Beaten

You had collapsed. Your heartbeat was slow in your chest, you could feel it, and it made you weak, and your head pounded. You could smell the pines and oaks all around you. You were exhausted, starved. You had no idea where you were in this huge forest. You looked at the lake, it was fuzzy, and everything was, even though you could see perfectly in the dark. Your body was huddled close together, next to a tree. You had a pine branch covering you partially, the only thing you had to keep your body warm. Your food had run out a week ago, and you had at least gotten some water from the lake, but that wasn't enough.
You heard a strange movement behind you, it was cautious. It hurt to breathe, it was slow, and you could barely feel your limbs, they were dead weights. You thought your arm was broken, as you had fallen off a small rock cliff, so you had splinted it with a stick, and some rags from your hearly ruined cloak. Your clothing was a joke, the same thigns you had had for the past two years, what you had escaped from slavery in, been the prosoner of a shade in, and now had traveled into this beautiful, yet endless forest. You were eleven years old, and had been alone your entire life. You couldn't help but feel at home here, but you weren't going to get out alive, you already knew that. You were dead, you had taken weeks to get thisfar on foot, but now you had no chance to survive. You shed an exhausted tear, knowing you had a day or two left to live. You blinked your eyes a couple times trying to focus your gaze again. Your head hurt, you knew it was the fever that was going to kill you. If you hadn't been ill you might have been able to catch some fish an maybe survive.
You heard the snapping again, it was nearer, suddenly you felt the pine branch keeping you warm in the cool night lifted from you. You felt someone, a person, turn you over onto your back. You let out an exhausted gasp as your broken arm sent a horrible strike of pain throughout your body.
You couldn't see as you gasped for air. The person, whoever they were brushed your long black hair from your face, some of it stuck to you as your body sweated slightly from the fever. The hands were gentle and warm, and strong, and you thought it might be a man, but you couldn't focus, and your head was splitting. You tried to say something, ask for help, but it came out as a whisp of breath. You whimpered in fear.
The person pulled your cloak to look at your broken arm, but they paused. Suddenly you heard the sound of a sword being drawn. You let out a a terrified sob, the sound all to familiar in your past. The countless scars that littered your body were all products of that sound. You tried to move, to stand or run, but you were just too exhausted, and anymovent shot hot daggers of pain through your head and throughout your body. You wanted to scream, but it would hurt even more. Suddenly you felt cool metal against the skin of your neck. The person, definitely a man, said something in a strange language. His voice was hard and menacing.
Your head fell to the side as you ran out of strength, trying to look at him. Suddenly you felt something hard hit your head with a painful explosive force. You let out a cry of pain, but suddenly the pain went away, and you couldn't feel anything anymore.
You rolled over, but suddenly a blinding pain brought you to your senses out of the deep sleep you didn't even know you were in. You screamed, as you took the weight off of your arm. Suddenly you fell onto the floor unable to figure out where you were. You let out a cry as you hit the hard dirt floor. You opened your eyes with a gasp. You layed on the floor for a moment as you looked at the ceiling. You had tears in your eyes from the pain, but you were more terrified as you suddenly found yourself in this strange place. You sat up, and started to shake, you were cold, as you looked down and saw that you were dressed differently. You had on a plain, brown sleeveless tunic that went to the top of your knees. You had a bra on, you could feel, as well as underwear. Horrible memories flashed through your mind, but you closed your eyes and pushed them away.
You looked around, and saw you were in a large cell like room. It was about twelve feet by twelve feet in size, and the back two walls were made out of a dark wood that was nearly black. As you looked you could see that it seemed the whole entire room was carved perfectly out of one piece of wood. There were two small windows about eight feet up on the solid wall before you. As you turned around you saw that the other two walls were metal bars. Outside of the room was a series of chairs, and a door, otherwise you were stuck. You looked back to your right and saw the cot you had been laying on. It was made out of wood, and there was a seemingly a thin cotton bag that was stuffed with straw and that was the mattress, a thin sheet, and a pillow.
