Frenetic Raptor
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Dreaming of a Tragic Existence
The searing heat of the summer's unrelenting sun failed to release its forceful grasp on the plains, leaving Amarisa overwhelmingly exhausted. Having already spent the last few remaining drops of water in her possession, there was nothing she could do to relieve her from bearing the brunt of the scorching heat. Still, she continued onward, forcing her devastatingly weakened body to proceed, heeding none of the warning signs from her mind. For every step forward, her body grew heavier and sluggish, reluctantly allowing her free reign over her own bodily functions. It wouldn't be long before her entire body would begin to shut down.
Her weakened legs were the first to give out, leaving her no choice but to fall on her knees. She landed hard upon the grassy ground, both legs incapacitated. She had become helpless, left only to peer across the hazy plains, eyes blurring with time. As her weakening mind relinquished even more of its normal routines, the burden of her body weight had grown exponentially, feeling as though it weighed a ton. Within moments, her body had almost succumbed completely to exhaustion, leaving her fading brown eyes the opportunity to catch a few final glimpses of her clouded surroundings. For what seemed to have been an instant her vision failed, her consciousness fleeing her mind, eyes displaying only a pure white imageless vision. Her body had been rendered unconscious while her entire length collapsed along the ground. There she remained, motionless. The advancing time of Lore would continue to pass her by, leaving her alone to endure a false tragedy in the form of another demented dream brought forth by the unforgiving gods.
* * * * *
How long had she been running? Where was she going? Where was she for that matter? Would she ever flee from her past? So many questions flooding her mind, each one passing through without any answers, only placed there to torment her very essence. How could she flee from something she had no control over? Maybe if she had only chosen to remain with that sadistic tyrant events might have been different. For as much as she was disgusted at the thought of serving some heartless man she wouldn't have had to endure a life of torture and punishment. It wouldn't matter now, what had been done was done; there was no going back. She was considered prey, nothing more than another easy target for any hunter craving the same desire of manipulating her gift for their own personal gain.
This was all that Amarisa could think of while she recklessly fled her hostile pursuers through the treacherous forest, running on pure adrenaline alone. She sought nothing less than to successfully fulfill her getaway. That is only if she wished to even have the slightest hopes of finding a safe haven, away from those she hated most. Her laced boots heavily rampaged through the thick forest vegetation, leaving an easily distinguishable trail behind her. There was nothing to prevent herself from being careless, guided only by her instincts, completely driven by fear.
For what seemed like an eternity, this daunting, yet almost impossible escape was in her grasps. If she could last for a few hundred more yards she would finally break free of the forest's border and could easily blend in with the town's daytime masses. Knowing how far she had come, she forced herself to smile amongst her heavy breathing. The time was near, or so it seemed. That was until her recklessness had finally taken advantage of her in the form of a protruding tree root. With her body thrown off balance, she stumbled, unable to reclaim a stable footing. Even the forest seemed to turn against her as it lashed at her feet without mercy. Encountering yet another tree root she finally tripped, landing face first upon the ground. She struggled to pick herself up as she franticly attempted to catch her fleeting breath.
Desperation overtook her as she heard several voices from just beyond. The tyrant and his corrupted followers were within close proximity and wouldn't give up until she was found. Her pulse skyrocketed. What could she do? Unless she could think of another way out, there would be no escape for her. She dare not scream, for if she did they would immediately discover her. She attempted to calm herself enough to steady her breathing. Having done so, she listened carefully, noting that the voices had faded away.
There might have been some hope for her after all. She took a deep sigh of relief and glanced around her surroundings with her fear stricken eyes. The peaceful silence in the scattered sunshine had lasted for a single moment as she felt a sharp pain cross along her back. She instantly cringed and tightly closed her eyelids, feeling that familiar pain. Amarisa had endured this particular pain so many times before. She had been lashed with yet another whip. But by whom, there was no one around. At least everything appeared to be that way from her view. Oh was she very wrong. Her hunters had found her after all, though not without the use of some skill, which she had recently disregarded.
She let her body hunch over and bowed her head forward, sending her lengthy black hair to fall freely down the sides of her face. The voices around her started once more, though she couldn't distinguish how many there were. All the voices seemed to blend together, shrouding the slightest hint of familiarity from revealing itself. All conversation immediately ceased and her arms were forcefully pulled away from the sides of her body, having been extended outwards. Two of her master's henchmen had her arms fully restrained, keeping her from breaking free. Within moments, the one whom she expected all along arrived in front of her, accompanied by a black-cloaked figure.
