Darkness. That was all she could see. That was all she wanted to see, for it meant that the monsters were somewhere else. When they came to her, they made sure to bring torches. They certainly didn't need the light to find their way, but it was for her; so she could see them in all of their horrifying splendor. It was meant to entice her, to try and sway her into associating them with food, safety, and warmth. Not that she ever came close to forgetting exactly what these creatures were. Or what they had done.

The smell of damp earth and mildew permeated the air. It was pointless to fumble around in the dark, better to curl up in the slightly musty hay and try to rest. Her whole body hurt. Cuts had scabbed over, though a few still cracked and oozed if she moved the wrong way. Skin was tender and swollen in places where she'd been struck. Even laying in the dark, trying to take stock of every injury was enough to bring her back to that night. Though it seemed like an eternity had passed, tears still sprung to her eyes.

A shift in the light caught her attention. Someone was coming down the passage leading into her little hole. She shuffled to the back wall, huddling in her hay and staring with wide eyes at the iron bars that separated her from them, watching warily. The light illuminated her tiny world just enough to see the shapes around her. Her stringy black hair fell in her face a bit as she shuddered. She knew what was coming. They would give her food. If she did not eat, they would beat her. They would bring comfort in the form of nice words, blankets, and toys. If she did not respond, they would beat her. Some days she struggled to keep the line between friend and foe clearly defined.

Other days, she could not help but see her mother and father, bloodied and mangled, standing behind them as they enticed her. Their eyes staring soullessly at her from atop pale necks painted red with their own life's blood. The times that her parents were there were the times that the monsters were particularly mean. They would attack her for the slightest hint of dissension or willfulness. But she didn't care. The sooner they beat her into oblivion, the sooner she would escape her parents' haunting gaze.

Suddenly the world darkened once again as the monster took another path and took the light with them. The girl watched curiously, though relief flooded her ragged body. It wasn't often that the monsters carried torches unless they were approaching her. Perhaps another soul was captured and being held for their amusement? No matter, the monsters were not bothering her this time.

She curled into her pile of hay, not caring about the stench of filth that permeated the holding cell as she drew in a deep breath. Sighing, she settled in to sleep. Usually her sleep was blessedly dreamless. But occasionally, she would dream happy dreams, memories that spanned the course of her short ten years of life. Sometimes she would be traveling with her father as he attended business in one hold or another. Others, she would sit by the fire with her mother, playing with her dolls as the older woman read her favorite stories aloud. These were the dreams that she dreaded the most. A fleeting happiness that vanished under the cruel grasp of the waking world.

Time passed, though to the girl it could have been mere minutes, hours, or even days. The darkness kept her from forming any kind of cycle with which to measure time. The monsters brought her food often enough, but with nothing by which to judge except the growling of her stomach, she couldn't tell if she was being brought meals regularly or simply whenever any of the monsters happened to realize she'd not been fed.

Suddenly, she heard another shuffle down the passage that lead to her tiny cage. Cringing as the light entered her room, the young girl scrambled up and dashed forward, pressing herself against the bars, her eyes wide to catch as much of light they could. Just because she enjoyed the darkness and the solitude it brought, didn't mean that she did not long to see the sun again. She yearned for that light. And while the torches brought the monsters with them, at least she was able to remember the sun and the warmth of the Sommerset Isles.

The shuffling came closer, bringing with it the smell of warm soup. The young girl's stomach growled, betraying her condition to the creature holding the torch and the platter. It smirked; a smug expression crawling across it's nearly human face as it approached. "Hungry, are we?" It asked with a soft, slightly musical cadence. The girl winced, she knew this one. It scared her.

"Well, lucky for you, the master was feeling extra generous today and had a stew made from venison. Just for you." It hissed, narrowing its glowing red eyes at her as she placed the food on the ground in front of the bars. The girl shivered in terror, unwilling to approach. The creature before her looked almost exactly like a human woman. A beautiful human woman, with long red hair and porcelain skin. Her make-up was flawless, which was nearly impossible in the damp cave where they made their home, and her nails were immaculate, also difficult for much the same reason. But it was her eyes that alerted the wary to her true nature; Scarlet red and full of boundless evil. Vampire.