You spotted a bucket in the corner, and some leaves and you knew it was to relieve yourself in. You wondered what they had done to you, whoever they were, that you were stronger. You were weak still, tired, but the fever was gone. You were in no shape to fight at all, as far as you were concerned, this was the best shape you had ever been in your life.
A blast of cool early spring air came in through the windows. You pulled your arms close, but as you did you saw that the brace you had put on your arm was the same one. You looked and your fingers were purple and swollen, and the bits of skin showing through the cloth holding the stick to your arm was purple black and blue, and swollen.
You looked up as you saw a tall woman with starlight bright hair enter the cell. The bars magically bending to allow her to pass. You stared at her with wide terrified eyes as you began to hyperventalte. Your body trembled, and you backed away on the ground.
She said nothing as she knelt down before you. You cried out in fear when she touched your arm, but her touch was firm, not hurting. She had a thick paste that she rubbed on your arm through the brace. You whimpered in fear, as you kept you eyes closed. She let your arm go, and you pulled it close to you. You began to cry as you huddled in the corner.
“Drink this.” She said in a monotone. You automatically you whimpered in fear and resisted.
“It’s just water, drink it.” She said. You trembled and you felt her hand on our shoulder. You cried out in fear as she pressed it back turning you gently.
“Look, there’s no point in hurting you. It’s just water.” She said. You opened your tear filled eyes. Your heart was beating soo fast.
“You’re really scared, aren’t you?” she asked, you sobbed in fear. You felt the cup pressed to your lips, and you gasped, but then submitted. The cool liquid went down your throat slowly, and you reveled in it,till it was gone. You breathed heavily, still upset, and you shook, terrified of where you were.
“Come, get in bed.” She said. You looked at her nervously, and you stared up at her as she stood. You looked from the cot to her, then you slowly stood. You walked over and laid down, huddling close. She surprised you by pulled up the sheet to cover you, however it did little to block out the chilly air. Your arm throbbed horribly, and you clutched it to your chest. You felt yourself drift off, already exhausted.
You woke, and you looked around still. You slid out of the bed, but your body was too weak, and you collapsed to the ground.
Suddenly you jumped, your long straggely hair scratched your arms as you turned to see the source of a loud boom. Your tear filled green eyes met anothers, the same shocking inhuman green, although you hadn’t seen yourself properly in a mirror in years.
There was a woman, she was breathlessly beautiful, she had elegantly angled features, like you had never seen, long flowing black hair that was held back by a leather cord across her forhead, and she was wearing a form fitting long sleeve leather top, and long leather pants. Besides her flattering and intenxe outfit she had a long curved sword belted to her waiste.
You met her gaze and she stopped. You immidiatly trusted this woman, you knew her, even though she was intimidiating with a fire in her inhuman green eyes, you trusted her. She was young maybe early to mid twenties, but besides even that, you felt like you had known her your whole life. She meant safety, she meant hope.
She was holding something, a rag in her hand as she approached the bars to the cell. As she came close, the bars magically bent away, and she stepped into the cell. Immiditaly the bars bent back.
She said something in the strange language, her eyes calm and somewhat hopeful, they were locked with yours, and you felt she saw something in you. Your heart was beating rapidly in your chest, you couldn't help but be slightly fearful.
You backed away slightly, your back against the edge of the bed, and your knees pulled to your chest. Your eyes wide, and you began to tremble.
When you didn't respond her eyes narrowed dangerously, like a snake, her eye brows flared, and she took a deep breath.
Fear welled up inside you, you recognized the look, you whimpered in fear, seeing her posture change. She paused for a moment, staring at you.
Suddenly with a flash of movement she somehow reached down and with a strength like you had never known she slapped you across the face. You let out a cry of pain as your body slid a few feet from the force of the blow. You were a crumpled heap on the ground, and you looked up and saw the woman was starring at you. Your body started to shake and you crawled as fast as you could into the corner. The light outside was rapidly failing as the sun went down.
You huddled in the corner, suddenly completely terrified of the once trusted woman. You had been beaten your entire life, nearly dying on many occasions, but this sole hit was the most painful thing you had ever felt. You felt like you had suddenly been betrayed, like a your mother had beat you, even though you had never known your parents. That was your whole reason for venturing into the great forest.
