Beaten

You moved your head slightly, but felt you were on your back, but everything around you was soft, that wasn't right. You inhailed a deep breath, and took in the scents around you. It was familiar once again, someone normally slept here. The scent was a light pine but also just it smelled like a person. You could have kept your eyes closed you were so exhausted, and broken, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Your body was soo tired, you just couldn't move. You opened your eyes, and found yourself looking up at beautiful waves of silk of the canopy. You looked around a little, and saw you were in a large canopy bed, it was made out of a beautiful light wook that contrasted with the dark wood of the room around you.
The room, you really didn't get a good look, but the light filtering through the window had a blue calming tint to it. You stared up at the fabric, just absorbing everything other than vision. You could feel the cool air around your face, but it was comfortable, and there were blankets layered on you keeping you warm.
Suddenly someone came into your line of vision. You froze in terror, you found yourself starring into bright green eyes. Black hair framed a familiar feminine face, but you were now utterly terrified. Your body started to shake, but you couldn't tear your eyes away. Tears formed in your eyes, and you clentched your fists, completely and utterly terrified. It was the woman, the first woman. You wanted to trust her soo badly, but you couldn't
You saw a hand reach toward your face, and you gasped loudly, and squeezed your eyes shut. But instead you felt a hand come to rest on your forehead. It stayed there for a moment, then it was gone. You opened your eye hesitantly, and you saw the woman was still there.
She was looking at you, her eyebrows furrowed. Then she started doing something by her side, probably on a tray, you couldn't see, and you dare not move, however as you tried you realize that you couldn’t.
"Don't bother trying to use magic. I placed a ward here, so we both are reduce to mundane matters." She said looking at what she was doing, you heard the sound of something being crused with a morter and pestal. She took a deep breath.
"Don't try to run eith er. I healed your leg, and arm, but otherwise you're in no condition to move at all, and you're chained." She said.
You nodded, your body tense, but you realized that your left ankle had a hard cuff around it. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, but your entire body was shaking. There was nothing you could do to control it.
“Why are you shaking, I’m not going to hurt you?” the woman said, her voice not mean, but stern.
Your eyes were closed, and you head rested to the side.
“invulntary trembing.” The womans muttered to herself.
Your eyes burst open as you felt a hand snake under you head, and behind to your neck. The woman lifted you forward, and you were surprised at how weak you were, but she was just inhumanly strong. She was slender, and she was supporting you easily. As your body moved you felt bandages coverin nearly every inch of you.
"Drink." She said, and brought a cup to your lips. Terror filled you, and you started to panick, your breath catching in your chest. Memories flashed through your mind, all of pain, and hurt.
She persisted in holding the cups to your lips. You kept your mouth closed, and turned your head away, and closed your eyes.
"You must drink this, you've lost too much weight, and it will help to rehydrate you." She said.
Tears fell off to the side, and you shook.
"I d-don't know a-a-anythin" you whispered. You were convinced that this was some nice way of killing you, that they took pity on you, and decided to just finally end your life. You felt her pause.
"This won't kill you, but not drinking it eventually will." She said. You let out a sob. You cried for a moment, your heart hurt in your chest.
You opened your eyes and looked into her eyes, you were sad and broken, but you just didn’t want to die. You had worked so hard, you didn't want to die like this, not at somebody's hand. When you died, you wanted it to be by growing old, or die trying to find your mother.
"p-please, I-I don't want to die." You whispered. The woman eyebrows furrowed into a frown.
"You're not going to die. This won't hurt you." She said as convincingly as she could.
You looked into her eyes, still terrified, and completely terrified. She put the cup to your lips, and you took a deep breath, and drank the strangely icy liquid. It had a bittersweet taste, there was only a little. She took the cup away, but suddenly you felt strange. Your eye lids became heavy, your body longed to sleep. You stopped trembeling, and your fists relaxed.
you sobbed as she laid your head back down. You felt your body submitting to the liquid.
"mommy" you whimpered before your eyes closed. You were surprised as you went into the trance like state that was sleep, but you couldn't control very much. You heard voices around you. But you didn't know where they were coming from. You were trapped in your own mind, but it was strange. Everything around you was forest. Endless trees, all the same, there was nothing. You started to run, and as you ran you felt a second presence they were waiting, watching.
You never ran out of breath, but you gave up, knowing that whatever you had drank was doing this to you. You sat down, your back against a tree. You pulled your knees to your chest, and started to cry. Why was this all so hard?
"Do not be afraid."You jumped as you heard a voice. It sounded like someone was right in front of you. You looked up, and saw no one. You stood up, and ran around to the otherside of the trunk, and saw no one.
"Do not look, you will find no one." You felt like the voice was right in front of you.
