehouse to be burnt to the ground.
A Flight Forward
She pressed her back against the door as the sounds of pursuit grew louder in the alleys. Her little room here was warm and save. At least it had been save for months since she had discovered it in this derelict warehouse. It had always been here when she returned from her nightly forays into the city. A hard, narrow bed was in the far corner, and a small, wormbitten chest that she had dragged here held her few possessions.
The girl forced back her tears as she rested the back of her head against the hard wood of the door. The last rays of today’s sun fell through the small window that her room had. She was so tired.. so very tired. She had been avoiding the search parties all day long, and now it was almost night. She never could sleep when the sun was down, not since those 2 days she had spend in the smoldering ruins that had once been her home town, almost 14 years ago now. Dreams came to her in the dark, the faces of her relatives, friends, neighbors and always the face of the Darkness. She always woke up from those dreams, screaming wordlessly, soaked in sweat.
At first she had lived with relatives in Maradon. But bad luck had followed her around. Her uncle had died in a freak wagon accident and 2 of her cousins had short after died from a fever. Her aunt had send her away shortly after. She had been passed around between foster parents for a few years, but wherever she went, her past had followed. Darkness seemed to lurk around her, and it didn’t take long before she had a reputation as someone who brought bad luck to the roof she lived under.
She ran away when she turned twelve.
Since then she had wandered the streets, never knowing where she would spend the next day until dusk and the next night would drive her out of her shelter again. She had gotten used to wandering the streets at night, trying to find something to eat, steal or beg together enough money to provide in her basic needs. She tried not to interact with anyone, for she knew only ruin could become anyone close to her, just like it had become her family and the whole town she had lived in. Her brother had only been 11 years old as he had tried to fend of the Darkness with fathers old sword....
She had never understood why she had been spared, and she could not stop thinking about it. Day and night the question tumbled through her head, and she found herself yelling at the shadows in the night time streets. People looked at her warily then, and she hated herself even more. However a few months ago she had found this little room. Her own place to hide during the day. With an old but strong door, and a little window high in the wall opposite to her bed so that the room was always lit during the day.
Lit and safe.
She felt at ease for the first time in years within her own hideout. And as fall turned to winter she had remained there. She had found a chest to store her belongings in during the night, and even an old, raggedy horse blanket. It had been thrown out with the junk, but it still had a bit of embroidery depicting a sunburst on a field of white.
She loved the sun.
But winter had been harsher then she could ever remember. People were having a hard time, and had nothing to spare. Not even the fat grocer in the cobbler’s district would give her any left over food no more. She could not remember not being hungry. She could not remember not being cold. She could not remember the sun…
Yesterday she had sold her body.
She had not known what else to do. No one would help the crazy girl who wandered the streets at night. No one wanted to help the girl with the Dark One’s bad luck hovering over her like a dark rain cloud. The merchant guard from Andor had not known about her, nor would he have cared. He also did not care about her being skin over bones. He did not care that she was dirty either. When he was done with her in the ally behind the Dancing Cow she had cried, but she had held on to the silver he had given her.
She never saw his fist the first time he hit her.
He had tried to take back the money, and his fists seemed to come from everywhere. She screamed and wrapped her hands around the silver that would feed and clothe her for weeks to come, but famished and weak as she was she was no match for him.
She passed out for a few moments.
When she regained her senses, she found the silver lying next to her, and her assailant pressed against the far wall of the alley, staring at her with huge eyes. She blinked the blood from her eyes and looked around into the shadows. The Darkness seemed to smile at her, and she scrambled to her feet and ran for the main street. Halfway down the street she remembered her silver. She warily returned to where she had lain, keeping an eye on the man, who kept following her every move with his eyes, still unable to move.
She had begun to run once she made it past the corner in the alley. All she wanted was for the day to begin and to sleep. She stalked through the still dark streets, scowling at the shadows, at times yelling at them to leave her alone. People avoided her again, and she ran on, hot tears streaming down her bruised cheeks. It was so unfair, she had no one. Everyone had been taken from her by the Darkness. Sobbing she picked up a rock and hurled it into the dark.
That was when she had heard the hounds.
Hopefully the men would not find her now she was back in her secret place. After having barred the door she wrapped herself in her once white blanket, and caressed the sunburst. She was so tired. All day she had walked the streets in the gloomy winter sun. All day she had escaped the men of the Watch that had been send out to find the crazy girl that was in the centre of so many disturbing rumors. She had gotten no sleep, and the combination of her injuries and fear had exhausted her even more.
She wrapped her arms around her knees and rocked herself as she sat on her hard bed. The hounds were scratching at her door now. An axe bit at the old wood. She was so afraid, and it felt like all those years ago again, when she and Doran had sat in the cupboard. But then she had not been alone. He had whispered to her in there, had told her he would protect her, that everything would be all right. He had lied to her.
Everyone had lied to her ever since. Her aunt. All her other foster parents. The fat grocer when he said he had no food. The merchant guard.
The men shouted at her through the door. The hounds bayed and snarled. More axes joined the first one. The sun set. Terror gripped her. She could not go outside, but her fear could not let her stay inside as the night set in. Still a bit of light fell through her little window, but she knew it was a matter of minutes before the room would go as dark as night. She would be all alone in the dark.
She was tired of being alone. She was tired of being afraid. She was so, so tired…
She pressed her hands to her ears and screamed as loudly as she could to drown out the noises coming from the other side of the door. The shadows crept towards her and the sun rays withdrew from her slowly as the sun dropped below the horizon.
She sat in darkness now.
She dreamed waking. She relived those two endless days. She heard the trollocs baying and shouting again outside her door. She heard axes biting at the door like all those years ago. But now there was no one to hold her. No one to comfort her. No one to take her fears away. No one to lie to her…
She screamed again.
She opened her eyes and stared into the blackness around her, unable to see anything. The howls outside the door rose, the axes bit deeper and faster now. She drowned in her fear for an eternity and resurfaced within mere seconds. She had realized she was not alone.
She was no longer afraid.
The Darkness smiled that special smile for her, that she had seen for the first time on that fateful day. She spread her arms, and the shadows took her in.
When the Watch finally battered down the door to the old basement underneath the run down warehouse, they found it empty. They searched the room, but found no clue where the crazy girl had gone. Many blamed the Dark One, and the commander of the Watch ordered the warehouse to be burnt to the ground.