The creature dashed forward and grabbed a bunch of the girls long black hair and yanked her head back, away from the bars that she clung to. "Filthy creature. Why is my master so smitten with you? I'll never understand it." It sneered, tips of fangs glinting in the torch light. "If I thought for just a second that my master wouldn't kill me, I'd drain you dry, just like I did that handsome man you called 'Father'."

The little girl hissed in pain as the creature threw her backwards onto her rump. It stalked the outside of her cage like a fox looking for the way into the larder. The girl watched her closely with tears in her golden eyes, unable to tear them away from the predator that sneered at her. "I know that my master doesn't find the body of a child to be appealing," It said, running her hands up and down its exposed body. The clothes it wore did little to cover her womanly charms. "So, what is it about you he finds so intriguing?" It came closer, beckoning her with a long, white finger.

The girl crawled forward, even if it felt wrong to approach the creature her instincts knew to be a dangerous, insatiable predator; she knew her place. The consequences of disobedience were harsh. Once within reach, the creature grabbed her by the chin and held her in a stony grip. It tilted her head back and forth, examining her skin and hair. Pale fingers invaded her mouth and allowed the creature to inspect her teeth. It peered closely at her eyes, looking in the corners and checking their clarity. It was as if the girl were merely a farm animal out for sale and the creature was a discerning buyer.

"He tells us that you are not to be harmed. That Altmer blood, especially your blood, is both powerful and delicious." The creature leaned in close, its free flowing red hair surrounded them like a halo of fire as it closed its' eyes. It inhaled the girl's scent long and deep. When it opened its eyes again, focusing the twin flames on her, it grinned viciously. "Perhaps my master will forgive me if I take a small taste for myself. You can even say that you offered it to me in exchange for my protection from the others, yes?" The creature stared into her golden eyes, pressing, needing, wanting, calling. Everything else around them ceased to hold color or even meaning. All that mattered to the little girl was that she keep staring into those deep, golden red pools. The girl stared wide eyed as she fought the beguilement the creature was attempting to place her under. Everything in her rebelled, instinctively knowing the danger she was in. But try as she might, she just couldn't seem to turn away.

Then, something moved behind the creature. Two somethings. The movement captured the child's gaze and she stared up at the lifeless faces of her mother and father. Their blood-drained faces watched her dispassionately, but in her mind she heard them screaming.

Duck!

The young girl flung herself downwards, breaking eye contact with the creature. "Wha—AAARRRGGH!" It screeched, blood flying from her unprotected abdomen as a sword protruded from her skin, the tip stopping where the girl's face had been seconds before. The girl closed her eyes and covered her ears as she listened to the muffled cries of a raging battle. An eternity passed, the girl simply lay there, awaiting the new horror with the hope that this one would end her. She was so very tired of waiting to die.

"Is the child bitten?" came the gruff voice of a man. The girl curled in on herself, hoping they would either kill her or leave. Monsters. Monsters. Monsters. Came the constant litany in her mind. Everyone was a monster, just toying with her until they decided to grant her death. When she felt a large hand on her head, her mind snapped.

She flinched backwards, rolling and scrambling across the floor in a mad bid to flee the contact. These were not the monsters she knew. These were not the ones that teased her. That put her on a lead and walked her around the caves as if she were a common pet. That sat her on a cushion next to the master vampire's chair at the head of their communal feeding table. These were not the monsters she knew.

So she screamed.

Even as one of the men held his crossbow pointed steady at her heart, she screamed. The days, weeks, months, of terror had finally taken their toll. As she screamed, her tiny, dirty hands clawed at her own face, seeking to gouge out her own eyes in a desperate bid to escape by any means.

"Wait!" she heard a voice cry, though she couldn't comprehend it. "Just stop Isran! She's scared out of her wits as it is."

Suddenly, a large blur moved towards her, striking her in the back of the head before she had time to react. The blow caused a bright light to flash in her eyes. As the glow gently faded into darkness, dragging her with it into dreamless sleep, she heard a deep guttural voice whisper softly to her.

"Easy now. You are safe."

Safe.