"Well now, look who we found here. Isn't it just like the little innocent princess, once again attempting to flee from her master." The burly, armored middle-aged lord chuckled and released a devilish smirk of accomplishment. He stood awaiting a sharp remark from Amarisa, but she kept her silence, hoping this time if she didn't speak she wouldn't be punished. It wouldn't matter; his impatience was no different than if she had spoken to him in the first place. "Hmph, poor helpless Amarisa, what is wrong? Has someone already cut your tongue out or are you just ignoring me? As much as I wouldn't mind seeing you suffer for your betrayal, you do realize that you have no choice to speak to me. Now, if you would, lift your gaze upon mine and let me look into your eyes. Let me remind you, if you refuse, I will have may way no matter what."
Remaining silent, her hatred grew, knowing that refusing was futile. For if she refused she would be forced to do as commanded, not under her own will, but the will from others just like him. She lifted her head and reluctantly looked upwards into his menacing eyes.
"There, that wasn't difficult, was it." He mocked her, giving the allusion that he held the slightest remorse for her. For all she was concerned, nothing would ever hide the true evil deep within his darkened soul. He waited a few moments in silence and advanced to her location, stopping just in front of her. He carefully leaned forward and freed her trapped foot from a certain tree root. This friendly gesture was yet another one of his mind games, preceded by the tightening grasp of his men while she was commanded to remain on her knees.
"Now there, you have been freed from your real capturer, or what I simply like to call it, a harmless tree." What was this? Such a benevolent person he was, attempting to persuade her into thinking he was the good guy. Ha, what a stupid idiot. Whatever, she wouldn't fall for his poor tricks in luring her back. He continued his little game, kneeling down to her level and placed a hand under her chin. He spoke to her with his maliciously, soft-spoken words, keeping it between themselves. What would be his final attempt at convincing her to return with him had failed. Her only response to his demeaning remarks was to spit in his face.
Amarisa's lord became infuriated. He stood upright and swung himself completely around. With his back facing her, he muttered a few words to himself before commanding the cloaked figure to accomplish a certain task. "Execute her now! I have dealt with her long enough!"
The unlawful tyrant motioned away from both Amarisa and her executioner. The executioner immediately pulled out his bow and took out an arrow, readying himself for his accurately, deadly aim.
Amarisa had no idea what she could do to get out of this predicament. There was no escape for her now, having depleted his last remnants of his trust and patience for her. She didn't want to die, not now. There was so much to live for that she would never get experience. Maybe she should have followed along. If she only cooperated instead of refusing, she might not have had to endure as much torture as she had been through. There still was a spark of hope, wasn't there? There was no way to know unless she gave a valiant attempt. With all of her emotion, she pleaded to be set free. "Please, Lord Tleminn! I take everything back I ever said to you. I will come back to you if you give me another chance. You don't have go through with this. I will serve you unquestionably without reluctance, only with honor. Please, I want to see my father again!"
There had been no response and the executioner was all but ready to commence his duty.
She stared at the sharp point of the arrow, watching to see if there was any reluctance from her cloaked executioner. As to be expected, there was no evidence of hesitance. This was it, she was going to die by the hands of these corrupted men.
Just when she thought nothing could be any worse, Lord Tleminn temporarily waved off the execution, yet the executioner kept his stance, bow still directly pointed towards her chest. "You really wish to see your father one last time. If you wish it so, then here he is. I don't see why I wouldn't let you see the face of your executioner." He walked to the cloaked figure and removed his hood. "There you go, let me present to you your father." Her lord gave her a crooked smirk, enjoying this amusing spectacle.
Amarisa saw the images of her father and was in utter shock, incapable of forming any words. Her overwhelming reluctance kept her from speaking, at least not before it was too late. Tleminn had already whispered to her father the command and the arrow had been sent whizzing through the air, piercing right through her heart. Shortly after, the guards released their grip around her arms and walked away with no remorse or regrets, leaving her to be consumed by the real scavengers of the woods. Still unable to speak, she screamed from within and her vision went completely blank, nothing but white remained.
* * * * *
Amarisa immediately awoke, crying out for an answer from her father, in a harsh and crackling voice. "Father... why have... you... betrayed me?" Her conscious had been sparked, her body gradually recovering from her recent dehydration. During the entire time of her unconsciousness she hadn't been aware of her new surroundings. There was no response from her father, as to be expected. Of course, she was no longer there with him and he certaintly wasn't in this place. What she saw wasn't even reality. She could only feel pain and sorrow, having lost everything she ever loved. What once was a single tear that had escaped from her moistening brown, innocent eyes, became much more. There was no control over her grief, evident by the two narrow streaming tears continuously slipping along her young round delicate face.
