Hey guys, I'm new here. I'm assuming you've all guessed that. This is my first published story and I hope ya'll enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn Characters or the title. They belong to their respective owners. I do, however, own the OC's in the story. Now let's get started, shall we?
Fleeting Moments (Prologue)
Drip. Drip. Drip. The only sounds I could hear was the dripping of water. Of course the plumbing was bad here. I let out a sigh as I strained my vision to try to see in the pitch-black darkness. I couldn't see anything, but I knew there were bars in front of me or some sort of door. I moved my right arm in a feeble attempt. The shackles were as tight as ever. Might as well not even try my leg shackle.
There was a creak as the door slid open and a large, muscular man walked in. "How ya' holdin' up?" He asked in a gruff voice.
I shielded my eyes from the light that the door had let in. I had no idea what time it was, but I may as well been ten feet from the sun. "F-fuck…y-y-you." I forced the words from my collared throat.
A metal tray was thrust in front of me. "Don't worry. I'll find something for you to do. It's been what…a month that you've been stuck down here?" He let out a boisterous laugh. "Don't worry, boy. You'll be out eventually. It's just that people in Begnion don't like your kind!" He roared once more and slammed the door behind him, shutting out all traces of light again. A moment later, a bit of light shined through the open slot in the door.
I stared meekly at the tray of slop before me. There was a small, whitish blob and a tray of green slop with a single spoon. I began to stomach the food; after all, it was better than starving. A month of this made it edible, even if I didn't get it every day. After forcing it all down, I stumbled over to the only sink. I picked up the only glass they had given me and filled it with water. At least the water was clean. I gleefully drunk the glass and preceded to rinse it off for later use.
I washed my face off and stared into the blank wall. I wondered what I looked like now. After eating and drinking, I walked back to my original spot and collapsed on the floor. Time for rest.
I awoke to the sounds of several screams. I quickly jumped up and ran for the door, only to be pulled back by my shackles. I stood motionless, waiting on something more to happen.
The smell of smoke hung in the air as blood curdling screams echoed throughout the hallways. I patiently stared at the door, awaiting a savior to burst in. All was still for a moment, and then the door swung open, but it was no savior. The large man who fed me lurched in, holding a steel axe in his right hand and a pair of keys in the other. "You're comin' with me!" He forcibly grabbed me by the arm and sliced the chains that had shackled me to the wall.
"Why on Tellius would I willingly go with you?" I weakly jerked myself away, but his grip was like iron.
"Don't ya' struggle now, it'll only make things harder!" He yanked me out of the room and was leading me down a long hallway.
Since I was powerless over this brute, I decided to at least get some information from him, "Where are we going?"
"Dunno, just far from here," He casually replied while maintaining his sprint.
"Stop right there!" I heard a voice say. It sounded like it came from the other end of the hall. I began to twist my head to see the culprit, but my face was met with an unruly fist.
"It's easier this way," The brute said, flinging my unconscious body over his shoulder while ramming a door off its hinges. We were now outside with nothing around but a nearby forest. The man bolted over to some stables and let one of the horses out. He then chunked my unconscious body over the saddle before getting on himself.
"Better get going," He whispered to himself, grabbing ahold of the reins. A low whistle escaped his lips as he snapped the reins, sending the mare forward full speed. It galloped off into the forest, leaving the small, white building as a speck in the distance.
When I finally came to, it was already night. The horse was tied to a tree and eating some grass while the man was fueling a small fire. I checked my surroundings and found myself in a sprawling forest. Unfortunately I had no idea where I was, but found that I wasn't chained to anything. That in itself was a relief.
"You're finally up, eh?" The man chuckled as he fanned the fire. I could finally get a good look at him. He was a burly, well-built man who stood just over six feet tall; well taller than my own five foot nine. He had short black hair and stern black eyes to match. His facial features were rough and he had a small chin beard. A scar ran diagonal from below his left eye to the right side of his jaw. He wore a brown v-neck shirt with one gray shoulder pad on his right side. His pants were baggy, beige, and tucked into his black boots that came right below his knees. He kept the pants up with a big, black and steel studded belt.
"I could easily run away. What's stopping me?" I remembered the harsh treatment that I had endured for over a month. Why would he just let me be unchained?
"You wouldn't wanna do that. After all, I know what you are. People around these parts don't take kind to you. Plus I have you shackled and collared. You'll never be the same as long as you are." He howled in laughter and then walked over to the horse who had a few bags strapped to it.
I looked down at my wrists and barely realized that they were now shackled together. At least my leg shackle is gone. "What do you want from me?"
"In this day and age, I figure that I own your scrawny ass. I can't just let my property run away, can I?" He returned to the fire with a few pieces of meat and started to cook.
"You can't just own somebody!" I spat, feeling my anger boil.
"Well I figure I'm a wanted fugitive now. You're an accomplice and somebody that no one in all of Begnion will care about. Face it, kid, we're in this together." He gave another small chuckle and handed me a piece of cooked meat and a canteen of water.
"This is the best food you've given me all month. Why?" I apprehensively stared at the savory morsel in my hand, feeling my mouth begin to water.
"Like I said, it's just you and me, kid. Eat up." He chowed down on his portion, not bothering to look at me again.
Might as well. I doubt he'll poison or kill me. I let out a sigh and bit off a nice piece of it. The taste. "Mmm."
"Like it? Get used to it, unless we find more of us. Name's Gurgent, by the way."
"My name's Siegthur. You can call me Sieg, though. Saves time." He nodded and went back to his meal. My mind wandered as I looked up at the night sky. It was filled with an endless amount of twinkling stars. So vast and free. "Free…" I murmured before returning to my succulent meal.
So there's the prologue. I hope ya'll enjoyed it. Please leave critiques and comments. Like I said, it's my first published story, and I hope I get somewhere with it. Tons of favs and whatnot. Don't worry, I'll bring in some recognizable RD characters in the later chapters. Sorry if the chapter was a bit short. Let me know if you mind that.
-Rehn
