So here is something that a friend and I have been working on for a good while now, but only just recently have I gotten around to writing my part. There's a parallel story to this one that she will be putting up under her account of Sonolia so be sure to check out her version for the other half of the story! I'll also be putting a link to it in the description once she does post it as well.
EDIT: So the link thing is not working but the title is Warriors: Sophi'Gaelea by Sonolia so check it out!
EDIT 2: So I added some new information that I forgot to mention before, it is quite important to the future of the story so please read it if you haven't already.
Also please be aware that this story is rated M. There will be harsh violence and in some places, abuse as well as other such adult themes later on. After all this is BULL we're mostly focusing on here so don't be surprised.
I was originally going to split this chapter in two but I couldn't find a good place to do so, so here it is in all its glory!
Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Age or any of it's characters and/or places occurring in this story. I do, however, own any OCs (the Inquisitor does not count as one) that may appear.
Enjoy!
Waking up was absolute hell. My head pounded like I had the worst hangover of my life. Aches persisted all over my body resulting in a hurt that I'd never experienced before. I tried to sit up from the lying down position that I was currently in only to find my arms were tied behind my back and my legs tied at the ankles. Confusion and fear replaced the only thought of pain that was present in my head. The next thing I noticed was that I was not stationary. A particularly large bump in the road jostled me and caused my head to hit the hard wooden floor I was lying on.
The agony radiated through my skull and it felt like it lasted an eternity but in reality it was probably only a couple seconds. Either way, however, it knocked me back into the black abyss that was my escape from reality.
I next woke to what felt like someone trying to rip all the hair out of my scalp at once. I cried out in hurt and tried to bring my hands up to relive the pulling to find that once again my hands were tied behind my back. I tried to open my eyes but the light from a fire blinded my eyeballs that were used to the dark.
"Looks like the wench is awake now." The ass holding my hair stated right before he let go and I fell face first into the dirt being unable to use my hands to break the fall and the rest of my body was too weak to hold myself up. There was a round of laughter from the people sitting around the burning logs and I grit my teeth as I tried to pull myself up only to be kicked back down by the same one that put me there in the first place. Another round of laughter followed my humiliation and this time I rolled away from my assaulter before attempting to get back on my feet. This time I made it to my knees before a kick between my shoulder blades once again sent me into the dirt.
"It would seem that this southern whore doesn't know when to stay down." Growled a second man as I felt a boot be placed on the back of my head. Pressure began to be applied and I could feel my face start to press into the gravel. Snarling I quickly turned my head to the side and slipped out from beneath his boot. Adrenaline leant strength to my weakened body as I leaned back and glared up at the burly man towering above me.
"Fuck you." I swore at him and before I could even register what had happened, the left side of my face was on fire and I was falling to the ground once again. Had… had one of them slapped me? My brain had trouble focusing on what had just happened while I felt my wrists being untied.
Once I felt the scratchy rope loosen from my wrists I immediately started to struggle. Strong hands tightly gripped my upper arms, however, and prevented me from doing anything. Not to mention that my feet were still bound, so that prevented me from going anywhere. Or at least, anywhere fast. After that they began to drag me outside of the circle of light that the fire created to the tree line where everything was considerably darker.
"Southern wenches have no respect for their betters." The same gruff man acknowledged as my arms were dragged around the width of the tree. A sinking feeling in my gut told me I knew what was going to happen next, but my brain didn't want to recognize it as being true. "The lash will teach you what happens when a lesser being doesn't learn to hold their tongue in the presence of superiors." He finished and the two who had dragged my arms around the tree tied them tightly with a new piece of rope before they ripped open the back of my shirt, moved my hair off my back and then walked away from me. The sound of something slithering across the ground caught my attention a moment before I heard a crack and fire suddenly sprouted across my back in a line too straight to be anything but intentional.
I screamed like I'd never screamed before in my life. My vision blacked out for a second before another white hot line burst open on my skin and another cry ripped itself from the very depths of my vocal cords. Hot liquid streamed down my back which only further intensified the unimaginable agony I was going through. A third lash tore open my already badly damaged back and I think I shrieked again but my mind was already shutting down. Blackness began to creep into the edges of my vision and I felt like a fourth lash just as it engulfed me completely.