Just then, an unfamiliar voice intruded, much more friendlier than what she had expected. She turned her head to the location of where, to her gaze, stood a brown-cloaked elf, standing in the brightened doorway. She gazed into his concerned blue eyes, anxiously waiting for a response from his recently discovered beauty. There was none, though he didn't mind. From what he had witnessed, this was really none of his business, yet he was still willing to help her through at least for the night.
She remained almost motionless, resting along the entire bed, locking eyes with the youthful elf while he continued to stare at her with curiosity that unfortunately she didn't take too kindly, feeling slightly paranoid about his intentions. Lifting her head, she quickly scanned herself, looking for anything that could have happened to have gone missing. She viewed her appearance carefully, still wearing her elegant purple shirt and her flowing, yet highly wrinkled skirt, which rested mostly along her right leg, leaving her lower left leg partially exposed. As for the few accessories she wore, she only focused on her pendent around her neck, hanging from an untarnished chain, holding her violet jewel.
Everything seemed to have been in order, though something was still missing. Amarisa shifted even more, forcing the uncomfortable sheets to shift towards the ends of the bed, some of them left to dangle off of the corners of the bed, some touching the floor. Her body tensed, knowing exactly what it was that had been misplaced, her father's sword. This was the last thing she would ever want to lose, serving as the only remembrance of her father and tribe. She panicked and felt unusually warm, feeling the disgusting layers of sweat, old and new along her gentle figure. The humidity within the room was unbearable, yet the fire in the other room didn't help either, adding to some of the heat that had crept in her darkened room, lit only by a couple of candles. The rest of the illuminating light would come from the moon just outside the open window.
Only then did she find the need to speak to her stranger, perplexed as to where her sword had been misplaced. "Where... where is my sword? Where is my father's sword? It is imperative that I find it now." She once again found the need to search along her bedside, still unable to successfully find her blade. "Please sir, I need to have it in my possession, I can't live without it. If I lose it I won't be able to..." She unexpectedly paused, not wanting to reveal anything more, unaware of what his intentions were.
The elf stood near, realizing that she still held a lasting fear in her drying eyes. He couldn't just stand and watch, could he? No, he wasn't like that, mistreating someone such in this way. He mustn't let her rummage through his cottage, desiring no more than her own sword. Knowing that, he extended his arm just behind the wall of the doorway into the next room and fetched her sword. He held the sword firmly and cautiously approached her, not wanting to provoke any more tension than what had already existed. "Here miss, I believe this is what you are looking for, is it not?"
She twisted herself around, her gleeful eyes fixed on her glimmering sword. She shifted along the bed and leaned over, quickly snatching the blade from his hands, leaving him empty handed almost instantaneously. By her reaction to this alone, this blade must have been of great importance to her. She took a moment to herself in remembrance and rested the blade delicately on the bed, near her side.
"I am sorry if I offended you in anyway, miss. I just thought that it would be better to keep it out of harms way. It seems that I am the one who has been mistaken. I assure you that nothing else has been taken. I would like to apologize once more." He stopped, wondering if she even listened to him, having seemed too focused on other wandering priorities. "Miss, if you would like, I have some dinner cooking over the fire. If you wish to eat, which by now you must be starving, I can get you something to eat. Maybe just a glass of water."
Her wary expression kept her reluctance in check, unsure if he could be trusted, yet he did appear to be friendly enough. For whatever reason, she convinced herself to take up his offer of food and water. She gave him a brief nod and brushed her dangling hair away from her face. "Yes, I could use a meal and a drink." Her softly spoken words fluttered through the air, her voice still crackling even now.
He nodded in agreement and walked off to gather the required food and drink, before quickly returning with a plate in one hand and a glass in the other. Nothing further had been exchanged between the two while she ate, except for one last response from the elf. "If you wish to, you may leave whenever you would like. I already see that my presence isn't one to your liking. There is a town by the name of Delorengrad, just a couple miles to the east. There you will find whatever you will need if you desire to leave, though may I at least request that you stay for the night. It isn't safe to travel during the night, at least not in your current condition."