You sat down where you stood, feeling like you had been punched in the stomach. You looked around, and saw you had no where to go. You scooted backwards until your back hit the trunk of a tree, You laid down on the ground, and wrapped your arms around you, and your knees were up close to your body. You stared off, wondering, thinking. You were in good health in your mind. You weren't hungry, and you were warm, and there weren't bruises anywhere. You were barefoot, with brown grey legging, a green shirt, and a brown tunic on over the top. Your black hair spilled out around you as you stared ahead, just waiting for what was going to happen.
"What is your name?" the voice asked. It was feminine.
"I don't have one." You said. You just didn't know anymore, You weren't scared here, and no one was hurting you, so you just answered the voice. That was all you could do.
"Then what do you call yourself.?" It asked.
"I've never called myself anything." You answered. You just stared ahead.
"What did other people call you?" it asked.
"Whatever they wanted" You said, a bitter taste left in your mouth afterward. There was a long silence.
"How old are you?" it asked.
"About eleven, I think…I don’t really know." You said
"Where are your parents?" it asked.
"I haven't any." You said, your voice quivering. You pushed the tears away.
"What happened to them?" it asked.
"I don't know. I never knew them, but why would they want me?" You whispered.
The voice was silent for a moment.
"What were you doing in Du Weldenvarden?" it asked.
“Whats that?” you asked, not knowing the name.
“This forest.” It said.
"Searching" You said.
"For what?" it asked.
"My family." You said.
There was another silence, longer than the others. It lasted forever, and you thought the questions were done.
"Why did you think they were here?" it asked.
You looked at your hands, embarrassed.
"Because the man with the red hair, said that they were here.” You said.
There was another pause.
"How did you meet the man with red hair?"
"Some men grabbed me, and took me to him." You said bluntly.
"What did he want with you?" the voice asked quickly.
"He wanted to know things, about people called elves, and a thing called varden, but I don’t know anything. I only know that elves live in the woods, that’s it." You said.
"What did he want to know?” it asked.
“I don’t remember, it was hurting.” You said, holding your head, you rememberd the pain.
“What was hurting?” the voice asked
"I don't want to talk about it." You said, your voice quivering.
"You have to." The voice pressed.
"No I don't, not again, no, no, I don’t know anything, no please…" you whispered, tears were forming in your eyes as you grew upset.
The trees around you started to sway, and the high canopy that was fifty feet up started to rattle.
"What did he do with you?" it asked.
“he-he…hurt me.” You whimpered. You held yourself close, imagining arms around you. You had no idea what it felt like, but you let your thoughts go to an image of a hug, of random mothers you had seen, hugging their children. You pretended it was you.
“You need to tell us what he did.” The voice came ina moment later.
"I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!" you screamed, tears in your eyes.
You turned over, facing the tree trunk, still laying on the ground. You held your arms across your chest.
"You have no choice but to answer." The voice sounded, somehow, it seemed like the tree was talking to you now. You held yourself for a moment.
"That lady can use magic, I know you can do what the man with the red hair did, just look at my mind!” you yelled. You held yourself close. You just waited, stayed, the voice never spoke again. Tears were in your eyes, and you let them fall
“mommy, where are you? What’d I do wrong mommy? Please help me.” You whispered to yourself. You could vaguely detect someone listening to your thoughts. You couldn’t even describe the depths of the despare and pain you felt.
“I want my mommy.” You sobbed as you held yourself.
, and suddenly the trees all around you faded, and suddenly you had normall range of your thoughts in sleep again.
You couldn't feel the second presence, so you just let yourself rest, but before you knew it you were suddenly ripped from your sleep with an odd burst of energy and light.
You focused your eyes, and as you looked, you realized you were still in the bed, but your wrists had metal cuffs on them, and they were above your head, chained to the two posts of the bed.
You had on only underwear, but no bra, although you were small chested. You had a light sleevless shirt that covered you, but didn't go past your ribs. But most of your body was covered in badages, some blood soaked, others fresh. You were ontop of the covers, and your other ankle was cuffed.
You were terrified, but there were a lot of people around the bed. There was three men, and two women. The woman from before, and another woman but this one you felt you knew as well. Her graceful features were similar to that of the woman, her features the same, except her eyes were beautiful almonds.
"What do these letters mean?' the new woman asked. She said, her touch gentle as she palced a finger over the raised scar on your lower stomach, just aboveyour underwear. The woman from before, with the green eyes pulled your underwear down slightly, and you screamed and started writhing weakly, still in pain as you saw the men there.
She ignored it, pulled the soft fabric down, enough that they could see all of yur lower stomach.
You didn't know why, but you didn't have hair there, like human women, but you didn't know much about that anyway. What they were looking at were the twelve sets of initials that were carved into your skin. You could name everyone. But you just cried. Some were neat, and small, others large and messy, all of them scarred into your skin forever.
"Enough." The new woman said, and they pulled your underwear back up. You cried, you were cold, and terrified.