After a day of work, I was finally back home at our apartment that I shared with my best friend and subsequent roommate Sophi. Her real name was something longer but I never used it because it was too damn complicated. My keys jangled with their many keychains as I brought them out to unlock the door to our abode. Swinging the door open I walked into the small apartment.
It wasn't anything special. There was a long hallway that ran down the center of the room that had two bedrooms on the right at the far end as well as a bathroom on the left across from the last bedroom. Near the door, there was the living room on the right a dining room on the left with the kitchen just beyond it.
There was a shout of "Hey!" from down the hall and I look up to see Sophi standing at the end just outside her bedroom. She had golden blonde hair that reached to just below her shoulders, currently it was in a braid that hung over her shoulder, and bright green eyes that always seemed to twinkle with just barely concealed mischief. She was wearing one of her favorite outfits that involved a green and orange plaid over shirt with an orange t-shirt overtop of a dark green camisole. She had chosen her favorite pair of designer jeans to complete the ensemble. "How was your shift?" she asked me and I shrugged.
"Meh, same old same old." Was my unspecific reply.
"I see you went and got your hair done before your shift. How did it go?" she asked with a knowing smirk, and I proudly showed off my newly dyed blue and green ombre hair. When it was down, like it is now, it reaches to the middle of my back and its length is one of the things I love most about my hair.
"Yup I sure did! And as you can see, it went fantastically!" Although the new bright colors were definitely a good addition. Another point of pride for me was the fact that I was taller than her. It was only by two measly inches, but nonetheless it gave me the advantage I wanted.
She wasn't that short, but her slightly stocky and curvaceous figure, that I admittedly envy sometimes, sometimes made the illusion that she was shorter than she actually was. Her figure was much different than mine which was a little more stretched out over a finer bone structure and a slightly more athletic build.
"That's good." She smiles brightly and I returned it with one of my own, "It looks fantastic, you made good color choices this go." I smiled wider at her compliment,
"Thanks, I'm really thrilled with it!" I throw my shoes off to the side and fully enter the apartment, "Alright well, I'm going to go clean up a bit before peoples start arriving for the party." I state before walking to the bathroom and closing the door behind me.
The third time I woke up from my agony induced sleep, I noticed I was wearing a very scratchy and very uncomfortable shirt that felt like it was made of raw cotton. My hair was pulled out of my face so tightly it pulled on the skin of my scalp. The same material on my body seemed to also be adorning my head, it was most likely to cover the freshly blue and green dyed hair. The next thing I tried to do was sit up, but the pain that immediately lanced through my back brought tears to my eyes. I had passed out after only the third lash, how many more had they given me?
Never in my life had I ever wished more for morphine. The pain was nearly unimaginable and I found I couldn't do anything except lie down and try to will the pain away. I tried to think of anything else other than the misery I was experiencing, but nothing could hold my attention for more than a few moments. If only Sophi were here to— a burst of adrenaline shot through my body with an almost painful jolt.
Where was Sophi?
I looked around the dimly lit cage I was being transported in only to find that I was the only living occupant. They must have her in a separate cart from me. I opened my mouth to demand to know her whereabouts only for the wounds on my back to remind me of their presence. I hesitated between risking more whipping at the hands of these monsters and knowing where my friend whom I'd cared for was. Much to my shame, I feared the former too much after experiencing it first hand and laid back down.
Tears of humiliation sprang to my eyes as I screwed them shut in an attempt to block out the nasty voice in my head telling me what a horrible, selfish human being I was for not putting my friend's safety above my own. How I shouldn't care about how many lashes they would give me for acting out and how I needed to do everything in my power to care for her. It didn't work. My sight after all, had no effect on things I could hear.
I reached up to grip the locket I always wore everyday since my twelfth birthday, only to find it wasn't in its normal place just below my collarbone. A quick and panicked search of my neck told me that I wasn't wearing it at all. More tears formed until they spilled over and started to trail down my cheeks. Those bastards! They most likely took it when they switched out my clothes for the ones I was currently wearing. A bolt of pain shot through my back reminding me that I couldn't do anything in this situation so in a state of self pity and simmering anger I laid down and continued to try and ignore the constant stinging in my back.
