Beaten

“Arya that is not possible. They would have cursed you, but you can’t break magic such as that.”
“Mother ,our bond is stronger than such magic. Something has to be done. At the end of the week, I am taking eraon north, to Liztheene. She and I are not safe here. Eraon can’t take that again, and neither can I. We aren’t safe here anymore mother.” Arya said.
Islanzadi spied the child clutching to her mother tightly. She had for a very long time since was disgusted with her daughter. Many of the nurses were as well. She was no thankful that she had an explanation for her appaling behavior.
“ How is she?” islanzadi asked, at seeing the child.
“Hurt, we both are. She doesn’t deserve what has been done to her.” Arya said. She rubbed her daughter’s back as she felt her squeeze to her tightly. She could feel hot tears spill onto her neck.
She looked away from her mother as she felt tears in her eyes.
“Who is doing this? To a child? “ Arya said, hot tears running down her cheeks. The queen saw her pain, and she stood and walked over to the two. She leaned down and wrapped her arms around them. She hugged her daughter, and her grandchild. She had seen the utter desperation in the little girls eye’s when arya refused her. She saw hwo broken she was. She also witnessed her trying to kill herself. She had sawed at her wrists with a piece of wood, laid down in her mothers chambers, and was letting herself bleed to death. They had founf her just in time. She was not even twelve and she was trying to end her life.
Islanzadi stood, and took a deep breath.
“A word shall be said, today at the setting of the sun.” Arya watched as the queen left to spread the word of the announcement.
Arya sat for a while and held her precious child.
“I’m so sorry Eraon.” Arya whispered again, she would never truly be able to convey how sorry she was.
Quietly she put butter and a sweet jam on a piece of bread and coaxed Eraon to take it. The small girl sat in her lap, and held the bread but didn’t eat.
“Please my baby, for me.” Arya pleaded with her. Finally eraon sarted to nibble at the toast. Arya watched carefully, and she finished it. She coaxed her into a second piece of toast, and had her eat a few bites of eggs, before they were both done.
Arya stood and went to their room. There she bathed with eraon in the tub, gently she washed her hair, as well as her own. She began to rub her shoulders soothingly. Eraon sat between her legs and she could feel her relax a slightly. Eraon leaned back and she just quietly held her daughter. Finally they got out of the tub, and she held her child still. Eraon still would only let go fo her for fleeting moments, not ever wanting not ot touch her.
After they were done, Arya cut her hair for her, and helped her dress in a tuic and boots. She had all of Eraon’s few bleongings brought to her room. For the time being, eraon would stay with her.
They spent the rest of their day in her room. Arya laid agasint the pillows, proped up slightly with eraon laying between her legs agaisnt her chest. She read a book to her about dragon riders, and it told of their courage and how they and their dragons had to fight and work and be brave. They got through part of the book, and she could feel that eraon was fading, so she laid with her as she took a nap. Finally it was the setting of the sun, and arya picked Eraon up, and they made their way out side to the meeting hall, where thousands of elves congregated to hear the announcement the queen had. Arya stood in the back with Eraon. Gently she set her down, so the child stood beside her. Her hands was wrapped tightly around hers, and her palm was sweaty. Arya would wrather be holding eraon, but she knew it was best that the people be able to see her face.
“TO ALL!” th queen started, and the crowed fell silent.
“IN RECENT MONTHS, THERE HAVE BEEN ATTEMPS ON THE LIFE OF THE CHILD ERAON DROTTNING. DAUGHTER OF ARYA DROTTNING, AND MY GRANDCHILD. WHEN ERAON WAS FIRST RETURNED TO US, SHE WAS CHARGED WITH ACTING AS AN AGENT TO THE EMPIRE, AND THE MUERDER OF THE ELVES AT THE SOUTHERN POST. HOWEVER, SHE HAS BEEN CLEARED OF ALL SUCH CHARGES. THE CHILD HAS NOT HAD AN EASY LIFE, I AM RELUCTNAT TO TELL YOU THAT MUCH OF HER LIFE WAS SPENT AS A SLAVE IN THE EMPIRE, AND THAT THE HUMANS DID UNSPEAKABLE HORRERS, THAT AREN’T EVEN HEARD OF IN OUR SOCIETY… AS OF NOW, ANY ATTEMPS ON THE LIFE OF THE CHILD WILL BE MET WITH THUS. THEY SHALL BE BANNED FROM THE CAPITAL CITY FOR THE DURATION OF ONE HUNDRED YEARS. THEY SHALL BE TREATED AS A TRAITOR, AND SHALL BE INPROSIONED FOR A DURATION OF TIME, DEPENDING ON THE CIRCUSTANCES, AND I ASSURE YOU, IT WILL BE NO FLEETING STAY. NEVER HAVE WE NEEDED TO MAKE SUCH A PROCLAMATION IN OUR HISTORY, BUT THE LEADERS HAVE AGREED AND THIS MUST BE INSTIGATED. YOU ALL KNOW, THIS IS NOT A DIFFICULT RULE. THAT IS ALL.” The queen said, Ther were murmers about the crowd as it started to disperce. People crowded around, and arya watched as a tall elf went up to the queen and started to speak with her. Something wasn’t right.
Arya watched as people swirled around, she started to pull Eraon close to pick her up. She suddenly felt Eraon jerked back,and she looked and saw someone had bumbed into her. Theur cloak fell back.
“Ejan!” Arya gasped. She looked as she saw her child fall to her knees. Arya looked and saw a knife protruding out of her chest. Her eyes were wide, and she gasped in pain.