* * * * *
The silent peace between the elf and Amarisa had been kept throughout the nighttime hours. Though she had reluctantly accepted his offer to stay for the night at first, she felt more content on her decision as the night progressed. From what she perceived of him, he didn't seem to have any hint of any malicious intents, but still, she couldn't help but keep herself on high alert just in case he would turn on her at any moment. As the night crept along at an excruciating slow pace, there were several instances where she would doze off into a deep sleep, only to quickly snap herself out of her own dreams, fearing the familiar images that plagued her mind.
Throughout the latter stages of the summer night, the unpleasant humid atmosphere within the small cottage had all but disappeared, having been replaced by a temporary icy chill that blew through the open window. The bitter wind swiftly blew across the surface of her youthful skin, sending her body shivering with every invading gust. She continued to lay atop the mangled bed coverings that had been pushed aside from earlier. Despite her ignorance, she had all but given up enduring this cruel wind that just had to interfere with her peaceful solitude. In the other room, what had once been a warm soothing fire was now nothing but cool, charred firewood.
Her heavy, flickering eyelids opened and closed while she glanced towards the open window, noting the moon, providing a slight illuminating light that pierced through the darkness of her hospitable bedroom walls. Having finally had enough, the unused sheets and blanket had finally been put to good use. She quickly pulled herself up and snatched the thick layer of bed coverings. She held them snug against her body and struggled to embrace her newfound layer of warmth. Of course, the window had still been left open, allowing the cool crisp air to linger within the bedroom. She could have taken the extra effort to shut the window, though Amarisa was too stubborn to involve herself in such matters, only considering it as another burden of unnecessary work.
With the approaching early morning hours, the frigid blast of cold air had subsided, only having become another forgettable memory. The remaining portion of the night had been serene without a single dream of torture or pain. Whether it was the sheets, the unusual weather, or the gods, she had been blessed with a rare moment of sanity. The morning had not fully arisen, yet the waking sun peaked through the clear horizon.
Now that dawn had arrived there was nothing for her here. Sure, she was pleased that this particular elf had taken her into his care and provided for her in time of need, but she lived a nomadic life and it wasn't always necessary, yet it was still welcomed. Most of her comfort could be easily found amongst the nature of the land alone.
She shifted herself off of the bed and placed her feet within her short boots before checking herself over. Everything had been accounted for, even her father's sword. She walked off into the main room, containing the fireplace. At first glance, the room appeared to be very cluttered, scattered with many books, weapons, clothes, and other peculiar undistinguishable items. Out of her innocent curiosity, she continued to search the cottage a little more closely and found her eyes peering through another open door, leading into an empty room. There were no signs of the elf anywhere within the cottage as she spent her fine time invading his personal property while he wasn't here.
For the most part, she found nothing of interest; that was until she found a blank piece of parchment lying upon the top of a wooden desk, giving her an idea. She approached the desk and placed her sword down, allowing her to write a message, a message addressed to the elf. What exactly would she expect to accomplish from writing this stranger a message? Nothing more then a kind thank you was all that this would be. Having taken her time to formally thank the elf for his humble hospitality, she added an additional few gold pieces as payment and found her way out of the cottage.
The welcomed atmosphere of the new day wasn't overpowering, unlike the exhausting heat from the day before. Thank goodness; she certainly wasn't in the mood for wasting any more of her valuable time. While she embraced the slightly cooler air around her, she thought over her next destination, knowing nothing but a name. This Delorengrad, what exactly was this place like and what would be waiting for her there? Would anyone find her assistance of any value or would they deem her as a worthless soul and chase her away just like before? She remained in thought, letting herself become aware of her cruel reality, living a new life as an outcast.
Before starting off on her short venture to Delorengrad, there was one last thing she needed to accomplish. Amarisa couldn't just rush off without first praying to the gods. As for why she continued her tribe's ritual, even after the gods had all but forsaken her, she didn't quite know why herself. Maybe it was just for that one last glimmer of hope that could possibly help redeem herself for her ignorant betrayal. She knelt down on one knee and stuck her sword into the ground, keeping both hands tightly on the hilt and bowed her head forward, sending strands of her black hair into her face. Upon the completion of her short prayer, she clasped her violet pendant around her neck and stared upwards. She had hoped that this time there would be a sign, but as usual, nothing happened.
Amarisa expelled a depressing sigh and stood up before taking a second to brush a few strands of her lengthy, straight black hair away from her face. She stared off into the open plains with her almond brown eyes and immediately took off towards the town of Delorengrad. Whatever the gods had planned for her along the way was something she would have to find out for herself. The only sure thing was that she would assist those who needed her guidance the most
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