I wasn't quite sure how long I spent in that state of anguish with both my body and mind aching relentlessly. What I do know is we eventually stopped and there was activity with people settling down to rest. I tried to not pay any attention to what was going on outside my own little world inside the closed off cart, but I couldn't help but be curious as to what was happening.
Footsteps approached me and I could feel my body start to shake with fear. I hadn't done anything yet to deserve another whipping, what could they possibly want with me? Were they going to hurt me in other ways? My mind immediately jumped to what usually happened to captured women back home and I tightened my legs instinctively. If that's what was going to happen I wouldn't go down without a fight on that matter. It didn't matter how many times I would get whipped. The tarp covering my cage was thrown aside carelessly and a crust of bread was shoved through the bars to land in front of my face.
"Eat, you dirty whore. Can't have you dying before we make a profit off you." The disgusting man with yellowed teeth stated horribly before dropping the curtain again and walking off. I waited for a few moments to make sure no one was going to come back and try to catch me off guard before I directed my attention down to the object in front of me.
It appeared to be a regular, albeit crudely, cut piece of white bread. It wasn't necessarily thick or thin but it definitely wasn't a meal on its own.
My first reaction was to throw it back out the way it came in out of spite, but thankfully despite everything my brain managed to kick back in and let me know that was a bad idea. Not only would that likely earn me more lashes, but then I would be out of food. My stomach twisted hungrily, but I refused to sate it yet. It could be poisoned was my next thought. I continued to stare at it to try and see if I could find any abnormalities within the item. Any discolorations that might suggest tampering, or otherwise. After what I had determined to be a couple minutes at least, I decided that even if they had poisoned it, it wouldn't be enough to kill me and might even take my mind off the searing pain that was constantly lighting up my entire back.
As I took a bite of the stale bread, I could only hope Sophi was receiving better treatment than me.
I have to say I was very pleased with how the party was progressing so far.
As planned, Jordan had brought along one of his friends as an extra so I could do my best to try and play 'match maker' with Sophi. In my opinion she had been single for far too long. It was about time she found someone. I'd sifted through guy after guy to try and find someone that would be worthy of her and I was confident I'd found someone suitable.
They were sitting on the couch together with their heads bowed towards each other in conversation and they were also sitting quite close. Although to be fair, it was quite loud in here, so it may have just been so they could hear each other speak without yelling. In an attempt to make them get closer, Jordan and I took seats on either side of them when a new card game was brought out.
After a couple rounds, however, I noticed her get up and leave. I assumed she was probably just going to the bathroom and didn't think much more of it. Plus, I now had an excellent opportunity to interrogate our second subject.
"So, how're things going between you and Sophi?" I prompted and I saw Jordan lean in on the other side to be part of the conversation. I was sure that we had identical Cheshire grins on our faces.
"I think they're going okay, although she doesn't seem too interested." He replied nervously and I huffed with exasperation. Of course she didn't. She couldn't realize when someone was flirting with her if they brought out a fan and a matching skirt and started dancing a mating ritual.
"Well keep trying, hopefully she'll come around." I reassured him slightly as Jordan got up and Sophi returned and immediately took the seat he had just vacated. There was a round of laughter throughout the room at his loss of seating space.
The joviality continued for a couple more hours until everyone decided that 1:30am was a late enough night and then they slowly started to trickle out of the little apartment one by one. Once they were all gone, I turned to Sophi with a disappointed pout on my face.
"You know, you could have at least tried to socialize with the new people… one of the guys who came with Jordan seemed like your type! I think he may have even been flirting with you a bit." I reprimanded her but she merely sighed and brushed me off.
"Arry, you know how I feel about you trying to secretly get me together with guys. Plus I stuck around for a while and just figured I wasn't catching his eyes. We did have a good conversation but I truly don't think he was flirting. You are just bugging me." I very nearly pulled out all of my hair when she gave me the typical Sophi response of denial.
"I am telling the truth! Without any doubt, he was flirting. Plus, even if you didn't 'catch his eye' right away you've got to at least try to get to know somebody Sophi..."
The next time the tarp was thrown aside was when there was considerably less light shining through the fabric. This time though, the door was opened and before I could do anything more than wonder what was going on, I felt a hand wrap around my ankle and yank me out of the cart. I rolled across the ground doing my best to remain as ball like as possible to avoid any unnecessary damage to my being. That said, I could feel at least one gash reopen on my back as wetness started to soak my rag I was wearing. I tried to get up and defend myself against my attacker but my arms didn't seem to be strong enough to support my weight and I merely floundered about on the ground while the rest of the group laughed heartily at my distress.
