DAO: Remember Me
This is my first fan fiction. I hope you enjoy my work and comment with much appreciated critiques. It's rated M for its graphic nature. Bioware pretty much owns everything. When in doubt, credit goes to them. :)
*Update! 23SEP2011*
A few chapters in I decided to make a fan comic version of this story. So, if you would like to check it out, here is the link (just take out the spaces): http: / / talondragon000. deviantart .com /art/Remember-Me-Comic-Cover-Ch-1-257011207
Enjoy! ^_^
CH. 1 Taken
Soft streams of light shone through the leaves of the vhenadahl, the tree of the people, during a cloudless summer day. The Alienage was alive with mingling neighbors as their children enjoyed a rigorous game of tag. Among them was little Violet Surana, laughing and running alongside her older Elven friends. As the youngest of the group, (just turned eight), she wasn't fast enough to catch any of them. Nevertheless, they humored her and let her run – never tagged.
Unfortunately, as all good days seem to end in the Alienage, trouble stirred in the distance. A woman's cry caused the merriment to pause and faces to turn fearful and solemn.
"Let's get inside, Violet," her mother urged, taking her hand and pulling her into the house.
"But I wanna play," Violet began to protest.
Her mother looked at her sternly. "No. Now hurry."
Her mother hurriedly closed and locked the door behind her as her father walked into the room. He too looked concerned. Violet looked at them in confusion, but slowly ventured toward the window. As her parents whispered to one another she peeked over the window pane. The woman's yelling grew louder. It was sharp and pleading. Violet didn't understand why there would still be laughter accompanying such a frightening sound. Her eyes could barely see over the window pane, even on her toes. She quickly gave up with an irritated sigh. Her curiosity would go unexplored once again. It was then that her mother yanked her away from the window.
"Violet! Stay away from the window," her mother ordered, sitting Violet on the chair at the other end of the room.
"Why, mommy? What's happening? Why can't I go play?"
Her mother looked at her warily. She crouched down and looked into her child's dark violet eyes. Stroking her dark black hair, she replied, "There are bad men outside, sweetie. I don't want you to get hurt, so you have to stay here until I tell you. Understood?"
"Yes," she said, but quickly added, "but why is someone screaming… and why are people laughing?"
Her mother sighed. "The bad men are hurting the woman outside."
"But, why?"
"They… They like it, sweetie. They like hurting us… but that will all change tomorrow." She glanced at her husband. Looking back to Violet, she said, "Tomorrow we will be traveling to a nearby Dalish camp. We will be staying with them from now on. Does that sound fun?" Her mother smiled encouragingly.
"Aren't the Dalish scary? I hear they hurt people too."
"No, no, sweetie. They protect themselves. That's different."
"Why is it different?"
"Because they only fight when bad people are trying to hurt them."
"…So, we're going away?" Violet asked, trying to grasp what her mother was telling her.
"Yes sweetie. We are going away from these bad men. That means you get to stay outside and play all day if you wish," she added, looking at the sad face her child made. No doubt, her mother assumed Violet was thinking of her friends. The news seemed to work as Violet quickly smiled and nodded. "That's a good girl," her mother said, and kissed her forehead.
"Don't let go of my hand, Violet," her mother said as Violet impatiently tried to wriggle free. They had been holding hands since they left their home and she was anxious to run around, unaccompanied. She moaned in protest.
Her father chuckled. "We will make camp soon, Violet. Until then, you need to hold your mother's hand." Indeed, the sun was slowly descending. "And if we are lucky, we will make it to the forest by tomorrow, but only if you behave and don't go running around all over the creation. The last thing we need is to lose you."
"I won't go far!" she whined.
"Hush, now. It won't be much longer," her mother soothed.
"…Okay…" Violet pouted.
Suddenly, she heard clacking sounds in the near distance, just ahead of the roadway. Violet looked out curiously. "What's that, mommy?"
Her mother squeezed her hand and pulled her closer. "Those are horses, child."
"Hopefully, just passing merchants…" her father whispered to her mother. He placed a hand cautiously on the hilt of the dagger he wore on his belt.
A group of scruffy looking men on horseback quickly came into view. Her father stood in front of his family when the men stopped before them.
"Well, would you lookie here…" said one of the men, the rest smiling mischievously. "A whole family of Elves. It ain't safe to wonder the roads alone, ya know." The men laughed. Violet's mother hugged her closer and her father stood guarded.
"Let us be, humans. We don't want any trouble," he said sternly.
The man shook his head. "I must insist we take you along. It's for your own good." The men started to dismount. "Elves shouldn't be left alone."
"Stay back!" her father yelled and drew his dagger.
The men continued their slow approach. "Don't do anything hasty, elf. Time to come along."
Two men lunged at Violet's father. Violet and her mother screamed as they watched her father slice at one of their chests. The man yelled and drew away, but the other had a firm grip on her father's arm. He punched him hard in the stomach and her father doubled over. Her mother started to run, ordering Violet to do the same. Two extra men grabbed her mother, though, and punched her in the cheek. Violet tried her hardest to run, but the man they had spoken to picked her up and hoisted her onto his shoulder. She screamed at the top of her lungs, kicking and punching the man as she did.
"Mommy! Daddy!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't see what was happening. All she could hear were her parent's painful screams and pleads and hard thuds as the men's fists and feet made contact.
The man holding her laughed. "You wanna see, do you?" He yanked her down to the ground, but held her arms steady. Violet watched as the gang beat her father. The two men holding her mother tore her blouse and were kneading her breasts with their filthy hands.
"Let her go!" her father screamed, trying desperately to reach his wife. As he struggled with the brutes holding him, the leader holding Violet laughed.
"He's done, boys. We'll take the girl. She'll be worth more than the whore." With that, Violet screamed at the top of her lungs as she watched the human's blade thrust into her father's back and quickly withdraw. Her father gurgled and fell lifeless to the ground. His blood slowly pooled beneath him.
"Hurry up with the whore! We have a lot of ground to cover," the leader barked, pulling Violet away. Her mother continued to plea. Violet was fortunate not to witness the rest of the abuse. Yet, she screamed for her mother, wanting to run to her. They always protected and sheltered her before; from these bad men; the men who enjoyed hurting their kind.
Today, though, it was their turn. The child wept as the leader gagged and bound her wrists. He positioned her onto the horse, mounted, and left with the rest of the gang in the direction they came. The other two men would follow soon.