"Get up." A kick to the gut sent Daisy rolling- albeit not very far, chained as she was. Shaking off the sleep-induced haze, she glared up at the looming figure above her. "Did you not hear me? I said, get up." The man- a hulking mass of muscle and leather- went in for another hit, but Daisy was ready this time, quickly twisting to the side. His foot connected with nothing, sending him stumbling forward. The man- Bear, Daisy decided she would call him- grunted in annoyance, but didn't press the matter, content to let the fact that he was free and she, chained in a cell, be victory enough. Daisy glared up at him from her spot on the floor, motionless.
"Fine then, savage. Have it your way." At this, he moved forward, leaving the cell door- how did she not notice she was in a cell?- wide open. Perfect. Daisy couldn't quite see the ring of keys Bear would undoubtedly be carrying, but it didn't matter. Once he got close enough, she'd make her move. Maybe trip him up with the chains, let gravity do the work, and see where to go from there. She grinned inwardly- see, who needed a real plan? Lincoln would call her an idiot, but if it all worked out, he'd never even have to know.
Bear was close, now. His feet stood mere inches behind her chains- why on earth they'd chain her to the ground in a cell, she didn't know. She hoped it had something to do with her intimidating image, but as beat up and ragged as she felt, an unconscious her would hardly cut an imposing figure. But instead of stepping over the chains like a normal, compliant minion, he bent down and with speed belying his hulking figure he scooped both chains up in his hands, yanking them forward with the strength of, well, a bear. Still groggy, Daisy was caught off guard by the sudden action, the chains yanking her arms and by extension the rest of her body towards the hulking man. Sprawled out on the dirt floor, she could do nothing but groan in retaliation as Bear kneeled on her back, before gracefully grabbing her hair and smashing her head into the dirt once, twice- a third time, and she was seeing stars. Grunting in satisfaction, Bear rolled the semi-conscious girl over, before unlocking the chains and throwing her over his shoulder. It seemed she had misjudged the giant. Daisy halfheartedly kicked at his stomach, for show, but she was stuck.
"You could've just asked, y'know." Daisy groaned. Bear continued to walk through the winding corridor, passing cells full of bedraggled commoners.
"When I say to get up," Bear rumbled, his voice scratchy and yet somewhat amused, "you get up."
Well then. Bear made no move to continue the conversation, and as much as Daisy wanted to ask questions, she wanted even more to ignore the giant wretch dragging her through the dungeons like some misbehaving child. Besides, her skull was still aching with the echoes of his totally excessive face-smashing. She deserved a break- some time to gather her thoughts and understand what on earth was happening. So Daisy directed her focus towards her fellow prisoners instead. The cells they passed were full of the most un-criminal lot she had ever seen. If anything, they looked like her own people, which was strange considering the fact that there was no way in hell she'd ever be imprisoned back in Terradan. Why would they be here- wherever here was. Better yet, why was she?
She thought on that for a second, genuinely confused. It didn't take long to find an answer. Who was at war with Terridan? Deshiel. Who had she been fighting? Deshiel. What was Bear's accent? Deshielan.
Her own stupidity was astounding.
But at least she wasn't as stupid as Bear and his cohorts, going on how she was being treated . Looking around, she could see recognition flash in some of her fellow prisoners eyes. For a second, Daisy imagined this looked like. Her, beaten down and bloody, being carried like a child in all it's petulant glory. She almost regretted not listening to Bear's initial commands, and complying, if only to salvage what little dignity she had left. But no- she had to play the rebel, and now here she was being paraded down the corridor, her captors unwittingly crushing what little spirit the Terradani prisoners had left. Dammit. Daisy tried to put on a cocky "I know what I'm doing, trust me" kind of smile, but from the pitying reactions she got, it must've been a sorry sight. She decided to just go for a regal, no facial expression kind of deal. It was a much safer option. Regardless, the damage was done. They knew what was happening, and who she was. She knew, of course. And yet, the Deshielans were still wholly in the dark. It was a small gift- one Daisy was intent on keeping.