The man grabbed me by the neck and pulled me up so I could shakily stand on my own two feet. Except he didn't let go and instead began to steadily apply pressure and I could now smell the stench of alcohol on his breath. Great as if things couldn't get any worse, this asshole was tipsy, and if the grin on his face was anything to go by, he was enjoying this. The sadist. As my airway slowly became constricted, I felt my need to survive kick in and I lashed out with my nails and scratched him across his face. He cried out in pain as he let me go and I collapsed to my knees, but quickly go back to my feet and blindly turned to run the opposite direction. Hopefully it wasn't in the direction of any of this buddies, but since it was also away from the firelight I dared to have my hopes up.
"You miserable, filthy cunt!" he screeched and I felt the white hot pain of a whip crack against my leg right on the inside of my right knee. I screamed louder than I'd ever screamed before, even louder than the first time I was whipped. If I thought my back had felt like agony, then the tender, soft skin behind my knee was excruciating. No longer having the strength to support me, it gave way beneath my weight and I fell face first into the dirt once again. Another lash got me across the calf of the opposite leg. I attempted to continue by crawling but another caught me across the shoulder blades and I couldn't move anymore.
Angry, stomping footsteps made their way up beside me and a large hand roughly grabbed the cloth hiding my hair and raised my head so it strained my neck backwards. Hot breath wafted over my ear as he brought his head close to mine. I tried to head-butt him, but the bastard had me in a firm grip.
"You'll regret that. I'm going to teach you a lesson like you've never learned before, you bitch. When I'm done with you, you'll wish I'd had the mercy to give you a thousand lashes before killing you." He hissed and I felt my blood run cold. He was really going to torture me and nothing I could do would convince him otherwise. In fact it might just encourage him even more. At that point he let me go and the rustling of fabric told me he was standing up. The vicious kick to my ribs immediately after told me I had been correct
The force of the hit, sent me rolling onto my already abused back which was now bleeding so profusely, the world began to spin around me. I thought I saw him step and loom over me but I wasn't sure considering that there was three of him. Blackness began to close in around the edges of my vision and I gratefully awaited the blissful release from the hell I'd been living.
A sudden cacophony of sounds to my opposite side where the camp was caught my attention slightly, but I merely chalked it up to the rest of the bastards fighting amongst themselves. Good. Let them squabble, kill yourselves for all I care. A deranged smile made its way across my face as I thought of that outcome. The one in front of me didn't react to the commotion that was happening, likely as a result of the alcohol, and was too slow to draw a weapon.
The last thing I saw before the darkness claimed me was his head flying clean off his shoulders only to be replaced with one that had horns. Looks like the Devil had come to collect me after all… and while I was ready to be dragged back down into the depths of hell, I wasn't ready and never would be ready to be there with company.
"Don't take Sophi. Don't…take…Sophi…" were the last words out of my mouth before the void eased my suffering.
I was getting tired of constantly passing out and then waking up again. It seemed like lately, that was all my life consisted of. Although I have to admit, this time seemed much different than all the rest. Before opening my eyes I did a quick check of my body. My wrists were unbound and laying in front of me due to the fact that I was on my side and my feet were similarly free. Also the stinging of the marks on my back was significantly less than I remember. The most important thing that I noticed, however, was that I was lying under soft covers.
For the first time since I'd landed here I entertained the idea that this might actually be one elaborate dream and I'm just now waking up. The slight twinges of pain that throbbed in my back could be the remnants of my most horrible nightmare to date of being whipped. Opening my eyes I blinked multiple times in a row to clear the blurriness from them before I was able to observe where I was.
I was occupying a brown tent that the early morning sunlight filtered through. It vaguely illuminated the inside that had personal items laying around in semi-neat piles. There was what looked like a pile of clothes in one corner and various pieces of, what I assumed to be, armour lying beside it. There was a helmet, some shoulder-protector-things, I think they were called pauldrons, a breastplate and various other pieces that I didn't care to identify at the moment.
