A/N: This was just a quick idea that I had that has been bothering me for awhile. I doubt that anything more will come of this though, but it is really interesting to think of who things would have been if Tess had been reborn. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy this flash fanfiction story.
WARNING: I have yet to edit this piece, so I am sure there are tons of mistakes and places where I could have expanded on. I apologize in advance for any of this and will remove this warning the moment I have had time to edit. Unfortunately, my time has been rather limited lately.
The attack came out of nowhere leaving only death in it's wake. It had been quick, so quick, but at the same time it felt like eternity, the smell of his own flesh as it began to bubble and cook under the intensity of the enemies magic making him sick. The feeling only second to the pain.
It hurts.
It hurts.
It hurts.
"Mama!" With a startled, frightened gasp Tess shot up. Slowly he brought his hands up to eye-level, afraid that he may be greeted with charred, flaking skin. He released the breath he a relieved breath when his sight was met with pale, near flawless flesh. He could still feel the phantom pain of the magic devouring him, the heat intense and unbearable; the sound of the explosions and panicked screams echoed in ears like a macabre song. Tess shuddered.
"Alibaba?"
The sound of a soft, almost musical, voice drew Tess' attention away from his now shaking hands and he was meet with the sight of a young, pretty woman - though not as pretty as his mama, no one was as beautiful as his mama. The woman's eyes, a soft, kind brown, captivated his attention as they were so unlike his mother's - not yet ravaged by the memories war.
The young boy felt a chill slither down his spine as a feeling of wrongness started to set in. Who was this woman? Where was he? Where was Mama? Papa?
"Alibaba?"
Tess startled, nearly falling from the blankets in fright, when one of the stranger's hands pressed gently against his forehead.
No.
"Alibaba, what's wrong? Are you still feeling unwell?" The concern in the woman's voice was practically dripping into the still air between them, but Tess could barely hear it. He could hardly hear anything outside his own frantic thoughts.
No, stop it.
His breath started to quicken, his chest heaving in excursion, each intake of air becoming harder than the last, as panic and desperation began to settle over him. He could feel his body begin to shake as if it was cold and trying desperately to warm back up.
"Alibaba!"
He felt the slender hand move from his forehead to grasp his arm. The woman, she was becoming panicked, yet Tess couldn't bring himself to care trapped in his own mounting hysteria.
That's not…
"Aliba-"
"That not my name!"
The young boy felt the strange woman reel back, the shout having shocked her. He could feel the weight of her stare on the top of his head, as he gaze determinedly down at his hands, now clutching the thin, ratty blanket draped over his legs.
"Alibaba, wha-?"
The young boy turned his gaze upward, eyes meeting the woman's with a ferocious glare. "My name is Tess!"
The dark-haired lady took a step back, uncertainty taking over her features. She opened her mouth, attempting to soothe him. "Ali-"
"My name is Tess!" He shouted again, cutting off whatever she was going to say. He didn't want to hear it, she was his mother. She was just a strange lady - a kidnapper who was trying to make him believe he was someone else.
Tess twisted himself free from the blanket, throwing himself from the tiny cot that he had been laid on, intent on making his escape and to reunite with his parents. To get as far away from here, wherever here was, as fast as he could. He was expecting a sudden heaviness to take over him, causing to stumble to his knees, the stones of the unpaved floor digging into his skin.
The stranger cried out in alarm, rushing from where she had been standing in confusion to his side. Her hands once again reaching towards him.
"Stay away!" He hissed at her, causing her to pull her hands away, afraid that she would hurt him more. His head was beginning to pound as if the new recruits of Lord Solomon's army were using it for target practice like they did with the training dummies. he cried out, curling up into a ball, nails clawing into his scalp as memories of a blond haired boy his age rushing through his mind like a raging river.
A boy named Cassim, his best-friend, as they played together with other dirty, impoverished looking children. A warm feeling spreading through his body, despite the hunger he had felt clawing unsympathetically at his stomach.
The dark-haired lady hovering above him also appeared in the flashes. A bright smile, full of love and warmth. The feeling his mama gave him.
No, this couldn't be right.
He caught his reflection in a muddy puddle to his left, an overturned jar right next it, gazing back up at him, but it wasn't him. It was the other boy, the boy in the memories, with eyes as bright as the purest gold. He screamed, nails digging deeper into his scalp.
The woman - his mother - seemed to have had enough of just watching, quickly bending down to scoop him up into her arms. She began to rub circles on his lower back, as she rocked them both back and forth to sound of his cries.
"Mama!" He sobbed into her chest, hoping for the comfort of another.
"It will be all right." The woman cooed into his ear, her arms tightening around him. Her hand, so much like his mama's, found it's way back to his hair, smoothing loose strands away from his. "It will be all right, Alibaba."
He whimpered, cries quieting, as his strength seemed to stolen from him. "No… My… name… is… Tess…"
As Tess felt himself losing consciousness a final thought floated desperately through his mind, 'Mama, Papa, I'm sorry. Please, save me!'