“ERAON!” Arya screamed. She got on her knees, as the queen looked back. Arya didn’t care who was looking. She laid Eraon on the ground, and she quickly pulled the knife out of her. Eraon screamed in agony. Blood was spilling everywhere. Arya looked and saw that part of the knfe was still in her chest. The little girl screamed in panick, trying to get up, and clutch to her, her small hands reached out to her, and her eyes were wide in panick and pain. People saw and pinned her down while Arya ripped open her tunic, she knew the knife would kill her, that was what he planned. Arya took a deep breath, and she plunged her fingers into her child’s bloody chest. Eraon screamed in agony, and writhed on the ground. People came and helped hold her down as Ejan’s screams and curses were heard as he was aprehended.
Arya pushed deeper, and Eraon gasped for breath, she screamed and her muscles fought at the hands holding her down. Arya felt the tip. It was right by her heart, had itbeen over any more, meer fraction of fractions of an inch, she would have been dead, and there would have been nothing she could have done. She could feel there there was nothing more but a membrane separating the knife from her heart, and she knew that if she pushed too hard, or was too rough she would kill the little girl. She slipped her fingers around it, and gently slid it out. She threw the piece of the ground. Almost there.
She slipped her fingers back in the hole, and started healing the cut from the inside out. Eraon screamed in agony as she did so. She could smell that she had wet herself, loosing contorl of her bowels. She had to cleans the wound. The knife had been rusty and covered in poision. Arya felt her energy runing low as she put more and more into making sure that all of the posion was gone, and the rust was. She felt a hand on her shoudler, and she looked up for a moment to see her mother. She felt energy pour into her body, and she continued her frantic work. She slowly healed her soo careful because she was soo close to her heart. She worked her way up, and finally the skin closed, and she heard Eraon stop screaming. Her small frame trembeled on the ground, and she gasped for breath. Arya picked her up, despite the blood, and held her close. She cried and she held her daughter people all around watching.
She was excorted back to er room with her daughter, and the queen entered as well. She sat on her bed and held Eroan to her chest. The small girl cried into her for many hours. She soothed her as the queen watched in silence. Arya changed her and cleaned her up. Finally, many hours later, eraon’s crying became quiet, and she fell asleep, still clutching to her.
The queen had a haunted look to her.
“What is our world coming to that a child’s life is no longer safe?” she asked. She came and sat on the bed. Arya held her child close.
“War changes people.” Arya said. Ejan had seen war, and arya understood his paranoia, but he was being foolish thinking a child was the enemy.
“Ejan has fixated on Eraon. HE has half driven himslef mad, claiming she is the enemy.” The queen said.
“Mother. I don’t know how Eraon is still able to function. You would think she would go insane, loose her mind. I am soo worried that she has been pushed over the edge. She hasn’t spoken since last night. “ Arya said.
“I think she is okay, but we need to get her out of here. Take her out of the city, but don’t go to Liztheene just yet. You both need to bond, she needs to know what its like to have a mother, and be safe, and you need time to relax, and focus.” The queen said. Arya nodded, agreeing with her. Taking eraon to the forest would be good. She wouldn’t have to worry about te constant threat of other people.
“Sometimes, mother, the forest isn’t such a safe place.” Arya noted. There were creatures that were long time affected by the great amounts of Magic in du weldenvarden, not all of them nice.
“Aye, but with magic, and a tent, you should be fine. Go to the old place, where you and I used to go. It is very safe.” The queen noted.
Arya’s memory suddenly flashed as she remembered what the queen was talkng about.
“Yes! That is just what eraon needs.” Arya said. The queen nodded, and she stood and walked over to arya. She looked at eraon. Her eyes had dark circles and her skin was drawn and unhealthy. She had very little color to her face, and she had a look of saddness on her sleeping face. Her hair was limp and didn’t have its usual sheen.
“She is not well, the remedy she needs is your love.” Islanzadi said before she kissed arya’s head, then left the room.
Arya gently laid her child down on the bed amongst the heaps of pillows and blankets. Arya went over to the few candles in the roomand blew them out, her night vision adjusting a second later. Arya got out her dagger and her sword, and brought it over to the bed. And set it by the table. She took a moment to pet her child’s head. She walked over to the table and took a drink of water from her water skin. She heard a gasp.
“MOMMY!” she heard Eraon’s voice scream. Arya looked and eraon looked around then saw her. Arya set down her drink.
“I’m here eraon.” She said concerned. The girl leapt from the bed and ran to her, and she threw her arms around her waiste, and clutched to her. She was trembeling.
“Whats wrong baby?” arya asked as she picked her up. Eraon clutched to her tightly.
“Don’t leave me mommy, please, I’ll be good, I promise.” She cried frantically.
“I will never leave you my child.” She said as she laid down. She held eraon to her as the moon rose in the sky. She felt eraon calm. She heard her breath even out. Arya relaxed and let her eyes close. A moment later she felt eraon’s trembeling pick up once more.
“eraon.” Arya said gently, to no answer.
“Eraon.” Arya repleated and brushed the hair form the child’s face, and stroked her trembeling cheek. She saw her eyes open.
“Why are you trembeling sweetie.” Arya asked. Eraon looked at her strangely.
“I wasn’t trembeling.” She said in a tired voice. Arya suddenly realized what the trembeling was.
“Never mind honey, go back to sleep.” Arya said. Eraon moved closer to her, and she hugged her.