Footsteps outside the opening of the tent caught my attention and I was stuck between pretending I was still asleep or being awake and ready for whatever came through the flap. Deciding that it would be better to pretend to be asleep since I wouldn't be able to defend myself against any sort of attack anyway, I assumed my original position and closed my eyes. I tried not to focus too much on my breathing since that would make it irregular which was a dead giveaway that I wouldn't be asleep.
The light inside the temporary abode brightened momentarily when the flap was pushed aside and someone clomped their way into the space. They moved to stand in front of where I was laying and the scent of cooked food followed whoever it was inside. Already I could feel my resolve weakening. The smell of eggs and bacon was making my mouth water and my stomach clench with hunger. When the source of the smell was placed directly in front of my nose I decided I could no longer resist. Slowly I opened my eyes only to find I was looking directly at a plate heaping with two eggs and two slices of bacon plus a slice of bread on the side.
"I figured that food would wake you if nothing else could." Quipped a man squatting directly behind the plate. He had bright blonde, almost platinum, blonde hair with sparkling green eyes. He had highly arched thick brows one of which had a scar through it that continued down across his nose. His mouth was turned up at the corners in what appeared to be a sideways smirk. Instantly I felt myself put off from the food, he seemed too expectant. Knowing my luck, it was likely poisoned. I gave him my best untrustworthy glare which he returned with a beaming grin, "Don't look at me like that, I brought you food! Although I suppose I should probably introduce myself, the name's Gaelen but everyone around here calls me Gaelic. What's your name?" I was silent while I tried to gain a measure of this strange boy who was practically flirting with me.
"Where's Sophi?" I asked and waited for the backhand that would surely come with being so forward but I didn't care, I needed to know she was safe before I could allow myself to relax and eat. A startled look overtook his features and a beat of silence passed before he managed to get together a response. Although it was hardly an intelligent answer...
"Who's Sophi?" I felt my heart skip a beat and worst case scenarios began to throw themselves left, right and center into my brain. I tried to calm myself down. Maybe he just didn't know who she was. After all, he was asking who I was, maybe she hadn't been able to introduce herself like me. I sat up on my elbows to be more eye level with him.
"She was the second girl who would have been captive with me. Is she safe? Can I see her soon?" I clarified and I watched with horror as he avoided eye contact with me. Was she not okay? Was she badly injured like me? Had her wounds gotten infected? Or was she… I didn't even want to finish that last thought. My terror only further mounted when he looked away entirely and rub the back of his neck, it was a few heart pounding moments later that I finally heard the fateful words.
"I'm sorry, but you were the only prisoner in the camp…"
"Yeah, yeah… I tell you what, next time you do this, let me know and I promise to try" Sophi bargains with me and I can already see the evil plans forming in my mind.
"So what you're saying is that the next time I 'secretly' set you up with somebody, you not only promise to go along with it, but to even give them a decent shot at a relationship?" I clarified and did my best to contain the wolfish grin that was doing its best to take over my features.
"What?! That may be going a little far…" she backtracked and I brought out my ultimate pleading puppy eyes. I didn't think they would actually work, but when I saw her roll her eyes and groan with frustration, I realized I'd won, "Alright! Fine. I promise to not only go along with it but give the guy a fair chance."
"Yay!" I finally let the wide grin take over my face and I clap my hands excitedly. I can hardly wait until I find the next victim. It would have to be totally worth it though. I would never get a second deal like this out of her again.
"Great. Now that I have sold myself to the next man of your choosing, I am going to go finish packing." Deciding not to further question my victory, I happily wave her away and once again take a place on the couch where I bring out my laptop and begin watching mindless videos. For the next little while I can hear her rummaging around before she drowned out by a very strange buzzing sound.
At first it was quiet but it began to grow in strength and depth until it started to hurt my ears. Once it got close to reaching its peak, the pitch was so deep it was almost rattling my teeth. Holding my hands over my ears, I looked up into the middle of the room to see what appeared to be some sort of distortion in the air. If I were to describe it, I would say it looked like the surface of water. A green hue started to permeate the anomaly as it began to grow and stretch like a crack. I put my laptop to the side in preparation to get up and inspect it only for the sounds of slowly cracking glass permeated the air.
The only thing I registered after that was the sound of glass shattering and something solid hitting me in the head before everything went black.
Well there you have it! I'd love to hear your thoughts so please leave a review to let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