It was with that new conviction that Daisy found herself thrown to the ground- okay, dropped, but with Bear's height taken into consideration, it amounted to the same thing, really.
Faster than she could follow, Bear had her hands locked up again, this time far tighter. No chains to yank, so that was a plus, but it was far from ideal.
"Go." Bear gestured towards a stairway. With no other options she could see, Daisy slowly started her way up the stairs, careful to keep her head down. She couldn't count on all of the Deshielan scum to be as oblivious as Bear seemed to be.
The stairway opened up into a forested area, with crude fences crafted out of hastily downed fences. Leave it to Deshiel to build their dungeons before they start on their actual camp. Still, it was enough to dissuade Daisy from making a run for it. There was activity everywhere- in the trees on the perimeter, there were men and women building lookout posts. Prisoners such as herself were being thrown every which way, with guards at every turn. The prison camp was in no need of manpower. Brains, of course, were another story entirely, Daisy thought. But one couldn't expect too much from these kind of people.
"Keep moving." Bear knocked the back of her head with his larger-than-humanly-possible hand, sending her stumbling forward. Biting her cheek, Daisy snuffed the rising tide of anger inside her. She wasn't a fan of turning the other cheek, as history had proven. But at the moment, words didn't seem wise. No action, no attention. She repeated it in her head, a makeshift mantra. There was more than just her own pride at stake here. So she'd just have to deal. "In there." Bear gestured to a crudely made wagon, already stuffed with captives.
"And I'll… fit?" Daisy momentarily discarded her mantra, unable to resist voicing her doubts.
"Make it work."Bear glowered at her, and shoved her forward.
"I just don't see it working, y'know?" Diay could see Bear start to get irritated, but she couldn't stop now. Full steam ahead.
"Make it work." Daisy didn't move.
"I don't know- just look, for a second. See how tiny that thing is? I mean, they hardly fit as is." Daisy watched Bear's face, grinning internally as he moved away, towards the cart without comment. She had won. Beat that, you big oaf.
"No room, huh?" He made a show of looking inside the crowded cart, before turning back to Daisy. Something was off, but she couldn't quite tell what, so she plowed ahead.
"Nope. None. Sorry."
"Well then, will you look at that," Bear grabbed one of the captives with his left hand- a girl maybe fifteen years old. "It must be your lucky day, savage-" The girl was shaking, silent tears running down her face. Daisy paled. "A spot just opened up." In one smooth, practiced motion, he drew his sword with his right hand, and drove it through the girl's stomach.
"No!" Daisy started forward, angry and terrified and entirely useless. The people in the cart closest to the girl stayed silent, watching the girl's lifeblood dain away. None of them looked at Daisy, but she could feel their silent accusations. Bear continued to hold the girl in the air, until her eyes dimmed and her last breath taken. Throwing the girl's corpse towards Daisy, he mock bowed.
"Your carriage awaits, ma'am." Daisy stood motionless, mind reeling as she took in the girl's lifeless form. "Or do you not think you'll fit."
Daisy didn't respond, choosing to instead walk towards the cart. Head down, shoulders straight, she tried as best she could to emulate her mother's grace. It almost worked, too, until Bear saw fit to trip her, and send her falling to her knees at the back of the cart. Bear gave her a little shove, further crushing the other inhabitants of the cramped device, before shutting the door behind her. No one saw fit to help her up. After several tries, she managed to get herself up with minimal scrabbling. As if on cue, the cart lurched forward, nearly knocking Daisy back to her knees. Turning back, she made eye contact with Bear one last time, and he gave her a short wave. She spat in response. Lips quirking up, Bear nodded, before walking back to the dungeon. He paused in front of the dead girl's body, before giving it a sharp kick. Daisy winced. The cart kept moving. Bear soon disappeared from view.
Quickly enough the makeshift prison camp faded from view, too, as Daisy was dragged further into the heart of the her new, special hell.
God, she was an idiot.