The woman came over to you. You were crying and let out a loud terrified sob, and you huddled your body close together in the corner, but that never worked, never did it ever work. You held your cheek and trembled, the stinging red hot on your skin. You wanted someone to hold you and make the pain stop.
You felt a cool tip pressed under your chin, and lift you head. You pressed yourself against the wall, as you shook violently, and cried. You closed your eyes as you waited for her to kill you.
"If you answer me truthfully, that won't happen again." She said in english. Her voice was familiar, if you would have heard it somewhere you would have flocked to her in a moment. You had no idea why you wanted to trust this woman soo badly, it was an aching of yourheart, something in you wanted to just be closer to this woman, wanted her to be the first to show you true kindness.
You nodded, and you could feel a trickle of warm fluid come from the spot her blade was pressing into you. She pulled it away.
"Don't bother trying to use magic. This area is guarded, no magic can work here, not even my own. Now…" She said, standing over you, her tall soft leather boots nearly touching you. You wanted to jump into her arms and be safe but you were soo confused by the entire situation.
"What is your name?" she asked. She stared at you harshly. You slid down further, trying to catch your breath. You tried to speak, but you couldn't control your crying. You tried, but you couldn't get anything out.
"I-I-I-I-I" you stuttered, as you desperately tried to speak. Suddenly you felt her boot connect with your legs as you huddled down. It hurt horribly, your body had jerked back, and your head hit the wall. You screamed, but as you went to pull your legs closer an odd sensation registered in your senses. You looked down your eyes tracing a path from your thigh down over your knee, but as your leg should have continued on and had been straight, you saw that from mid shin your leg was hanging at an odd angle.
You screamed in horror at the sheer sight of your leg. You felt a hand wrap around your neck, and jest before it applied pressure you felt a sudden safety, her touch was warm, and there was an odd sensation from the touch.
Suddenly you couldn't breath, and you groped at her hand with your right, your left still broken. Finally she let go.
"CALM DOWN AND TALK!" she yelled. She leaned down, her face right in yours. You met eye contact with her, terrified, yet pleading for her acceptance. You held your breath, trying to keep yourself from being so hysterical.
"You work for the empire, don’t even pull the lost little girl act on us." She said. Her voice venomous. You had no idea what she was talking about.
She shoved the rag towards you, and you realized it was your stolen cloak.
"This is the same cloak the soldiers of the empire wear, and that mark on your chest marks you as one of theirs!" she said. She meant the mark of the empire burnt onto your chest, it was a mark of property, you were a slave.
You shook your head no, why was she saying that?
"N-n-n-no." you whispered.
Suddenly you shrieked in pain as she shoved your shoulders against the wall.
"How did you get past the guards?" she hissed.
"i-i" you gasped.
She slapped you, and you sobbed in pain.
"Youre just making this more difficult on yourself. The empire put you up to this. How old are you really?" she demanded.
"n-no, m-ama" You gasped, sobbing to yourself. You turned your head to the side and closed your eyes tightly. You could taste blood in your mouth from where she slapped you. You felt a hand wrap around your throat again, and you couldn't breathe. You let out a chocked sob as you wet yourself, your body trembeling beneath her hands. You kept your eyes closed, too terrified to look at her.
The pressure on your neck lessened, and you could force a breath thorugh. You opened your eyes, and saw she was looking down, at were your urine was swirling around her boot. She shoved your head back against the wall, you gasped, and felt dizzy for a moment. You watched as she stood, looking at you. She sheathed her sword, as everything was suddenly fuzzy.
"You bear the cloak of the empire, we know who you are with." She said.
Your body was shaking, and you slid down the wall, falling to the side, you could feel blood on the back of your head.
You could vaguely see her eyes furrowed in confusion.
“Alright, calm down.” She said. Your body started to fall to the side, your body weak, but she caught you by your tunic. You had stopped crying, your body weak from the blow your head took to the wall. Her hand touched your cheek, and you leaned your head away, scared of her touch.
"child?..." her voice distant. Then everything went white.